Ten thousand taels? Little Grandmaster? Are you kidding me?

On this side, Su Chen left Fuzhou City and rushed towards Mount Heng at lightning speed.

On the other side, in the pine forest where Yu Canghai and others lay dead, three more people arrived.

The foremost among them was a middle-aged man who appeared humble and refined, radiating righteousness. At first glance, he gave the impression of being in a spring breeze.

If any martial artists were present, they would surely recognize him as Yue Buqun, the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect and the "Gentleman Sword."

On Yue Buqun's left and right were a lively and charming young girl and an old man with a face full of wrinkles.

The girl was Yue Lingshan, Yue Buqun's daughter, and the old man was Yue Buqun's second disciple, Lao Denuo.

At this moment, looking at the corpses of Yu Canghai and the other four, the faces of Yue Buqun and the other two were filled with surprise.

"Yu Canghai is actually dead..." Yue Buqun murmured softly.

"Yu the Shorty was also a Minor Grandmaster, not weak. Although not as strong as me, no one in the Fuwei Escort Agency has the strength to kill him. Therefore, it must have been an outsider who acted."

As Yue Buqun thought this, he squatted down and began to carefully examine the injuries of Yu Canghai and the others.

After a careful examination, Yue Buqun closed his eyes and began to deduce the battle in his mind.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes filled with astonishment, and a hint of fear could be vaguely seen.

"Yu Canghai's disciples were all decapitated with a single saber strike. Even Yu Canghai himself couldn't last more than fifty moves."

"If it were me facing Yu Canghai, I probably couldn't defeat him within a hundred moves."

"The person who acted must be a peerless swordsman."

Thinking of this, Yue Buqun subconsciously put himself in the situation.

"If I were to face that swordsman, what would be the outcome?"

As Yue Buqun compared them in his mind, his right hand involuntarily clenched.

According to his deductions, if he were to face that unknown swordsman, the outcome would likely not be much better than Yu Canghai's.

"When did such a master appear in the Fuzhou area?"

Yue Buqun was full of questions, and at the same time, he felt a sense of urgency.

His purpose in coming to Fuzhou was also to obtain the Bixie Sword Manual from the Fuwei Escort Agency.

He had initially thought that Yu Canghai was his only competitor and that obtaining the Bixie Sword Manual was a sure thing.

Now, with the emergence of an unknown expert, the situation had become uncertain, and Yue Buqun found it quite troublesome.

Just then, Yue Lingshan suddenly warned, "Father, someone is coming."

As she spoke, she had already drawn her sword and was on guard.

On the other side, Lao Denuo also held his sword in readiness.

Hearing this, Yue Buqun stood up and looked behind him.

He saw more than a dozen big men in yellow shirts approaching, carrying shovels.

At the front were a middle-aged man in luxurious attire and a handsome young master.

"Lin Zhennan of the Fuwei Escort Agency..." Yue Buqun immediately recognized the identity of the approaching person.

"Judging by their appearance, they are clearly preparing to bury the bodies. The deaths of Yu Canghai and the others are inseparable from the Fuwei Escort Agency..."

At the same time, Lin Zhennan and his entourage also noticed Yue Buqun and the other two.

Seeing that Yue Buqun and his group were clearly dressed as martial artists, Lin Zhennan was startled.

The events of the past few days had made him thoroughly aware of his own position. Facing true martial arts masters, crushing him would be as simple as crushing an ant.

As a result, he was now almost a startled bird, and upon seeing Yue Buqun and his group from afar, he instinctively wanted to flee.

The thought of fleeing had just arisen, and before he could make any move, he heard the other party say, "Are you perhaps Lin Zhennan, the chief escort of the Fuwei Escort Agency? I am Yue Buqun of the Mount Hua Sect."

"Yue Buqun of Mount Hua? Yue Buqun, the Gentleman Sword?" Lin Zhennan stopped in his tracks and looked back at the three of them.

It had to be said that Yue Buqun's reputation was quite good. He was humble, amiable, and righteous, and had performed many commendable deeds in the martial arts world.

