Mount Hua was famed for its sheer cliffs and steep slopes, with the main path flanked on either side by precipitous drops, dense trees, and scattered rocks—truly perilous at every turn.
Yet for Linghu Chong, this path was no stranger; he had traversed it countless times since childhood and knew it intimately. He instinctively avoided the steepest spots.
As for Zhong Lingxiu, though unfamiliar with the route and only having caught a brief glimpse the day before, her lightness skill was exceptionally refined.
Sparrows never choose safe places to fly. She had lost count of how many times she had chased after these little creatures, accidentally stepping on dry branches or cliff edges. At first, fear gripped her and she would stop. But after many attempts, she learned to pick safer spots to try again, gaining considerable experience.
No matter how treacherous Mount Hua’s paths were, they were still built for people to travel on—not vertical ninety-degree cliffs—and there were plenty of trees to aid movement. She felt no fear, only eager anticipation.
Branches shook, verdant leaves fluttered, and within just two breaths, Zhong Lingxiu leapt over nearly a hundred steps, overtaking the cunning Linghu Chong to gain a lead by a full body length.
This undoubtedly stoked Linghu Chong’s competitive spirit. His usual composure vanished as he chased after her with great enthusiasm.
The leaves thinned and scattered, trees grew irregularly, and ahead lay nothing but a vast stretch of gray-white scree.
Linghu Chong couldn’t help but warn, “Below is a deep ravine. If you slip, the current will sweep you away. Don’t be careless.”
“Thank you.” Zhong Lingxiu twisted her body and came to a halt at the slope’s edge, then flipped up to grasp a vine. With a gentle leap, she hung suspended in midair.
“Well done,” Linghu Chong said, unwilling to be outdone. He mimicked her, climbing the cliff using only the vines entwined around the rocks to adjust his direction.
Because Zhong Lingxiu was only newly entering her physical prime, her arm strength wasn’t yet as strong as an adult’s. She didn’t dare rely entirely on her arms. Instead, she placed her toes on protrusions and timed her jump, landing with a monkey-like grace in a crevice formed by a slight protrusion in the rock face.
Since ancient times, Mount Hua had but one path. Hundreds of years later, wooden planks and iron chains were installed here to aid travelers, yet it still terrified countless visitors. Now, her feet barely had half a foothold, and only rough stone pressed against her palm—no life-saving iron chains in sight.
Linghu Chong glanced back and blurted out, “Junior Master Yixiu, grab the vine!”
Before he finished, she had already leapt another stretch. As she dangled in midair, cold sweat seeped down his back. “I—I admit defeat.”
“Afraid I’ll fall?” Zhong Lingxiu steadied herself. “Don’t worry, I’ve picked a good spot.”
Before she finished speaking, both palms thrust hard forward. Using the recoil, her body fell backward. As she soared through the air, her legs freed, she twisted and lunged downward, her arms catching a treetop precisely.
The branches bent under her weight, absorbing the fall’s momentum. She swayed gently, quickly regaining balance, then gracefully dropped several meters, instantly widening the distance between herself and Linghu Chong on the cliff.
Linghu Chong smiled wryly. Without such elegant lightness skill, he couldn’t guarantee a safe landing. Yet stepping back wasn’t a manly act. After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth, took two steps forward, and leapt for the treetop like her.
His landing was off by half a body length—he missed the branch at first—but the forest was dense. When one branch was missed, another was close. After snapping two branches, he finally grasped a thick limb, avoiding a fatal fall.
He calmed himself and descended steadily, eventually reaching the mountainside halfway up.
The sun had fully risen, its brilliant light bathing the endless mountains.
Zhong Lingxiu stood before a pavilion waiting for him. When he arrived, she smiled, “Senior Brother, you have great courage.”
“Don’t say that. I’m still trembling from fear.” Linghu Chong smiled self-deprecatingly, then asked with curiosity, “May I ask, Junior Sister, is this the lightness skill of the Hengshan Sect?”
