Chapter 14: The Hypocrite, Lin Pingzhi

The scent of blood was faint, almost negligible.

Yun Zhonghe owed his heightened senses to his recent injury, which, though a misfortune, had greatly improved his skills. This discovery sparked a suspicion in his heart—one he would need to find an opportunity to verify.

His mind turning, Yun Zhonghe followed the direction from which the blood scent came. The closer he drew, the more the smell of blood mingled with the stench of decaying corpses, making him furrow his brow. The bodies had been dead for several days, but wild beasts had already feasted on them, leaving no way to discern their identities.

"Lin Pingzhi, if you know what's good for you, hand over the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual."

A voice ahead caught Yun Zhonghe’s attention. He immediately quickened his pace and headed toward the sound.

As he neared the depths of the dense forest, he lowered his presence and hid behind a massive tree, eyes fixed ahead.

An old man with a grotesque face and a hunchback was slowly advancing on a handsome young man whose face was etched with terror.

The old man was Mu Gaofeng, and the delicate youth was Lin Pingzhi. It seemed his transmigration had triggered a butterfly effect, throwing the original storyline into chaos.

Seeing that Lin Pingzhi still refused to speak even with death before him, Mu Gaofeng’s patience wore thin. With a flick of his long whip, a bloody welt appeared on Lin Pingzhi’s face.

“If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you myself,” Mu Gaofeng threatened, putting away his whip and drawing a short sword from his robes, closing in on Lin Pingzhi.

Lin Pingzhi, pampered since childhood, had never faced such terror. His whole body trembled uncontrollably with fear.

“I really don’t know the whereabouts of the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, I beg you, please spare me!” Under threat of death, Lin Pingzhi was completely panicked. He fell to his knees before Mu Gaofeng, kowtowing desperately, all dignity and pride forgotten.

Survival was all that mattered.

“If you don’t know where the manual is, keeping you alive is a waste. Out of mercy, I’ll send you to join your parents.”

Mu Gaofeng cackled, his eyes gleaming with cruelty as he drove the broken blade down.

“Wait!” Lin Pingzhi cried out in panic.

A cold light flashed in Mu Gaofeng’s eyes, and the short blade halted a hair’s breadth from Lin Pingzhi’s head.

“Oh, so now you remember?” Mu Gaofeng mocked. “Tell me where the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual is. For the few kowtows you just gave, I might spare your life.”

“Really?!” Lin Pingzhi’s face lit up with hope.

Mu Gaofeng looked at him with utter contempt and lifted Lin Pingzhi’s chin with the tip of his blade. “But if you dare lie to me, your end will be a hundred times more miserable than now.”

Lin Pingzhi, terrified, shook his head frantically.

From his hiding place, Yun Zhonghe pricked up his ears. He had no intention of practicing the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, but there was no harm in using it to his advantage.

“The Evil-Resisting Sword Manual is…” Lin Pingzhi began, but just then Yun Zhonghe, absorbed in listening, accidentally snapped a twig beneath his foot.

Damn!

By the time he realized, it was too late.

“Who’s there?!” Mu Gaofeng’s hand shot up, hurling the short blade straight toward the source of the sound.

For those who lived by the rules of the martial world, even the smallest noise could arouse suspicion.

How could I make such a rookie mistake? All those martial arts dramas for nothing!

Thinking quickly, Yun Zhonghe turned his head, pinched his fingers together, and caught the short blade firmly. He stepped out from behind the tree.

“So it’s you, the lecher Yun Zhonghe,” Mu Gaofeng sneered, eyeing him warily. “What, you want the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual too?”

Yun Zhonghe stroked his chin and nodded. “Leave Lin Pingzhi, and you can go.”

Mu Gaofeng’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth. “And if I refuse, what can you do to me?”

“If you won’t let him go, then let’s fight. Why waste words?” Yun Zhonghe struck the tree trunk with his palm, sending a burst of energy that shook leaves from the branches.

He plucked a leaf, pinched it between his fingers, and flicked his arm lightly.

The harmless leaf seemed to transform into a deadly blade, slicing through the air at lightning speed, grazing Mu Gaofeng’s face.

Mu Gaofeng felt a chill on his cheek. Looking down, he saw a thin line of blood welling up, trickling down his face.

Lin Pingzhi swallowed hard, eyes wide with shock.

After cutting Mu Gaofeng’s face, the leaf embedded itself deep into the tree trunk. Who would have thought Yun Zhonghe’s martial arts were so formidable?

Mu Gaofeng looked at Yun Zhonghe with dread. Lately, Yun Zhonghe’s reputation had spread like wildfire through the martial world: slaying Zhao Zhijing and the Mongol prince Huo Du on Mount Zhongnan, and, most astonishingly, withstanding a direct palm strike from Guo Jing and walking away unscathed.

These tales had become the stuff of legend. Mu Gaofeng had heard the rumors but dismissed them as exaggerations. Now, witnessing it firsthand, he realized the stories were true.

If it came to a fight, he was no match for Yun Zhonghe.

With bitterness, Mu Gaofeng glanced at Lin Pingzhi on the ground. He had been so close to uncovering the whereabouts of the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, only for Yun Zhonghe to appear out of nowhere.

He would have to find another chance to capture Lin Pingzhi and force the truth from him.

“Fine, Yun Zhonghe, today I’ll give you this courtesy. Another day, I’ll seek you out for a proper exchange,” Mu Gaofeng said, grabbing Lin Pingzhi and tossing him toward Yun Zhonghe.

Yun Zhonghe simply watched, making no move to catch Lin Pingzhi, who tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Seizing the opportunity, Mu Gaofeng vanished into the depths of the forest with a few swift movements.

Spitting out the dirt from his mouth, Lin Pingzhi got up and brushed the mud from his clothes, relief flooding his face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Yun Zhonghe with a trace of disdain, but remembering that Mu Gaofeng could return at any moment, he quickly arranged his features into an expression of tearful gratitude. “Thank you, Brother Yun, for saving my life. I am forever in your debt.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yun Zhonghe staggered, only steadying himself by grabbing Lin Pingzhi’s shoulder.

Lin Pingzhi looked over to see Yun Zhonghe’s face pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

So you’re not as powerful as you seem—just a spent arrow, feigning strength all this time.

But then again, what if Yun Zhonghe was pretending to be injured? If he made a move now, he might fall into a trap and be doomed.

Is he truly wounded, or only faking it?

Let me test him and find out.

Suppressing his urge to shake off Yun Zhonghe’s filthy hand, Lin Pingzhi put on a look of concern for his savior. “Brother Yun, are you all right? Come, let me help you to the tree to rest.”

At these words, Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but take a closer look at Lin Pingzhi.