Hengshan Sect's Strongest Sword Cultivator

"Tianzhu Peak's mist..."

He had a vague impression of this sword technique, but it was nowhere near as famous as the "Hundred Changes, Thousand Illusions Cloud and Mist Thirteen Forms" or the "Returning Wind Wild Goose Sword."

Lu described it as an "extremely powerful swordsmanship"; was there a bias in the information, or was it mere flattery?

"This sword technique sounds quite artistic; do you know which Hengshan predecessor used it best?" he asked with a curious expression, trying various ways to inquire.

"It is none other than Mr. Mo Da."

"Previously, when Chief Escort Long hosted a banquet for Liu's disciple, Mi Weiyi, I happened to accompany him. It rained cats and dogs that day, and the waterfall pouring down from Tianzhu Peak was very spectacular. Mi Weiyi mentioned that a Hengshan predecessor had comprehended swordsmanship there and left behind the 'Tianzhu Peak's mist.'

"The most majestic peaks are five in number, connecting to form the Five Spirit Sword."

"But by the time it passed to the thirteenth Sect Leader, Mr. Mo Da, the sword moves were already fragmentary and incomplete. It seems that the sword manual should still be in Mr. Mo Da's possession."

After saying this, Lu Gui shook his head in disappointment, "Brother Rong joining the Hengshan Sect is very promising, but to learn this set of swordsmanship... I'm afraid... well..."

He stopped abruptly, believing that Zhao Rong definitely understood.

If Liu would take a disciple, it might be difficult to get the sword manual from Mo Da.

The two brothers in the martial arts had different ideas and rarely met.

How much would Liu have to favor Zhao Rong to ask Mo Da?

Lu Gui felt that there was little hope for this matter.

Understanding Lu's meaning, Zhao Rong beamed a bright smile, not taking it to heart at all.

Times have changed.

Recently practicing the "Muscle-Tendon Change Scripture" and the "Sinew-Cleansing Scripture," along with the technique of acupoint striking, had made him feel extremely fulfilled.

Thinking of the Sanhe Sect and the escort robbery, Zhao Rong suggested they return to the escort agency.

Lu Gui replied, "There's no need to rush."

"Our capacity to act is very limited, everything must wait for the Chief Escort to take control."

"I see you're having a whale of a time; you mustn't have been out for a stroll in a while. When Lu was your age, he couldn't stay as calm as Brother Rong."

He patted Zhao Rong's shoulder, then pointed to the mountain path:

"Now that we're out here, and since it was the escort head's intention as well, I might as well take you down the official road for a walk."

"Before the end of the year, following the escort head on jobs, you'll likely end up in places like Linjiang, Jiujiang, and so forth. If you're not even familiar with the area around Hengyang, traveling north and south could cause you a lot of trouble."

"Moreover..."

Lu Gui gestured towards Soaring Dragon suggestively.

"Where to next?"

Young men love precious horses, and Zhao Rong wanted to experience more.

Once the Chief Escort returned, he feared this precious steed would be hard to come by.

Lu Gui's long face was full of a triumphant grin, "That's more like it, now you're acting like a greenhorn."

Lu Gui laughed heartily, speaking more and more outlandishly, mentioning taking him to some 'fine places' that could help him 'grow up' quicker."

Zhao Rong spat disdainfully, refusing to be associated with that.

...

Shortly after, the two horses headed down the mountain road.

"Let's head south, passing under Mount Heng, toward Yuanzhou Prefecture."

"Banditry is rampant around here and Soaring Dragon attracts attention; if we travel too far, we may invite trouble."

"No matter, it's just a few miles ahead. There's a high ridge called Immortal Crane Ridge past the Wan Ting Creek Bridge. Beyond it lies the ancient pass. Since Brother Rong enjoys reading 'Spring and Autumn,' why not go take a look at the cliff inscriptions and sword and spear marks left by predecessors there?"

"The residents of Hengyang like to visit that place during outings. The post station and the inn are built at the foot of Tianzhu Peak. Maybe we'll even come across merchants and knights heading to Hengyang City."

