manynovel Chapter 121 Qingcheng Sect? No Longer Existing
Chapter 121 Qingcheng Sect? No Longer Existing
Chapter 121 Qingcheng Sect? No Longer Existing
There are two ways to become famous in the martial arts world.
One approach is like Yue Buqun, cultivating a reputation in the martial arts world, which is essentially self-promotion.
One type is like Ren Woxing, who is invincible.
As an adult, Chen Yuan doesn't make choices; he wants them all.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Lin Zhennan spread the news that he had the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.
Chen Yuan is currently in Hengshan, on the second floor of a teahouse called Yuelai.
This was three days before the grand ceremony where Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan School washed his hands of his studies.
The teahouse was bustling with noise, and the smoke and aroma of tea mingled together.
The long bench was crowded with martial arts practitioners carrying knives and swords, their various accents buzzing around them, all talking about the "washing hands of the martial arts world" ceremony that would take place in three days.
Chen Yuan sat at a square table by the window, slowly stirring the floating leaves in the covered bowl.
"Brother."
A gruff voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of unyielding,江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit.
"Please squeeze in, everyone. Sorry for the inconvenience!"
Before he finished speaking, the three men had already sat down with a thud, as if the empty seats next to Chen Yuan were meant for them.
A man with a white beard and a stern face.
He had a dark complexion and was burly and thick-waisted.
There was also one with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, whose eyes darted around.
The three of them grabbed the teapots and poured water, gulping it down with loud voices, each one trying to outdo the other, their spittle almost splashing into Chen Yuan's bowl.
"Damn it, it's so hard to even find a place to stay in Hengshan City these days!"
The dark-faced man slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump.
"They're all after Master Liu's retirement from the underworld; they're desperate to climb the social ladder!"
"That's right." The boy with the pointed chin and monkey-like face chimed in, his voice low and sly, just loud enough for the people at the next table to hear.
"I heard that those who can enter to watch the ceremony are either from prestigious families or are local heroes."
"If I could get to know one or two of them, hehe..."
The white-bearded man snorted coldly, his withered fingers twirling his beard, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.
"To curry favor with the powerful is to be unworthy of being a warrior."
As they were talking, a slow, deliberate voice came from a table behind them, carrying a deliberately mysterious air.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the spectacle is certainly entertaining, but you only know one side of the story, not the other."
"It seems that Master Liu has some unavoidable difficulties in retiring from the criminal life this time."
"Oh?"
The teahouse fell silent for a moment as countless eyes turned toward them.
The speaker was a middle-aged man in a silk shirt, with fair skin. He was squinting and tapping the table with his fingertips, which piqued everyone's interest.
"What's your predicament?"
"Brother, speak quickly!"
Several people immediately leaned forward to ask questions.
The man in the silk shirt picked up his teacup, skimmed off the foam, and shook his head.
"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed, they must not be revealed!"
"Tch—!" A chorus of disappointed boos.
Just as the atmosphere cooled down, a hoarse voice started a new conversation from another corner.
"I'm saying, regarding Master Liu's handwashing ceremony, will anyone from the Qingcheng Sect... come?"
"The Qingcheng Sect?"
A young swordsman at the next table turned his head, looking surprised.
"Of course they will come. This is a grand event in the martial arts world, and the Qingcheng Sect is a well-known sect in the martial arts world."
"No, no, no."
The hoarse voice chuckled.
"I wondered if they would come for help."
The words "seeking help" were like a pebble thrown into a pot of oil.
"The Qingcheng Sect is a major sect in western Sichuan, why are they asking for help?"
"Could it be... the Sun Moon Cult?"
Someone blurted out that chilling name.
The moment the words "Sun Moon Cult" were uttered, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over someone's head in the dead of winter, and the teahouse fell into complete silence.
The man who had just spoken turned pale instantly, shrank back, and wished he could bury his head under the table.
The deathly silence lasted for several breaths before someone coughed twice, deliberately raising their voice to break the silence.
