Chapter 15 A True Expert

At the same moment, Shang Fei's battle with Su Shang and Miao Shaoqing continued. After several exchanges, the two sides fought to a standstill.

During this period, Shang Fei had made significant progress in his martial arts under Lin Chang's guidance. He would have been certain of victory against the two before him. However, the successive incidents that had occurred nearby had unsettled him, making him hesitate in his attacks, resulting in a stalemate with Su and Miao.

Just then, another figure swiftly arrived, leaping onto the rooftop. Their movement was light and agile, like wind or catkins; it was none other than the Falling Plum Sword, Lu Qingning.

As soon as the Swordswoman Lu arrived, she joined the attack on Shang Fei. Without a word, she exchanged glances with Su Shang and Miao Shaoqing. They understood each other perfectly, and the three immediately launched a set of Three Swords Combined Formation.

Among the Six Swords of Flower Shadow, the Plum, Orchid, and Bamboo swords were the closest and often practiced martial arts together. Over time, they had developed a nameless sword formation. This formation drew on the strengths of each of their sword styles and compensated for their weaknesses, making it incredibly powerful when unleashed. Unexpectedly, its first actual use was against their own Shixiong.

Shang Fei used his Ghost Shadow Swordplay to fight two opponents, maneuvering and dodging left and right. He had originally been handling it with ease, but Lu Qingning's appearance quickly put him at a disadvantage.

After only a few moves, killing intent surged within the sword formation. Su Shang initiated with a move called "Admiring Solitary Fragrance," Miao Shaoqing provided support with a "Sifting Wind Playing with the Moon," and Lu Qingning suddenly unleashed a sword strike, "Cutting Snow Tailoring Ice," as the final blow.

With several sharp sounds, Shang Fei took three sword strikes, one on each side of his ribs and one on his Lingtai acupoint on his back. As the saying goes, "If the Lingtai is damaged, all meridians are destroyed." Although he was not killed on the spot, the battle was decided.

...

On the other side, Lin Chang completely ignored Shang Fei's life or death. He did not comment on Feng Bujue's attack but instead looked toward the innkeeper, commenting, "Finally, a real expert has arrived, interesting... State your name."

"Hmph..." the other party replied with a strange, mocking laugh, "Cao Qin, Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Imperial Envoy and Chief Supervisor of the Eastern Depot's Officers and School Affairs."

Lin Chang's expression visibly changed, and his ferocity diminished by thirty percent. "So it's Eunuch Cao, my respects..." Hearing that the other party was a fourth-rank official of the imperial court, a position he absolutely could not offend, he changed his attitude. "I, Lin, am here to eliminate the rebellious faction. I wonder if Lord Cao..."

"Enough," Cao Qin interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Lin Chang, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. The letters you exchanged with Qian Ning (Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard) have long been discovered by my Eastern Depot. I know exactly what you're planning. Otherwise, why would I have arrived in Cang Ling before everyone else?" His words answered a question that had been puzzling everyone for some time.

On closer inspection, it made sense. Only the power of the Eastern Depot could have transformed an abandoned inn in a ghost town into the Cang Ling Inn before their very eyes in such a short time.

"Lord Cao, since we are both serving the imperial court, why not join forces..." Lin Chang continued.

"Hehehehe..." Cao Qin interrupted Lin Chang with a sharp, feminine laugh. "What a fine 'serving the imperial court'!" he sneered. "But in my eyes, this is nothing more than a business deal between you and Qian Ning."

Feng Bujue interjected from the side, "After the Cang Ling Sword Debate, Qian Ning will obtain hundreds of martial arts secrets, and you will gain the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader. In the future, you can use the power of the martial world to help Qian Ning eliminate dissidents in the court, and he can use the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to help you consolidate your hegemony in the martial world." He paused for a moment and asked, "No matter how you look at it, the whole thing is just a transaction between two ambitious men for personal gain. How can it be confused with 'serving the imperial court'?"

Feng Bujue had already said this to Cao Qin once in the inn. In addition, he had helped Eunuch Cao do the math, successfully convincing the other party that... If Qian Ning and Lin Chang's plan succeeded, it would be a catastrophe for the martial world and extremely detrimental to the Eastern Depot, even threatening the imperial power.

Cao Qin... Well, let's just say that although there are many treacherous eunuchs in the profession, Cao Qin should be considered a relatively loyal eunuch. Of course, this is relative; he is indeed very loyal to the emperor, but he is as cold as winter to his enemies... In short, this NPC was quickly persuaded by Feng Bujue to join the same camp.

