Chapter 30: Blackmailing Lao Denuo
The setting sun hung on the horizon, and the clouds were ablaze, intertwined in red and orange hues, magnificent and dazzling—like a natural oil painting.
At the Cliff of Reflection.
“Hah!!!”
Linghu Chong carried a heavy weight on his back, gripped his sword with both hands, and even had a massive stone—about thirty kilograms—wedged onto the sword’s blade.
With a mighty swing downward, a fierce gust of sword wind whooshed out, and large beads of sweat flung off his body.
“9999!”
“10000!”
Letting out a muffled grunt, Linghu Chong finally completed ten thousand swings. After setting down the longsword, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Since he didn’t have the Black Iron Heavy Sword, he had to temporarily add weight to his sword. It actually felt quite good using it this way.
For the entire day, in the morning, Linghu Chong had been running up and down the Cliff of Reflection carrying a heavy load. In the afternoon, he stood atop the cliff, swinging the heavy sword.
This kind of ten-thousand-swing training session—he had no idea how many sets he’d already completed.
His outrageous routine even left Feng Qingyang completely stunned.
Linghu Chong turned to look at Feng Qingyang, who was leisurely sipping tea in the pavilion, enjoying the peaceful moment. “Granduncle-Master, I’ll go prepare dinner.”
Feng Qingyang smiled and nodded. “Go on then.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Linghu Chong walked to the edge of the cliff and, without hesitation, leapt straight off.
He activated all the internal qi within his body and, like an agile monkey, began leaping and darting through the steep cliffs of the chasm.
Anyone else would never dare do what Linghu Chong just did—jump off a cliff with a hundred-pound stone strapped to their back.
But Linghu Chong possessed profound inner strength and was cultivating a peerless martial art. His internal qi flowed endlessly in a continuous cycle, so he wasn’t worried about exhausting his power and falling to a shattered death.
His descent was swift, and soon enough, he reached the bottom of the cliff.
Boom!!!
With a heavy thud, Linghu Chong slammed into the ground, startling the woodland animals nearby and sending them scattering.
Scanning his surroundings, he picked a direction and dove into the forest.
After searching through the forest for a while, Linghu Chong spotted traces of wild pheasants—about four or five of them. Without a word, he picked up a handful of stones from the ground and threw them at the pheasants with deadly precision.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The wild pheasants fell on the spot.
Linghu Chong smiled faintly and walked out from the trees. He picked up the pheasants and weighed them in his hand—nice and plump. Then he carried them off to a riverside to clean.
He wrapped the cleaned, plump birds in lotus leaves.
He also found some wild vegetables in the forest—meat and vegetables, a balanced diet.
Then, he retraced his path.
Utilizing lightness skills, he leapt back up the cliff face.
The Dugu Nine Swords came with a supreme movement technique. While performing his lightness skills and leaping upward, Linghu Chong struggled a bit due to the extra weight on his back.
However, he constantly adjusted and refined his rhythm of internal qi circulation based on the technique’s characteristics. In doing so, he transformed the Dugu Nine Swords’s footwork into a movement technique that best suited himself.
With continuous improvement, Linghu Chong managed to apply his internal qi more efficiently to every part of his body. His movement technique grew lighter and more graceful. Even with a heavy load, it no longer felt overly strenuous.
Before long, he was nearing the top of the Cliff of Reflection.
Standing at the cliff’s edge, Feng Qingyang let the wind blow against him.
When he saw Linghu Chong’s graceful and agile movement technique, he couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement, “This kid always manages to surprise me. It’s only been a day, and his lightness skills have become so elegant. If he weren’t carrying that heavy stone, his lightness skills might even surpass mine!”
Feng Qingyang had no doubt—the lightness skill Linghu Chong just displayed was definitely above his own.
Swish!
While Feng Qingyang was still dazed, Linghu Chong appeared behind him in a single step.
“Good lad, just a single day and your lightness skills are already this refined.”
