Feng Qingyang

What exactly was the relationship between Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong?

How far had things progressed between them?

Ji Shu did not know, nor did he ask. But from the occasional bits of information revealed by Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, Lao De Nuo, and the others, the two seemed to have something like a brother-sister relationship, with no feelings of romance between them.

Of course, this meant Yue Lingshan had not developed feelings for Linghu Chong. As for whether Linghu Chong had feelings for Yue Lingshan, even Lu Dayou and the others were uncertain.

Tap, tap!

Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan headed down the mountain together.

Not long after.

Whoosh! A figure suddenly appeared atop a boulder beside Cliff of Reflection.

This man possessed the bearing of an immortal, clad in a Daoist robe, with an ethereal spiritual aura drifting about him. He resembled a True Person who had attained the Dao, his demeanor exceptional and utterly extraordinary.

His eyes gleamed as he stared in the direction Ji Shu had gone, muttering in uncertainty:

"I had thought Linghu Chong was already clever and gifted enough. I never imagined the Mount Hua Sect would have an even greater genius like Ji Shu!"

He had discovered Ji Shu the moment the latter broke through the cave wall, and had been secretly observing Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan ever since.

When he saw Yue Lingshan's bewildered, helpless expression, he shook his head inwardly, thinking, Yue Buqun truly is useless. He even taught his own daughter to be so rigid and pedantic!

When he first saw Yue Lingshan accomplishing nothing at all, he had intended to turn and leave. Clearly, he had held little hope for Ji Shu as well.

Yet soon afterward, sword qi seemed to emerge all around Ji Shu!

Surprised, the Daoist turned his gaze and examined him closely.

At that sight, he could not help but suck in a breath of cold air.

When Ji Shu practiced the Five Peaks Swordplay, he was fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water from the very beginning. After three repetitions, sword qi arose on its own; after nine, the sword qi had become complete and perfectly responsive, striking wherever he pointed, invincible in every direction!

And afterward.

The words Ji Shu spoke to Yue Lingshan even concealed the profound essence of the Nine Swords of Dugu!

This left the Daoist immensely shaken.

"Compared with Ji Shu, Linghu Chong is merely mediocre! Why had I not encountered Ji Shu sooner?"

The Daoist was deeply regretful.

After passing the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong, he had resolved never to teach it to anyone else.

Yet upon seeing such a world-shaking talent as Ji Shu, even his heart could not help but stir. He thought to himself:

"How could Yue Buqun possibly have taught someone like Ji Shu? Ji Shu calls Yue Lingshan Master Yue—what exactly is going on? Could it be that in the mere month or so I stopped observing the Mount Hua Sect, some tremendous upheaval occurred within it?"

He considered it.

Then headed down the mountain.

He traveled through the regions around Mount Hua and investigated.

Once he learned the truth.

He was dumbfounded!

"How could a freakish genius like Ji Shu possibly exist in this world? Th-this, this is sheer fantasy, isn't it?!"

This Daoist was none other than Feng Qingyang, a senior master of the Mount Hua Sword Sect!

He had lived in seclusion on Mount Hua for a long time. Watching Yue Buqun gradually develop and strengthen Mount Hua, his feelings had been deeply complicated. Though the conflict between the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect had left him bitterly disappointed in the Mount Hua Sect, he still harbored affection for it.

Yet Yue Buqun was pedantic to the extreme, always stubbornly clinging to the principles of the Qi Sect. As someone born of the Sword Sect, Feng Qingyang found it difficult to reveal himself for a time.

Originally, he had seen that Linghu Chong was clever, highly perceptive, and high-spirited, free of Yue Buqun's decay and worth molding, so he had passed the Nine Swords of Dugu on to him.

Who could have known that Linghu Chong was too unrestrained, becoming thoroughly entangled with the Demonic Path and sinking too deeply to pull himself free?

Feng Qingyang could not say he was disappointed by this.

It was Linghu Chong's personal choice.

