Film and Television World Life Record

Thinking of this, Li Mu turned his head and saw a nun in her forties standing a few feet away. She was dressed in black robes, quite tall, with thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and wide, piercing eyes. She must be one of the three nuns of Hengshan. However, he couldn't tell for the moment whether she was Abbess Dingjing, the abbess of Baiyun Temple, or Abbess Dingyi.

Knowing he had been impolite, Li Mu bowed and said, "Lin Pingzhi, a disciple of Mount Hua, greets Master!"

The nun's expression softened somewhat upon hearing that he was a disciple of Mount Hua, but her voice remained unyielding as she snapped, "I saw you wandering around the sect earlier, and now you've come to the martial arts arena. As a disciple of Mount Hua, you should know the rules."

Li Mu said helplessly, "This disciple came to pay respects to Uncle Dingxian this morning. I found the scenery of Hengshan to be very beautiful, so I took a walk. Who knew I would end up here? Please forgive me, Master."

The nun seemed half-believing, half-doubting, but her eyes shone with a sharp light that made one feel as if there was nowhere to hide.

She stared intently at Li Mu for a long time, watching to see if he was guilty, if his gaze was evasive, or if he seemed flustered.

Having experienced so many worlds, Li Mu was not afraid of this at all. His expression was calm, his eyes were clear, and he was completely unmoved.

The nun looked for a long time but couldn't find anything wrong. She gave a cold "humph," clearly displeased.

Seeing that the nun was so irritable, Li Mu's eyes lit up and he guessed who this person was. He clasped his hands and said, "Is this the nun Dingyi in person?"

Master Dingyi let out a soft "Eh," and asked with some surprise, "You didn't recognize me before, so why do you recognize me now? Have we met before?"

Li Mu naturally couldn't say that, since his temper was notoriously bad throughout the Five Mountains Sword Sect. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I have never met my martial uncle before, but your name is renowned and known to everyone in the martial world. Just now, I saw that you were upright, generous, and capable, and that you were just as capable as any man, so I guessed that you were my martial uncle."

Master Dingyi's expression immediately softened considerably, even turning from anger to joy: "You are much wiser than your master. Since you have come to Hengshan to travel, you must want to see the martial arts of our sect. Just now, I saw you watching everyone practice swordsmanship. What did you think?"

Li Mu said, "It is dense and profound, quite extraordinary."

"However, I did not come here by chance, and I did not intend to watch my fellow disciples practice swordsmanship."

In the world of martial arts, sectarianism is still very strong. It is never appropriate to watch disciples of other sects practice without permission.

Master Dingyi was even more magnanimous than he had imagined. With a wave of her hand, she said, "The Five Mountains Sword Sects are all of one mind. You may have seen it, but you don't know the method of circulating internal energy. Even if you remember it, it won't change the essence. Besides, it's common for the Five Mountains Sword Sects to exchange sword techniques. Since you've come, how can you leave empty-handed? Most of the disciples in this training ground aren't very skilled. Come with me!" With that, she turned and left.

Li Mu was also curious about where Abbess Dingyi was taking him, so he chuckled and followed behind.

……

The Northern Song Dynasty painter Guo Xi said, "Mount Tai is like sitting, Mount Hua is like standing, Mount Song is like lying down, and Mount Heng is like walking," which is indeed true.

Li Mu followed Master Dingyi for three to five hundred zhang, and saw that the surrounding scenery was beautiful, with mountains and rivers surrounding them. After passing through a bamboo forest, they arrived at a meadow with a stream flowing around it. The environment was quiet and elegant, truly a good place to practice martial arts.

At this moment, more than twenty nuns were practicing their martial arts. Upon seeing Abbess Dingyi, they all stopped to greet her. Abbess Dingyi returned their greetings and called out, "Yiyun, come with me!" A nun in her early twenties then followed her.

Upon reaching an open space, Dingyi slowly pointed at Yiyun and said, "This is your Senior Sister Yiyun."

Li Mu cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister Yi Yun!"

Yi Yun returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, Junior Brother!"

Dingyi pointed at Li Mu and said, "This is your junior brother from the Huashan Sect. He's here for a visit. You two can spar, but he's still young, so be careful not to hurt him."

Although Abbess Dingyi meant well, her words clearly showed that she didn't take Li Mu's martial arts skills seriously!

He was still young, so it was normal for him to be looked down upon. He didn't care and turned to look at Yi Yun.

She had a round, oval face, fair and delicate skin, and long, beautiful eyebrows. It was truly a pity that someone so elegant and beautiful had become a nun.

Of course, Li Mu only made a few complaints in his heart. If the hot-tempered Abbess Dingyi knew, she would probably kick him off the mountain immediately.

The two stood facing each other and bowed to one another. With swords in hand, they remained silent for a moment. Yi Yun stared at Li Mu with wide eyes, wondering why her junior brother wasn't making a move.