"Don't talk nonsense! Provoking such a demonic sect is just asking for trouble!"
A gaunt man leaning against a pillar seized the opportunity to speak, his voice high-pitched.
"that is!"
"Besides, the Qingcheng Sect is asking for help?"
"Ha, what Qingcheng Sect is there now? It's long since defunct in name only, vanished without a trace!"
"What?!"
"really?!"
Exclamations rose and fell, and people at several tables suddenly stood up, their chair legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound.
The skinny man proudly raised his chin, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention.
"Absolutely true!"
"With Yu Canghai dead, won't the Qingcheng Sect scatter like monkeys when the tree falls?"
"Master Yu is dead?!"
An even more violent commotion erupted.
Some were shocked, some were skeptical, but most pricked up their ears, their eyes gleaming with gossip.
"How did he die?"
"Who did this? Has the Demonic Cult attacked Qingcheng Mountain?"
"—!"
A short, stout tea drinker drew out his words, patted his round belly vigorously, straightened his back, and adopted a posture that said, "Let me tell you the story in detail."
He first called out loudly, "Hey, make some tea!" After the waiter jogged over and refilled the hot water, he calmly took a sip and cleared his throat.
"Well, that's a long story."
"Do any of you know of the Fuwei Escort Agency in Fujian?"
"I know, I know."
Someone answered first.
"Chief镖头 Lin Zhennan, isn't he!"
"Wait, what does this have to do with the Qingcheng Sect?"
The short fat man glanced sideways at the man and tapped his fat fingers on the table.
"Why don't you speak?"
The man awkwardly shut his mouth.
The short, stout man stroked his sparse beard with satisfaction, his voice rising and falling in a rhythmic cadence, just like a storyteller.
"The founder of the Fuwei Escort Agency was named Lin Yuantu."
"Back then, with his Seventy-Two Styles of Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, he was invincible in the underworld!"
"Yu Canghai's master, Daoist Changqingzi, was once defeated by his sword and returned home with resentment."
He paused, then glanced around.
"By Yu Canghai's generation, the Fuwei Escort Agency had lost much of its former prestige."
"He was wondering, how come Lin Yuantu could use the same sword technique so skillfully, while Lin Zhennan could only do it so casually?"
'
"There must be a genuine sword manual hidden within!"
A murmur of whispers and curses rose from the teahouse.
The white-bearded man next to Chen Yuan spat and muttered a curse.
"A vile and utterly shameless scoundrel!"
The short, fat man chuckled and slapped his thigh.
"That shorty Yu is vicious!"
"Without making a sound, he first sent men to wipe out all the branches of the Fuwei Escort Agency, one by one, leaving no one alive!"
"hiss--!"
The gasps of breath blended together.
"When they finally besieged the Fuzhou headquarters, that would be a truly devastating plan."
The short, fat man was spitting as he gestured his famous hand gestures.
"He sent his good-for-nothing son to stir up trouble, and lo and behold! He was accidentally killed by Lin Pingzhi, the young master of the Lin family's镖头 (bodyguards)!"
"Good riddance!"
Many people cheered loudly, some slamming their fists on the table, others stomping their feet, creating a lively scene.
"Yu Canghai's son died, and guess what?"
The short, fat man winked and made faces.
He was both angry and delighted!
"I'm angry that my son is useless, but I'm happy that I finally have a legitimate reason to kill him and steal the score!"
"hiss--!"
Everyone's faces showed shock and disdain.
"He surrounded the Fuwei Escort Agency like an iron barrel, and even wrote in blood on the outside of the gate that anyone who stepped out ten steps would die!"
'
The short, fat man lowered his voice, mimicking that sinister tone.
"For every one who goes out, one dies."
"Back then, Lin Zhennan was truly helpless, with no one to turn to for help, and he didn't even know who his enemies were!"
The teahouse was silent, and everyone seemed to feel the despair.
"At this very moment."
17
The short, fat man suddenly raised his voice, his eyes gleaming.
"A master has appeared, a man who calls himself... the greatest bodyguard in the world!"