Linfengchun

Chapter 11

Before long, everyone in Yuzhen Palace had drunk water. Some, still hot-tempered, didn't wait for their inner strength to fully recover before rushing out, cursing and swearing. Liu Junru had previously declared that she was irreconcilably opposed to the Tianshang Sect. After resting for a while, she led the disciples of Longteng Post Station out.

Zhang Weiyi knew that those people rushing down to kill and fight indiscriminately wouldn't solve the problem, but he was currently focused on a crucial point in his cultivation and didn't want to waste his energy on it. Suddenly, He Wan's somewhat coquettish voice rang out: "Speaking of which, Junior Sister Xu, you were out wandering around for so long last night, did you see any suspicious people?"

Xu Lianning said calmly, "What does Senior Sister He mean by this?"

“Junior Sister, you don’t need to beat around the bush. Last night when you were outside, I wasn’t the only one who saw you.” He Wan smiled slightly and glanced at Li Qingyun. “That Miss Li from Wudang also saw it. Isn’t that right, Miss Li?”

Li Qingyun knew that his words were of great importance, and remained silent for a long time.

Tianyan Zhenren looked at her and said softly, "Qingyun, just tell the truth."

Xu Lianning slowly said, "Yes, so what?"

"Junior sister, are you really confused? It's nighttime and you're not in your room, who knows what you've been doing? After all, you previously stormed the Sword Washing Pool, which suggests you have some grudges with the Wudang Sect." He Wan smiled lightly.

Rong Wanci said sternly with a straight face, "Lian Ning, kneel down."

Xu Lianning hesitated for a moment, but still knelt down as instructed.

“Even if we can’t find concrete evidence that you poisoned her, there’s nothing to prove you didn’t do it, do you understand?” Rong Wanci looked at her.

Xu Lianning panicked slightly, her face turning pale. "Master, I truly didn't poison her. I only learned about the poison 'Green Silk' today, and the misunderstanding with those from Wudang is completely unfounded. I really didn't poison her, Master..." She seemed unable to find a way to exonerate herself, only able to repeatedly clarify. Zhang Weiyi frowned slightly, knowing full well that Xu Lianning would never be so flustered and plead, much less repeat the same sentence over and over again.

"So what are you doing out here at night?" Rong Wanci asked, growing impatient.

Xu Lianning's face turned pale, and she lowered her head slightly, but remained silent.

He Wan had intended to argue with her, and had even prepared her arguments, but she was surprised that she was so easy to deal with. She felt both regretful and smug: "Junior Sister Xu, is there anything you can't tell Master about this?" Ruan Qingxuan smiled sarcastically: "Master hasn't given any orders, why should you overstep your bounds?"

"Actually, that night when I went out..." Xu Lianning hesitated for a moment before finally speaking with difficulty, "After I trespassed into the Sword Washing Pool, although I felt embarrassed... I still..." She turned her head to look at Zhang Weiyi, as if she had made up her mind, "But I still... admire the Sword Master's demeanor. There were some misunderstandings before, and I wanted to clarify them..." A faint blush rose on her fair cheeks, and although her voice was low, it was very firm. It was inappropriate for a woman to reveal her feelings in public, but since everyone was a member of the martial arts world, they didn't stand on ceremony. On the contrary, they found her soft, gentle, firm yet shy demeanor quite charming.

When Zhang Weiyi saw her suddenly look over, she had a bad feeling. She coughed a few times awkwardly, feeling her ears start to burn. The people in Lingxuan Palace were speechless for a long time.

Rong Wanci smiled slightly: "Get up. From now on, don't go out at night, lest people misunderstand." She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said softly: "Master Tianyan, Abbot Xuanzhen, I believe Lian Ning is definitely not the one who poisoned her. Firstly, I taught Lian Ning her medical skills, and I believe she doesn't know about the poison of the green silk; secondly, everyone eats at different times in the morning, yet they were poisoned at almost the same moment, which shows that it cannot be done by poisoning alone; thirdly, Lian Ning's father is the great hero Xu of Wudang, and she could never be with the Tianshang Sect. Is this reasoning acceptable?"

Master Tianyan smiled slightly and said, "Palace Master Rong is right." Abbot Xuanzhen also nodded, "Indeed."

Rong Wanci looked at Xu Lianning: "I forced you to say some things you didn't want to say just now; it was my fault." Xu Lianning shook his head, hesitating to speak. Rong Wanci naturally saw this: "Is there anything else you want to tell your teacher?"

