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

Chapter 23 Holding Back, Farewell to Old Man Feng

When we returned to Jade Maiden Peak, it was already early in the evening.

The two brothers, who were very respectful to each other, exchanged a few polite words and then took their leave.

Li Che ate a few bites of food and then strolled over to the Suoyoubuwei Pavilion.

"Master and Mistress, your disciple has something to ask of you."

"Is that Che'er? Come in and talk."

Li Che pushed open the door and entered. Inside, Ning Zhongze was measuring cloth, using the light blue fabric that her second senior brother, Lao Denuo, had bought that day.

Master Yue Buqun sat to the side and placed the Analects in his hand on the table.

Li Che took a few steps forward and saw that the first page of the opened book was titled "The Chapter on Duke Ling of Wei".

A passage marked in red reads: "A gentleman is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not partisan."

"No need for formalities, sit down and let's talk. Is there something you need from your teacher?"

Yue Buqun had a warm smile on his face, yet he also carried the air of an elder. But Li Che's words made his composure vanish.

"Master, there's something wrong with my second senior brother, Lao Denuo!"

"Um?"

Li Che took out a note and handed it over, recounting the events of the afternoon in one breath. Then, he concealed the truth, saying, "This disciple did not intentionally follow Second Senior Brother. I was thinking that Master said this morning that he would sew clothes for Uncle Feng, so I wanted to go to the cloth shop to take a look. I happened to see Second Senior Brother acting strangely, and that's how I got this note."

Yue Buqun had no doubt about Li Che whatsoever. He stared at the note for a moment, then handed it to Ning Zhongze, who was standing beside him. "Junior Sister, what kind of code is this?"

Then he looked at Li Che, "Do you know who to send the message to?"

"I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I dared not linger. However, I suspect that my second senior brother may not know who the person seeking the letter is."

If he is indeed a spy from another faction, having remained hidden in our faction for so many years without making a move, he must have something very ambitious up his sleeve.

However, it's also possible that this disciple is making unfounded guesses. If he misunderstands his second senior brother, it would only damage their camaraderie as fellow disciples.

Yue Buqun nodded and said, "Yes, Che'er is right."

Ning Zhongze, however, was straightforward and thought that Lao Denuo was a skilled apprentice who had already learned his craft. He was usually cautious in his words and deeds and acted steadily, which made her even more suspicious.

"Senior brother, what misunderstanding could there be? Otherwise, why would they use coded language! I think we should just capture them and interrogate them. If they are demonic cult members, we can just kill them!"

At worst, we can announce that the second disciple of Mount Hua suddenly died of a serious illness; keeping him around is always a potential threat!

Yue Buqun got up and walked to the window. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and said, "Our Huashan Sect has indeed become a bit lax in recent years. If there is one Lao Denuo, there may be a second or a third."

Besides, others have already planted their nails at the foot of Mount Hua, so what's the use of killing one of them?

A heretic from a demonic cult? Perhaps not!

Ning Zhongze was suddenly startled. "Senior brother suspects... Zuo?"

Yue Buqun remained silent for a long time, then turned around and asked, "Che'er, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Li Che thought to himself, "I'm the one who followed him, I'm the one who brought up the matter, and now it seems like I have to speak on your behalf. Old Yue, I'll just take it as you deliberately testing me..."

"Master, why don't you find an excuse to summon Second Senior Brother? I'd like to go to his room and take a look!"

At the eastern end of Jade Maiden Peak lies a cluster of houses, which are the residences of the disciples of Mount Hua.

In its heyday, Mount Hua had many disciples, which benefited the current disciples, as everyone now lives alone.

Li Che waited quietly in the room for a while, and when he saw that no one was around, he tiptoed through the window and entered Laudenuo's room.

The room was furnished in a similar way to the previous one, with a table, chairs, a wooden bed, and a few clothes neatly stacked on the bed, presumably because Laudenau had left in a hurry and had not yet put them in the wardrobe.

Li Che searched for half an hour, trying his best to keep the objects in the room as they were, but to no avail.

He looked back and forth several times, his gaze sweeping over the roof beams, when suddenly an idea struck him, and he lightly leaped up.

