Chapter Fifty: Facing Yue Lingshan

“Junior Brother Lin? Lin Pingzhi?”

Liu Dayou nodded, “Yes, Master has already taken him as a disciple.”

Yang Wenhao was unaware of this; he hadn’t been present earlier, so he couldn’t be sure if things were as he’d heard. But now, it seemed Lin Pingzhi had indeed encountered Yue Buqun.

“Come on, let’s go have a look,” Liu Dayou suggested.

“Alright.” Yang Wenhao nodded slightly.

They stepped into the peach blossom grove. Lin Pingzhi and Yue Lingshan were practicing swordplay at the center, so they had to venture deeper to see them.

Passing through the grove, Yang Wenhao finally caught sight of Lin Pingzhi and Yue Lingshan.

Yue Lingshan, petite and lovely, was currently sparring with Lin Pingzhi. Noticing Liu Dayou and Yang Wenhao approaching, she and Lin Pingzhi promptly paused their practice.

“Monkey Six!” Yue Lingshan laughed as she ran over to Liu Dayou, but her gaze swept to Yang Wenhao, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

She had met Yang Wenhao before—he had saved Huashan’s senior disciple, so she knew of him. Yet Linghu Chong’s punishment to meditate on the Cliff of Reflection was, in part, due to Yang Wenhao’s involvement.

Seeing Yue Lingshan’s uncertainty, Liu Dayou smiled and explained, “Young Hero Yang will be staying at Huashan for a few days. Master asked me to show him around and help him get familiar.”

“Oh.” Yue Lingshan nodded, now understanding why Yang Wenhao was here.

Yang Wenhao’s gaze was drawn to Lin Pingzhi. He hadn’t paid much attention at the Liu residence, but now, Lin Pingzhi truly resembled a scholarly gentleman, perhaps owing to his upbringing.

Yue Lingshan looked at Yang Wenhao, “By the way, my father said your swordsmanship is formidable. Why not try sparring with me?”

“Your master said I’m skilled with the sword?” Yang Wenhao chuckled, somewhat amused. He supposed Yue Buqun might have said such a thing, but certainly not in Yue Lingshan’s presence.

Moreover, Yang Wenhao rarely displayed his sword skills; Yue Buqun probably inferred his ability from Fei Bin’s death.

Liu Dayou, seeing the situation, hurriedly interjected, “Junior Sister, Young Hero Yang is our guest... we should…”

As Liu Dayou tried to persuade Yue Lingshan, Yang Wenhao interrupted him, turning to her, “Very well.”

Yue Lingshan was surprised that Yang Wenhao agreed. The reason she wanted to spar with him was partly because she practiced the Jade Maiden Sword and found little challenge with Lin Pingzhi, but more importantly, she was unconvinced by Yang Wenhao. He appeared to be about her age—how could he possibly have single-handedly slain Songshan’s Fei Bin?

“Young Hero Yang, please be gentle,” Liu Dayou reminded. He knew Yang Wenhao had killed Luo Renjie and Fei Bin, so his capabilities were extraordinary. Liu Dayou was well aware of his junior sister’s skill—she couldn’t possibly match Yang Wenhao.

“This goes without saying,” Yang Wenhao replied with a faint smile.

Liu Dayou and Lin Pingzhi watched from the sidelines as Yue Lingshan and Yang Wenhao faced each other, swords in hand.

“I’ll let you make three moves first, and I won’t use my sword,” Yang Wenhao said, resting his sword behind him and presenting only one hand.

“You! ...Very well, three moves it is; I’ll show you!” Yue Lingshan’s refusal to admit defeat was genuine. She aimed to teach Yang Wenhao a lesson.

She struck out at Yang Wenhao, aiming for his hand.

Seeing her attack brimming with aggression, Liu Dayou thought it was not good—his junior sister was clearly acting on impulse.

But if Liu Dayou could see it, so could Yang Wenhao.

To him, Yue Lingshan’s strike was riddled with flaws, lacking any real power.

Yang Wenhao moved deftly, redirecting her sword’s trajectory.

Caught off guard by his counter, Yue Lingshan lost control momentarily.

When she regained her balance, she discovered Yang Wenhao’s fingers were just a hair’s breadth from her throat.

Martial artists can channel internal energy throughout their bodies; in a real fight, just that touch could have pierced her neck.

“That was the first move,” Yang Wenhao said, retracting his hand.

Yue Lingshan looked at Yang Wenhao with resentment; that single move had already shown the gap between their abilities.

By rights, the match should have ended, but Yue Lingshan refused to accept defeat.

In the second round, Yue Lingshan’s eyes grew more serious. Her discontent with Yang Wenhao made her far more attentive, searching for any opening.

Unfortunately, Yang Wenhao stood motionless as a statue, revealing no weakness.

Yue Lingshan gave up searching, raising her sword to attack.

“Interesting,” Yang Wenhao murmured.

Yet again, with just one hand, he subdued her.

Second round—Yue Lingshan lost again.

Yang Wenhao looked at her and said, “If I’m not mistaken, you were using the Jade Maiden Nineteen Techniques?”

“So what if you know?” Yue Lingshan pouted, her defeat irking her. “I’m not convinced; I want you to fight me with your sword.”

Her Jade Maiden Nineteen Techniques were supposed to counter any swordplay, not other forms of attack.

Yang Wenhao hadn’t even drawn his sword, so her technique was rendered ineffective.

Yue Lingshan silently thought, “Yes, it must be that.”

If Yang Wenhao knew what she was thinking, he’d probably laugh aloud.

When outmatched, one always finds excuses; if your opponent is strong enough, even the weakest sword technique can defeat the most advanced.

It wasn’t a matter of whether Yang Wenhao used a sword.

The corners of Yang Wenhao’s mouth lifted, “Alright, as you wish. However…”

Yue Lingshan frowned, “However what? Speak clearly.”

“It’s rather dull to simply spar like this,” Yang Wenhao replied. “Why don’t we make a wager?”

“What do you want to bet?”

“Let’s wager on victory. If you win, you can set any condition you like. If you lose, I’ll set a condition, and you cannot refuse it,” Yang Wenhao looked at her and said. “What do you say?”

Yue Lingshan bit her lip, “Alright, I’ll bet with you.”

Yang Wenhao smiled, bringing his sword forward from behind his back. “You may attack first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Lingshan stepped forward, thrusting her sword at him.

A clear clang rang out—her sword was blocked.

“Again!” Yue Lingshan shifted her sword for another assault, still targeting Yang Wenhao.

But the outcome remained unchanged; her sword was blocked once more.

Over several rounds, Yue Lingshan began to doubt herself—was she truly using the Jade Maiden Nineteen Techniques? Why were they completely ineffective against Yang Wenhao?

Every time, he parried her perfectly, even though his swordplay appeared soft and effortless.

(End of chapter)