Chapter 74

As the Hua Mountain group drew their long swords, the remaining masked men had already rushed into the temple and engaged in combat with them. Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze's martial arts were well-known to be of the highest level, so among the fifteen men, six or seven of the most skilled went to surround the two, while the remaining eight or nine attacked the Hua Mountain disciples.

Yue Fangxing, seeing the fierce attack, feared that the Hua Mountain disciples might be injured. He stepped forward with his long sword and engaged two of them. His martial arts far surpassed those of the two opponents, so even though he was fighting two at once, he still had some spare capacity, and he took the opportunity to observe the situation in the field.

Yue Buqun was fighting four opponents, and his sword movements were so fluid that he seemed to have plenty of room to maneuver, restraining the most skilled among them and preventing them from breaking away. However, his Yangwu Sword Technique emphasized defense, and the four opponents were also highly skilled, so he could not defeat them immediately. Ning Zhongze was also engaged with two enemies, and she seemed to have a slight advantage, but she also found it difficult to quickly defeat them.

Looking at the Hua Mountain disciples, Lao Denuo shouted loudly and fought two opponents, though he did not have the upper hand, he did not seem to be losing either. The other outer disciples were not to be outdone, surrounding two enemies, and the exchange of swords and knives was intense, especially Lin Pingzhi, who fought fearlessly, clearly enraged by the mention of the *Piyu Sword Manual*.

The remaining three enemies were barely held off by Liang Fa, Shi Daizi, Gao Genming, and others. They were already second-rate experts, and in theory, with the help of their junior disciples, they could hold their ground. However, they lacked combat experience and their skills were inferior, so despite their numbers, they were in constant danger.

Seeing this, Linghuchong loudly called for Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou to come forward and help. Although Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou were moved, they did not dare to disobey their master's orders, for fear that someone might suddenly attack Linghuchong.

Yue Fangxing thought that to break the deadlock, he needed to act. Just as he was about to quickly resolve the situation with the two opponents in front of him and go to help his junior disciples, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of one of the enemies wielding a knife and about to strike Liang Fa, who clearly could not dodge in time.

Yue Fangxing was greatly alarmed and, without hesitation, forced the two opponents back a few steps with a few swift sword strikes, then leaped forward to rescue Liang Fa.

The man with the knife was about to injure someone to intimidate the Hua Mountain disciples, but he felt a strong sword wind from behind, which was about to strike him. He had to abandon his target and turn to defend himself.

Yue Fangxing's sword strike was fierce and powerful, using all his strength, and with the weight of his heavy sword, it aimed directly at the man with the knife. The man's counterattack was hasty, and when the sword and knife met, he felt a severe shock in his wrist, and his knife wobbled, almost slipping from his grasp.

At this moment, Liang Fa, regaining his senses, saw the man's back exposed and, gathering his courage, shouted and thrust his long sword at the man.

The man with the knife, being extremely fierce, sensing this, and looking back to see Yue Fangxing behind him, ignored the sword coming at him and instead swung his knife at Liang Fa.

Yue Fangxing, seeing this, knew it was bad. He also sensed two powerful forces coming from behind, likely the two opponents he was fighting. If he turned to face them, Liang Fa would be injured and possibly killed. If he did not turn, he would be injured himself.

In the critical moment, Yue Fangxing made a quick decision. He slightly moved his body to avoid the vital points and increased his strength, aiming to finish off the man with the knife before he could injure Liang Fa.

The man with the knife did not expect this and, caught off guard, could not avoid the strike in time. He was pierced in the back by Yue Fangxing's long sword. Yue Fangxing's heavy sword was powerful, and the man was instantly killed. Although his knife still struck Liang Fa, it had lost its force and did not penetrate deeply. Even so, Liang Fa was covered in blood.

Yue Fangxing was preparing to take the two strikes from behind but felt no pain, only the sound of weapons falling. He turned around and saw the two opponents holding their wrists, and Linghuchong holding a long sword, and called out, "Big Brother..."

Linghuchong had been observing the situation and, seeing Yue Fangxing in danger, ignored everything else, passed by Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou, and found an opening to use the *Bishui Sword* to injure the wrists of the two opponents. Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou, surprised by the situation, also wanted to help, but Linghuchong had already taken the initiative.

The two opponents, focused on fighting Yue Fangxing, did not expect to be injured and their weapons to fall. They were shocked and exclaimed, "Piyu Sword Technique... You used the Piyu..." Their voices suddenly stopped.

Yue Fangxing, seeing that they did not dodge, directly swept his heavy sword, killing the two. However, their voices were loud, and everyone in the field heard clearly, causing a moment of confusion, and they stopped fighting.

