The Fuwei Escort Agency in Fuzhou Prefecture was renowned, occupying a large area of ​​land. From the city gate, one could vaguely see a magnificent mansion to the west, with two flagpoles and two flags fluttering in the wind, looking extremely imposing.

Yan Liang drove the carriage into the city. He first asked for directions to the Fuwei Escort Agency, and then went to find an inn near the agency called Laifu Inn.

Wang Lianhua said from inside the carriage, "Could it be that Young Master Yan specially chose this inn because he was thinking of me?"

here we go again.

Dongfang Bubai reached out and picked up a piece of osmanthus cake.

The carriage moved slowly along the bluestone slabs, the clatter of hooves clearly audible. Yan Liang, one hand supporting his chin and the other holding the reins, responded with ease: "Miss Yuze is right. If we're resting at Laifu Inn, it'll be more convenient to go to Fuwei Inn. If I weren't so weak, I'd like to carry Miss Yuze into Fuwei Escort Agency."

“It seems that Lord Yan is too weak. I am not heavy at all,” Wang Lianhua said with a smile, covering her mouth.

Yan Liang: "No, no, Miss Yuze, you weigh as much as two and a half horses, don't be so self-conscious."

Two and a half? Two horses plus half of a horse?

Wang Lianhua did the math and said, "My lord, you're joking. How could I be that heavy?"

Yan Liang laughed and said, "I was just kidding."

Wang Lianhua: ...I've been tricked.

Yan Liang didn't hear anything from inside for a while, so he clenched his fist and whistled loudly to celebrate his victory.

The two sides are evenly matched.

Dongfang Bubai commented on Yuze's gloomy face.

The clatter of hooves continued. There was a bend ahead; turning that way would lead to the Lai Fu Inn. Yan Liang lightly flicked the reins, trying to urge the horses to go faster. The clatter intensified, growing more urgent…closer and closer?

Yan Liang immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly pulled on the reins to try to stop the horse, but no matter how hard he tried, the horse wouldn't stop and continued to move forward due to inertia.

The boy on horseback at the corner saw the two horses' heads emerge and hurriedly pulled on the reins. It was his first time riding this large chestnut horse on the street; he had previously practiced on ponies. His handling was clumsy and his control was poor, causing the chestnut horse to sway uncomfortably. Caught off guard, the boy was thrown off and landed heavily at the corner, facing the hooves of the three horses.

The situation was critical, and the boy instinctively covered his eyes, unable to imagine what would happen next.

Yan Liang watched as a black mass was thrown to the ground. At the same time, two figures sprang out of the carriage behind him. One grabbed the black-clad youth and the other subdued the out-of-control chestnut horse.

The one who lifted the boy in black was Wang Lianhua, and the one who restrained the horse was Dongfang Bubai.

Yan Liang couldn't help but applaud: "Well done!!"

Wang Lianhua left the boy aside, looked at Yan Liang sitting high in the carriage, and disliked his arrogant attitude. She said, "Get down."

Yan Liang: "No."

After listening to their conversation, Dongfang Bubai calmed the chestnut horse down, turned around and said, "Let's go to the inn first, and then we'll go to Fuwei Escort Agency."

Wang Lianhua nodded and was about to get into the carriage with Dongfang Bubai when the rescued boy saw them leaving and hurriedly said, "Thank you all for saving us. Which inn are you going to? I'll come and thank you in person."

"It's nothing, no need to thank me." Wang Lianhua smiled at him and bent down to get into the carriage.

Dongfang Bubai and Yan Liang clearly saw the boy blush after Wang Lianhua smiled at him.

Yan Liang: "...Ah."

Dongfang Bubai: "..."

"Miss Yuze, you are so charming."

After they resumed their journey, Yan Liang inexplicably offered a word of praise.

Wang Lianhua knew what he meant without even thinking.

They traveled together for half a month, and along the way, many men expressed their admiration for "Miss Yuze." Yan Liang would often sigh deeply, looking heartbroken.

If Wang Lianhua couldn't glean something from this person's attitude, he'd be a fool. Although for some reason, this person clearly knew his gender.

Dongfang Bubai wasn't stupid either. Just as Wang Lianhua could tell from Yan Liang's attitude that he knew her gender, Dongfang Bubai could also glean the truth from the smallest details.

