Chapter Five: The Cliff of Reflection

  Yue Lingshan heard that her father was going to punish Ling Jing and Big Brother Shifu by making them face the wall on Reflection Cliff for a year. Her heart suddenly felt anxious, but she knew that her father was still angry at this moment, his expression still unpleasant, and she didn't dare disobey him. So, after a quick turn of her eyes, she said: "Dad, if you punish Ling Jing and Big Brother Shifu to face the wall, then no one will be left to accompany me in practicing swordplay. Can you please not punish them?"

  Yue Buqun glared at her and said, "Among the many seniors on Mount Hua, who can't accompany you to practice sword?"

  Yu Ling Shan stuck out her tongue and didn't dare say another word.

  Ning Zhong looked at the two disciples she had always doted on, being punished by her husband to face the wall on the Reflection Cliff. Her heart was also unbearable, but at this time, her husband was in the position of the sect leader, enforcing the rules and regulations of Huashan. With worry in her heart, she was also helpless and could only let out a soft sigh.

  Linghu Cong's emotions were somewhat downcast. In the past, he didn't know how many times he had been scolded by his master and mistress due to his unruly nature, but never had any punishment been as severe as this time. He knew that this time he must have made a huge mistake, which would provoke Master to send him to Reflecting Cliff for punishment.

  For a moment, I felt perplexed and uneasy in my heart.

  However, Ling Jing was completely indifferent in his heart, and even a little excited. Since coming to this world, he had completed two mainline tasks released by the system, one branch task, and obtained a total of nine talent points. Now, as long as he gained six more talent points, he could unlock the second layer of the talent tree.

  Although the second layer of the talent tree only has lower and middle grade martial arts, the level of martial arts is not high, but it wins in variety, including all kinds of techniques such as body methods, sword methods, palm methods, fist methods, internal skills, hidden weapons... etc. Almost everything is available. Moreover, many martial arts can be upgraded, among which there is a "sword-drawing technique" that can be upgraded to lower-grade martial arts, and it has been coveted for a long time.

  At this time, although it is said that six more talent points are needed to open the second layer of the talent tree, he still has a reward of ten talent points for an uncompleted quest, which is the task called "Top-notch Martial Arts Collection Maniac".

  The current progress of this task is already "2/10". This progress is naturally due to the two superior martial arts he has learned, "Fast Sword Thirteen Styles" and "Bai Bian Qian Huan Hengshan Yunwu Thirteen Styles". As for the remaining eight superior martial arts, his eyes flashed, and he knew that they would inevitably fall on the secret cave of Si Guo Cliff.

  Several thoughts flashed through his mind, and after listening to Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze say a few more words, he got up from kneeling on the ground and went back into the house to pack his bags, preparing to head to the Thoughtless Cliff.

  The two of them simply packed a few changes of clothes and brought their swords, then set off towards the summit of Jade Maiden Peak surrounded by their fellow disciples.

  At the time of departure, Yue Buqun did not follow the crowd over, but Ning Zhong and Yue Lingshan were both there.

  Ning Zhong then helped Ling Jing tidy up her clothes, feeling very reluctant and worried in her heart. This little disciple had always been the most favored by her, and it could be said that she had raised him with her own hands since he was born. In her heart, he was no different from her own child. But this child had just returned to the mountain, and now he would be punished by her husband to face the wall on Si Gu Cliff for a year. How could she bear it in her heart?

  She rubbed Ling Jing's face twice and sighed, "Jing Er, although your master was a bit strict with you and Chong Er this time, he always wishes you well in his heart. Don't blame your master for it."

  Ling Jing smiled and said: "What Master's wife said is right, it was I who made the mistake first, so of course Master should punish me."

  Ning Zhong then patted Ling Jing's face and said, "You can think this way, so Shifu can rest assured." Then, she turned to Lin Hu Duan and said, "Duan, don't blame your Shifu in your heart. He did all this for your own good, do you understand?"

  Linghu Chong bowed his head and said: "The disciple does not dare."

  Ning Zhong patted his hand and reminded him, "This Siu Hou Cliff is extremely hot and cold, it's really hard to bear, but you are the eldest senior brother, you must take good care of Jing Er, do you understand?"

