Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 710 - 705: Take Action I

Chapter 710: Chapter 705: Take Action I

This mission was led by the Spear King Grandmaster Sun Xiaojun, and logically speaking, since Wei Yu was part of the Fengqing Hall camp, the fact that he was captured by the people of the Zhou Royal Mansion should be a reason for them to be happy.

But the news that had come out not long ago from the Zhou Royal Mansion about the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch, the Red Flower Taoist, weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

"It was the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch who personally took action," Chen Shu added.

Sun Xiaojun’s brow furrowed deeper.

He didn’t speak, and since the rest viewed him as their leader, they naturally didn’t speak either, all waiting for him to express his stance.

Although Sun Xiaojun was already past seventy, his Qi-Blood was as vigorous as that of a young man, and he sat in the principal seat without uttering a word, still exuding a repressed and solemn aura that made the retainers present feel a heaviness in their hearts.

"Don’t bother with him, don’t easily engage in conflict with the Zhou Royal Mansion, but also don’t be afraid of trouble."

A moment later, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Understood," the various retainers responded in unison.

They all knew the score, having joined the Jiuhua Hall not for the sake of having connections in the Imperial Court to get things done, or for the extremely generous salary, who would willingly rush to serve the Imperial Court.

So, although they had come together to serve, they also did not need to lose their lives over money and wealth.

Sun Xiaojun was aware of this; the Jiuhua Hall possessed extremely strong influence, actually much stronger than that of Fengqing Hall, but from beginning to end, both sides had only managed a draw. One reason was the strategic planning of Fengqing Hall’s leadership, and on the other hand, it was because the retainers here were unwilling to give it their all.

******************

King Qingjing was eating his meal, sitting by the table, and holding a mouthful of sour bean stir-fried meat with his chopsticks suspended in midair.

His eyes, however, were fixed on Lin Xin, who was holding a young man by the hand, his mouth agape, and his face full of confusion.

He didn’t seem to understand what was happening at all.

He was in the middle of eating when someone came in to report that the Divine Monarch had captured someone and was planning to take them into the Lakeside Mountain Sect as a Closed-door Disciple.

But it wasn’t until the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch entered with the man in tow that he recognized him at first glance, the Fengqing Hall master, the Golden Spear Wei Yu, who had previously caused him no end of headaches and whose subordinates had suffered heavy casualties!

"Divine Monarch... is this not a bit... too sudden?"

He felt he was not yet prepared.

This was not a normal situation where the two sides would test each other out first, then exchange hands, and play chess.

Then deploying the heavyweights.

But what did the current situation mean?

Catching the opponent’s heavyweights right from the start?

The first thing that came to his mind was not others but the reaction of Fengqing Hall. After thinking it over just a bit, cold sweat started to break out.

The Fengqing Hall’s Golden Spear being captured would surely provoke a fierce reaction, and among them, the Hidden Weapon King Xiao Shu, rumored to be one of the First Grade masters accompanying the mission, was likely to take action personally.

With a whoosh, King Qingjing suddenly stood up from his chair.

"This... this this..."

He was somewhat in a state of chaos.

"There is no need to panic, Your Highness,"

Lin Xin said with a faint smile.

"This young man is karmically linked to me; I encountered him on the street and brought him back. He will join my sect soon."

As soon as he said this, everyone present wore an odd expression; it would have been fine if he were speaking to a child, but saying this to someone in their thirties seemed a bit odd.

"Divine Monarch, this is a master from Fengqing Hall! How could you just..." King Qingjing felt like he had just stirred up a hornet’s nest, his heart filled with both amazement at the strength of the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch and concern about what to do if Fengqing Hall decided to retaliate in full force.

Originally, he had planned to take things step by step, letting Jiuhua Hall and Fengqing Hall have a proper battle. He could conceal his strength and reap the benefits of the fisherman.

But now, with such a move, everything was exposed.

"Sigh..." He sighed deeply. King Qingjing wondered whether his decision to cooperate with the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch was the right one; the outcome was hard to predict.

"Your Highness, it is the will of heaven for me to establish a sect, open a mountain, and accept disciples; it is the will of heaven that you chose to cooperate with me, and this cannot be faked.

As for Wei Yu, I will let him go later, but for now, I’ve brought him here to get to know the place."

Seeing his expression, Lin Xin knew what he was worried about and offered a few words of comfort.

He was determined to recruit Wei Yu into his sect.

He might have a child, but when he encountered someone with as extraordinary a talent as this one, he had to seize the opportunity without hesitation.

"Sigh..." King Qingjing didn’t want to say anything else for the moment and could only clasp his fists.

"From now on, we will rely on the Divine Monarch for support..."

He felt somewhat helpless. But once Fengqing Hall decided to retaliate with full force, those who could truly withstand the pressure were probably only the mysterious and unfathomable Red Flower Taoist Priest before him.

"Rest assured."

Lin Xin responded.

He had only one purpose for this trip.

And that was to find worthy disciples.

Wei Yu, with his strong lineage and exceptional talent, suited the bill as well.

Bringing Wei Yu back to his room,

Lin Xin set him down on the ground, walked over to the table to pour himself a cup of water and took a sip. Then, he sat down on a chair and observed the other person.

"Have you thought it through? Joining my mountain gate, no matter what you do, as long as you do not betray the sect or act in heinous ways, there are no real restrictions."

Wei Yu was also feeling aggrieved, fixing Lin Xin with a disgruntled gaze and an unconvinced expression.