But there lay a slightly worn book on the beam, which was none other than the Analects of Confucius!

He only glanced at it before confirming that it was the same version as the one Old Yue had just held, and then put it back.

Two quarters of an hour later, there was a pavilion called "You Suo Bu Wei Xuan".

"Che'er, have you found anything?"

"I'll borrow Master's Analects for a moment!"

After several comparisons... "Master and Mistress, please take a look!"

"Li Che of Mount Hua, whom Yue Shenzhong highly regards, has already been bestowed the Purple Cloud Technique; he cannot be ignored!"

"You thief! You deserve to die!"

Seeing Ning Zhongze burning with anger and about to leave with her sword drawn, Li Che hurriedly said, "Master's wife, wait!"

Master and Mistress, now that we've seen through their scheme, there's no need to rush. Perhaps we should hold back and secretly monitor them; this person might be of great use!

Besides, Second Senior Brother has been traveling and working hard outside for a long time, and he deserves a rest. I think Third Senior Brother Liang Fa is a steady and reliable person, so we should give him more responsibilities.”

Ning Zhongze was still furious, but Yue Buqun stood up with a smile and stopped her, "I think Che'er's idea is good. Junior sister, you're already this old, and you still have such a quick temper."

The master and disciple exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.

......

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Che carried a shoulder pole, with two bamboo baskets crammed full of various items, including bed sheets, blankets, clothes, shoes, hats, and even rice, noodles, and pastries, looking every bit like a porter going up the mountain.

Yue Lingshan, like a little shadow, trailed behind, carrying a lunchbox in her hand, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead with a worried expression.

"Senior Brother Li, how much further?"

"It'll be here soon, what's the rush!"

"You said that half an hour ago. Do you even know where Grandmaster Feng is living in seclusion?"

"You're so nosy! Living in seclusion on the street makes you easy to find, but is that what you call living in seclusion? You're exhausted after just a few steps up the mountain, Junior Sister, have you been slacking off on your training lately?!"

"Nonsense! My parents praised me for my hard work yesterday, don't slander me! Hmm? Why does this tree look so familiar? Senior Brother Li, are you lost?"

Li Che: "..."

"I told you not to come, I told you not to come, but you insisted. All that dawdling and nagging, I'll throw you in the mountains later, you little brat, let's see how you get back to Jade Maiden Peak!"

"You!" Yue Lingshan was furious and suddenly shouted, "Grandmaster Feng, where are you? Senior Brother Li is bullying me!"

I—I—I—!

After a while, the echo gradually faded away.

Li Che suddenly turned his head and, feigning a wicked smile, said, "Go ahead and yell! Keep yelling, even if you yell until your throat is hoarse, no one will pay attention to you!"

"What, what are you going to do?!"

"Hey, you brat, why are you bullying this little girl? Get up here now!"

Li Che looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Feng Qingyang had been standing on the hilltop at some point. But he had clearly been to that place before. Could this old man have crawled out from underground?

He subtly gave Yue Lingshan a thumbs up.

The latter raised an eyebrow smugly, showing no trace of her previous crying expression.

The two quickly climbed to the top of the mountain and respectfully addressed Grandmaster Feng.

"Are you Ning Zhongze's daughter?"

"Yes, my grand-disciple's name is Yue Lingshan. My parents originally wanted to come and pay their respects to Grandmaster Feng, but they were afraid that you wouldn't want to see them..."

Feng Qingyang snorted angrily and glared at Li Che, "What are you doing here again, brat? You're just disturbing this old man's peace and quiet!"

"I was thinking of going down the mountain in a few days, and I was worried that you would be lonely and have no one to take care of you, so I brought my junior sister Yue Lingshan to meet you."

"This disciple acted on his own initiative; I beg my great master to forgive him!"

"He's just putting on an act; his martial arts haven't improved at all, but he's certainly mastered the title of 'Gentleman Sword.'"

Li Che chuckled, while Yue Lingshan quieted down, becoming a well-behaved girl.

In an instant, she suddenly realized what was happening, turned her head, and exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother Li, you're going down the mountain?!"

......