In fact, Cao Qin had not originally intended to disrupt Lin Chang's plot. He had come to Cang Ling this time only to monitor the progress of the matter and to meet Lin Chang in person to see if he really had the strength to look down on the heroes of the martial world, as stated in the letters.

If this Eunuch Cao had initially wanted to disrupt this plan, he would not have come alone and asked a group of ordinary people to be the inn's staff. With Cao Qin's methods, there were countless ways to make Lin Chang disappear from the world a month ago. Even if it was a head-on confrontation, this Factory Director and several leaders of the Eastern Depot could work together to kill Lin Chang with great certainty. However, the time to act could not be on the night of the full moon...

It wasn't until shortly before the duel, when Feng Bujue returned to Cang Ling, met with his teammates, exchanged information, and confirmed Cao Qin's identity with the Vajra Bell's special effect, that Feng Bujue contacted Cao Qin, changed his mind, and then cooperated with him to make a series of deployments.

"Lin Chang, the Jin brothers and Wang brothers of the Broken Sword Tea House have already taken my token and set out from two routes to spread the word," Cao Qin said. "The thousand households leading the troops will never dare to act rashly when they see the Eastern Depot's token. Tonight, they will not come." He raised his voice and said to the crowd on the surrounding streets, "Everyone present, Lin Chang has fallen into demonic ways. Demonic arts are not something ordinary martial arts can contend with. If you don't want to die, leave Cang Ling immediately. No one will stop you on the road; you can safely enter Copper Hill."

After Cao Qin finished speaking, he turned around and specially said to Gongsun Qian, who was a few zhang away, "Building Master Gongsun, as the head of a sect, you should recognize the greater good. Only Little Brother Feng and the others can solve the current crisis. Whether what he said just now is true or false, now is not the time for you to seek revenge."

As he spoke, many second- and third-rate sects had already begun to flee, and the streets became noisy and chaotic. The characters from the first-rate sects wanted to save face, and although they also wanted to leave, they were embarrassed to flee in a panic like those miscellaneous fish. They all decided to leave a little later, and when they returned to Copper Hill, they would laugh at the fifty steps mocking the hundred steps... They felt very superior.

Unexpectedly, Ji Tong actually stepped forward and advised Gongsun Qian, "Building Master Gongsun, what Eunuch Cao said is reasonable. At present, the martial world is in danger of being destroyed. Let Tea House Master Feng concentrate on dealing with Lin Chang. You and his grudges can be discussed later. You should first lead your disciples out of the town to protect their lives."

Gongsun Qian knew Ji Tong best; the two were old enemies. He knew very well that Ji Tong's mind was focused on running away. Such righteous remarks could be summed up in this sentence: "Buddy, I'll give you a step down, you run quickly, and then I can follow."

"Okay, since Building Master Ji has said so." Gongsun Qian turned his face to Feng Bujue, "Tea House Master Feng, we'll meet again!" He snorted coldly, beckoned to his disciples, ignored his wife's and Shidi's corpses, and quickly slipped away.

Ji Tong had a look of planned success on his face and waved his hand: "The disciples of the Eight Directions Building follow me..." As he spoke, he summoned a dozen people and left in a hurry.

Seeing that both the Ten Thousand Glow Building and the Eight Directions Building had withdrawn, the remaining members of the major sects and those martial artists who had come alone also followed suit. In just a few minutes, the streets were almost empty.

Lin Chang on the roof silently watched the scene before him without doing anything to stop it. When he heard Cao Qin say that the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not come, he knew that the grand plan for tonight had failed. Even if he went on a frenzied pursuit, it would be of no use; at least half of the people could escape.

What's more, facing Cao Qin and Feng Bujue, as well as those members of the Broken Sword Tea House who had not yet appeared, he must not take it lightly. Who knew if Feng Bujue would take out something similar to the strange box in his hand.

"Elder Brother Lin," Feng Bujue looked up and said, "Qian Ning, driven by his own ambition, has been instigated by you to launch a catastrophe in the martial world, breaking the long-standing rule of non-interference between the Jianghu and the government. He will soon be unable to protect himself and will not be able to help you at all. And you have become the common enemy of the martial world, and the other forces in the court will not tolerate you." He held out one finger. "The only way out for you now is... to change your name and hide in the mountains."

"Hmph... Hide?" The black and purple baleful aura on Lin Chang's face condensed once again.