Lin Zhennan had also heard much about Yue Buqun's chivalry.

Now, hearing that it was Yue Buqun, Lin Zhennan's fear slowly subsided.

"So it is Mr. Yue, the Gentleman Sword. I am Lin Zhennan, greetings." Lin Zhennan brought his men to Yue Buqun and cupped his hands in salute.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Zhennan tentatively asked, "May I ask what business Mr. Yue has in Fuzhou? If you require any assistance, my family can offer some small help."

Yue Buqun naturally would not reveal that he was there for the Bixie Sword Manual.

He presented the reason he had prepared long ago.

"A few days ago, my daughter and my disciple came to Fuzhou to gain experience, concealing their identities, and were harassed by Yu Renyan, Yu Canghai's son. Fortunately, your son chivalrously assisted them."

"However, it also resulted in your son accidentally killing that Yu Renyan."

"I know that with Yu Canghai's vindictive nature, he will definitely act against the Fuwei Escort Agency."

"Therefore, I have rushed here specifically to mediate this conflict."

Hearing this, a knowing look flashed in Lin Zhennan's eyes, and he immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Mr. Yue, for rushing to my aid. You truly live up to the name Gentleman Sword."

"I suppose I was being overly concerned," Yue Buqun said with a wry smile. "Lin, the Chief Escort, can handle Yu Canghai without my help."

He then suddenly asked, "May I ask which master it was that slew Yu Canghai? Could you introduce me, Chief Escort Lin?"

Yue Buqun wanted to meet the swordsman who had killed Yu Canghai in person. He wished to probe the man's background to determine if there was still hope for acquiring the Bixie Sword Manual.

However, Lin Zhennan's face showed a hint of difficulty. "This... Mr. Yue..."

Yue Buqun smiled as if unconcerned. "There's no need to be troubled, Chief Escort Lin. It was I who was presumptuous. If your escort agency's master does not wish to reveal himself, I shall not press the matter."

His words, however, put Lin Zhennan in a difficult position. He quickly explained, "Mr. Yue, you misunderstand. It's not that I am unwilling to introduce him, but I truly do not know who that person is."

Afterward, Lin Zhennan recounted to Yue Buqun, in detail, how he had paid a considerable sum to hire an unknown swordsman to kill Yu Canghai.

"Mr. Yue, that's how it happened. It's not that I don't want to introduce him, but that master left long ago, and I don't know his whereabouts."

Yue Buqun's eyes widened, staring intently, filled with a strange expression.

"So... you're saying, Chief Escort Lin, that you only spent a mere ten thousand taels of silver to hire a swordsman at the Minor Grandmaster realm to kill Yu Canghai and the Four Talents of Qingcheng?"

A hint of mockery could be heard in his voice.

For a mere ten thousand taels of silver to hire a Minor Grandmaster, one capable of killing Yu Canghai – was this a joke?

Did he take Yue Buqun for a three-year-old child? He'd sooner believe pigs could fly than this preposterous tale.

Consider the Five Great Sword Sects. They held a significant position in the Ming Dynasty's martial arts world.

Yet, the sect leaders of the five sects were mostly at the Minor Grandmaster realm.

This demonstrated that a Minor Grandmaster was already an extraordinary figure in the martial arts world.

To think that ten thousand taels of silver could hire a master on par with the leader of a Five Great Sword Sect – was he trying to dismiss him like a beggar?

If it were truly possible to hire such a person, Yue Buqun would have sold everything he owned, cashed in all his assets, and even borrowed money to hire over a dozen Minor Grandmasters to raze Mount Song Sect to the ground.

"If Chief Escort Lin is unwilling to reveal the whereabouts of that master, you can simply say so. I, Yue, will not force you. Why resort to such lies to toy with me?"

Lin Zhennan also wore a helpless expression. Yue Buqun's current reaction was exactly the same as his own had been initially.

If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, who could believe that a mere ten thousand taels of silver could hire a master at the Minor Grandmaster realm?