Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

Xiang Wentian's expression hardened slightly: "Plum Manor in West Lake is guarded by the Four Friends of Jiangnan—Hei Baizi, Tu Biweng, and Dan Qingsheng, all of whom are masters of the Acquired Realm; Huang Zhonggong has even reached the Perfection of the Acquired Realm. If we were to force our way in, it would be tantamount to suicide. If we make too much noise and alert Dongfang Bubai, we would lose everything. The rescue must be planned slowly and deliberately."

"Then... what should we do?" Ren Yingying bit her lip, a hint of panic rising in her eyes.

"Don't rush." ​​Xiang Wentian raised his hand and smiled. "I've been planning this for a long time. The Four Friends of Jiangnan each have their own quirks—Huang Zhonggong is obsessed with the guqin, and I've already found the 'Guangling San' that Qu Yang stole from Cai Yong's tomb; Hei Baizi is addicted to chess, and the rare chess manual you have will come in handy; Tu Biweng is fond of calligraphy, and Danqingsheng is greedy for painting—I've already brought Zhang Xu's 'Shuaiyi Tie' and Fan Kuan's 'Xishan Xinglu Tu' from the capital, which are enough to serve as bait."

"But... what can we exchange these for?" Ren Yingying asked in a low voice.

"Let's have a sword fight." Xiang Wentian's eyes sharpened. "If we can defeat the four of them in a sword fight, based on my understanding of them, they will definitely agree to the conditions in order to seize the treasure, and they will hand over the sect leader at that time. We can take this opportunity to make our move and rescue my father from his predicament."

Ren Yingying, however, did not smile. Instead, she looked worried: "But... the Four Friends of Jiangnan are not weak in martial arts. To surpass them in swordsmanship, how many people in the entire martial arts world can do it?"

"Not bad." Xiang Wentian nodded. "In the current martial world, I can only think of three people who can crush four people with swordsmanship alone."

"Which three people?" Ren Yingying asked urgently.

"First, Feng Qingyang," Xiang Wentian said slowly. "According to the secret report from the Divine Cult, he is not dead. He recently returned to Mount Hua and became a Supreme Elder. However, he has been living in seclusion for many years and his temperament is unpredictable. To ask him to take action is nothing short of a fool's dream."

Ren Yingying was not disappointed upon hearing this—if she could truly persuade Feng Qingyang, why would she need to set up a sword duel? She could easily sweep through Plum Manor.

"What about the other two?" she asked, her gaze fixed on them.

"The second person is none other than Lin Tian, ​​the Deadly Sword God who has recently swept through the martial world and is revered as the leader of the righteous path! His sword strikes are like thunder, causing the bloodshed in Qingcheng, the destruction of Songshan, and the submission of Shaolin. Although he may not have reached the Innate Realm, his combat power is already comparable to that of an Innate Realm cultivator. If we can get him to take action and rescue the sect leader, we are almost certain to succeed!" Xiang Wentian said in a deep voice.

"But... but how could he possibly help us?!" Ren Yingying frowned.

Good and evil are irreconcilable enemies. Asking the top expert of the righteous path to save the former leader of the demonic sect is harder than climbing to heaven, almost a pipe dream.

Xiang Wentian's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "It is indeed not easy to persuade Lin Tian, ​​but it is not entirely hopeless. He is only twenty years old, and it is the time when his talents are at their peak. As long as we conceal our identities as the sect leader and use provocation to stir things up, we may be able to ignite his fighting spirit—there is still a 30% chance."

"Only three points?" Ren Yingying frowned.

"And who's the third one? Uncle Xiang, who's the third one?"

"Linghu Chong of the Huashan Sect."

"Linghu Chong?!"

A hint of confusion flashed in Ren Yingying's eyes: "Uncle Xiang, he's just a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua. Although he's recently ventured into the northern lands and wiped out many bandits, he's only just entered the Acquired Realm. How could he possibly defeat the Four Friends of Jiangnan?"

