Chapter 22: Practicing the Sword

Yu Renyan was instantly enraged upon hearing this. "My Mount Qingcheng is a righteous sect of high standing! How dare you treat me like this?!"

Wang Jingyuan looked at him with disdain. "Even among righteous sects, there are rankings. What standing does your Qingcheng Sect have to be mentioned in the same breath as my Five Mountains Sword Alliance?"

He then wore an expression of sudden realization. "I had heard before that your Qingcheng Sect once applied to join the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, but we politely declined. I thought it was just a rumor at first, since who would be so delusional? But looking at you now, little Yu, you were actually serious?

"No way, you can't be serious? You don't actually think the Qingcheng Sect is on the same level as our Five Mountains Sword Alliance, do you? Although our five sects share a common bond, setting aside the others, even my Mount Hua Sect alone could wipe out your entire Qingcheng lineage."

Yu Renyan’s face flushed red. "Your Mount Hua Sect is a righteous sect, how could you commit such a monstrous act?!"

Wang Jingyuan shrugged indifferently. "You know Uncle Zuo Lengchan, the current leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, right? Since he took over as the head of the Mount Song Sect, he has optimized the Mount Song sword techniques, recruited the Thirteen Taibao, and through diligent management, brought the Mount Song Sect to its most prosperous era in history."

The Mount Song Sect was the most powerful among the five, unlike the Mount Hua Sect. Hearing Zuo Lengchan’s name, Yu Renyan calmed down slightly, shrinking his neck as he said, "The Great Alliance Leader Zuo is someone my entire sect deeply respects."

Wang Jingyuan leaned forward, staring fiercely at Yu Renyan with a cruel smile, and lowered his voice. "Then do you know that in recent years, anyone who has offended Uncle Zuo has met with bad luck, and before long, was wiped out by the Demon Cult?"

Yu Renyan was struck with terror, his eyes widening. "You!"

The wicked smile faded from Wang Jingyuan’s face. He sat up straight and said calmly, "I repeat, our Five Mountains Sword Alliance shares a common bond."

"You! You people!!!"

"I was just trying to chat about some recent martial arts anecdotes, why are you reacting so strongly, little Yu? How rude, you’re asking for a beating!"

"Ah!" Yu Renyan clutched his face, cowering in the corner in horror.

At that moment, Wang Jingyuan felt his phone vibrating. Wait, he had transmigrated into a game world; he didn't have a phone. Coming back to his senses, he realized it was the courtesan in his arms.

The courtesan beside Jia Ren-da had left tactfully after Jia was subdued by Lin Pingzhi. The one beside Yu Renyan, however, had been forcibly held by Wang Jingyuan and could not escape.

Wang Jingyuan looked at the trembling woman and understood. She had heard too much. If Wang Jingyuan were a villain, she would not survive the night. Unfortunately, the faction he had joined was a righteous one, so many deranged actions were off-limits. It was a pity there was no second playthrough.

The rigid, pixelated sensation of the courtesan against him was uncomfortable, and the vibration mode only made it worse. He tossed her to the floor and gestured for her to leave.

The woman felt as if she had been granted amnesty and scrambled out of the room. As for whether she would leak what Wang Jingyuan had said—if she didn't, he would actually find it a pity.

With someone missing from his arms, it felt empty. Wang Jingyuan looked around, reached out, and pulled Lin Pingzhi into his embrace. Lin Pingzhi was shocked, beginning to wonder if his senior brother had some peculiar hobbies.

Wang Jingyuan gestured toward Yu Renyan with Lin Pingzhi. "Do you know who this is? Lin Pingzhi, the young master of the Fuwei Escort Agency. You’ve heard of their most famous specialty, haven't you? The *Bixie Sword Manual* that beat Chang Qingzi until he coughed up blood.

"Guess what? Heh, it already belongs to Mount Hua. You have no idea how smooth the *Bixie Sword Manual* feels to use. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll show mercy and let you witness it."

Wang Jingyuan grabbed the long sword Jia Ren-da had left on the table. A flash of lightning seemed to rip through the private room. By the time the others saw him sheathe his blade, the headwear on Yu Renyan and Jia Ren-da had split in two and fallen to the floor.

Although Lin Pingzhi couldn't see how Wang had drawn his sword, the technique used to sheathe it... was that "Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha"? Was it really his family’s *Bixie Sword Manual*? Why did it look so sharp and swift in his senior brother's hands?

Sweat beaded on the foreheads of Yu Renyan and Jia Ren-da. If he could split their headwear before they could react, he could just as easily split their skulls.

Wang Jingyuan continued with disdain. "Don't think I don't know that you lot have been harboring filthy thoughts about the *Bixie Sword Manual*.

"I’m telling you today: such a supreme sword technique is only worthy of the strong. Everyone in Mount Hua, whoever is interested, can take turns practicing it—practicing from day to night.

"You little losers can't even touch the cover. You only deserve to hide in the Pine Wind Temple on Mount Qingcheng, amusing yourselves with your delusions. Bah, pathetic!"

"You... how did you...?!"

"Heh, I just bluffed, and you fell for it. Do you think I’m as perverted as you? Hanging around all day with nothing to do, peeking over walls to watch others practice martial arts?

"When you were secretly clinging to the walls of the Fuwei Escort Agency, watching them practice the *Bixie Sword Manual*, did you get a perverted sense of excitement?

"Whenever you thought about how this sword style once outputted so fiercely against your own grandmaster, did your heart race uncontrollably?"

Yu Renyan certainly couldn't admit to this, so he immediately retorted, "I... I didn't!"

"I don't care if you did or not. Regardless, the *Bixie Sword Manual* is now the private property of my Mount Hua Sect. If you dare to use it, I'll break your hands.

"Now, I’m in the mood to practice my swordplay, so I’ll do it right here."

With that, Wang Jingyuan drew his sword and began practicing the (pseudo) *Bixie Sword Manual* in the room, gesturing with his sword in front of Yu Renyan and Jia Ren-da as he went. "Don't you see me practicing? Why aren't you cheering me on?!"

"Cheering? What kind of cheering?" Yu Renyan didn't understand.

Wang Jingyuan struck him across the face with the back of his blade. "Whatever I tell you to shout, you shout! Stop whining, you're asking for a beating!"

Yu Renyan clutched his face, aggrieved, looking pitifully at Wang. Wang Jingyuan said, "Shout 'Go, go, go!'"

"Go, go, go."

"Louder! Did you not eat?!" Wang Jingyuan swung his sword at them again.

Terrified, Yu Renyan and Jia Ren-da immediately began to cooperate:

"Go, go, go!" "Go, go, go!"

Wang Jingyuan hooked the sword he had just knocked down with his foot, sending it toward Lin Pingzhi. "Junior Brother, join in?"

The honest Lin Pingzhi, though feeling that what Wang Jingyuan was doing was inexplicably awkward, had no choice but to comply as the newly initiated junior brother.

The two practiced their swordsmanship in the room, while the two from the Qingcheng Sect huddled in the corner, forced to cheer on command.

"Go, go, go!"

"The Mount Hua senior brother is amazing!"

"The Mount Hua senior brother's sword technique is exquisite!"

"The Mount Hua senior brother is so strong!"

"We two losers are far from his equal!"