With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 20 Li Che Emerges from Seclusion

"Clang!"

After a sharp clang of swords, the two sheathed their swords simultaneously.

Li Che smiled, but Linghu Chong seemed somewhat at a loss.

"Junior Sister, why are you back again?"

Yue Lingshan ran up the cliff in a few strides, glanced at Linghu Chong, and then came to Li Che, saying softly, "I... I got some medicine for my injuries. Don't worry, I took it secretly; my parents don't know."

As she spoke, she handed over the cloth bag in her hand, but she did not see the desolation in Linghu Chong's eyes beside her.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother Li is injured..."

"Junior Sister, I asked Senior Brother to spar with me. Our martial arts skills are similar, and by comparing our skills, we should be able to learn something from each other."

Li Che clenched the medicine packet in his hand. "Thank you. Go back now. It's time to practice. If Master and Mistress find out you're slacking off, they'll definitely scold you."

Yue Lingshan, who was about to speak, froze and muttered, "Practicing martial arts, all you do all day is practice! It's so annoying."

Before they could exchange more than a few words, Miss Yue rolled her eyes at him, turned around, and angrily ran down the cliff.

"Why is this girl so temperamental?!" Li Che tucked the medicine packet into his pocket and said with a smile, "Senior Brother, shall we continue?"

Linghu Chong withdrew his gaze, feeling a stiffness in his neck. He sighed and said, "No need. If it weren't for my junior brother's concession, I would have already been defeated."

"Why care so much about temporary victory or defeat? Come to think of it, I've probably lost to my senior brother countless times."

"Sigh~ You don't understand." Linghu Chong shook his head and sighed, but in his heart he thought, "My defeat was not just in swordsmanship."

Li Che wanted to say "Actually, I understand," but he didn't know how to persuade him, and hesitated for a long time before finally not saying it.

"Junior brother, I won't disturb your seclusion any longer."

"Senior Brother, the sword technique you just used...?"

"Junior brother, there's no need to ask further. I promised the senior who taught me the sword technique that I wouldn't reveal his name..." Linghu Chong suddenly realized that the senior had never told him his name.

The two then bowed and took their leave, and Linghu Chong turned and descended the Cliff of Contemplation.

After everyone had left, Li Che looked up at the mountaintop for a moment, then turned and went into the cave.

The medicine bag contained several bottles and jars, some for internal use and some for external application—it was truly complete. This girl must have emptied her mother's stock; it would be strange if she hadn't been discovered.

"Is such a minor injury really worth using medicine for?"

Li Che hurriedly stood up and bowed, "Grand Uncle Feng, good morning! You don't actually live in seclusion on the mountaintop, do you? How come you can see through even the slightest disturbance on the Cliff of Contemplation?"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have had my junior sister bring more food and drinks. We could have sat at the same table, chatted about everyday things, and you could have told your grand-disciple about your glorious past. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?"

Feng Qingyang glared at him, annoyed. "What, still thinking about having the old man teach your little wife's swordsmanship?"

Li Che blushed and said guiltily, "I wouldn't dare. You are an elder, and it is our honor to guide the younger generation."

"You cunning little devil, don't try to trick me. I didn't teach your senior brother's swordsmanship! But... it is indeed the style of the Huashan Sword Sect."

Li Che understood immediately. If it wasn't Feng Qingyang, it was probably Feng Buping and his group of Sword Sect "orphans." He just didn't understand why his senior brother would get involved with them.

If this matter is not handled properly, in Old Yue's fury, expelling Linghu Chong from the sect would be the least of his worries.

They're such a worry!

and many more!

Isn't there a ready-made scapegoat right in front of us?

Li Che glanced sideways at the old man Feng not far away, his eyes darting around rapidly as he pondered the possibility of the Sword Sect returning to Mount Hua.

After thinking it over for a long time, given Lao Yue's personality, this matter was truly as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Moreover, among those few scoundrels in the Sword Sect, apart from Feng Buping who was barely somewhat devoted to the way of the sword, Cheng Buyou, Cong Buqi, and the others were truly not good people.

"Young man, I somewhat regret passing on my sword to you!"