"Miss Yuze" is now dispensable.

Wang Lianhua noticed Dongfang Bubai looking at her, turned her head and smiled gently at him: "Young Master Dongfang, are you looking at me like this because you've fallen in love with me?"

Dongfang Bubai shook his head and said, "Miss Yuze is overthinking it." He smiled slightly, "I'm just a little amazed by Miss Yuze's great charm."

Wang Lianhua: "..."

He suddenly realized that things couldn't go on like this; he, a "weak woman," would be ridiculed to death by these two treacherous people.

Upon arriving at the inn, the three booked rooms and rested for a while. Yan Liang pushed open his door to get some fresh air, and as soon as he opened his door, the door opposite him opened as well.

Yan Liang looked at the handsome young man in red opposite him and fell silent.

He silently closed the door again.

"Just now... a man came out of Miss Yuze's room."

"—It's just my imagination."

Yan Liang muttered to himself as he looked at the door.

"no--."

Wang Lianhua forcefully pushed open the door opposite, and looked at Yan Liang through the crack in the door: "I am Miss Yuze."

Yan Liang pressed himself firmly against the door, his tone flat and even: "Wow, a man actually claims to be a girl—did he hit his head?"

Hearing the commotion, Dongfang Bubai pushed open the door and saw the situation at the door of the next room. The profile of the young man in red was completely unfamiliar.

"Yuze...?"

Although Dongfang Bubai knew that he was Miss Yuze, he simply couldn't bring himself to address him as "Miss" when faced with that unfamiliar face.

"It's me."

Wang Lianhua released his grip on the door and smiled slightly at Dongfang Bubai: "Are you surprised?"

"A little, but I expected it." Dongfang Bubai sincerely praised him, with a rather meaningful tone, "I have never seen such exquisite disguise before. If Yan Liang hadn't given me so many hints in his words and actions along the way, I'm afraid I wouldn't have recognized you."

Wang Lianhua: "..."

He looked at Yan Liang.

Yan Liang met his gaze and said, "I calculated it."

"Nonsense."

Believe it or not.

When Wang Lianhua regained his true appearance, his handsome and dashing demeanor was no less than that of the high-class playboys Chi Xiuyuan and Dongfang Bubai. The gazes that used to be fixed on him now fell on the girls.

However, this change of his deeply hurt the heart of a young man just beginning to experience love.

The young man in black watched Yan Liang and his group depart, then quickly got up, took the reins, and, clutching his sore backside, shuffled forward step by step. Seeing the carriage parked in front of the inn, he noted its name, intending to thank them later. Before he even returned, he encountered a group of bodyguards searching for him.

The bodyguards were both surprised and puzzled when they saw his appearance: "Young Master Bodyguard, where have you been? Why are you in such a terrible state?"

Lin Pingzhi, the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Fuwei Escort Agency, grinned and said, "I fell off my horse, and it hurt so much!"

The bodyguards quickly helped him into the house. Lin Zhennan was still angry because he had secretly ridden the horse out, and Madam Wang gently comforted him. The two women were both amused and annoyed to see their son return in such a disheveled state after going out perfectly fine. They told him to go to his room to apply medicine first.

Lin Pingzhi told his parents what had happened after he went out. Lin Zhennan said after listening, "You should recover from your injuries first. Once you can walk again, go and thank those people."

Lin Pingzhi nodded and said, "I heard them say they're coming to our family's security escort agency, so they probably have business to do."

Lin Zhennan tapped his head and said, "Don't think about these things. Focus on recovering from your injury. Your father will take care of the business matters."

He lay in bed for two days, but he couldn't stand it any longer. Since his injuries weren't serious, Lin Zhennan allowed him to get out of bed and walk around.

As soon as he was able to get out of bed, Lin Pingzhi couldn't wait to take the gifts and go to the Laifu Inn to find those people. The bodyguards had already found out that there were three new guests at the nearby Laifu Inn, all of whom were outstanding in appearance and quite famous.

He blushed slightly as he recalled the dashing young woman in red from before.

Holding a skewer of candied hawthorns, Yan Liang leaned against the window and saw a group of people approaching in the distance. The leader was the unlucky young man in black from yesterday, and the people behind him were all strong and powerful men.

