The Prodigal Disciple of Mount Hua: Seizing All Opportunities

In early May, Fuzhou already had a touch of summer heat.

At the main gate of Fuwei Escort Agency, the Huashan Sect members, having finished packing, were preparing to depart for Hengyang.

Yue Buqun stood before the steps, his gaze falling on Chen Qianyang.

"Qianyang".

"There's still some time before the Hengshan Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony. The people here in Pingzhi are not at peace and need someone to look after them. I'll go ahead and meet up with your master's wife and the others. You should stay in Fuzhou for a few more days until Pingzhi finishes dealing with the aftermath, then come and join us."

Chen Qianyang understood.

On that day in Xiangyang Lane, he burned the "Sword Manual" to give Yue Buqun a way out, preventing him from being completely disgraced.

However, Yue Buqun was inherently suspicious, and those grudges in his heart were not so easily eliminated.

He left himself alone, presumably because of this matter.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Qianyang said, "Master, rest assured, I will do my utmost to help Junior Brother Lin stabilize the situation."

Yue Buqun nodded. The thing that made his disciple the least worrisome was his "sensibleness".

"Yes, once you've finished dealing with this, get on your way as soon as possible, so as not to delay our important business."

Yue Buqun turned and got into the carriage.

The others also mounted their horses.

Although Yue Lingshan was reluctant to part with him, her father had been acting erratically these past few days, so she dared not say anything.

Before setting off, Chen Qianyang came to the rear of the group and found Yang Guo.

"Brother Chen, are you really not coming with us?" Yang Guo asked, somewhat dejected.

He joined Mount Hua specifically to be with Chen Qianyang, and now that they were about to part ways so soon after he entered the sect, he was naturally unwilling.

"Yang Guo," Chen Qianyang said seriously, "while I'm gone, you need to be quick-witted. Listen to Senior Brother Linghu more, and don't try to stand up for yourself in front of Master. If you encounter anything you don't understand, observe more, speak less, and keep it in mind until I return."

Although Yang Guo was mischievous, he was extremely clever. He immediately understood the hidden meaning in Chen Qianyang's words and nodded, "Don't worry, brother, I know what's important."

"Go."

Chen Qianyang patted him on the shoulder.

The wheels rumbled, and the horses' hooves clattered.

The Huashan Sect's group gradually disappeared at the end of the long street.

Only Chen Qianyang and Lin Pingzhi remained at the entrance of the security escort agency.

"Brother Chen, please."

Lin Pingzhi's voice was somewhat hoarse, and it was difficult to discern much emotion in it.

Chen Qianyang glanced at him.

In just a few days, this young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) who used to live a life of luxury and carefree living seemed to have become a completely different person.

His once fair face now bore the roughness of wind and sun, and his once innocent eyes were now like a stagnant pool, so deep they were unsettling.

"please."

Chen Qianyang stepped inside.

……

In the following days, Chen Qianyang was quite happy to have some free time. He didn't need to do anything specific; he just needed to stay at the escort agency.

Lin Pingzhi, on the other hand, was extremely busy cleaning up this mess.

Although Fuwei Escort Agency suffered a setback, it still maintained its original structure.

Those surviving镖师 (bodyguards/escorts),镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), and branch managers from various places gradually returned after learning that the Qingcheng Sect had retreated and the Huashan Sect had intervened.

But only a few.

Many more people chose to leave or switch to another organization.

After all, the Fuwei Escort Agency has lost its former prestige in the eyes of the martial arts world.

Inside the lobby.

Lin Pingzhi sat upright in the grand chair that belonged to his father.

Below the hall, two men were kneeling, bound hand and foot.

Those were two servants who attempted to steal valuables and flee, but were caught on the spot by the bodyguards under Lin Pingzhi's command.

"Young Master Escort! Young Master Escort, spare my life! I was just momentarily bewitched..."

The two servants wept bitterly.

"Bewitched?"

Lin Pingzhi was toying with a short sword in his hand.

He looked at the people below begging for mercy, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"My parents treated you well when they were alive."

"The bodies are barely cold, and instead of thinking of repaying your kindness, you're plotting how to dismember the Lin family?"

"Young Master Escort, we were wrong! We'll never dare to do it again! For the sake of the Old Madam..."

"It would be better if you didn't mention my mother."

Lin Pingzhi suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with anger.

