Sword Saint Martial Uncle, Hated by All! Liu Jinyuan’s Sudden Change in Style!

What was with this thing, jumping at every little scare?

Chu Yang looked at Xu Changqing, not knowing what to say for a moment. He had only said one sentence to someone else, yet the moment he turned around, his senior brother was already drawing his sword to chop someone.

For a guy with such thick brows and big eyes, his temper had somehow become more and more volatile after coming down the mountain.

Shi Gonghu stepped forward at that moment and cupped his fists. "May I ask what advice you young heroes have for us? We seem to be strangers meeting by chance, don’t we? Could we have accidentally broken some local rule?"

Li Xiaoyao sneered. "Still playing dumb? The people you sent over not long ago were all taken out by us. You must be getting anxious because you haven’t heard from them, right?"

Shi Gonghu looked utterly baffled. He summoned Tang Yu to his side and asked in a low voice, "Did His Majesty send anyone else before us?"

Tang Yu was even more confused, his eyes revealing a crystal-clear stupidity.

Shi Gonghu sighed and waved him away.

Go play somewhere else!

Seeing the disappointment on his Foster Father’s face, Tang Yu knew he had failed to satisfy him again and retreated dejectedly.

Chu Yang frowned deeply as he looked at Li Xiaoyao. "Who are you talking about?"

Li Xiaoyao said carelessly, "Those Moon Worship Cultists I buried! Didn’t you burn the bodies, Big Brother?"

Shi Gonghu’s expression turned grave.

Everyone else was shocked!

At that moment, Shi Gonghu had already realized that these three young men were probably not enemies. Just as he was about to speak, Tang Yu beat him to it and asked, "How do you know about the Moon Worship Sect?"

"You’ve finally exposed yourself!" Li Xiaoyao flashed forward and attacked Tang Yu. Ling’er’s disappearance had left him bottling up his anger for a long time, and now he had finally found an outlet.

Tang Yu was no ordinary man either. The instant Li Xiaoyao made his move, he instinctively drew his sword to block.

Not only did he stop Li Xiaoyao’s blade, but he also used his superb technique to deflect most of the force. At the very moment Li Xiaoyao’s attack ran out of momentum, he counterattacked.

His longsword stabbed diagonally toward Li Xiaoyao’s right shoulder at a bizarre angle. Li Xiaoyao lacked combat experience and had no time to react, helplessly watching the sword pierce his shoulder.

Clang!

The sword fell from Li Xiaoyao’s hand, but Tang Yu did not press his advantage. Instead, he retreated to Shi Gonghu’s side.

He had originally thought he would receive praise from his Foster Father, but Shi Gonghu merely glared at him, making Tang Yu feel wronged at once.

"Brother Li!"

Xu Changqing stepped forward to inspect Li Xiaoyao’s injury. When he found that the wound was not deep, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Chu Yang directly shoved a Blood Bodhi into Li Xiaoyao’s mouth, and the latter swallowed it before he could react.

"Brother Chu, what did you feed me? My body feels so hot!"

The Blood Bodhi transformed into vital energy and surged wildly through Li Xiaoyao’s body. The wound on his shoulder healed at a visible speed.

Once the injury was healed, the Blood Bodhi began replenishing Li Xiaoyao’s cultivation.

A single Blood Bodhi could save an ordinary person decades of arduous cultivation.

Seeing the miraculous effects of the Blood Bodhi, Shi Gonghu became increasingly interested in the identities of these young people.

"Young heroes, it seems there has been some misunderstanding between us!"

"We are not Moon Worship Cultists, but citizens of the Nanzhao Kingdom. We came to the Central Plains on an important matter."

"May I ask how you young heroes became entangled with the Moon Worship Sect?"

Shi Gonghu’s attitude was exceedingly polite, causing Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao to doubt their own judgment.

Chu Yang smiled. "I’d say you are neither ordinary citizens of the Nanzhao Kingdom nor Moon Worship Cultists…"

The corners of Shi Gonghu’s mouth rose. "Oh? Then according to your wise judgment, what should we be?"