He chewed on the sweet and sour hawthorn and noticed the unconscious joy on the black-clad boy's face. He subconsciously looked towards the room opposite, but his view was blocked by the door.

Yan Liang: ...This is going to be interesting.

It was obvious that the young man in black had been rescued by Wang Lianhua, and had fallen in love with her because of her charming smile.

Beautiful women are a source of trouble, oh, beautiful women are a source of trouble.

...No, wait, it should be "male beauty is a curse".

Wang Lianhua went out early in the morning and wasn't at the Laifu Inn. Dongfang Bubai was also out on business. Yan Liang was alone in the inn with nothing to do. The system hadn't issued any tasks today, so he got interested in the readily available entertainment and went down to meet the young man.

Lin Pingzhi felt this man was being overly enthusiastic. He first introduced himself and expressed his gratitude for being saved earlier. Yan Liang was somewhat surprised when he heard that he was Lin Pingzhi, the only son of Lin, the head镖师 (bodyguard) of the Fuwei Escort Agency. He wondered to himself if this was a destined encounter, and he also introduced himself.

"My name is Chi Xiuyuan."

Lin Pingzhi felt the name sounded familiar, but he was preoccupied with seeing the girl in red from yesterday again, so he didn't think much of it and asked, "Where is the girl who accompanied you yesterday...?"

Yan Liang thought for a moment, then couldn't bear to correct him that the girl in his words wasn't actually a girl: "...That girl isn't at the inn right now; she's gone out."

Lin Pingzhi felt a little disappointed. He looked around again and remembered that there was another person yesterday. He asked, "Was there another young master yesterday? Is he not here either?"

"They both went out."

Lin Pingzhi asked somewhat nervously, "...Did the two of them go out together?"

"..." Yan Liang thought for a moment and said, "Maybe, I'm not quite sure."

—Because I slept in, I woke up late. When I woke up, the two people were already gone.

A crack appeared in the heart of the young man.

The man who led the horse yesterday was also quite handsome; if he and the girl in red were partners, they would be a match made in heaven.

Lin Pingzhi simply felt that the woman was heroic and resembled his mother quite a bit. In addition, "Miss Yuze" was young and beautiful, which made the young man, who was just beginning to experience love, feel a little flutter in his heart. Now that his fantasy was shattered, although he was frustrated, he was not too sad.

He thanked him a few more times, but Yan Liang, seeing that he was distracted and looked discouraged, didn't tell him that he knew his parents.

You should visit them in person when you have time.

After all, this family wasn't very lucky.

Yan Liang watched his desolate figure from behind and sighed with regret for him.

Although he had been single for more than twenty years, he could still somewhat understand the pain of heartbreak.

It's probably the feeling of losing something important.

Unlike Yan Liang, Dongfang Bubai and Wang Lianhua were not idle. Both of them were people with great ambitions. They never slept in and went out early in the morning because they had business matters to attend to.

Dongfang Bubai went to make contact with the people of the Sun Moon Cult.

Although he had heard news from within the cult, he didn't pay much attention to it. His confidence in his strength and the pressure he had previously exerted on the followers made him quite satisfied with the current state of the Sun Moon Cult. Even though a few troublesome individuals still bothered him.

What happened in the church?

Dongfang Bubai gazed at the leaves floating on the lake and asked casually.

Chengying Lake in Fuzhou is currently in summer, with numerous tourist boats. The boat carrying Dongfang Bubai drifts slowly in a corner, floating with the current, its presence barely noticeable.

Nobody will notice this place.

The person behind him had a very faint presence, and respectfully reported on the recent events in the sect. Dongfang Bubai seemed indifferent, but he listened carefully.

"Manager Yang abducted a woman... and took her as a concubine."

Yang Lianting...?

Dongfang Bubai raised an eyebrow. At this moment, thinking of Yang Lianting no longer stirred much emotion within him. Even the few secret, ambiguous feelings he once harbored had been cast aside in his interactions with Yanliang Wang Lianhua.

"Besides that... the Holy Maiden descended Blackwood Cliff alone seven days ago and is now in Luoyang." The man said this with considerable trepidation, glancing at Dongfang Bubai's back and waiting for his reaction.

As the daughter of the former leader and now the Holy Maiden, Ren Yingying holds a very important position in the sect. Everyone tacitly understands that it would be a bad thing for Ren Yingying to leave Blackwood Cliff without the Eastern Leader's consent; however, they dare not forcefully stop Ren Yingying from leaving Blackwood Cliff on her own.

