After Qu Yang departed, Rengoku Shou climbed down from the bed.
His temperament was restless, and since his injuries were lighter than in the original tale, he had no intention of staying bedridden. While lying there earlier, he had overheard Zhao An and Qu Yang's conversation—whether it was about a Demonic Sect elder befriending Liu Zhengfeng, or Zuo Lengchan plotting to merge the Five Mountain Sword Sects—everything he heard was shocking.
Now that Qu Yang was gone, Rengoku's curiosity flared, and he could no longer sit still. He came over, cupped his fists, and said,"Brother, you saved my life. For that, Rengoku Shou thanks you."
Zhao An knew he was referring to the incident with Tian Boguang and replied,"Even if I hadn't acted, you wouldn't have died. There's no need for thanks. Your wound isn't healed—you should be resting."
Rengoku laughed heartily."A small scratch. I've already applied medicine. Nothing to worry about."
Then he leaned in, voice lowered with excitement."What you and that elder said just now—was it all true? I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhearing."
Zhao An answered calmly,"No harm done. I had no intention of hiding it. What I said is true. That old man was none other than Qu Yang, a Demonic Sect elder, and he shares a deep bond with Liu Zhengfeng."
Rengoku's face changed drastically."Then… could Uncle Liu be betraying the Five Mountain Sword Sect Alliance? That's serious. I must report this to my master so he can guard against it!"
Zhao An shook his head."No need. The two are bound by their shared love of music, nothing more. Liu Zhengfeng intends to 'wash his hands in a golden basin' precisely because he no longer wishes to be entangled in the conflict between the orthodox sects and the Demonic Sect. Though Qu Yang belongs to the Demonic Sect, his friendship with Liu Zhengfeng is sincere. You needn't worry."
Rengoku was a man full of contradictions. At times, sly as a fox—he had run Tian Boguang in circles. At others, impulsive and bold, easily trusting others, to the point that Xiang Wentian once exploited him with ease. Sometimes weak and easily bullied, suffering endlessly under Yue Lingshan. Yet when it mattered most, he could be unyielding, willing to die rather than join the Demonic Sect.
Because Zhao An had aided him earlier, Rengoku already considered him trustworthy.
Thus, when Zhao An spoke, he did not doubt him and instead asked,"I also heard Brother Zhao say that Uncle Liu is to be accused by Elder Zuo of Songshan. Is that true?"
"Whether true or not," Zhao An said evenly, "tomorrow will reveal the answer. Let's not dwell on that now. I still have matters to discuss with Lin Pingzhi."
Turning, he asked,"Lin Pingzhi, how is it that you're here?"
Lin Pingzhi's mind was heavy with worry—his parents' safety, and the mystery surrounding Zhao An's martial arts. Back at Huiyan Tower, he had seen Zhao An display swordsmanship that seemed suspiciously like the Bixie Sword Art.
Ordinarily, Lin Pingzhi's level of skill was too shallow to discern Zhao An's techniques. Zhao An's strikes had been far too fast. But in the third exchange, Zhao An had paused for a fleeting moment—just enough for Lin Pingzhi to catch a glimpse.
He had trained in the Bixie Sword Art diligently, and though he wasn't certain, he thought he had seen the form "Chasing Stars, Catching the Moon." Still, he had kept his suspicions to himself—until now.
Upon being questioned, Lin Pingzhi immediately answered,"My Fuwei Escort Agency was crushed by the Qingcheng Sect. They captured my father and mother. I heard Qingcheng disciples would attend Elder Liu's golden basin hand-washing ceremony here at Hengshan, so I followed them."
Young as he was, Lin Pingzhi lacked experience in the jianghu. Without guile, he spilled everything.
Zhao An frowned."Yu Canghai of Qingcheng was injured by me in Fuzhou. Two of his four chief disciples were killed. How could he still have the strength to force your family's escort agency into such dire straits?"
Lin Pingzhi flushed."At first, we thought the Qingcheng disciples had retreated. We didn't know why, but we assumed they had given up. Yet only days later, twenty more arrived, slaughtering everyone in sight.
"Their leader was a hideous, short, twisted-looking man who called himself Yu Canghai. He claimed we had sent assassins after him. He captured me and my parents, threw us in a carriage, and—well, I don't know where we were headed. But now I realize it must have been Hengshan."
Though his account was brief, the meaning was clear: Yu Canghai had survived, unrepentant and more greedy than ever for the Bixie Sword Manual. In his madness, he had wiped out the Lin household.
Zhao An had expected as much.
He asked a few more questions, but Lin Pingzhi knew little beyond that. Yu Canghai had stormed Fuwei Escort Agency, butchered many, but spared the Lin family of three. Lin himself had been fortunate—rescued en route by two masked figures, before eventually reaching Hengyang after many hardships.
Zhao An considered this, but found no immediate clue. In the end, he decided to act. He led Lin Pingzhi out of the city.
"Brother Zhao," Lin asked, "where are you taking me?"
Zhao An replied,"Yu Canghai has surely come to Hengshan. Since he captured your parents, he won't kill them right away. He'll try to force the Bixie Sword Manual's secret from them. If they still live, he must be keeping them hidden somewhere outside the city.
"He wouldn't dare bring them inside—too risky. Hengyang is swarming with jianghu figures. If someone recognized them, they might intervene.
"He also wouldn't hide them too far away—that would weaken his control over the situation.
"So we'll search the outskirts: ruined temples, caves—anywhere he might stash prisoners. With luck, we'll find them."
Lin Pingzhi's face lit up."Yes, yes—that must be it!"
At once, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed furiously, his head knocking the ground again and again."Please, Brother Zhao, save my parents! I'll serve you as a beast of burden if need be, to repay your great kindness!"
