Sweeping Old Li

Sweeping Old Li

Heaven One Hall had taken in two more new disciples, bringing the number of people in the hall to its most glorious peak.

Even Li Rui had not expected Heaven One Hall to have a day when it was fully staffed.

Of course, this was merely surface splendor; beneath it, undercurrents surged.

The two new disciples were named Han Peng and Yang San. Both had been transferred in from outside establishments. Such arrangements were commonplace in the Heaven and Earth Alliance, and all the procedures were perfectly proper.

Outstanding disciples from the Heaven and Earth Alliance's outside establishments were qualified to return to the headquarters and become disciples of the Seven Halls.

They often fought with blades until blood was spilled, and their temperaments were all wild.

Zhou Shulin cast a dissatisfied glance at the door opposite him. "Hall Master Li, Han Peng and Yang San truly have no regard for the rules. They actually ignored you and went to see Deputy Hall Master Eagle first."

Li Rui looked at the indignant Zhou Shulin and said with a faint smile, "If they really came to pay respects to me first, that would be the truly shortsighted thing."

Personnel transfers within the Heaven and Earth Alliance were now nearly frozen. They required the approval of a Deputy Rudder Master.

For Han Peng and Yang San to return from the outside establishments to the branch rudder was clearly Zhao Wei's doing. Eagle Six alone was too weak; these two had been sent specifically to deal with him.

Li Rui looked meaningfully at Zhou Shulin and Liang He. "Be more tolerant in the future. If it comes to blows, I do not care what methods you use, but there must be evidence. Turn the matter into an ironclad case."

"Yes."

Zhou Shulin and Liang He nodded like chicks pecking at grain.

Li Rui offered a few more words of reassurance. "Rest easy. This is Heaven One Hall. Nothing will happen here."

Han Peng and Yang San spoke with Eagle Six for a full hour.

Only then did they leave in satisfaction.

They had no intention whatsoever of staying in Heaven One Hall to work.

This left Zhou Shulin even more unbalanced. Watching the pair's retreating backs, he muttered, "Why do they get to do nothing while the two of us have to stand guard here and suffer?"

Liang He shook his head. "Brother Zhou, I thought you were a clever man. You still did not understand what the Hall Master meant."

At the mention of it, Zhou Shulin felt even more aggrieved. "Wasn't the Hall Master just telling us to endure it?"

"We're all disciples of Heaven One Hall, so why are only the two of us cursed with such hard lives?"

Liang He could not help rolling his eyes. "The key was in the second half of the Hall Master's words. He wants us to gather enough dirt on them. The fact that the two of them are not working in Heaven One Hall—isn't that dirt?"

Zhou Shulin suddenly lifted his head.

"Ah He, you mean..."

Liang He nodded. "That's right. The Hall Master wants to stand up for us, but he needs a reason."

Zhou Shulin immediately grew excited.

"The Hall Master is wise!"

Eagle Six, Han Peng, and Yang San had all come to the branch rudder from the outside establishments.

People from the outside establishments were indeed fierce and fond of fighting.

But they had forgotten that this was the branch rudder, where the rules were strict. Rules were the sort of thing that devoured people without even spitting out the bones. Many people had been played to death by them.

Evening came.

Only Liang He remained in Heaven One Hall.

Liang He wielded his longsword, his figure moving through the courtyard before Heaven One Hall like a light swallow in flight.

"Your swordsmanship is not bad, but your killing intent is lacking."

Suddenly, someone's voice offered an appraisal.

Liang He stopped, turned his head, and saw Li Rui standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, watching him.

"Hall Master."

Holding his longsword point-down behind him, he bowed to Li Rui.

Li Rui smiled and waved a hand. "Continue. I was merely passing by."

Seeing Li Rui about to leave, Liang He hurriedly asked, "Hall Master Li, what did you mean by what you just said?"

Li Rui said, "You did not learn this swordsmanship from the Heaven and Earth Alliance?"