A kind smile surfaced on Feng Qingyang’s weathered face. The more he looked at Linghu Chong, the more surprised—and fond—he became. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Linghu Chong flashed a grin, showing off his white teeth. “Had some insights.”
“Again with the insights. How many insights have you had today?” Feng Qingyang was numb to it by now. He didn’t even know how to describe Linghu Chong’s freakishness anymore.
Linghu Chong smiled silently. It wasn’t like he wanted these insights—they just kept coming like waves he couldn’t hold back.
“I’m off to make dinner!”
He roasted four of the plump pheasants and used the remaining one to stew with wild vegetables and yam.
Time passed, and before long, the rich aroma of meat wafted all across the Cliff of Reflection.
Linghu Chong picked up a freshly roasted pheasant and handed it to Feng Qingyang. “Here you go, Granduncle-Master!”
But Feng Qingyang held up a porcelain bowl with a gentle smile. “You eat. I’ll start with the soup.”
“All right!”
Linghu Chong dug into the roasted pheasant with gusto.
He devoured three and a half birds. Originally, it was supposed to be two per person, but Feng Qingyang, doting on him, only ate half of one.
As for the stewed pheasant, Linghu Chong didn’t eat much of it—just some wild vegetables, yam, and a few bowls of soup.
It had to be said—the soup made from wild mountain pheasant was truly delicious!
After they’d eaten their fill and rested while chatting for a bit…
Linghu Chong said to Feng Qingyang, “Granduncle-Master, I’m heading down the mountain. I won’t be back tonight.”
Feng Qingyang smiled faintly. “All right, go. It’s dark, so watch your step.”
“Got it!”
Linghu Chong’s figure had already vanished into the night, leaving only those words drifting behind.
Back at the Huashan Sect.
Linghu Chong first returned to his quarters, removed his training gear, and changed into a set of night-walking clothes—completely black, with only his eyes exposed.
By this time, most of the Huashan Sect disciples should have returned to their lodgings to rest.
Linghu Chong secured his room and then slipped into the night, heading straight for the disciples’ dormitory. His figure, like a shadow, darted silently through the darkness.
Before long, he arrived at the rooftop of the dormitory.
Crouched atop the tiles, Linghu Chong was directly above the room of Lao Denuo—the Songshan Sect’s spy.
Quietly lifting a roof tile, he saw that the candle inside was still lit. Lao Denuo sat at the desk, scribbling something with intense focus.
Linghu Chong moved to the window, tied a prepared note to a small bamboo dart, and, infusing it with internal force, flicked it through the paper window.
Whoosh!
The dart pierced through the window and landed squarely on Lao Denuo’s desk almost instantly.
“Who?!”
Startled, Lao Denuo leapt to his feet and scanned the surroundings. Seeing the hole in the window, he rushed over and flung it open, but saw nothing outside.
He had been extremely on edge these past few days, ever since Ning Zhongze and Linghu Chong had returned. He didn’t know whether they had uncovered anything, especially since it was he who had passed on their whereabouts to the Songshan Sect.
Seeing nothing outside, he returned to the desk. The bamboo dart embedded in the wood made his heart jolt. Whoever had that level of strength must at least be on the level of a sect master.
He struggled to pull out the dart, then removed the note and unfolded it. Upon reading it, his expression turned to shock. He quickly folded it up again, his face pale as he glanced nervously around, sweat beading on his forehead.
Panicked, he began packing his things to flee Huashan—but then stopped himself.
If he ran now, it would confirm his identity as a spy and traitor.
Moreover, if he returned to the Songshan Sect empty-handed, with no accomplishments to show, there was no way Zuo Lengchan would tolerate him.
After thinking it through, Lao Denuo decided to report the matter first. Extinguishing the candle, he slipped out into the night and hurried down the mountain.
Linghu Chong observed the entire process. Watching Lao Denuo’s fleeing figure disappear into the distance, a faint, devilish smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Master’s wife… very soon, I’ll help you vent that pent-up anger.”
Linghu Chong muttered to himself, his eyes glowing with a chilling murderous intent.