Intentional act

  The beauty of attire is called "Hua", and the grandeur of rites is therefore referred to as "Xia".

  For the ancient Chinese, a person's name was not something to be called casually. Directly addressing someone by their full name was considered an impolite act that would lead to quarrels. Only when someone referred to themselves with humility or when a superior figure addressed them directly could it be considered proper etiquette. If an unrelated outsider dared to address someone in such a manner, the two parties would inevitably fall out. From this, we can infer that "Yan Chi Hsia" was also a courtesy name used by others to refer to the black-robed Taoist, and not his actual surname and given name.

  Lin Xu, as a standard modern person, would not have taken on the outdated habit of having a courtesy name. This courtesy name was actually given to him by Huang Shi-ren during their previous encounter.

  The so-called rising sun refers to the morning sun that has just risen, while dawn refers to the time before sunrise. These two are basically synonymous. Generally speaking, it meets the requirement that a person's courtesy name and given name must match each other. Therefore, in a situation like today where one introduces oneself to strangers, it is normal for Huang Shiren to call Lin Xiu by his courtesy name.

  At the sound, Lin Xu and Yan Chixia bowed to each other and exchanged greetings. Lin Xu's eyes were complex and difficult to understand as he looked up and down at his opponent, saying:

  "Oh, Yan Chixia... I've heard of you for a long time, and have been admiring you from afar."

  I have long admired the two words, Lin Xu is not a casual guest, from the previous life watching "A Chinese Ghost Story" trilogy began, he has been impressed by Yan Chicong's heroic and righteous swordsmanship. Especially when Wu Ma played Yan Chicong, the song "Dao Dao Dao" sung by Huang Tian in the background, the hoarse voice and teasing lyrics are all unforgettable classics.

  This real-life Yan Chixia is actually far from being as old as Wu Ma, and at most is in his mid-to-late thirties.

  Although others can see the vicissitudes of life on Yan Chixia's face at a glance, knowing that he must have experienced many twists and turns in his life, but that vigorous and majestic temperament is hard to associate with the word "old age".

  "Yan Dan has seen the revered gods, dare I ask if you two revered gods can now grant my request?"

  Although this sentence was said to both Lin Xu and Huang Shiren at the same time, Lin Xu was completely bewildered. He turned to Huang Shiren for an explanation, saying:

  "What does this mean?"

  At the sound, Huang Shiren revealed his usual gentle and kind smile, and lightly waved his hand saying:

  "It's like this, Yan Daochang intentionally wants to get rid of the evil for the people, eliminate the tree demon in Lanruo Temple, and bring peace to the local area, so he wants to ask for our help in getting rid of the demon."

  After listening to Tudi Ye's brief introduction, Lin Xu shook his head and looked straight at Yan Chixia, saying:

  "I had the intention to do this with Huang Di, but unfortunately, I never found the opportunity. Some time ago, I asked a acquaintance from the Xia Mo sect to seek help from Ben Dai Mo Men's master, but so far, there has been no response. As the saying goes, good and evil will eventually be rewarded. If Yan Da Xia really has the determination to eliminate the demon and protect the Tao, it's not too late to temporarily stay here and wait for us to prepare before taking action."

  Although there are many monsters in Huo Mountain, most of them live deep in the mountains and forests, and it is easy to harm ordinary people. Only Lanruo Temple is close to the city outside the mountain, and its power has a tendency to further expand.

  Yan Chixia was also a sensible person. The two of them were just parties with conflicting interests, and since neither of them dared to take immediate action to eliminate the tree demon, they must have had unavoidable difficulties. Moreover, Lin Xu's words made sense too - the reputation of the Mo School was well-known throughout the land, and if they could really invite a skilled Mo School martial artist to assist, then Lanruo Temple wouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle.

  After careful consideration of the pros and cons, Yan Chixia also nodded and said:

  "It's settled then, I'll temporarily stay at the Lanruo Temple for now. Hopefully, it will make that tree demon a bit more cautious and fewer people will get harmed. The sky is getting dark, so I, Yan, bid you farewell."

  The majestic-looking Yan Chixia indeed had the heroic aura of an ancient knight-errant, and with a single sentence, he turned around and left. Lin Xu, who had intended to chat with this "celebrity" from his memories, didn't even get a chance to say anything to stop him, and could only smile wryly as he watched Yan Chixia's receding back.

  He let out a sigh and smiled at Huang Shiren, saying:

  "May I ask, Brother Huang, how did you get to know this Yan Daochang?"

  At the sound, Huang Shiren, the Landlord, said in a serious tone:

  "This man came to Jiangjia Village ten years ago and passed by once. At that time, he heard that the ancient temple's female ghost sucked people's essence and blood, so he went to Lanruo Temple to investigate, but unfortunately was hit by a tree demon and retreated in defeat. This time, he returned with a vengeance, and I can see that his cultivation has made great progress compared to back then, indeed worthy of being a man of the Way!"

  With a sigh of emotion towards Yan Chixia's heroic journey, Huang Shiran thought of something important and pulled Lin Xu to ask:

  "Lin Xian-di, how should we proceed with Lanruo Temple?"

  "As I just said, let's continue waiting until that evil creature has exhausted its wickedness and its time is up..."

  When he said this, Lin Xu suddenly burst out laughing, but the bright smile was mostly self-mockery. As a local deity, he was actually forced to this point by monsters, and those who harmed people were more arrogant than those who saved them. This world is really upside down, with righteousness being trampled on!

