“If the Senior Brother has this kind of awareness, then it’s easy to handle.”
Lian Cheng let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Senior Brother, from now on, you must not indulge in alcohol, play recklessly, or be lazy. We must work hard in our cultivation and strive to enter the Second-Rate Martial Artist realm as soon as possible. Once we become the middle force of the sect, we can relieve Master and Mistress’s worries.”
“Good! I will definitely give up those bad habits, cultivate diligently every day, and enter the Second-Rate realm as quickly as possible!”
“Also, we can also do some small things. For example, we can teach the junior brothers swordsmanship every day, and you and I take turns. This will give Master and Mistress more time to rest!”
“Good! This is exactly what we should do. It is my duty as the Senior Brother!”
“Also, Senior Brother, you should quickly master Lian Cheng Sword Art and Lingbo Weibu. When the time comes, we will go down the mountain together to take on the county’s bounty tasks and earn money for the sect. The sect’s development depends on these gold and silver…”
“Good…”
The two were discussing enthusiastically and didn’t notice that a figure disappeared behind a large tree not far away.
In the courtyard of the sect leader, Yue Buqun was basking in the sun while considering the future development of the sect. Then, he saw his wife walking back with red eyes.
“Junior Sister, what’s wrong?” Yue Buqun immediately became worried.
“Senior Brother, I just wanted to see how Chong’er and Cheng’er were doing, and then…”
Ning Zhongze choked back tears, telling him what she had heard in a fragmented voice. Yue Buqun listened and was also filled with emotion.
He hadn’t expected Lian Cheng to see the sect’s crisis so clearly and to understand his master’s difficulties so well. Now he was even educating Senior Brother Linghu Chong. He truly was a good disciple!
Having such a considerate disciple was truly comforting. It was no wonder his wife was crying.
She was deeply touched.
Yue Buqun put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and said with a smile, “Junior Sister, we have two good disciples like Cheng’er and Chong’er. The Huashan Sect’s rise is in sight!”
Ning Zhongze nodded, “Yes, they are good children!”
Meanwhile, Lian Cheng and Linghu Chong finished eating their grilled fish and prepared to cultivate again.
Lian Cheng handed the small wine jar back, “Senior Brother, your wine.”
Linghu Chong shook his head resolutely, “Second Junior Brother, I won’t drink this wine. You put it far away, don’t tempt me. I’ve decided to work hard and not let wine hinder me!”
“Well, Senior Brother, I don’t oppose you drinking. It’s just that I think it’s not good to drink before you come of age. You can still drink after you become an adult. How about this, I’ll bury this jar of wine in my yard. When Senior Brother comes of age, I’ll dig the wine up and give it to you at your coming-of-age ceremony, okay?”
“Haha! That’s great! It’s said that the longer wine is buried, the more mellow it becomes. I’ll wait until I come of age to taste this delicious wine!”
Cultivating martial arts, one loses track of the seasons. A year passed.
Lian Cheng was fourteen years old, and Linghu Chong was eighteen.
In the past year, Linghu Chong had been diligently cultivating. Not only did he quickly learn the Lian Cheng Sword Art and Lingbo Weibu, but he also learned Yang Wu Sword Art and Xi Yi Sword Art. His strength steadily improved.
Furthermore, he also became much more mature and responsible.
He rarely played around anymore and no longer snuck drinks. He also actively supervised his junior brothers in their martial arts studies, not only establishing his authority as the Senior Brother but also making Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze very satisfied.
Yue Buqun even praised Linghu Chong, which was unprecedented, making Linghu Chong elated.
As for Lian Cheng, he had never stopped progressing.
He had integrated various swordsmanship techniques, not to the point of effortless mastery, but he could use them freely, like extensions of his limbs. Even if he faced a Second-Rate martial artist, he would have a chance of winning.
However, his internal strength growth was slow. Even with the help of Lingbo Weibu, he still couldn’t open up his meridians and enter the Second-Rate realm.
The Mixed-Yuan Art was too basic. It was only suitable for beginners to cultivate internal strength. To achieve the Second-Rate realm with Mixed-Yuan Art was extremely difficult. He had to find a more powerful internal strength technique.
It seems that the plan to go down the mountain to find treasures needs to be put on the agenda.
One day, Lian Cheng and Linghu Chong bid farewell to their Master and Mistress and went down the mountain to take on bounty tasks.
Months ago, after Linghu Chong learned the Lian Cheng Sword Art and Lingbo Weibu, Lian Cheng took Linghu Chong to take on bounty tasks from the county. Aside from suppressing bandits, there were also tasks like capturing notorious bandits and arresting criminals. They had gained some notoriety, but it wasn’t very loud. This was a deliberate effort to remain hidden.
The current Huashan Sect should not attract too much attention.
Fortunately, taking on bounty tasks could earn a lot of money. Each time they completed a task, they would hand over a portion to Yue Buqun, and the rest was their reward.
Over the past few months, their wallets had become fatter. They would occasionally bring gifts back for their junior brothers and sisters, making the younger ones even more 崇拜 (chóng bài) of their Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother.
Now, both of them had the strength to take on bounty tasks independently, but this time was slightly different. They needed to form a team.
After reaching the foot of the mountain, they immediately began to discuss.
Lian Cheng held the intelligence report and analyzed, “Senior Brother, the thieves this time are not ordinary. According to the county’s intelligence, five days ago, Chen Nan, the head of the Chen family in Huayin County, was killed on his way back to the city. The murderer dismembered Chen Nan, seemingly trying to force a confession. Chen Nan’s death was extremely gruesome. Yesterday, the entire Chen family was slaughtered, and not a single survivor was left!”
“So cruel!”
Linghu Chong was shocked, “What kind of deep hatred could make someone do this?!”
Lian Cheng shook his head, “It may not be hatred. The murderer was so cruel in questioning Chen Nan. Perhaps it was for something. They probably didn’t get what they wanted, so they became enraged and slaughtered the entire Chen family, or perhaps they thought that the thing was in the Chen family, so they targeted them.”
“Something? What’s worth doing this for?”
“Of course it’s something good! Like a treasure map, or a martial arts manual, etc. Don’t underestimate the temptation these things can hold for some people!”
Lian Cheng wasn’t surprised.
The Fuyue Escort Agency was slaughtered because the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual was too tempting.
Lin Yuantu had been dead for so many years, but the Evil-Suppressing Sword Art still intimidated people until now. This showed how powerful the sword art was. But later, when people in the martial arts world discovered that Lin Zhennan’s martial arts were trash, they naturally had crooked thoughts.
The Lin family, without strength and in possession of the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual, was like a child carrying a brick across a bustling street. They were simply waiting to be slaughtered!
The Chen family was probably similar, except they were only a second-rate martial arts family in Huayin County. Chen Nan, their head, was only barely a Second-Rate martial artist. Were they really worth coveting?
Lian Cheng wasn’t being arrogant, but he dared to say that Chen Nan wasn’t even his opponent. Even so, he was being coveted. It was truly incomprehensible.
He must have been hiding something good, but he didn’t know who the murderer was.
Linghu Chong pondered, “I’ve heard about this Chen family before when I took on bounty tasks. They were said to be a wealthy family. Their family’s martial arts were Chen Family Cold Palm, which could strike out with frigid true qi, similar to Zuo Lengchan’s Ice-Cold True Qi. Could it be the Songshan Sect?”