Chapter 56

The next day, Yue Fangxing visited Linghu Chong at the Cliff of Reflection.

Linghu Chong, of course, knew that Yue Lingshan was ill and had been quite worried, losing his appetite and becoming emaciated. When Yue Fangxing saw him at the Cliff of Reflection, he looked like a withered figure.

Seeing Yue Fangxing climb up the cliff, Linghu Chong grabbed his hand and asked, "Junior Brother, how is Junior Sister?"

Yue Fangxing, of course, knew he was asking about his sister Yue Lingshan. He put on a serious face and sighed, saying, "My sister is a girl, naturally frail, and unlike us, she hasn't practiced the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang. How could she recover so quickly!"

He paused and then said, "Let's not talk about this. How have you been, Senior Brother?" He knew Linghu Chong was anxious but deliberately changed the subject.

Hearing that Yue Lingshan hadn't recovered, Linghu Chong became extremely anxious: "Why hasn't she recovered? I heard that Master drove away her cold and she was much better!"

Yue Fangxing remained silent, afraid that if he said too much, Linghu Chong would see through his lie. This way, he could make Linghu Chong more uncertain.

Seeing his hesitation, Linghu Chong became even more anxious, his mind racing with worse scenarios. But since he was punished to face the wall in reflection, he had no way to do anything and could only sit down dejectedly.

"Why don't you go see for yourself, Senior Brother?" Yue Fangxing said casually. After observing for a while, he knew that Linghu Chong truly cared deeply for Yue Lingshan and encouraged him.

"I can't! Master punished me and forbade me from leaving the Cliff of Reflection," Linghu Chong said, worried. If he had thought about it more carefully, his sharp mind would have caught the problem in this statement.

Yue Fangxing found it amusing. Linghu Chong was so strict about the rules sometimes but not at other times, lacking consistency. No wonder his father hadn't clearly promised to give his sister to him. He said casually, "How many times have you broken the rules? At worst, you'll just stay at the Cliff of Reflection for two more months."

Linghu Chong slapped his forehead. That's right! Breaking the rules wasn't a big deal; at worst, he would be punished to stay at the Cliff of Reflection for two more months! He suddenly stood up and was about to leave the cliff.

After taking a few steps, he stopped. He had always broken the rules secretly before, but now, in broad daylight, he would certainly encounter people, making it a public violation of the rules. He had never done such a thing before and felt uneasy. Moreover, he sensed something off in Yue Fangxing's words and hesitated.

Seeing this, Yue Fangxing pretended to be angry: "If you won't go down, do you want my sister to drag her sick body up the Cliff of Reflection to see you?" He was very annoyed by Linghu Chong's hesitation. He didn't dare to take the initiative in his feelings, and did he really want Yue Lingshan to pursue him?

Hearing this, Linghu Chong's concern for Yue Lingshan overcame his hesitation. He no longer thought about anything else and used his lightness skill to go down the cliff.

That afternoon, the Hua Mountain disciples saw a strange scene: Linghu Chong hurriedly came down from the Cliff of Reflection, burst into the courtyard where Yue Lingshan was, and was caught by Yue Buqun, who announced in front of everyone that his time of facing the wall would be extended by three months. However, the eldest disciple of Hua Mountain didn't look the least bit dejected; instead, he had a happy smile on his face, as if something good had happened. The Hua Mountain disciples guessed that it must be about the relationship between the eldest brother and the eldest sister, otherwise, it wouldn't be like this. Perhaps after the eldest brother's period of reflection, he would be ordered to marry, as he was already quite old.

Yue Fangxing, of course, knew the inside story. He had followed Linghu Chong and helped him keep watch, blocking any disciples who wanted to interfere or report. He only slipped away when he saw his parents arrive.

When Linghu Chong saw Yue Lingshan, he immediately knew he had been tricked by Yue Fangxing and felt a bit angry. However, seeing Yue Lingshan's happy face, his anger vanished. This incident clearly revealed Linghu Chong's feelings, which had been ambiguous before, now completely clear.