"If you mention my mother, you deserve to die even more!"

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two muffled thuds.

Lin Pingzhi took a few steps forward, his short sword in hand, without any hesitation.

Two muffled thuds were heard: "Plop! Plop!"

It pierced straight through their throats.

Blood splattered, staining his plain white mourning clothes red.

The lobby was deathly silent.

The newly returned bodyguards and servants were all silent with fear, their eyes filled with dread as they looked at Lin Pingzhi.

Is this still the young master who used to be too afraid to even watch a chicken being killed?

They were surprisingly swift and decisive when it came to killing.

"Drag him out."

"From today onwards, Fuwei Escort Agency will not tolerate idlers, much less ungrateful bastards. Those who wish to stay are welcome, Lin Pingzhi; there will be wine, meat, and silver. Those who wish to leave will have to return what they've been given, and I won't stop them. But anyone who dares to stab you in the back..."

He pointed to the corpse on the ground, his voice chilling:

"This is what happens."

Chen Qianyang leaned against a pillar by the door, taking in the entire scene.

This is a family matter for the Fuwei Escort Agency, so of course he won't interfere.

Setbacks are the best nourishment.

Some people are crushed by suffering and turn into mud.

Some people, however, are reborn from suffering and become evil spirits.

Lin Pingzhi is clearly the latter.

He is learning how to use fear to control his subordinates and how to use cruelty to disguise his weakness.

It's a dangerous path, but for him now, it might be the only way to survive.

……

It was late at night.

In the back garden of the Fuwei Escort Agency.

A pot of cloudy wine, two porcelain cups.

Chen Qianyang and Lin Pingzhi sat facing each other.

The pale moonlight shone on Lin Pingzhi's face, making it appear somewhat eerie.

"Brother Chen, am I really useless?"

Lin Pingzhi took a swig of wine, and the spicy liquid made him cough a few times.

"Why do you say that?" Chen Qianyang twirled the wine glass in his hand.

"These past few days, I've killed a few people and established some authority. The way those servants look at me has changed; they've become fearful and respectful." Lin Pingzhi chuckled self-deprecatingly. "But I know it's all fake. They're not afraid of me, they're afraid of you, and they're afraid of the Huashan Sect's reputation."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and resentment.

"Once you leave, the Huashan Sect will abandon me. Those people... will probably storm in and tear me and this escort agency apart to eat."

"Without prestige or power, I am now no different from a child carrying a fortune in the marketplace. Despite having a blood feud, I cannot even protect myself and can only eke out a living by selling my dignity and serving as someone else's dog!"

"Being a dog, sometimes, is a skill. At least you're alive, and where there's life, there's hope."

"Hope?" Lin Pingzhi gave a bitter laugh. "Brother Chen, you don't need to comfort me. I know I may never be able to avenge myself in this lifetime. Although Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng are both dead, there are many more who have harmed my Lin family than just these few."

"I'm of mediocre talent. I've practiced my family's swordsmanship for over a decade, and I can't even beat an ordinary disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Even if Yue... even if my master were willing to teach me the Huashan swordsmanship, by the time I master it, my enemies would probably be rotten to the bone."

"Mediocrity?" Chen Qianyang shook his head. "Pingzhi, there is no such thing as absolute waste in this world. The reason you couldn't train well before was not because you lacked talent, but because you hadn't been pushed to the brink."

My Chen family was once a prominent family in Nanyang, but our entire family was wiped out overnight. I was just as desperate and helpless as you were.

I was even used as a pawn, poisoned, and thrown to my death on Mount Hua.

Lin Pingzhi looked up abruptly, his face filled with shock.

He had never heard Chen Qianyang mention these past events.

"But I survived."

Chen Qianyang's voice was calm, yet it possessed a captivating power: "Not only did I survive, I killed those who wanted to kill me, and I'm still climbing higher. Because I know that only by standing at the top can you truly control your own destiny."

"Pingzhi, hatred is a double-edged sword. It can destroy you, or it can make you. It all depends on whether you dare to risk your life to sharpen this sword."

Lin Pingzhi stared at him blankly, the ashes in his eyes seemingly rekindled.

"Brother Chen...I dare!"

"As long as I can get revenge, as long as I'm no longer at the mercy of others, I'd sell my life, even my soul!"

Chen Qianyang looked at him and sighed inwardly.

This kid has developed inner demons.