"As they say, each place has its own near and far, high and low. From there, looking at the Hengshan Five Spirit Peaks has its own grandeur, haha."

"Let's do as Brother Lu says."

"Giddyap!"

"Giddyap!"

...

The ancient road wound and spiraled, and Zhao Rong stepped into this region for the first time, which bore a huge difference from the Mount Heng he remembered.

"Immortal Crane Ridge stretches for eight miles, with three pavilions on the lower peaks along the way. Go straight to the ridge top to catch a breath, and then five more miles take you to Wan Ting. Beyond Wan Ting lies Wave Creek, and after passing three villages, the border marker stone piles are visible. Midway sits a pavilion named Pine Wave."

Lu Gui rattled off these details, having a command of the terrain.

"We also escort to Ji'an and Yanping areas. I've traveled this road more than a dozen times—I could find my way to the foot of Tianzhu Peak with my eyes closed," boasted Lu Gui of his escort experiences, as Zhao Rong found everything a novelty.

He had always stayed in Hengyang, rarely venturing out except for fishing in Tanshui.

Mainly because he hadn't mastered martial arts, he had no confidence going anywhere.

In this era where martial prowess was everything, jianghu was full of heinous bandits, and a moment's carelessness could mean the end of one's life.

Otherwise, the business of the escort agency wouldn't be so booming.

"This is Immortal Crane Ridge Pass."

Facing the conversation, Zhao Rong saw the mountain pass and the narrow gate. On either side of the pass were walls of piled stones, standing before a peak. The terrain here was treacherous, easy to defend but hard to attack.

But this was not some strategic choke point; it was a defensive fortification of a gang of robbers.

He had heard the storytellers in the city talk about a bandit gang who declared themselves rulers of Immortal Crane Ridge, later wiped out by the Hengshan Sect.

The moment they passed the great ridge, the view began to open up.

The official road became smoother.

Indeed, as Lu Gui described, the Five Spirit Peaks were in plain sight, stretching to the southeast, like giant swords piercing the clouds—far more majestic than the Mount Heng in Zhao Rong's memory.

He glanced in the distance to see merchants' carts stopped in front of a post station at the mountain's base, with quite a few people bustling about.

Zhao Rong pulled the reins to stop Soaring Dragon, turning to see a cliff inscription by the roadside, right below the "Immortal Crane Ridge" stele.

The writing was no longer clear, but it didn't hinder recognition:

"The Long Rain in Winter of the Year Yiwei"

A yellow haze hung low over the loess plateau, the millet heads soaked black in the steady drizzle. The Hengshan Sect long possessed the Open Cloud Hand; it's just that the world remains unaware."

The signature was...

"Chen Pu."

Zhao Rong couldn't remember who this old fellow was, but next to it was another cliff inscription that read "I entered the Five Divine Peaks."

"When I entered the Five Divine Peaks, only Tianzhu Peak stood taller. Brushing my clothes, I ascended a thousand ren high, who else throughout the ages could match my heroism?"

The signature was Li....

The character following was too eroded and decayed with the inscription to be discernible.

Lu Gui, standing nearby, suddenly burst into laughter. When Zhao Rong took a closer look, he too roared with laughter.

The content of the inscription was wildly incorrect.

The previous part mentioned the Five Divine Peaks, and then claimed Tianzhu Peak was the highest. But in fact, Zhurong Peak is the highest. Although the writer's inscription was ambitious and grand, such an obvious mistake became all the more humorous.

One could also interpret it as "the inscriber believed Tianzhu Peak to be the highest," but considering the half-rubbed-off name, it clearly revealed a slip of the mind.

This guy felt guilty.

One could imagine a man standing here a hundred years ago, proudly inscribing his words on Guanshen Peak, only to hastily half-erase his name and flee after passersby or friends pointed out his mistake.

Truly amusing.

Zhao Rong also took note of the sword marks and bullet holes that Lu Gui mentioned, purportedly left behind from a fight between heroes of the green forests and river bandits. Some massive inscriptions had been cut in half, the smooth, flat surfaces still faintly visible.