Li Mu was also taken aback. His martial arts skills were far superior to his opponent's, and there was no reason for him to strike first after a brief exchange. Only when he saw Yi Yun's gaze did he realize that he was now the junior brother and should, in principle, make the first move.

He was not one to hesitate. He drew his sword and thrust out with a move called "Welcoming Guests from the Pine Tree." This sword was truly as fast as a startled swan, and it arrived in front of Yi Yun in an instant. The tip of the sword trembled slightly and covered the vital points on Yi Yun's upper body.

Yi Yun was startled and used the "Blooming Flowers" move from the Hengshan "Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Technique". The longsword flashed like blooming flowers, and a dense sound of swords clashing rang out. Yi Yun barely managed to block the move.

The moment the two swords clashed, Li Mu tested the skill of this Senior Sister Yi Yun. If she wanted to win, it would only take two or three moves.

However, since it was just a friendly exchange, he still had to save face. The Hengshan sword technique was quite exquisite, and he wanted to observe and learn from it.

After one move, Li Mu stopped attacking. Yi Yun knew that her martial arts were inferior to her junior brother's, but she was not discouraged at all. Without holding back, she used the move "Budding Flower," her sword strike half-concealed and half-revealed, hesitant to attack, her sharpness seemingly revealed but not quite, and the direction the sword tip pointed was also ambiguous, making it impossible for anyone to figure out.

Li Mu watched in amazement, secretly marveling that the "Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Technique" truly lived up to its reputation. Yi Yun's skill was still relatively shallow, yet she had already mastered it so exquisitely. If it were one of the most outstanding disciples of Hengshan who used it, it would surely be a completely different sight.

Li Mu's face remained calm and unhurried, as if he were strolling leisurely. With a flick of his longsword, he completely shattered the attack with a single move that dispersed the clouds and mist.

Chapter 530 Testing the Sword at Hengshan

Yi Yun showed no sign of dejection; on the contrary, her eyes shone even brighter. Then came another move, "Falling Petals in Full Bloom," with sword light raining down like a storm. Li Mu nodded repeatedly in approval, confirming that the Hengshan sword technique truly lived up to its reputation.

The two exchanged blows for a full quarter of an hour, with Li Mu only making casual moves, focusing most of his attention on observing the Myriad Flowers Sword Technique.

Women are weaker after all, and Yi Yun's "Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Technique" was not yet fully mastered. Repeated use of it took a lot of effort.

They noticed that Yi Yun's movements were becoming increasingly hesitant and her strength was diminishing, realizing that she was barely holding on.

Li Mu had no desire to win or lose. Having witnessed the Myriad Flowers Sword Technique of Hengshan, he was deeply moved. Suddenly, he forced Yi Yun back with a sword strike, then lightly stepped back five feet along the ground, saying, "Thank you for your concession!"

Yi Yun gasped a few times before replying, "Junior Brother's swordsmanship is so superb, thank you."

Li Mu replied with a smile, "You're too kind."

Master Dingyi's eyes lit up as she watched, especially Li Mu's superb swordsmanship and his ability to move horizontally five feet backward. She secretly admired him, for even ordinary martial arts masters would find it difficult to perform such a skillful movement.

Thinking this, she found Li Mu even more pleasing to the eye and praised him, "I misjudged you. I didn't expect you to have such skills at such a young age. No wonder Senior Brother Yue dared to let you travel the world alone. I was worried that you would get hurt, so I specially told Yi Yun to be careful. I didn't expect you to be a step ahead."

Just then, a soft and sweet voice rang out, like pearls falling onto a jade plate!

"master."

Li Mu turned his head and saw a young nun, about fourteen or fifteen years old, running over from the bamboo forest.

This young nun was exceptionally beautiful, dressed in a grey nun's robe. Her shoulders were sculpted, her lips were like a touch of cinnabar, her small nose was slightly upturned, and her expression was innocent and charming. Her gaze evoked a sense of pity in people.

Master Dingyi raised her eyebrows and shouted, "Yilin, why are you here instead of practicing over there?!" Although her voice was stern, her face revealed a tenderness.

Li Mu's heart stirred. So this was little nun Yilin. She was indeed pitiful to behold!

Yilin's eyes reddened, and she said pitifully, "Master... I... I heard there's going to be a martial arts competition here." After saying that, she looked timidly at Master Dingyi with her bright eyes.

Just then, another clear and crisp sound came, like the melodious song of a nightingale.

"Master, Master..."

Then, a young nun of about thirteen or fourteen years old ran out of the bamboo grove. She had a round, oval face, dark eyes, and a pair of dimples evenly distributed on both sides of her cheeks. When she smiled slightly, her dimples appeared and disappeared on her cheeks, making her extremely cute. Especially her big, bright eyes, which darted around, revealed a clever and mischievous look.

Master Dingyi's face darkened, and she shouted, "Zheng E, why are you two here? Aren't you practicing martial arts?"

Zheng E wrinkled her nose, her face instantly turning into a tearful mess: "We know, Master, we were wrong. We'll leave as soon as we're done watching, and we promise it won't interfere with our martial arts practice."