Dongfang Bubai sat up and asked, "Did she give a reason for leaving the sect?"

“The Holy Maiden’s sermons were too boring; she couldn’t stand it.”

Dongfang Bubai said coldly, "She grew up in the sect since she was a child, and now she's complaining about where she was born?"

He dared not speak.

Professional ethics and experience told this young man that keeping quiet at this moment was absolutely the right thing to do.

Dongfang Bubai was indeed somewhat angered. He had shown Ren Yingying mercy, allowing her to remain in the Sun Moon Sect as a high-ranking but ineffective Holy Maiden, instead of sending her to keep her father company—that was already a favor to the young girl. Yet she complained that the sect was too stifling? Did she dislike the Sun Moon Sect under his control?

They don't know what's good for them.

Dongfang Bubai snorted coldly and said, "What else is there? Continue."

"There is another matter... Yu Canghai, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, has declared that he will hunt down the Thousand-Faced Young Master Wang Lianhua." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Wang Lianhua seems to have been hiding his identity within the Qingcheng Sect all along, and has stolen and learned the Qingcheng Sect's unique skills, the Pine Wind Sword Technique and the Heart-Slaying Palm."

Dongfang Bubai raised an eyebrow slightly, turned around and glanced at him, "What's going on?"

"It seems that an outstanding disciple of the sect went down the mountain and did not return for a long time. Yu Canghai sent people to investigate, and they found that the person was Wang Lianhua. Wang Lianhua made no attempt to conceal himself... He seemed to have intentionally left clues."

Dongfang Bubai laughed: "Of course he did it on purpose."

Qingcheng Sect sent out an outstanding disciple, but after leaving the mountain, he never returned. The initial concern was the loss of a talented disciple, but it turned out that an outsider had learned the sect's secret techniques...

I really want to see what kind of expression Yu Canghai will make.

The righteous faction, claiming to be the righteous path of the martial arts world, arbitrarily divided themselves into factions. On the surface, they appear imposing and awe-inspiring, but in reality, they are nothing more than a bunch of clowns.

That Thousand-Faced Gentleman did a good job.

Dongfang Bubai was in a very good mood.

The young man standing on the boat who was reporting heard his words and felt a little puzzled—the leader's tone seemed very familiar with the Thousand-Faced Prince Wang Lianhua.

After conveying the message to the cult leader, he gracefully withdrew from the scene. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from the cruise ship.

The early summer sun was bright and dazzling. Dongfang Bubai stood by the boat, staring at his reflection in the lake for a moment under the sun. He noticed an undisguised gaze coming from ahead, looked up, and met the eyes of the red-clad youth opposite him who had a half-smile.

Dongfang Bubai was not surprised at all; he even felt a sense of relief, as if "it's finally here."

Wang Lianhua shook the wine jar in his hand at him and smiled slyly.

Two boats swayed gently on the water in a corner of Chengying Lake.

Dongfang Bubai took a sip of the wine; it was spicy and mellow, with an endless aftertaste. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!"

"Could it be that the leader of the Sun Moon Cult has never tasted such fine wine before?"

“Even so, it still can’t compare to the renowned Thousand-Faced Young Master’s extensive knowledge and experience,” Dongfang Bubai retorted.

Wang Lianhua asked, "When did you recognize me?"

Dongfang Bubai: "I recognized you just now." He also asked, "And when did you recognize me?"

Wang Lianhua: "I recognized you when I heard the man in black call you cult leader."

Recognizing and guessing are not the same thing.

They had only had a slight suspicion before, which has now been confirmed.

Wang Lianhua leaned against the cabin: "I heard that something big has happened in your sect. Are you going to leave Fuzhou Prefecture?"

Dongfang Bubai took another sip of wine and said, "It's nothing serious, we can deal with it later. After all, I came here with the two of you, it would be too impolite to leave so soon."

He paused, then asked, "How do you plan to handle the Qingcheng Sect matter?"

Wang Lianhua: "I will not take any action. Even if they run all over the world, if I don't want them to catch me, they will never be able to catch me."

Dongfang Bubai remained noncommittal, then smiled and asked, "How should I address you from now on? Miss Yuze? Young Master Lianhua? Or perhaps... my darling, my little darling?"

