Hengshan Sect's Strongest Sword Cultivator

The young man was named Qiu Mengting and was twenty-two years old. He wore a white long robe, stood tall and mighty, and had a longsword slung around his waist.

By his side, his younger sister, named Qiu Mengyin, was four years his junior.

Dressed in a blue long robe with cloud patterns embroidered on its collar over her fair and slender neck, she had a tall and beautiful appearance with an air of spirit and vigor.

Her sword was even more exquisite, with several gemstones inlayed on the top of the scabbard, which glittered under the sunlight as she stood up.

The Qiu Family Manor was no ordinary household, but one of the three great Sword-Casting Manors in the Longquan area of Ji'an.

Because it was close to the Hengshan Sect, Qiu Guangjun had long established a connection with Master Liu, which allowed him to establish a firm foothold in Longquan. Whether it was buying the stone, copper, and bronze materials needed to forge weapons, or selling the finished arms, they were recognized by people in the know and coexisted peacefully with the other two manors.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last.

After Dongfang Bubai shook the Martial World, the claws and teeth of the Sun Moon Holy Cult extended north and south. It was heard that one of the Demon Cult's elders received orders from Blackwood Cliff to go south from Ningguo Prefecture and establish a branch in Raozhou.

To take root, they needed to absorb nutrients.

And the Demon Cult was notoriously tyrannical and ruthless; slaughtering entire families was commonplace for them.

The Shu Family, also located in Longquan, had been targeted by the fiends sent by the Demon Cult, and had recently been running ragged with endless troubles.

The Sword-Casting Manor was not short of hired swords and guards, and they also recruited capable fighters from the martial arts community at a high price.

However, upon hearing they would be opposing the Demon Cult, the most reliable people usually fled Longquan at the first whiff of trouble, blatantly breaking their oaths.

The Qius had practiced martial arts for generations, but their family's martial arts were not top-notch.

Let alone resisting the Demon Cult.

The only chance now lay in leveraging the name of the Five Peaks Sword Sects.

Qiu Guangjun knew the severity of the situation and understood that the Hengshan Sect might not take the field.

He'd long planned to come to Hengyang to gauge Master Liu's thoughts and was intending to wait until the end of the year. But just as he received Lu Shilai's letter, Qiu Guangjun felt both joy and fear.

After discussing through the night at the manor, they set out from Longquan with great sincerity, feigning exhaustion, bringing along their children and the manor's dependable guards to help out at the Changrui Escort Agency.

They planned to visit the Master after handling Changrui's affairs.

In doing so, they would first do Master Liu a favor, making it easier to speak with him later, and not be so easily deflected and rebuffed.

After all, Master Liu cared about his reputation.

Old Qiu calculated his moves carefully and had not informed Lu Shilai of this plan; otherwise, the latter would definitely not have asked for his help.

For the sake of his vast family business, he had to climb up by holding onto every opportunity, resolving to make it up to his old friend later.

Lu Gui was an inconsequential passerby among passersby, and even less aware of the undercurrents.

He had just heard of the deep foundations of the three great Sword-Casting Manors in Longquan, with considerable family wealth, and thoughtfully wanted to help Zhao Rong earn some connections and reap some benefits.

But little did he expect that by mentioning Zhao Rong, Lu Shilai, and Master Liu's subtle relationship, he hit right at the bullseye of Qiu Guangjun's deepest concerns.

Good gracious, he had found what he'd been searching for without even looking!

Qiu Guangjun had already pegged the young man before him as Master Liu's favored disciple.

Setting aside martial skills, the composure and calm the youth displayed required a foundation of confidence that couldn't be faked, especially at such a young age.

Furthermore...

Next to him was a majestic yellow steed, surpassing even the finest horses from their manor.

The horse was very obedient to the young man, something which Qiu Guangjun, as an experienced hand in the martial arts world, noticed and remembered well.

Therefore...

As long as Master Liu could be relied upon to speak out and help, having their children lower their status by a generation was no humiliation at all.

If they wished to keep a foothold in the Martial World, preserve their family business, and live in peace, enduring such minor grievances was a small matter, wasn't it?

Of course,

"This shows how aware an old friend truly is."

Without his experiences of braving the dangers of the martial arts world, his children naturally lacked such foresight.

Qiu Mengting and Qiu Mengyin, the siblings, were quite obedient. Initially, they did not dare to defy their father: they approached the tea table and bowed to Lu Gui, calling him "Uncle Lu."