Master Dingyi snorted, ultimately unwilling to send her two young disciples away.

Soon, Zheng E and Yi Lin seemed to have forgotten what had just happened, and the two of them, oblivious to everyone else, started chatting away together.

Li Mu quickly remembered who Zheng E was; she was one of the few characters from the Hengshan Sect to appear in the drama.

At that time, Linghu Chong led the nuns to Longquan Sword Forging Valley. They didn't have enough money for the journey, so Zheng E, a delicate young girl, sold her horse in the market. Clever, quick-witted, and eloquent, she lived up to expectations and soon sold the horse and used the money to pay the debt.

When the money from selling the horses was about to run out, Zheng E, being a child at heart, suddenly became excited and thought about going to the street to sell the horses again, which made people laugh.

After reprimanding her two young apprentices, Abbess Dingyi suddenly called out, "Yihe, come here!"

A nun who was practicing martial arts came over in response.

She was in her mid-twenties, with a round face, bright eyes and white teeth, long eyebrows, and a slightly dark complexion that couldn't hide her beautiful figure.

Does the Hengshan Sect really only accept disciples based on their appearance?

Master Dingyi introduced the two, and they bowed to each other and stood facing each other.

Seeing Li Mu standing still, Yi He knew he was no ordinary person. She then abandoned her politeness and unleashed the "Lotus Emerging from Water" move. The sword light flashed, like a lotus flower just beginning to bloom, utterly ethereal and otherworldly, indescribably beautiful.

When Li Mu saw the sword, a line from Li Bai's poem came to mind: "Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without adornment."

Not daring to be negligent, he flicked his longsword, sending out glints of cold light, to block the incoming sword.

With a soft shout, Yi He's figure moved as lightly as a fledgling swallow, unleashing another move, "Soaring Alone in the Cold." The tip of her sword twitched slightly, like a plum blossom braving frost and snow, its cold light piercing the eye.

Li Mu swung his longsword, parrying Yi He's attack with a move called "Clouds Fill the Sky." By this time, he had tested Yi He's swordsmanship level, finding it slightly superior to Yi Yun's, but not by much. He didn't retaliate, waiting patiently for Yi He to strike, so he could carefully observe Hengshan, broaden his horizons, and improve his own swordsmanship foundation.

As Yi He had hoped, he unleashed another "rootless and stemless" move, which was completely silent and unchanging. Yet, this seemingly ordinary sword strike left the opponent with a feeling that there was no way to dodge or avoid it.

Sensing the profound meaning contained in this sword strike, Li Mu was slightly taken aback. Of all the sword techniques he had witnessed today, this one was the most exquisite. Not daring to be careless, he unleashed a move from the Iron Wire Sword Style: "Iron Tree Blossoms."

The sword flashed, followed by a series of clanging sounds. The two separated immediately after the initial clash and retreated.

The next moment, Yihe let out a delicate shout, her wrist rotated slightly, and the longsword flashed like lightning. The sword light shimmered and merged with that figure, which was the move "Flash in the Pan". The sword light split, and it was like a twelve-petaled lotus flower. It had no sharpness at all. Instead, it made people feel that it was beautiful and peerless. It was open and closed immediately.

Li Mu also perked up, wielding his longsword like a white snake spitting its tongue, hissing and cutting through the wind, silently breaking the move.

Yihe was astonished to see that he had broken the move so easily. She knew that the young man's swordsmanship was much better than hers. Perhaps only her senior sister Yiqing could compare with him.

Li Mu was also amazed by the meticulousness and precision of the Hengshan swordsmanship, which excelled in defense. Furthermore, since the Hengshan sect consisted entirely of women, their swordsmanship, while meticulous, lacked sharpness and was not as powerful and ferocious as the martial arts practiced by men.

However, the Hengshan sword technique can be said to be one of the sword techniques with very few flaws, and its strict defense is breathtaking.

The two fought for a while, tumbling and rolling around, and witnessed the exquisite Hengshan sword techniques before finally stopping.

After having a vegetarian meal at the charity hall at noon, Li Mu was given permission to wander around Hengshan Mountain again. It is said that Hengshan Mountain has eighteen scenic spots. Li Mu soon left the Hengshan Sect's mountain gate and entered the mountain.

He didn't take the mountain path, but instead, knowing the direction, he floated down the rocky cliff face. When he reached Guolao Ridge, he saw rows of small, round pits on the stone path, resembling donkey hoof prints. It was said that these were the hoof prints left by Zhang Guolao when he was cultivating immortality on Hengshan Mountain, riding a donkey backwards. Li Mu looked closely but couldn't tell if they were real or not.

After wandering around Hengshan for half a day, by the time they reached the town at the foot of the mountain, the sun was already setting. The streets were bustling with people and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares filled the air. Li Mu wandered around until the lanterns were lit before returning to his Hengshan villa to rest.

The next day, Li Mu went up Mount Heng again, considering whether to take his leave that day or wait a couple of days.