Chapter 4, The White-Clad Young Girl

Lin Jian's long sword thrust swiftly, weaving in and out among the crowd like a flash of lightning flickering through dark clouds. With each thrust of his sword, a person would fall, each strike targeting a vital point. The young girl stirred slightly, and upon witnessing this scene, her heart was filled with alarm. She thought to herself: "I never expected his swordsmanship to be so ruthless. Fortunately, he is kind-hearted; otherwise, if this set of sword techniques fell into the hands of someone cruel and merciless, it would surely bring disaster to the martial world!" Li Yucheng was also secretly terrified, gripping his iron sword, which trembled slightly in his hand, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind: "If I were to master this sword technique, with my martial arts foundation, wouldn't I then dominate the martial world?" Zeng Pingtai steadied his mind and thought: "With so many of us, could we possibly not deal with this one young man?" He then shouted loudly: "Brothers, step back and use the flying knife formation!" This flying knife formation was specifically trained for attacking the mountain stronghold. Upon hearing the command, the men of Tiger Mountain Village immediately withdrew, leaving Lin Jian surrounded by a circle of corpses. They tore open their outer garments to reveal rows of flying knives. Lin Jian's heart sank, realizing the gravity of the situation. He quickly tore off a piece of clothing from one of the villagers, retreated several steps, and leaned against the firewood shed, thus ensuring the young girl would be unharmed. The girl felt a surge of gratitude in her heart.

Hu Dawei was taken aback. Having witnessed several matches involving Lin Jian, he was aware of Lin's exceptional martial skills. As the chief steward, he could not allow Hu Lian and the *Tu* Book City to take risks. Hu Lian was the only lifeline of the Hu family; if anything were to go wrong, he would not be able to protect even his nine lives. He hurriedly stopped him and said, "Young Master, you must not take risks. We can handle such characters as a group; there is no need for you to take action personally." Hu Liancheng retorted angrily, "Are you afraid that my martial skills are inferior to his, and that I might lose my life? Let me tell you, you will not stop me today. If we do not deal with him, what face will Hu Mountain Village have left?" The young woman smiled and said, "I did not expect Young Master Hu to be so resolute." Hu Liancheng pushed Hu Dawei aside and insisted, "Young Master, you must not take risks. We can handle such characters as a group; there is no need for you to take action personally." Hu Liancheng angrily said, "Are you afraid that my martial skills are inferior to his, and that I might lose my life? Let me tell you, you will not stop me today. If we do not deal with him, what face will Hu Mountain Village have left?" The young woman smiled and said, "I did not expect Young Master Hu to be so resolute." Hu Liancheng pushed Hu Dawei aside, wanting to regain face in front of the young woman. Ignoring Hu Dawei's objections, he waved his knife and said, "You, Lin, let us settle this once and for all!" Lin Jian realized this was a clever scheme devised by the young woman to give him the opportunity to take Hu Liancheng hostage, and he secretly admired her wit. Lin Jian pointed his long sword and said, "Alright, since you have come from afar, you may make the first move." Hu Liancheng angrily replied, "What do you think you are?" Lin Jian then realized he had misspoken, his heart racing as he stole a glance at the young woman, who had a faint blush on her cheeks, appearing both shy and not shy. Hu Liancheng said, "No, you go first; otherwise, you will have the upper hand." His intention was clear: if he made the first move, it would be as if he were the guest, as Lin Jian had said, and Lin Jian would be the host. He would rather let Lin Jian strike first than allow Lin Jian to gain that advantage.

