Yu Wenjing saw that there was no way to persuade Lin Chang'sheng, so she had no choice but to let it go.
The two of them chatted for a while longer before returning to their rooms to rest.
Lin Chang'sheng sat on the bed by the window, completely unable to fall asleep. In recent days, after raiding the three big martial arts halls, the Black Tiger Gang, Cyan Snake Gang, Chen Ling, and the just-slayed Situ Zhan and other experts, the amount of silver he'd gotten had already exceeded ten thousand.
It could be called quite a fortune.
He took out the Six Kills and Grass Flying secret manuals.
"This Six Kills is all saber techniques. If I cultivate it to perfection, I should be able to merge it with Wind and Thunder Saber Technique to form an even stronger saber art!"
Lin Chang'sheng looked at the Six Kills secret manual in his hand, anticipation glimmering in his eyes.
And then there's Grass Flying.
When the time comes, it should also be able to merge with Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill.
If both his saber technique and lightweight skill improved again, his strength would skyrocket in leaps and bounds!
Lin Chang'sheng picked up the Six Kills and started reading through it first.
This saber manual only had six kills, a very thin book, with six saber moves and some notes. The pages were curled at the edges—it seemed Zhong Ling had studied this saber technique thoroughly and had written down his own insights in it.
[Detected martial arts saber technique Six Kills. Do you want to spend 10 taels of silver to simplify it?]
Just as Lin Chang'sheng had finished reading the Six Kills for the third time, a red notification suddenly popped up on the panel in front of him.
"Simplify!"
Lin Chang'sheng immediately clicked the "Yes" button.
[Great Dao is Simple: Simplifying Six Kills........Simplification successful.....Six Kills = Slaughter!]
Lin Chang'sheng confirmed it took barely a few moments before the panel popped up another notification showing that the simplification was successful.
"Slaughter? Does that directly earn me experience points?"
Seeing the notification, Lin Chang'sheng's eyes flashed. He had a bold idea, but he needed to test it out. If it worked, his Six Kills could reach perfection in no time.
"Let's look at Grass Flying next."
Lin Chang'sheng looked at the Grass Flying manual again.
This time, after reading it five times, a red notification appeared on his panel.
"Simplify!"
Lin Chang'sheng instantly clicked confirm.
[Great Dao is Simple: Simplifying Grass Flying........Simplification successful.....Grass Flying = Treading Grass]
Lin Chang'sheng saw on the panel that the simplification succeeded again after only a moment.
"Grass Flying simplified to Treading Grass?"
When Lin Chang'sheng saw what was displayed on the panel, his eyes lit up—it really was that easy.
Now, all he'd have to do is walk straight through grass, and soon he'd reach perfection.
"Let's cultivate for a while."
Lin Chang'sheng thought secretly. With over a hundred dead bodies by the bamboo forest outside, there was no way he could sleep, so he might as well cultivate instead of rest—to raise his cultivation experience points.
The next day.
It was still before dawn.
Yu Wenjing was already awake. She got up early to make breakfast and cleaned up the whole house.
When it was time for breakfast,
Yu Wenjing ate quietly, glancing at Lin Chang'sheng from time to time, her expression complicated, deep in thought.
"The people picking you up have arrived."
Suddenly, Lin Chang'sheng looked toward the door. He had already heard footsteps outside.
"Sorry for arriving late, Miss—please punish us."
A warm voice sounded from outside the door.
"Never mind, wait for me a moment."
Yu Wenjing spoke in a deep voice, looking at Lin Chang'sheng, and said, "Chang'sheng, you saved my life twice. In the days ahead, sigh... who knows if we'll meet again?"
"Till we meet again."
Lin Chang'sheng replied solemnly.
"Till... we meet again."
Yu Wenjing gazed long and hard at Lin Chang'sheng, as if trying to engraved his face in her memory, then turned and walked out the door.
At the doorway,
stood a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's gown, long black hair draped over his shoulders, aura unfathomable.
Behind him stood two towering, muscular giants, and more than thirty Profound Robe Swordsmen, all standing in neat lines on either side outside the courtyard.
"Welcome, Miss!"
As Yu Wenjing walked out, everyone bowed and cupped their fists with utmost respect.
"Uncle Jin, you go ahead. I'll catch up!"
