Chapter 20

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In short, these 700 reputation points are a huge sum, enough to turn the penniless Lin Qing into a wealthy man.

Mrs. Li had been quietly observing Lin Qing, but the shock in her heart was indescribable.

As she had told her daughter, Lin Qing was no ordinary person. In just a few days in the倚天world, he had turned the tide, accomplishing great deeds.

For such a powerful person, one must draw closer. This is the wisdom of survival for a weak woman.

But Lin Qing still had a furrowed brow.

He felt that with his series of moves, the plot seemed to be developing in an unpredictable direction.

It was like a highly elastic net; the harder you pushed, the greater the rebound.

In an instant, Lin Qing's mind was in turmoil.

Niemie Shitai said proudly, "The demon king Feiyi Bat King is temporarily immobilized. Everyone, go back and get a good night's sleep. We'll set out early tomorrow morning!"

She turned and walked towards the tent, giving Lin Qing an appreciative glance.

Lin Qing had always stayed behind the scenes, giving all the credit to her. Niemei deeply felt that this young man was shrewd and wise, and knew how to handle people. How could she not like him?

Her gaze fell on Zhou Zhiruo.

Since learning that Wujie had been captured by Feiyi Bat King, Zhou Zhiruo had been pale with worry. But when she heard that Feiyi Bat King had rather harmed himself than Wujie, she breathed a sigh of relief, though a hint of doubt about Zhang Wujie arose in her heart.

Lin Qing returned to his tent and lay down.

Although he was full of worries, he was extremely tired. He had done so much that day, and his mind had been under great strain. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Lin Qing got up, and Mrs. Li hurried over with two pieces of news.

One was that Ding Minjun had almost been killed by Wei Yixiao's Cold Ice Cotton Palm. She was now seriously injured, with the cold poison invading her meridians, making her unable to move.

The other was that Zhuer had woken up in the middle of the night and was causing a commotion. She had already been imprisoned by Niemei as a spy of the Cult.

Lin Qing was indifferent to Ding Minjun's life or death, but Zhuer still had a significant role to play and could not be ignored.

He dressed neatly and went to see Zhuer.

Zhuer, who had neither eaten nor drunk, glared at Lin Qing with hatred.

Lin Qing smiled and said slowly, "Why are you glaring at me like that? I didn't do anything last night..."

"Who else but you!" Zhuer said coldly. "Niemie the old nun has the strength but not the intelligence! Yin Liting is a righteous gentleman. Only you could devise such a poisonous plan."

Lin Qing shrugged.

Faced with Zhuer's sharp personality, playing games was useless.

He said frankly, "Zhang Wujie is safe. Don't worry."

Zhuer's expression relaxed slightly at this news, but she said sternly, "I want to find him."

"No problem," Lin Qing said, raising an eyebrow. "I'll help you. But you owe me a favor."

Zhuer knew that the only thing that could move someone like Lin Qing was benefit, so she nodded silently.

Lin Qing found Niemei and requested that Zhuer be handed over to him for handling.

Niemie had originally planned to execute Zhuer that day, but she couldn't refuse the face of this great contributor, so she reluctantly agreed to Lin Qing's request.

The price Lin Qing paid was a 100-point reduction in his righteous reputation.

He didn't mind much, took Niemei's token, and went to the tent to release Zhuer.

Zhuer was surprised by Lin Qing's decisive help and glared at him, saying, "What do you want?"

Lin Qing pulled Zhuer over. "I need your help... like this."

Zhuer disappeared into the distance, heading straight for Bright Peak to find Zhang Wujie.

But Lin Qing's efforts also paid off.

He received a piece of intelligence.

Intelligence about the [Master Token] of the Heavenly Eagle Sect.

He had finally found the last piece of the Heavenly Eagle fragment!

"Very good," Lin Qing said, his deep eyes staring at the distant morning light, a faint smile on his face.

The group set out again.

Although Lin Qing's attempt to frame Zhang Wujie had failed, and he couldn't kill the protagonist, there was one benefit—without Zhang Wujie around, he could be alone with Zhou Zhiruo.

Zhou Zhiruo's initial 10-point increase in favorability had not grown further, no matter how Lin Qing tried to please her. It seemed that Lin Qing's invincible charm attribute was enough to make any beauty immune to him.

However, Lin Qing was not in a hurry.

He set his sights on Niemei Shitai.

He hadn't forgotten that in the plot, Song Qingshu had once sought martial arts instruction from Niemei. Niemei, finding him compatible, taught him more diligently than her own disciples.

Such an opportunity was not easily come by.