Wang Lianhua glanced at him: "Did you learn this from Yan Liang?"

"Yes," Dongfang Bubai answered readily.

“Yan Liang…” Wang Lianhua smiled enigmatically and said to Dongfang Bubai, “If you want to call me that, I don’t mind.”

"I was just joking."

The leader of the Sun Moon Cult and the Thousand-Faced Prince revealed their identities to each other. Neither of them were tolerated by the righteous path, yet they got along quite well. Even after revealing their identities, they had no pressure getting along.

When Yan Liang saw the two of them return together after going out, the atmosphere had subtly changed. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized what was going on.

This person's disguise has been exposed.

Of the three, Yan Liang was the most honest and didn't hide his identity. After all, he had the identity of "Chi Xiuyuan," and he told the other two about it, so he knew everything.

However, having met Chi Xiuyuan and being his confidante as "Miss Yuze," Wang Lianhua clearly knew that there was a huge difference between Chi Xiuyuan and Yan Liang.

Chi Xiuyuan is an uneducated and incompetent man who indulges in pleasure and women; Yan Liang is unreliable, a hypocrite, and also knows how to tell fortunes. The two have nothing in common except for their faces.

He still doesn't understand who Yan Liang is.

"Shall I just call you Wang Lianhua?" Yan Liang said to Wang Lianhua. "Miss Yuze has four characters in her name."

It means that three characters are easier to pronounce than four characters.

Wang Lianhua was stunned by this person's direct approach, which didn't even bother with any questions and was completely unexpected: "...If you're so capable, why don't you just call me Lianhua?"

"In no mood."

Yan Liang's reasoning was impeccable.

Yan Liang seemed to have known their identities all along, as he didn't appear surprised. In fact, his attitude was evident in their usual interactions.

"Don't underestimate my reputation for divine calculation, five coins a day." Yan Liang's explanation was always the same few sentences. "There's nothing I can't calculate."

"Since you can calculate, then calculate for me where the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual is."

Wang Lianhua looked at him with great interest.

After hearing that Wang Lianhua had secretly learned the martial arts of the Qingcheng Sect, Dongfang Bubai guessed that his visit to Fuzhou to find the Fuwei Escort Agency was most likely for the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, which had been famous throughout the world in the past. When he suddenly heard him ask Yan Liang this question directly, he couldn't help but watch the show from the side.

He was also puzzled by Yu Yanliang's self-proclaimed brilliant strategist, and indeed, he was.

Wang Lianhua's question was quite to his liking.

Yan Liang, unperturbed by the two men's stares, smiled and said, "This matter is a secret that cannot be revealed. If you wish to know, you will need a trigger."

This opportunity arose from a visit to the Fuwei Escort Agency.

On the fourth day after arriving in Fuzhou, the three went to the Fuwei Escort Agency.

As its name suggests, the Fuwei Escort Agency is majestic and imposing. It is magnificent from afar and even more extraordinary up close.

Just by looking at it, one can tell that Fuwei Escort Agency is a thriving business, and it seems to have a great reputation in the local area.

In the martial arts world, a famous escort agency is nothing special; without exceptional martial arts skills, the agency's reputation will inevitably be ruined sooner or later.

Today, Fuwei Escort Agency is approaching this stage.

Not only Wang Lianhua was curious about why the Fuwei Escort Agency, despite possessing the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual that had defeated countless enemies, was still gradually declining, but Yan Liang and Dongfang Bubai were also curious.

Yan Liang thought that perhaps it was this Evil-Repelling Sword Manual that brought disaster upon the Lin family.

Lin Zhennan had met Chi Xiuyuan once before the Lunar New Year and was deeply impressed by the playboy eldest son of the Chi family. However, when they met again, he felt that Chi Xiuyuan had changed a lot.

The face was still the same, but the overall demeanor had changed drastically. If it used to be described as cynical, now it was an air of detachment from worldly affairs.

Lin Zhennan secretly told himself he was overthinking things and greeted Chi Xiuyuan warmly. The young man responded with grace and poise, and Lin Zhennan realized that Chi Xiuyuan had indeed changed a lot. He felt a pang of emotion, and his feelings deepened when he saw Lin Pingzhi glaring at one of the young men in red who had come with Chi Xiuyuan—he wished his son would be more sensible too.