Yu Wenjing's beautiful eyes flashed as she spoke to the middle-aged man at the head.
"Yes!"
The middle-aged man waved his hand, then led the two big men and the Profound Robe Swordsmen away.
A look of determination appeared on Yu Wenjing's exquisitely beautiful face. She removed the jade-green hairpin from her head—the very one she used to kill Zhong Ling last night.
She turned and pressed it into Lin Chang'sheng's hand. "This hairpin is called the Life-taking Hairpin. It holds the power of two strikes from a Martial Arts Grandmaster! Infuse it with inner strength to activate it. You keep it! If one day… perhaps, you can come to Yu City…!"
After speaking, Yu Wenjing turned and hurried after Uncle Jin and the others.
"Life-taking Hairpin—two strikes of a Martial Arts Grandmaster!"
Lin Chang'sheng watched Yu Wenjing's departing figure, then looked down at the hairpin in his hand, silent.
........
Min Nan County.
It has jurisdiction over 18 cities.
The Golden Saber Sect
is situated in the Min Nan Main City, at Jade Box Mountain.
A series of grand halls lined the mountainside. Halfway up, there is a massive plaza covering several miles, with crowds of youths, both boys and girls, practicing saber techniques there.
Halfway up the mountain, there is a secluded little courtyard.
A youth, about twenty-five or six years old, sat cross-legged in the living room. Just then, a Divine Eagle flew down from the sky, landing atop a massive stone lock in the middle of the courtyard.
"Is it news from my big brother?"
Zhao Fuhu looked at the Divine Eagle, raised an eyebrow, and went up to untie a wax-sealed scroll from the eagle's leg. Zhao Fuhu crushed open the seal, unrolled the letter, read for a while, and his expression suddenly changed. "What? Big brother killed? The Black Tiger Gang wiped out by a mysterious man?"
The news was sent by his second uncle—who wasn't at the Black Tiger Gang at the time.
"Who is this mysterious person??"
Zhao Fuhu's eyes turned blood-red. His fists clenched so tightly his bones sounded like beans popping, and a fierce, terrifying aura burst from his body!
"Who killed my big brother? I'll dig up your ancestors' graves for eighteen generations!"
Zhao Fuhu ground his teeth with hate.
.......
County Government Office.
"Canglang Blade Master, Da Hu of the Min Nan Five Tigers, Situ Zhan—all major first-class experts! Add the Purple Thunder Flying Knife, the Lingnan Double Eagles, and over ten second-class experts, plus more than a hundred third-class fighters—they were all killed!"
"His strength is truly off the charts!"
"It'll be too hard to wipe out the risk of the ledger."
Chen Ling sat in the rear hall, his expression dark and full of sighs.
At this moment,
He could only hope that Lin Chang'sheng wouldn't expose that ledger.
......
Yan Zhen's Noodle Shop.
"My god! Canglang Blade Master Lightning Blade, Da Hu Situ Zhan of the Min Nan Five Tigers—all famous first-class experts in the jianghu! Who'd have thought they all died in front of that kid Lin Chang'sheng's house last night?"
"Lord Chen said it was a bunch of Jianghu Travelers fighting outside the kid's house. The culprit was long gone!"
"To kill two first-class, over ten second-class, and nearly a hundred third-class fighters — if not a Martial Arts Grandmaster, then definitely a first-class master at peak!"
"I saw Canglang Blade Master's corpse. Both knees and crotch were pierced by arrows, and his head smashed by Iron Sand Palm! The killer knew both archery and Iron Sand Palm!"
"......"
Scattered customers inside the shop were deep in discussion.
"Shot by arrows? Iron Sand Palm?"
The proprietress, Yan Zhen, was scooping noodles while listening to the talk, her heart stirred by their speculations.
Last night, she saw blood all over Lin Chang'sheng.
That was what struck her as odd.
If he wasn't involved, how did he get so bloody?
Archery—Chang'sheng liked the old family bow. Iron Sand Palm—he'd gone to Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall to study it. And the night Ma Zhankui threatened her? That very night, his whole family was wiped out.
But the more Yan Zhen thought about it, the less she believed it was possible.
After all, Chang'sheng is only seventeen. How could he possibly have that much power?
Maybe.
It's just a coincidence!