Chapter 73

For several days, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The unease and anxiety that the Huashan group felt before setting out gradually subsided as they practiced every day. Yue Buqun was satisfied; if they could return safely from this trip, these disciples would surely reach a new level, and Huashan would have a few more capable individuals.

That day, the Huashan group arrived at Weilin Town as the sky was growing dark. There was only one inn in the town, which was already filled with many guests. Since the Huashan group included women, it would be inconvenient to stay there. Yue Buqun said, "Let's travel a bit further and see if we can find another town."

The group had no choice but to continue on. However, after traveling less than three miles, the axle of the carriage that Ning Zhongze and Yue Lingshan were riding in broke, and they had to get out and walk.

At this moment, Shi Daizi pointed to the northeast and said, "Master, there's a temple in that forest. Shall we go there to stay for the night?"

Ning Zhongze replied, "It would be inconvenient for the women." Yue Buqun said, "Daizi, go and ask. If the monks in the temple refuse, we'll just have to find another place. Don't force it."

Shi Daizi agreed and ran off. He soon returned, calling from a distance, "Master, it's an abandoned temple, and there are no monks."

Yue Fangxing, upon hearing this, immediately recalled that in the original story, the Huashan group was attacked here. He wanted to stop them, but then he saw dark clouds gathering in the east, and the sky quickly turned dark, with rain imminent. He had no choice but to follow the group inside.

In fact, if Yue Fangxing had warned Yue Buqun, they could have continued on and possibly avoided the attack. However, if they avoided this, Yue Fangxing would lose his advantage of foreknowledge and wouldn't know what the attackers would do next. It was better to stay and wait for them. Moreover, the current Huashan group was much stronger than in the original story. In Yue Fangxing's view, they were not necessarily weaker than the attackers and could use this opportunity to test the combat skills of the Huashan disciples and gain experience. After all, future battles with the Songshan Sect or the Cult of the Devil would be even more dangerous.

The group entered the main hall and saw a statue of a green-faced deity, draped in leaves and holding withered grass, the Medicine King Bodhisattva who had tasted a hundred herbs. Yue Buqun led the disciples in paying respects to the statue. Before they could set up their bedding, lightning flashed, and a loud thunderclap echoed from the sky, followed by heavy raindrops that pattered on the roof.

The abandoned temple leaked everywhere, so the group didn't bother to set up their bedding. They each found a dry spot to sit, and a few disciples went to start a fire and prepare dinner.

Ning Zhongze said, "The thunder this year is unusually early. It doesn't bode well for the harvest."

"Not only the harvest, but the turmoil in the martial world is also significant. With such heavy rain, I'll take the night watch!" Yue Fangxing added, as he was concerned and made this suggestion.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze knew that Yue Fangxing was being cautious. A night of heavy rain would make it difficult to respond, and if enemies attacked, it would be even more dangerous. They nodded and instructed the disciples to be careful, to gather in the formation they had practiced, and to keep their weapons close. They also arranged for Yue Lingshan, Lu Dàyǒu, and Linghu Chong to stay together, so they could be protected if enemies appeared.

Linghu Chong, seeing his master's arrangement, felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't help his master with his troubles and had become a burden. But thinking of his injuries, he couldn't refuse, as it would only make his master more worried. He could only accept it silently.

After dinner, everyone went to sleep. The rain alternated between heavy and light but never stopped. Despite this, the Huashan group, who had been traveling for several days, were very tired. Soon, snores filled the hall, and everyone was sound asleep.

Yue Fangxing didn't sleep but sat cross-legged, keeping watch for the group. While practicing, he suddenly heard the sound of hooves coming from the southeast, about a dozen riders galloping down the road. He was startled: Why would anyone ride in the rain at night? Could these be the people coming to attack the Huashan group?

He stood up and saw that Yue Buqun had already risen, quietly waking the disciples and whispering, "Everyone, be quiet." His deep inner strength and constant vigilance allowed him to hear the hoofbeats as well.

