The next day, Lin Ping Zhi saw Hua Wu Que, who was beaming with joy, and hurriedly went up to grab his sleeve. “Brother Hua, think carefully, did you forget something yesterday?”
Hua Wu Que finally remembered that he had left in a hurry yesterday, leaving this kid alone. It was fortunate he wasn't caught by the Qingcheng faction. It was really embarrassing to be confronted by the victim.
Seeing his expression change, Lin Ping Zhi hurriedly said, “The situation was critical then, Brother Hua was busy saving Elder Huang. I don’t blame you, but Brother Hua promised to send me to learn from Master Yue. Now Master Yue is nowhere to be found, what should I do?!”
Hua Wu Que realized that he was too busy acting cool yesterday and completely forgot about the boy. He became even more embarrassed. He pinched his brow and carefully recalled where Yue Buqun went, but couldn’t figure it out. Suddenly, he heard noise downstairs and hurried away as if fleeing.
Lin Ping Zhi sighed helplessly and chased after Hua Wu Que, running downstairs.
Standing in the center was a graceful and beautiful Taoist nun, wearing a pale yellow robe. The robe was loose and oversized, obscuring her figure. She had almond-shaped eyes that were filled with smiles and held a whisk in her hand.
In front of her, several men in green robes lay on the ground. Beside them, an elderly couple sat slumped, obviously heavily injured and supporting each other, barely alive.
The leader of the men was obviously afraid of the nun. He tried to appear intimidating but his voice was subdued. “My junior brother just took a few glances at you, and you used such a cruel method to harm him?!”
The nun smiled slightly. “Who told him to not control his eyes? If you make any more noise, I'll send you down to meet him.” She slowly walked to a table and sat down, completely ignoring the group of people.
The man had obviously witnessed her skills before. He didn't even know how it happened, but his junior brother had collapsed and died. He was now hesitant, caught between a rock and a hard place.
Lin Ping Zhi saw the old couple and shouted, rushing downstairs and falling to his knees in front of them. “Father, Mother, what have these villains done to you?!” It was Lin Zhen Nan and his wife.
The man in green was looking for an excuse to leave when he saw Lin Ping Zhi, whom he had been searching for, appear. He was overjoyed. “We’ve been searching for you everywhere, and now you've just shown up. Since you’re here, you and your deadbeat parents will come with us,” he said, ready to capture them.
Seeing this, Hua Wu Que felt a headache. It seemed like he was a walking disaster, bringing trouble wherever he went. He looked around, found a flowerpot, plucked a flower, and flung it at the man.
The man was about to reach out when he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He looked down and saw a flower piercing his arm. He realized what had happened and cried out in pain.
The nun glanced over and saw the man's wound. Her expression changed slightly as she realized there was a powerful person present. She didn't know if they were friend or foe, so she was secretly on guard. But then she saw a handsome young man in a white robe slowly walking down the stairs. She had been hurt by love and hated such handsome men. She thought that all good-looking men were no good!
Hua Wu Que walked up to the man and saw his fear. He smiled. “I won’t take your life today. Go back and tell Yu Cang Hai to prepare for death. He will be killed soon.”
The man dared not retort. With a sullen expression, he led his men in a hasty retreat.
Lin Zhen Nan saw that his son was safe and was comforted. With a weak voice, he said, “Ping'er, I'm afraid your father and mother are dying. You will have to rely on yourself from now on.” He stopped Lin Ping Zhi from speaking and coughed a couple of times. “Listen to me. Don't think about revenge. Just live well. That's how your father and mother can rest in peace. Our Lin family's ancestor, Lin Yuan Gong, once shook the martial arts world with his Seventy-Two Ways of the Evil-Suppressing Sword Technique. I'm incompetent and have led to the destruction of our family. You come closer.”
Lin Ping Zhi was filled with grief. Hearing his father's instructions, he quickly leaned in and heard, “You should remember the old house in Xiang Yang Lane, Fuzhou. There is a cellar there, where we keep our Lin family’s ancestral treasures. You must preserve them, but there's an ancestral rule that our descendants are not allowed to look at them. Remember that!” The last sentence was spoken with all his remaining strength, in a low whisper. He saw Lin Ping Zhi nod repeatedly and closed his eyes, relieved.
Lin Ping Zhi had always thought that his parents had already been killed. He didn’t expect to meet them here today, but they had left him just as they were reunited. His heart ached, and he felt like fate was against him.
Hua Wu Que noticed this and thought, "The world is truly strange. Lin Ping Zhi didn’t get a chance to join the Huashan faction, yet he still found out where the Evil-Suppressing Sword Manual is. I wonder if he will castrate himself to practice the technique."
Lin Ping Zhi collected himself, stood up, and bowed to Hua Wu Que. “Brother Hua, you saved my life, took care of me along the way, and protected me just now. Ping Zhi is deeply grateful. But my parents have a wish, so I cannot disobey it. I must take my leave. If I avenge my family, I will definitely find you again and serve you as a beast of burden to repay your kindness!” He said, carrying the bodies of Lin Zhen Nan and his wife and was about to leave.
Hua Wu Que hurriedly went forward. Lin Ping Zhi continued, “Brother Hua, please don't help. I'm Lin Ping Zhi, I’m a son. I've been a nuisance and haven't shown my parents any filial piety. Now that they have passed, I want to give them a proper send-off, to show my devotion.”
Hua Wu Que nodded, stepped forward, and placed a booklet in his arms. He said softly, “Find a quiet place, read this carefully, then burn it. Don’t let anyone else know about it, or you'll be in danger.”
Lin Ping Zhi nodded, turned around, carrying the two bodies, and went out the door.