On this side, Su Chen left Fuzhou City and raced toward the territory of Mount Heng.
On the other side, three more people arrived at the pine forest where Yu Canghai and the others lay dead.
The middle-aged man in the lead appeared modest and refined, radiating righteousness. At a glance, he gave people the feeling of a spring breeze.
Any person of the jianghu present would have recognized him as the head of the Mount Hua Sect, the Gentleman Sword, Yue Buqun.
At Yue Buqun's sides followed a lively, pretty young girl and an elderly man with a face full of wrinkles.
The girl was Yue Buqun's daughter, Yue Lingshan, while the old man was Yue Buqun's second disciple, Lao Denuo.
At that moment, all three wore astonished expressions as they looked at the corpses of Yu Canghai's group.
"Yu Canghai is dead..." Yue Buqun murmured quietly.
"Shorty Yu was also at the Minor Grandmaster realm. He was not weak. Though he could not compare to me, no one in the Fuwei Escort Agency had the strength to kill him. Therefore, an outsider must have acted."
As Yue Buqun thought this, he crouched down and carefully examined the injuries on Yu Canghai and the others.
After inspecting them closely, Yue Buqun closed his eyes and began reconstructing the battle in his mind.
A moment later, he abruptly opened his eyes. They were filled with astonishment and, faintly, a trace of fear.
"Yu Canghai's disciples were all beheaded with a single slash. Even Yu Canghai himself did not last more than fifty moves."
"If I were to face Yu Canghai, I fear I would not be able to defeat him within a hundred moves either."
"The person who acted must have been an exceptional saber master."
Thinking of this, Yue Buqun subconsciously put himself in the situation.
What would happen if I faced that saber master?
As Yue Buqun compared their strengths in his heart, his right hand had already unconsciously clenched into a fist.
By his calculations, if he faced that unknown saber master, his fate would most likely not be much better than Yu Canghai's.
"Since when did such an expert appear in Fuzhou?"
Yue Buqun was filled with doubts, but he also felt a growing sense of urgency.
He had come to Fuzhou for the same reason: to obtain the Bixie Sword Manual from the Fuwei Escort Agency.
He had originally believed Yu Canghai was his only competitor, making his acquisition of the Bixie Sword Manual a certainty.
Now, however, an unknown expert had suddenly appeared, adding several variables to the matter. Yue Buqun found it rather troublesome for a time.
Just then, Yue Lingshan suddenly warned, "Father, someone is coming."
As she spoke, she drew her sword and went on guard.
On the other side, Lao Denuo likewise held his sword at the ready.
Hearing this, Yue Buqun stood and looked toward the rear flank.
He saw more than a dozen burly men in yellow carrying shovels as they approached.
At the front were a richly dressed middle-aged man and a handsome young master.
"Lin Zhennan of the Fuwei Escort Agency..." Yue Buqun immediately recognized the newcomers.
"From the looks of it, they are clearly here to bury the bodies. Yu Canghai and his group's deaths cannot be unrelated to the Fuwei Escort Agency..."
At the same time, Lin Zhennan's group noticed Yue Buqun and the other two.
Seeing their obvious attire as jianghu martial artists, Lin Zhennan's heart skipped a beat.
What he had experienced over the past few days had made him fully understand his standing. Before true jianghu experts, crushing him was as easy as crushing an ant.
As a result, he had practically become a frightened bird. Upon spotting Yue Buqun's group from afar, his first instinct was to flee.
The thought had barely arisen, and before he could act on it, someone across from him called out, "Is that Chief Escort Lin Zhennan of the Fuwei Escort Agency ahead? I am Yue Buqun of the Mount Hua Sect."
"Yue Buqun of Mount Hua? The Gentleman Sword, Yue Buqun?" Lin Zhennan halted and looked again at Yue Buqun's group.
It had to be said that Yue Buqun had a good reputation. He was modest and courteous, carried himself with righteousness, and had performed many deeds of justice praised throughout the jianghu.
Lin Zhennan had also heard much of Yue Buqun's chivalry.