Without profound inner strength, it would be impossible to do so.

"Brother Lu, let's go there and have a bowl of tea."

"Let's go."

They rode their horses to a post station outside, where a row of black canopies stood next to several elm trees. There were merchants traveling together, mule and horse caravans from other regions, and also a few martial artists from the jianghu.

"Giddy up!"

Originally, many people were sizing up Zhao Rong and Lu Gui until they were distracted by the sound of a galloping horse.

A postal courier dressed in black raced by towards the Hengyang government office, presumably with some urgent missive.

Unexpectedly to Zhao Rong,

just as he and Lu Gui sat down and took their bowls of tea, a middle-aged man, travel-worn and with a short knife at his belt, emerged from a large table nearby and walked straight towards them.

"Are you two brothers coming from Hengyang?"

"That's right," Lu Gui answered, waiting for the man to continue.

Zhao Rong remained silent, glancing at the short knife by the man's waist and then his broad fingers; his eyes swept over the table of people.

All were martial artists.

He picked up his tea bowl, on his guard.

The middle-aged man showed a hint of delight and sat down on the stool that Lu Gui pushed out, "Seeing your escort attire, and coming from the city, are you from the Changrui Escort Agency?"

"And you are...?"

The man clasped his fist in greeting: "My name is Qiu Guangjun."

He reached into his chest and pulled out a letter. Lu Gui glanced at the envelope and immediately laughed, "My apologies, turns out Brother Qiu is a friend of Escort Leader Lu!"

"Qiu has received a letter from Escort Leader Lu and has rushed here day and night from Ji'an Prefecture to Hengyang."

"My Qiu Family Manor has long been indebted to Master Liu, and I'm also good friends with Escort Leader Lu. This time, I'm not only going to pay my respects to Master Liu but also to lend a hand at the escort agency and confront those Sanhe Sect rascals!"

Lu Gui quickly clasped his fist, announced his identity, and exchanged several pleasantries with Qiu Guangjun about making connections.

"And this brother is...?"

Qiu Guangjun's table had already noticed Zhao Rong; they were guessing his identity earlier.

He was so young yet dressed in escort attire, and he came riding a striking sorrel horse.

Qiu Guangjun thought the young man had an extraordinary background, having initially greeted them starting from Lu Gui's side to probe.

Zhao Rong gave a slight smile, about to return the greeting.

However, Lu Gui interrupted: "Brother Qiu, this is Zhao Rong, Brother Zhao."

"Don't look at his young age; his martial skill far surpasses mine."

"He and Escort Leader Lu are sworn brothers and are planning to visit Master Liu together at the end of the year."

Qiu Guangjun's expression immediately changed, casting a grateful look at Lu Gui.

Well, brother Lu is using me to curry favor, eh?

Lu Gui returned Zhao Rong's gaze with a cheeky grin.

Qiu Guangjun looked at Zhao Rong eagerly, with his hands clasped high in greeting.

"I've long heard of you, Brother Zhao!"

"We are all friends of Escort Leader Lu; we must get to know each other better."

Zhao Rong too responded with a smile, saying he was delighted to meet him, knowing the man was considering Master Liu's regard.

But what Qiu did next still shocked him.

He saw Qiu shout to the next table, "Meng Ting, Meng Yin, come and greet your Uncle Lu, Uncle Zhao!"

That "Uncle Zhao" was yelled out very loudly.

A pair of young men and women stood from the neighboring table, both looking to be around twenty years old.

Wearing puzzled faces, they looked at their father with befuddlement.

Uncle Zhao?

Didn't it start with just a greeting?

How did my status just get demoted like that!

...

...

...

PS: Thanks to the magnificent lords, Brilliant Overlord, Tiny Celadon, Stepping Out of the Three Realms Not Within the Five Elements, Where to Find a Great Thousand Worlds for their rewards! Thanks to the book friends for their precious monthly and recommendation tickets! During the new book period, reading continuously is very important, friends please flip to the previous chapters more, thank you thank you ('-')*ゞ