Hu Liancheng frowned and said, "Who is Jian Gongcheng? Why have I never heard of him?" The crowd looked around, equally unaware. Li Yucheng sighed and slowly said, "If Jian Gongcheng had been born ten years later, the Dongfang family, which has sought a defeat for a hundred years, would no longer exist in the martial world." Although they had never heard of Jian Gongcheng, the name of the Dongfang family, which had sought a defeat for a hundred years, was well-known to them. His words could not be clearer; Jian Gongcheng's reputation was evidently above that of the Dongfang family. Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at Lin Jian, who stood there in a daze, not knowing how to respond. Hu Liancheng, having never heard of Jian Gongcheng, was not afraid and said, "So what? This kid is not Jian Gongcheng, why should I be afraid of him? He merely succeeded in one move, what is there to fear?" He deliberately raised his voice at the end, and the people of Hu Mountain Village cheered, "Yes, what is there to fear! Our young village master has plenty of skills!" Hu Liancheng and Lin Jian exchanged moves, and he said, "So what? This kid is not Jian Gongcheng, why should I be afraid of him? He merely succeeded in one move, what is there to fear?" He deliberately raised his voice at the end, and the people of Hu Mountain Village cheered, "Yes, what is there to fear! Our young village master has plenty of skills!" Hu Liancheng had successfully countered Lin Jian's move, so he was not wary of him. Li Yucheng snorted coldly and turned to leave. Hu Dawei hoped he could persuade Hu Liancheng, but seeing him walk away, he felt it was inappropriate to speak up. Hu Liancheng flicked his Mian knife and said, "Lin, let's do it again!" Lin Jian thought carefully about his strategy and replied, "Alright, this time you go first." Hu Liancheng thought he had figured out his opponent's weaknesses, believing that going first would not put him at a disadvantage, so he said, "Fine, since that's the case, then take this!" With that, he thrust his Mian knife forward, executing the move "Directly Striking the Yellow Dragon" with urgency.

He had taken a dismissive attitude but became serious. The long sword trembled, and its momentum was extraordinary. He initially thought that Hu Liancheng would be unable to withstand the attack, but he did not expect that Hu Liancheng's swordsmanship was so well-rounded. With a single blade, he continuously drew circles, managing to neutralize Lin Jian's moves one by one. Lin Jian was secretly astonished and suddenly executed a move called "Moon Shadow Cold Branch." The long sword shook, scattering a patch of mottled sword light, and then swiftly thrust forward, aiming at Hu Liancheng's throat. Hu Liancheng was taken aback; by the time he wanted to draw his blade to parry, it was already too late. Hu Dawei had been watching closely from the side, but Lin Jian's speed was astonishing, and he had not reacted in time. At that moment, a white shadow leaped out, and Lin Jian was secretly surprised. He executed the move "Moon Shadow Cold Branch" again, and the long sword shook, scattering a patch of mottled sword light, then swiftly thrust forward, aiming at Hu Liancheng's throat. Hu Liancheng was taken aback; by the time he wanted to draw his blade to parry, it was already too late. Hu Dawei had been watching closely from the side, but Lin Jian's speed was astonishing, and he had not reacted in time. At that moment, a white shadow leaped out, and a sound of "ding" was heard. Lin Jian quickly retreated a few steps, his upper body swaying slightly. It turned out that the newcomer was Li Yucheng. His speed was indeed fast, but his lightness skill was even more astonishingly quick. Lin Jian said, "Alright, this time it's your turn to take the attack." Hu Liancheng steadied his mind and said to Li Yucheng, "There's no need to trouble Uncle Li to intervene; I can still handle this kid." Ultimately, he did not dare to lose his temper at Li Yucheng, as he feared Li Yucheng's formidable martial arts and because he was a guest invited by his father, he did not dare to offend him. Li Yucheng slowly said, "This kid is the disciple of Jian Gongcheng; you cannot defeat him." Lin Jian was taken aback, thinking, "How does he know that my swordsmanship comes from Jian Gongcheng?" The others were still unaware of who Jian Gongcheng was, so they were not surprised. The young girl, seeing Lin Jian's astonished expression, could not help but whisper, "Who is Jian Gongcheng? Are you really his disciple?" Lin Jian smiled wryly and said, "If you and I can escape from here today, I will tell you everything." The young girl smiled slightly, her smile was quite desolate.