Chu Yang answered flatly, "Soldiers."

The smile vanished from Shi Gonghu’s face. He slowly nodded. "Young hero, you have sharp eyes."

Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao looked astonished.

Tang Yu and the other subordinates tensed up, looking ready to make a move again.

"If you were sent by the King of the Nanzhao Kingdom to Immortal Spirit Island to find Zhao Ling’er, there is no need. The Moon Worship Sect got there before you did."

Shi Gonghu’s expression turned solemn at once. The other party had exposed their identities in a single sentence and even directly named Zhao Ling’er. They must have come into contact with Zhao Ling’er.

The Moon Worship Sect had found Zhao Ling’er before them?

Shi Gonghu clenched his fists, his aura boiling violently. He was clearly furious beyond measure!

Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing now understood this group’s identity as well.

Xu Changqing said in a faint tone, "Junior Brother, you knew all along. Why didn’t you remind us?"

Li Xiaoyao also looked at Chu Yang with a wronged expression. He had taken a sword strike for no reason at all.

Chu Yang snapped irritably, "How was I supposed to know you two were losing your minds? Did you even ask me? You drew your swords faster than I could open my mouth. What could I possibly have had time to say?"

Xu Changqing raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle, as though nothing had happened.

Li Xiaoyao hurriedly lowered his head and drew circles on the ground with his toe, terrified that he would be scolded.

"May I ask what relationship this young hero has with our Princess? Could you tell us where the Princess is now…"

Beside himself with anxiety, Tang Yu walked directly up to Chu Yang and asked.

"It’s a long story. We’re looking for Zhao Ling’er too. As for their relationship…" Chu Yang pointed at Li Xiaoyao. "He is Zhao Ling’er’s husband. By title, you should call him Prince Consort."

Everyone was startled!

Shi Gonghu looked displeased. What qualifications did someone who could not even defeat Tang Yu have to become the Prince Consort of the Nanzhao Kingdom?

Tang Yu did not think that much about it. Upon hearing that Li Xiaoyao was Zhao Ling’er’s husband, he quickly apologized to him.

"So that means you’re good people? Ling’er’s father sent you to protect her?"

"That’s right, Brother Xiaoyao. May I ask where the Princess has gone?"

Faced with Tang Yu’s question, Li Xiaoyao avoided his gaze, guilt written all over his face.

Xu Changqing could only explain the whole sequence of events on his behalf.

"Fate truly toys with people!"

Shi Gonghu sighed, then looked at Li Xiaoyao and shook his head. "Since everyone is looking for the Princess, we might as well act together. The more people we have, the better."

Xu Changqing nodded. "That would be for the best."

Li Xiaoyao said despondently, "We’ve searched all around here by flying on our swords. It’ll be the same if you search."

"Flying on swords?" Shi Gonghu examined Chu Yang’s and Xu Changqing’s clothes.

"Are you disciples of Shu Mountain?"

"That is correct."

"Who is your Sect Leader?"

"Daoist Qingwei."

"Not Yin Ruozhuo?"

"That is the secular name of Sword Saint Martial Uncle, the Sect Leader of the Xianjian Sect."

"The Xianjian Sect?"

Shi Gonghu did not know about Shu Mountain’s Sword Qi Competition, so Xu Changqing’s explanation left him somewhat confused. His face darkened considerably.

"Whatever the case, as long as it’s not that bastard Yin Ruozhuo!"

Shi Gonghu cursed furiously.

Xu Changqing secretly felt delighted.

Chu Yang smacked his lips and sighed. "Sword Saint Martial Uncle really is hated by everyone."

Li Xiaoyao asked quietly, "What exactly is going on with that Martial Uncle? Ling’er’s Grandma cursed him too."

Chu Yang whispered a few words into Li Xiaoyao’s ear.

Li Xiaoyao’s pupils suddenly contracted. He blurted out, "What a motherfucker."

