The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

"Later, the cassock was stolen by one group of men in black. Another group of men in black went after the cassock, and in the end, that group of men in black chased after us, wanting to get the secret formula of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual from me."

Cheng Buyou helped him evade the pursuit of the group of men in black, and during the process, the injuries he sustained while protecting him became increasingly severe.

Lin Pingzhi told him to leave him alone, but the old-fashioned Taoist priest refused to leave, saying that no elder would abandon a junior and run away alone. Later, Cheng Buyou even planned to use his own life to cover Lin Pingzhi's escape.

"If it weren't for Master Cheng, I would already be dead."

Lin Pingzhi's voice choked with emotion.

“It was my fault that I harmed Uncle Cheng. After escaping from Fujian, I wanted to seek help from my father’s friends, but I didn’t expect that they also wanted to seize my family’s Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.”

Lin Pingzhi's tone was filled with intense hatred. He never expected that his father's former friends would kill him so cruelly, especially since that person was his father's closest friend. Lin Pingzhi had even been held by that person when he was a child, and the two families had a very close relationship.

After escaping from Fujian, Lin Pingzhi and Cheng Buyou were hunted down by three groups of people: a group of men in black who wanted to get the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual from him, a group of his father's friends, and a group of people from the martial arts world.

After news of Lin Pingzhi's appearance in Fujian spread, people in the martial arts world all wanted to find him and obtain the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. To avoid being hunted down, Lin Pingzhi and Cheng Buyou suffered so much during this period that it cannot be described as miserable.

Hearing Lin Pingzhi's self-blame, Yue Buqun sighed and helped him up: "It's not your fault."

Yue Buqun comforted him, saying, "The human heart is the hardest thing to look at directly. As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart. You are still young and do not know the dangers of the world. I don't blame you."

"Although there was an accident on the way down the mountain, it's fortunate that you and your Uncle Cheng are still alive. It's a blessing in disguise. Don't think about it too much."

"Yes, Master."

Lin Pingzhi nodded.

"Alright, you've had a long trip, go and get some rest."

Yue Buqun patted him on the shoulder, telling him to go and rest first.

Lin Pingzhi accepted the order and withdrew, while Jiang Ning watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

Three groups of men in black? They all claimed to be from the Demonic Cult? And they started fighting?

Jiang Ning keenly sensed something was wrong and looked towards Yue Buqun, only to find that Yue Buqun was also frowning.

……

Hebei.

A group of men in black navigated the lake by steering the boat.

These people wore masks, revealing only their eyes, exuding indifference and cruelty.

The leader, dressed in black, was carrying a wooden tray covered with a black cloth, the contents of which were unknown.

The boat steered for a distance on the lake and came to a strange place.

The surrounding rocks were crimson red, as if they had been dyed with blood.

The group of men in black disembarked and headed north. After walking for an unknown amount of time, they arrived at a strange location.

Two towering rocks stood in the middle, forming a narrow passage, guarded by a group of men in black.

The leader of the group of men in black, carrying a wooden tray, stood at the stone path. Just as he was about to go in, two long spears crossed in front of him.

"Password."

One of the men in black looked at him coldly.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the men in black lowered his head and spoke in a low voice.

"The sun rises in the east, the leader is invincible, possessing both literary and martial virtues, and his benevolence extends to all living beings."

Chapter 261: Yang Lianting

“Token”.

The guards still did not let the man in black in.

Upon hearing this, the man in black took out an iron token from his pocket and waved it in front of the other man.

The token bore the inscription "Seven Stars Envoy Zhao Ming".

Only then did the guards allow them to pass.

The man in black walked into the stone path, which was guarded by members of the Sun Moon Sect along the way, with sentries every five steps and guards every ten steps, making it extremely strict.

After exiting the stone path, a wide mountain path appeared before them, and the man in black followed the path up the mountain.

The mountain path was extremely steep and treacherous. The men in black climbed the stone steps, questioning the men for their passwords and tokens at each checkpoint.

After passing through numerous checkpoints and undergoing heavy questioning, the man in black finally arrived at the top of the cliff, where a grand hall came into view.

The main hall is magnificent and grand, with clouds passing through the cliff top and the hall hidden in the clouds, making it even more mysterious.

The man in black arrived in front of the main hall, holding a wooden tray high above his head, and announced loudly, "Your subordinate, Zhao Ming, the Seven Star Envoy, was sent out by the Grand Steward and has now returned to report."

There was no response for a long time after the words were spoken, and then four people in purple robes came out of the main hall.

One of them said to the man in black.