Lin Jian thrust his long sword, engaging Hu Liancheng's blade. As he pulled back, Hu Liancheng lunged forward, but Lin Jian's sword rolled and with a flick of his wrist, Hu Liancheng's machete flew from his hand. This move was powered by Lin Jian's mastery of the Big Dipper Divine Skill. With his left hand, Lin Jian executed the "Snake Coiling Ancient Cypress" technique, swiftly seizing Hu Liancheng's arm at the "Daling," "Qiemen," "Quze," and "Tianquan" acupoints. All four acupoints were located on the same meridian, leaving Hu Liancheng with an unbearable numbness in half of his arm, rendering him immobile. Lin Jian then pressed Hu Liancheng's arm down, raising his long sword to rest against Hu Liancheng's throat, commanding, "No one is allowed to move!" Unexpectedly, before he could finish his command, Li Yucheng suddenly leaped forward towards the girl. Lin Jian was taken aback and quickly abandoned Hu Liancheng, executing the "Hou Yi Shoots the Sun" move, sending his sword swiftly towards Li Yucheng. As Hu Liancheng broke free, he retaliated with a palm strike to Lin Jian's chest, causing Lin Jian to slightly recoil. He then used the "Golden Snake Entwines the Body" technique to wrap around Hu Liancheng's arm. Hu Liancheng's first palm strike was ineffective, and he launched another. Lin Jian's arm sank, forming a sculpture-like posture, and with a swift motion, he focused his strike on Hu Liancheng's "Shanzhong" acupoint on his chest. Hu Liancheng's eyes bulged, and he fell backward, leaving everyone astonished. After Li Yucheng dodged Lin Jian's sword, it was too late for him to come to the rescue, as Lin Jian's actions were remarkably swift, and the others had not reacted in time. Hu Dawei shouted angrily and charged forward with his knife. Lin Jian had lost his long sword, but he quickly spotted the severed iron chain on the ground. With a thought, he flicked the chain with his toes, grasped it in his hand, and executed the "Sweeping Across Thousands of Troops" move towards Hu Dawei.

Hu Dawei exerted himself fiercely, wielding his blade with deadly intent, prompting the others to draw their weapons and surround him. Li Yucheng, seeing that Hu Liancheng had been struck down by Lin Jian, was greatly alarmed and rushed forward. Lin Jian, using the iron chain technique "Breaking the Lock Across the River," forced back the crowd and moved closer to the young woman, who had picked up a long sword and handed it to him. With the chain in his left hand and the sword in his right, Lin Jian swung them continuously, causing those who approached to hesitate. Li Yucheng checked on Hu Liancheng and was taken aback, exclaiming, "Young Master Hu has already breathed his last!" The members of the Tiger Mountain stronghold were all shocked and agitated; Hu Liancheng was the lifeblood of Hu Meng, and with his death here, no one would escape the blame from Hu Meng. Hu Dawei's body suddenly trembled; even if he were to slice Lin Jian into a thousand pieces, he knew he could not escape responsibility. He was doomed either way, so he fought for his life, wielding his long knife with ferocity and howling like a beast. Lin Jian continuously blocked with his long sword, but as the chief of the Tiger Mountain stronghold, Hu Dawei possessed unique skills. In his fury, his techniques became even more ruthless, and in their close combat, Lin Jian's iron chain could not exert its full power. Others who intended to attack Lin Jian were thwarted by Hu Dawei's desperate efforts, unable to intervene, and could only surround Lin Jian heavily to prevent his escape. In the heat of battle, Hu Dawei slashed horizontally at Lin Jian's neck. Just as Lin Jian raised his sword to block, Hu Dawei suddenly lowered his blade, aiming directly at Lin Jian's abdomen. This move was his signature technique, "The Ever-Changing Blade." He had learned this set of sword techniques from an ancient, incomplete manual, mastering only a third of it, yet this strike was sufficient to claim Lin Jian's life.