“I happened to witness a gathering of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect before, and I heard them say that they had planted spies in Lingxuan Palace many years ago. I wanted to tell Master earlier, but Lian Ning was negligent.”

"What a Heavenly Sorrow Sect!" Rong Wanci's expression was icy as she slowly glanced at the disciples and palace servants behind her. "Since you have the ability to sneak in, you should also have the ability to save your life. I want to see who is so bold?"

He Wan couldn't help but shiver, feeling that her master seemed to be looking at her for longer than others. She had originally wanted to kill Xu Lianning, but she hadn't expected to make things worse. Explaining now would only make her seem guilty, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.

Xu Lianning walked to her side, a faint smile on her lips, and said in a low voice, "Senior Sister He, it's fine if you just pretend you didn't see some things. Otherwise, something bad will happen sooner or later."

A Thousand Interconnected Chains of Solutions (Part 1)

The path behind the mountain is extremely treacherous, difficult to traverse both ways. Occupying a high vantage point would make it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhang Weiyi leaned against a tree, sword in hand, his long brows slightly furrowed, his eyes icy cold. His fellow Wudang disciples stood in formation, assuming the True Martial Sword Formation. They awaited only the arrival of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect; once the formation shifted, a bloody battle would be inevitable.

Xu Lianning observed for a while and began to discern the pattern: the True Martial Sword Formation was arranged according to the positions of the Big Dipper in the Purple Palace Enclosure, with seven star positions: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang. The fourteen people in the sword formation all shared the same martial arts. However, among the fourteen people in the sword formation, the one standing on the main star position Tian Shu should have the highest martial arts skills, but Zhang Weiyi was not among them.

"You planned to frame Miss He from the very beginning, didn't you?" Zhang Weiyi turned her head and suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Xu Lianning was caught off guard by the question, then smiled lightly, "How could that be? You saw that she was the one who attacked me first. If she didn't have that intention, how could she have ended up like this? No wonder Master suspects that she is a spy of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect."

Zhang Weiyi looked at her, her tone cold: "Do you only think about how to scheme against people all day long?"

Xu Lianning was slightly taken aback, looking quite innocent: "Why are you so angry?"

Zhang Weiyi was taken aback and turned his head away, no longer speaking. Then, the sound of horns rang out, indicating that the Heavenly Sorrow Sect had already reached the mountainside. He pointed to a spot and said, "You stand where Yin Yuan is."

Xu Lianning knew her injuries hadn't fully healed and her left hand was clumsy when wielding a sword, so she did as he said. Besides the seven stars of the Big Dipper—Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid—there are two hidden stars: Dongming and Yinyuan. Since she had chosen Yinyuan, Zhang Weiyi must have chosen the position of Dongming.

The horn sounded melodiously, and people began to climb the mountain path. From above, the path was densely packed with people, their exact number unknown. Before the Tian Shang followers could even get their bearings, the Taoist priest in the Tian Shu position of the Zhenwu Sword Formation drew his sword first. Instantly, blood gushed forth, and screams filled the air.

Xu Lianning untied the jade flute from her waist, slowly brought it to her lips, and blew out a melody. The flute's sound swirled and intertwined, yet the pitch rose higher and higher, eventually becoming a thin, continuous thread, its tenderness tinged with the murderous intent of war. The Wudang disciples, cultivated in their self-discipline and possessing exceptional composure, were not easily affected by the demonic sound. Moreover, once the sword formation was activated, each person was completely focused, unaffected by any changes in their surroundings. However, the Tian Shang Sect members were affected by her demonic sound; their offensive weakened, and they began to crumble.

The sun gradually rose to its zenith, its blazing rays making people extremely uncomfortable. Yet the Heavenly Sorrow Sect continued its offensive, leaving the mountain path stained with blood.

Suddenly, a long howl resounded through the mountains. The howl was deep and resonant, and Xu Lianning's heart skipped a beat, causing her to falter on two notes in succession. Despite her expertise in music theory, she managed to continue playing the tune she had just played. The two demonic sounds sometimes echoed each other, sometimes clashed fiercely, one gentle and the other menacing, they were evenly matched.

Xu Lianning struggled to stay upright, but the sunlight was blinding, and she began to feel dizzy. Then she heard two very soft notes from a guqin, gradually rising in pitch—it was the "Breaking the Enemy's Formation Music" from the Han and Tang dynasties. She quickly changed the key, and the sounds of the jade flute and guqin blended together perfectly.

"It's Miss Xuanji!" He Jing had only just called out when his senior brother next to him slapped him on the head: "You better concentrate."