  Linghu Chong nodded and said: "I will definitely take good care of my little brother."

  Ling Jing pouted at the side, thinking to herself that her martial arts skills had long surpassed Linghu Chong's, yet her master still treated her like a child; it was unclear who would end up taking care of whom in the future.

  Ning Zhong then again exhorted the two of them a few words, only to leave. The crowd of disciples at this time swarmed forward to bid farewell to them, because from now on, for one year, they would not be able to privately go down the cliff. And these disciples, except for those who were allowed by Yue Buqun to deliver food to Ling Jing and Lin Hu Duan, also could not set foot in Si Gu Xue Cliff before receiving their master's order.

  So it was a year later that everyone could reunite again, and they were naturally very reluctant in their hearts.

  Yue Lingshan pushed through the crowd and came to Ling Jing's side, but unlike others, her face didn't show any reluctance. She leaned in close to Ling Jing's ear and whispered softly: "I'll secretly go see you every day."

  Ling Jing gazed at her with an odd expression, thinking to himself that this task of delivering food shouldn't have fallen on the shoulders of this proud daughter of Mount Hua Sect. He asked suspiciously: "What kind of trick are you up to now?"

  He knew that this senior sister was a bit arrogant and domineering, and in the future, just to see him, she might really think of some clever way to secretly replace the person delivering food with herself.

  Yue Lingshan hummed softly and said in a low voice: "None of your business."

  Ling Jing looked at her helplessly, then shifted his gaze to the figure of Lin Pingzhi behind the crowd, whose presence was out of place among the other disciples. He smiled meaningfully and said, "Alright, I'll wait for you then."

  Yue Lingshan smiled and held Ling Jing's hands, talking to him for a while before bidding farewell to the other disciples. The two of them watched as they headed up the mountain.

  ......

  Ling Jing and Lin Hu Dung walked towards the summit together, but Lin Hu Dung's mood was not high, and he spoke much less.

  Ling Jing originally had some resentment towards this person in his heart, and naturally he wouldn't encourage him to speak, so the two of them continued on in silence until they reached the summit, where the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

  After reaching the top of the peak, I found that it was bare and had not a single tree, nor even a blade of grass on the ground. The scenery was quite different from the lush vegetation at the foot of the mountain.

  Ling Jing let out a silent sigh in his heart, feeling extremely depressed. He thought to himself that he would have to stay in this godforsaken place for an entire year from now on, all for the sake of uncovering the secrets hidden within the cliff. It was indeed a bit too much to bear.

  He felt somewhat depressed, and seeing Linghu Cong sitting on a large stone at the edge of the precipice, sighing, he didn't bother him again, and walked into the only cave on the cliff by himself.

  As he walked into the cave, his eyes suddenly lit up and his heart suddenly became excited.

  This wasn't because he had spotted the location of the hidden cave at a glance, but rather because he suddenly discovered that there was another sky inside the cave, which was vastly different from what he had imagined earlier.

  He had thought that the cave on the cliff would be pitch black, cold and damp, but unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the cave, he found that it was lush and green inside, full of fragrance.

  Moreover, unlike the original plot, this cave is not narrow, but surprisingly large. In a deeper part of the cave, you can still vaguely see a fairly large hot spring, with mist rising and falling, like a fantasy, it's really a unique scenic spot.

  He was suddenly delighted, found a place to put down his luggage first, and while appreciating the scenery inside the cave, he didn't forget the ultimate purpose of this climb. His eyes carefully looked at every corner of the cave.

  However, he knew that the dense cave on the cliff was a passage opened from the inside to the outside by a high-ranking expert of the demonic sect through another mechanism and trap. If one were in this position at present, it would be very difficult to find out where the hidden passage is.

  But at this moment, Linghu Chong was still outside the cave. If he were to knock on every part of the cave, he feared it would arouse Linghu Chong's suspicion. After searching for a while without finding anything, he put the matter aside for the time being and prepared to think of a long-term plan.

  Got up early and started working on contracts, updates are delayed again...