Hengshan Sect's Strongest Sword Cultivator

Zhao Rong shook his head and stopped muttering to himself.

Someone was playing spy games within the Hengshan Sect, and he had to counter-spy on the enemy.

"Feifei, do you still remember what that Hengshan disciple looked like?"

The little girl propped her chin with her hands, trying to remember:

"I only saw his profile. His face was blurry, but he had a beard, a thin build, and was about six feet tall."

"If you see this man again, will you be able to recognize him?"

"I suppose not..."

She looked disappointed, "It has been a long time, and I didn't even hear his voice."

"No matter," Zhao Rong smiled slightly, "I'll be on the lookout."

Zhao Rong memorized these physical characteristics to watch for similar-looking individuals within the Hengshan Sect in the future, guarding against traitors attempting ambushes.

Right, in a few days, Changrui Escort Agency is hosting a banquet!

Long, the head of the agency, and a group of martial arts friends from the Jianghu are coming to help and discuss the lost cargo at Poyang Lake.

It was likely due to the complete annihilation of the Hengshan disciples who accompanied them that such a fuss was being made.

Such an important event, the infiltrators would probably come to gather intelligence.

It seems I need to be extra vigilant.

I'm going out with Lu, the escort head, before the year ends. If there is an internal traitor, do not expect peace.

A gleam flickered in Zhao Rong's eyes, and when he looked at the little girl again, his expression instantly softened.

"How did you find me after we separated that day?"

As he asked, the little girl took a sip of water to moisten her throat while the tea master came to refill the teapot and the server brought the dishes she had pre-ordered.

First was the residue Jiang rice noodles, accompanied by two spring rolls, then the return goose gluten meat, and a plate of Hengyang roast chicken was served as well.

"Rong, let's talk while we eat."

"Alright."

It was mealtime, and both the little girl and Zhao Rong were hungry. Without much fuss typical of martial arts folk, Zhao Rong tore off a chicken leg for her while grabbing a chicken wing for himself...

"Not long after you left, Grandfather came rushing over. He first examined the body of that man, then cleaned up all the traces you had left."

"He followed the direction you left, and after circling around the Wild Goose Pagoda Street, he realized you had taken a detour."

"But what you don't know, Rong, is that I told Grandfather about some of the boxing techniques you used. He said your moves were basic, common in the Martial World's Tongbei Fist, but he also praised your quick reactions and cleverness during the fight, which allowed you to counter-kill the bandit."

"Shameful, I relied entirely on a bag of lime," Zhao Rong chuckled darkly, not ashamed at all.

"In the Martial World, using hidden weapons is quite common, what's using lime compared to that?"

The little girl defended him again, "In a life-or-death struggle, who cares about what others think. Rong, next time you fight, might as well add some poison to that lime."

Zhao Rong laughed heartily, thinking to himself that she was indeed cunning.

"So the traces I left were from the fist techniques?"

"Yes."

The little girl continued articulately:

"Grandfather said the person who taught you martial arts doesn't seem like an expert, so we started checking from the martial arts schools in Hengyang City."

"I told him you came from the south. There are nine martial arts schools south of Hengyang. On his seventh stop at the Iron Fist Martial Arts School, Grandfather found a young apprentice who matched the description I provided and was about the same age. He heard that this youth had gone to Changrui Escort Agency."

"And since Changrui Escort Agency was involved in gang fights..."

"Since we had enemies looking for us, we couldn't show our faces openly and had to secretly wait nearby at an inn. That day I saw a heroic figure on horseback riding to the front of the agency, and I recognized you, Rong, at a glance."

"If not for Grandfather holding me back, I would have approached to thank you then."

Feifei smiled, revealing a shallow dimple, looking utterly charming.

Zhao Rong made sense of the sequence of events, feeling greatly impressed.

"No wonder he's a veteran of the Jianghu. With just a few moves, he was able to find me in the vast crowd."

He asked further, "The night the escort agency caught fire, your grandfather was nearby too?"

"Yes."

"Grandfather noticed some cloaked figures ambushing outside the agency, fearing for your safety, so he secretly protected you. Later, he saw someone stumbling out of the agency's courtyard, coughing up blood, heavily injured."

