The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

“Everyone wants good things. If it’s a peerless sword technique, I want it too.” Chu Luren spoke the truth.

Lin Pingzhi was taken aback at first, then said sincerely, "If I can really find that sword technique, I will definitely give it to Brother Chu so he can practice it too!"

Chu Luren shuddered upon hearing this and then comforted him, saying, "Your father didn't master anything, nor did he pass on any advanced sword techniques to you. It seems... either this sword technique is fake, or there's some great obstacle that your father didn't want you to practice. In any case, you don't need to worry too much about this sword technique."

However, this reminder made Lin Pingzhi think of something, and he asked thoughtfully, "Brother Chu, since my father saw Senior Brother before he died, could it be... that he left him some last words? It seems that Senior Brother did want to tell me something, but he had other things to do, so he changed the subject. After returning, Senior Brother has been confined to the Cliff of Repentance, and I can't go there..."

That's true. In the original work, Linghu Chong's last words to Lin Pingzhi were told much later, after all, he was confined to the Cliff of Contemplation as soon as he returned to the sect.

However, when Linghu Chong suffered internal injuries and was on the verge of death, his last words were what he was most concerned about, so he hurriedly asked his junior sister to call his junior brother Lin.

Chu Luren would stop Lin Pingzhi from going astray, but since he mentioned Linghu Chong, it was exactly what Chu Luren wanted.

"Haha, then let's go to the Cliff of Contemplation to find him! There's still so much wine..." Chu Luren said directly.

"Ah? This... But Senior Brother, he..." Lin Pingzhi, in the end, didn't really understand Linghu Chong, so he naturally had many worries.

However, Chu Luren ignored all of that and simply ordered him to lead the way...

Chapter 136 Last Words

On the Cliff of Contemplation, Linghu Chong heard a sound outside the cave and walked out full of anticipation.

I hope she's the junior sister, not Liu Hou'er; I hope she's the junior sister, not Liu Hou'er; I hope she's the junior sister, not Liu Hou'er...

Linghu Chong thought to himself, but his wish was only half fulfilled. It wasn't his sixth junior brother who brought him food, nor was it his junior sister, but... Lin Pingzhi!

Linghu Chong was initially embarrassed, but then forced himself to adjust his mindset—because of his junior sister's matter, he felt resentful towards his junior brother Lin... Linghu Chong, Linghu Chong, don't be so spineless!

That's right, this is the most conflicted period for Linghu Chong right now.

Previously, on the Cliff of Contemplation, although she was nominally confined, she actually lived a pretty good life. She had time to practice swordsmanship and martial arts. Originally, Lu Dayou was in charge of delivering meals, but her junior sister often volunteered to do so, and they could chat and laugh every day.

Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan were childhood sweethearts, but Yue Lingshan preferred to see Linghu Chong as her closest, most reliable, and most admired older brother. It's just that Linghu Chong... hehe.

In the past two months, when Yue Lingshan brought him food, the conversation between the two of them would always veer towards Lin Pingzhi. In addition, on several occasions when Yue Lingshan left, she sang a Minnan folk song: "In the whole of Huashan, Lin Pingzhi is the only Minnan person!"

In addition, Lu Dayou would occasionally tattle, "revealing" that Yue Lingshan patiently taught Lin Pingzhi complex sword techniques...

As a result, Linghu Chong felt jealous and even treated Yue Lingshan poorly on several occasions.

The section in the original work that best reflects Linghu Chong's current mood is when Yue Buqun has just decided to get rid of Tian Boguang, but is still too embarrassed to make a direct move. So, before he wants Linghu Chong to openly challenge him, Ning Zhongze specifically reminds Linghu Chong to practice his swordsmanship well recently, as something great is waiting for him afterward.

In fact, Ning Zhongze meant that he should practice his swordsmanship properly and be able to exchange a few moves with Tian Boguang. After Yue Buqun's "righteous backstabbing," the fame of killing the great lecherous thief would also belong to him, the top disciple of Huashan!

However, Linghu Chong, upon hearing his master's wife's words about recent events, made a strange connection—was his master's wife going to betroth his junior sister to him?