Li Che was startled awake and stared blankly at Feng Qingyang for a moment, but then heard him say, "Your senior brother has good talent and a carefree personality. Although he is a bit sentimental, he is still a good prospect."

The key is, he's not as cunning as you!

Li Che: "..."

"What Grand Uncle says is quite right. Why don't you teach him?"

"Do you think the Nine Swords of Dugu are as common as cabbage? Or do you think this old man has too much free time?" Feng Qingyang snorted angrily. "I'll come back in two days to test your swordsmanship!"

......

More than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

As night fell, a faint purple light appeared on Li Che's face as he meditated in the cave. A moment later, he suddenly thrust out a palm.

The force was released from the palm, accompanied by a hissing sound.

The fire five feet in front of him suddenly exploded, sending up a cloud of black ash.

"Cough cough cough—!"

Li Che quickly got up, covered his mouth and nose, and ran out of the cave...

Spring is in full bloom, the trees are growing new trees, and in the distance, a dark mass of trees has completely covered the once faintly visible bright white rock cliffs.

He turned to look at the peak. Old Man Feng had not appeared for three days. He probably thought that he had already mastered the Nine Swords of Dugu and no longer needed to be punished or taught.

Li Che clenched his fists slightly, thinking to himself, "My strength should be sufficient now."

Based on his own perception, although his internal strength was still lacking, with the support of his swordsmanship, he might not be as good as the Five Mountains Sect Leaders, but he should still be able to put up a fight.

The most critical weakness right now is practical experience!

When masters clash, life and death hang in the balance; unless one completely overwhelms the other, the outcome is truly unpredictable.

Moreover, there are too many ways to kill someone in the martial arts world: assassination, poisoning, and conspiracies. If one could dominate the martial arts world simply by cultivating oneself, then the martial arts world would be peaceful.

Thinking about leaving the country soon, I felt a pang of reluctance.

I've been living a very comfortable life during this period of seclusion. I have meals delivered to me three times a day, and I can occasionally tease my junior sister. I've made some progress in my internal energy cultivation and swordsmanship. Life couldn't be more comfortable.

But time waits for no one!

Li Che hesitated again, wondering whether he should get involved in the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, and how to deal with the upcoming retirement from the martial arts world and other related matters...

The Evil-Repelling Sword Manual is a source of endless trouble; once you get involved with it, problems will never cease.

Wealth can move people's hearts, power can kill people, and in the world of Swordsman, unparalleled martial arts are power, even if it costs you a few pounds of flesh.

Li Che suddenly had a wicked idea: since he knew where the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual was, why not take it and distribute it throughout the martial world?

I wonder how many people can actually wield that "bird-falling knife"!

He chuckled mischievously twice and then shook his head, after all, it was really hard to find a high-quality gatekeeper like Yang Lianting.

"Let's take it one step at a time and see how Yue Fei reacts first!" Li Che thought to himself.

After a long evening breeze had blown but the old wind still hadn't shown up, he turned around and went back into the cave.

The next morning, he continued meditating as usual, and Yue Lingshan brought him food as usual.

There were two portions of rice. She handed the bowl to Li Che first, then picked up the other bowl and habitually sat down next to Li Che, the two of them very close.

Unbeknownst to them, the relationship between the senior and junior brothers and sisters seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

"Junior Sister, let's go down the mountain together after we finish this meal."

Yue Lingshan was stunned for a moment, then a smile gradually appeared on her lips. "Senior Brother Li, you're coming out of seclusion? That's wonderful!"

Li Che nodded with a smile, then asked about recent events in the sect. After putting down his chopsticks, he casually asked, "How has Senior Brother been lately?"

"The eldest brother? He went to Hanzhong."

"Hmm? When did you go? What were you doing in Hanzhong?"

"Father sent someone to Xuejiabao in Hanzhong on business. My eldest brother was feeling very stifled on the mountain and hadn't made any mistakes recently, so Mother pleaded with Father to let him go."

However, with Lu Hou'er following along, and his father repeatedly instructing him to keep an eye on his senior brother and prevent him from getting drunk, they've already been gone for three days.

Li Che was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He frowned and pondered for a moment, wondering if the feud with the Qingcheng Sect disciples had occurred in Hanzhong.

......