However, when he saw Ji Shu, his heart churned violently, and he somewhat regretted passing the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong too soon. Had he encountered Ji Shu earlier, he absolutely would not have taught the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong. But now, it was too late for regrets.

"What a pity, what a pity~"

Ji Shu returned to the courtyard first. Lying in the reclining chair beneath the Old Sophora Tree, he guided the Qi Mechanism to replenish the blood and qi he had expended earlier.

The Qi Mechanism entered his body and was continuously transformed into blood and qi.

Ji Shu's complexion gradually regained its rosy color.

By the time his blood and qi were full, Yue Lingshan had already arrived with Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the others.

"Ji Shu, Ji Shu!"

Yue Lingshan's voice was crisp and sweet, like the call of a lark.

Ji Shu opened his eyes and gave a light leap, rising three feet from the ground before floating gently back down. Following the sound, he saw Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the others had arrived before him, and immediately bowed in greeting.

Ning Zhongze's smile was radiant.

Yue Buqun smiled as well.

"Ji Shu. We are all family now, so there is no need to bow whenever you see us in the future. You are being far too polite, and it makes me feel quite uneasy. Only guests are polite to their hosts. Yet you are treating us, your family, with such courtesy. Could it be that we have treated you poorly and made you feel uncomfortable?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then do not be so formal in the future."

"...Yes, Sect Leader!"

"Mm."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and smiled.

"Shan'er said you discovered a hidden secret at Cliff of Reflection and asked me to take a look. Let us go now."

"Alright."

Some time later.

Yue Buqun stared at the Five Peaks Swordplay recorded within the cave, stunned beyond measure.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and said:

"Zhang Chengyun, Zhang Chengfeng, Fan Song, Zhao He... These people should all have been among the ten great elders of the Demonic Cult! I never expected that after being trapped to death here, they had nearly managed to escape alive."

"Father, what exactly happened?"

Yue Lingshan was curious.

Yue Buqun thus selectively recounted some of the old history between the Five Peaks Sword Sect and the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Nothing more than the fact that the two sides' hatred ran deep; the Demonic Cult attacked the mountain gates, fell into a trap, became trapped to death in this cave, and eventually all died violent deaths.

"Yet swordsmanship is ultimately only a side path. Cultivating qi remains the foundation. You must not place too much faith in swordsmanship."

As he said this, Yue Buqun saw that none of the disciples took it seriously. He immediately thought of Ji Shu and could not help but rebuke them:

"Can any of you compare to Ji Shu? Ji Shu is a genius, which is why his swordplay has reached divine heights and his internal strength is profound. What about you? You have cultivated for so many years. If your swordplay had even one-tenth or two-tenths of Ji Shu's level, I would certainly not tell you not to blindly believe in swordsmanship. But do you have that?!"

Lu Dayou, Liang Fa, and the others were ashamed beyond words, lowering their heads in silence.

"Hmph!"

Yue Buqun was furious at their failure to live up to expectations. "Never mind that your swordplay cannot compare! As inheritors of the Qi Sect, even the Internal Cultivation Method you practice is far inferior to Ji Shu's! Ji Shu can advance in swordsmanship and internal cultivation side by side. He is a genius. You are merely ordinary people! You can only choose one, so cultivate your qi properly! Do not think about practicing these varied and complicated sword arts! Otherwise, in the end, you will please neither side and draw water with a bamboo basket—an empty effort!"

Lu Dayou and the others answered yes sheepishly.

When they had first seen the exquisite sword arts here, they had been overjoyed and wanted to learn some for self-defense. Now, it seemed impossible!

"You may only learn Mount Hua Swordplay. Do not look at the other sword arts."

Yue Buqun's single sentence turned their sorrow to joy, and they all thanked him in unison.

The Mount Hua Swordplay here was even more exquisite and formidable.

Once learned, it would surely let them climb a hundred-foot pole and advance another step.

They were grateful to Ji Shu for bringing them to this place.

But when they recalled what Yue Lingshan had said, their feelings became complicated once more.

"Senior Brother discovered this hidden cave. Why did he not tell us? Never mind us—why did he not tell Master and Martial Mother?"