Chapter 130: Shangguan Haitang

"Master, I'm back." Ye Xiu bowed respectfully to Yue Buqun and greeted him.

"Xiu'er—ahem, Xiu'er, you're finally back. Did your outing go smoothly?" Yue Buqun looked at Ye Xiu with a kind, smiling face.

"My trip went relatively smoothly. I've brought back the Divine Illumination Sutra. Please review it, Master." A hint of something strange flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes. Just now, Yue Buqun's voice had inadvertently hinted at something different.

Previously, Yue Buqun's voice was a true baritone, and it also had a magnetic quality that instilled trust in everyone who heard it. This was probably one of the reasons he was known as the Gentleman Sword.

After all, his voice always made him seem trustworthy and reliable.

But just now, Yue Buqun's voice had become distorted. His once magnetic baritone had a subtle edge, a sharpness to it, and even the feminine quality in his voice seemed to have vanished. All in all, it sounded strange, a bit like the sound of fingernails scratching glass, the kind that gives people a sudden shudder.

"Xiu'er, you've worked so hard," Yue Buqun said, trying to control his voice. His eyes, looking at Ye Xiu, became even more kind.

Yue Buqun knew that Ye Xiu had come down the mountain to help him find the Shenzhaojing, a magical skill said to greatly increase one's recovery capacity. Apart from other things, the fact that it could greatly increase one's recovery capacity alone was almost more magical than the Zixiagong.

As the treasure of the Huashan Sect, the Zixiagong was an extremely difficult task for those without sufficient strength to obtain. The Shenzhaojing was likely no exception, and yet, Ye Xiu had been able to present it to him.

Yue Buqun felt that Ye Xiu had gone to great lengths, perhaps even faced numerous dangers, to obtain this martial art.

With this thought, Yue Buqun suddenly became incredibly sentimental, his eyes reddening with tears threatening to flow.

This was the Yue Buqun of today; if it were the Yue Buqun of the past, he would never have been so sentimental.

Ye Xiu even inadvertently noticed a red string tied around Yue Buqun's wrist—

this change in Yue Buqun filled Ye Xiu with a sense of strangeness.

In reality, Yue Buqun had somewhat underestimated the Exorcism Sword Technique.

Although Yue Buqun had done his utmost to control himself, especially knowing that his disciples were working hard for him outside,

he truly did his utmost to restrain himself from transforming into some unknown gender.

However, the Exorcism Sword Technique was truly too intoxicating, and Yue Buqun's mind seemed completely unable to control it. His body instinctively reacted, causing him to develop a fondness for the color red, beautiful clothes, and even makeup.

Yue Buqun tried hard to control himself, not wearing any makeup or bright red women's clothing. However, he couldn't help himself and secretly tied a red string around his wrist. While

Yue Buqun's actions seemed surreptitious, Ning Zhongze had actually observed them all along.

After all, she and Yue Buqun had been married for twenty years, and she was quite familiar with his behavior. She was also aware of the changes in Yue Buqun.

Therefore, Ning Zhongze sincerely hoped that the Divine Illumination Sutra would have an effect on Yue Buqun.

After receiving the Divine Illumination Sutra, Yue Buqun obediently returned to his secluded cultivation.

This time, Yue Buqun would practice the Divine Illumination Sutra for a short period of time, and unless something extremely important happened, he would likely not leave. As

Yue Buqun began his seclusion,

Ye Xiuze resumed his usual peaceful life on Mount Hua.

Every day, he would practice martial arts, practice swordsmanship, and then write in his diary, and the days would just drift by.

Of course, Ye Xiu's nightlife was also more diverse than before. For example, Dongfang Bubai would often visit Huashan.

Furthermore, Huang Rong would come to visit, posing as Huang Yaoshi's daughter.

This was primarily to meet Ye Xiu openly at Huashan.

Qu Feiyan, on the other hand, pestered Huang Rong, hoping to be with her.

While Qu Feiyan was still young and not particularly involved in romantic affairs, she knew that frequent meetings with Ye Xiu would encourage him to mention her more often in his diary, ultimately increasing his favorability.

Seeing her friend making such requests, Huang Rong would sometimes smile and agree to Qu Feiyan's requests.

Of course, this was conditional on Dongfang Bubai not interfering.

After all, Dongfang Bubai was already a Grandmaster, even more powerful than Huang Rong's father, Huang Yaoshi. Even though Huang Yaoshi was a proud figure, he had to maintain a certain level of humility and courtesy in front of a Grandmaster.

Speaking of Huang Yaoshi, he was supposed to leave with his daughter Huang Rong after Yihua Palace.

