Chapter Three: Revenge and Side Quests

“Alliance Leader Zuo’s personal visit is truly more than I deserve!” said Liu Zhengfeng.

On the surface, Zuo Lengchan was the most powerful figure among the Five Mountain Sword Sects, and Songshan was the strongest of them all. Naturally, Liu Zhengfeng had to display proper deference.

Zuo Lengchan waved his hand. “Brother Liu, you are too courteous.”

He then turned toward Sun Meng, who stood beside Liu Zhengfeng. “I presume this handsome young man must be Lin Pingzhi?”

Zuo Lengchan gazed at Sun Meng. Sun Meng stepped forward, bowed, and saluted, “I am Lin Pingzhi, paying my respects to Alliance Leader Zuo.”

Seeing Lin Pingzhi’s respectful demeanor, Zuo Lengchan nodded with satisfaction. “I have heard that your family was slaughtered by the Demon Sect. It is truly a tragedy that grieves us all.”

Suddenly, Sun Meng dropped to his knees and cried out, “Alliance Leader Zuo, I beg you to seek justice for me!”

Zuo Lengchan quickly responded, “Nephew Lin, there is no need for this. Eradicating the Demon Sect has always been the unshirkable duty of us righteous men. Yet these villains are cunning in the extreme, and for now, their whereabouts elude us.”

Sun Meng lifted his head and addressed the assembly. “Alliance Leader Zuo, honored elders of the martial world!”

He gritted his teeth as he spoke. “The ones who annihilated my family were not disciples of the Demon Sect!”

The hatred on his face was so vivid that none present could easily doubt him. Over the past few days, they had learned enough about Lin Pingzhi’s situation. With information unequal, Sun Meng had already firmly established his guise as a wronged and vulnerable youth through Lin Pingzhi’s identity.

“What!” An exclamation of surprise swept through the crowd—some were genuinely shocked, while others only feigned it.

“Nephew, do you know who committed this crime?” Zuo Lengchan asked.

Sun Meng stood up. “Before my father died, he told me that the calamity that befell our Lin family was all because of the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual!”

Glancing at the crowd, Sun Meng continued, “The villain was so ruthless he could even abandon his own son. Had my father not told me, I would have thought our family’s doom came from my own misdeeds!”

Then, fixing his gaze on the throng, Sun Meng shouted, “Yu Canghai! Show yourself!”

Yu Canghai could no longer remain hidden. Though the Qingcheng Sect was a major force in Sichuan, in the martial world, and especially before the Five Mountain Sword Sects, he could only stand amid the onlookers.

Yet Yu Canghai remained unperturbed. He stepped forward, staring at Sun Meng. “Lin Pingzhi, don’t you dare slander me! It’s true I want to kill you to avenge my son, but before I even reached Fuzhou, your family was already dead. I haven’t even confronted you over my son’s death, yet you dare twist right and wrong in front of these elders!”

Yu Canghai was clearly trying to muddy the waters with his status as a sect leader—his words still carried weight.

As expected, Yue Buqun stepped forward to say, “Nephew Lin, since Sect Leader Yu has explained, perhaps you have been misled by some villain?”

Looking at Yue Buqun’s righteous face, Sun Meng thought that if he didn’t already know of Yue’s own schemes for the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, he might have thought him a good man.

Bowing to Yue Buqun, Sun Meng responded, “Elder Yue, you know only half the story! That day, while out hunting, I encountered Yu Canghai’s son. A few words led to a fight. To my shock, those Qingcheng disciples used the Lin family’s seventy-two Evil-Resisting Sword techniques! Regrettably, I was outmatched and lost to his son. In his glee, Yu Renyan boasted that everyone in Qingcheng Sect had mastered my family’s swordsmanship, even revealing his father’s plot against the Lin family’s manual!”

Though no one could now verify these events, what mattered at this moment was not solid proof but guiding the others to trust him.

“What a clever lad! My son is dead, so of course you can say whatever you wish!” Yu Canghai cried, his eyes reddening as if he were truly a grieving father.

Sun Meng snorted, then bowed deeply to Zuo Lengchan. “Alliance Leader Zuo, I am but a lowly youth with little standing and no decisive proof. But I swear on the honor of my ancestors that every word I speak is true! If I utter even half a falsehood, may the Lin family perish without a trace!”

At this, the atmosphere grew awkward. Though these martial artists prized profit, they also valued reputation, oaths, and honor.

With such a vow, most would take Sun Meng at his word—such was the spirit of the era. Some began to cast hostile glances at Yu Canghai. As for Yue Buqun, who already knew the truth, a flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

‘If I were to avenge Lin Pingzhi, would he bring the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual and join Huashan Sect under my banner?’

