Chapter 62

Chapter 61. Zhang Wenren! That guy is the God of Wealth! (1)

"Hey, where did you learn that? Cough!"

Blood spurted from Li Songbai's mouth. Seeing this, Qingming sighed and released his grip on Li Songbai's collar.

'That was a bit too much.'

From Qingming's perspective, even if it were an unforgivable act for the heavens to collapse, the fault could not lie with Li Songbai. After all, Li Songbai lacked the capability to do such a thing.

"Tsk."

Qingming straightened his hand and struck Li Songbai's back once.

Thud!

As Qingming's energy swept through his body, the turmoil inside gradually subsided. Soon, Li Songbai exhaled a long breath, his face visibly more relaxed.

After confirming that Li Songbai had calmed down, Qingming straightened his body and looked up at the sky.

After staring at the sky for a while, Qingming sighed deeply.

"Is that the new martial art of Zhongnan?"

"......Yes."

"Xuehua Shier Shi?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Qingming chuckled.

'Why don't they just change the name completely?'

This was practically a provocation, as if to say, "What can Huashan do if they find out?"

'No, that's not it.'

They must be confident that Huashan would no longer recognize this sword technique, even if they saw it being used openly.

This is mockery.

If Qingming hadn't appeared, Huashan would have been completely unaware that the sword technique they had lost in battle was being used openly by the Zhongnan people.

The malice of the person who created this sword technique was gnawing at Qingming's insides.

"Who is learning this sword technique?"

"......"

"What's so difficult about answering?"

Li Songbai nodded.

"Starting with the second-generation disciples."

"Starting with the second generation. So, only the second-generation disciples, the first-generation disciples, and the elders know about this sword technique?"

"I've heard that the elders have never learned this sword technique. Currently, only the second and first-generation disciples are practicing it."

"Never learned it......"

Qingming's eyes glowed with a terrifying light.

If one of the elders had created Xuehua Shier Shi, it would have been natural for the first-generation disciples to be the first to learn it.

'So, the person who finally perfected this sword technique is still in Zhongnan?'

This was, at least, some good news.

If the person who did this had already died and been buried, there would be no way to find and punish the culprit.

'Whoever it is, I'll make them pay for daring to do such a despicable act!'

Qingming gritted his teeth.

There was no need to investigate what had happened.

When Huashan was in chaos, Zhongnan must have come to help. It would have been a disgrace to the martial world if they had just watched Huashan be attacked by the demonic sect without lifting a finger.

'But they only pretended to help, while actually stealing Huashan's martial arts.'

Not everyone, of course. But someone took advantage of Huashan's burning to do something they shouldn't have.

Or perhaps......

'Perhaps the burning of Huashan wasn't even the work of the demonic sect.'

Grinding his teeth, Qingming felt his anger rising.

The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became.

"These damn bastards......"

Qingming risked his life to save the martial world from crisis. And these guys repaid that kindness by turning it into enmity against Huashan?

Moreover, this wasn't just the result of one person's greed.

People make mistakes. Sometimes they commit sins. Suppose someone from Zhongnan, blinded by greed, made a mistake while visiting Huashan.

But shouldn't the sect correct such mistakes?

They should have sternly condemned the sin and returned the stolen secret manual, not used it to create a new martial art. And to name it Xuehua, mocking Huashan?

"You're really going overboard."

Qingming gritted his teeth and turned to Li Songbai with burning eyes.

"You!"

"Yes? Ah... Yes!"

"Don't practice this."

"Huh? Why......?"

"If I say don't practice it, then don't practice it! Brat!"

Qingming slapped the back of Li Songbai's head.

Watching Li Songbai groan and hold his head, two conflicting emotions arose in Qingming.

On one hand, he wanted to beat Li Songbai to death for being a Zhongnan bastard......

"Tsk."

Qingming clicked his tongue and said to Li Songbai.

"This is a martial art that cannot achieve great success."

"......"

Li Songbai looked at Qingming with a dazed expression. But Qingming was speaking the truth.

If Li Songbai hadn't sought him out for a duel and shown him this Xuehua Shier Shi, Qingming would have remained completely unaware of this for years.

In a way, Li Songbai had helped Qingming.

Qingming repaid kindness when he could and never forgot a grudge. But this favor was too significant to simply overlook.

"The foundation of Zhongnan's martial arts is balance. It may seem slow and heavy at first, but the more you hone your sword, the stronger it becomes. But this is different. This martial art doesn't fit Zhongnan. If you want to achieve greatness with the sword, get rid of this immediately."

"But the elders say this sword technique is a step beyond the traditional Zhongnan sword techniques."

"Of course they would say that."

No one has yet achieved mastery in Xuehua Shier Shi.

Fancy techniques progress quickly. When a person who diligently practices the basics and a person who learns flashy techniques are at a shallow level, the flashy one usually wins.