He felt that he had been suddenly overwhelmed by the other’s powerful Qigong and Outer Sect techniques, caught off guard and captured in a move.

In reality, although the other party was formidable, he was not so powerful that he was beyond reach.

"I have studied the martial arts for many years and have already formed my own style; I fear I cannot inherit what the Taoist Priest has learned," he said coldly.

"No matter, you are still young. I might give up if it were someone else, but you are different," Lin Xin said with a smile, "Your innate abilities and talents are exceptional and have not yet solidified completely. Before the age of forty, you still have a chance for marrow cleansing and body purification."

"My forty-eight chained Golden Spears technique is nearly invincible in Jianghu. There are but a handful worth noticing to me. And now I am already thirty, yet the Taoist Priest actually says I’m still young..." Wei Yu couldn’t help but laugh angrily, thinking this Taoist was just crazy.

"I am already two to three hundred years old by now, compared to you, you think you’re not young?"

Lin Xin said with a light smile.

"Alright, come and make a Hand Seal."

He produced a piece of leather paper out of thin air as if by magic, covered with a mess of characters and symbols.

But upon closer inspection, these characters and symbols seemed rather methodical and were not some Ghost Talismans.

"Taoist Priest, forcing people against their will like this, do you find it amusing?"

Wei Yu sneered coldly. He didn’t believe for a second the nonsense about being two to three hundred years old, thinking to himself that this was all too mystical and wondering what tricks were up his sleeve.

After some thought, considering that the other party hadn’t really done anything to him, just brought him here without harming or crippling him, and initially, it was himself who had thrown down the gauntlet.

With this in mind, he felt slightly better, and upon speaking again, his tone was somewhat gentler.

"Even if I join your Sect, with this kind of method, don’t expect me to submit willingly in the future. Is such a disciple of any use to you?"

"It doesn’t matter, the will of heaven will bring you around, and anyway, it doesn’t matter if you don’t submit. I’m not really after your submission."

Lin Xin chuckled, his expression somewhat mysterious.

The plan he had set in motion was naturally beyond the comprehension of these mere mortals.

After pressing Wei Yu’s hand to make the Hand Seal and dislocating all of his joints, Lin Xin then left the room, instructing others to watch him as he directly headed toward the hall of the guild.

With Wei Yu’s master-servant contract signed, he had obtained another fine bloodline.

"Next, to look for some seeds, they must also have good aptitude. Preferably couples or spouses."

Arriving at the hall, Prince Qingjing had already brought people to wait there, their faces filled with anxiety.

Upon seeing Lin Xin emerge, he stood up in great joy.

"Divine Monarch, more people have arrived outside..."

he said, helpless.

"They can’t deal with them?"

Lin Xin glanced at Huang Sheng and the others beside him.

The latter bowed their heads in shame, silently.

"It’s the master from Feng Qing Hall." Prince Qingjing sighed, "Hidden Weapon Zhao Wumian..."

"Hidden Weapon?"

Lin Xin immediately became interested.

Zhao Wumian, already eighty-three, still enjoyed a splendid reputation in Jianghu, thanks to his overwhelming strength.

Hidden Weapon referred to his expertise in the Iron Sleeve Technique, a skill so extraordinary it was infamous throughout Jianghu.

After battling Ding Hai of Primordial Umbrella to a draw thirty years ago, he established himself among the top echelon of Jianghu’s five Great Grandmasters.

"I didn’t expect to encounter a Grandmaster so soon," Lin Xin said with a smile, striding towards the door. "Let’s go out and have a look together."

Prince Qingjing and the others had no choice but to follow with resignation.

Zhao Wumian had personally come to intercept them. Feng Qing Hall would certainly not have sent him alone; there were bound to be ambushes nearby.

Rather than fleeing in disarray, it was better to meet them head-on; even if a compromise was made, at least they could save face.

Having emerged from the guild’s main gate, there were already dozens of people encircling them on the outside, all clad in green tunics and white inner garments, with their hands clasped behind their backs.

Leading them were two individuals, one an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a green Taoist Robe, with remarkably large sleeves.

The other was hunchbacked, bent over, with one eye covered by a patch, his face lined with wrinkles.

"Which one of you is Hidden Weapon?"

Lin Xin stepped forward, calling out loudly.

"Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch, that’s quite the title."

The hunchback spoke in a gloomy voice.

Lin Xin’s gaze turned cold, falling upon him.

"Are you Hidden Weapon?"

"Of course not..."

Bang!

Before the hunchback could finish speaking, everyone saw him propelled backwards as if struck by a cannonball, tossed violently into the air.

Blood burst forth, spattering the ground and splashing onto the green and white garments of his followers behind him.

The hunchback’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out, blood flowing from his seven orifices as he crashed to the ground, unable to rise again.

"You...!?"

He pointed at Lin Xin, but then his head lolled to the side, and he actually stopped breathing.

The crowd was instantly stunned.

The onlookers who had been enjoying the excitement immediately fell silent and swiftly began to disperse.

Everyday spectacles were one thing, but when life and death were at stake, and the situation escalated, one could easily be caught in the crossfire.

Numerous witnesses hurriedly left, leaving only a few from Jianghu, each swallowing hard.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable." Lin Xin made a salutation with a smile. "Since it’s not you, why snatch the conversation? You didn’t seek death on your own; it was destiny that sought it for you, not the fault of this poor Taoist..."

For a moment, the entire place fell silent, devoid of any sound.

Only then did the onlookers perceive what had slain the hunchback.

A copper coin was embedded right in the center of his chest!