The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 79, Page 94: The Great Philanthropist Lu Chen, Qu Feiyan Issues a Warning [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

Looking at the corpses lying scattered on the ground, Lu Chen sighed:
"Liu Zhengfeng's entire family, young and old, should all kowtow to us."

Huang Rong put away her long whip and leaped lightly like a deer, avoiding the bloodstains and corpses scattered on the ground, to reach Lu Chen's side. She asked curiously:

Why should Liu Zhengfeng's entire family kowtow to us?

"Because the Songshan Sect team originally came to exterminate Liu Zhengfeng's entire family, but for some reason they inexplicably came after me and even insisted that I was a demonic cult member. As a result, this is how it turned out."

"You even called me a witch!" Huang Rong pouted, looking displeased. "How am I a witch?"

She didn't ask why Lu Chen knew that the Songshan Sect was there to exterminate Liu Zhengfeng's entire family—Lu Chen was a superhuman who could take her on trips through the world, so it was normal for him to have some precognitive abilities, wasn't it?
Back in her world, Lu Chen was able to foresee secrets such as the Bodhi Serpent, the secret passage of the ancient tomb, the fragments of the Nine Yin Manual, and the Old Man's Treasure Serpent.

So even though the Songshan Sect didn't mention the massacre earlier, if Lu Chen said yes, then it must be true.

Lu Chen chuckled and gently stroked Rong'er's rosy cheek:

"Rong'er is certainly not a witch. Uncle Feng and the others, as well as Abbess Dingyi and the others, all of them praised you for being well-behaved. It's just that the Songshan Sect is blinded by power and has no eyes to see your worth."

That being said, the members of the Songshan Sect were indeed resolute and ruthless.

Fei Bin would kill young girls like Qu Feiyan, who were only thirteen or fourteen years old, without saying a word, without showing any mercy.

Unfortunately, even if the Songshan Sect had no woman in their hearts, their swordsmanship was not divine.

Their palm techniques were all incredibly powerful.

Huang Rong pressed her cheek against his palm, nuzzling it gently like a kitten, and asked:
"Aren't the Five Mountains Sword Sects supposed to be allies? Liu Zhengfeng is about to retire from the martial world, so why is the Songshan Sect sending people to wipe out his entire family? What heavenly law did he break?"

"The disciples of Hengshan all love to study traditional Chinese music and rhythm. Master Mo Da, the head of Hengshan, is a master of the erhu. Liu Zhengfeng is also a great musician. He and Qu Yang, an elder of the Demonic Sect, became kindred spirits through music. They were like brothers, sharing a deep understanding. Not wanting to be caught in the middle between the righteous and the demonic paths, Liu Zhengfeng simply retired from the martial world. Qu Yang is also preparing to retire. In a way, Liu Zhengfeng can be said to have traded one for one, taking away an elder of the Demonic Sect."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's a good thing. But the Songshan Sect wants to use the excuse of colluding with the Demonic Sect to take the heads of Liu Zhengfeng's family and establish its absolute authority over life and death over the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects in front of Hengshan, Huashan, Hengshan, Taishan, and other martial arts practitioners..."

In the original timeline, after the news of his friendship with Qu Yang came out, Liu Zhengfeng promised to retire with Qu Yang, take his family and disciples overseas, and never set foot in the Central Plains again.

His promise was even agreed to by Tianmen Daoren, the head of the Taishan Sect, who was sworn enemies of the Demonic Sect and had an extremely fierce temper. He felt that exchanging Liu Zhengfeng for Qu Yang was acceptable.

Yue Buqun naturally accepted, and Abbess Dingyi even said that this was a win-win situation.

Only the Songshan Sect persisted relentlessly, ultimately succeeding in annihilating the entire sect to establish their authority.

Lu Chen, of course, didn't go into the details of these "premonitions," but only briefly mentioned the Songshan Sect's plot to merge the Five Sacred Mountains. Huang Rong listened and said with a smile:

"This time, we not only killed members of the Songshan Sect, but also ruined their grand plan. Zuo Lengchan will probably use every means to find out who killed Ding Mian and the others."

"Hmm, you've made too much of a splash in Hengshan City lately. If you challenge masters like Yue Buqun, Liu Zhengfeng, and Master Mo Da and demonstrate even greater strength, Zuo Lengchan will probably be the first to suspect you."

Lu Chen has not yet fully mastered the sword technique; he still needs to learn the Huashan Qi Sect sword technique, the Hengshan sword technique, and even the Qingcheng sword technique.

In particular, the Hengshan School's "Thirteen Forms of Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions of Clouds and Mist" should be of great benefit to his understanding of "illusion and reality," so he is looking forward to challenging Liu Zhengfeng and Master Mo Da.

If he could fight Yue Buqun, Liu Zhengfeng, and Mo Da to a draw, how could Zuo Lengchan not suspect him?

"If you have doubts, then so be it," Lu Chen said. "I'll wait for him to come."

With his skill level, a large-scale ambush would not be feasible.

No matter how hard you try to hold your breath, with so many people around, the air will become mixed and won't escape his notice.