Soon, everyone in the Huashan group was awake, each with a hand on their sword, ready for an attack. However, the hoofbeats passed the temple and gradually faded away. The group breathed a sigh of relief and was about to lie down again when the hoofbeats returned. The dozen riders stopped outside the temple, and a clear voice called out, "Is Master Yue of the Huashan Sect in the temple? We have something to ask."

Linghu Chong, as the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect, usually handled such matters, but since he was injured, Yue Fangxing took his place. Knowing that these people were likely here to attack, he didn't open the temple door but projected his voice far out, "At this late hour, which friends are visiting?"

The people outside were impolite and, seeing no one open the door, broke it down and rushed in.

The Huashan group, seeing this, knew that the visitors were likely hostile and each drew their swords in readiness. They saw that there were fifteen riders outside, with six or seven of them holding lanterns, shining them into the temple.

By the light, the Huashan group could see the visitors' attire. Each of them wore a black cloth mask, leaving only their eyes exposed. They all felt a chill: if these people weren't familiar with them, they were afraid of being recognized. They knew that a fierce battle was likely to ensue.

A man on the left said, "Please have Master Yue Buqun come out."

Yue Fangxing, seeing this, asked, "Who are you? Please state your name so I can report it to our seniors."

The man, not recognizing Yue Fangxing, said, "You don't need to know who we are. Tell your master that we've heard the Huashan Sect has obtained the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' from the Fuwei Escort Agency, and we want to borrow it for a look."

Yue Fangxing was startled. Could it be that the news of spreading the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' had been discovered? No, that shouldn't be the case! He calmly replied, "The Huashan Sect has its own martial arts. Why would we need someone else's sword manual? Your request is unreasonable and shows no respect for the Huashan Sect."

The man laughed loudly, and the other fourteen joined in. Their laughter echoed across the open field, and it was clear that each of them had considerable inner strength.

Yue Fangxing was secretly alarmed. From the sound of their voices, while none of the fifteen were top-tier experts, there were a few first-class experts like Tian Boguang. The others, while not as powerful, were mostly near-first-class, and the weakest were peak second-class. Such a group was a formidable force in the martial world, and even compared to the Huashan group, they were slightly superior. He wondered which faction had sent them and became even more cautious, knowing that a fierce battle was inevitable.

Amid the laughter, a man spoke clearly, "We've heard that the young Lin from the Fuwei Escort Agency has joined the Huashan Sect. We have long admired Master Yue Buqun's sword skills, which are unparalleled in the martial world, and he would naturally not care about the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual.' We, mere unknowns in the martial world, boldly ask Master Yue to lend it to us for a look."

Yue Fangxing felt relieved. It seemed that the news of spreading the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' had not been discovered, and these fifteen people were just using Lin Pingzhi's joining the Huashan Sect as an excuse. However, the man's voice was clear and loud, even amidst the laughter, indicating that his inner strength was even greater than the others, and his martial arts might be on par with his own.

At this moment, Yue Buqun had already arranged the Huashan disciples in the formation they had practiced and stepped forward, saying, "You are all well-known figures in the martial world. Why do you call yourselves unknowns? I never lie. The Lin family's 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' is not with us."

When he spoke, he used the Purple Mist Divine Skill, and his voice, mixed with the loud laughter outside, was still heard clearly by everyone inside and outside the temple. His voice was calm and natural, unlike the man who had to use his inner strength to speak loudly, clearly showing that his skills were far superior.

Another man with a rough voice said, "You claim it's not with you. Where is it then?"

Yue Buqun replied, "What right do you have to ask that?"

The man said, "Matters of the world are for the world to manage."

Yue Buqun sneered but did not respond. The man shouted, "Yue, will you hand it over or not? Don't make us force you. If you don't hand it over, we'll have to come in and search."

Ning Zhongze whispered, "Draw your swords and form the formation!" The sound of swords being drawn filled the air as everyone drew their long swords.