Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 135

"What proof can you offer for your baseless accusations?" Yu Hezhi said confidently, showing no sign of panic.

Just then, a clear voice came from around the bend in the mountain: "Madam, look what this is?"

Chapter 83

Jiang Shuying turned to look and saw Qian'er holding a book tightly in her hand, running hurriedly towards them.

"Qian'er, what are you doing here?" Jiang Shuying, concerned for Qian'er's safety, scolded her sharply. Qian'er stopped on the mountain path. At that moment, a figure flashed from the woods beside the path; Yue Ruzheng darted out from the side, shielding Qian'er behind her. She took the book from Qian'er's hand and said to Jiang Shuying, "Master, this is the long-lost Junlei Heart Sutra, and it has been found!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was startled. Yu Hezhi was the most uneasy, but he suppressed his emotions and simply raised his eyebrows to look at Yue Ruzheng.

"Ruzheng, where did you find this?" Jiang Shuying couldn't contain her excitement and went to greet them.

Yue Ruzheng clutched the book tightly in her hand, only a yellowed corner showing, glanced at Yu Hezhi, and said, "Qian'er found this at Uncle Yu's place!"

Jiang Shuying's expression hardened, and Yu Hezhi behind her couldn't help but sneer, brandishing his longsword and saying, "Ruzheng, do you think you can fool me and your master with such petty tricks?"

Qian'er retorted, "This is clearly something I found in your room. You're never at your residence; you must be secretly practicing your martial arts, afraid of being discovered."

Seeing her spouting nonsense, Yu Hezhi became extremely angry. "Little girl, don't try to slander me! Did Madam Jiang send you here to spy on me?"

Jiang Shuying's expression changed, and she was about to retort when Yue Ruzheng suddenly leaped up, landing on the rocks beside Lian Junchu. "Little Tang, since he doesn't admit this is the Junlei Heart Sutra, then it must be a fake. I'll throw it away right now!"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already tossed the book toward the cliff. Yu Hezhi's breath caught in his throat, and before he could react, Su Muchen suddenly leaped forward and caught the book just before it fell off the cliff.

"Excellent! Excellent! This cultivation method is now mine!" He laughed as he flew towards the cliff.

Yu Hezhi, furrowing his brows in anger, didn't bother explaining to Jiang Shuying before rushing off in pursuit. Although Su Muchen's martial arts were mediocre, his eagerness to escape made him move with surprising agility, and he quickly disappeared down the mountain. At that moment, the sound of horses neighing echoed along the mountain path. Yu Hezhi, alarmed, assumed Su Muchen was already prepared. Seeing him round the ridge, he immediately inhaled and exhaled his inner energy, channeling his chilling power into his longsword. With a sudden roar, the sword flew from his hand, its momentum unstoppable, shattering the sky.

Su Muchen heard the howling wind behind him and was about to turn around when he felt a chill run down his spine. Looking down, he saw a bloody sword tip protruding from his heart. He roared a few times, struggled to run forward a few steps, and then collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, Yue Ruzheng and Lian Junchu arrived nearby. Yu Hezhi quickly walked to Su Mucheng's side, kicked his corpse aside, picked up the book from the pool of blood, examined it closely, and laughed angrily, "Yue Ruzheng, you really lied! This is no cultivation technique at all!!"

"Then why are you in such a hurry?!" Yue Ruzheng retorted sarcastically.

Yu Hezhi looked up and saw that Jiang Shuying had also arrived. He said coldly, "The Junlei Heart Sutra was a gift from Senior Hai Qiongzi to Yinxi Xiaozhu. How can we allow others to take it away?!"

He had barely finished speaking when a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the mountain path: "Yu Hezhi, this mental cultivation technique was not taught to you back then. Where did the internal energy contained in your sword strike just now come from?"

Yu Hezhi was startled by the sound and turned around to see a Taoist nun in a green robe walking quickly under the lush pine and cypress trees. It was Lin Bizhi, who had come to treat Yue Ruzheng the day before.