Turning to face Zhao Rong, who had an even younger-looking face than themselves, the siblings held their breath, turning slightly red in the face.

The words "Uncle Zhao" remained unspoken.

With a rebellious spirit barely concealed in their glances, they squinted in disapproval at their father.

Qiu Guangjun, feigning ignorance, smiled naturally, "What are you hesitating for? I've hit it off with Brother Zhao from the start, why haven't you greeted your uncle yet?"

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"Eh!" Zhao Rong muttered a curse under his breath and chuckled as he waved his hand.

"Old Brother Qiu is too rigid. Why make things difficult for your son and cherished one? I am younger than both of them, how can I be called Uncle? Wouldn't that make me old as well?"

"In the martial world, each should be addressed appropriately."

"That's exactly how it should be." Hearing what Zhao Rong said, Qiu Mengyin's slightly flushed and puffed-up face relaxed, and she quickly took the opportunity to join in the conversation, fearing her father might fly into a rage again.

Qiu Guangjun laughed heartily, "Qiu has indeed seen too little of the world, stuck in the old ways and not as perceptive as my younger brother."

With those words, 'Zhao brothers' had turned into 'younger brother.'

Zhao Rong did not doubt for a second that Old Qiu would soon bring out two sticks of incense, smiling as they decapitated a chicken and swore brotherhood.

He remained alert.

Lu Gui had just mentioned a few more words, revealing the other's identity.

As the master of one of Sword-Casting Manor, one of the three great sword-casting manors of Longquan, how could he afford to lose face like this?

Old Qiu was an old hand in the rivers and lakes. This guy was most likely hiding something, and it was a thorny issue that couldn't be solved internally in the manor.

Otherwise, even in the presence of Master Liu, he wouldn't have gone to such an extent.

Qiu Guangjun, Zhao Rong, and Lu Gui all had smiles on their faces, as Old Qiu and Zhao sussed each other out.

As for Old Lu, he was just grinning foolishly to warm up the atmosphere.

"Let's do as the younger brother says, each to their own. The path of learning has a sequence, and younger brother is a disciple of a master, with superior skills and knowledge. My children are certainly not your match, so I would have to ask you to be an elder brother to them," Old Qiu said, giving his children a stern look.

Both Qiu Mengyin and Qiu Mengting felt disgruntled inside, especially at the phrase "my children are certainly not your match."

Having practiced martial arts from a young age, the two were considered the cream of the crop among the younger generation in the Longquan martial arts community.

Even if their lineage wasn't as impressive as this young man's, the years they had spent training should have made up for it by now. Where did the "not your match" come from?

"Elder brother."

"Brother Zhao."

However, Old Qiu had a way of raising his children. Despite feeling unconvinced inside, both siblings managed to display compliance on the surface.

Zhao Rong also returned the gesture with clasped hands, as a form of greeting.

The group seated themselves around a table. The station did not have much in the way of good tea, but Old Qiu still picked out the best they had.

Lu Gui felt a little ashamed since they were here to help out after all.

He wanted to offer to cover the costs, but Old Qiu would not give him the chance, for a sharp estate manager from Sword-Casting Manor had already taken care of it earlier.

Feeling guilty, Lu Gui became more enthusiastic in conversation.

He began to talk to Old Qiu about the recent state of affairs at the escort agency, especially mentioning Old Wang.

Old Qiu became righteously indignant, declaring that he could not coexist under the same sky with the fraudulent cook.

Upon hearing that Zhao Rong had vomited blood after clashing palms with the fake cook, Old Qiu slapped his thigh:

"Young brother, at your age, you absolutely must not let this lead to lingering ailments. Old brother happens to have a centuries-old ginseng that will replenish the vitality you've lost!"

Zhao Rong was startled and hurriedly protested that he couldn't accept it.

He did not know what the other party wanted and refused to be indebted.

The sharp estate manager understood Old Qiu's tone and knew he wasn't just being polite.

Surprised at Old Qiu's generosity, he nonetheless opened a black bundle on his carrying pole without hesitation, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out!

Just at that moment!

A strange-looking, elderly-faced man who had been quietly drinking in the western corner of the tea stall shuddered.

He fixed a piercing gaze towards the sharp estate manager, then suddenly inhaled deeply through his nose, causing ripples in his bowl of wine!

"What fine medicine!"

"Hahaha, what a fine medicine indeed!"

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