After a few words, when Yue Buqun brought up the matter of Tian Boguang, Linghu Chong was already thinking—what should I do if my junior sister still misses Lin after we get married?

This gives a glimpse into Linghu Chong's sensitive, delicate, and awkward nature!

When Linghu Chong saw that Lin Pingzhi and Chu Luren were also present, he was naturally surprised. How could an outsider appear on the Cliff of Contemplation? However, his first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.

It's better than letting him be alone with Lin Pingzhi!

Linghu Chong had even imagined what he should do if Lin Pingzhi came to him to confess, "My senior sister and I are in love, and I hope my senior brother will grant us his wish."

"Junior Brother Lin? Brother Chu? What brings you here?" Linghu Chong asked with mixed feelings.

"Senior Brother, it's like this..." Lin Pingzhi, worried that Linghu Chong might misunderstand, told Linghu Chong about Chu Luren's righteous act.

Chu Luren was very satisfied. This child... has a good eye for things. After all, Chu Luren couldn't say this himself.

"Good! Brother Chu, you are truly virtuous, I admire you! It's a pity there's no wine today... Hmm? No wine... Tsk tsk." Linghu Chong said, looking at the two jars of wine that Chu Luren was holding.

"Well... it's a pity I'm still in confinement and can't drink alcohol, hahaha..." Linghu Chong chuckled dryly.

If it were just Chu Luren, he would drink it without a care. When Lu Dayou and his junior sister brought him food, they would also secretly bring him wine. However, with Lin Pingzhi here, Linghu Chong wanted to be more reserved.

“However, it would be too boring to do this without drinking at all. How about this…” Chu Luren pondered for a moment.

Upon hearing Chu Luren's words, Linghu Chong was already preparing to use this opportunity to back down.

However, Chu Luren continued, "Then I'll drink with Brother Lin, and Brother Linghu can drink water instead of wine!"

"Huh?" Linghu Chong was speechless again upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Lin Pingzhi didn't tease him; he simply filled all three bowls.

"Brother Linghu, what a refined taste you have! Finding such a secluded place to hide away in peace and quiet," Chu Luren said with a smile.

"Brother Chu, you jest. I am not at ease here; I am merely reflecting on my mistakes."

"Don't suddenly start speaking Japanese."

Linghu Chong: ? ? ?

"Brother Chu, Senior Brother, you both stood up for my Lin family back then, fighting against those scoundrels from the Qingcheng Sect. I would like to offer you both a cup... a bowl is enough!" Lin Pingzhi didn't have a cup, only three bowls.

Lin Pingzhi was partly genuinely grateful, and partly reminding Linghu Chong—at this point, Lin Pingzhi was just a little cunning, a bit manipulative and cute, and easy to see through.

After Linghu Chong finished his bowl of wine, he indeed remembered the message he was supposed to convey and quickly said, "Junior Brother Lin, you're too kind! Brother Chu is the truly righteous one. As for me, I had already heard that you had become my master and junior brother, so how could I bear to see your parents suffer... Ah, let's not talk about that! Back then, Chief Escort Lin even asked me to pass on a message to you, this..."

Linghu Chong paused for a moment, and Chu Luren immediately stood up and said, "I'll go inside and see how you're doing here!"

Lin Zhennan's last words should not have been heard by a third party. The reason why Linghu Chong had not told Lin Pingzhi was because he had not found an opportunity to be alone with Lin Pingzhi. The reason why he leaked it to Yue Lingshan in the original work was entirely because Linghu Chong was already on the verge of death at that time and could not care about anything else. He could only hurriedly ask his junior sister to find Lin Pingzhi.

Chu Luren didn't really want to listen. He believed that if Lin Pingzhi really got the sword manual, he would lend it to him. He could use the current excuse to go into the cave and take a look...

If it is exactly the same as in the original work, then the Five Mountains Sword Technique and the Five Mountains Breaking Sword Technique left behind by the masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Ten Elders of the Demonic Sect should be in a stone path in the cave of the Cliff of Contemplation!