Zhong Lingxiu shook her head, “I learned it from the monkeys in the mountains. That’s how they come down.”
Living long in the mountains naturally brought her two unusual friends. The Hengshan monkeys weren’t famous, but they were genuine wild troops. The Monkey King’s agility was so remarkable that although Zhong Lingxiu’s lightness skill was evenly matched against sparrows, against the Monkey King it was hopeless.
She never once snatched anything from the Monkey King but had her lunch stolen several times.
Over time, she picked up a few climbing techniques from him. While she couldn’t move about the mountains freely, she could dare a small adventure now and then.
“Junior Sister’s lightness skill far surpasses mine.” Linghu Chong was not petty and admitted frankly, “I’m outmatched.”
Zhong Lingxiu’s expression instantly fell.
The Hengshan Sect was like a paradise in the world of martial arts—no strife or scheming, but with strict rules and everyone abiding by them. The Senior Sisters never joked around. She had suppressed herself for over ten years and finally found someone to spar with. She was reluctant for it to end so soon.
After a moment’s thought, she proposed, “How about a contest of inner strength? We’ll take this mountain path—no shortcuts allowed—and see who reaches the foot of the mountain first.”
Linghu Chong hadn’t yet had enough fun and smiled, “Why not?”
It was said that the Huashan Qizong emphasized inner strength cultivation. Zhong Lingxiu was unsure of her own power. “This time you can’t run ahead.”
“You say when to start.” Linghu Chong stepped beside her, making a polite gesture.
“Ready, three, two—” Zhong Lingxiu pushed off with her back foot, “one!” The word left her lips like a swift arrow.
Two figures shot out like a whirlwind, shaking the trees and grass.
Though Zhong Lingxiu’s inner strength wasn’t particularly dense, it flowed like a gentle spring rain, steady and continuous, coursing through her body. Whether the steps were steep or gentle, her speed remained constant, her chest rising and falling in a long, steady breath.
Linghu Chong was a different breed. His painstakingly cultivated Huashan Inner Strength surged forth, propelling him forward faster and faster, quickly pulling a hundred meters ahead of Zhong Lingxiu.
He secretly relaxed. As the foremost disciple of Mount Hua, losing face in a contest was one thing, but allowing Mount Hua to be underestimated was another. He dared not be careless; all he could see ahead was the long mountain path.
Mist rose, wildflowers brushed hair, and far below, the houses at the mountain’s foot came into view.
Linghu Chong slowed his pace, limbs aching, strength waning.
Unable to resist, he turned to look behind—and was shocked again. Zhong Lingxiu was neither far nor near, steadily closing the gap at a visible pace. Within two breaths, she was just thirty feet away.
Another breath, and she was right beside him.
“One step ahead.” Zhong Lingxiu flashed past his side and accelerated into the final sprint.
“The outcome is not decided yet,” Linghu Chong urged his inner strength and sprinted to catch up.
A quarter of an hour later, both dashed toward the last stretch.
Zhong Lingxiu slowed her pace.
Being on Mount Hua, it was only proper to show the host some face. Linghu Chong was the eldest disciple, no need to let him lose too badly. Besides, her purpose was merely to gauge her own level. Now she knew that whether in inner strength or swordsmanship, she was on par with the male lead, and her lightness skill was slightly superior.
She eased up, smiling, “I’m a bit tired.”
Linghu Chong hurriedly stopped, narrowly catching the last step, then turned back to look.
In early spring, by the apricot blossoms, a young girl in water-rice colored clothing stood with her hands behind her back. Though breathing heavily, she still had energy to spare.
He shook his head, “Junior Sister underestimates me. A true man accepts defeat. Linghu Chong is not one to lose easily.”
Zhong Lingxiu cared little for winning or losing. Hearing this, she smiled, “Then let’s call it a draw. I’ll eat half a pastry.”
