Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1047: Chaos

Yue Buqun had a classic case of failing to catch the fox and instead getting himself into trouble. He knew how many eyes in the martial world were eyeing the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. Although the Mount Hua Sect wasn’t as easily bullied as the Fortune Escort Service, they were still outnumbered.

The Mount Hua Sect’s difficult situation over the years had instilled in Yue Buqun a cautious nature. He keenly sensed an undercurrent targeting the Mount Hua Sect and immediately devised several feints. The entire Mount Hua Sect was dispersed, returning to Mount Hua from different directions.

Mount Hua was northwest of Fuzhou, but he went against the grain, taking his wife, daughter, and Lin Pingzhi eastward, eventually reaching Yangzhou.

Thinking about how he had gone through such a long and complicated process, Yue Buqun was furious and cursed inwardly, especially the culprit who had stolen the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. He had secretly cursed the person responsible countless times, even wishing them childlessness and that their wife had been st0len from them—he had secretly cursed them with all sorts of vile words.

If others in the martial arts world knew these curses he was uttering, the reputation of the “Gentleman Sword” that he had cultivated for so many years would probably be ruined. But he couldn’t quell his anger without cursing them.

Back then, the conflict between the Qi and Sword factions had severely weakened the Mount Hua Sect. After the Mount Song Sect rose to power, the situation in Mount Hua Sect got even more precarious. Yue Buqun had been walking on thin ice day and night, barely managing to keep the Mount Hua Sect afloat. A turnaround seemed a distant dream. After much deliberation, Yue Buqun had no choice but to set his sights on the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual.

Compared to Yu Canghai’s unsightly behavior, Yue Buqun was far more astute. Through meticulous planning, he had brought Lin Pingzhi under his wing and deepened his bond with his daughter. Upon arriving in Fuzhou, he had seemingly secured the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual, only to have it snatched away by someone else. Decades of hard work destroyed in an instant—how could Yue Buqun not be furious?

Upon arriving in Yangzhou, the group intended to find a tavern to rest, but upon going upstairs, they found a tense and eerie atmosphere. Yue Buqun, whose mind had been on edge lately, hesitated upon seeing the situation.

“Father, why did you suddenly stop?” Yue Lingshan, naive and oblivious to her father’s anxieties, asked.

“Nothing, let’s sit down.” By now, Yue Buqun had assessed the situation on the second floor and roughly guessed that the other party wasn’t after him, so he immediately relaxed.

“Great!” Yue Lingshan skipped over to an empty table and beckoned to Lin Pingzhi. “Little Lin, come sit here!”

Ning Zhongze couldn’t help but whisper to her husband with a smile, “Shan’er’s heart is completely set on Pingzhi. I think we should settle their marriage sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it’s not good for a young girl like Shan’er to be so clingy with Pingzhi all the time.”

“Shan’er is still young. Let’s talk about this later,” Yue Buqun said coldly, then walked over and sat down.

Ning Zhongze was taken aback, not understanding why her husband’s attitude had suddenly changed. He had been quite supportive of the children’s marriage before.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know that with the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual being obtained by someone else, Lin Pingzhi’s usefulness was practically nonexistent, and Yue Buqun’s attitude had naturally turned cold.

Song Qingshu observed their reactions, wondering why the Mount Hua Sect members were in Yangzhou, when he suddenly heard Lin Pingzhi slam his fist on the table and shout, “Mu Gaofeng, you wretched dog! You killed my father and mother because you wanted to see my family’s Evil Exterminating Sword Manual! Your crimes are heinous, this blood feud is irredeemable! Today, this Lin Pingzhi will avenge you!”

Yue Buqun frowned, thinking that he had been deliberately concealing his whereabouts, but this young man’s shout had exposed them. Within days, everyone in the martial world would know their movements.

Mu Gaofeng was startled. When he had forced Lin Pingzhi years ago, the man had disguised himself as a hunchback, unlike his current handsome and dashing appearance, which was why he hadn’t recognized him at first glance.

“What do your parents’ deaths have to do with me?” Mu Gaofeng sneered, his arrogance ignited by the other man’s words. He offered no explanation, instead laughing heartily, “You brat, that day at Liu Zhengfeng’s house in Hengshan, you disguised yourself as a hunchback, kowtowing to me, calling me ‘Grandpa,’ desperately begging to be taken as my disciple. Grandpa refused, so you joined Old Man Yue’s sect and found a wife, didn’t you?”

Yue Lingshan blushed deeply at these words, half angry, half ashamed. However, she looked at Lin Pingzhi with concern: “Little Lin, you’re probably no match for him now. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late.” She was actually being very polite; in their usual sword practice, Lin Pingzhi couldn’t even beat her.

Lin Pingzhi ignored her, his eyes fixed on Mu Gaofeng: “I will kill you today to appease my parents’ spirits in heaven.”

“A toad croaks with a boastful tone.” Mu Gaofeng laughed disdainfully. Although he had been chased and humiliated by Murong Fu, that man was the renowned Southern Murong Fu of the martial arts world. What was Lin Pingzhi compared to him?

But before his laughter could even finish, he felt a blur before his eyes. Fortunately, decades of fighting in the underworld had given him lightning-fast reflexes. He drew his sword from his waist, barely managing to parry Lin Pingzhi’s murderous strike.

“Good heavens, how can the Mount Hua Sect be so powerful? This brat has only been in Mount Hua for a few years, yet he’s already mastered such formidable swordsmanship!” Mu Gaofeng broke out in a cold sweat, secretly terrified.

Lin Pingzhi snorted, his swordsmanship suddenly changing, leaving Mu Gaofeng scrambling to defend himself.

“How did Pingzhi’s martial arts suddenly become so powerful?” Ning Zhongze looked at her husband with a puzzled expression.

Yue Buqun didn’t answer, but stared intently at Lin Pingzhi’s swordsmanship, not daring to blink.

Yue Buqun had been preoccupied with the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual lately. Seeing such exquisite swordsmanship, especially from Lin Pingzhi, he instinctively assumed it was the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. He was both surprised and delighted: “So this kid already possessed the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual! He’s kept it from me for so long!”

Not only him, but even the well-informed and knowledgeable Murong Fu put down his wine cup, watching the two intently, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Truly excellent swordsmanship!”

Only Song Qingshu saw through it all, secretly sighing. It seemed Lin Pingzhi had truly put in a lot of effort into this sword technique.

It turned out this wasn’t the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual at all. It was the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Technique that Song Qingshu had taught Lin Pingzhi when he visited Mount Hua, out of sympathy for him. 

Lin Pingzhi appeared gentle, but was actually extremely cunning. Because of his parents’ tragic death, he instinctively dared not trust anyone. Therefore, he didn’t tell Yue Buqun and his wife about the incident, but secretly trained diligently, always holding back even in the most critical moments. Only today, facing his enemy Mu Gaofeng, did he unleash his full power.

Not long after, Mu Gaofeng roared repeatedly, revealing several wounds on his body, clearly having fallen into a disadvantageous position.