Chu Yang quickly covered his mouth. "Keep it down, keep it down."

"Then what should I call him next time we meet?"

"Martial Uncle, of course. What else could you call him? He has nothing to do with Ling’er."

"It still feels weird."

"Forget it. You’ve got a grandfather to worry about too!"

Li Xiaoyao: "???"

After teasing Li Xiaoyao, Chu Yang fell into thought. Since Shi Gonghu and his group had already appeared in the heart of the Central Plains, A Nu should have arrived before them.

At that thought, Chu Yang was almost certain that Zhao Ling’er was with A Nu.

His gaze then fell on Tang Yu.

A Nu’s Crimson Thread spell could form connections with people through red threads, with one person bound to each finger. Tang Yu was one of them.

The Crimson Thread could allow both sides to sense each other’s location.

While Shi Gonghu was discussing how to find Zhao Ling’er with Xu Changqing, Chu Yang secretly pulled Tang Yu into a corner and began probing indirectly.

"Tang Yu, besides you, did anyone else come to the Central Plains to look for Zhao Ling’er?"

"Daoist Chu, I don’t understand what you mean. The Witch King truly only sent us."

"I mean other people who know Zhao Ling’er exists!"

"Others… then it could only be Holy Aunt and the others. As priests of the White Miao Tribe, they were born to serve the Descendants of Nüwa."

"Right! Did any of them come over?"

"Probably not…"

Tang Yu suddenly froze. A mischievous figure surfaced in his mind, and a powerful premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

"Foster Father!" Tang Yu abandoned Chu Yang and hurried over to Shi Gonghu. He said excitedly, "I know how to find the Princess!"

"How many times have I told you? You must remain calm and composed when doing things." Shi Gonghu frowned slightly, displeased by Tang Yu’s bearing.

Tang Yu clasped his hands and bowed respectfully. "Foster Father, A Nu may have come to the Central Plains. She can use the Crimson Thread to find the Princess!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Shi Gonghu’s eyes. "Go on."

Tang Yu said, "I can also use the Crimson Thread to find A Nu. If we find A Nu, we can find the Princess."

Shi Gonghu snorted. "At least you’re of some use!"

Xu Changqing did not understand what the Crimson Thread was, but he could roughly guess that it was a people-finding spell. He immediately felt relieved.

At least they were no longer completely in the dark.

From then on, Tang Yu became a living GPS. Everyone followed his instincts, walking from daylight into the night.

Li Xiaoyao muttered softly, "Will this really work?"

Chu Yang gave him another flick on the forehead. "Can’t you look at the map yourself?"

Li Xiaoyao winced and covered his head while pulling out the map to compare. To his surprise, they were heading toward Baihe Village.

Their route happened to be exactly the one they had planned before.

Xu Changqing sighed. "It seems Miss Ling’er’s emotions have stabilized. She probably went to Suzhou City to find us, but we weren’t there. So she could only follow the original route and try her luck, hoping to run into us!"

Li Xiaoyao held his head and wailed, "I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think of going back to take a look?"

Xu Changqing comforted him softly. "None of us thought of it. You needn’t blame yourself."

A few more days passed.

Tang Yu’s fingers suddenly began trembling violently. With a delighted expression, he said, "They’re nearby!"

Without another word, Li Xiaoyao stepped onto his sword and flew into the sky, anxiously scanning the surroundings.

Chu Yang spread out his Observation Haki. Since he could not sense Zhao Ling’er, he might as well sense the people around her. Within seconds, he received feedback.

"Follow me!"

Chu Yang chose a direction and strode forward.

Shi Gonghu looked toward Tang Yu, who silently nodded.

Although they did not know what Chu Yang was relying on, everyone obediently followed behind him.

Li Xiaoyao shot forward like an arrow!

As the scenery kept changing, several figures appeared in Li Xiaoyao’s field of vision. In particular, the figure in pale green robes was one he had longed for day and night.

Although her swaying snake tail looked somewhat unfamiliar to him, it could not stop his longing!