"Hall Master, you have sharp eyes. This swordsmanship has been passed down through my family."

Li Rui nodded.

"Martial arts are arts of killing. You only practice sword forms; if you fight someone to the death, you will surely suffer."

As he spoke, he casually snapped off a dead branch.

"I will demonstrate only once."

Before he finished speaking, Li Rui used the dead branch in his hand as a long saber. Stretching out his arm, he swung the branch in a full circle, his movements broad and forceful, murderous intent blazing.

The powerful saber aura startled Liang He so badly that he could not help taking several steps back.

He nearly suffocated.

"So strong!"

Liang He stared fixedly at every move Li Rui made. Just as Li Rui had said, if he encountered Li Rui in actual combat, he would have been dead long ago.

It was not that Li Rui surpassed him in cultivation.

Rather, Li Rui's intent to kill was heavy enough. He was not bound by any particular move or form; everything he did was aimed at killing.

One Incense Stick's Time later.

Li Rui sheathed his "saber."

"Those who practice martial arts should carry three parts ferocity. You have always stayed at the branch rudder. In the future, you may go to the outside establishments to temper yourself; it will greatly benefit your state of mind."

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

Only after Li Rui had gone far away did Liang He recover from his earlier shock.

He solemnly bowed toward Li Rui.

"Thank you, Hall Master."

Li Rui had already walked a full hundred meters away, yet he still heard Liang He's words. The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

He also felt that Liang He was a promising talent, which was why he had offered guidance.

Heaven One Hall could not be supported by him alone forever, or he would be exhausted to death sooner or later.

It was necessary to cultivate his own forces.

Rather than recruit people from outside, it was more reliable to train them where they stood.

Liang He had good bones and a good temperament. If he had not offended someone before, he would likely have already made something of a name for himself in the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

The days passed one by one.

Outside Heaven One Hall.

Liang He was sparring with Zhou Shulin. Since receiving Li Rui's guidance, Liang He no longer spent every day drilling mechanically and instead placed greater emphasis on actual combat.

With one sword strike, he forced Zhou Shulin back.

His spirits soared.

Zhou Shulin dropped onto the ground on his backside and repeatedly waved his hands.

"No more, no more. Ah He, when did your swordsmanship become so vicious? It's like it wants to devour people."

It was not as if he had never sparred with Liang He before, but Liang He these past two days seemed like an entirely different person. His moves were ruthless, and Zhou Shulin was utterly unable to parry them.

Liang He looked at the sword in his hand in delight.

In merely ten moves, he had defeated Zhou Shulin.

After these past few days of sparring, Liang He could clearly feel that the problems that had troubled him before had suddenly become clear.

"The Hall Master is truly an extraordinary man!"

At this moment, Liang He held Li Rui in incomparable admiration.

It was not as if no masters had guided him before, but not one of them had been able to see the root of his problem at a glance like Li Rui, much less offer a practical way to improve.

"Brother Zhou, we still underestimated the Hall Master."

Hearing Liang He's out-of-the-blue remark, Zhou Shulin rolled his eyes.

Liang He did not explain.

Before, he had only thought Li Rui was an old man who had been demoted to Heaven One Hall due to bad luck. He had never expected Li Rui to truly possess some ability.

At that thought, Liang He's eyes lit up.

Didn't those jianghu anecdotes he had read often say that the one person a sect must never offend was the old man sweeping the floor in the Scripture Repository?

Could Hall Master Li also be a hidden master?

"Doesn't seem like it."

Liang He laughed at his own thought.

Just then—

Zhou Shulin suddenly shook Liang He. "Ah He, it's Han Peng and the others."

He jerked his chin, telling Liang He to look to the right.

Liang He had barely turned his head.

When he saw Han Peng and Yang San walking up to them with unfriendly expressions.

"Two pieces of trash dare block my path? Get the hell out of the way!"