He and Huang Rong were not afraid of poison.

Even in traps and machinations, there is Huang Rong.

Even if a master mechanic sets a trap that Rong'er can't dismantle, she can at least spot the clues and avoid unknowingly stepping into it.

As for the attack by a few experts, based on the combat skills of Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin, Lu Chen had a rough understanding of the strength of the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan.

Now that the three top-ranked and most skilled bodyguards are dead, even if Zuo Lengchan, whose martial arts are unparalleled among the Five Mountains Alliance leaders, were to personally lead the remaining ten bodyguards to besiege him, the outcome would not be much different from today.

Lu Chen was not afraid of Mount Song, and Huang Rong was not afraid either.

Let alone the Songshan Sect, even if the whole world were to attack us, we could just run away!
It's just in time for me to go back to Peach Blossom Island with Brother Lu Chen to get married...

Thinking about the wedding ceremony, she recalled that day at Xuan Gu Hot Spring, when Lu Chen kissed her lips for the first time and claimed that he would kiss her in many more places in the future, and that he would kiss her even more excessively. As Huang Rong wondered which places he would kiss and how excessive he would be, she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and her body felt slightly hot.

She quickly shook her head, dismissing those strange thoughts, and changed the subject, asking:
"What should we do with so many corpses? Throw them in the river?"

Lu Chen said calmly:
"No need to worry about it. This place is not far from the city. Villagers will probably come to gather firewood and report the discovery of the body to the Hengshan Sect. The Five Mountains Sword Sects are all connected, and the Hengshan Sect will handle it."

Huang Rong said regretfully:
"It's a pity there aren't as many spectators here as in the city. Otherwise, after this battle, your reputation as the 'Heavenly Sword' would have become even more renowned."

Lu Chen smiled faintly:
"The ambitions of the Songshan Sect have not yet been exposed. It is still the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance and a pillar of the righteous path against the Demonic Sect. If people were to see me kill so many Songshan disciples on the spot, I'm afraid all the martial artists in Hengshan City would really regard me as a demonic sorcerer. Although I am not afraid, it will still cause some trouble. After all, I haven't even fully mastered the sword technique yet."

"That's right..."

So the two of them killed the animals but didn't bother to bury them; they went straight out of the woods and back to the city.

The next day, Lu Chen acted as if nothing had happened, strolling around the streets with Huang Rong in search of the older swordsman.

Well, by now, he no longer needs to put in the effort to search for it himself.

There were always enthusiastic people on the street who would greet Lu Chen warmly and lead the way whenever they spotted a swordsman of some renown.

As news of Lu Chen's instantaneous killing of Tian Boguang with a single sword strike spread, his fame grew, and the swordsmen of Hengshan City gradually began to anticipate his challenge.

Anyway, besides the "Heavenly Divine Sword", Lu Chen is also known as the "Draw Sword". Fighting him won't make you lose face in public. It's shameful if you haven't fought him. Everyone else has been challenged, but you haven't. Are you not good enough?

Even some swordsmen who had previously avoided his challenges became energetic and eager to approach him, carrying their swords, upon hearing that Lu Chen was out on the street.

With the crowd so enthusiastic, Lu Chen couldn't be too aloof. He finally broke with the routine of the past few days and gave a few young swordsmen a chance to fight a few instructional battles with them.

This is quite difficult. It requires a fight to a draw, and the participants and onlookers must not be able to see any clues. This demands an extremely high level of control over Lu Chen's swordsmanship.

Fortunately, his swordsmanship has been improving every day recently, and his control over it has also been increasing day by day. He has been able to grasp this level of skill.

Just as Lu Chen was wandering the streets, looking for someone to duel with, in a small tavern...

Lu Da rushed in like a gust of wind, excitedly shouting to his fellow apprentices who were gathered at a table drinking:
"Lu Chen, the swordsman of the level hand, has started sparring with the young swordsmen!"

The Huashan disciples were immediately invigorated and all looked at the young man sitting in the center.

The young man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a long face, sword-like eyebrows, and thin lips. He was very handsome and was none other than Linghu Chong, the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect.

Because Lu Chen defeated Tian Boguang in an instant, Linghu Chong did not engage in a series of deadly battles with Tian Boguang and suffer repeated injuries, nor did he clash with the Qingcheng disciples. Although he was delayed in searching for wine along the way, he finally arrived in Hengshan City unharmed and victoriously reunited with his fellow disciples.

"Big Brother!"

Lu Da looked at Linghu Chong with eager anticipation:
"The whole of Hengshan City is saying that a swordsman who hasn't fought Lu Chen isn't a true swordsman... Our Huashan Sect is one of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, yet no one has been challenged by Lu Chen. It doesn't sound good if word gets out!"

"That's right, Senior Brother. Lu Chen only challenged swordsmen over thirty years old before. We're young, so we haven't been challenged yet and there's still room for discussion..."

