Yue Buqun: My Mount Hua has been time-traveled.

Goulu Mountain.

It is the twenty-second Taoist grotto-heaven, named for its winding and exquisite caves.

As the saying goes, the majestic scenery of the Hundred-Mile Immortal Mountain, with its jagged peaks and verdant forests, is truly a renowned sacred place for Taoist cultivation.

However, in recent decades, when people mention Goulu Mountain, no one thinks of it as a Taoist grotto-heaven anymore. Instead, they can't help but feel a chill run down their spines and their skin suddenly turns cold, as if just mentioning this place is like facing an invincible divine weapon.

The Xue Family Manor, built against Goulu Mountain, is named after Xue Yiren, the world's number one swordsman.

His sharp edge is so striking that when people mention Goulu Mountain, they unconsciously associate it with this number one swordsman in the world.

That morning.

A black steed, dusty and weary from its journey.

Headed straight to Xuejiazhuang.

Before they even reached the manor, two guards dressed in light blue outfits and carrying two swords leaped out from the shadows.

One of them shouted, "This is a forbidden area of ​​Xue Family Village. Riding horses is strictly prohibited. Dismount immediately!"

The person did as instructed and leaped down.

He was a young man in his early twenties.

He was quite handsome, and although his clothes were old and patched, they could not hide his imposing presence as someone in a high position.

He ignored the rudeness of the guards blocking his way and said solemnly, "I am Nangong Ling, the leader of the Beggars' Sect. I have come to pay a visit to Master Xue, as I have extremely important information to inform you!"

Leader of the Beggars' Sect?

The two guards' expressions changed slightly, and their demeanor was no longer as arrogant as before.

One of them replied, "The owner of the manor is not in the manor."

"Is Master Xue not here?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ling frowned and asked, "Then who is currently in charge of the manor?"

"It's Steward Xue Zhong."

"Could you introduce me to someone?"

"Chief Nangong, please!"

The leader of the number one gang in the world holds an extremely high position in the martial arts world. Even if Xue Yiren were in the manor, he would have to receive him personally, let alone the fact that he only wanted to see the steward.

The guards politely led Nangong Ling into the manor.

After a while.

Inside the Xue family's main hall.

Tea is served by a designated person.

Steward Xue came to see him immediately.

He said humbly, "Greetings, Chief Nangong. My manor lord is not currently at the manor. May I ask what brings you here, Chief Nangong?"

Nangong Ling didn't stand on ceremony.

He said solemnly, "I have come here with an important matter to inform Master Xue. Since Master Xue is not here, I will trouble Steward Xue to convey my message."

Steward Xue asked, "What brings Chief Nangong to this scene?"

Nangong Ling asked, "Has Xue Family Village been attacked by thieves recently?"

Steward Xue was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked in surprise, "How did Chief Nangong know?"

Nangong Ling chuckled and said, "The Beggars' Sect is the largest sect in the world. Where in the world are there no beggars? If we're talking about how well-informed we are, who can compare to the Beggars' Sect? I not only know that your manor has been robbed, but I also know that what was stolen was Master Xue's most beloved divine weapon!"

Upon hearing this, Steward Xue gave a wry smile and said, "Not only was it lost, but the thief also specially carved an identical wooden sword and inserted it into the sheath, his provocation was obvious! Because of this, we don't even know when the divine weapon was lost."

Oh?

They actually did something like this?

Nangong Ling understood what Steward Xue meant.

The fact that the other party had the leisure to carve a wooden sword to substitute for a real one suggests that he had probably been to Xuejiazhuang more than once before the theft.

This was practically a blatant slap in the face to Xue Yiren.

He felt even happier at that moment.

He smiled and said, "Now I know exactly who stole from Xue Family Village."

"Who?"

"The new leader of Mount Hua is Yue Buqun!"

Nangong Ling's intelligence was indeed outstanding. Yue Buqun rarely ventured into the martial arts world, yet Nangong Ling already knew all about his personal information.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, a strange look flashed across Steward Xue's eyes.

He smiled and said, "Does the gang leader know where my manor's lord has gone?"