Then, thinking that Chi Xiuyuan only learned to be more restrained and sensible after he came of age, while Ping'er was only thirteen or fourteen years old, he put aside his feelings of sentimentality and asked Lin Pingzhi to take the three of them to visit the various places in the escort agency.

The two men brought by Chi Xiuyuan were both exceptionally handsome and possessed profound martial arts skills, suggesting they were experts in the martial arts world. Although it was unclear how a merchant's son like Chi Xiuyuan would know people in the martial arts world, establishing good relations was always a good idea. Lin Zhennan had a rosy plan: to have his son cultivate relationships with the three men. Lin Pingzhi was not young, and his age was not much different from the three young men; they should get along very well.

Lin Zhennan has a good relationship with the Chi family. However, there is still a distance between him and the eldest son of the Chi family, so they don't interact as equals.

Lin Pingzhi had been given a difficult task by his father. Normally, he would have readily accepted and guaranteed to complete it, but now he stared at Wang Lianhua, utterly shocked.

Before it was two men and one woman, this time there are three men... Two of the men are still here, but where is the woman...?

Lin Pingzhi's inner thoughts were about to burst forth—

"Don't think about it."

Wang Lianhua interrupted the intense thoughts churning within him.

"The person you met that day was me."

Lin Pingzhi looked at Yan Liang.

Yan Liang nodded: "It's him."

He then turned to look at Dongfang Bubai.

Dongfang Bubai looked at him: "It's him."

A young boy's heart was shattered into pieces.

"His disguise skills are so superb that even your father wouldn't recognize you," Yan Liang explained kindly.

Wang Lianhua gave him a cold look.

Yan Liang pretended not to notice.

Lin Pingzhi composed himself and began leading the three on a tour of the escort agency. He proudly and enthusiastically introduced the training grounds, the back garden, the armory…

He certainly has something to be proud of.

The Fuwei Escort Agency, inheriting the legacy of its great-grandfather, still enjoys a prestigious reputation in the martial arts world. However, everyone remembers the Fuwei Escort Agency under Lin Yuantu's leadership in the past. Now, the Fuwei Escort Agency under Lin Zhennan's command is declining day by day.

If there were still people practicing the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique in the Fuwei Escort Agency, the agency would never have fallen to such a state in the future.

Yan Liang, preoccupied with his own thoughts, asked Lin Pingzhi, "How is your martial arts skill?"

Wang Lianhua glanced at him.

Lin Pingzhi was surprised and a little excited: "It's so-so."

Yan Liang drew a sword from the armory and handed it to him: "Here, have some fun."

Lin Pingzhi looked at the sword and then at Yan Liang, not expecting this turn of events.

Weren't we just explaining things? Why are we suddenly having him practice swordsmanship?

"The Evil-Repelling Sword Technique is a family heirloom, kept secret from outsiders," the young man declared confidently.

“I’m not going to learn it.” Yan Liang said matter-of-factly. “I’m just curious about how powerful the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique of the great hero Lin Yuantu was back then. Show me how it works, and I’ll enjoy it.”

Lin Pingzhi also wanted to know how powerful his great-grandfather was back then. It was a sword technique that made the Fuwei Escort Agency untouchable back then, but now the Fuwei Escort Agency had lost its former prestige.

In the end, a slight desire to show off prevailed, and Lin Pingzhi picked up his sword and used his family's ancestral Evil-Repelling Sword Technique.

Wang Lianhua watched for a while and then found it utterly boring.

This swordsmanship is utterly mediocre, far inferior in power to the Qingcheng School's Pine Breeze Swordplay. Why would Yu Canghai of the Qingcheng School want this sword manual?

If this is the legendary Evil-Repelling Sword Technique praised by the martial arts world, then this martial arts world is truly beyond redemption.

At first, Dongfang Bubai was not very interested, but as the sword moves were shown step by step, his expression gradually changed.

The Sunflower Manual that Ren Woxing gave to Dongfang Bubai was a secret manual that the ten elders of the Demonic Cult had seized during their attack on Mount Hua. It was largely incomplete, and due to the warning that "one must first castrate oneself to practice this skill," only Dongfang Bubai among the Demonic Cult members had successfully mastered it. He studied the Sunflower Manual repeatedly to learn the skill, and no one knew its contents better than him.