"Get up," Zhao An said. "Since I brought you out here, if we find them, I'll save them. Even if I can't save them, I'll at least protect your life."
In truth, Zhao An had little confidence. But since he had nothing pressing at the moment, he figured he'd try his luck. Asking around, he inquired about ruined temples or waterfalls nearby, hoping events might unfold as in the original story—where Lin Zhen'nan and his wife were imprisoned in a ruined temple near a waterfall.
After traveling more than ten li outside the city, they followed a river upstream and found a waterfall. Searching around it, they finally discovered a ruined temple.
Inside were two Qingcheng disciples. Zhao An dispatched them easily. Within, the Lin couple were indeed being held.
But the sight of them was grim.
Once affluent and well-kept, they were now tortured to the brink of ruin.
Lin Zhen'nan was at death's door. Barely conscious, he managed to whisper a few final words to his son before expiring. His wife was gravely wounded as well, feverish and burning, though her life was not in immediate danger.
They buried Lin Zhen'nan near the waterfall—a place backed by mountains, facing water, scenic and tranquil. A resting place of good fengshui.
Afterward, Zhao An took Lin Pingzhi and his mother back to his rented courtyard. He summoned a doctor and tended to their needs until late into the night.
It was then that Qu Yang arrived—with Qu Feiyan, and a half-grown boy in tow.
Zhao An frowned deeply.
Qu Yang quickly explained,"Zhao Shaoxia, please don't be angered. Both I and Brother Liu trust you. The matter is urgent—we intended to hide Liu's family, but too many people moving together would have drawn attention.
"Besides, Liu's children and disciples were unwilling to leave him. This young master Liu here—he should be by his father's side. Only because I requested it, did he come to accompany Feifei instead."
Zhao An chuckled."This is your family's business. I won't meddle. Still… you'd best prepare some gold, silver, deeds—houses, shops. Surely you don't expect me to spend my own money raising your children?"
Relieved Zhao An wasn't truly angry, Qu Yang exhaled. As one of the Demonic Sect, he knew well enough what the so-called 'orthodox' sects were like. When ruthless, they could outdo the Demonic Sect itself.
But Liu Zhengfeng had insisted:"If Elder Zuo truly discovers my friendship with Brother Qu, then I cannot hide my family away—it would only look worse. At worst, Zuo Lengchan may kill me. But he won't touch my family. The other heroes of the jianghu would never allow it."
Seeing Liu Zhengfeng's resolve, Qu Yang no longer tried to dissuade him. Instead, he only arranged for Liu's youngest son to accompany Qu Feiyan, and brought Liu Qin along.
Zhao An said,"To be honest, saving them was just a matter of convenience. Advice rarely deters a man walking to his death. Still, I must insist—you owe me the score of Guangling San. If you can't part with the original, copy one for me. You lose nothing, and I'll see these two youngsters kept safe."
Qu Yang produced an oil-paper bundle from his robe."I've already copied Guangling San. Since Zhao Shaoxia is a fellow lover of music, I gift it to you freely. I only hope to find more friends in music."
Relief washed through Zhao An as he accepted it. Back when he had worked in a library, he had dabbled in rock music, even started a makeshift band—not that it amounted to anything.
Still, he had some knowledge, and had ruined more than a few guitars in his time.
As for the ancient Guangling San, he couldn't actually read the notation, nor had he any desire to learn. His true interest was not in the melody, but in using it as a bridge to approach Huang Zhonggong—and from there, acquire the Star-Absorbing Technique.
In Zhao An's plan, all of this world's supreme martial arts had to fall into his hands, whether he practiced them or not.
Taiji Swordplay, Taiji Fist, the Yi Jin Jing, Purple Mist Divine Skill, the Nine Swords of Dugu… all of them. And most importantly, the Sunflower Manual.
Unfortunately, even the copy held by the Invincible East was incomplete. If Zhao An could obtain the full version, it would be perfect.
For that goal, he would one day have to visit Shaolin Temple in Putian, perhaps even the imperial palace, to seek clues.
But that was for later. For now, with Guangling San secured, all he had to do was wait. When Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang perished, he would take their Smiling Proud Jianghu duet and the Jiao Wei Qin. Then, with music as his bond, approaching Huang Zhonggong would be simple.
The next morning, Zhao An rose early and bought wine and food to visit Rengoku.
After all, Rengoku Shou was this world's chosen child of fortune. Zhao An needed a good relationship with him—if nothing else, the Nine Swords of Dugu lay in his hands.
As for seeking out Feng Qingyang directly to learn the Nine Swords, or challenging him in combat to glimpse its secrets—those paths were impossible.
Firstly, Zhao An learning directly under Feng Qingyang was out of the question. Ever since being deceived in the past, Feng Qingyang had vowed never to fight again, hiding in Huashan for decades. Such a man's stubbornness and resolve could not be shaken. He had only passed the Nine Swords to Rengoku because of three things: Rengoku's natural talent, his personality that matched Feng's taste, and—most crucially—his identity as a disciple of Huashan.
For outsiders, no matter how gifted, Feng Qingyang would at most give a few pointers. He would never impart the Nine Swords in full. The weight of sect loyalty in this era was beyond modern comprehension.
Secondly, as for challenging Feng Qingyang in a duel—his martial arts were already transcendent. Unless Zhao An reached the very pinnacle of this world, a level on par with the Invincible East, it was a hopeless dream.
Thus, the best path was through Rengoku himself.
First, Rengoku had only just begun learning the Nine Swords—his swordplay was still unrefined, still in exploration. This made it easier for Zhao An to glimpse the essence through his practice.
Second, Rengoku's nature was bold and open. As long as Zhao An didn't bluntly demand the secrets of the Nine Swords, but instead sought advice on swordsmanship, techniques, and methods of breaking stances, Rengoku would not refuse.