Xiang Wentian chuckled and said, "In terms of pure combat strength, he is indeed not up to par. But I'm talking about swordsmanship—back in Hebei, I personally witnessed him dueling with someone. His swordsmanship was fluid and exquisite, unlike anything I've ever seen! He must have received the true teachings of Feng Qingyang. The Dugu Nine Swords can break all techniques without using any moves; it can break through any weapon, spear, or halberd. Even if Linghu Chong hasn't fully mastered it, he's not far off."

"But... how can we get him to make a move?" Ren Yingying pressed.

Xiang Wentian's smile deepened: "Of these three, he's the easiest to invite. You only need to personally make the request."

"Me?" Ren Yingying was taken aback.

"Yes." Xiang Wentian nodded. "Last year, Liu Zhengfeng retired from his life of crime. To save a little nun, he dared to stand against a group of heroes and risk his life. You are exceptionally beautiful. If you just show a little weakness, how could he sit idly by? It's a bit unfair to you..."

"What's a little grievance if it can save Father?" Ren Yingying shook her head and smiled, her expression indifferent.

She is no ordinary woman, capable of holding the position of Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect.

She had already weighed the pros and cons and made her own choices.

Even if she were to submit to someone else, she would be willing to do so as long as it brought her father back.

"Alright! There's no time to lose." Xiang Wentian stood up. "I'll leave Linghu Chong to you. I'll set off for Fuzhou immediately and see if I can persuade Lin Tian to help."

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Xiang."

In front of the Fuwei Escort Agency in Fuzhou.

Disguised as an old man, Xiang Wentian looked at the magnificent mansion before him and thought to himself: As expected of the number one escort agency in the world, it is indeed impressive.

"Old man, you've been standing here for ages. Are you going to do some escort work? Let me make this clear first: we at Fuwei Escort Agency don't take jobs under 500 taels."

Seeing that he had been standing there for a long time, the gatekeeper came out and asked him in a cold voice.

Xiang Wentian cupped his hands and smiled, "Not at all. I've heard that your esteemed young master is a sword prodigy of our time. I have a sword manual here that even the legendary 'Sword Saint' Feng Qingyang praised, and I've come to seek your guidance."

The gatekeeper frowned. Ever since the news of Lin Tian's massacre of Qingcheng and suppression of Shaolin spread, people coming to see him have practically worn down his doorstep, and he has to turn away more than a dozen groups every day.

He wanted to refuse outright, but upon hearing that it was "a sword manual praised by Feng Qingyang," he hesitated—the young master was a complete sword fanatic.

"Wait here, I'll go inform them." The gatekeeper turned and left.

"Thank you, sir." Xiang Wentian nodded with a smile.

He really went to great lengths to lure Lin Tian out—that sword manual was indeed a relic from the previous dynasty, which even Feng Qingyang had admired.

He didn't believe that a young man obsessed with swordsmanship could resist temptation...

……

"Young master, an old man surnamed Xiang has come from outside. He says he has brought a sword manual that even Feng Qingyang praised. He would like you to take a look."

"Old man? What's your name?" Lin Tian raised an eyebrow.

The doorman scratched his head: "They didn't say, I only know their surname is Xiang."

"Old man...surname Xiang?!" Lin Tian's eyes narrowed, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Xiang Wentian? Could it be that he looks old, but actually has a strong voice and a straight back?"

"Hmm." The doorman nodded. "Except for his face, which looks like an old man, he doesn't look old at all."

Sure enough... that guy has arrived.

Haha, what else could they possibly want besides using me as a pawn to save Ren Woxing?

That's quite a clever plan.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to play along with your elaborate self-inflicted injury scheme.

Lin Tian chuckled softly, then suddenly spoke:

"Lin Qi".

Before the words were finished, a dark figure appeared like night mist, kneeling on one knee and standing with head bowed:

"Your subordinate is here."

"Not bad." Lin Tian looked him up and down. "His swordsmanship isn't in the top five among the Eighteen Guards, but his agility is second only to Lin Yi."

"I am ashamed! From now on, I will practice swordsmanship for three extra hours every day!" Lin Qi blushed and immediately volunteered.