Chapter 32

Yue Fangxing was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a loud bang, and the sound of weapons clashing immediately ceased. He came to his senses and focused his gaze on the place where Yu Canghai and Tian Boguang were fighting, only to see Yu Canghai alone.

It turned out that Tian Boguang, realizing he could not win, and with people surrounding the house outside, had seized an opportunity after dozens of exchanges with Yu Canghai, used his lightness skill to flee far away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Yu Canghai stood in place, showing no intention of pursuing. Just now, in the room, they had exchanged over fifty moves in a short time. He saw that Tian Boguang's saber techniques were extraordinary, both offensive and defensive, and he realized that Tian's martial arts were not inferior to his own. Even if they fought for three or four hundred more moves, he had no guarantee of victory. Therefore, when he saw Tian escape, he let him go.

At this moment, Tian Boguang called out from a distance, "Abbot Yu, the room is too small, and we can't move freely. Let's go to an open field and fight for three or four hundred rounds to see who is truly stronger. If you win, the charming and delicate girl Yubao will be yours. If you lose, Yubao will be mine."

Hearing this, Yu Canghai was almost ready to explode with anger. Tian Boguang's words made it seem as if their fight was over a woman, a prostitute named Yubao from the "Qunyu Yuan." If this were to spread, where would the face of the Qingcheng Sect's leader be? He had let Tian go out of kindness, but now he felt betrayed and extremely angry. He thought that today was truly his unlucky day, and nothing had gone right.

Yue Fangxing, seeing Tian Boguang escape, remembered that Linghu Chong had been injured by him. He had intended to give Tian a lesson even if he couldn't catch up, and had already prepared a stone to throw. However, he stopped upon hearing Tian's words. He thought, "Let him anger Yu Canghai; perhaps the short man will chase after him. Besides, Linghu Chong is injured but not dead, which means Tian Boguang must have held back. Now, finding Linghu Chong is more important, so I'll let him go this time."

At this moment, Liu Zhengfeng suddenly said, "Abbot Yu, Tian Boguang is a wicked man who will surely meet a bad end. We don't need to rush to deal with him. This brothel is a den of filth, and I have long wanted to shut it down. I will take care of it. Dajian, Weiyi, everyone, go in and search, and don't let anyone escape."

Liu's disciples, Xiang Dajian and Mi Weiyi, responded in unison. Then, Dingshi, the nun, also gave urgent orders, instructing her disciples to surround the "Qunyu Yuan" on all sides.

Liu Zhengfeng and Yu Canghai supervised from the side as Xiang Dajian and Mi Weiyi and others beat the pimps and madams of the brothel, making them scream like pigs. The Qingcheng Sect disciples smashed the furniture, teacups, and wine pots inside the brothel, creating a mess.

Yue Fangxing frowned at this. The Qingcheng Sect and Liu's disciples were too rash! Such behavior was no different from that of street thugs and did not match the image of righteous heroes. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a candle light up in a room, and a group of people were banging on the door. He was startled, knowing that Linghu Chong was likely inside. He rushed forward to see what was happening.

At this moment, the door was being pounded like a drum, and someone shouted, "Open the door, you bastards!" Then, with a bang, the door was kicked open, and three or four people rushed in.

The first to enter was a Qingcheng Sect disciple named Hong Renxiong. He looked inside and was shocked, exclaiming, "Linghu... it's Linghu Chong..." and took a step back.

Xiang Dajian and Mi Weiyi did not recognize Linghu Chong, but they knew he had killed Luo Renjie. Hearing Hong Renxiong call out his name, they were both startled and took a step back. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the room.

Yue Fangxing, hearing someone call out Linghu Chong's name, quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed forward. Seeing Linghu Chong sitting on the edge of the bed, he hurriedly went to support him, saying, "Master Brother, how is your injury? Do you want me to avenge you?" He saw that Linghu Chong could sit up, knowing that although his injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening, so he even joked.

Linghu Chong, severely injured, had been hiding Yilin and Qu Feiyun. He was somewhat nervous facing everyone, but seeing Yue Fangxing, he felt reassured. He knew his junior brother was powerful, and he had been far behind him when they left the mountain, so he assumed Yue was even stronger now. Feeling more confident, he slowly stood up and laughed, "What revenge? I'm not dead yet!"