Xu Lianning turned around and saw a woman in white sitting cross-legged, a guqin resting on her lap. The woman sensed someone watching her and smiled back. Xu Lianning had long heard of the talented woman from Xuanji, Ji Zhenyao, and today she finally met her. Her delicate hands played the guqin, the notes weaving together a symphony of drums and the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses. This piece, "Breaking the Enemy's Formation," while possessing a certain feminine grace, also had its own unique charm.

A figure swept across the mountain path and pounced in an instant. The man's fingers formed hooks as he attacked the Taoist priest at the Tian Shu position. The Taoist priest, realizing the danger, retreated, and two supporting figures simultaneously drew their swords. The man had no choice but to dodge, then attacked the Tian Shu position again. The main star of the True Martial Sword Formation is Tian Shu; once one star is destroyed, the rest are not to be feared. Therefore, he launched a series of rapid attacks, all aimed at Tian Shu.

Xu Lianning put down her jade flute and stared intently. She saw that every time the person attempting to break through the formation was about to succeed, he would be pulled away by a force, which was quite strange. The person attempting to break through the formation was moving left and right, and not only was he exhausted, but the movements of the Wudang disciples were also gradually slowing down. Even though he could not succeed in one strike, his opponents could not force him back.

The members of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect stopped in their tracks, some even shouting, "Vice Leader Yun's martial arts are unparalleled! These clowns from Wudang, why don't you surrender now!" "Vice Leader Yun could crush you all with just one hand!"

He Jingwei lost his temper and shouted, "Even if your leader Yun uses his hands and feet, he can't get through!"

"Junior Brother He, step back to the Yao Guang position." Zhang Weiyi glanced at him, her tone unpleasant.

Helpless, He Jing switched places with his senior brother in the Yao Guang position. Xu Lianning said sarcastically, "I'm bored too, how about Junior Brother He keeps me company for a chat?" He Jing glared at her, and after a long while, he finally managed to say, "I'm not like you who have nothing to do."

Suddenly, Vice Leader Yun moved, striking the Taoist at the Heavenly Pivot position with a palm. Just as he was about to succeed, his palm slipped and deflected slightly. Xu Lianning let out a soft "Eh," muttering to herself, "That's strange." Yun Qian, the Vice Leader of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect, was highly skilled in martial arts; he wouldn't miss again and again.

He Jing scoffed, "What's so strange about that? Everyone practices a lot on a regular basis, so naturally they're good at it."

Xu Lianning ignored him. Looking around, she saw that the seven star positions—Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang—were all performing their duties and constantly moving about. Only Zhang Weiyi in the Dongming position remained still. She had initially thought that the hidden star positions were merely for supporting the formation, but now it seemed that they were not.

Seeing that he was sinking deeper into the sword formation, Yun Qian knew that if he delayed any longer, he would not only fail to break the formation but also be unable to escape. He immediately moved backward. This retreat shifted the entire sword formation forward, while Yun Qian reached the edge of the mountain. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped down from the mountainside.

This was extremely dangerous; if his lightness skill hadn't been exceptional, he would likely have been either killed or maimed. But if he hadn't jumped, he would have been pierced by several swords that followed.

The Wudang group's attack missed, and they were momentarily stunned. Zhang Weiyi said, "Retreat to your original positions." As soon as he finished speaking, a man in black landed on the mountain path, carrying Yun Qian by the back of his robe. The man had a lean, refined appearance with deep-set features; he must have been extremely handsome twenty or thirty years ago. He wore a long, wide-sleeved robe, his hair fluttering in the wind, giving him an ethereal, otherworldly appearance. The man in black glanced at the situation before him, then flashed towards Zhang Weiyi's position at Dongming Temple.

Xu Lianning took two steps forward, but suddenly remembered that he was guarding the Hidden Yuan Position, so he quickly retreated, but his expression was very strange.

Seeing the opponent attack him, Zhang Weiyi neither dodged nor evaded, taking the palm strike without flinching. His body swayed slightly, and he immediately returned the blow with his sword. The man in black let out a "Huh?" and sneered, "You dare to challenge me?" His movements were fluid and his palms flew, each move heavy and powerful, yet light and skillful, demonstrating his exceptional skill.

Zhang Weiyi's hidden core was the heart of the True Martial Sword Formation. Even if the formation wasn't destroyed, retreating from it would be an easy task for the man in black. Seeing that Zhang Weiyi was young but possessed considerable martial arts skills, the man in black felt a slight fondness for him and intended to force him back to break the formation. However, Zhang Weiyi not only didn't retreat but seized the opportunity to unleash a series of deadly attacks.