Yue Buqun, after fighting for a while, had already recognized that their accents were from different regions and their martial arts were diverse, indicating they were not from the same school. However, their coordination in advancing and retreating was deep, suggesting they were not a temporary gathering. Most strangely, none of the fifteen men were weak, and with his extensive knowledge of the martial arts world, he should have recognized at least one of the fifteen skilled martial artists, but he could not. He was certain that these people had never fought him before and had no grudge against him. Could it be that they were really after the *Piyu Sword Manual* and thus came to challenge the Hua Mountain School?

Seeing the opponents stop, Yue Buqun was also concerned about the injuries of the Hua Mountain disciples and ordered everyone to gather together.

Both sides, wary of each other, slowly retreated and formed two circles, but all eyes were on Linghuchong, with varying degrees of suspicion.

Yue Fangxing, Yue Buqun, and others knew that Linghuchong used the *Dugu Nine Swords*, but the other Hua Mountain disciples did not, so they were also suspicious. Lin Pingzhi, who had been fighting fearlessly and had been hit in the right shoulder, did not notice the situation and was startled when he heard someone shout "Piyu Sword Technique," unable to determine the situation.

The field fell into a strange silence.

At this moment, the sound of hooves came from the northeast, and dozens of horsemen galloped over.

The masked old man called out, "Who is it? Go and check!" Two masked men responded, "Yes!" and rode forward. The sound of hooves grew closer, followed by the clashing of weapons, and someone shouted, "Ouch!" indicating that the newcomers had engaged the two masked men, and someone was injured.

Yue Fangxing knew that it was likely the Songshan School and the remnants of the Sword Sect. He whispered to Yue Buqun, "Father, it seems to be the Songshan School."

Yue Buqun, initially thinking that the opponents had brought reinforcements, was delighted, but upon hearing Yue Fangxing's words, he was surprised. The Songshan School had just returned from Hua Mountain a few days ago, and he did not expect them to return so soon, especially here. Although they were part of the Five Great Sword Schools, he did not expect the Songshan School to offer help. Just as he was about to ask Yue Fangxing for more details, he saw about thirty to forty horsemen splashing through the mud and water, galloping to the temple and stopping. One of them called out, "Friends of the Hua Mountain School. Hey! Isn't that Brother Yue?"

Yue Buqun looked at the man speaking and recognized him as Lu Bai, the second chief of the Songshan School, who had held the Five Great Sword Schools' banner and come to the top of Hua Mountain a few days ago. The man on his right was the tall and robust Ding Mian, the first chief of the Songshan School. Standing on his left was Feng Buping, the former disciple of the Hua Mountain School's Sword Sect. The experts from the Taishan and Hengshan Schools who had come to Hua Mountain that day were also present, and there were more of them now. The night was dark, and it was difficult to recognize everyone clearly.

Lu Bai said, "Brother Yue, when you did not accept the banner from the leader of the Five Great Sword Schools, he was very displeased. He specially ordered me, Brother Ding, and Brother Tang to bring the banner and visit Hua Mountain again. I did not expect to meet you here at night."

Yue Buqun was still pondering the intentions of the Songshan School and did not respond, but the masked old man clasped his hands and said, "It is truly an honor to meet the second, third, and seventh chiefs of the Songshan School, Ding, Lu, and Tang. It is a great pleasure."

Tang Ying'e, the sixth chief of the Songshan School, said, "We dare not. May I ask for your name and why you do not show your true face?"

The masked old man said, "We are all minor figures in the martial arts world, and our names are not worth mentioning. However, there is one thing we need to ask for justice from the martial arts community."

Tang Ying'e said, "What is it? Please tell us."

The old man said, "This Mr. Yue Buqun is known as the Gentleman of the Sword. He is said to always speak of righteousness and morality and to strictly adhere to the rules of the martial arts community. However, his recent behavior has been quite out of character. The Fuzhou Fuwei Escort Agency was destroyed, and the head of the agency, Lin Zhenan, and his wife were saved by Mr. Yue, as you all know."

Tang Ying'e said, "Yes, that is true."

The old man nodded and said, "Let's be frank. Everyone knows that the Lin family of the Fuwei Escort Agency has a family heirloom, the *Piyu Sword Manual*, which contains a profound and subtle sword technique that can make one invincible. The Fuwei Escort Agency was destroyed because someone coveted the *Piyu Sword Manual*. This manual has caused a lot of trouble in the martial arts world, and almost everyone knows about it."

Tang Ying'e said, "So what?"

The old man said, "We do not dare to be greedy for the *Piyu Sword Manual*, but now, a Hua Mountain disciple is using the Piyu Sword Technique. What does Mr. Yue have to say about this?"

The group from the Songshan School was greatly surprised by this. The *Piyu Sword Manual* had caused many deaths in the martial arts world, but there was no resolution. Now, the *Piyu Sword Manual* dispute had resurfaced, and the Five Great Sword Schools had rushed to Fujian for this reason. To hear that someone from the Hua Mountain School was using the Piyu Sword Technique, though the truth was unknown, was shocking. They were all deeply concerned and suspicious, constantly glancing at the Hua Mountain group.