"Feng Bujue, let me tell you what kind of road I want to take..." Lin Chang replied solemnly, "First, I will immediately kill you and this dead eunuch. Then, I will kill every high-ranking official who knows about this and may use it to bring down Qian Ning. Then, I will continue my deal with him..." His face showed ruthlessness. "At worst, I'll visit the sects one by one. Anyone who hands over martial arts secrets and respects me as the alliance leader can live. And those who disobey, I'll destroy their sect." He said in a very calm tone, "It'll just take more effort and more time. My path will not be blocked by you!"

"Then there's no other way..." Feng Bujue said, putting away his submachine gun and taking out the Anti-Gravity Catapult from his backpack. Then, he took out a fire starter and a small ball woven from bamboo strips from his pocket. After lighting the bamboo ball, he shot it into the sky with the reflector.

This move was undoubtedly a signal to his companions in the distance, but Lin Chang did not know that there was such a thing as a sniper rifle in this world. He thought Feng Bujue was calling for help.

Two seconds later, hundreds of meters away, a gunshot tore through the sky.

Bei Ling did not aim for the opponent's head. After all, her marksmanship specialization was not yet a nearly flawless A-grade. If she aimed for the head, she had about a 40% chance of missing. Although the performance of the gun in her hand was excellent, the shooting distance, angle, wind speed, including the visibility under the moonlight, were all good, but there would be no second chance for something like this. The first shot was the easiest to succeed. Once the opponent had been hit by such a long-range attack, they would definitely be on guard. Therefore, this shot could not afford to miss. Hitting the torso was the safest. As long as this shot could injure the boss, it would be worth it even if the subsequent attacks all missed.

Lin Chang first practiced the Taixu Wuxiang Great Art and went into madness, devoured by his inner demons, which greatly changed his temperament. Above his main consciousness, there was also a higher-level divine consciousness, which was the Wuxiang Demon Lord. At certain times, when Lin Chang's own consciousness could not protect himself, his inner demons would take over.

The night of the full moon was when the will and power of the Wuxiang Demon Lord were at their strongest. Faced with this sudden, fatal blow, in an instant, a black gas shield had formed, blocking the trajectory of the sniper bullet.

But in terms of speed and power, this bullet was not comparable to the attacks of the Cold Weapons era. After a pause, the sniper bullet penetrated the gas shield and drilled into Lin Chang's chest.

Unfortunately, the place he was shot was the heart.

...

The sky was gloomy, there was no wind, and a few snowflakes fell quietly.

One morning thirty years ago.

In front of the Ye Mansion, an old and a young figure slowly walked.

The child looked less than ten years old. The padded jacket and cotton pants he was wearing looked very old. His face and hands were frozen red, but his eyes showed a perseverance that was not commensurate with his age.

And accompanying the child was an old man with white hair.

"We're here, Chang'er." The old man stopped, but the hand he was holding the child's hand did not let go.

Little Lin Chang looked up at the only relative he had left in the world and asked in a childish voice, "Grandpa, will you come to see me again in the future?"

Grandpa shook his head: "Grandpa is going to a very, very far place and can't come to see you." He was a man who was running out of steam. He knew that his days were numbered, and sending his grandson to the Ye Mansion was his last wish.

"Then... Chang'er will go with Grandpa. I won't go to Ye Mansion to learn martial arts." Tears were already welling up in Little Lin Chang's eyes. Even though his mind was much more mature than his peers, he was still a child after all.

Grandpa squatted down and touched his grandson's head, "Chang'er, don't ever say such things again..."

Tears finally welled up in his eyes, and Little Lin Chang knew that parting was near.

"Alas..." Grandpa sighed deeply, "Grandpa has no money, no power, and can't give you anything..." The old man choked up at this point, his eyes full of suffering and helplessness.

Lin Chang's parents were just minor characters in the Jianghu. Logically speaking, Lin Chang's background was far from qualified to join the Ye Mansion. However, his parents had both died in the battle against the Green Lotus Sect several months ago. And Lin Chang's grandfather was old and terminally ill and could not raise the child to adulthood.

Lin Chang's parents had made some contributions to the martial world, so they couldn't just watch the Lin family's orphan freeze to death in the street, could they? That's why the Ye family made an exception and accepted Lin Chang as a disciple.

Snow was still falling.

Grandpa let go of Little Lin Chang's hand and stood up tremblingly, "Your father and I have been mediocre all our lives, and we have to work hard for everything ourselves. After a lifetime of running around, we are just small pawns who are driven around, and no one will remember us even if we die." He sighed, "Alas... this is fate." Grandpa looked up at the gate and plaque of the Ye Mansion, "Chang'er, the Ye Mansion is the best in the martial world. As long as you practice martial arts diligently and behave properly, you will definitely achieve something in the future. You must cherish the opportunity that your parents exchanged with their lives." He stopped here and swallowed all his words, because he was afraid that his grandson would turn back and waver.

