Chapter 19: The Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual—Will You Learn It or Not?

Chapter 19: The Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual—Will You Practice It?

Fuzhou, Xiangyang Alley, the old Lin family residence.

Zheng Jian stood before the dilapidated ancestral home, torn by hesitation. He knew all too well that hidden within these walls was a manual capable of driving countless martial artists to madness: the Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual.

But Zheng Jian was at a loss for how to handle such a thing. By rights, as a transmigrator, this manual should have been the easiest treasure for him to obtain. Yet, the sword technique bore a fatal flaw: “Those who wish to master this art must first castrate themselves!”

Truth be told, Zheng Jian’s indecision didn’t lie in whether or not to practice it. He lacked for nothing in terms of supreme martial arts manuals. He already had the Purple Haze Skill for inner energy, the Nine Swords of Dugu for swordplay, and the Divine Movement for agility. Besides, with the system he carried, as long as he amassed enough resentment points, he could always exchange for or draw excellent skills. Why, then, would he ever need to resort to such self-mutilation?

Zheng Jian had pondered long and hard—not over practicing the Evil-Dispelling Sword Technique, but over what to do with it. In a way, this manual was the root cause behind the extermination of the Lin family, and the direct spark that sent Master Yue down his dark path.

Though Master Yue’s transformation was, at heart, a matter of character, it was only after he acquired this manual that he truly began his descent. Now, thanks to Zheng Jian’s presence, Master Yue had grown far more open and genuine. Still, his yearning to restore the glory of Mount Hua and surpass Zuo Lengchan remained unchanged.

If Zheng Jian did nothing, Master Yue would inevitably follow his original destiny. Even this current journey to the south was, Zheng Jian realized, Master Yue’s subtle way of laying the groundwork for the Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual. Having known the answer all along, Zheng Jian instantly understood that Master Yue had already begun his scheme.

But Zheng Jian sincerely didn’t want to watch Master Yue fall into darkness. After all, Master Yue was his master—the one who had even passed on the Purple Haze Skill. Though they bickered daily, Master Yue truly cared for him, and Zheng Jian felt the same. In this world, where he had no family or friends, Master Yue and Madam Ning were his emotional anchors.

The Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual, a thread running through the entire story, had left Zheng Jian at an impasse.

After much deliberation, he finally made his decision. Turning on his heel, he stepped into the old Lin residence. After some searching, he found the ancestral hall.

The hall was thick with dust, layer upon layer, clearly untouched for years. In the center hung a mural of Bodhidharma, left hand behind his back, right index finger pointing upward.

Zheng Jian knew what to do. Leaping up to the beam, he found a bundle of dark red robes. In the moonlight, the surface was covered in fine script.

“So this is the Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual…” Zheng Jian sighed. This was the thing that would shape the fates of Master Yue, Lin Pingzhi, Zuo Lengchan, Yu Canghai of Qingcheng, and countless others. Now it lay in Zheng Jian’s hands.

Returning to the inn with the robe, he glanced at the first line—“Those who wish to master this art must first castrate themselves”—bold and unmistakable.

“A hot potato, indeed. Master Yue, your poor disciple is wracking his brains for you…” Zheng Jian muttered. He had already made up his mind.

“Pass the disaster on to someone else!”

Better someone else than himself. If he wanted to save Master Yue from the dark path, the first step was to make sure he never obtained the manual. If Zheng Jian didn’t take it now, Master Yue would seize it once the story played out.

Best to give this thing directly to Zuo Lengchan, the leader of Songshan.

Let him practice it!

At worst, he’d just create another Unrivaled East. With his system, if he couldn’t handle Zuo Lengchan when the time came, he might as well let Zuo seize all five sword sects and die himself!

Zheng Jian had faith in his own abilities. He was not yet fifteen; by the time the story’s events began, he was confident he could master both the Nine Swords of Dugu and the Purple Haze Skill.

In the original, Linghu Chong relied on the Nine Swords alone to become a peerless expert. There was no reason Zheng Jian, with both supreme skills, couldn’t defeat a Zuo Lengchan wielding the Evil-Dispelling Sword Technique.

No matter how crafty Master Yue was, he could never wrest the manual from Zuo Lengchan’s grasp.

“Master, though this means you’ll be downgraded from the story’s final boss to just an ordinary master, I believe that if you don’t turn evil, Madam Ning will make it up to you!”

With the plan settled, all that remained was to send the manual off. Delivering such a thing required some skill.

And for that, he’d need to rely on his sheep—no, his junior brother Lao Denuo.

…

The next day, on a whim, Zheng Jian wandered to the gates of the Fortune Guard Escort Agency.

He had to admit, though the agency founded by Lin Yuantu was no longer in its prime, in Fuzhou it still held real power.

The compound was grand, with two towering flagpoles over six meters tall flanking the entrance, blue banners fluttering in the wind. On benches by the door, two rows of men in martial attire sat, all exuding a fierce air.

“Truly, disaster befalls those who possess treasures…” Zheng Jian sighed. Now that he had taken the Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual, he had no idea if Master Yue would still accept Lin Pingzhi as a disciple in the future…

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. A young man in brocade led the way, followed by four or five riders.

The youth’s horse was pure white, not a single blemish, with a saddle and stirrups of polished silver. A hunting falcon perched on his shoulder, a sword hung at his waist, and a longbow was slung across his back—clearly set for a hunt.

Zheng Jian didn’t need to guess. This boy, about thirteen or fourteen and not much younger than himself, could only be Lin Pingzhi.

Lin Pingzhi greeted the guards at the door. As he was about to leave, he caught sight of Zheng Jian standing there.

Their eyes met—two equally handsome young men.

Both Zheng Jian and Lin Pingzhi had the same thought: He’s as good-looking as I am!

“Hey, brother, what brings you to my home’s gate? Want to hire an escort?” Lin Pingzhi, strikingly handsome, was intrigued to see someone matching him in looks. He forgot all about hunting and paused before Zheng Jian.

Zheng Jian’s heart stirred. This boy was a pitiful soul—showered with love since childhood, ignorant of the world’s dangers, yet noble and righteous at heart. But in a single night, his family would be slaughtered, leaving him with a vendetta and driving him to the brink of destruction.

Such is life in the martial world—one is swept along by the tide, as Lin Pingzhi’s fate so clearly shows.

With a sigh in his heart but a faint smile on his lips, Zheng Jian waved a hand. “No, I’m not here to hire an escort. Just taking a look… I’ll be going.”

With that, Zheng Jian turned and walked away.

Lin Pingzhi stared blankly at Zheng Jian’s retreating figure. “If you’re not hiring an escort, what are you doing at my home?”

“Just sizing up the length of your flagpoles!” Zheng Jian called back without looking.

“…”

Resentment value from Lin Pingzhi: +10.

…

The first chapter of the day is delivered. More to come tonight—please vote!