'But why wouldn't Zhongnan know this......'

"Ah......"

A sigh escaped Qingming's lips.

'They went too far.'

He understood now.

Qingming's dominance over Zhongnan's swordsmen was the root of all this.

It wasn't an overestimation or a wild guess. From Zhongnan's perspective, it was a natural reaction.

They must have been proud of their own sword techniques. But with Qingming's appearance in the neighboring sect and his decades-long dominance over the demonic sect, Zhongnan never once defeated him.

Does that mean Zhongnan was weak?

Absolutely not.

'If Zhongnan was weak, they wouldn't have one of the nine major sects.'

In fact, at that time, Zhongnan was experiencing an unprecedented surge of geniuses. It was a period of explosive talent in Zhongnan's history.

Unfortunately, these geniuses were born in the same era as Qingming and were all defeated by him.

'It's not surprising that they lost faith in what they had.'

Stupid people.

If Qingming had been in Zhongnan, would he have been buried without being called the Sword Sage?

No.

The important thing isn't the martial art itself. While the martial art is important, the person using it is even more crucial.

"......"

At that moment, Li Songbai, who had been observing Qingming, spoke up.

"Are you saying I shouldn't practice Xuehua Shier Jian?"

"Yes."

"But......"

Seeing Li Songbai hesitate, Qingming looked at him and spoke in a more serious tone than before.

"Your path is something no one else can decide for you."

"......"

Li Songbai looked at Qingming with a slightly different expression.

"Sometimes, advice from others can be helpful, but the real decision must be made by yourself. The words of your seniors or mine won't help. Think about it on your own and make your own decision."

Qingming turned around and started walking towards the Silver River Merchant Guild without another word.

"Wait, just a moment!"

Qingming turned his head slightly as he walked.

Li Songbai bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your guidance."

"It's nothing. Don't mention it."

Qingming waved his hand and continued walking.

Li Songbai watched Qingming's retreating back and sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.

"It feels like I've met an immortal."

Meanwhile, Qingming's face alternated between red and pale.

"The more I think about it, the angrier I get, these bastards!"

How dare they steal the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique? And copy it? If he could, he would run to Zhongnan right now and cause a ruckus.

"Ah, Senior Brother. The world is like this. These bastards not only fail to repay kindness but also do such despicable things. Should I just endure it?"

- If you don't endure it, what will you do?

It seemed Qingwen was chuckling and responding from the sky.

"Ah, if I were as strong as I used to be......"

If Qingming were still the Plum Blossom Sword Sage, the elders of Zhongnan would have to bow in submission. Unfortunately, he was now the third-generation disciple of Huashan, not the Plum Blossom Sword Sage.

'I need to get stronger faster.'

He realized this anew.

In the martial world, those without power can ultimately do nothing. Even if the head of Huashan and the elders knew about this, would they be able to protest to Zhongnan?

No, they wouldn't.

Protesting and pointing out the other party's mistakes is a privilege only the powerful can enjoy. Huashan no longer had the strength to denounce Zhongnan's injustice.

"For now."

Qingming gritted his teeth.

"But not for long."

Ultimately, Huashan would regain its former glory. As long as Qingming was there, it had to happen.

One thing he confirmed today was that Huashan and Zhongnan could not coexist.

Now that Zhongnan had done something they shouldn't have, it was impossible for both to thrive and live well.

Even if others wanted it, Qingming would no longer tolerate it.

"I need to get stronger faster."

Qingming's eyes glowed with a fierce determination.

He needed to get stronger, but so did Huashan as a whole. If Huashan didn't become strong as Huashan, its limitations would be all too clear.

Qingming didn't want to create a Huashan that relied solely on him. Huashan needed to stand tall as the number one sword sect in the world, even without him.

Only then could he punish those unjust people.

'Xuehua Shier Shi......'

It was well-made.

It was a clumsy copy of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, but it showed deep thought on how to integrate it into Zhongnan's martial arts.

There were signs of modifying the sword techniques to reduce flamboyance and fit Zhongnan's internal energy, and the speed was adjusted to harmonize with other Zhongnan martial arts.

While it showed a determination to turn the Plum Blossom Sword Technique into a complete Zhongnan martial art......

"Because of that, it will become a deadly poison."

A playful look appeared on Qingming's face.

"Even if I leave it alone, it will gradually fester."

But watching it fester didn't suit Qingming's temperament. He believed in striking back when struck, not waiting for the other side to fail.

"You've picked the wrong person to mess with."

Qingming's gaze turned south, towards the towering Zhongnan Mountain in the distance. He clicked his tongue.

"I'll make you pay for your lack of gratitude and your attack on Huashan. Zhongnan Sect."

He then walked back towards the Silver River Merchant Guild.

But Qingming didn't know at the time that the opportunity to punish Zhongnan would come much sooner than he had expected.