Back then, the Five Mountains Sword Sect used a trick, blowing up the battlefield with gunpowder, causing many of their masters and the ten elders of the Demonic Sect to perish together—this event had only occurred more than twenty years ago in the great martial arts world.

According to the original story, many of those masters didn't die on the spot, but were trapped inside the mountain, digging tunnels to escape. As they dug, they also angrily carved the Five Mountains Sword Technique and its countermeasures on the walls...

In the end, they were just a hair's breadth away from digging it out, but they all died of thirst and exhaustion inside—if they hadn't drawn anything randomly and had focused on digging, they should have made it out!

Linghu Chong was so upset about his junior sister and junior brother Lin that he randomly stabbed, and ended up breaking through the last layer and discovering the stone passage.

Chu Luren was just about to go in and look around—after all, it was the Five Mountains Sword Technique, and although many of its techniques differed from those currently circulating, Linghu Chong certainly wouldn't invite Chu Luren to go see it.

Firstly, they didn't want to leak the sect's sword techniques, and secondly, they didn't want people to know that the Demonic Sect could break the Five Mountains Sword Technique.

However, if Chu Luren happens to see it, given Linghu Chong's personality, he won't say much, at most just tell him not to reveal it...

Even if the "Five Mountains Sword Technique" part is a copy of the Demonic Sect's work and cannot form a badge, the sword technique that counters it can definitely form a badge.

However, as soon as Chu Luren stood up, Lin Pingzhi immediately grabbed him and said, "Brother Chu is just like my own brother, please speak, Senior Brother!"

Chu Luren: ...

Seeing this, Linghu Chong was moved by the good relationship between the two, and without being pretentious, he recounted Lin Zhennan's last words!

It was Lin Pingzhi who was sent to the cellar of the old house to retrieve the Lin family's monastic belongings, with the instruction that they must not open them under any circumstances...

Chu Luren rolled his eyes – since it couldn't be opened, wouldn't it be better not to leave these last words at all?

However, after hearing this description, Chu Luren didn't regret not going to look for it earlier. After all, the Fuwei Escort Agency had countless properties, and only Lin Pingzhi himself could probably understand which "old house" it was. This is why the Qingcheng Sect found nothing in the original work, and it was Lin Pingzhi who finally found the sword manual...

Chapter 137 Linghu Goes Crazy

Actually, Linghu Chong wasn't stupid. How could he not know how the Lin family was destroyed?

Even if Old Lin didn't mention the word "secret manual," his last words were already quite explicit, so how could anyone not guess that he was referring to the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual"?

"Absolutely must not be opened... Judging from the swordsmanship, it would indeed be a great hindrance"—Linghu Chong also thought of this, but he didn't say anything more.

After all, his relationship with Junior Brother Lin was just so-so, so he couldn't speak too much about the other's family martial arts. Moreover, he had no interest in the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. In fact, he wished he could forget all the exquisite sword moves he had learned from the underground tunnel!

It was because of these sword moves that Yue Buqun misunderstood him as following the evil path of the Sword Sect, and even misunderstood him as having a connection with the Sword Sect.

However, Chu Luren did not have such concerns, and even though Lin Pingzhi was now somewhat extreme, he could still listen to what Chu Luren said.

“Brother Lin, what Uncle said is most likely the ‘Evil-Repelling Sword Manual,’ but he won’t let you open it… It seems there’s something wrong with this sword manual! Either the manual itself has problems with its cultivation, or it’s a fake sword manual designed to mislead our enemies!” Chu Luren said directly.

"But... with my martial arts skills, how can I avenge myself without the 'Evil-Repelling Sword Technique'?" Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, "Even if there are any obstacles, as long as I can master the sword technique of my grandfather, I will..."

Chu Luren interrupted, "To seek revenge, one doesn't necessarily need to practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. Back then, the great hero Lin Yuantu did indeed dominate the world with his seventy-two moves of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, but he wasn't invincible. Nowadays, there are countless masters who can defeat him, Yu Canghai, and none of them rely on the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique."

