Chapter 27: To Cut or Not to Cut?

Hengyang City was packed with swordsmen and blade-wielders, shoulder to shoulder, all drawn by Liu Zhengfeng’s "Golden Basin Hand-Washing" ceremony.

Liu Zhengfeng was quite an eccentric figure. His senior martial brother, Mo Da, the sect leader, was essentially an absentee landlord who ignored all sect affairs, his heart entirely occupied by his music. With the leader absent, Liu Zhengfeng had to step up. He was, in many ways, a luxury, upgraded version of Lin Zhennan: adept at navigating social circles, incredibly polished, and possessed of decent martial arts skills.

Thanks to him, the Hengshan Sect remained stable, and his interpersonal finesse had secured many favorable connections for the sect. Right now, the martial arts heroes gathered for his ceremony had practically burst the seams of every inn in Hengyang. Most remarkably, despite effectively managing all the affairs of Hengshan, he lacked any thirst for power. His true devotion, like his brother’s, was to music. Even his friction with Mo Da stemmed not from the burden of the sect's chores, but from a fundamental disagreement on musical philosophy. The Hengshan School of Music was, indeed, well-earned.

When Wang Jingyuan’s party entered the city, there were no vacancies left in the inns. This mattered little, as they were part of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, and the Hengshan Sect had already arranged accommodations for the other four. The city was currently filled with Hengshan disciples maintaining order, and after a brief inquiry, Wang Jingyuan easily located the Huashan Sect’s quarters.

The heavy presence of Hengshan disciples was due to the previous night’s events, where Liu Zhengfeng had been ambushed by an elder of the Demonic Cult. Although he had repelled the foe, several Songshan disciples staying next door had unfortunately been caught in the crossfire and killed. Hearing that Qu Yang had already set his plans in motion, Wang Jingyuan bid the disciples farewell and headed straight for the Huashan lodging. He ran into Yue Buqun the moment he stepped inside.

The moment Yue Buqun saw him, he cast a look so profound and twisted, as if he were bursting with a thousand things to say but could not speak in front of others. Seeing this, Wang Jingyuan sighed and stepped forward. "Master, I have an urgent matter to report."

Yue Buqun immediately strode over, grabbed Wang Jingyuan’s hand, and pulled him toward his room. "Jingyuan, do you have something urgent to tell me? Come, let us discuss it in detail..."

*Bang!*

The door to Yue Buqun’s room slammed shut.

Yue Lingshan, standing outside, froze with a smile still on her face, the word "Father" stuck in her throat. It eventually faded into a sigh. "Father is still so partial to him."

Fortunately, if her father was unavailable, her mother was there. Ning Zhongze approached, observing Yue Lingshan closely to see if she had lost weight or suffered during her time away. Lin Pingzhi, that honest lad, greeted her politely: "Disciple Lin Pingzhi pays respects to Mistress."

Ning Zhongze smiled kindly at him but said nothing, turning her attention to Qu Feiyan, who had followed them. "Whose child is this?"

With her mother present, Yue Lingshan regained her confidence. She was about to recount Wang Jingyuan’s recent "glorious deeds," but suddenly realized that if she revealed Qu Feiyan’s true identity here in Hengyang... she stopped and introduced her simply: "This is Xinyi. Her parents are both deceased. Junior Brother Wang took pity on her and accepted her as a disciple. Mother, it is against the sect rules for him to accept a disciple without permission, but..."

Seeing Ning Zhongze’s gaze, Qu Feiyan immediately put on a docile expression. Ning Zhongze, moved by the girl’s pitiable appearance, pulled her close, stroked her cheek, and said gently, "From today on, Huashan is your home."

Inside Yue Buqun’s room, he invited Wang Jingyuan to sit and poured him a cup of tea, hesitating for a long time, clearly struggling with how to begin.

Wang Jingyuan, weary of formalities, spoke directly: "By the look of you, the news has already reached you. That’s right—I have taken Lin Pingzhi in on your behalf and intercepted the outside covetousness toward the *Bixie Sword Manual* for the sake of Huashan. But there were gains..."

Yue Buqun’s eyes lit up. "Are you saying you truly obtained the *Bixie Sword Manual*?"

"I have indeed obtained it, but that is not what is important. What matters is..."

Hearing this, Yue Buqun became even more agitated. "Truly? May I have a look?"

Wang Jingyuan sighed, found paper and brush, and began to transcribe. Before long, the fresh *Bixie Sword Manual* was ready. He handed it to Yue Buqun. "Everything is here, aside from the critical threshold and the medicinal formula required for cultivation. The threshold is not for outsiders to know, and I wish to keep the formula a secret to generate some revenue. I won't write those down to prevent leaks. Lean in, and I will tell you the secret."

Yue Buqun leaned over. Wang Jingyuan whispered a few words in his ear, and Yue Buqun’s pupils dilated in shock.

"This... this is..."

"It is true. Lin Yuantu had no biological heirs; the line of Lin Pingzhi was adopted by him."

Yue Buqun slumped back, looking utterly dejected. Wang Jingyuan said, "Although it has harsh prerequisites, it is a highly cost-effective, rapid-progress martial art. Furthermore, with the *Sunflower Manual* as a foundation, it covers every stage of development without blind spots; it is truly a peerless technique. Drop your pants."

Yue Buqun was startled. "What are you doing?"

Wang Jingyuan drew his sword. "It’s just the two of us, why the act? Doing this yourself is likely to leave psychological scars. I am fast and precise; close your eyes, and it will be over in a blink."

Yue Buqun waved his hands frantically. "No, I have no intention of cultivating it."

In the original timeline, he had practiced the *Zixia Divine Skill*, the most powerful art remaining in Huashan, but his progress was agonizingly slow due to his excessive anxieties. He had only been forced to turn to the *Bixie Sword Manual* when he had no other choice. But now, he felt as if an immortal had descended to assist him, and his situation did not seem so dire. Having seen only the beginning of the manual, he recognized its profound nature, but his hesitation was far greater than in the original story.

Perhaps, under the torture of stagnant progress in his *Zixia* skills, he might eventually harden his heart, but right now, with Wang Jingyuan brandishing a sword and threatening to castrate him, he could not possibly accept it.

Seeing his firm refusal, Wang Jingyuan turned the sword around and handed it to him. "Since you don’t want to cultivate it, do me a favor and perform the surgery on me. It is too troublesome to cultivate the *Bixie Sword Manual* without this step."

As he spoke, Wang Jingyuan began to undo his belt. Yue Buqun froze, then immediately grabbed his hand. "You cannot do this!"

"I am cutting myself, not you. Why are you so nervous?"

Yue Buqun whispered, "How could you, Immortal, go to such lengths!"

Wang Jingyuan replied calmly, "My anatomy is of no use to me anyway. Once removed, I can cultivate the *Bixie Sword Manual* rapidly and reach an incredibly high level of martial arts. Once I do, I will take you to sweep through the martial world, and this task of 'Revitalizing Huashan' will be finished in a flash. Then I will hunt down the final boss, clear the dungeon, and we will all be better off. Stop being so indecisive; come on."