  In the knowledge passed down from his predecessor, Mount Hoshan's god, Lin Xu knew that gods enjoying incense and offerings from humans was a privilege, while maintaining the normal operation of heaven and earth's laws was an obligation that gods should undertake. Perhaps the previous Mount Hoshan's god fell in the end also to fulfill one's duty, otherwise it cannot be explained why he still went out to attend the meeting despite knowing that the future was fraught with danger. Now, Lin Xu asked himself, being intimidated by a small tree demon hiding in Lanruo Temple, and only hoping for the opponent to perish on their own, if things continued like this, what would become of him as Mount Hoshan's god? Would he spend thousands of years just muddling along and waiting for death?

  Having thought of this, Lin Xu suddenly felt as if there was a raging fire burning in his chest. As a result, he changed his mind and turned to look at the aged Huang Shiren, suddenly changing the subject and saying:

  "...I think we should make our move sooner. If there's still no news from the Ink Gate by the first of next month, you and I will join forces to launch a surprise attack on the Orchid Temple. What do you think, Brother Huang?"

  Upon hearing this, the old land's white beard quivered and his eyes involuntarily widened as he stuttered:

  "Lin Xian Di, you're not joking with me, are you?"

  Seeing this, Lin Xu couldn't help but smile wryly and said in a firm tone:

  "My mind is made up, this matter is no laughing matter! Brother Huang, please make a quick decision!"

  "....Well! Even if it means risking this old life of mine, Huang will die with the gentleman."

  His big, wrinkled hands clenched into fists as Huang Shiren suddenly and violently expressed his innermost thoughts. After all, the Lanruo Temple was just next to Jiangjia Village, and if it weren't for the dense forest blocking the view, the villagers could see the outline of the temple from the top of the city wall. How could he let others snore beside him? As a kind old man, Huang Shiren had experienced many years, so when should he make a choice, without needing others to remind him?

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu's laughter became even more hearty as he said:

  "Alright then, it's settled."

  "Whoosh——"

  As a gust of cold wind swept across the wilderness, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, leaving only a faint starlight. Along the winding and uneven dirt road, withered wild grasses as tall as a person swayed in the wind, and the eerie night breeze seemed like wandering spirits and ghosts lurking around, making everything seem eerily desolate.

  In the courtyard of Lanruo Temple, which was filled with wild grass, two big men stayed up all night and ran here to face each other. If this scene were unfortunately seen by rotten women, it would definitely be interpreted as a passionate and romantic story.

  "Xiahou, you're so stubborn. Ever since Yan Mou won a move last time, you've been chasing me everywhere to compare swords. Every time you lose to me, but you still don't give up. I hid from you for three years and ran from Guanzhong to Huainan, yet you still won't let go. Alas, your stubbornness is beyond cure."

  Born with a pair of whiskers, Yan Chixia's personal style can be described as majestic and powerful. However, the words that came out of his mouth at this moment had a somewhat disappointing tone to them.

  At this time, the young man standing opposite Yan Chixia was not grateful at all. He only heard him humming heavily and opening his mouth to refute:

  "Your nonsense is endless! Yan Chixia, you can't just run away with your tail between your legs after losing. If I don't defeat you, when will my lifelong dream of becoming the world's number one swordsman be fulfilled? Come on, let's settle this once and for all!"

  There is a saying that goes like this: A person's friends and relatives may not necessarily truly understand him, but his enemies absolutely know him best.

  Early on, Yan Chixia knew that the man in front of him was both smelly and hard. His sarcastic remark was just a way to vent out the frustration of being forced into a sword fight. In fact, he had long known that he couldn't persuade this old enemy. At once, Yan Chixia stopped wasting words, drew his sword from its scabbard, and clashed with Xiahou Jian in a fierce battle.

  "Whoosh! Zoom! Splat!"

  They say a master can tell with just one move. Two top swordsmen clashed in the deserted ancient temple, leaping and dodging, their fierce sword energy destroying the dilapidated building as if it were child's play. Although their battle was brief, they nearly demolished the entire abandoned temple of Lanruo. After several rounds of fighting, Yan Chixia spotted an opening and struck directly at his opponent, leaving him no time to dodge. Despite holding back, Yan Chixia's sword sliced through Xia Houjian's left arm, and with blood flowing out, the outcome of the battle was decided.

  Xiahou Jian lowered his head and took a look at the wound on his arm, then scowled and said:

  "Alright, this time I admit defeat, next time I'll come back and ask for your guidance."

  After that, the old brother admitted defeat and turned around to leave without any hesitation. Seeing this scene, Yan Chixia on the opposite side sighed helplessly, really didn't know how to evaluate Xia Houjian's talent.

  The source of Chinese swordsmanship is ancient, and each school has its own strengths and weaknesses. Lower-level swordsmanship relies on brute force when wielding a sword, and ordinary people who understand a bit of swordsmanship can be considered as belonging to this category. Mid-level swordsmanship emphasizes the use of qi to control the sword, with both the sword and qi being cultivated together; at this level, swordsmanship is no longer just a matter of technical skill. To achieve success in learning mid-level swordsmanship, one must have exceptional natural talent, and then receive guidance from a renowned master. Upper-level swordsmanship emphasizes the unity of body and sword, with the sword's light extending far and wide, moving freely through the heavens like walking on flat ground. Those who can learn this level of swordsmanship are said to be close to achieving the ultimate goal, and even beginners who catch a glimpse of its principles can be called "Sword Immortals".