Insufficient balance

  "Bang!"

  "If one were to ask who is the most outstanding martial arts hero in recent times, it would have to be Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of the Huashan Sect's 'Gentleman Sword' Yue Buqun. Three months ago, Young Master Linghu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and single-handedly annihilated the eight leaders of the Black Wind Fortress in one night, shocking many senior figures in the martial arts world. Today, I shall give you all a detailed account of the Black Wind Fortress incident..."

  In an unremarkable inn, a white-haired storyteller wearing a green long gown and holding a book board in his right hand slammed it onto the table with great force, spitting out words as he began to recount the most sensational Black Wind Fortress incident that had been sweeping the martial arts world recently.

  "Alas, Old Li, although I have always admired Lianhu's martial arts and moral character, do you think his martial skills are really that powerful? You know the leader of Heifeng Gang is no ordinary person." A large man wearing a warrior uniform said to his companion.

  "Nonsense, Leng Fox Junior is a heroic and righteous knight-errant who punishes evil and praises good. He challenged the eighteen leaders of the Black Wind Fortress with his sword, making his notorious name spread far and wide. The Black Wind Fortress, which was infamous for its numerous evils, was destroyed overnight, what a wonderful feeling! Among the young heroes of the current martial arts world, Leng Fox Junior is undoubtedly the most outstanding."

  This gentleman is absolutely a die-hard fan of Linghu Chong, and such people are definitely not rare in the Jianghu.

  The Black Wind Gang is notorious for its evil deeds and despicable methods, even the Devil Sect doesn't want to associate with them. However, the eight leaders of the gang are highly skilled in martial arts, all of whom are top-notch experts in the Jianghu world. Ordinary martial artists wouldn't dare provoke them, even if they secretly resent them but can do nothing about it. Linghu Chong's move is simply delightful.

  "Your news is too outdated. News from Jiangling has arrived, saying that the tyrannical Longle Alliance, which had dominated Jiangling for 15 years, finally met its match and provoked Leng Fox Xia. The alliance was annihilated by Leng Fox Xia, and its leader, Chu Ba Tian, was beheaded by Leng Fox Xia and his head hung on the city wall as a warning to all. The people of Jiangling are rejoicing and applauding."

  Another person joined the big man's table, showing off his new information.

  "Oh? There's this matter too! Come on, brothers, sit down and have a drink. Quickly tell everyone about it!" The crowd's interest was greatly piqued, and they repeatedly urged the waiter to bring out the good wine.

  Just as the man was basking in the admiration of the crowd, clearing his throat and preparing to spit out flying saliva, a swordsman with a long sword, dusty and travel-worn, spoke up: "What's this new news? Do you know that half a month ago, the four evil spirits of Mobei entered the Central Plains and wreaked havoc, killing many senior figures in the martial arts world? Linger, the young master, heard the news and chased them for a thousand miles, catching up to them at Chisonggang in just half a day. He sent all four of them to the afterlife. According to eyewitnesses, not one of the four evil spirits was able to withstand even a single move from Linger before meeting their demise."

  "Hmph! As expected, Linghu's martial arts are unparalleled and his sense of justice is unmatched. The Huashan Sect indeed lives up to its reputation!"

  ……

  Linghu Chong, having achieved great martial arts success, had originally planned to find someone to practice with and incidentally earn some fame for the Hua Shan sect. After leaving Yi Qing Valley, he began to sweep through the Jiang Hu, targeting evil forces that were notorious for their wicked deeds. He would find the lair of his target, charge in alone with his sword, kill off the leaders and henchmen, disperse the rest on the spot, burn down the place completely, and leave behind a few lines of large characters: "A certain gang or sect has committed numerous evils, abducted people's wives and daughters, robbed people of their wealth, murdered and set fires... Hua Shan's Linghu Chong has executed justice on behalf of Heaven, killing so-and-so at this location."

  As expected, after handling several cases, the people of Jianghu praised them one after another. For a time, the reputation of Huashan School soared, and Master Yue Buqun was known as "Gentleman Sword", while his eldest disciple Linghu Chong was also called "White-clothed Divine Sword" by Jianghu. Both became famous throughout the land, and their prestige was unmatched for a time.

  "Waiter, the bill!" A young man in white clothes put a silver ingot on the table and stood up to leave. He was Linghu Chong, the recent sensation of the martial arts world, known as the "Red Headed Half of Heaven".

  "The plot of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is about to begin, and I should also go back and make some preparations."

  Linghu Chong mounted his horse and galloped away, heading towards Mount Hua.

