"Central Plains?...What sect?" Cheng Ling frowned. The alliance in the Central Plains had finally started to improve, so who dared to cause trouble at this critical juncture?
"Qiao Yijun said that he couldn't identify the sect or the martial arts he had never seen before."
Cheng Ling looked surprised. Although Qiao Yijun was not as senior as Xue Qing, he had been a disciple of the Wudang Sect for twenty years. Since Daoist Siyou often went into seclusion, he was the one who traveled around the martial world on behalf of his sect. Although his martial arts skills were not particularly amazing, he was familiar with the martial arts styles of various sects. How could a group of assassins he did not even recognize suddenly appear?
Xiao Guiying could understand Cheng Ling's incredulous expression and said, "This matter itself is not that shocking. What I'm worried about is that Qiao Yijun is the first, not the last."
Seeing that Xiao Guiying's brows were still furrowed, Cheng Ling comforted him, saying, "When soldiers come, we'll deal with them; when water comes, we'll dam it. Nothing will happen."
At the same time, Yan Ming, who was in the underworld, also received the same message.
"Haha, interesting," Yan Ming said with a loud laugh.
“Master, besides us, who else can…” Anluo couldn’t think of an answer.
"What's going on at Kunlun Palace?" Yan Ming asked.
“It has always been well-behaved,” Anluo reported.
"Do you believe that old man would be so honest?" Yan Ming asked with a wicked smile.
“They haven’t taken any action at all; my subordinates have been keeping a close eye on them,” Anluo replied.
"Let's leave this matter aside for now. I'll be happy no matter who did it. I've ordered you to keep an eye on Xue Qing. Any news?"
"She and her junior apprentice went up to Blissful Peak and haven't come down yet."
"It seems that the Ling Shu is most likely in the hands of the Linghu clan. No wonder the spies planted at Duanjian Manor have not found anything." Yan Ming's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"Should we send someone over...?"
"No need, I'll go myself. It's time to put an end to my old relationship with her," Yan Ming said, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Xue Qing chased after Linghu Julin and saw Linghu Zhencai carrying Linghu Julin into a house. Xue Qing chased to the door and heard a deafening "slap slap" sound coming from inside, followed by the wailing of a boy. Xue Qing quickly pushed open the door and saw Linghu Zhencai sitting on the bed with Linghu Julin lying on her lap. Linghu Julin's pants were pulled down to his knees, revealing his round little buttocks, on which there was a bright red handprint.
The noise was so loud that Xue Qing initially thought Linghu Zhencai was going to kill her brother. Seeing the scene, she felt awkward standing at the door. Linghu Julin turned and saw Xue Qing, first stunned, then quickly jumped up, pulled up his pants, his face flushed red with shame and anger, and roared at Xue Qing, "You reckless woman! You'll never get married! You'll never get married!"
The same words, repeated a second time, had no effect on Xue Qing. Xue Qing replied expressionlessly, "If I can't get married, I'll marry you."
Linghu Julin, enraged, froze, his flushed face slowly turning white, deathly pale.
"Miss Xue, I'm sorry to have made you laugh again. This little bastard can't stand a day without being beaten up," Linghu Zhencai apologized. She was quite beautiful, with a tall figure and a graceful appearance in her fur coat. Hearing the word "bastard" from her mouth always felt very out of place.
"I've come to apologize to Brother Julin. A gentleman doesn't take what belongs to others," Xue Qing said.
Linghu Julin's eyes lit up: "Really? You're going to return the Spirit Pivot to me?"
Xue Qing continued, "I haven't finished yet, because I'm not a gentleman. I specialize in taking what others want. What troubles me is that I still have a little conscience. I want you to willingly give me the Spirit Pivot."
“Impossible. A true hero should live as long as his sword, and die with his sword. If you want to take Ling Shu away, you'll have to die, or I will die.” Linghu Julin said with his head held high.
Linghu Chenguang was right; this child's thinking is too distorted.
"It's all my brother's fault. I told him my younger brother should be able to read, and asked him to buy some books for me when he went down the mountain. He bought a bunch of martial arts novels, and after reading them, my younger brother has always wanted to be a great hero," Linghu Zhencai said with a headache.
"That's why I want you to marry me. You see, Ling Shu is mine, and I am yours, which means Ling Shu is still yours," Xue Qing suggested.
Linghu Julin thought for a moment and refused outright: "No, my elder brother said that all the family property will be mine in the future. You must be here for my family property."
Xue Qing was annoyed. Although she was joking, she was still furious at being rejected. That idiot from Broken Sword Manor really wanted to marry her! Kids just have no taste. She retorted, "My dowry is much more generous, okay? Senior Sister said the entire Lingyu Mountain will be mine in the future!"
Linghu Zhencai stroked his chin and said, "Little brother, we can consider it. There must be a lot of wine hidden in Lingyu Mountain."