"Ling’er!"

Zhao Ling’er’s body suddenly stiffened. She slowly turned around.

"Xiaoyao Gege!"

The two saw each other and rushed toward one another.

Everyone watched this scene in deep emotion.

Until…

A figure fell from the sky and abruptly inserted himself between them.

Li Xiaoyao crashed straight into the newcomer’s back. His vision immediately swam with stars, as though he had slammed into an iron plate.

Zhao Ling’er came to an abrupt stop, leaving a deep streak across the ground.

"Daoist… Daoist Chu?"

Zhao Ling’er looked at Chu Yang timidly.

"Miss Zhao, I need to speak with you about something. It’s urgent!"

Chu Yang said solemnly, "Can we talk alone?"

Zhao Ling’er nodded.

Watching the two walk away, Tang Yu asked Xu Changqing, "Daoist Chu’s personality really is hard to describe!"

Xu Changqing said awkwardly, "Junior Brother was not this… hard to describe before. It’s just that his condition has been getting worse recently."

Even Shi Gonghu could not help sighing. "He’s sick. He needs treatment immediately!"

Chu Yang took Zhao Ling’er to a secluded place, pulled out the Demon Devouring Gu that had absorbed the Serpent Demon and Fox Demon, and asked, "Miss Zhao, how should this Demon Devouring Gu be used?"

The uneasy Zhao Ling’er breathed a sigh of relief and began explaining how to raise and tame the Demon Devouring Gu. Only after finishing did she smile and ask, "Where did Daoist Chu get this Demon Devouring Gu?"

Chu Yang answered, "I happened to come across it while exterminating demons. I hope Miss Zhao can keep this secret for me. To my sect, this Demon Devouring Gu would not be considered righteous."

Zhao Ling’er immediately agreed and said sincerely, "Rest assured, Daoist Chu. I won’t say anything."

"Ling’er should also thank Daoist Chu for resolving Ling’er’s predicament. If Daoist Chu had not explained my identity, there might have been a tremendous misunderstanding between Xiaoyao Gege and me."

Chu Yang shook his head. "There’s no need to be so polite about thanking me…"

Zhao Ling’er smiled. Just as she was about to offer a few flattering words, Chu Yang suddenly changed the subject.

"Why not convert it into something of equal value and give it to this poor Daoist? That way, you’ll be happy, and I’ll be happy too."

Zhao Ling’er: "…"

After a while, the two emerged from the small grove.

The way everyone looked at Chu Yang gradually became strange.

Chu Yang, however, did not notice any of it. There was only faint regret on his face.

Zhao Ling’er did not know how to raise Golden Silkworm Gu.

It was said that in the Miao Territory, Golden Silkworm Gu was an extremely high-grade Gu insect. Only a very small number of people knew of it, and Descendants of Nüwa were not among them.

However, Zhao Ling’er promised Chu Yang that once they returned to the Nanzhao Kingdom, she would do her best to find out where he could obtain Golden Silkworm Gu.

In short, it was not a completely fruitless trip.

After someone had butted in, Li Xiaoyao was finally able to share the pain of their separation with Zhao Ling’er, and their reunion finally began to look normal.

Chu Yang hated watching this sort of lovey-dovey scene the most. After greeting Xu Changqing, he found an empty spot and slipped into the Soul Palace.

When he emerged again, the Demon Devouring Gu in his hand had vanished, transformed into his own cultivation.

The results were not as good as he had imagined. The Serpent Demon and Fox Demon had around two to three hundred years of cultivation combined, yet he had gained barely over a hundred years.

Two-thirds of the cultivation had been lost.

"The copies have certain flaws. I need to find a way to fix them, otherwise I’ll only be able to rely on quantity in the future!"

Chu Yang had originally wanted to secretly take down the Red Ghost King by himself. Now, however, it seemed better not to waste the other party’s thousand years of cultivation.

