What Right Did Great Ming's Jinyiwei Have to Meddle in Great Song's Affairs?

Mount Qingcheng, Pine Wind Temple.

Night had deepened. Yu Canghai, leader of the Qingcheng Sect, avoided all his disciples as he practiced a newly acquired sword technique in the temple.

"No, these moves clearly came from Lin Zhennan's own mouth. Why does their power feel so utterly ordinary?"

Though the moves looked bizarre, they had far too many openings. How had a sword technique like this defeated his master all those years ago?

He felt that if he trained hard in this Evil-Warding Sword Technique, his strength would not improve-it would actually regress.

But he had secretly watched the Lin family practice their swordplay. There was definitely nothing wrong with the moves Lin Zhennan had described.

"Are some moves missing, or was the Evil-Warding Sword Technique Lin Zhennan practiced a fake too?"

Unfortunately, that brat Lin Pingzhi had been rescued by Yue Buqun, the leader of Mount Hua. He would have to find a way to capture Lin Pingzhi before he could obtain the real Evil-Warding Sword Manual.

Otherwise, with the Qingcheng Sect's cultivation methods, it would take him decades to break through to Grandmaster.

Perhaps in another ten or twenty years, his blood and vitality would decline, and his strength might regress rather than advance, leaving him with no hope of ever reaching the Grandmaster realm.

"You guessed right. The Evil-Warding Sword Technique you're practicing really is a fake."

"Who's there?!" Yu Canghai spun around instantly. Someone had actually gotten this close without him noticing.

Lin Lang leaped down from the roof. "Didn't you want to see the real Evil-Warding Sword Technique? I kindly came to grant your wish."

Yu Canghai narrowed his eyes. "You're another surviving wretch of the Lin family? I'll send you to reunite with the rest of them."

He had never heard of another young man in the Lin family around Lin Pingzhi's age, but he would capture him first and worry about that later. Perhaps he could get the real Evil-Warding Sword Manual from him.

Yu Canghai struck first. His sword became a bolt of lightning, stabbing toward Lin Lang's heart.

Even if this man's Evil-Warding Sword Technique was extremely powerful, how could he unleash its might if Yu Canghai prevented him from even drawing his sword?

But he suddenly realized that Lin Lang had rushed straight at him and was already almost pressed against him.

He had never seen such an utterly bizarre move. His sword had ended up behind Lin Lang, unable to hurt him in the slightest.

Yu Canghai swiftly retreated, turning his wrist to sweep his sword toward Lin Lang's waist.

Lin Lang's figure vanished again, then reappeared at Yu Canghai's side in the blink of an eye.

After ten moves, disappointment covered Lin Lang's face. "Yu Canghai, this is the Pine Wind Sword Technique that made your name?"

He had hoped that fighting Yu Canghai would help him take his Evil-Warding Sword Technique a step further. But Yu Canghai was so weak that he had no interest in even drawing his sword.

Yu Canghai was shocked and furious. He had attacked ten times in a row without so much as brushing the hem of Lin Lang's clothes!

What was more, he could tell that Lin Lang had not been forced into a position where he could not draw his sword. He simply could not be bothered.

I'm no match for him. I need to call my disciples for help.

He was just about to shout when he saw Lin Lang thrust a palm toward him.

Yu Canghai was delighted. Lin Lang looked barely into his twenties. His qi could not possibly be as profound as his own.

I can't match your swordplay, but surely I can match your qi?

"Junior, you're courting death!"

He struck out with his own palm, but the scene he had imagined-sending Lin Lang staggering back with a single blow-never happened. Instead, he felt some force latch onto his palm.

The qi inside him spun completely out of his control, pouring madly out through his palm.

He tried to open his mouth to call for help, only to find his qi draining even faster.

With a fierce surge of all his remaining qi, he finally blasted Lin Lang's palm away. But less than a tenth of the qi in Yu Canghai's dantian remained.

"Are you Duan Yu of Dali?"

He had heard that Duan Yu, heir to Dali's Prince of Zhennan, knew a strange art that absorbed other people's qi and possessed extremely swift movement techniques. The man before him was just the right age.

