The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 582 Fu Cailin: Are you polite?

In the Modao Hall of the Song clan in Lingnan, Song Que looked at the information in his hand, his face remained calm, but a storm was brewing in his heart.

He considered himself talented and even looked down upon the evil king Shi Zhixuan. For the sake of his family, he gave up Fan Qinghui, married an ugly wife, and lived in the Grinding Hall to hone his swordsmanship. While keeping his eyes on the world, he continued to improve his strength.

The supremacy of the Han people is his deeply rooted idea. In the original novel, although the several Han forces he supported seemed good in the early stage, none of them became successful in the end. Li Mi was defeated by Kou Zhong early on, and his children's marriage to in-laws naturally did not work out. In the end, he turned to choose Kou Zhong. However, this bastard gave up the fight for the world at the last moment and severely screwed Song Que.

Another one he invested in the earliest, and which laid the groundwork for a deeper plot, was the Sichuan-Shu Duzun Fort. In the original novel, even after marrying his eldest daughter there, he was ultimately defeated by the betrayal of his younger brother, a potential rival in love. This dealt him a fatal blow, and his grand plan for world domination was thus delayed. In this world, the lord of Duzun Fort, Xie Hui, was driven out early by the evil king, Shi Zhixuan, so naturally, there was no need to even think about marrying off his daughter.

Looking at the world, there were turmoil everywhere but no one with ability and potential caught his eye. If he really had to name one, it would be Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liaodong. This man was born into the royal family and was outstanding in both civil and military affairs. He showed his talent in the three expeditions to Goguryeo and rescued the Sui Emperor Yang Guang in Yanmen City. He made great plans and defeated the Turkic army, which attracted the attention of Song Que.

Strictly speaking, the Hongnong Yang family is a wealthy and powerful family with a long history. However, after the Jin Dynasty, foreign races invaded, and many wealthy and powerful families in the north intermarried with foreign races. Even Emperor Wen Yang Jian married Dugu, which meant that the bloodline of his descendants was no longer of pure Han descent, which made Song Que very unhappy.

He didn't know Yang Xuyan's true origins, and thought he was a branch of the Hongnong Yang family, with pure Han blood, which made him feel more favorable towards him. At the same time, he looked up to the Liaodong forces for suppressing Goguryeo. He was known as the Heavenly Sword, and his martial arts skills were not inferior to those of ordinary grandmasters. However, he was only a half-step grandmaster and had been unable to break through.

The news from Dongping County shocked him. Not only had the Evil King Shi Zhixuan achieved Grandmaster status by severely injuring Master Yijian Shi Cailin, but there was also a small group of hidden masters in the Central Plains martial arts world, unknown yet possessing the power to influence world events. Even a mere independent figure like Ning Daoqi, if used effectively by Cihang Jingzhai, could effectively suppress the Demon Sect and become the leader of the righteous. If this group of Grandmasters and Half-Grandmasters were to emerge together, the Central Plains martial arts world would be completely reshuffled.

Even I, the Heavenly Sword, might not be able to withstand the attack of these people.

After carefully studying the information, Song Que discovered that although these people were hermits and quite mysterious, they were not untraceable. The Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai and himself, who were at the same level as Heavenly Sword, should be about the same in strength. Both were half-step grandmasters with the combat power of a grandmaster, and they only needed the last step to become a grandmaster.

This person has close ties with Liaodong, and perhaps he can be found through this line. If he can defeat this person, there is a possibility of being promoted to a grandmaster. Song Que secretly wondered whether he should go to Liaodong. After all, Dugu Qiubai is not an ordinary junior, and he may be older than himself. He is not so arrogant as to let the other party come to Lingnan with just a letter.

Apart from Dugu Qiubai, Xiaoyaozi, who has some connections with the Dongming Sect, is the second easiest person to find. After all, the Dongming Sect is in Ryukyu, their business is bigger than Lingnan, and they also have business dealings with each other. If I ask to meet Senior Xiaoyaozi, I believe the other party will not refuse.

However, Xiaoyaozi might be stronger than Dugu Qiubai, so it is still unclear whether he can get the upper hand under him.