Xue Qing would be considered a spinster in ancient times, and your brother is only ten! You're making him marry an old woman just for the sake of wine! Do you have no humanity?!
“I can see that you also like Ling Shu. In that case, I’ll give you a chance,” Linghu Julin said reluctantly, pursing his lips.
"Hmm, what kind of opportunity?" Xue Qing's eyes were shining, she was practically wagging her tail.
“Famous swords naturally belong to the strong. If there’s even one thing I can’t do that you can do, I’ll give you the sword,” Linghu Julin said.
winner
On a peaceful night, amidst the revelry and music, Yi Chun sat alone in her room, playing the zither, shutting out all the noise. Four burly men carried a small blue-roofed sedan chair to Yi Chun's door. Just as a maid was about to go in and call out to Yi Chun, a pale hand reached out from behind the curtain to stop her. The person inside the sedan chair then listened quietly to Yi Chun's playing. When the piece ended, Yi Chun asked, "Young Master Shuang, would you like to hear another piece?"
“Snow covers the frost.” A lazy male voice came from the sedan chair.
Yi Chun smiled slightly: "You like this piece so much, is it because both of your names contain the character 'frost'?" Snow Covers Frost Flows is a piece that sounds best when played by two people together, or perhaps he is reminiscing about... Is it old or young? Is it a man or a woman? Could it be a beautiful woman? Thinking of this, Yi Chun felt a little lost and absentmindedly played the wrong string.
The person inside the sedan chair noticed the wrong note in the music and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Let's change the tune. I've learned a new spring melody, I'll play it for you." Yi Chun said, picking up the strings again. Unlike the clear and crisp melody of the previous piece, this one was much more cheerful, warming people's hearts.
The man in the sedan chair listened quietly. He often came to listen to Yi Chun play the zither, and each time he would have the sedan chair parked at the door. He never got out of the sedan chair, and Yi Chun had never seen his face. He only told her to call him Young Master Shuang. The Jade Zither was a gift from this Young Master Shuang to Yi Chun. He said, "Good wine deserves a good cup, and a fine zither is a gift for a beautiful woman." For a young woman like Yi Chun, receiving tips from guests was commonplace. She often threw away the gold and silver jewelry she received as tips, but she carefully cherished this zither. The beauty of its tone was something she had never seen before, and the character "Shuang" engraved on the head of the zither also filled her with longing.
However, she knew nothing about the man in the sedan chair except for the title "Young Master Shuang." He never revealed any information about himself, being so cautious and reserved. He was probably the son of a wealthy family, and there was no future for a young woman like her; it was just a fling. Moreover, he might already be married, and he had no intention of taking her as a concubine. Indeed, someone of her status was unworthy to be a concubine, like a caged canary playing music for him night after night. The master only teased the caged bird when he was in the mood. The bird was merely a plaything in his world, unaware that to the bird, he was her whole world.
On the peak of Bliss, Xue Qing and Linghu Julin sparred. Although Xue Qing didn't yet have the courage to face Yan Ming, she thought she could easily bully a ten-year-old kid. However, the two fought for dozens of rounds without a clear victor. Even Liu Ying praised Linghu Julin, saying he was a rare, naturally gifted swordsman, with talent no less than Xue Qing's, who was once hailed as a martial arts prodigy. Children are most afraid of spicy food, so Xue Qing and Linghu Julin had a chili-eating contest. Linghu Julin, as expected, was afraid of spicy food; his lips trembled at the sight of chili peppers. But when he thought of the Ling Shu Sword, he was as fearless as a Saint Seiya warrior saving Athena, and Xue Qing suffered another crushing defeat.
Linghu Chenguang, Linghu Zhencai, and Liu Ying watched as the two, who were both injured from eating chili peppers, clung to a water vat and fought over water. Linghu Chenguang yawned repeatedly and suggested, "I'm so sleepy, Young Master Liu Ying. How about I put some sleeping potion in the food, and you and Miss Xue can take the opportunity to take Ling Shu down the mountain?"
“My master is determined to have your brother willingly hand over the Spiritual Pivot, and I cannot go against her wishes,” Liu Ying said. He wasn’t worried, though. If Xue Qing still couldn’t win in another hour, he would be the mastermind behind it all.
Linghu Zhencai yawned: "Let them make a fuss, I'm going to take a bath, it's time to sleep."
Left with no other choice, Xue Qing resorted to her signature skill as a time-traveling woman, competing with Linghu Julin in composing poetry. When Xue Qing recited, "The bright moonlight shines before my bed, I wonder if it's frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, then lower my head and think of my hometown," Linghu Julin countered with, "Hoeing the fields at noon, sweat drips onto the soil beneath the crops. Who knows that every grain in the bowl is the result of hard work?" This was utterly ridiculous! She forgot that the author was also a modern person, and the characters in the story used both Tang and Song dynasty poems when reciting verses.
"What else do you want to compare?" Linghu Julin looked at Xue Qing smugly.