Even setting aside the fact that the man in black was a highly respected martial arts master, and even if they were enemies, it would be unthinkable for a junior to unleash deadly attacks on a senior. The man in black snorted coldly, increasing the force of his palm strike, causing even the Wudang disciples standing to the side to feel a stinging pain on their faces.

Zhang Weiyi frowned slightly, parrying several attacks in succession. Suddenly, a chill ran through his dantian, and his swordplay faltered. The man in black seized the opening in Zhang's swordplay, letting the cold energy between his fingers seep into Zhang's dantian, then struck him in the chest with a palm. Several Wudang disciples behind him sensed something was wrong and rushed forward, swiftly thrusting at his back. The man in black leaned back to dodge, and a gust of wind from his sleeve struck the Daoist at the Tian Shu position, causing him to vomit blood. The True Martial Sword Formation thus dissipated.

Zhang Weiyi barely managed to muster a breath of internal energy, but before he could even make a move, he immediately vomited a mouthful of blood. His face was extremely pale, and he barely managed to stay upright.

When Ji Zhenyao saw the sudden change in the situation, she was so startled that she broke a string, and the "Breaking the Formation Music" came to an abrupt end.

The man in black stood with his hands behind his back, looking extremely arrogant.

The followers of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect below the mountain shouted even louder: "Our leader is a master of both literature and martial arts, and will unify the martial world! Our leader is a master of both literature and martial arts, and will unify the martial world!"

Xu Lianning stood on the Hidden Yuan position. Although she was forced back by a sharp gust of wind from her sleeve, she was unharmed, naturally because the other party had shown mercy. She had known all along that Xiao Liang was definitely not that person's real name. It turned out that the "Mr. Xiao" who had been with her for more than a month was actually Xiao Qianjue, the leader of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect. Seeing Xiao Qianjue turn to walk towards Zhang Weiyi, she knew that he had murderous intent in his heart, and quickly spoke before him: "Mr. Xiao."

Xiao Qianjue frowned slightly when he saw it was her, and said coldly, "Get out of the way."

Xu Lianning looked at him, but did not move.

Zhang Weiyi reached out and pushed her shoulder, whispering, "Lianning, move aside." He was already weak from his serious injuries, so his push naturally failed to move Xu Lianning away.

"I will never forget your teachings, sir." If you think it's worth it, bet everything; there's no need to leave yourself a way out. Right now, there's no way out either.

Ji Zhenyao was shocked. Her martial arts skills were too weak; she didn't have time to rush forward. Her hand loosened, and the guqin slipped from her grasp, but instead of shattering on the ground, it was gently caught by a pair of slender, fair hands. She looked up and saw the person before her smiling slightly.

Xiao Qianjue looked at her for a while, then said slowly, "Alright, I'll grant your wish." He took a step and circled around to Xu Lianning's side: "If this kid doesn't die after taking this palm strike." But then a figure appeared in mid-air and took the blow head-on from Xiao Qianjue's palm strike.

The man stopped and smiled faintly, saying, "Mr. Xiao, it's been a long time." He was Shang Mingjian, the master of Mingjian Manor.

Xiao Qianjue seemed to recognize him as well, and said coldly, "What, do you intend to use the martial arts of the Tianshang Sect to spar with me today?" This statement was truly baffling.

Shang Mingjian chuckled slightly: "This junior dares not make a move against you, sir."

Xiao Qianjue snorted coldly, then suddenly looked up and shouted, "Shaolin Sect, Wudang Sect, and the old thief from Longteng Post Station, why aren't you coming down? No matter how many of you there are, I, Xiao, will hold you off alone." These words truly displayed the spirit of "one man guarding the pass, invincible to ten thousand."

Liu Junru laughed loudly, "Old thief Xiao, all you do is bully the younger generation." She then gracefully landed, her long sword pointing directly at her opponent. Tianyan Zhenren stepped forward and examined Zhang Weiyi's pulse, placing a finger on his Juque acupoint: "I will first suppress the cold energy within your body; afterwards, you will need to slowly circulate your internal energy to dissipate it." Zhang Weiyi lowered his eyes and said, "Yes." "Unfortunately, Jianchu is..." Tianyan Zhenren took the pulse of the Daoist who had previously guarded the Tianshu position and sighed, "Lianning, you and Weiyi should go back first."

Xu Lianning responded softly and reached out to support Zhang Weiyi: "Can you still hold on?" As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Weiyi moved closer and unceremoniously shared most of his weight with her: "Thank you for your help." Xu Lianning's first reaction was to push him away, but fortunately she reacted quickly, only to hear him say softly: "Why did you block my way just now?"