As they walked, Lin Qing asked Niemei about martial arts, praising the Emei Sect's sword techniques, which made Niemei smile and look at him more favorably. During several breaks, she even taught him Emei Sect's sword techniques on the spot.

If it were the real Song Qingshu, this would be a great opportunity, but unfortunately, Lin Qing didn't even know how to hold a sword, let alone understand these esoteric sword techniques, so he could only stare in frustration.

Although he missed the opportunity, Niemei's attitude towards him became even more friendly.

Lin Qing was quite helpless.

Intentionally picking flowers fails, but unintentionally planting willows succeeds.

Zhou Zhiruo remained indifferent to him, but Niemei Shitai was very compatible with him. Should he have turned to the light earlier and become a nun killer? Follow Niemei and live a life of luxury?

At this moment, Lin Qing saw a yellow flame rise in the sky.

"The Kunlun Sect is in danger!" Yin Liting exclaimed. "The six major sects have traveled to the Western Regions to suppress the Cult. To maintain secrecy, they adopted a strategy of advancing separately and converging. They agreed to use six-colored flames as signals. The yellow flame rocket is the Kunlun Sect's signal."

Lin Qing's eyes flickered, knowing that another opportunity to increase his righteous reputation had come.

This decisive battle should be the last major battle before the six major sects reached the Line Gorge.

It was also the opportunity he had been waiting for!

He remembered that in this decisive battle, Yin Yewang led the Heavenly Eagle Sect, shocking the five sects.

If he could eliminate Yin Yewang here, he could gather the crucial [Master Token] and command the Heavenly Eagle Sect's heroes!

However, the six major sects, despite their numbers, were at a disadvantage against the combined forces of the Five Elements Banners and the Heavenly Eagle Sect, almost being wiped out by Yin Yewang. How could he reverse this plot?

Lin Qing didn't have time to think much. Yin Liting and Niemei Shitai had already led people to the site of the flames.

The sounds of battle grew louder and more intense, with occasional cries of the dying. When they arrived, everyone was shocked. It was a scene of mass slaughter, with hundreds of people from both sides fighting fiercely under the moonlight.

Lin Qing had never seen such a large-scale battle in his life. Mrs. Li, standing beside him, was so captivated that she involuntarily moved closer to him.

"It's the Kunlun, Huashan, and Emei Sects fighting the Sharp Metal, Flood, and Fire Banners," Yin Liting shouted. "Shitai, let's go!"

Niemie Shitai nodded and was about to lead people into the battle.

Lin Qing quickly shouted, "Sixth Uncle, Shitai, wait, look over there!"

The two followed his finger to the east and saw three groups of people standing in neat rows, each with over a hundred people. The three sects were evenly matched against the three banners, but if the Cult's three groups joined the battle, the Kunlun, Huashan, and Emei Sects would surely be defeated. However, for some reason, these three groups remained stationary.

Lin Qing cursed inwardly, "The Ming Cult and Heavenly Eagle Sect are truly incorrigible. At this critical moment, they are still fighting among themselves. If the Heavenly Eagle Sect had timely aided the Ming Cult's three banners, these three sects would have been destroyed long ago."

Yin Liting pondered, "Yes, the Heavenly Eagle Sect is formidable. If we join the battle and can't win quickly, the Heavenly Eagle Sect will take advantage of the situation. We will still be defeated. Unfortunately, the Shaolin Sect's abbot Kongwen personally led over a hundred disciples, and my eldest brother and others are coming from the northeast and east, but we can't contact them in time. Otherwise, why fear the Heavenly Eagle Sect?"

Seeing the 300 people of the Heavenly Eagle Sect, with their strict formation, shields, bows, and axes, and the poisonous purple arrows, everyone was intimidated and looked at each other in fear.

The Heavenly Eagle Sect didn't care about the Ming Cult's Five Elements Banners. Once they saw an opportunity, they would unleash their full power, and no one present would survive.

Niemie also hesitated.

Having witnessed Lin Qing's wisdom and resourcefulness, she looked at him in a difficult moment and said, "I wonder if Young Master Song has any good ideas to help the three sects and us turn the tide?"

Lin Qing was also observing the Heavenly Eagle Sect's formation.

He knew more about the Heavenly Eagle Sect than Niemei. The Heavenly Eagle Sect's strength far exceeded Niemei's and others' imagination. They not only had such a powerful army but also had hidden forces that could dig tunnels in the soft desert to any location, including cutting off the retreat of the righteous sects.

In the original plot, if not for Zhang Wujie's interference, Yin Yewang had the ability to severely damage these invading righteous sects and wouldn't have been cornered on Bright Peak.

But what should he do now?