Yue Fangxing said, "Yes, yes, when Master Brother recovers, you'll beat them all to a pulp."

Hong Renxiong, who had entered the room and seen Linghu Chong, was already stunned, muttering, "Linghu... Linghu Chong, you... you're not dead?" Clearly, he was extremely surprised.

Linghu Chong glanced at him and said coldly, "Do you think I'd die so easily?"

At this moment, Yu Canghai burst into the room, saw Linghu Chong, and shouted, "So you are Linghu Chong! Good, good!"

Linghu Chong glanced at him but did not respond. Yue Fangxing also ignored him.

Yu Canghai, seeing this, turned red with anger and shouted, "What are you doing in this brothel?"

Linghu Chong laughed and said, "You know very well. What else would I be doing in a brothel?"

Yu Canghai said coldly, "I have heard that the Huashan Sect has strict rules. You are the chief disciple of the Huashan Sect, the direct disciple of 'Gentleman Sword' Yue, yet you secretly come to a brothel. How amusing!"

Yue Fangxing, seeing Linghu Chong's injuries, and knowing he was having difficulty speaking, said, "The rules of the Huashan Sect are our internal affairs and do not need outsiders to worry about."

Yu Canghai, well-versed and experienced, saw that Linghu Chong was pale and trembling, clearly severely injured. He did not take Yue Fangxing seriously, even though Yue had just won a move against him. He thought Yue was young and likely no better than his own disciples. He thought, "The little nun from the Hengshan Sect said Linghu Chong was killed by Ren Jie, but he is clearly not dead. She must have lied. She calls him 'Master Brother' with such affection, and someone saw her come to this brothel but now she is nowhere to be found. She must be hiding. The Five Mountains Sword Sect prides itself on being a prestigious sect, looking down on my Qingcheng Sect. If I expose the little nun, it will not only shame the Huashan and Hengshan Sects but also the entire Five Mountains Sword Sect, making them unable to boast in the martial world."

Yu Canghai looked around the room and saw no one else, thinking, "The little nun must be hiding in the bed." He said to Hong Renxiong, "Renxiong, lift the curtain and let's see what's on the bed."

Hong Renxiong replied, "Yes!" He took two steps forward and drew his sword. He had suffered at the hands of Linghu Chong and did not dare to be careless, especially with Yue Fangxing watching.

Yue Fangxing, seeing this, was furious and said coldly to Yu Canghai, "What does Abbot Yu want? Do you want to start a war with the Huashan Sect? Your Qingcheng Sect has been so powerful these years, even in Guanzhong, I often hear about the 'Four Heroes of Qingcheng.' Ha, what a great reputation!"

Yu Canghai's face changed, as these words hit a sore spot. The Qingcheng Sect, located in Sichuan, bordered Guanzhong. In recent years, seeing the decline of the Huashan Sect, they had come to Guanzhong to show off. However, they had once encountered Linghu Chong, who had kicked them out, one by one. Although this was not widely known in the martial world, and Yue Buqun had personally apologized to him, Yu Canghai could not bear it. He had only put it aside because of the desire to obtain the辟邪剑谱 (Piyexianpu). Yue Fangxing's words now mocked the Qingcheng Sect for overestimating themselves and bringing shame upon themselves.

Yu Canghai, thinking about this, and remembering that Luo Renjie had been killed by Linghu Chong, and the "Buttocks Backward Flat Sand Style" had become a laughingstock in the martial world, felt his anger rise. He was determined to find the little nun and ruin the Huashan Sect's reputation, shouting, "A female disciple of the Hengshan Sect has gone missing, and someone saw her in this brothel. We must search thoroughly."

Yue Fangxing said coldly, "The affairs of the Five Mountains Sword Sect are none of your Qingcheng Sect's business."

Yu Canghai insisted, "We must find out the truth today. Renxiong, act!"

Hong Renxiong replied, "Yes!" He cautiously extended his sword, and seeing no resistance, quickly lifted the curtain and stepped back.

Yue Fangxing stood by the side, holding his sword and smiling coldly. He knew that Linghu Chong must have made preparations, or he would not have shown himself. Therefore, he did not stop Hong Renxiong. This way, he could clear the Hengshan Sect's name and let Yu Canghai lose face again.