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Chapter 32 Showdown
Yue Buqun met the gazes of the Qingcheng disciples filling the courtyard, and then caught a glimpse of the playful smile on Zhao Yu's lips. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Help them kill this scoundrel?
At this moment, the Purple Cloud Skill in his dantian was still running at full power, desperately suppressing the churning blood and qi, and alleviating the internal injuries he had suffered from taking a palm strike.
If he were truly capable of keeping Zhao Yu, would he need to wait for these Qingcheng disciples to beg him?
Just now, Yue Buqun took the initiative to stop Zhao Yu, seemingly to stop the killing, but in reality, he had his own plans.
Having first learned that Zhao Yu possessed the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, and then seeing him kill Yu Canghai in just a few moves, Yue Buqun was already itching to get his hands on it.
He always felt that a young man in his early twenties, no matter how talented, could never have such astonishing cultivation. Perhaps he used some secret technique to unleash his power and forcefully maintain the appearance.
What if?
If Zhao Yu is already at his last gasp, wouldn't he be able to pick up a huge bargain?
Not only can he get rid of the person who knows his thoughts, but he can also take the opportunity to seize the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, killing two birds with one stone.
Moreover, who can guarantee that Zhao Yu's incredible martial arts skills have nothing to do with the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?
He was unwilling to give up without testing the waters himself.
However, the result of the test was a huge blow to Yue Buqun.
In terms of the sheer depth and purity of his internal strength alone, Zhao Yuyuan was far superior to him.
Even in a life-or-death struggle, he only has a 30% chance of winning at most. If he is not careful, he will end up like Yu Canghai.
If we want to seize the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, it's absolutely impossible to do so by force; we must find another way.
Despite his racing thoughts, Yue Buqun maintained a gentle and compassionate expression on his face. He said helplessly, "Please be patient, everyone."
Turning to look at Zhao Yu, his expression turned serious, and he clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "Young Master Zhao, there is something I don't understand."
"Young hero, you just had a conflict with the elders of the Demonic Sect. You are not on the same side. It would be inappropriate to call you a demonic sorcerer. But is there some unresolved personal grudge between you and Sect Leader Yu? If it is a matter of grudges and entanglements in the martial world, then it is a private matter of the Qingcheng Sect. As an outsider, it is naturally inappropriate for me to interfere."
These words were perfectly worded and demonstrated exceptional tact and diplomacy.
First, he publicly distanced Zhao Yu from any association with the Demonic Sect, thus currying favor.
He then conveniently provided Zhao Yu with a way out. As long as Zhao Yu went along with him and admitted to having a personal grudge against Yu Canghai, the matter would become a private feud, and he, as the leader of the Huashan Sect, would naturally have a reason to stand by and do nothing.
Even if Yu Canghai were dead, no one could find any fault in him.
In the end, this matter became a messy affair between the Qingcheng Sect and Zhao Yu, and had nothing to do with him, the "Gentleman Sword".
Upon hearing this, all the Qingcheng disciples turned to look at Zhao Yu, their eyes filled with confusion.
This is what they want to know most. As soon as this boy appeared, he pointed the finger at the sect leader and even forgot about the demonic sect elders who were chasing him. What deep hatred did he have?
Faced with the steps Yue Buqun had carefully laid out, Zhao Yu merely sneered: "Me and that shorty Yu? We have no grudges, we've never even met."
These words caused an uproar throughout the courtyard.
"How dare you insult my sect leader!"
"You killed our sect leader and still dare to spout such arrogant words? I'll fight you to the death!"
Several impatient Qingcheng disciples drew their swords with a "whoosh" and were about to attack again.
"Stop it, all of you!"
Hong Renxiong shouted loudly and reached out to stop the crowd.
He stared intently at Zhao Yu, his tone icy, laced with suppressed rage: "Since you have no grudge against me, why did you try to kill my master without provocation?"
He also had his own plans.
If Zhao Yu's answer is even slightly inappropriate, he can immediately label Zhao Yu as a heretic.
With Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect, present as a witness, even if they couldn't capture Zhao Yu on the spot, they could use his name to unite various sects and avenge their master in the future.
No matter how well Hong Renxiong planned, he couldn't stop Zhao Yu from playing by his own rules.
Zhao Yu glanced at him and said calmly, "I was just helping someone in need; it wasn't for no reason."
"Nonsense!" Hong Renxiong retorted angrily. "My Qingcheng Sect has no past grudges or present conflicts with you, so what grievances could there be? We are peacefully residing in this Qingxu Temple, discussing matters behind closed doors. What business is it of yours?"
"Anju?" Zhao Yu chuckled and countered, "Then I'd like to ask you, your Qingcheng Sect is far away in Sichuan, why don't you stay on the perfectly good Qingcheng Mountain and send all your disciples on this long journey to Fuzhou City? What is the purpose of this?"
Hong Renxiong's face froze instantly, his eyes instinctively darted away, and he turned his head away unnaturally.
He forced a smile and said, "This is an internal matter of my Qingcheng Sect. What business is it of yours, an outsider?"
"It has nothing to do with me, but it has a lot to do with the Lin family of Fuwei Escort Agency." Zhao Yu's voice suddenly turned cold as he glanced at the group of Qingcheng disciples.
"You traveled all the way to Fuzhou just to steal the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, didn't you? You even planned to massacre the Fuwei Escort Agency. Am I right or wrong?"
Hong Renxiong was stunned, frozen in place, and blurted out, "How could you...?"
He suddenly realized what he was saying and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
To cover his guilty conscience, Hong Renxiong quickly retorted sharply, "You're spouting nonsense! My Qingcheng Sect is a reputable and righteous sect; how could we commit such a cruel act!"
"A prestigious sect?" Zhao Yu sneered, too lazy to beat around the bush anymore, and laid his cards on the table. "Let's not beat around the bush. You came to Fuzhou for the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. The number one sect in Sichuan, bearing the name of a righteous sect, secretly engages in despicable acts such as stealing others' martial arts and wiping out entire families. You are truly shameless!"
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to casually sweep over Yue Buqun beside him.
Yue Buqun's heart skipped a beat, his body tensed instantly, and cold sweat broke out on his palms.
What he feared most was that Zhao Yu would publicly expose his true intentions—that he had also come for the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual.
Zhao Yu merely glanced at him, offering no explanation, before turning his gaze away.
He continued, "Unlike you people, I don't just take what I want openly and honestly. To be frank, the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual is currently in my hands."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yu reached into his robes, pulled out the yellowed cassock, and casually unfolded it.
On the robe, countless tiny characters, barely visible in the sunlight, were densely packed together.
Instantly, the entire courtyard fell silent.
Hong Renxiong stared intently at the kasaya, his expression suddenly changing.
Yue Buqun's gaze was also drawn to the cassock as if by a magnet, and his breathing became rapid.
In order to seize the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, they had already thoroughly investigated the Lin family's background and naturally knew that Lin Yuantu was a monk who had left the monastic life.
The thing embroidered on this cassock might very well be the real Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.
"Good! You wicked villain!" Hong Renxiong suddenly came to his senses, as if he had caught Zhao Yu red-handed.
He turned and bowed to Yue Buqun, shouting, "Sect Leader Yue, you heard it all! This scoundrel has cunningly seized others' ancestral manuals, murdered our sect leader without cause, and made baseless accusations. He is truly a disgrace to the martial world. We beg Sect Leader Yue to uphold justice and help us capture this villain!"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yu's eyes suddenly turned cold.
With a flick of the fingertip, a thin, almost imperceptible black light shot out, as fast as lightning.
Hong Renxiong felt a numbness in his throat and could no longer speak.
His eyes widened as he stared intently at Zhao Yu, his face filled with disbelief.
As if he couldn't believe it, Zhao Yu actually dared to kill someone in public with Yue Buqun present.