From the beginning of Swordsman, he created a legend in the martial arts world.

Li Bin—formerly known as Li Gou'er—clenched his fists tightly until the two figures completely disappeared.

Looking in the direction his master had left, he had a feeling that this parting might be the last time they met.

Thinking of his master's admonition to be "both scholarly and martial," he secretly vowed that when he saw his master again in the future, he would definitely surprise him.

When Meng Fei and Lin Pingzhi arrived at Fuwei Escort Agency, they found that the sounds of fighting had ceased inside.

A sense of foreboding washed over them. They exchanged a glance and rushed into the escort agency without hesitation.

The scene inside the door struck Lin Pingzhi like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place.

Inside the escort agency, the bodies of escorts, porters, and servants lay scattered about, many with their eyes wide open, filled with terror and resentment.

"Father! Mother!"

Lin Pingzhi roared and charged into the pile of corpses like a madman, searching frantically.

Meng Fei frowned, his gaze sweeping quickly across the room, but he couldn't find the bodies of Lin Zhennan and his wife.

Just then, Meng Fei heard a commotion outside the escort agency and immediately got up to chase after it.

"Someone's there!"

Meng Fei's eyes sharpened, and he shouted at Lin Pingzhi before rushing off in the direction the sound came from.

As he swept over the high wall, he saw two Qingcheng Sect disciples, one on each side, carrying a figure and quickly disappearing into the depths of the alley.

"It's Lin Zhennan!"

Meng Fei was certain that the other party had captured Lin Zhennan alive in order to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual.

"I'm going to rescue someone, be careful!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already chased after the direction in which the two Qingcheng Sect disciples had disappeared.

When Lin Pingzhi staggered out the gate, Meng Fei was nowhere to be seen.

The two men, after many twists and turns, carrying the unconscious Lin Zhennan, soon arrived at a dilapidated temple in the south of the city.

Meng Fei approached the dilapidated temple silently and peered inside through the broken window.

Inside the dilapidated temple, more than ten Qingcheng Sect disciples, wielding sharp swords, surrounded Lin Zhennan and his wife with grim expressions.

Yu Canghai's short figure stood before the firelight, his thin face contorted with greed and impatience.

He slowly walked up to Lin Zhennan, looking down at the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of the Fuwei镖局 (escort agency).

"Lin Zhennan, my patience is running out. I'll ask you one last time—where exactly is the 'Evil-Repelling Sword Manual' hidden?"

Lin Zhennan was bleeding from the corner of his mouth and his face was pale, clearly indicating that he had suffered serious injuries.

"Pooh!"

Lin Zhennan spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed hoarsely, "Yu Canghai! How is your behavior any different from that of a bandit? My Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Technique was created by our ancestor and has always been passed down orally from father to son. There has never been any Evil-Repelling Sword Manual."

He then glanced at his despairing wife beside him, before glaring fiercely at Yu Canghai: "Even if there really is a sword manual, you can forget about getting a single word out of me."

Upon hearing this, Yu Canghai's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he suddenly grabbed Lin Zhennan's collar: "Oral transmission? Lin Zhennan, who do you think you can fool with this kind of nonsense?"

"Without a sword manual, how can your Lin family's mediocre swordsmanship be renowned throughout the martial world? It seems... you won't behave unless I get serious!"

Then Yu Canghai straightened up, gave his disciples a wink, and said in a chilling tone, "Since the chief镖头 (chief镖师, head镖师) is so stubborn, let Madam Lin help him recall the events!"

Two Qingcheng Sect disciples immediately drew their swords and pressed towards Madam Lin, who was unable to move because her acupoints were sealed.

"Yu Canghai! How dare you—!"

Lin Zhennan's eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a low growl like a trapped beast.

"stop!"

Just as the sword was about to touch Madam Lin's clothes, a sharp shout suddenly rang out.