The third disciple, Liang Fa, glanced apologetically at his second senior brother, Lao Denuo, and then continued speaking to Linghu Chong:
"But now that Lu Chen has started fighting with the young swordsman, it seems unreasonable for our Huashan Sect not to show our swords as well."

Yue Lingshan also looked at Linghu Chong expectantly, her big eyes blinking:

"Elder brother..."

Linghu Chong was already somewhat tempted by his junior brothers' encouragement.

He was, after all, a young man, and had never been associated with the words "mature and steady." Seeing Yue Lingshan looking at him expectantly, he was suddenly filled with enthusiasm and laughed heartily:
"Alright, let's go and see what Young Master Lu's swordsmanship is all about!"

Lu Dayou was overjoyed:
"I know where he is, come with me!"

With that, he led a group of fellow disciples to find Lu Chen.

A group of Huashan disciples surrounded Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan, and led by Lu Dayou, they arrived at the street where Lu Chen was. There they saw Lu Chen, dressed in his signature black clothes, sparring with a young man in his twenties.

That young man's swordsmanship...

In any case, the young disciples of the Huashan Sect were quite dismissive.

Strangely enough, he was able to fight Lu Chen to a standstill.

The disciples of Mount Hua certainly dared not underestimate Lu Chen.

After all, he was a great master who killed Tian Boguang and fought to a standstill against Tian Song Daoren, He Sanqi and many other seniors. Even though he was now fighting to a standstill against a young swordsman with ordinary swordsmanship, the disciples of Mount Hua did not dare to question his swordsmanship, but only dared to doubt their own eyesight.

Meanwhile, the other spectators on the street who often watched Lu Chen's sword fights were already discussing it:

"Young Master Lu's temperament is far too peaceful and too kind to others."

"Yes, this young swordsman's swordsmanship is mediocre; I could easily defeat him. Yet Young Master Lu managed to fight him to this point. It's because he couldn't bear to dampen the young man's enthusiasm for learning swordsmanship!"

"Young Master Lu is truly a kind-hearted man. If he hadn't killed Tian Boguang with a single sword strike, I would have thought that Young Master Lu never took a life with his sword."

"Although Young Master Lu is peaceful and kind, he would certainly not show mercy to someone like Tian Boguang..."

Listening to the discussions, the Huashan disciples also agreed, believing that Lu Chen was indeed a kind-hearted and even compassionate person.

Huang Rong sat on a bench by the street, listening with delight to everyone's praise of Lu Chen while eating candied fruit.

Suddenly a clear female voice rang out beside her:
"Sister, do you know? Something big has happened outside the city."

Huang Rong turned her head and saw a little girl in a bright green dress standing to her side, looking at her with a smile.

The little girl was thirteen or fourteen years old, with fair skin, delicate and lovely features, and a pair of very bright eyes that revealed a hint of mischievousness.

Huang Rong looked at her, and for some reason, felt as if she were looking in a mirror and seeing herself at thirteen or fourteen years old. A sense of warmth welled up in her heart, and she said with a smile:
"Little sister, are you talking to me?"

The little girl nodded, moved closer to Huang Rong, and whispered:

"Sister, in the woods by the Xiang River, ten miles east of the city, there are dozens of corpses. Among them are the three famous masters of the Songshan Sect: Ding Mian, the Pagoda-Bearing Hand; Lu Bai, the Crane-Hand; and Fei Bin, the Great Songyang Hand!"

Was the body indeed discovered?
Huang Rong feigned surprise:

"So many top experts from the Songshan Sect have died? This is truly a major event! But why are you telling me this, little sister?"

The little girl blinked:
“My grandfather told me to tell my sister. He said that although the news hasn’t reached the city yet, the Hengshan Sect already knows about it and immediately sent a message to Zuo Lengchan by carrier pigeon. This matter is too important; the Hengshan Sect released dozens of carrier pigeons at once, and my grandfather couldn’t stop them all. So, it’s likely that Zuo Lengchan will be arriving in Hengshan City with a large group of experts in just a few days!”

Huang Rong said "Oh," knowing that the little girl's grandfather probably guessed who had killed the Songshan Sect members.

There's no way around it; recently, Lu Chen has been the most prominent figure in Hengshan City, and his martial arts skills can be described as "unfathomable." If it were just a matter of constantly drawing, it would be hard to guess that it was Lu Chen. But he also has the feat of instantly killing Tian Boguang with a single sword strike.

In this way, whenever someone discovers the corpses of the Songshan Sect members, it will be hard not to associate them with Lu Chen.

But Huang Rong didn't care at all.

Since no one witnessed it, we can't just falsely accuse someone of being innocent, right? I could say it was Dongfang Bubai who did it!

Without changing her expression, she asked with a smile:
"What's the little girl's name?"

"My name is Qu Feiyan."

"Qu Feiyan? 'The Legend of Feiyan'?"

"Oh, you know the origin of my name, sister?"

"Of course. But this name isn't very auspicious."

"But it sounds nice..."

"It really sounds good."

And her surname is Qu...

Her grandfather was Qu Yang, an elder of the Demonic Cult who had befriended Liu Zhengfeng.
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(End of this chapter)