Now that he learned the man before him was Yue Buqun, the fear in Lin Zhennan's heart gradually faded.
"So it is Mr. Yue, the Gentleman Sword. I am Lin Zhennan. Greetings." Lin Zhennan led his men before Yue Buqun and clasped his hands in salute.
After the two sides exchanged a few pleasantries, Lin Zhennan cautiously asked, "May I ask what brings Mr. Yue to Fuzhou? If you require anything, my Lin family may be able to offer some small assistance."
Naturally, Yue Buqun would not say that he had come for the Bixie Sword Manual.
He gave the excuse he had already prepared.
"A few days ago, my daughter and disciple came to Fuzhou to gain experience while concealing their identities. They were harassed by Yu Canghai's son, Yu Renyan, and were fortunate that your young master stepped in righteously to help them."
"However, this also caused your young master to accidentally kill Yu Renyan."
"I know Yu Canghai's vengeful nature. He would certainly take action against the Fuwei Escort Agency."
"Therefore, I hurried here specifically to resolve this conflict."
At these words, understanding flashed through Lin Zhennan's eyes. He immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Mr. Yue, for rushing here to aid us. You truly deserve the title Gentleman Sword."
Unexpectedly, Yue Buqun gave a bitter smile. "I merely meddled in matters that did not concern me. Even without my assistance, Chief Escort Lin could have dealt with Yu Canghai."
At this point, Yue Buqun suddenly asked, "May I ask which expert slew Yu Canghai? Could Chief Escort Lin introduce him to me?"
Yue Buqun wished to meet the saber master who had killed Yu Canghai in person. He wanted to probe the man's background and determine whether he still had any hope of obtaining the Bixie Sword Manual.
However, Lin Zhennan's face showed a troubled expression. "This... Mr. Yue..."
Yue Buqun smiled as if unconcerned. "Chief Escort Lin need not feel troubled. I was presumptuous. If the escort agency's expert does not wish to reveal himself, I should not force the matter."
Those words instead put Lin Zhennan in an awkward position. He hurriedly explained, "Mr. Yue misunderstands. It is not that I am unwilling to introduce him. It is simply that I do not know who that man truly was."
Afterward, Lin Zhennan told Yue Buqun everything about how he had paid an unknown saber master to kill Yu Canghai, without leaving out a single detail.
"Mr. Yue, that is what happened. It is truly not that I am unwilling to introduce him. That expert had already left, and I do not know where he went."
Yue Buqun's eyes flew wide open, staring in disbelief. His gaze was filled with an indescribably strange expression.
"So... Chief Escort Lin means that you spent a mere ten thousand taels of silver to hire a Minor Grandmaster saber master to kill Yu Canghai and the Four Talents of Qingcheng?"
His voice carried a faint hint of mockery.
A mere ten thousand taels of silver could hire a Minor Grandmaster expert, and one capable of killing Yu Canghai at that? Was this not a joke?
Did Lin Zhennan truly take Yue Buqun for a three-year-old child? Rather than believe such nonsense, he would sooner go eat shit.
The Five Great Sword Sects had a place in the Great Ming Jianghu.
Yet the heads of the five sects were, for the most part, only Minor Grandmasters.
This was enough to show that Minor Grandmasters were already extraordinary figures in the jianghu.
For ten thousand taels of silver, Lin Zhennan wanted to hire an expert on the level of a Five Great Sword Sects leader? Was he treating them like beggars?
If such experts could truly be hired, Yue Buqun would bankrupt himself, sell the pots and pans, and even borrow money to hire more than ten Minor Grandmasters to flatten the Mount Song Sect.
"If Chief Escort Lin is unwilling to reveal that expert's information, you may simply say so. Yue will not press you. Why make up such lies to toy with me?"
Lin Zhennan was equally helpless. Yue Buqun's current reaction was exactly the same as his own had been.
If he had not experienced it personally, who could have believed that a mere ten thousand taels of silver could hire an expert at the Minor Grandmaster realm?
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