—Lin Pingzhi's swordsmanship, upon closer inspection, appears mediocre, simply because it lacks a crucial essence. That missing essence is also what Dongfang Bubai's "Sunflower Manual" lacks.

Is the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual actually related to the Sunflower Manual?

Dongfang Bubai frowned in deep thought, and suddenly remembered Lin Yuantu, who had only adopted a nominal son in his entire life.

I see…….

As if struck by a sudden enlightenment, Dongfang Bubai understood something.

Lin Yuantu and he are the same kind of people.

After the three of them had dinner at the Lin family's house and returned to the inn, Yan Liang asked the waiter to bring a wooden tub to his room so he could get some rest. Just as the waiter left and Yan Liang reached out to close the door, Dongfang Bubai slipped into his room.

Yan Liang's hand was still behind the door as he silently looked at the uninvited Dongfang Bubai.

What are you doing here?

"I want you to do a divination for me." Dongfang Bubai stared at him.

Steam rose from the wooden tub. Yan Liang said, "Can't you wait until I'm finished bathing before coming to find me? This is my private time."

Dongfang Bubai said, "I can't wait any longer."

If he doesn't figure this out, he's afraid he won't get a good night's sleep tonight.

"What happened?" Yan Liang sensed something was wrong.

"It's none of your business."

Dongfang Bubai's tone was extremely cold.

The rising steam gradually weakened.

The water is getting cold.

"Go ahead and tell me."

Yan Liang leaned against the door, looking at the other person with a puzzled expression.

Dongfang Bubai said, "Can you calculate for me where the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual is located?"

Yan Liang: ...This?

He composed himself and said, "Is it absolutely necessary to know?"

"yes."

"The Lin Family Old Residence in Xiangyang Lane, Fuzhou Prefecture".

Dongfang Bubai immediately climbed out the window and left. Yan Liang glanced at the swaying window and resignedly went forward to close it. After closing the window, he turned around and found Wang Lianhua standing behind the door.

Yan Liang: ...Can't I take a proper shower?

Wang Lianhua heard everything that was happening in Yan Liang's room. After meeting Yan Liang's gaze, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual really there?"

"exist."

Yan Liang gave up on the idea of ​​taking a hot bath and could only wait until the person left before asking the waiter to add some hot water.

"Why is he even more eager to find the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual than I am?"

This is the point that Wang Lianhua finds most puzzling.

Yan Liang shook his head.

Dongfang Bubai did not return home all night. After Wang Lianhua left, Yan Liang closed the doors and windows tightly and finally took a good bath. At the same time, he secretly resolved that he would definitely take a bath earlier in the future.

Dongfang Bubai found out the location of the Xiangyang Lin family's old house by asking the people secretly placed by the local Sun Moon Sect, and sneaked in in the middle of the night.

The doors and windows of the Lin family's old house were locked, but every place was spotless, suggesting that the Lin family had always kept it clean.

Yan Liang's words were ambiguous. He said it was in the old Lin family mansion, but there were countless places in the old mansion where things could be hidden, so where should one begin to look?

Dongfang Bubai found himself unusually reckless. In the past, he would never have acted without a clear understanding of the situation.

The fact that the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual was related to the Sunflower Manual excited him too much... He wanted to know what the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual was, but now he realized that even if he got the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, it would be useless.

Dongfang Bubai stood still for a moment, then looked up at the roof.

He is currently in the Buddhist hall.

In the Buddhist hall were the ancestral tablets of the Lin family. He looked up and, by the moonlight, saw a strange, indistinct shape in the distance.

Just as he suspected, it was the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

Dongfang Bubai put the book into his pocket and left the Lin family's old house without looking back.

It was already past midnight, and people were getting up intermittently. The dog tied to the door was barking loudly, and its owner came out to stop it, but just then he saw a figure emerging from the Lin family's old house, and he immediately woke up with a start.

In the morning, Lin Zhennan rushed to the old house after receiving news that a thief had broken in, but after checking everywhere, he found that nothing was missing, which puzzled him.

Meanwhile, news that the old residence of the Lin family of the Fuwei Escort Agency in Fuzhou, Fujian, had been robbed gradually spread throughout the martial arts world.

