Miss Ren, I'll Take You to Find Your Father

Lin Lang was still wondering what was going on when an older man in his forties or fifties used his lightness skill to reach him in just a few breaths.

"Boy, lend me your horse."

As he spoke, the older man grabbed for Lin Lang's shoulder, seemingly intent on throwing him off the horse.

"No!" Lin Lang swiftly drew his sword and slashed at the man's wrist.

A horse was just like money. Once lent out, would it ever come back?

The older man sneered. I only said "lend" to be polite. If I want to rob you, what can you possibly do to stop me... huh? What a fast, bizarre sword technique!

He withdrew his hand like lightning. "Which sect are you from? Who's your master?"

"I'm from the Azure Cloud Sect. My master, the Azure Cloud Master, taught me the Divine Sword Lightning-Commanding True Formula and sent me down the mountain to slay demons and vanquish evil," Lin Lang bluffed offhandedly.

Qu Yang was utterly baffled. He had roamed the martial world for decades and had been a Martial Arts Master for nearly twenty years, yet he had never heard of any Azure Cloud Sect or Azure Cloud Master, nor any martial art called the Divine Sword Lightning-Commanding True Formula.

Who cares? He's only at the peak of the first-rate realm. That Azure Cloud Master probably isn't much stronger.

Besides, he was running for his life. He had no time to worry about all that.

Cult Leader Dongfang Bubai had learned of his close friendship with Liu Zhengfeng of Hengshan and ordered him to kill Liu Zhengfeng. When he refused, he was branded a traitor to the cult, and the Holy Maiden was dispatched with a host of cult experts to hunt him down.

Not one of his pursuers could match him in single combat, but they had strength in numbers, along with help from Lan Fenghuang, leader of the Five Poisons Sect, which served under the Holy Cult. If they pinned him down, he was dead.

"Junior, whether you lend me this horse isn't up to you!" Qu Yang attacked again.

Lin Lang swiftly swung his sword as well. He felt the pressure-this man was definitely a Martial Arts Master. It was the perfect chance to test just how strong a Martial Arts Master was.

Qu Yang had thought he could kill Lin Lang with his palms within ten moves at most. Instead, although Lin Lang struggled to defend himself at first, his swordplay grew faster and faster, and his attacks came from increasingly treacherous angles.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of moves. Although Qu Yang held the upper hand, he had failed to inflict so much as a scratch.

Qu Yang was both shocked and furious-shocked by Lin Lang's exceptional talent, and furious that Lin Lang was actually using him to hone his swordsmanship!

He knew he could not waste any more time. If the Holy Maiden and her people caught up, he was doomed today.

"Junior, die!"

Qu Yang swept his left hand across his waist and flicked his wrist. Three Black Blood Divine Needles shot toward Lin Lang's chest.

The Black Blood Divine Needles were secret weapons of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, coated with an exclusive poison developed by the Five Poisons Sect. Unless someone struck by a needle took the antidote immediately, the poison would spread throughout their body and turn their blood black. Even a Martial Arts Master would die.

Fuck, this old bastard can't take a fair fight! He actually launched a sneak attack!

Lin Lang had been savoring the rapid improvement in his swordsmanship. He had never expected Qu Yang, a Martial Arts Master, to use hidden weapons against someone merely at the peak of the first-rate realm.

Seeing the hidden weapons fly toward him, he swung his sword swiftly, knocking down two Black Blood Divine Needles.

But he could not dodge the third.

The final Black Blood Divine Needle struck Lin Lang over the heart, only to fall straight to the ground.

Qu Yang was stunned that his unfailingly effective Black Blood Divine Needles had failed to hurt Lin Lang, but he quickly rushed forward and struck at Lin Lang's head with his palm.

Lin Lang neither dodged nor retreated. He thrust his sword at Qu Yang's throat.

Bang!

Qu Yang's palm struck Lin Lang's shoulder, while Lin Lang's sword swept across Qu Yang's left arm.

Qu Yang seized the opportunity to retreat and leaped straight onto Lin Lang's horse. "Hyah!"

He squeezed with his legs and snapped the reins, sending the horse galloping into the distance.

This young man was far too uncanny. Not only was his swordsmanship bizarre, but he also possessed formidable body-hardening arts. Even if they exchanged another hundred moves, Qu Yang had no confidence he could kill Lin Lang.

