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

Page 184

"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.

"If you want to practice this skill, you must castrate yourself first?"

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 can not 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.

"You are hurt?"

"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.

Zhao Ming respectfully withdrew.

Yang Lianting was left alone in Chengde Hall again.

Yang Lianting frowned as he looked at the cassock in his hand, pondering something, his eyes shifting unpredictably.

After a while.

Yang Lianting walked towards the rear hall, passed through the long corridor, and arrived at a garden with scattered stone houses.

Yang Lianting walked straight towards one of the stone houses, pushed open one of the walls, and revealed an iron gate.

Yang Lianting took out the key from his pocket, opened the iron gate, and saw that there was a tunnel inside.

The tunnel was pitch black, with only a few oil lamps casting faint light on the side.

Yang Lianting walked into the tunnel for an unknown amount of time, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he found himself in another garden.

The place is filled with countless colorful flowers, the air is filled with their fragrance, the mountains are stacked up, white cranes and mandarin ducks play in the pond, and occasionally a few birds can be seen flying through the air, leaving behind their clear calls.

It's like a paradise on earth.

Upon arriving at the garden, Yang Lianting did not proceed further. After a moment's thought, he put the cassock into his bosom before continuing on his way.

Passing through flowerbeds and artificial hills, you arrive at the center of the garden, where pavilions and towers stand tall.

As soon as I stepped into the pavilion, I heard a voice coming from inside.

"Brother Lian, is that you?"

Chapter 262: Dongfang Bubai

"Yes, I need to talk to you about something."

Yang Lianting said something and continued walking into the pavilion.

Stepping inside, the room was filled with a profusion of flowers and an intensely fragrant scent of perfume, so strong it was almost suffocating.

But Yang Lianting seemed to have gotten used to the fragrance. When he entered the inner room, he saw a figure sitting quietly on the dressing table, dressed in pink clothes, holding an embroidery needle and embroidering something.

“The church has everything, so there’s no use for your embroidery.”

As Yang Lianting spoke, he sat down by the bedside, looking relaxed.

"This was embroidered for you."

Dongfang Bubai smiled and held up what he was holding. Only then did Yang Lianting see that it was the shape of a garment.

“I already have enough clothes. I haven’t even worn the ones you embroidered last time.”

Looking at the clothes in Dongfang Bubai's hand, Yang Lianting felt somewhat helpless.

The clothes he's wearing now were embroidered by Dongfang Bubai.

Dongfang Bubai chuckled softly and said, "How can those ordinary mortals outside compare to me?"

"Too."

Yang Lianting also laughed: "Not everyone has the opportunity to wear clothes embroidered by the world's best embroidery."

The two were having an unusually harmonious conversation, but Dongfang Bubai's next sentence made the atmosphere tense.

"I heard you're planning to make a move against Tong Baixiong recently?"

Yang Lianting's expression changed, but he remained silent.

"Hey."

Not hearing Yang Lianting's reply, Dongfang Bubai sighed.

"Back then, I was besieged by the Seven Tigers of Ludong and almost lost my life on the spot. If it weren't for Brother Tong saving me, I probably wouldn't be alive today."

Hearing Dongfang Bubai's words, Yang Lianting's expression changed several times before he finally said, "You want me to let him go?"

At this moment, Dongfang Bubai remained silent, only sighing again.

"Humph."

Yang Lianting sneered.

"I'll let him go, but he won't let me go."

“This old man is always going against me, saying that I have deceived you and want to usurp your position. He keeps asking to see you, but I naturally refuse. As a result, he hates me to the bone. If I fall into his hands, I will surely suffer a fate worse than death.”

Dongfang Bubai remained silent for a long time before saying, "I am indeed not suitable to see him in my current state, Brother Lian. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

At this point, Dongfang Bubai let out a long sigh.

"Actually, I don't really want to be the leader. I'm tired of this position. I've wanted to pass it on to you for a long time, but you know the situation within the sect..."

"I know."

Before Dongfang Bubai could finish speaking, Yang Lianting silently said something.

Dongfang Bubai had said this many times, and he had always known it.

The two returned to their previous silence.

"I heard that Yingying's side has started besieging Mount Hua?"

A moment later, Dongfang Bubai took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Ah."

Yang Lianting nodded.

"It seems he was enraged after being chased by a young man from the Huashan Sect."

"I didn't expect this girl to have gathered so many subordinates outside. It really surprises me. But they are all just small fry. Not long ago, the people I sent out to monitor her came back. Her subordinates were wiped out by the righteous side."

At this point, Yang Lianting sneered, "This girl quietly gathered so many subordinates, and now some are dead and others have fled. Years of hard work have vanished in an instant. It seems she was just fooling around."

Yang Lianting's tone was laced with contempt and disdain.

"Hey."

Dongfang Bubai sighed, "You've been deceived by her."

"what?"

Yang Lianting was taken aback.

"Actually, her power is not limited to this. The group that went to Mount Hua is just the tip of the iceberg. Her real purpose is not revenge, but to attract your attention. Obviously, she succeeded."

Dongfang Bubai said with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

Yang Lianting frowned.

Dongfang Bubai did not answer his question, but instead brought up another matter.

"Ren Woxing should have emerged from under West Lake by now."

Dongfang Bubai spoke casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Yang Lianting's eyes widened, and he instantly stood up, exclaiming in disbelief.

"You mean she went to rescue Ren Woxing?"

"Ah."

Dongfang Bubai nodded slightly.

"This girl has been very good at disguising herself all these years. She already knew that her father was imprisoned at the bottom of West Lake. Now she has made such a big move to rescue Ren Woxing."

Yang Lianting was both shocked and furious, and at the same time, he felt uneasy.

He looked at Dongfang Bubai and said directly, "Since you knew she was going to save Ren Woxing, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stop her?"

Yang Lianting began to fidget.

Ren Woxing is not a peaceful person. After being imprisoned for so many years, he must be full of resentment towards Dongfang Bubai. Releasing him now is like letting a tiger return to the mountains.

Yang Lianting didn't understand why Dongfang Bubai was doing this.