"The Grand Steward orders you to go to the Chengde Hall for an audience."

"Yes."

The man in black said respectfully, and then followed the four people into the main hall, without straightening up the whole way.

"Brother Zhao, congratulations! Now that you've returned with your report, the Grand Steward must value you even more."

A man in purple, who was near the man in black, spoke with a smile.

"When Brother Zhao becomes successful, you must treat us brothers to a good drink!"

Upon hearing this, the man in black dared not be careless at all and said, "If I am truly promoted by the Grand Steward, I will never forget you brothers."

Upon hearing this, the man's face immediately lit up with a smile, and the other three, though silent, also wore faint smiles on their faces.

Led by four men in purple, the man in black arrived at Chengde Hall, which was empty except for one person waiting in the center.

The man had his back to the crowd, dressed in a red and black silk robe. He was tall and strong, with his hands behind his back, making it impossible to see his face.

Upon seeing this person, the man in black immediately knelt down, raising his hands above his head.

"Your subordinate Zhao Ming has been on the orders of the Grand Steward to seize the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual in Fujian for several months. Fortunately, I have succeeded in my mission and have obtained the manual. Please inspect it, Grand Steward."

The voice of the man in black echoed inside the hall.

Upon hearing this, the person in the hall turned around, revealing his appearance.

He had a dignified appearance, with bright eyes and a bushy beard that, far from appearing rough, gave him an air of great authority.

After the man in black finished speaking, one of the men in purple took the wooden tray from his hand and respectfully approached Yang Lianting.

Yang Lianting lifted the black cloth on the wooden tray, revealing a cassock lying quietly inside.

Yang Lianting glanced at the cassock, but didn't immediately examine it. Instead, he looked at the man in black kneeling on the ground and asked, "Zhao Ming, is this the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual you mentioned?"

Yang Lianting's voice was deep, yet very pleasant to listen to.

Zhao Ming respectfully replied, "Yes, Chief Steward. I found this kasaya in the ancestral hall of Lin Ping's house. It contains the sword techniques of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual."

Yang Lianting didn't speak, but nodded slightly. He then picked up the kasaya from the wooden tray, waved to the four men in purple, and they immediately withdrew, leaving only Yang Lianting and Zhao Ming in the hall.

Yang Lianting opened the cassock and, sure enough, found the inside of the cassock covered with densely packed small characters.

"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself?"

Upon seeing these eight characters, Yang Lianting's expression suddenly darkened, and he glanced at Zhao Ming.

"Are you sure this is the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?"

"Your subordinate dares not deceive the Grand Steward."

Zhao Ming's body trembled inexplicably, and he quickly said.

"My subordinates searched the entire Fuwei Escort Agency in Fujian, even digging up the Lin family's ancestral graves, but still couldn't find any trace of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. It wasn't until Lin Pingzhi returned to Fujian that my subordinates secretly followed him to the ancestral hall of the old house and finally discovered this cassock."

Upon first seeing the words on the kasaya, Zhao Ming was incredulous and suspected it was a fake Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. However, he had gained nothing from the kasaya over the past few months. Knowing that Yang Lianting would not let him go if things continued this way, and finding the sword manual itself profound and difficult to understand, Zhao Ming had no choice but to try his luck and bring the kasaya back.

Upon hearing these words, Yang Lianting frowned slightly, but said nothing more, instead carefully observing the scene.

After a while.

Yang Lianting put the cassock away.

He doesn't understand.

However, it is highly likely that the sword manual on it is genuine.

Yang Lianting remained expressionless and said to Zhao Ming, "Get up."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ming stood up, still slightly bent over, but his posture was somewhat unnatural, with his left shoulder slightly higher than his right.

Yang Lianting noticed this.

"Are you injured?"

"Yes."

Zhao Ming then recounted what had happened.

"When my subordinates were snatching this kasaya, two other groups also appeared and competed with them. They claimed to be members of my divine sect and were also ordered by the Grand Steward to seize the sword manual."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lianting narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Go on."

Zhao Ming continued, "I didn't know their background, and I didn't receive any orders from the Grand Steward beforehand. I didn't dare to trust them. Later, I fought with them and risked my life to bring the sword manual back."

Yang Lianting remained silent.

After pondering for a long time, Yang Lianting nodded.

"I, the chief steward, did not send anyone else to Fujian; those two groups of people were imposters."

Yang Lianting continued, "You did a good job this time and made a great contribution to the Divine Sect. I will ask the Sect Leader to commend you."

Zhao Ming quickly replied, "Thank you, Chief Steward."

"Okay, you go down first."

Yang Lianting waved his hand.