Chapter 33: The Wheel of History Finally Begins to Turn

Chapter 33: The Wheels of History Begin to Turn

In the blink of an eye, three more years have passed. Only thirty-some chapters in, and already seven years have gone by—it’s hard not to marvel at how swiftly time flies.

Over these three years, Zheng Jian has grown considerably taller, now looking every bit the handsome young man. Throughout this lengthy period, he stubbornly remained atop the mountain, never venturing down. His junior disciples have also matured, including the graceful and elegant junior sister Yue Lingxuan, who has now blossomed into the most dazzling sight among the Huashan Sect.

Zheng Jian’s days over these three years were spent either gathering resources or honing his martial arts, making for a rather dull and monotonous existence. Now, aside from the reclusive Feng Qingyang, Zheng Jian sits firmly as the top master of the Huashan Sect. Five years ago, after achieving mastery of the Purple Mist Technique, he subsequently perfected the Sword of Solitude and the Divine Movement, among other skills—though, truth be told, the Sword of Solitude was also acquired through the exchange system.

Yet, there’s nothing he can do about it; the exchange shop is beyond his control and often offers strange items. The specific upgrade for the Sword of Solitude he needed never appeared, causing Zheng Jian to harbor much resentment toward the system—though unfortunately, those grievances didn’t count toward his rewards.

In truth, Zheng Jian had accumulated enough grievance points, well over ten thousand, enough to unlock a new world. He’d often complain, “Damn it, the plot hasn’t even begun, and I could already travel to a new world… Who am I supposed to reason with about this?”

Within the Huashan Sect, public discontent was at its peak. Aside from Lady Ning, everyone else—from Old Yue, the lovable junior brothers, to Yue Lingxuan and even Ruan Qiuqiu—had been so thoroughly exploited by Zheng Jian that they were nearly bald. In their eyes, Zheng Jian was an undeniable demon king, one who could drive people mad.

Especially Ruan Qiuqiu, who for years had persistently tried to attract Zheng Jian’s interest, only to be met with his utter indifference.

One day, while Zheng Jian was wandering leisurely on the mountain, he encountered Lu Dayou, who was rushing toward him.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!” Lu Dayou cried out upon seeing Zheng Jian.

“Hm? What’s got you so anxious, Monkey Lu?” Zheng Jian asked, puzzled.

“Senior Brother, Master is looking for you. He’s in the Hall of Righteousness.”

“I see,” Zheng Jian replied lazily, hands clasped behind his back as he ambled down the mountain like an old man.

By the time Zheng Jian slowly arrived at the Hall of Righteousness, he saw Old Yue sitting in solemn silence. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zheng Jian quickly strode into the hall, closing the distance in three steps.

“Disciple greets Master.”

Old Yue snorted, “Sit down. I have important matters to discuss.” With a wave of his hand, Lu Dayou understood and quietly exited, closing the door behind him.

“What’s so mysterious?” Zheng Jian wondered—such secrecy from Old Yue was rare indeed.

After a moment’s hesitation, Old Yue spoke gravely, “The Lin family in Fujian has been massacred.”

“!!!”

Zheng Jian was startled, blurred memories suddenly flooding his mind. “Master, do you mean the Fortune Escort Agency?”

“That’s right. Everyone at the agency was killed, except Lin Zhen’nan’s only son, Lin Pingzhi, who happened to be away. Rumor has it that the Qingcheng Sect is responsible,” Old Yue said, his tone heavy.

Zheng Jian immediately understood—the wheels of history were rolling forward at last. Although there were some deviations from the original plot, Lin Zhen’nan and his wife had still met a tragic fate.

“Is there any news of Lin Pingzhi in the martial world?” Zheng Jian pressed. He had met Lin Pingzhi once in Fuzhou, and thought that if the sword manual had fallen into Zu Lengchan’s hands, the plot might change. But now, even without the manual, the Qingcheng Sect would not let the Fortune Escort Agency go.

“Not yet,” Old Yue shook his head.

Zheng Jian felt a stir within him. No news was good news; according to the original story, Lin Pingzhi was likely still wandering, fleeing for his life. “Master, I wish to leave the mountain to find Lin Pingzhi and bring him back to Huashan.”

“Oh? Why?” Old Yue asked, puzzled. He already knew about the Evil Resisting Sword Manual and had long since let it go, knowing that Zheng Jian’s strength had surpassed his own and would bring glory to Huashan. Thus, Old Yue had little interest in Lin Pingzhi.

Zheng Jian replied, “When I was in Fuzhou, I met Lin Pingzhi once. Now that he’s suffered such a calamity and is wandering the world, I imagine he has grown much. I wish to bring him back and take him as a disciple. By what I saw, he is a promising candidate for martial arts, and could become a great asset to Huashan in the future.”

To be honest, it was guilt that drove him. Though Lin Pingzhi’s fate had little to do with Zheng Jian, he had admired him in his past life. In the original, Lin Pingzhi’s only mistake was his twisted psyche leading him to wrongly kill Yue Lingxuan. Now that Zheng Jian had saved Old Yue, he naturally wanted to save Lin Pingzhi as well.

As for tragic stories, Lin Pingzhi was arguably the most pitiable figure in the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer—a champion without dispute.

“Very well. If you deem him worthy, Lin Pingzhi must be a good-natured child. Bring him back to Huashan. It’s not your first time, after all… But to change the subject, what are you planning to do about Miss Ruan?” Old Yue teased.

“…” Zheng Jian was momentarily speechless. “Let’s talk about that later…”

“If you’re leaving the mountain, you can represent me and attend Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement ceremony at Hengshan in Hunan. He invited me to the event, but I’m too lazy to go. You may go in my stead,” Old Yue said with a smile.

With that, Zheng Jian hastily escaped from the Hall of Righteousness. When it came to Ruan Qiuqiu, his feelings were complicated. He could not fail to see her affection for him, but Zheng Jian knew that in this world, he was but a passerby, unable to stay. So he pretended not to notice, hoping she might let go.

“Ah… Women are always such trouble…”

After packing up, Zheng Jian set out alone, descending the mountain. With the plot changed, he had no idea where Lin Pingzhi was, so he decided to head to Hunan first and witness the retirement ceremony.

In the original story, Lin Pingzhi was also present at Liu Zhengfeng’s ceremony, so perhaps they would meet.

The gentle breeze stirred the willows, the fragrance intoxicated, and spring was in full bloom.

When Zheng Jian arrived at Hengshan in Hunan, the retirement ceremony of Liu San, master of Hengshan Sect, was scheduled for the next day—timing could not have been tighter.

Speaking of Liu Zhengfeng, he was another tragic figure in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. A righteous hero, yet befriended Elder Qu Yang of the Sun Moon Divine Sect. Their friendship was pure, born of musical affinity and never touched upon the conflict between good and evil.

But as the saying goes, in the martial world, one cannot control one’s own fate. Moreover, Zu Lengchan had long schemed against the other sword sects of the Five Mountains Alliance. He used Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement as an opportunity to weaken Hengshan and assert dominance for Songshan, leaving Liu Zhengfeng no escape.

In the original, the Songshan Sect even threatened Liu Zhengfeng by holding his family hostage—truly ruthless tactics.

“But now, with this Swordsman to turn the tide, Chief Zu, I’m going to rise to prominence by stepping over your Songshan masters…”

Indeed, Zheng Jian was always one for efficiency!

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