Even considering only the Huashan swordplay, it is profound and extensive… If Brother Linghu had practiced for a few more years, he might not have lost to Yu Canghai. Why should Brother Lin belittle himself and go against Uncle Lin's last wishes?

After listening, Lin Pingzhi glanced at Linghu Chong, then sighed...

Linghu Chong: ? ? ?

"Junior Brother Lin! Don't underestimate our sect's swordsmanship! Master and Mistress hope you have a solid foundation, so they certainly haven't taught you any powerful moves. The true swordsmanship of our Five Mountains Sword Sect is definitely stronger than that of the Qingcheng Sect!" Linghu Chong naturally didn't want to show weakness in front of Lin Pingzhi.

"No, no, no, senior brother misunderstands. How could I underestimate the swordsmanship of our sect? In fact, senior sister has been diligently instructing me every day lately, and I am very much looking forward to many of the sect's exquisite sword techniques..." Lin Pingzhi quickly explained.

Chu Luren swore that he had never rehearsed with Lin Pingzhi. Brother Lin had angered Linghu Chong on his own merits!

“Junior sister will teach you… Junior sister has no patience, so teaching you would definitely just be a bluff.” Linghu Chong’s eyes were red.

Lin Pingzhi thought Linghu Chong was questioning Yue Lingshan, so he explained, "Senior Brother misunderstands. Senior Sister is very patient. Take the 'Phoenix Comes to Pay Homage' move, for example. It has five complex variations, and I could never master it. It was only after Senior Sister's days of instruction that I was able to..."

"What 'Phoenix Arrives'? What kind of exquisite sword technique is that! It's probably not even as good as 'Pine Breeze Sword Technique'!" Linghu Chong felt bitter and his attitude became worse.

Seeing his senior brother's anger, Lin Pingzhi quickly dared not say anything more. Linghu Chong also secretly blamed himself—how could I use the Pine Breeze Sword Technique as an example when my junior brother's whole family was harmed by the villains of the Qingcheng Sect?

"Well, actually, the Five Mountains Sword Sect has quite a few exquisite sword techniques. If you don't believe me, Junior Brother Lin, then come with me!" Linghu Chong said, putting down his wine bowl and beckoning Lin Pingzhi into the cave.

Originally, Linghu Chong was very reluctant to let others see the moves that could break the Five Mountains Sword Technique carved on the stone wall. He even considered scraping the stone wall flat so that no one in the world would know that the Five Mountains Sword Technique could be broken in this way.

but……

Linghu Chong ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it, feeling that it wasn't the act of a gentleman.

Now, firstly, he's in a mess because of his junior sister teaching Lin Pingzhi swordsmanship; secondly, he feels guilty towards Lin Pingzhi for his careless words; and thirdly... after a few rounds of drinks, he's inevitably getting tipsy.

So he took the initiative to pull Lin Pingzhi along to watch the sword moves on the stone wall!

At the same time, he couldn't help but think: Once Junior Brother Lin learns these skills, Junior Sister won't be able to teach him anymore. Maybe during a sparring match, Junior Brother Lin will accidentally win against Junior Sister… Ahem, Linghu Chong! What are you thinking about now? Junior Sister is just a friendly fellow disciple…

Seeing this, Chu Luren followed silently behind—I just wanted to see what the remnants of the Demonic Sect elder had to do with stealing the Five Mountains Sword Technique.

After entering the cave, we went around to the back and found a narrow path. The entrance was clearly newly excavated. After walking a dozen or so steps, we arrived at a wide area where the walls were covered with carvings!

Holding a torch, Linghu Chong gestured around and said, "Look! These are the essence of the sword techniques of our Five Mountains Sword Sect predecessors!"

At this time, Linghu Chong still had a strong sense of belonging to his sect, but his mind and vision were somewhat narrow. Unlike later when he combined the strengths of various sects, he was still somewhat unwilling to admit that the elders of the Demonic Sect could break the Five Mountains Sword Technique, so he omitted it.

Lin Pingzhi stared blankly, lost in thought, at the various sword technique diagrams around him…

Linghu Chong then realized that Chu Luren was also there, and then he realized—should I not have brought him in as well?