He could also trade Blood Bodhi to Zhao Ling’er for a Demon Devouring Gu. If one was not enough, he could simply get a few more. After all, Blood Bodhi was far less valuable to Chu Yang than before.

With his physique, even if he was injured, he would have no use for Blood Bodhi. At most, he could eat it like candy.

Shi Gonghu had already ordered his men to light a bonfire in the wilderness.

Zhao Ling’er, Li Xiaoyao, A Nu, and the others sat around the fire, chatting and laughing.

They would spend the night in the wilderness and would not set off for Baihe Village until tomorrow.

Shu Mountain and the Nanzhao Kingdom lay in the same direction, so at least for now, there was no need to change their route.

After learning that Li Xiaoyao intended to take Zhao Ling’er to Shu Mountain, Tang Yu asked in confusion, "Why are you going to Shu Mountain, Young Master Li?"

Reunited with Ling’er, Li Xiaoyao had been grinning all day. "I’m going to join Shu Mountain. Then Shu Mountain can help us deal with the Moon Worship Sect."

When he heard that Shu Mountain intended to lend a hand, Shi Gonghu’s eyes lit up. He turned to Xu Changqing and asked, "Daoist Xu, is that true?"

Xu Changqing had a terrible headache. He could not help recalling Chu Yang’s words: "Become a monk by day, return to secular life by night." Things had somehow reached this point in the most absurd way possible, and he had no idea how to answer.

So Xu Changqing could only clutch his head with a pained expression.

Seeing this, Li Xiaoyao quickly stopped Shi Gonghu from questioning him further, then quietly explained the reason.

A moment later, Shi Gonghu’s gaze toward Xu Changqing held an added trace of pity and fatherly affection.

Why is everyone looking at me like that?

Xu Changqing felt that something was becoming increasingly strange.

It was not until Chu Yang returned to the group and explained everything to Shi Gonghu again that he finally relaxed, his expression turning animated.

"How powerful Moon Worshipper is now, even this old man would not dare make rash claims. If the masters of the Shu Mountain Sect can take action against him, that would be for the best."

"I am not afraid of making a fool of myself before Daoist Chu. Before coming here, this old man had actually prepared to perish together with the Moon Worship Sect. Unfortunately, the Witch King could not make up his mind…"

Shi Gonghu, a man devoted to his country and people, sighed mournfully. It was clear that the old man had been holding in a great deal of frustration.

Hearing Chu Yang and the others discussing Moon Worshipper, A Nu frowned and said unhappily, "Why are you bullying Uncle Moon Worshipper? Uncle Moon Worshipper is a very good person!"

Shi Gonghu was so enraged that his eyes widened. He immediately raised his hand, ready to slap the brat.

"Ah!"

A Nu shrank back in fright and hurriedly hid behind Zhao Ling’er, though she still found time to make a face at Shi Gonghu.

Chu Yang almost laughed. Being this carefree and thoughtless was truly a rare kind of oddity.

"A Nu, how many times have I told you that the Moon Worship Sect are not good people? If Daoist Chu and the others had not arrived in time, Grandma and all the sisters on Immortal Spirit Island would have been doomed!"

Zhao Ling’er was somewhat angry and looked sternly at A Nu.

In A Nu’s world, Moon Worshipper had never done anything bad, and he had treated her very well. She could not think of a reason to hate him, but everyone kept saying such things, making her feel terribly wronged.

"But those were things done by the Moon Worship Cultists. Why blame Uncle Moon Worshipper for them?"

"Moon Worshipper ordered all those things. How could he possibly have nothing to do with them?"

"You don’t have any evidence."

"Everyone knows it. What evidence do we need?"

Li Xiaoyao and Tang Yu joined in as well. One had been deceived by the Moon Worship Sect and had nearly committed a grave mistake, while the other had regarded Moon Worshipper as an enemy since childhood.

Both of them bore immense hostility toward Moon Worshipper.

A Nu could not argue against the two of them. Her cheeks flushed red with anger as she pouted, raising her hand to cast a spell and teach them a lesson.