Yu Hezhi's hands were damp with sweat; the poison he had just been inflicted hadn't yet dissipated, and the reckless use of his inner energy had left him pale. But he calmed himself and smiled, saying, "Master Lin must be seeing things. How could I possibly know your Divine Firmament Palace's cultivation techniques?"

Lin Bizhi narrowed her eyes and said, "This humble Taoist is not yet old and blind!" After saying that, she did not say anything more, but flicked her whisk and suddenly swept it towards Yu Hezhi's wrist like steel needles.

Yu Hezhi knew he was in trouble. He swung his sword backhand to deflect Lin Bizhi's whisk, leaning back to avoid the attack. Lin Bizhi used the whisk as a sword, her moves flowing like clouds and water. She danced the whisk, which was originally as thin as a thread, into streaks of silver light, like a net that tightly bound her within a small space.

Yu Hezhi used his inner energy to withstand Lin Bizhi's sword strikes, but with Jiang Shuying nearby, he dared not easily use the martial arts he had secretly learned. However, Lin Bizhi's moves were relentless, and Yu Hezhi could only barely cope with them using the sword techniques of Yinxi Xiaozhu. At this moment, Lian Junchu suddenly fluttered her sleeves, and the short sword in her right sleeve shot straight towards Yu Hezhi's back like an arrow.

Before Yu He, Lin Bizhi's whisk covered his face, its silver threads trembling with countless light and shadow. Then, Lian Junchu's flying sword attacked, its sharp edge radiating a chilling aura. At this point, there was no longer any way to remain silent. He let out a clear whistle, flicked his fingertip at the hilt of his sword, and the longsword spun rapidly, swirling towards Lin Bizhi's whisk. Simultaneously, he leaped into the air, delivering a powerful back kick that struck Lian Junchu's thrown blade squarely. The short sword, capable of slicing through metal, was forcefully pressed down beneath Yu He's feet. Lian Junchu forcefully withdrew her sword, and Yu He, losing his footing, leaned back and leaped backward. As he did so, he saw Lin Bizhi's palm strike. He seized the opportunity to counterattack, his palm revealing faint white marks, his five fingers like claws, viciously clawing towards Lin Bizhi's face.

Jiang Shuying watched in alarm and was eager to step forward to stop them, but Yue Ruzheng held her back firmly.

"Senior brother, why are you doing this..." Before she could finish speaking, Yu Hezhi's palm was already close to Lin Bizhi, and the chilling aura spread and surged, and even Jiang Shuying felt the bone-chilling cold in an instant.

Lin Bizhi stared straight ahead, her right hand flicking her whisk, instantly sending out a shower of flying silk threads that crisscrossed into a net, floating in mid-air to intercept Yu Hezhi's attack. With a flick of her slender left fingers, she formed a delicate orchid hand gesture, gently locking Yu Hezhi's attacking wrist.

Yu Hezhi increased his internal energy again, trying to break through the net of the whisk, but suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, and a sharp blade was already pressed against his skin.

"Yu Hezhi, I have heard about what you have done. Your master is about to arrive. You should return the Junlei Heart Sutra as soon as possible to atone for your sins!" Lin Bizhi said solemnly as she put away her whisk when she saw that Lian Junchu had already pressed her sword against Yu Hezhi's neck.

Yu Hezhi was about to argue when he saw a white figure flitting among the mountains. A person approached like a celestial being, their lightness skill clearly extraordinary. Startled, he suddenly cried out, "Junior Sister, I've toiled so hard for so many years, yet I still receive no favor! Even our deceased Senior Brother, whose talent was mediocre, gained Master's trust. Where is the justice?!"

Hearing his indignant words, Jiang Shuying trembled and stepped forward, saying, "My senior brother has risked his life for the Jiang family to gain my father's trust. Are you even jealous of this...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Hezhi suddenly roared, his shoulders trembling violently, his robe billowing as if whipped by a whirlwind, and he struck backward with both arms. Lian Junchu felt a chilling surge of true energy rushing towards her from in front of her, and involuntarily took a step back. Seeing this, Lin Bizhi hurriedly struck out with her palm, but when her palms met Yu Hezhi's, she felt his true energy surge like a whirlpool, actually throwing her back. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yu Hezhi forcefully broke through Lin Bizhi's obstruction and grabbed Jiang Shuying with one palm.