However, Huang Rong's cultivation suddenly skyrocketed, becoming a congenital master in the blink of an eye. And Dongfang Bubai, whose cultivation level was previously similar to his, also suddenly became a Grandmaster.

Huang Yaoshi felt there was some special secret behind this.

He even thought that perhaps this secret could also allow him to become a Grandmaster.

Few, if any, ninth-level Grandmasters could resist the secret of becoming a Grandmaster, and Huang Yaoshi was no exception.

So, Huang Yaoshi decided to stay and see if he could uncover the secret.

Through his observations, Huang Yaoshi noticed that both Dongfang Bubai and his daughter Huang Rong were deeply concerned about Ye Xiu. Even Yao Yue, the Grand Master of Yihua Palace, a fellow Grandmaster, showed particular interest in Ye Xiu.

Huang Yaoshi couldn't help but wonder if there was something special about Ye Xiu, or if his daughter Huang Rong's rapid improvement in cultivation and Dongfang Bubai's advancement to Grandmaster status were related to Ye Xiu.

Huang Yaoshi had even attempted to sneak into Huashan secretly—

but he was stopped by Feng Qingyang.

Both masters were Grandmasters, their cultivation and even their combat prowess were comparable.

Upon seeing Huang Yaoshi's attempt to sneak into Huashan, Feng Qingyang assumed he was similar to the Whiteboard Evil Star, out to cause trouble for the Huashan Sect, so he immediately stopped him.

Huang Yaoshi, however, was arrogant and disdained explanations, and since there was nothing to explain, a fight ensued between the two.

As the fight raged, Dongfang Bubai, not far away, glanced at them calmly. Neither Feng Qingyang nor Huang Yaoshi noticed Dongfang Bubai's presence.

It can be said that while the ninth level of Grandmaster Realm was just a hair's breadth away from becoming a Grandmaster, that very difference separated them.

A Grandmaster, barring any unforeseen circumstances, faced a Grandmaster with a dead end, practically powerless.

Therefore, even though Dongfang Bubai was not far away from them, they could not detect Dongfang Bubai's existence.

Huang Yaoshi and Feng Qingyang clashed repeatedly, neither able to defeat the other. Through their exchanges, they gained a general understanding of each other's identities.

"Your cultivation is quite advanced. Judging from your attacks, you seem like Huang Yaoshi from the Song Dynasty?" Feng Qingyang said with a hint of certainty.

"Yes, I am Huang Yaoshi. Your swordsmanship is exquisite. You strike first after attacking, always aiming directly at the opponent's vital points. This swordsmanship must be the Dugu Nine Swords. Are you Feng Qingyang?" Huang Yaoshi also revealed his identity.

However, once their identities were confirmed, the exchange ceased, as Feng Qingyang knew Huang Yaoshi had no ill intentions in coming to Huashan. After all, although Huang Yaoshi was the East Evil, his actions were merely uncanny, not a villain.

Feng Qingyang's exchange with Huang Yaoshi was, in effect, a warning to Huang Yaoshi, reminding him that the Huashan Sect was not without its predecessors, like Feng Qingyang, who had simply retired temporarily. So this was a way to warn Huang Yaoshi not to go too far, otherwise Feng Qingyang would take action.

Huang Yaoshi also understood the meaning of Feng Qingyang's appearance.

"Brother Feng, do you know Ye Xiu, a disciple of the Huashan Sect?" Huang Yaoshi asked Feng Qingyang.

"Ye Xiu?" Feng Qingyang couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, his expression a little surprised.

"Yes, it's Ye Xiu. Because my daughter Huang Rong is very fond of Ye Xiu - so I want to know some of Ye Xiu's daily performance in Huashan." Huang Yaoshi nodded in a seemingly serious manner.

But after hearing Huang Yaoshi's words, Feng Qingyang's eyes twitched violently. He had no idea how to respond to Huang Yaoshi's words.

"Brother Huang, Ye Xiu, as for Ye Xiu—although Ye Xiu is a disciple of the Huashan Sect, he's quite good-looking, making him a bit too attractive to women. Yue Lingshan, daughter of Yue Buqun, a Huashan Sect disciple, seems to have feelings for Ye Xiu. Previously, Dongfang Bubai, leader of the Sun Moon Sect, even killed a Grandmaster for Ye Xiu—" Feng Qingyang hesitated, but ultimately decided to confess.

After all, if he concealed anything now and truly harmed the other party's daughter, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for the Huashan Sect.

At this point, Feng Qingyang didn't know that Dongfang Bubai was already a Grandmaster. If he knew that the woman Ye Xiu had flirted with was even a Grandmaster, he would be absolutely horrified.