Seeing the situation escalating, Chu Yang flashed to A Nu’s side, grabbed her hand, and interrupted her casting motion.

"You stinking Daoist, let go!" A Nu struggled desperately, throwing her little fist at Chu Yang’s face.

Conqueror’s Haki flashed and vanished.

A Nu rolled her eyes back and fainted.

Chu Yang shoved her into Tang Yu’s arms and frowned. "Her thoughts are too simple, making her easy for Moon Worshipper to exploit. It is better to make arrangements as soon as possible."

Shi Gonghu said coldly, "Indecision invites disaster. We might as well deal with her right here…"

Tang Yu hurriedly spoke up in a pleading voice. "Foster Father, you must not do this. A Nu is Holy Aunt’s disciple."

"You truly are useless!" Shi Gonghu glared angrily at Tang Yu, then turned away with a heavy sigh.

"Elder Shi, A Nu has been my playmate since childhood. Please spare her." Zhao Ling’er pleaded as well.

Shi Gonghu simply left, unwilling to see any more of it.

Zhao Ling’er looked pitifully at Chu Yang again. "Daoist Chu…"

Chu Yang shook his head with a laugh. "When I said to make arrangements early, I did not mean we should harm Miss A Nu. I meant we should guard against any methods Moon Worshipper may have left on her."

Xu Changqing nodded. "Junior Brother is right. Moon Worshipper is Miao, understands Gu techniques, and possesses profound magical power. Who knows what evil arts he may know? We cannot guard against everything."

Tang Yu pondered for a moment before asking, "In Daoist Chu’s opinion, what should we do?"

Chu Yang said, "For the time being, we should split up. We cannot let A Nu and Miss Zhao stay together. We will divide into two groups and head to Shu Mountain."

Zhao Ling’er hesitated slightly. Would that not be a little unfair to A Nu?

"Before reaching Shu Mountain, we must reduce the chances of encountering Moon Worshipper as much as possible."

Chu Yang voiced his greatest concern.

With Moon Worshipper’s personality, if events slipped beyond his control, the chances of him personally stepping in would rise.

This was a world of immortals and martial arts. A boss’s combat strength could not be measured purely by numbers. It was the complete opposite of Saitama in the One-Punch World.

Witchcraft, Gu techniques, spells—those abilities themselves represented countless possibilities.

To put it simply.

In theory, Saitama could kill any boss in this immortal world with one punch. But if it came to a true fight to the death, Saitama would most likely be the one who died.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and Yhwach might fare somewhat better than Saitama, because their abilities could not be judged by common sense either.

But that was only when discussing human-world bosses like Moon Worshipper.

If it were an existence on the level of Demon Lord Chonglou, all of them combined might not even withstand a beating.

Everyone discussed the matter around the bonfire for the entire night. In the end, they decided that Tang Yu would take A Nu and travel separately, while the rest would go to Shu Mountain together.

However, two people were in an awkward position.

Lin Yueru and Liu Jinyuan.

They had originally come out to help find Zhao Ling’er, so they should have returned to Suzhou City now.

But given Lin Yueru’s personality, after hearing Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling’er’s story, she had no intention of going back and desperately wanted to get involved.

Her dreams of being a hero were no less fervent than Li Xiaoyao’s.

What was even more outrageous was Liu Jinyuan.

"Daoist Chu, Daoist Xu, Jinyuan wishes to join Shu Mountain with Brother Li. Would that be possible?"

Liu Jinyuan looked at them with burning eyes.

Forget Xu Changqing—even Chu Yang was stunned.

"Aren’t you the top scholar? In the future, you are supposed to govern a region!"

Xu Changqing stared at him in disbelief.

Liu Jinyuan said with a resolute expression, "The internal strife in the Nanzhao Kingdom has proven that whether one studies literature or martial arts, neither seems capable of stopping Demon Persons like Moon Worshipper from throwing the Imperial Court into chaos, nor can they save the nation!"

"Only cultivating immortality is the righteous path!"