Had he not exposed the young man's body-hardening arts with the Black Blood Divine Needles, recklessly staking his life on the fight would surely have cost him dearly!

The Azure Cloud Sect is no ordinary sect!

Lin Lang shouted, "Where do you think you're going? Watch out for my hidden weapon!"

Qu Yang sneered. Youngsters really are inexperienced. If it's a hidden weapon, why announce it?

He casually untied the bundle on the horse's back and flung it behind him. It would block whatever hidden weapon was coming.

Glancing back, he saw no hidden weapon at all. Instead, he saw Lin Lang reach out and catch the bundle.

He, a seasoned veteran of the martial world, had actually been played by a youngster!

"At least I haven't lost my money. Shame about that little mare, though."

Watching Qu Yang ride away, Lin Lang did not give chase. His lightness skill was not enough to catch up.

Besides, even if he caught up, he was not confident he could kill Qu Yang. His internal energy was draining too quickly.

Although he had lost his beloved little mare, his face was wreathed in smiles.

Host: Lin Lang.

True qi: ten years (Evil-Warding Qi).

Martial arts: Reverse Golden Body Child Skill (body-hardening art · supreme martial-world art, major mastery); Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique (supreme martial-world art, minor mastery); Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber (third-rate saber technique, major mastery); Basic Movement Technique (third-rate movement technique, major mastery).

Realm: early-stage Martial Arts Master.

"Fighting experts really is the way to improve my swordsmanship faster."

"Just that brief fight with Qu Yang brought my swordsmanship to minor mastery, and my strength finally broke through to the Martial Arts Master realm."

"As my swordsmanship improves, my realm can keep rising too. If I'd reached major mastery in my swordsmanship, I could definitely have killed Qu Yang just now and taken back my little mare!"

Although his Golden Body Child Skill had blocked Qu Yang's Black Blood Divine Needle, that palm strike had disrupted the circulation of his true qi. He needed to circulate his cultivation art and heal quickly. If he delayed too long, the injury would worsen.

After circulating his Evil-Warding Qi through several full cycles, he felt that his shoulder had healed. He was just about to pick up his bundle and leave when several figures appeared before him, blocking his path.

"Young hero, did you happen to see a man in his fifties just now? Which way did he go?" A girl of seventeen or eighteen looked at Lin Lang with a bright smile, her eyes seeming to speak.

Her beauty was like an immortal carved from white jade, breathtaking beyond compare. Lin Lang nearly raised his flag in salute.

Wasn't she exactly the sort of martial-world heroine he had always dreamed of? Although Ren Yingying's conduct seemed to have little to do with the word "heroic," beauty was justice!

Lin Lang raised an eyebrow. "You want to know where Qu Yang went? That's hardly the attitude to take when asking a favor."

The smile vanished from Ren Yingying's face as she studied Lin Lang closely. "You know Elder Qu? Young hero, which sect has produced such a fine disciple?"

If this had been the martial world of Great Ming, it would have been perfectly normal for someone to recognize Qu Yang. But they were in Great Song. Since when had his fame spread here?

Surely not everyone would recognize even Cult Leader Dongfang?

"I don't know him. I guessed. I heard someone call him Elder Qu earlier, and when we fought, I saw him use the Sun Moon Holy Cult's Black Blood Divine Needles. That could only make him Qu Yang, an elder of the Sun Moon Holy Cult."

"And there's no need to guess who I am. I wounded his left arm with my sword, and he rode off south."

Ren Yingying glanced at the hoofprints and swiftly gave an order. "Go after him. Colluding with the Five Mountains Sword Sects is a capital offense. Does he think fleeing to Great Song will let him escape?"

The others hurried off in pursuit. Ren Yingying cupped her hands toward Lin Lang. "Thank you for telling us where our cult's traitor went, young hero. I must hurry after him too."

This was not Great Ming, and the Sun Moon Holy Cult's influence was much weaker here. Ren Yingying did not want to stir up unnecessary trouble. She would capture Qu Yang and return.

How could Lin Lang possibly let Ren Yingying leave just like that? Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"Miss Ren, don't you want to know where your father is?"

Ren Yingying had just darted away, but she spun around and returned to Lin Lang in an instant, her face filled with urgency.

"What did you say? You know where my father is? Where is he? Why hasn't he ever come to find me?"