" Ning Zhongze?"
Looking at the beautiful woman blocking his way, Wang Hao could roughly guess what she was thinking.
From the other person's words, it can be discerned that they are from the Mount Hua Sect, and their cultivation level is at the Peak Super-First-Rate. Within the entire Mount Hua Sect, the only one who fits this description is Ning Zhongze, Yue Buqun's wife.
"You thief! Take this!"
Seeing that Wang Hao recognized her, Ning Zhongze became even more certain that the other party had come prepared. Without saying anything more, she drew her sword and attacked.
Wang Hao didn't pay much attention to Ning Zhongze's attack. He casually drew two longswords from behind him and went to meet her.
"Ding ding ding..."
The three longswords clashed and clashed repeatedly. Wang Hao remained calm, but Ning Zhongze grew increasingly shocked as the fight progressed.
She considered herself not to be exceptionally talented, but she was still quite gifted. In addition, the martial arts she practiced were the direct lineage of the Mount Hua Sect, so her strength was not weak. She could even hold her own against Grandmaster.
But now he was being suppressed by someone whose cultivation level was slightly lower than his own.
"Uncle Ning, you are no match for me, and today is not the day for our two sects to fight again."
Suddenly, Wang Hao deflected Ning Zhongze's thrusting sword with a single stroke, flashed out of the battle, and calmly said...
To be honest, he didn't have any ill feelings towards Ning Zhongze, and there was no need for him to go after a woman.
"You're from the Sword Faction? Everyone from the Sword Faction deserves to die!"
Wang Hao's words provoked Ning Zhongze. After a moment of stunned silence, her expression changed instantly. She attacked again with her sword, her offensive extremely ruthless, focusing solely on attack and not on defense, as if she were fighting for her life.
"I..."
Wang Hao was shocked and hurriedly tried to defend himself, but he was quite flustered in dealing with Ning Zhongze, who was acting like a madman.
We can't really chop this woman up!
"Uncle Ning, if you don't stop now, don't blame me for being impolite!"
While defending himself, Wang Hao warned her in a deep voice, but Ning Zhongze seemed to have suffered a great provocation and continued to attack wildly, as if she had some deep-seated hatred for Wang Hao.
Wang Hao grew impatient, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and decided to teach this crazy woman a lesson.
With a flash of light from his two swords, he used one to parry Ning Zhongze's thrusting sword, and the other to stab at her shoulder.
Under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to injure Ning Zhongze so easily. But now, this woman was attacking like a madwoman, and she was only attacking and not defending. Her flaws were magnified infinitely, making her much easier to deal with.
"Bite!"
Just as the sword tip was about to pierce Ning Zhongze's shoulder, a sword aura suddenly shot out from a distance, breaking the longsword in Wang Hao's hand with a clang.
Then a figure flew swiftly down the mountain, his green robes fluttering – who else could it be but Feng Qingyang?
"It's you! Give my son back!"
Upon seeing Feng Qingyang, Ning Zhongze went even crazier, abandoning Wang Hao and directly attacking Feng Qingyang with his sword, leaving a bewildered Wang Hao standing there.
What's going on?
Feng Qingyang seemed unwilling to harm Ning Zhongze, only using his sword fingers to defend, holding back at every turn and adopting an absolute defensive stance, without launching a single offensive move.
The strangest thing was Feng Qingyang's expression, which was a mixture of helplessness, pity, affection, and guilt, making it all the more bizarre.
"Could it be that Old Feng and Ning Zhongze are having an affair?"
Recalling Ning Zhongze's harsh rebuke of her son, Wang Hao's expression turned strange, and at the same time, his mind raced, leading to a rather bold conjecture.
Thinking of this, Wang Hao's heart stirred, and he said angrily, "Grand Uncle Feng, all these years you have Sword Faction the lives of your fellow senior uncles and masters in the Sword Sect, hiding in Mount Hua just to protect Uncle Ning, a member of the Qi Faction?"
Don't forget that Uncle Ning's father was the former sect leader of the Qi Faction, the mastermind behind the Sword Qi War. Countless of my Sword Faction's ancestors died at his hands, and now you're disregarding the very survival of my Sword Faction for his daughter..."
Wang Hao's words did indeed have an effect, bringing Ning Zhongze back to her senses. She stopped her attack and looked cautiously at Feng Qingyang in front of her. The hatred in her eyes was still undisguised, but she had some restraint and did not attack again.
Seeing that Ning Zhongze had stopped her attack and regained some of her senses, Feng Qingyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then moved his lips slightly, but no sound came out. He was obviously using a secret method of Sound Transmission into the Ear to say something.
Then Ning Zhongze was first stunned, then her face was full of disbelief, and finally she turned to ecstasy. She ignored Wang Hao and Feng Qingyang and rushed up the mountain, even using her lightness skill, showing that she was very eager.
This change was naturally noticed by Wang Hao, who then began to speculate.
Previously, Ning Zhongze had sternly demanded that Feng Qingyang return her son, but now she was leaving so happily and eagerly. There could only be one reason: Feng Qingyang had not taken the so-called son with him, but had left him at the Mount Hua Sect on the mountain.
Within the Mount Hua Sect, there were only a handful of disciples accepted by Yue Buqun who fit the age description. Comparing this to the old man's care for Linghu Chong in the original novel, is it even necessary to ask who that child was?
It's quite possible that Linghu Chong is Ning Zhongze's son. Considering Feng Qingyang's unusual attitude towards Ning Zhongze, it's quite possible that Linghu Chong, the protagonist of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer, was created by this old man and Ning Zhongze!
Thinking of this, Wang Hao's gaze towards Feng Qingyang became even more strange!
I never expected this old guy to be a cuckold who grazes on young girls!
"Why aren't you down the mountain? Why did you run into her?"