A figure in cyan broke through the window and entered, a flash of sword light appearing as it aimed straight for the throats of the two Qingcheng Sect disciples who were about to attack Madam Lin.

The two were shocked and hurriedly withdrew their swords to defend themselves. With two sharp clangs, their swords were knocked away by a fierce force.

Meng Fei used the momentum to flip over and land, holding his sword horizontally to protect Lin Zhennan and his wife.

"Yu Canghai, as the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, you have resorted to such despicable means; it is utterly unbecoming of you!"

"So it was you, kid!"

After recognizing the newcomer, Yu Canghai's expression immediately became even more ferocious.

"You've got the path to heaven but choose the path to hell! Attack us all, dead or alive!"

Upon receiving the order, more than ten disciples of the Qingcheng Sect immediately attacked Meng Fei from all directions.

The Qingcheng School's swordsmanship is known for its ruthlessness and speed. Now, with multiple people attacking together, they have woven a dense net of swords that covers all of Meng Fei's vital points.

However, Meng Fei remained fearless in the face of the Qingcheng Sect disciples' attack. His long sword hummed as he unleashed the full power of the Thirteen Deadly Swords.

His figure weaved and moved through the sword net, sometimes like a serpent emerging from its hole, his sword striking unexpectedly; sometimes like a shooting star chasing the moon, using offense as defense.

Wherever the sword flashes, a Qingcheng disciple will cry out in alarm and retreat, either dropping his sword or having his clothes slashed and nearly being disemboweled.

The swordsmanship was so exquisite and ruthless, each move aimed directly at dawn, that it actually managed to block the combined attack of more than ten people.

Yu Canghai watched from the outside with growing alarm. This kid's swordsmanship was even more refined than before. His carefully trained disciples were no match for him and were instead forced into a slight disarray by his unpredictable and strange swordsmanship.

Seeing that the battle was dragging on without a clear winner, a fierce glint flashed in Yu Canghai's eyes, and he could no longer hold back.

"Useless trash! Get out of my way!"

Yu Canghai shouted and suddenly drew his sword to attack Meng Fei.

As the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, his martial arts skills were far superior to those of his disciples. This sword strike, born of anger, aimed directly at Meng Fei's vital point in the back of his heart. It was a killing move from the Qingcheng Sect's ultimate technique, the "Pine Breeze Swordplay."

Meng Fei had just parried the three longswords that were blocking his way when he suddenly felt a fierce wind behind him, with a chilling killing intent. He knew that Yu Canghai had made his move personally, so he hurriedly returned his sword to block.

However, Yu Canghai possessed profound internal strength and his sword strike was powerful and fierce. With a loud "clang," Meng Fei felt a surge of immense force, his blood and qi churned, and he staggered back three steps before regaining his footing.

Yu Canghai pressed his advantage relentlessly, unleashing a barrage of sword strikes like a storm. Combined with the harassment from the surrounding disciples, Meng Fei was immediately forced into a perilous situation, struggling to defend himself, and his clothes were instantly ripped open in several places.

Just at the critical moment, the already dilapidated temple door was kicked open with a "bang," and a figure rushed in.

"Hey, how can so many of you bully one person? Have you no shame?"

The newcomer was a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He had a wine gourd hanging from his waist and a long sword in his hand. His face showed three parts drunkenness and seven parts unruliness. He was none other than Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of the Huashan Sect!

"Where did this bastard come from? You've got some nerve interfering in the affairs of our Qingcheng Sect! Get lost! Or we'll take care of you too!"

A Qingcheng Sect disciple who was besieging Meng Fei saw that the other party was a young man in his twenties and immediately shouted angrily.

"I am Linghu Chong from the Huashan Sect."

Despite the insults from the Qingcheng Sect disciples, Linghu Chong remained unperturbed and instead grinned.

"I simply cannot stand by and watch. This is an extremely dishonorable act of ganging up on the few. Let's—stop this now!"

Before he finished speaking, Linghu Chong rushed over in a flash.