As the saying goes, "three men can make a tiger." Gradually, people began to say that what was stolen was the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" created by Lin Yuantu.

As soon as the rumor was circulated, many people believed it to be true.

"That little thief came and went without a trace, and his martial arts were superb. Since he didn't steal anything, he must have stolen something more important than gold and silver... It must be the 'Evil-Repelling Sword Manual'!"

"He comes and goes without a trace, so how could he still be discovered?"

"Lin Zhennan's martial arts skills are not high. The Evil-Repelling Sword Technique he practices is not authentic at all. It must be that Lin Yuantu hid the real sword manual and prevented his descendants from practicing it."

“…”

Countless guesses have been made. Some are correct, while others are completely wrong.

for example--

"The one who took the 'Evil-Repelling Sword Manual' is the Thousand-Faced Young Master Wang Lianhua! The Qingcheng Sect issued a kill order against him before because he stole martial arts skills!! This time it must be him again!"

Everyone believed it without a doubt.

The Qingcheng Sect had been plotting for years to obtain the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," but now that it was in their grasp, it had been taken away by Wang Lianhua (as they thought). The old and new grudges were endless, and they hated Wang Lianhua to death.

However,

This time it really wasn't him.

Wang Lianhua was caught in the crossfire this time.

No one could have imagined that the one who sneaked into the Lin family's old residence at night was Dongfang Bubai, the leader of the Sun Moon Cult.

"You're the one who spread the word that the stolen item was the 'Evil-Repelling Sword Manual,' aren't you?"

Wang Lianhua asked Yan Liang.

There were many rumors circulating in the city, but their credibility was extremely low. Listening to the wild guesses of people in the martial arts world, Wang Lianhua felt that the theft of the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was intentionally spread, rather than something that someone guessed.

Yan Liang did not deny it: "It is not a good thing for the Lin family to have the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. Rather than that, it would be better to let them leave the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual."

Wang Lianhua asked thoughtfully, "You... did it to save them?"

He knew that Yan Liang occasionally did good deeds, even though those good deeds seemed meaningless to Wang Lianhua.

Yan Liang nodded: "More or less."

"You're so kind."

Wang Lianhua scoffed. No one can predict the future, but Yan Liang was absolutely certain.

"What about the East?"

Yan Liang asked again.

"He didn't come back."

After Dongfang Bubai went out the night before, he never returned, and Yan Liang once suspected that the person had run away.

They waited for several days but Dongfang Bubai did not return; he had left without saying goodbye.

Yan Liang was very puzzled as to what Dongfang Bubai had seen in the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. If he had to say, his strange behavior started after he saw Lin Pingzhi use the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique.

Rumors in the martial arts world shouldn't be taken at face value. Although others lamented the theft of the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," Lin Zhennan and his wife weren't saddened. The "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was a hot potato in their hands, more harmful than useful, especially since they hadn't even known it existed in their old house. They were even skeptical that Wang Lianhua had stolen it.

Lin Zhennan and his wife didn't believe it, but Lin Pingzhi wholeheartedly believed it. He complained bitterly to Wang Lianhua and Yan Liang, and made a grand vow—

"I will make Wang Lianhua return the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual!"

Wang Lianhua looked at him with a smile.

Yan Liang: "Pfft."

He burst out laughing, composed himself, and encouraged the boy: "Not bad, not bad, I believe in you."

Lin Pingzhi was greatly encouraged and smiled happily at Wang Lianhua himself.

Wang Lianhua: "..."

He thought the child didn't understand anything, so he didn't argue with him.

Yan Liang looked at Lin Pingzhi, a vibrant young man. He could hardly reconcile the person in front of him with the chilling young man he had glimpsed in the future.

Time is a cruel mistress.

He couldn't help but sigh.

Lin Pingzhi, that pig, couldn't help but sneeze, and was pushed away by Wang Lianhua in disgust.

The Evil-Repelling Sword Manual was not obtained, and the trip to Fuzhou was fruitless.

Wang Lianhua no longer wanted to stay in Fuzhou. After he said this, Yan Liang asked him where he wanted to go next. Wang Lianhua replied, "To Luoyang."

Yan Liang had no objections; as long as Wang Lianhua didn't run around, he didn't care where she went.

Lin Pingzhi was a little reluctant to see them leave, but he saw them off with a good attitude. Before they departed...