"When those cloaked men saw him, it seemed like they changed their initial intention, focusing solely on helping him escape without lingering."

"Otherwise, if a fight broke out, the people from the escort agency who chased out wouldn't have stood a chance against them."

As a bystander, the little girl spoke these words calmly.

After all, whether Changrui was good or bad didn't concern her; the grandfather and granddaughter only cared about Zhao Rong alone.

But Zhao Rong couldn't help but feel terrified afterward.

He hadn't expected there to be so many dangers.

"At that time, I vaguely sensed someone spying on us in secret, and my heart was filled with fear. I couldn't even sleep peacefully for days. If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have been so scared."

Upon hearing this, the girl suddenly covered her mouth and giggled mischievously.

"Rong's senses are incredibly sharp."

"That night when you suddenly turned around, my grandfather almost got caught by you. He was so startled that he nearly fell while jumping over the wall," she said.

"I just laughed at him; an old man with decades of skill, how could he be stumped by a young man?"

"..."

Hearing this, Zhao Rong first laughed along.

But then he suddenly realized something.

Right, decades of skill!

From this conversation, Zhao Rong was nearly certain of the identities of this girl and her grandfather.

Feifei must be Qu Feiyan, that innocent and quirky girl, who thought like an adult yet was unbound by worldly conventions.

But the young girl was like a shooting star, brilliant and fleeting.

Her grandfather, naturally, was Elder Qu Yang from the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

Nowadays, the Demon Cult's influence was massive, with tens of thousands of followers, feared by everyone in the Martial World.

Blackwood Cliff had undergone a change of leadership, and the elders of the Demon Cult had once been purged, not comparable to the ten elders who had once defeated the Five Mountains Swordsmanship.

However, Qu Yang was an elder from a bygone era. Though he was steeped in music and had lost the heart for fierce competition,

his insights and horizons were surely of master level.

What was Zhao Rong most lacking at this bottleneck in his training?

Knowledge of martial arts of this era, systematic methods for internal and external cultivation.

He needed a teacher to initiate him, after which he could go all out, optimizing the "Muscle-Tendon Change Scripture" and the "Sinew-Cleansing Scripture" to greatly enhance his cultivation speed.

This included knowledge of meridians and acupuncture points.

Without a reliable person to teach him, Zhao Rong didn't dare to blindly study these.

This was also why he was so eager to find a master.

He would have to wait until the end of the year for Liu, and that was still an uncertain issue. Currently, forming a bond with Elder Qu Yang, not seeking Divine Skills but merely asking to be taught the basics of internal and external martial arts...

There was much potential!

At this thought, Zhao Rong's heart began pounding excitedly.

"Rong..."

A fair little hand waved in front of his eyes, Qu Feiyan noticed he seemed enraptured.

Just as he was about to ask, Zhao Rong didn't beat around the bush but asked directly,

"Feifei, does your grandfather take disciples?"

This question was quite sudden, and the girl was slow to react, but she quickly grasped his meaning.

"Rong, my grandfather's identity is very special, it could involve you. Besides, with enemies everywhere, him taking a disciple could endanger you," she said.

"No matter,"

Zhao Rong's expression was unusually resolute, "Identity is not a problem."

"The martial world is a blend of good and bad. One can't just judge others by their identity, just like that Hengshan disciple who, being from a reputable sect, should have been upholding justice."

"Yet he conspired with bandits to endanger your life."

"This world isn't simply black or white."

"The Demon Cult also has good people who discern right from wrong, and the righteous sects aren't lacking in bad people," he said.

These words resonated differently to Qu Feiyan, who looked at Zhao Rong with increasing admiration.

"Big brother, my grandfather and I have roamed the martial world together, depending only on each other, facing many dangers along the way. Though I'm young, I've seen many get swept up by worldly affairs, but you seem like someone my grandfather described who sees through the world clearly."

"But you have been very kind to Feifei, and my grandfather, obsessed with music, will not take you as his disciple," she said.

The little girl's words were just as resolute, leaving Zhao Rong disappointed.

But then she suddenly gave a clever smile.

"However, I do have a way to grant big brother's wish."

"..."