Yue Lingshan, seeing Linghu Chong suddenly come down the cliff to see her, felt a sweet warmth in her heart, though she didn't understand why. The specifics of their conversation were unknown to others, but for the next few days, Yue Lingshan's face was always flushed. Later, she scolded Yue Fangxing for lying about her.

Although Yue Buqun publicly punished Linghu Chong, he wasn't really angry. He had always observed the relationship between Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan. Since he planned to teach Linghu Chong the Zixia Divine Skill, he also intended to mention this at the right time. But as both their teacher and father, he had to consider how to say it. Now that Linghu Chong had taken the initiative, he no longer had this worry. Could he really be angry?

However, teaching the Zixia Divine Skill would have to be postponed. First, Linghu Chong had violated the rules and was punished, so he couldn't be taught immediately. Second, he looked emaciated, and his physical and mental state needed to be restored before he could practice the Zixia Divine Skill. This matter could only be put on hold.

Linghu Chong's punishment was increased, and as the instigator and assistant, Yue Fangxing also suffered. His actions were seen by everyone, so he couldn't escape punishment. Yue Buqun ordered him to face the wall at the Cliff of Reflection for a month.

Yue Fangxing had no choice but to obey. After three days, he also went up to the Cliff of Reflection. During these three days, Yue Buqun taught him the Zhenyue Sword Technique, and he went up to the cliff to face the wall and practice with Linghu Chong, helping each other to improve and become familiar with the technique.

Seeing Yue Fangxing come to the Cliff of Reflection to face the wall with him, Linghu Chong was naturally very happy, with a smile on his face. Although he had been tricked by Yue Fangxing, the outcome was good, but it didn't mean he wasn't angry.

Seeing Linghu Chong's happiness, Yue Fangxing said irritably, "Senior Brother, you don't have to gloat. I'm only here for a month. After a month, you'll still be the one facing the wall!"

Linghu Chong, of course, knew this, but he was still very happy. The two of them played around for a while.

After a while, they sat down and chatted. Yue Fangxing knew that Linghu Chong had been diligently practicing sword techniques recently and sighed inwardly, saying, "Senior Brother, why did you get so badly injured when you fought Tian Boguang?"

This had been a long-standing doubt for Yue Fangxing. In theory, with the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang, Linghu Chong's internal strength was no longer a significant weakness. Combined with his sword skills, even if he wasn't as good as Tian Boguang, he should have been able to protect himself.

Linghu Chong felt a bit embarrassed and said, "At that time, I was hiding in a cave, and Tian Boguang suddenly started slashing. I didn't react in time and got injured. After that, I was always at a disadvantage in the fight, and I was severely injured. Later, I was almost killed by Luo Renjie."

Yue Fangxing found it amusing. Linghu Chong's skills were at a high level, but his awareness was lagging behind. His current strength was not far from that of a top-tier expert, and his sword skills were already at a high level. In a fair fight, he could hold his own against a top-tier expert, but in critical moments, he couldn't react quickly enough. In the original story, Linghu Chong was often captured or severely injured, including one time when he was suddenly stabbed from behind while chasing an enemy. If it weren't for his high martial arts skills, he would have been killed, and there would be no more Linghu Chong in the world. This shows that Linghu Chong's combat awareness was far from that of a top-tier expert.

Top-tier experts in the martial arts world had all gone through rigorous training, each with extensive experience and quick reactions. For example, Tian Boguang's trick was just a way to force someone out of hiding. Linghu Chong, hiding and unable to react in time, got injured, which was the difference. Even Yue Fangxing, who had practiced the natural breathing method for over ten years and was extremely alert, was always cautious and tried to face his enemies head-on to make up for his lack of experience, to avoid being ambushed. Linghu Chong's hiding, thinking he could avoid detection, was a sure way to get killed, and it was no wonder he was easily injured by Tian Boguang.