Chapter 6: Reminiscing About the Past...
Chapter Six: Reminiscing About the Past
Back then, Linghu Chong was an orphan, on the verge of starvation in the freezing cold, when Yue Buqun appeared, took him back to Mount Hua, and became his disciple. At that time, Yue Buqun already had one of his disciples on Mount Hua, Linghu Hao.
It is said that Linghu Hao was taken in by Ning Zhongze. Once they arrived at the mountain, they discovered his extraordinary talent; he was a natural-born martial arts prodigy. So, Yue Buqun took Linghu Hao as his disciple and named the orphan he later took in Linghu Chong.
Yue Buqun hoped that his two disciples would practice martial arts diligently and carry forward the Huashan Sect, placing high hopes on them.
At that time, Linghu Chong was a clever child who excelled in both calligraphy and martial arts. However, this was without comparison; Linghu Hao did even better and faster, and everyone in the Huashan Sect praised him.
Linghu Chong wasn't jealous; on the contrary, he was very happy and always followed Linghu Hao around, imitating everything he did. In his eyes, the two of them were not only fellow disciples but also blood brothers, so of course they should have a good relationship. Although Linghu Hao was the senior disciple, he was younger than him, so he definitely had to take care of his younger brother. That's what Linghu Chong thought.
Unfortunately, this happy time didn't last long. One day, Yue Buqun's birthday was approaching, and Linghu Hao said he wanted to prepare a gift for his master, so he took some of his savings and went down the mountain. Once he went down the mountain, he never returned.
No one in the town at the foot of the mountain had seen Linghu Hao, but there were indeed traces of him descending the mountain. He vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead. The exceptionally intelligent next-generation senior disciple of the Huashan Sect was gone, leaving a scar on the hearts of the Huashan Sect members.
The disciples Yue Buqun later took in were not as talented as Linghu Hao, nor were they as intelligent and obedient. As a result, he missed his eldest disciple even more. He always felt that if Linghu Hao were still alive, he would definitely be able to revitalize the Huashan Sect when he grew up.
It was a great pity that such a talented child was gone, further diminishing the Huashan Sect's hopes of regaining its prestige. Thinking of this, Yue Buqun felt a deep sorrow. More than Ning Zhongze's grief for Linghu Hao, Yue Buqun valued what Linghu Hao represented.
He walked ahead of the crowd, his back view lonely and looking somewhat weathered.
Linghu Chong opened his mouth as if to say something, but found himself unable to utter a word. What could he say? His senior brother was gone forever; whatever he said would be futile.
As for Yue Lingshan, she was still young at the time and didn't remember much, but she did remember how kind her senior brother was to her. His disappearance was a wound for each of them.
While the atmosphere among the Huashan Sect members was low, Ling Hao's journey was smooth sailing. She and Yun Duo traveled south, always arriving at their lodgings before dark, and each time finding a room available. Not only did she get rest, but Yun Duo also had good fodder; they were both very happy.
However, the journey had been smooth sailing, and Ling Hao hadn't encountered any more bandits or river robbers, which made her somewhat sad. Of course, without bandits, people's lives would be better, which was a good thing, but she had no income.
Although she has enough money to last a long time, the lack of income over this long period is worrying.
Ling Hao, perched on a cloud, was somewhat troubled. How did the heroes of the martial world make their money? It seemed they didn't have any means of livelihood. And her? Doing business? No way. Farming? No desire. Working a manual labor job? Even less desire. After much thought, the only option seemed to be collecting bounties.
Those like Ximen Chuixue and Hua Manlou, who own property, certainly don't need to worry about money. Those with powerful sects to rely on also don't need to worry about money; they have property, land, and tenants. So how do the other penniless heroes manage to afford to roam the martial world all day?
Ling Hao fell into deep thought, unable to figure it out no matter how hard she tried. However, she soon lost interest in thinking about it, because bandits appeared and started robbing her.
Ah, finally here! At that moment, Tinghao's eyes lit up, as if he had seen some gold and silver jewels.
Coincidentally, seeing Linghao's clothes and fine horse, the bandits thought she must be a big fat sheep, and they looked at Linghao with the same eyes.
“Useless.” The woman stood before a dozen or so fallen burly men, sword in her right hand, her demeanor aloof and cold.
At least that's how it appeared to the bandits who hadn't yet fainted. But Ling Hao was thinking to herself, "I pulled off another stunt! Too bad no one saw it, otherwise they'd definitely be smitten with me, hahaha!" Her inner voice chuckled wildly, hands on hips.
After laughing, as usual, they packed the men up and prepared to send them to the nearby government office to collect the reward. However, one of the bandits, who had managed to stay upright and not faint, said, "You wait, our boss will... come and report for us..."
After saying that, he was about to faint.
"Bang!"
Ling Hao tapped him with the scabbard of her sword, then smiled at him, "It seems you have a hideout nearby. Very good, take me there." She hadn't thought of that; how could she forget that these bandits were a group? She was the kind of person who would eradicate evil completely.
To the bandits who had been jolted awake, Ling Hao was like a demon on earth. He had only uttered a threat, but it seemed as if he was about to sacrifice the entire stronghold.
It wasn't just a thought, it was definitely true. Ling Hao tied these people up and had Yun Duo drag them along. Guided by the bandits' kindness—and she had no choice but to speak up—she fought her way up the mountain from the foot of the stronghold until she had destroyed the entire bandit camp.
Ling Hao stepped on the so-called leader, brandishing her sword. Not satisfied. What kind of bandit was this? Such poor martial arts skills and such terrible fighting ability, yet she dared to be a bandit? Honestly, even the leader couldn't put up a fight against her; she was too weak.
She never considered that it was because she was too strong, taking them down one by one with almost a single sword strike. She didn't have time to think about it further, as she began searching the mountain stronghold. Although the stronghold didn't have many people, it should still have some resources, right?
Ling Hao found some grain and cloth, but only a few dozen taels of silver. She couldn't understand why these bandits were in such dire straits. Undeterred, she continued wandering around the mountain stronghold until she found a place that resembled a dungeon.
"Help... Is anyone there?" A clear voice came from inside the dungeon. It sounded like a young man who was about to die.
Ling Hao gripped his sword tightly and walked inside.
A note from the author:
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The female lead remains herself from beginning to end; she never changes.
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