With this thought, Yue Buqun turned to Yu Canghai and asked, “Sect Leader Yu, even if you did not kill Nephew Lin’s family, surely it isn’t false that Qingcheng Sect secretly learned their swordsmanship?”

Yu Canghai straightened. “And what of it! Ever since our ancestors were defeated by Lin Yantu, we have studied the Evil-Resisting Swordsmanship to counter it. In time, we naturally became familiar with its forms.”

He had long prepared such an excuse, having schemed against the Lin family for years.

“But no matter how you studied, Qingcheng Sect never unraveled its secrets. So you lost patience and murdered my family to seize the true manual!”

Sun Meng cried out, scanning the crowd. “Honored elders, my parents died unjustly! I beg to offer Yu Canghai’s head as a sacrifice to their spirits. If any elder can avenge me, I will present the family’s Evil-Resisting Sword Manual and vow myself as your disciple for life, never to change my allegiance!”

With that, Sun Meng produced an oilcloth-wrapped bundle. “This is the true Evil-Resisting Sword Manual my father gave me before he died!”

At these words, many eyes blazed with greed. This was the legendary sword art of Lin Yantu, once famous throughout the land—how could any not covet it?

Yu Canghai was the first to lose control. He lunged forward to snatch the bundle, channeling his inner force into his palm, aiming to kill Sun Meng with a Heart-Piercing Palm.

“Lin brat, prepare to die!” he shouted, striking down.

Sun Meng let out a cold smirk, feigning weakness in his legs as he tumbled backward, tossing the oilcloth bundle high into the air—right between Yu Canghai and Zuo Lengchan.

In a world with such limited martial prowess, he dared risk such a move. If someone could project true energy at a distance, he would not have dared.

As expected, Zuo Lengchan moved with lightning speed, his icy inner force instantly piercing Yu Canghai’s body.

Meanwhile, Ding Mian, master of the Dragging Tower Hand, caught the oilcloth and handed it to Zuo Lengchan.

“Yu Canghai! You dare commit murder before so many witnesses! It seems you truly were behind the Lin family’s tragedy!” Zuo Lengchan declared coldly.

Ambitious as he was, he would not miss such a chance to enhance his strength and prestige. Sun Meng had handed him the perfect opportunity, and Yu Canghai was not someone he feared.

Yu Canghai wiped the blood from his lips, clutching his chest. “Hmph! Zuo Lengchan, don’t pretend you don’t covet the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual! Today I’ve lost, but the Qingcheng Sect is not part of the Five Mountains Sword Sects—you have no authority over us!” With that, he turned to leave.

Sun Meng immediately knelt before Zuo Lengchan. “Master, please accept your disciple’s obeisance!” he cried, knocking his head on the ground.

Zuo Lengchan snatched a sword from a nearby disciple and, with a flick of his wrist, sent a cold flash streaking through the air, piercing Yu Canghai’s throat.

Without sparing him a glance, Zuo Lengchan turned and gently helped Sun Meng to his feet. “Rise, my disciple! Now that you have called me master, how could I not defend you?”

Sun Meng feigned deep emotion. “Thank you, Master. From this day forth, alive or dead, I belong to the Songshan Sect!”

“Excellent!” Zuo Lengchan laughed. “From this day on, Lin Pingzhi is my last and most cherished disciple!”

“Congratulations, Brother Zuo, on accepting such a fine protégé—!” The gathered martial artists offered their congratulations, though few meant it sincerely.

“Pingzhi, now that you have joined my Songshan Sect, you should keep the family manual yourself. If you have any doubts, you may consult me at any time,” Zuo Lengchan said, preparing to hand back the oilcloth-wrapped bundle. Though he smiled, his eyes were cold as ice. Sun Meng knew that if he accepted the manual, his days would be numbered.

Nor had he ever intended to keep the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual. So he replied,

“Master, my father once told me the ancestral rule of the Lin family: we may practice the sword techniques, but not study the manual itself. Otherwise, we are no longer Lin descendants. I beg you, Master, to keep it. I wish only to learn the Songshan Sect’s advanced swordsmanship!”

At last, Zuo Lengchan’s smile turned truly satisfied. “Very well! When the Hand-Washing Gold Basin Ceremony is over, I shall master its essence and teach it to you myself!”

At the same time, Sun Meng received two notifications: his main quest for vengeance was complete, and a side quest for the Hand-Washing Gold Basin Ceremony had begun.

Thus, he could remain in this world a little longer.