Next are Yue Buqun of Mount Hua and the Three Crazy Taoist Priests of Mount Wudang. Although there are clues about their secluded places, these hermits like to wander around and it is hard to say when they will return home. Even if you go to Mount Hua and Mount Wudang, you may not be able to see them. As the poem says: They are only in this mountain, deep in the clouds, and I don’t know where they are.

The Drunken Monk undoubtedly had the least information. His martial arts skills could be inferred from his name, but his whereabouts were a mystery, and he didn't even have a fixed place to practice, which made Song Que even more embarrassed.

Suddenly, Song Que seemed to have thought of something. He hurriedly summoned Song Lu to meet him and asked about the information he had received a long time ago. "You said there was a slovenly Taoist who called himself Taoist Sanfeng?"

Song Lu said seriously, "It was also a coincidence. I happened to meet a Goguryeo woman named Fu Junchuo on the Yangtze River with two beggars. Shi Dao invited them aboard a boat. At that time, they were being hunted by Yu Wenhuaji and had to flee in a hurry. Then, a young woman named Feng Zhenzhen and a slovenly old Taoist followed them on a raft. I only learned his name after hearing him introduce them."

At this point, Song Lu paused slightly, as if he had thought of something before continuing, "Now that I think about it, that old Taoist should be the Three Crazy Immortals mentioned by Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun. He said that he accepted Xiaoyaozi's request to take care of his two registered disciples."

"Are they Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, the ones who hold the secret of Yang Gong's treasure and are the first in thousands of years to have mastered the 'Eternal Life Secret'?" Song Que muttered to himself. His voice was very soft, but Song Lu heard it clearly. He nodded slightly and said, "It is Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. They are both quite clever and have a good foundation. Although they are disciples of Xiaoyaozi, they are not true disciples but registered disciples. However, I paid more attention to them later and found that there seems to be someone secretly helping them. I am afraid it must be Taoist Xiaoyaozi's hidden hand."

Song Que tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes flickering with thought. The Dongming Sect, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and the Taoist priest Xiaoyaozi, hailing from his homeland's royal family, though now exiled, still maintains a presence in the Central Plains. Then there's the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, residing in Liaodong. What's his relationship with the Duke of Liaodong? It's no secret that the Duke of Liaodong is planning to marry the legitimate daughter of the important official Pei Ju. A personal imperial decree granting this marriage is no joke. It's rumored that Dugu Feng of the Dugu clan is stationed in Liaodong, so perhaps there are secrets he doesn't know about.

Could it be that the sword demon Dugu Qiubai really came from the Dugu clan?

Haha, Sword Demon, I just don’t know if this Sword Demon can defeat my Heavenly Sword. I really want to have a good fight with him right now.

Finally, there was the Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun who appeared beside Zhang Xutuo. Although he denied his kinship with the Tyrant Sword Yue Shan, both of them knew the "Purple Air Coming from the East Divine Art". Song Que would not believe that there was no connection at all, but this person had a very high literary accomplishment, and even the great scholar Wang Tong was inferior to him. This could not be false.

He said that he wanted to forge a heart of steel and become a Grandmaster, so he came out to help Zhang Xutuo. However, this reason needs to be considered. It may not be credible, but it may not be completely false. As he said, the several requirements and possible methods for becoming a Grandmaster are worth learning from.

"Brother Lu, do you think I should come out of seclusion and find Ning Daoqi for a battle?" Song Que was frightened by Song Lu as soon as he opened his mouth, but then he thought about it and found that it seemed not a bad idea. If his elder brother could step on the casual Ning Daoqi to become a grandmaster, the future of the Song family would be as stable as Mount Tai, and they would be able to protect themselves no matter what storms they encountered.

"Brother, are you confident enough? If not, you should choose the Yijian Grandmaster Fu Cailin who has not recovered from his injury, or the Martial Master Bi Xuan." Song Lu's words left Song Que speechless. Why did he feel that the Goguryeo Grandmaster Fu Cailin had become a hot commodity, and there were always half-step Grandmasters who wanted to step on him to get to the top?

I wonder how much money this great master of Goguryeo still has. I hope he won't be exploited by them and fall to a lower level.

Fu Cailin: Are you being polite? I'm just a little older, how can I be bullied and looked down upon like this?