Little Lin Chang looked at his grandfather's figure, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He was still a child less than ten years old, but he had too much to bear, too heavy.

Tears can take away sadness, and sadness that tears cannot take away can be buried with laughter.

In the end, Little Lin Chang wiped away his tears and forced a smile, "Grandpa, don't worry. Chang'er will definitely make a name for himself in the future. I want to be the best in the world, the supreme martial artist! No matter how far away Grandpa goes, my name will be spread there!" As he spoke, he turned around, walked forward, and knocked on the door that would change his destiny.

...

"Ha... ha..." Lin Chang gasped, lowered his head, and looked at his left chest, where there was a huge black hole. The wound was bloody, and a large amount of blood and minced meat had spurted out of his chest and scattered on the tiles under his feet.

Bei Ling used a large-caliber sniper rifle. The bullets fired from this kind of gun could not withstand iron plates, let alone flesh and blood. Si Yu, who was acting as Bei Ling's spotter (modern sniper teams are generally composed of two people; the spotter carries an automatic weapon and binoculars for self-defense), also saw Lin Chang's injuries with binoculars (Bei Ling bought them from the store) and said, "Success! Fatal wound!"

Cao Qin, Shang Fei, Su Shang, Miao Shaoqing, and Lu Qingning were all dumbfounded, standing on the spot in a daze, staring in shock at the hideous wound that suddenly appeared on Lin Chang's chest.

"Heh... hehehe... hahahaha..." Lin Chang's mouth was covered in blood, but he was still laughing, "It's just a small injury, hehe... cough..." Another large mouthful of blood spurted out, "The Taixu Wuxiang, changes all phenomena, my divine skills have been completed, how can I be hurt by this little injury... cough..." He covered the wound with his hand and still tried to use his energy to heal himself, but unfortunately, this was no longer the kind of injury that could be recovered. "It's okay, it'll be okay... I can kill you all soon... I still have many things to do... and..." he murmured to himself in self-deception, his voice getting smaller and smaller.

The black and purple energy on Lin Chang's body all gathered on the surface, and he forcibly urged his body to move with this demonic energy, jumping down from the roof, step by step, walking towards Feng Bujue and Cao Qin, still saying in his mouth, "I am the best in the world, I want to be the supreme martial artist..."

"Is this what you're pursuing... a dream?" Feng Bujue asked with a smile. To be on the safe side, he still sacrificed the Death Poker. After this period of recovery, he could use Shield again.

"Do you think it's ridiculous?" Lin Chang slowly approached, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

"We are all making... foolish dreams." Feng Bujue replied sadly, "So what's wrong with that?" He said seriously, "I really appreciate your persistence, and I don't dislike your methods. But I'm sorry to tell you that your weakness is destined for your failure."

"Heh... you actually said that I..." Lin Chang's speech had become very difficult.

Feng Bujue interrupted him, "Of course you are very weak, so weak that you can't even defeat your own inner demons. You chose to rely on it to gain stronger power." As he spoke, he took out a black hand bell with a golden carved handle from his backpack, "The night before yesterday, even the ghosts on the mountain avoided you. Didn't you have any doubts at that time?" He held up the Vajra Bell and said, "Your soul has long been fragmented. Even if you don't die here today, you will be completely devoured by your inner demons and become a walking corpse in less than a year and a half." He paused, "This bell is your nemesis. Even if that attack had missed just now, as long as the Factory Director and I work together, you still have no chance of winning."

Clang—clang—

Feng Bujue shook the Vajra Bell twice, and Lin Chang, who was still three meters away from him, was instantly crushed to his knees by an invisible force. The black energy on his body surged wildly like a dying beast.

"Heh... ah... ah!" Lin Chang gave a wry smile, followed by a roar to the sky, the wail resounding through the night sky, telling of the helplessness and desolation of the world.

Even Lu Qingning, Su Shang, and Miao Shaoqing showed expressions of sympathy.

Seconds later, the black energy completely dissipated, Lin Chang's face became abnormally pale, his eyes filled with sadness, "Brother Feng... do you really think I'm a hero?"

Feng Bujue did not answer. He just stretched out one hand, palm up, pointed to the empty street beside him, and showed a sarcastic smile.

This street was originally filled with people who claimed to be heroes, masters, experts, and heroes, but at this moment, there was only a lunatic and a dead eunuch left.

"Hahaha... hahahahaha..." Lin Chang fell down, lying on his back, laughing non-stop. Finally, he closed his eyes with relief, a smile on his face, and said weakly, "This is fate..."