But he had never offended Duan Yu. Why would Duan Yu come to kill him?

Lin Lang curled his lip. "I'm not that lovesick lapdog. The movement technique just now was the Evil-Warding Body Technique recorded in the Evil-Warding Sword Manual."

"I let you witness the power of the real Evil-Warding Sword Technique, and you gave me your lifetime's cultivation. A fair and reasonable trade, wouldn't you say?"

Yu Canghai looked weakly at Lin Lang. "To think the Lin family had an expert like you. Then how could you stand by and watch me wipe them out?"

Lin Lang was more than strong enough to protect the Lin family. In fact, if Yu Canghai had known they had an expert who could rival a Grandmaster, he would never have dared run wild in their home.

"Who said I belonged to the Fuwei Escort Agency? I just happen to know the Evil-Warding Sword Technique."

Yu Canghai was dumbfounded. "You have nothing to do with the Lin family? Then why did you come to kill me?"

He did not remember provoking such an extraordinary talent. Even when dealing with the Fuwei Escort Agency, he had planned for a long time before making his move.

Lin Lang said, "Because you broke the law. You slaughtered the entire Lin family of the Fuwei Escort Agency. I'm an officer of the law. Isn't it only right for me to deal with you?"

Shock filled Yu Canghai's face. "You're one of Divine Marquis Zhuge's men?"

"Bullshit! I'm no constable. I'm Jinyiwei!"

"Jinyiwei? The Jinyiwei are Great Ming's officers. What right do you have to meddle in Great Song's affairs?!" Yu Canghai's face was full of grief and indignation.

He had thought Lin Lang was one of the Four Great Constables. A Jinyiwei officer from Great Ming was sticking his nose far too deep into other people's business!

Lin Lang said, "Oh, right. Then I shouldn't arrest you. I'll just kill you instead."

Yu Canghai's eyes widened as he watched a sword pierce his heart.

Even as he died, he never understood why a Jinyiwei officer had come to kill him.

How could he have known that he was merely the lucky fellow Lin Lang had chosen to test the power of the Star-Sucking Great Skill?

He possessed Martial Arts Master strength, had no powerful backing, few friends, and a poor reputation in the martial world. No expert would avenge his death. Who else would Lin Lang choose?

"There, the strike that killed you was another move from the Evil-Warding Sword Technique. You got to experience it one more time. I spared you the suffering, so you ought to pay me, right? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as agreement."

Lin Lang turned and entered Yu Canghai's room. After a quick search, he found the manual for the Pine Wind Sword Technique.

"Not bad. A little stronger than the Eight-Gate Golden-Lock Saber. It just barely qualifies as a masterwork. I can teach it to Wang Wu, Jia Liu, and the others later."

The Jinyiwei's martial repository did not contain many powerful martial arts. Even a Thousand-household might not get the chance to learn something of this caliber. Later, he would see whether he could exchange it for another martial art in the Jinyiwei's repository.

Lin Lang dug out some valuables as well and deftly bundled everything together.

Host: Lin Lang.

Qi: twenty-five years (Evil-Warding Qi).

Martial arts: Reverse Golden Body Child Skill (body conditioning · Wulin Secret Art, major mastery); Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique (Wulin Secret Art, major mastery); Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill (Martial Arts Masterwork, beginner); Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber (third-rate saber technique, major mastery).

Realm: martial arts master peak.

The beginner-level Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill absorbs qi too slowly, and its suction isn't strong enough either. Otherwise, Yu Canghai would never have had a chance to blast my palm away.

Even if some qi was lost during purification, I shouldn't have gained only ten years.

Looks like I need more practice. Once I raise the Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill to minor mastery, or even major mastery, I'll be able to absorb qi faster.

Then even someone whose qi originally surpasses mine won't be able to blast my palm away so easily.

And the more qi I absorb, the stronger the suction of my Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill will become. Before long, I'll be able to step into the Grandmaster realm.

Just as he was about to head down the mountain with his bundle, Lin Lang suddenly turned back. A brilliant idea had struck him.