...

A strikingly handsome man in white arrived in Huayin County. Not only was he handsome, but he was also dressed in white, clutching a folding fan, looking incredibly elegant.

The moment this person entered Huayin County, someone from the Sun Moon Cult, which had already been threatening to turn the county into an impenetrable impenetrable system, immediately reported this intelligence to Dongfang Bubai.

In fact, the incident with Yao Yue kidnapping Ye Xiu had heightened Dongfang Bubai's oversight of Huayin County. Countless Sun Moon Cult elites were stationed there, leaving even the Huashan Sect unaware of the Cult's presence there.

This part of Huayin County was arguably even more formidable than the defenses of the Sun Moon Cult's headquarters, Blackwood Cliff.

Dongfang Bubai was simply aiming to turn the Huashan Sect into a second Blackwood Cliff! Therefore, after the white-clad figure arrived in Huayin County, his every move, every word, every action, even his daily meals, were recorded and immediately delivered to Dongfang Bubai's desk.

Dongfang Bubai's brows furrowed at the sight of another figure in white. However, Dongfang Bubai was somewhat relieved to find that the other person was a man, not a woman. At least it wasn't Yao Yue.

But one day, two days, three days passed.

The man in white showed no sign of visiting Huashan. And now, news of him appeared on Dongfang Bubai's desk.

"He's been in Huayin County for three days, but he's shown no intention of visiting the Huashan Sect. Since he wasn't going to visit the Huashan Sect, he's stayed for three days, and during those three days, he's been intentionally or unintentionally trying to get information about the Huashan Sect." Dongfang Bubai's eyes narrowed slightly, already taking notice of this man.

...

"The Huashan Sect has become incredibly small now. From head to toe, from the Sect Master to the disciples, there are less than ten people in total—" Shangguan Haitang looked at the intelligence she'd gathered over the past three days, comparing it to previous reports on the Huashan Sect, and couldn't help but sigh.

The Huashan Sect was once a prestigious sect.

Unfortunately, the Huashan Sect had sparked a sword energy dispute.

Everything was fine before, with the Sect Master and several elders from the previous generation suppressing the situation, the sword energy dispute, while still present, wasn't a serious issue.

Unfortunately, the Huashan Sect's leader and the elders of the previous generation, who had set out to suppress Gu Santong, who practiced the Qi-absorbing technique, all perished.

The Huashan Sect's leadership had been suppressing the Sword Qi conflict, but without the leader and elders who had confined it to a specific area, the conflict erupted completely. Ultimately, aside from the few who escaped from Huashan, only Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze remained.

Over the years, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze had gradually recruited disciples, and the Huashan Sect was seemingly on the rise. However, they were targeted by the Songshan Sect, and ultimately, the newly ascendant Huashan Sect was reduced to its present state by Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect. Of the

vast Huashan Mountain, only a few remained—

Shangguan Haitang felt that perhaps this was only because Feng Qingyang was secretly protecting it; otherwise, the Huashan Sect would have been destroyed long ago.

Of particular importance to Shangguan Haitang was the fact that if the Huashan Sect's previous generation of masters hadn't been drained dry by Gu Santong's energy-sucking technique, the Huashan Sect would never have become what it is today.

If, if that Gu Santong was truly her adoptive father, Tiedan Shenhou, then wouldn't she harbor a deep hatred for the Huashan Sect?

And then—would the diary-keeper be particularly concerned about this matter?

As Shangguan Haitang pondered the Huashan Sect's situation, she suddenly felt a shadow loom before her. Startled, she managed to remain composed, looking up to see Dongfang Bubai, clad in a red robe, appear before her. He sat there, silently observing her.

"Master Dongfang? I'm sorry to hear that Master Dongfang is here. I'm the Xuanzi Agent of Hulong Villa—Shangguan Haitang—I'm sorry to be so rude." Shangguan Haitang greeted Dongfang Bubai respectfully, while also mentioning her identity.

"Hulong Villa? A subordinate of Tiedan Shenhou?" Dongfang Bubai narrowed his eyes slightly at Shangguan Haitang.

"Click--"

Shangguan Haitang realized that she had made a mistake. She was used to it by always using the name of Hulong Villa.

For a moment, she forgot that Dongfang Bubai might have some opinions or hatred towards Tiedan Shenhou?

After all, Tiedan Shenhou had kidnapped the person that Tiedan Shenhou liked, so she even attacked Tiedan Shenhou.

However, after a wave of inner fluctuations, Shangguan Haitang did not deny this identity: "That's right."