Linghu Chong laughed at once. This Hengshan Junior Sister was no slouch in martial arts, with a solid foundation, yet her heart was set on a pastry—so innocent and carefree. He, being two years older, waved generously, “Half a pastry? That’s not enough. I won’t drink any more liquor. We’ll have two, no, three.”
Zhong Lingxiu pressed her stomach as her stomach rumbled, “…I want a Meat Sandwich.”
He glared, “That’s meat! Be careful or Elder Nun Dingjing will punish you.”
“‘Meat and fish’ originally meant pungent flavors, like scallions and chives, not meat.” Zhong Lingxiu said seriously. “Besides, as long as you don’t mention it, how would Abbess know?”
“That’s reasonable.” Linghu Chong also hid his drinking from the sect elders, so he wouldn’t demand she keep the rules strictly. “Then you have to try the Lamb Stew Bread.”
“Let’s go.” Lamb stew, lamb stew, lamb stew.
The town at the foot of Mount Hua was neither too big nor small, with only two lamb restaurants. Linghu Chong chose an old-established shop run by a family for three generations. The lamb soup was thick and fragrant, the white bread about the size of a palm, torn into pieces and placed at the bowl’s bottom. A ladle of rich broth poured over it soaked the bread with the essence of lamb, turning it soft and swollen. Various lamb offal bobbed up and down, accompanied by seasonings that made one’s mouth water.
Zhong Lingxiu devoured it voraciously, her tongue numb from the scalding soup but she wouldn’t stop, finishing a big bowl in one gulp.
Linghu Chong honored his promise, ordering her a bowl of noodles and packing two Thousand-Layer Pastries and a Meat Sandwich for snacks.
Of course, he didn’t forget to bring half a jug of Strong Liquor and buy a Ronghua flower from a street vendor.
“I didn’t teach the Junior Master sword today. If I didn’t bring back a ‘gift,’ she’d probably cry,” he explained.
Zhong Lingxiu already knew of his secret affection for the Junior Master and wasn’t surprised. She said, “If there’s nothing else, let’s return to the mountain. I have a set of sword techniques I’m not yet familiar with. I want Senior Brother Linghu Chong to help me analyze them.”
Linghu Chong was taken aback and speechless. He thought, Junior Master Yixiu appeared honest and gentle, but turns out she was a martial arts fanatic. But then he reflected that aside from Lao Denuo, few on Mount Hua could spar with him. A rare chance to practice was worthwhile, so he agreed.
The return journey was along the same path. Springtime Mount Hua’s scenery was rare and should not be wasted.
She walked slowly, stopping now and then, listening to Linghu Chong’s introduction to the landscape while nibbling on her Meat Sandwich.
Linghu Chong was lively and playful. At one point, he dashed into the forest to pick some Wild Fruit for her, saying it would quench thirst.
Fearing the fruit might be coated with bird droppings, she cautiously rinsed it at a stream before taking a bite.
Sour and astringent, it tasted terrible.
“You tricked me?”
Linghu Chong’s eyebrows drooped from the sourness but he was confident, “Isn’t it refreshing?”
Zhong Lingxiu gave him a puzzled look.
After an hour’s climb, they returned to Yunu Peak. Before reaching Zhengqi Hall, distant shouting reached their ears.
Linghu Chong, unsure of what was happening, quickened his pace anxiously. Upon arriving, he saw Huashan disciples confronting several men on the Yanwu Field. Sixth Junior Brother Liu Dazhi was hopping up and down, shouting, “How many years have I studied Huashan sword? So what if you beat me? If you’re so capable, come and face my Senior Brother.”
The honest Third Junior Brother tried to mediate, “Sixth Junior Brother is young; let’s have a rematch.”
The Junior Sister Yue Lingshan, dressed in a gauzy skirt with braided hair, loudly supported, “That’s not a fair victory. If you’re so able, face Senior Brother.”
Their voices rang loud and clear, reaching Zhong Lingxiu who was behind. She slowed her steps, ears pricked.
A contest?
Another contest?