Chapter 6: The Turning Point

Seeing Linghu Chong's expression, Lu Li did not say anything more.

Just as he turned around, Lu Li saw the Three Wild Geese whose lives had been spared by Linghu Chong, and he could not help but be speechless.

To spare them simply because of the brotherhood among bandits? It was a bit like the people of Ying, knowing the small details but forgetting the greater righteousness.

Lu Li did not insist on killing the three of them, but chose to give face to Linghu Chong, his senior brother; he raised his sword to sever the three thieves' tendons, then handed them over to the late-arriving constables.

This mission to eliminate the thieves could be considered completed without any mishaps.

In the town's tavern, Lu Li and Linghu Chong were resting.

Lu Li picked up a bite of food and said, "Senior Brother, I have been thinking, there is something I still must say to you."

Glug, glug, glug!

Linghu Chong held his wine gourd and smiled somewhat miserably: "Is it because of that group of thieves?"

Lu Li nodded.

During his time on Huashan, his relationship with Linghu Chong had been quite good, and they got along very happily.

As for Linghu Chong's temperament, Lu Li had also grasped it quite well.

Was Linghu Chong a bad person? Lu Li did not think so.

If Lu Li were to evaluate Linghu Chong, he was a wanderer capable of keeping his own integrity, rather than a national scholar like Guo Jing who could benefit the whole world.

Linghu Chong's personality was casual; if his identity as the eldest disciple of the Huashan Sect were stripped away, and he were allowed to become a wandering knight of the jianghu, then his behavior would be beyond reproach.

But the problem lay in the fact that he was the eldest disciple of Huashan.

Being carefree was certainly a trait worth admiring, but as a man, how could one have no sense of responsibility? Therefore, Lu Li decided to remind Linghu Chong not to become the man from the original story who only cared about himself and lacked any sense of responsibility.

After all, if Linghu Chong were not as troublesome as in the original story, then his task of restoring Huashan would also be easier.

Of course, Lu Li would only say this once; he would never be a nag and repeat it.

After all, he was only Linghu Chong's fellow disciple, not Linghu Chong's father.

"Senior Brother, I fear you understand what I am saying in your heart, perhaps you just do not wish to face it."

Lu Li said: "Today, you were still wavering in your mind when encountering these thieves; what will you do in the future when you encounter those of the Sun Moon Holy Cult who are guided by their emotions?"

"You are the head disciple of Huashan; every word and action of yours represents our Huashan."

If you are on good terms with people from the Sun Moon Holy Cult, even if I believe you, and Master believes you, how will others view you? Or rather, how will they view Huashan?"

"Have you ever thought that our Master racks his brains for Huashan? If the discussions in the jianghu grow loud, what will he do for the sake of Huashan's reputation?"

"When that time comes, will the sect's name still remain? Can you and the Junior Sister still form a good marriage?"

Lu Li's heartfelt words left Linghu Chong's face pale, with cold sweat streaming down his back.

"Of course, your sincerity toward others and your heart like that of a newborn child are things I admire."

"Everyone on our mountain gets along well with you; if you walk the jianghu in the future, you will certainly be able to make friends everywhere."

"However, the waters here are very deep; Junior Brother still advises you to be cautious."

After a long while, Linghu Chong sighed, then smiled freely.

"I originally thought that drinking with Junior Brother would certainly be boring."

"I did not expect that today would have a different flavor."

"It is hard to get drunk in the human world, yet now I am forced to be sober."

"Let's go, let's return to the mountain."

... On Huashan, Ning Zhongze was talking with Yue Buqun.

One could see Ning Zhongze wearing a smile, while Yue Buqun's expression was solemn.

"Senior Brother, Chong'er and Li'er went down the mountain for the first time, and they handled this matter well."

"Compared to when you and I went down the mountain for the first time, it is not bad at all."

"Our Huashan Sect has successors; why are you not happy?"

Yue Buqun nodded and said in a low voice: "The martial arts of these two disciples are indeed outstanding. Chong'er is the eldest disciple,"

"His martial arts have always been the best among the younger generation of the jianghu, inferior only to those famous older-generation figures."

"And Li'er's talent for swordsmanship is even more astonishing; in terms of swordsmanship alone, those famous experts are not his match."

"Even his internal energy, I fear, has caught up to Chong'er's."

"You must know, Chong'er has followed you and me since he was small, and he had his Entry ten years earlier than Li'er."

"But this time going down the mountain, Chong'er's performance was too naive and casual; as the eldest disciple, it makes me somewhat disappointed."

"However, the better Li'er performs, the more hesitant I become..."