"Master!" Yue Ruzheng cried out in alarm, rushing forward desperately to try and block Yu Hezhi's palm strike with her own strength. However, she was outnumbered and powerless to meet the attack. At this moment, Lian Junchu also endured the intense pain from the impact, leaping up and kicking Yu Hezhi in the back.

Yu Hezhi's left hand was about to strike Jiang Shuying when Lian Junchu kicked him in the back, jolting him. He seemed oblivious to the pain, his eyes flashing with murderous intent as he swept his longsword horizontally, aiming to stab Yue Ruzheng, who was blocking Jiang Shuying's path. At that moment, Lian Junchu, unable to draw her sword, could only leap over Yu Hezhi's head, attempting to block the wind-and-thunder-like sword light with her own body.

Yue Ruzheng was so shocked that her face turned deathly pale. In that split second, a gentle breeze suddenly swept by, seemingly light and warm, without the slightest hint of sharpness, yet it was continuous and contained boundless meaning. Just as the wind and clouds parted, a person stepped onto a stone and came, his wide sleeves fluttering. He seemed not to have made a move, but he had already seized Yu Hezhi's fierce sword.

The melody has many twists and turns, and the bells jingle.

The blazing sword light instantly withered and extinguished, the longsword snapped in two, its tip turning to dust. The man let out a low snort, flicked his two fingers, and the broken pieces swirled rapidly, whistling and colliding in mid-air, like a sky full of sharp spikes, heading straight for He Zhi's face.

Seeing this, Yu Hezhi tried to dodge, but Lin Bizhi swept her horsetail whisk behind him, hitting his waist. His knees buckled, and he involuntarily knelt on the ground. The sword shards, gleaming white, pierced his throat.

Yu Hezhi clutched his throat, staring straight ahead, his hand still desperately reaching for Jiang Shuying's clothes. Just as he touched her dress, he finally collapsed, lifeless.

Jiang Shuying's hands and feet were ice-cold, but fortunately Yue Ruzheng supported her so she wouldn't fall. Lin Bizhi put away her whisk and bowed deeply to the newcomer, saying, "Master, your arrival is just in time."

The man then turned around, and Yue Ruzheng was facing him. He was an elderly man over sixty years old. Although he wore a dark blue Taoist robe, the hem was loose, and an apricot-colored silk sash was casually tied around his waist. Both his clothes and straw sandals were worn and tattered, unlike Lin Bizhi, who was dressed neatly. However, despite his disheveled appearance, his eyes, beneath his thick eyebrows, were as bright as morning stars, and his long beard flowed to his chest, giving him a heroic air.

"I didn't want to take action, but seeing that things were going to end up killing several people, I had no choice but to tarnish these years of quiet cultivation." The old man shook his head and sighed, looking quite regretful.

Yue Ruzheng sized him up, while Jiang Shuying, forcing herself to stay alert, bowed to the old man and said, "Senior, thank you for your rescue... It's a pity that our Yinxi Xiaozhu's family affairs still require the intervention of your Shenxiao Palace."

Hearing Jiang Shuying say this, Yue Ruzheng dared to confirm that the old man was indeed Master Hai Qiongzi of Shenxiao Palace. She had originally thought that Master Hai Qiongzi was a hermit with an otherworldly air and a dignified demeanor, but his casual and unrestrained manner was quite different from what she had imagined.

Hai Qiongzi laughed heartily, "To be honest, I gave this divine pearl and cultivation method to your Jiang family with good intentions, but I didn't expect it to cause so much trouble."

Jiang Shuying felt guilty and said in a hoarse voice, "I wonder how you, Senior, knew about this matter and made a special trip to Luzhou?"

Hai Qiongzi turned and glanced at Lian Junchu, who was standing quietly to one side, and said, "You're Lian Haichao's son?"

When Lian Jun first saw Jiang Shuying in front of him, he hesitated for a moment. Hai Qiongzi, seeing that he seemed to have something to hide, said knowingly, "If he is, then he is; if he isn't, then he isn't. I only ask you one question: Is Lian Haichao your biological father?"