"Where did you go?"

Steward Xue said, "He went to catch the thief who stole the divine weapon."

"What? He already knows that the person who stole the Xue family's hidden weapons was from the Huashan Sect?"

"That's not entirely true."

Steward Xue now understood Nangong Ling's purpose: either she was there to do a favor for the Xue family manor, or she had a grudge against the Huashan Sect.

He said solemnly, "Our manor also has its own reliable intelligence sources, and we have already found out the true identity of the sword thief!"

Nangong Ling asked, "Who is it?"

Steward Xue said, enunciating each word clearly: "Chu Liuxiang!"

"What?"

Nangong Ling suddenly stood up, shocked, and exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

Steward Xue smiled and said, "This was witnessed by my second master himself."

Nangong Ling asked incredulously, "Second Master Xue? Did he see it clearly?"

Steward Xue smiled and said, "Chief Nangong may not know, but my second master suffers from a brain disease. Although he is not young, he has the temperament of a child. A child would not lie. If the chief does not believe it, you can meet him and confront him."

"That won't be necessary. I trust Steward Xue's words."

Nangong Ling was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. His mind raced quickly, and he sighed, "I was afraid that this matter would cause a misunderstanding, which is why I rushed here to explain. In fact, Chu Liuxiang and I are very close friends, and I couldn't bear to see my beloved friends and family being framed by villains. That's why I came here to defend myself. There are probably some hidden stories behind this matter."

His expression was resolute as he said, "In short, I, Nangong Ling, dare to swear on my life that the thief of the sword is definitely not Chu Liuxiang! I also dare to guarantee that Yue Buqun of the Huashan Sect does indeed possess the Longevity Sword!"

The Sword of Immortality?

Hearing Nangong Ling mention the name of the sword.

Steward Xue's expression also turned serious.

It's no secret that weapons have been lost in Xuejiazhuang, but the fact that the other party has even mentioned their names is quite surprising.

He said solemnly, "In that case, I will immediately send someone to inform the manor lord. I believe the manor lord will be able to distinguish between the genuine and the fake."

"In that case, my efforts to help my friend have been worthwhile."

Nangong Ling said, "I have other important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

"We are deeply grateful to our leader for personally delivering this message; everyone in our manor is deeply indebted to him!"

Steward Xue took the initiative to get up and see Nangong Ling off, helping her mount her horse and leave.

He frowned and muttered to himself, "It's not Chu Liuxiang, but the Huashan Sect? Could it be that Second Master really made a mistake? Or is someone impersonating him and deceiving a mere child like Second Master... Well, let's talk to Second Master again and ask him about the details."

After saying that, he turned around hurriedly and walked into the manor.

Nangong Ling arrived in a hurry, but when she left, she was in no rush.

He rode his horse slowly, his mind carefully processing the information he knew.

"I never imagined my old friend would get involved, and it seems he's even being targeted by the world's number one swordsman? I hope he survives, otherwise, wouldn't all my goodwill be wasted on a blind man?"

Nangong Ling actually really likes Chu Liuxiang.

The reason is simple: it's not that the other person has a great character, but that they have high taste.

As everyone knows, the legendary thief Chu Liuxiang's choice of wine, food, and friends is always top-notch in the martial arts world.

The Thief King himself is a symbol of refined taste.

By befriending the Thief King, Nangong Ling's status in the martial arts world would naturally rise accordingly.

Although this level of skill isn't in martial arts, how bad could a friend be to be favored by the Thief King?

Isn't this his best way of hiding it?

However, it seems that this master thief's days are numbered.

Thinking about it, Nangong Ling revealed a gloating smile.

Unfortunately, his smile didn't last long.

the reason is simple.

When he was halfway there, a Beggars' Sect disciple hurriedly came to deliver a message.

Seeing Nangong Ling was like seeing a savior.

He cried out in alarm, "Chief, something terrible has happened! Someone has broken into the Beggars' Sect headquarters in Jinan and kidnapped Madam Ren!"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ling's body trembled, and his voice almost rang out in a strange tone.

He shouted angrily, "Who did this?!"