Ning Zhongze pondered for a moment and smiled: "Is Senior Brother worried about the choice of the successor for Master?"

Yue Buqun nodded: "From his performance, Li'er's temperament is more suitable."

"He has a sense of proportion in his actions, yet he is not pedantic."

"But he is, after all, the second disciple."

"In the future, to which one should this Huashan mantle be passed?"

Ning Zhongze gently held Yue Buqun's palm and said softly: "Chong'er is unrestrained and does not like to be bound; Li'er has his own scale in his heart, and I fear he does not even care about the position of Master."

"Senior Brother worries that the two of them will fight for this position of Master, causing disharmony within the sect, but it is hard to say; I fear that neither of them is willing to take over the Huashan Sect."

Hearing this, Yue Buqun revealed a bitter smile.

Ning Zhongze said softly: "It is this Junior Sister's fault; if I had added a son, Senior Brother would not be so worried."

"Junior Sister..."

The red candles flickered, and the bed curtains slowly fell.

The peach blossoms in the mountains bloomed and then withered; in the blink of an eye, it was late autumn of that year.

Yue Buqun's original worry about the candidate for Master was resolved without a fight.

Ever since the Shaanbei Thirteen Geese incident, Linghu Chong seemed to have become a different person; although he still never let go of his wine and remained unrestrained, he was indeed more measured in his actions than before.

He even took the initiative to try and help Yue Buqun share the burden of the sect's affairs.

This was truly strange—had the Huashan Sect's head disciple actually changed his nature? It was just that Linghu Chong's personality was free-spirited and casual, so in handling sect affairs, he was still full of loopholes and his methods were naive.

It only made Yue Buqun sigh in anger: "If Huashan were left for him to manage like this, it would be ruined in a few years."

However, this change in Linghu Chong's mindset caused Yue Buqun and Lu Li to change their views of him.

Everyone has flaws, but if one dares to try and shoulder one's own responsibilities, that is a good thing.

Isn't it? This made Yue Buqun marvel greatly; the big playboy Linghu Chong had actually grown a conscience.

This transformation left him quite puzzled, but he vaguely felt it had something to do with Lu Li.

Meanwhile, Lu Li began to show clearly that he had no interest in sect affairs, focusing only on his cultivation and occasionally descending the mountain to perform chivalrous deeds, earning reputation points for Huashan.

Lu Li's "slacking off" behavior was almost a blatant way of telling Yue Buqun that he had no interest in the position of Huashan Master.

Yue Buqun descended the mountain twice, and the Inner Disciples increased by a few people including Tao Jun and Ying Bailuo, but these people had no significant role in the original work, and Lu Li did not pay them any mind.

And arriving at Huashan with them was Lao Denuo, who was of a similar age to Yue Buqun.

Lu Li had transmigrated here and taken Lao Denuo's place.

Yet, after all the twists and turns, this double agent still entered Huashan, only he was the oldest in age but had a very low seniority, ranking only ahead of Yue Lingshan.

During this period, Lu Li and Linghu Chong each descended the mountain to perform chivalrous deeds again.

However, the two of them did not travel the jianghu together, but instead took their junior brothers along.

Lu Li took Shi Daizi and Gao Genming out twice.

In just a few short months, Lu Li had already carved out quite a reputation in the jianghu.

His face was like jade and his bearing was elegant and refreshing, but his strikes were fierce, making the thieves of the jianghu tremble with fear at the mere mention of his name.

Rumors in the jianghu said that although this second disciple of Huashan punished evil and promoted good, and was usually as gentle as jade, he was exceptionally ruthless when he made a move, and behind his back, they called him the "Jade-Faced Asura."

Upon hearing that Lu Li's methods were ruthless, Yue Buqun had also reprimanded Lu Li.

But Lu Li did not think much of it.

He would dare to do it again next time.

"Master, Huashan already has the Gentleman Sword, but it is not enough."

"If we want to truly revive Huashan, how can we do without the Asura Sword that holds the power of life and death?"

Since ancient times, regardless of whether they were righteous or evil, which sect's reputation wasn't fought for? And because of Lu Li's reminders, Linghu Chong was also able to restrain himself somewhat.

However, once he descended the mountain, he remained unrestrained and never let the wine leave his lips, eventually becoming the "Huashan Drunken Sword."

This title reached Yue Lingshan's ears, and she would tease Linghu Chong about it all day long.

"Senior Brother, you really are the 'most base' of Huashan."

The trajectory of the Huashan Sect reached a turning point starting from Lu Li.

The Huashan Sect was flourishing.