  "Little sister, what a wonderful thing! Stop practicing your sword and come with me to the grand hall!"

  "What's with the loud shouting and fuss, Land Monkey?" Yueling Shan was practicing sword in the backyard, muttering to herself: "Stinky Big Brother, Bad Big Brother, said he'd be back soon, but it's almost two years now. Hmph, I won't care about you anymore."

  "Master Brother is back, and he's meeting Master Father and Mother in the main hall right now! Let's hurry over!" Lu Da exclaimed excitedly. "It's been so long since we've seen Master Brother, I'm really eager to see him. I heard that Master Brother also has a nickname called 'White Robe Divine Sword', one person with one sword defeated the Black Wind Fortress, it's truly impressive! The fellow disciples all want Master Brother to tell us about it in detail."

  "Master Brother is back? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Yue Lingshan heard this and immediately ran off, "Lu Hou'er, what are you still doing here, staring blankly? Hurry up and go over there!"

  "Master brother, Master brother, you've finally come back!"

  Linghu Chong, who was reporting his work to Yue Buqun, was interrupted by a loud and excited shout.

  "Hooliganism! You're not young anymore, yet you're still shouting and yelling. What kind of behavior is this!" Yue Buqun scolded with a fierce face.

  "Dad, it's been a long time since I've seen Big Brother Master!" Yue Lingxuan said with a pout, seeing that Yue Feng was angry.

  "Alright, Brother Shifu, don't you understand Xiang'er's temperament? She usually keeps thinking about Chong'er. Now that Chong'er is finally back, how can she calm down?" Madame Ning stepped in to mediate, saying: "It's rare for siblings to have such a good relationship."

  "Master brother, Master brother, I heard that you beheaded the leader of Chang Le Gang who forced good people into prostitution with just one sword. It's really satisfying! Tell me about it!"

  "Master brother, how did you kill the four ghosts of Mo Bei alone? I heard they were ugly and disfigured, is that true?"

  "Master brother, in Jianghu they call you White Robe Divine Sword, truly majestic!"

  ……

  Madam Ning did not blame Yuke, a group of Huashan disciples swarmed up, surrounding Linghu Chong in a circle. For a time, the entire hall was filled with a buzzing noise, like a flock of small sparrows chirping away.

  "Alright, alright, that's all for today. I still have things to report to Master. Come to my room tomorrow night and Big Brother will tell you everything." Linghu Chong was left feeling dizzy and confused, but he had no choice but to comply, as there were still important matters to attend to.

  "Alright, disperse!" Yue Buqun ordered his disciples, then turned to Linghu Cong and said: "Cong'er, follow me to the study!"

  In Yue Buqun's study, a portrait of the Huashan Patriarch was hung on the wall. Yue Buqun lit three incense sticks and bowed three times to the portrait with great respect, then carefully inserted the incense into the incense burner.

  "At first, your master's ancestor handed over the heavy responsibility of the Huashan School to Master, hoping that Master would revive the Huashan School and restore its glory. Unfortunately, at that time, the Qi Sect and the Jian Sect were in conflict, resulting in a significant reduction in the strength of the Huashan School, with many masters injured or dead, and the school's power plummeting. Even the position of the leader of the Five Peaks Alliance was taken by the Songshan School."

  "But as a teacher, I have always been diligent and dedicated, sparing no effort, thinking of ways to make the Huashan School flourish in my hands. Over the years, although some achievements have been made, and the Jianghu community has given me the title of 'Junzi Sword', but the door is still short of talent...". Yue Buqun sighed: "Chong'er, you've done very well, challenging the Black Wind Fortress, defeating the four ghosts of Mobei, beheading the Chang Le Gang, greatly increasing the prestige of my Huashan School. Chong'er, you've grown up, not disappointing your teacher's hard work!"

  In the original work, Yue Buqun is indeed a very qualified and responsible leader of the Huashan School. He has paid too much heart's blood to make the Huashan School prosperous. His various calculations and plans, even if they are despised by the world, he still did them with his own hands, even at the expense of his personal reputation, willing to turn his many years of "Gentleman Sword" into a "Fake Gentleman". All this is just to revive the Huashan School. How many people in the world can do this?

  "Master, the people I killed were all evil and wicked martial artists who had committed many wrongdoings in Jianghu, so I received widespread recognition from fellow martial artists." Linghu Chong said: "Actually, this time I encountered many things that I couldn't understand, and I wanted to ask for Master's guidance."

  "Alright, Chong'er!" said Yue Buqun.