Noticing Wang Hao's strange gaze, Feng Qingyang blushed and rebuked him, somewhat embarrassed and angry.
"Grandmaster Feng, your grand-disciple's coordination was pretty good, wasn't it!"
Wang Hao was not intimidated by Feng Qingyang; instead, he chuckled.
"Did you say that on purpose just now?"
Feng Qingyang was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized that he found Wang Hao much more pleasing to the eye.
This kid has a bright future!
"If we don't say these things, how can Uncle Ning understand the sacrifices Uncle Feng has made for her?"
Nodding, Wang Hao acknowledged, then chuckled and whispered, "Uncle-Master Feng, not to be rude, but it's unlikely you'll get anything in return for your silent efforts. You're such a simp... If you like Uncle-Master Ning, just say it out loud and go after her."
Although Aunt Ning married that hypocrite Yue Buqun, as long as you wield the hoe well, there's no wall you can't break through. With a little effort, Aunt Ning will be yours sooner or later.
Wang Hao had utter contempt for Old Feng, that kind of sycophant. There's a saying in modern times, "Simps, sycophants, in the end they get nothing."
If Old Feng continues like this, he'll never win the heart of a beautiful woman in his lifetime.
Feng Qingyang was utterly exasperated and retorted angrily, "What do you know, brat! She's strong-willed, and since she married Yue Buqun, she would never do anything unfaithful. Besides, it was I who wronged her back then..."
At this point, he glanced at Wang Hao's Bagua eyes, blushed, and immediately shut up, much to Wang Hao's disappointment, whose Bagua fire was burning brightly.
However, I also vaguely understood some things. It is very likely that Feng Qingyang forced himself on Ning Zhongze back then, and that's how Linghu Chong came to be.
Comparing the original novel, Linghu Chong was twenty-four years old at the beginning of the story, while the Sword Qi War took place twenty-five years before the story began. It is very likely that Feng Qingyang, who returned after the Sword Qi War, was filled with rage and then forcibly took advantage of Ning Zhongze, the beloved daughter of the former Qi Faction Master.
"When your master and his two companions left the Mount Hua Sect, they were only at the First-Rate of cultivation, having only practiced the Embracing the Origin Force. Although the Embracing the Origin Force can be cultivated all the way to the Grandmaster Realm, its power is ultimately insufficient. This Primordial Chaos Palm Art is just the right way to bridge that gap."
Feng Qingyang took out a manuscript from his pocket and tossed it to Wang Hao; this was one of the main reasons he came down from the mountain.
Taking the paper and looking at the still-wet ink, Wang Hao knew that it must have been written by Feng Qingyang just now. Obviously, he had gone back to memorize this thing when he left on the Cliff of Reflection.
"Although it wasn't the Nine Swords of Dugu I wanted most, it's still a worthwhile acquisition!"
Despite his regret, Wang Hao accepted the manuscript and bowed to Feng Qingyang, saying, "Thank you, Grandmaster Feng!"
Looking at Wang Hao's respectful face, Feng Qingyang pondered for a moment and said, "Judging from your talent in Sword Dao, I happen to possess a supreme Sword Dao technique. I will only explain it once; how much you can comprehend depends on your own Creation!"
After finishing speaking, Feng Qingyang straightened his expression and began to explain a sword technique, while breaking off a tree branch to demonstrate it.
Wang Hao dared not slack off and quickly focused on listening and watching, using the True Spirit Sword Intent to enhance his memory.
He knew that the ultimate Sword Dao technique Feng Qingyang spoke of was very likely the Nine Swords of Dugu!
Unexpectedly, after planning for so long, he finally managed to get this sword technique from Feng Qingyang, and he scoffed at Feng Qingyang's excuse.
He said he saw that Dugu's Sword Dao talent was not weak. He only decided to teach Nine Swords of Dugu because Dugu had just helped resolve the hatred between Dugu and Ning Zhongze. Otherwise, Dugu would probably only Primordial Chaos Palm Art.
It seems that in Old Feng's heart, the Sword Faction is still not as important Ning Zhongze!
"When you return, do not mention to your master that you have seen me! Remember, never come to Mount Hua before a true Xiantian Grandmaster appears. Many outsiders do not want to see the Mount Hua Sword Sect rise again!"
After explaining the essentials of the Nine Swords of Dugu, Feng Qingyang gave Wang Hao a word of advice, and then vanished from the spot in a flash.
"I will remember the teachings of my Grandmaster Feng!"
Wang Hao bowed respectfully, then picked up the weapons he had previously placed on the ground and strode down the mountain.
What Wang Hao didn't see was that on a protruding rock, a figure was silently watching him leave; this person was none other than Feng Qingyang, who had left earlier.
"Fists originate from Shaolin, swords return to Mount Hua! Can this joke really come true?"
With a sigh, Feng Qingyang looked up at the sky, his expression filled with confusion.
While the saying "Fists originate from Shaolin, swords return to Mount Hua" does indicate the peak of the Mount Hua Sword Sect's power decades ago to some extent, it is more of a deliberate attempt by some with ulterior motives to flatter and undermine the Mount Hua Sword Sect.
Shaolin is a sect that has been passed down for thousands of years, and it is backed by the behemoth that is Buddhist Order. Compared with it, the foundation of the Mount Hua Sword Sect is much weaker, and it simply does not have the confidence to stand on equal footing with them.
Therefore, this statement contains far more praise than flattery.
However, Wang Hao's appearance today, and the perfection of his Foundation Establishment Sword Art, gave him a glimmer of hope. In particular, the Sword Qi Cultivation System that Wang Hao mentioned at the end was truly astonishing.
If they can truly complete this Body Refinement, their Mount Hua Sword Sect will indeed be able to rival Shaolin and Wudang Sect.