Fortunately, Lian Cheng didn't expect much.
His current comprehension was extraordinary, truly his own, not granted by the system.
As the saying goes, "It's better to have your own than what your parents have." No matter how much the system gave him, it wasn't truly his. If the system turned out to be a fraud, or abandoned him one day, he would be completely useless.
Well, it was safer to rely on himself.
Lian Cheng comforted himself and turned to go back to sleep.
However, as a third-rate martial artist, he had become sharp-eared and keen-eyed. Before reaching his own residence, he heard sounds coming from Old Yue's courtyard, and instantly felt his blood boiling.
Good grief, Old Yue, you practiced swordsmanship so hard during the day, and you're still practicing with the Shi Niang at night!
Lian Cheng silently found a place to lean against and listen. He couldn't fantasize about the Shi Niang, but at least he could listen to her voice.
Moreover, he wasn't eavesdropping, he was far enough away. The Shi Niang's voice was simply too loud, and his ears were too sensitive.
While listening, Lian Cheng recalled the plot of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, thinking about all the beautiful women, such as Ren Ying Ying, Yi Lin, Yue Ling Shan, Lan Feng Huang, Qu Fei Yan, and the numerous young female nuns from the Hengshan sect.
He couldn't possibly stay single his whole life. He had to find a wife, but there were just too few beautiful women.
Besides Yue Ling Shan and Yi Lin, the rest were all from the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Even if he wanted to marry them, Old Yue and the Shi Niang wouldn't agree. Yue Ling Shan was meant for Linghu Chong, leaving only Yi Lin.
But Yi Lin was too much of a saint, and he felt they wouldn't get along well. Besides, Yi Lin wouldn't necessarily want to return to secular life.
Sigh, after all, a woman like the Shi Niang was the best!
"Why am I thinking so much? I'm only thirteen, still a long way from adulthood. For now, I should focus on improving my strength. Love and romance can wait."
Lian Cheng muttered to himself. The Shi Niang's voice also stopped, and he immediately turned back to his room to sleep.
In the following days, Lian Cheng taught Yue Buqun and his wife the Lian Cheng Sword Technique and the Lingbo Weibu.
The Lian Cheng Sword Technique was difficult to learn, but the Lingbo Weibu was not. It only required them to memorize and practice the sequence of steps based on the sixty-four hexagrams, and it would become simple once they were proficient.
Fortunately, Yue Buqun and his wife were both quick learners. Lian Cheng only taught them for ten days, and they both mastered it.
Ning Zhong Ze might not be able to use the Lian Cheng Sword Technique smoothly, but Yue Buqun was already very proficient. He could even spar with Lian Cheng with ease, and even use the Lingbo Weibu to complement his movements. His strength had clearly increased significantly.
However, Lian Cheng often saw Old Yue with a bad complexion and unsteady steps.
Thinking back to the sounds from the courtyard every night, and the fact that his younger sister was often comforted by other female disciples at night, Lian Cheng understood.
The Shi Niang was only in her early thirties, and they say "thirty is the age when a woman is like a tiger." Old Yue, in his forties, might not be able to handle it. But facing his beautiful wife every night, Old Yue couldn't admit his weakness to save face.
Sigh, Old Yue!
Lian Cheng felt both envy and sympathy.
He decided that when he went out on his travels in the future, he would visit Kunlun Mountain, find the Nine Yang Manual that Zhang Wuji had buried, and if Old Yue learned the Nine Yang Divine Art, he wouldn't be afraid of even ten Ning Zhong Ze.
Furthermore, the Nine Yang Divine Art could help Old Yue reach the super-first-rate level. He wouldn't be afraid of Zuo Leng Chan then!
There wouldn't be any need for the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual!
Lian Cheng knew clearly that Yue Buqun's aptitude wasn't actually very good. The Purple Haze Divine Art couldn't be cultivated to a high level. In order to protect and strengthen the Huashan sect, he was forced to take a wrong path when facing pressure from the Sun Moon Holy Cult and the Songshan Sect. Later, because he learned the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual, his personality changed drastically, and eventually he went down the wrong path.
If they wanted Yue Buqun to avoid the wrong path, they had to find powerful martial arts for him so he would discard the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual like trash.
Searching for the Nine Yang Divine Art was a good option.
Moreover, there were also the inheritances of the Quanzhen sect and the Ancient Tomb sect. The Quanzhen sect ruins and the Ancient Tomb sect were both in Mount Zhongnan, near the Huashan sect. He had to go and take a look when he had the chance.
Lian Cheng pondered silently in his heart, but he was only thirteen years old, and it was impossible for him to go down the mountain for a journey.
Yue Buqun and his wife wouldn't let him go down the mountain easily!
"Looks like I have to keep improving my strength. Once I'm strong enough, Old Yue and the Shi Niang won't have any reason to keep me confined. I'll be able to go down the mountain whenever I want!"
That day, the Huayin County Magistrate sent a bounty:
Wipe out the bandits who have recently appeared!
It turned out that over the past month, a band of bandits had suddenly appeared in Huayin County, often guarding the roads and highways, intercepting and killing passing caravans.
The Huayin County Magistrate only had a dozen or so constables under him, and their strength was also mediocre. It was impossible to suppress the bandits.
Therefore, the Magistrate offered a bounty, hoping to rely on the power of martial artists to eliminate the bandits.
This was normal. Although the court and the martial arts world were largely separate, the court relied on martial arts factions to maintain order, and martial artists also relied on bounties to earn money. Both sides cooperated tacitly.
The strongest martial arts faction in Shaanxi was naturally the Huashan sect.
And since the Huashan sect was closest to Huayin County, the Huayin County Magistrate naturally hoped that the Huashan sect would take action.
After Yue Buqun received the bounty, he immediately prepared to go down the mountain, not only for the money, but also for a good reputation and for the safety of the area around Huashan.
Seeing this, Lian Cheng immediately said, "Master, take me with you!"
Yue Buqun was stunned, but couldn't help but ponder.
He understood Lian Cheng's thoughts. It was nothing more than wanting to see some blood after improving his skills, a kind of experience. It wasn't a bad thing. And with him there, nothing would go wrong.
Besides, he knew Lian Cheng's strength very well.
Even though his internal strength was only at the third-rate level, with the Lian Cheng Sword Technique and the Lingbo Weibu, he could even fight second-rate martial artists. If he couldn't win, he could run fast, so he wouldn't be in any danger.
So Yue Buqun nodded in agreement: "Okay, you can follow me."
Lian Cheng nodded solemnly. He knew Yue Buqun would agree because his current strength did indeed need some experience.
Yue Buqun wouldn't be comfortable with him going down the mountain alone, but this time, Yue Buqun was going in person, and taking another strong disciple with him to gain experience wouldn't be a problem.
Linghu Chong was playing with his younger sister, and when he heard this, he immediately said, "Master, I want to go too!"
Yue Buqun frowned: "Chong'er, don't be silly. Your strength isn't enough yet. You'll only be a hindrance!"
Linghu Chong immediately became dejected. He was the eldest disciple, and he was also at the third-rate level, and he had learned the Huashan Sword Technique quite well. Why was his second senior brother allowed to go but not him?
He then looked at his Shi Niang and found that she also had a disapproving look in her eyes.
Now, Linghu Chong was even more unhappy. He looked at Lian Cheng longingly, his eyes filled with envy.
However, Linghu Chong had a good personality. He wouldn't easily be jealous of others, and he wouldn't easily resent others. He would only feel sad on his own.