Xu Lianning remained silent.

"Why did you do this?" He closed his eyes slightly, with an indescribable weariness. "If we were in each other's shoes, I wouldn't risk my life for you..." He could be moved, but he couldn't be swayed, and he would never follow someone to the death because he loved them. This was his bottom line.

Xu Lianning smiled slightly: "You can consider it as something you owe me."

Zhang Weiyi looked at her quietly and uttered two words softly, "Is that so?" Then he straightened up and struggled to walk forward. Xu Lianning knew she must have said something wrong, and reached out to help him, feeling a little guilty, but he gently shook her off. She patiently reached out again. This time, Zhang Weiyi didn't push her hand away, but gently took it.

You ask me why I did this?

That's because if you were to die like this, I really don't know what reason there would be to live on.

Before, it was the man I could call "father," now it's you.

Only hatred can last longer and be stronger than love.

I will not let you die at Mr. Xiao's hands. I will let you live, but in a way that will be more painful than death.

A Thousand Interconnected Chain Solution (Part 2)

On her way to Fuzhen Temple, Xu Lianning saw Li Qingyun coming towards her. Even though he clearly didn't want to see her, he still stopped and greeted her, "Miss Xu, are you also going to see your senior brother?"

Xu Lianning was in a good mood and smiled gently: "It seems that Miss Li has just come from Young Master Zhang's place."

Li Qingyun's expression changed slightly: "We grew up together and have a very close relationship, so it's understandable that we care about each other. There's another matter: the Tianshang Sect is stationed at the foot of the mountain and hasn't left yet, so it's inconvenient for us to go down the mountain these next few days."

Xu Lianning only heard from Ruan Qingxuan later that Xiao Qianjue and Liu Junru had only exchanged a few blows before Xiao Qianjue led his men away for some unknown reason. Afterwards, the Tianshang Sect gathered at the foot of Wudang Mountain, but did not attack; they simply surrounded the area. "So, we're trapped," she said, though her tone wasn't particularly worried. "Although they can't break through, we can't get out either. It's truly disheartening."

If it came down to a verbal argument, Li Qingyun would never win against her, so he said, "Master said that we must find a way to break through no matter what. I also heard from my fellow disciples that they are not afraid." For some reason, an indescribable radiance appeared on this frail woman's face.

Xu Lianning paused for a moment, then chuckled slightly: "That's how it is."

After parting ways with Li Qingyun, she was still somewhat dazed. Her actions bore no resemblance whatsoever to those of a prestigious and righteous sect. Fortunately, she only sighed occasionally but never dwelled on the matter.

Before long, she was standing outside Fuzhen Temple. Fuzhen Temple was one of the Taoist temples built by order of Emperor Yongle, also known as Taizipo. She knocked on the door, waited for a while but no one answered, so she pushed the door open and went in. As soon as one foot stepped across the threshold, and the other foot was halfway down, Xu Lianning stared straight ahead and didn't move.

Zhang Weiyi was only wearing an undergarment, which looked like he had just bathed, and the front was loosely open. When he saw the other person, he was also taken aback, but finally came to his senses first, and grabbed the outer robe that was placed on the stone table in the courtyard and put it on: "Come in first." Xu Lianning turned his head away slightly embarrassed. He smiled lightly and said half-jokingly: "I was thinking that you were a step too late and missed a good show, but now you've made up for it."

Xu Lianning naturally knew that Xiao Qianjue's martial arts were unfathomable, and that it would be extremely difficult for him to expel the cold energy from his body. So he smiled and said, "What I'm getting now should be much more exciting than your internal energy healing." As soon as he said this, he couldn't help but sigh that he was becoming like the other person, almost toothless.

Little did she know that she had underestimated Zhang Weiyi's skill. He replied slowly and deliberately, "Fine, since you've already seen it, just remember to take responsibility." Xu Lianning was conflicted, but managed to squeeze out, "Of course I won't abandon you after starting something."

Zhang Weiyi smiled and said, "I'm relieved to hear you say that."

Xu Lianning was finally forced into silence: "It seems your injury is no longer a big problem, so I'll head back now."

"There are some things I still don't understand. Could you explain them to me as well?"

Xu Lianning paused, not entirely unexpected. Zhang Weiyi was so meticulous; she wouldn't be so easily fooled. She smiled slightly: "Please speak."

Zhang Weiyi turned and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, pouring two cups of tea. Xu Lianning also walked to the table and sat down.