Chapter 108: Return to the Sea (Part )
In response to Liu Xunyi's speculation, Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao just smiled at each other mysteriously, which was considered as their tacit agreement.

Lin Fangda only knew that Pan Chuba and Luo Tianjin had been friends for many years, but he didn't know that there was such a hidden story behind them. He couldn't help but sigh and muttered in a low voice: "He betrayed his master and stole the secret book. It seems that this Pan Chuba is not a good guy. I don't understand why the master of the house would be friends with such a person?"

"No one is perfect, so who can be without fault?" Luo Tianjin was not angry, and said calmly, "Master Pan Ba ​​was only your age back then, and he was young and energetic, so it was inevitable that he would go astray. He has been regretting this for many years, and he has never been able to forgive himself for what he did back then. Therefore, when he was in his prime, Pan Chuba, who should have made a name for himself in the martial arts world, suddenly withdrew from the martial arts world and never asked about the affairs of the martial arts world again, and instead focused on doing business. This... should be considered a kind of atonement, right? Not only did he retire from the martial arts world, but he also abandoned his martial arts in front of Mu Sheng's grave, and even cut his tendons, so that he could never pick up a knife again for the rest of his life. Back then, this incident was witnessed by the head of Wudang and the abbot of Shaolin. It is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them! This is why I respect Master Pan Ba ​​so much."

Liu Xunyi was secretly surprised and said with emotion, "A swordsman regards the sword as his life throughout his life. Master Pan Ba ​​is a disciple of Guihai Sword Sect, so he must be an expert in using swords. He is willing to cut off his own tendons and never pick up a sword again... This move is really admirable. I think he must be sincerely repentant." After sighing, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but change the subject and asked, "Just now, my wife said that before Senior Mu Sheng died, he handed over the upper and lower volumes of "Guihai Sword Skills" to the Qin family ancestor and Master Pan Ba ​​respectively, but I don't know if these two volumes are now..."

"These two volumes are still in the hands of the Pan and Qin families." Luo Tianjin said bluntly, "The upper and lower volumes of "Guihai Dao Fa" are "Red Fire Volume" and "Mysterious Water Volume". The "Red Fire Volume" is the fierce external cultivation method pursued by the Yang branch of the Yin and Yang branches, while the "Mysterious Water Volume" is the Yin branch of the Yin branch. Although it is a martial art, the cultivation methods of the upper and lower volumes are very different, and the moves contained in each are also very different. Because the "Guihai Dao Fa" is extremely powerful, if everyone learns it, it may cause great chaos in the world. Therefore, before his death, Master Gui Hai set an iron rule for future generations: "Only the masters of the past generations are qualified to practice the complete "Gui Hai Sword Skills", and the disciples can only learn the half-step fragments of their own lineage." In fact, practicing the half-step fragments to perfection is enough to dominate the world. In addition, practicing the upper and lower volumes requires extremely high talent and perseverance, and even great opportunities. It is not easy to practice. Therefore, even if there is no rule set by the ancestor, this rule alone is enough to discourage countless people."

Liu Xunyi responded thoughtfully, "The more peerless the martial arts, the harder it is to practice to perfection. If you are not careful, you will go astray. At the very least, your martial arts will be ruined, and at the worst, you will be seriously injured and die. Master Gui Hai set this rule back then. I think it was to protect his disciples, fearing that they would go astray in their eagerness to practice."

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin praised, "The Guihai Sword Sect has been standing for a hundred years, and more than ten leaders have succeeded in succession, but only a few have truly mastered the Guihai Sword Skill. Many leaders have gone astray due to greed and recklessness, and either lost all their previous efforts or died. Even Mu Sheng, a martial arts genius that is rare in a century, was repeatedly frustrated because of his eagerness for success, and he never mastered the Guihai Sword Skill until his death. All the past things are a lesson for the disciples, so that the disciples only believe in the "Red Fire Volume 1" or the "Mysterious Water Volume 2", and are convinced that Red Fire and Mysterious Water cannot be practiced together. The real Guihai Sword Skill only exists in legends and wild records. There were even rumors in the martial arts world, speculating that the Guihai Sword Sect actually has two supreme sword techniques, one is the Red Fire Sword Skill, and the other is the Mysterious Water Sword Skill. Therefore, Master Guihai divided the Yin and Yang branches at the beginning of the sect."

"So that's how it is!" Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda said in unison, letting out an incomprehensible sigh.

Ling Xiaoxiao said: "Mr. Pan sincerely repented, so he gave up his martial arts and sealed up the "Xuan Shui Lower Volume" early. Later, he only taught some basic kung fu to his descendants in order to strengthen their bodies and protect themselves in times of trouble. But Qin Gang, who possessed the "Chi Huo Upper Volume", had no regrets. He used the "Chi Huo Upper Volume" to create the Hexi Qin family and integrated various fierce sword techniques in the world. He changed the name of the "Chi Huo Upper Volume" of the "Gui Hai Sword Technique" and turned it into the "Qin Family Sword Technique" that is feared by the world today. As the other side gained strength, there are only a few people in the martial arts world who still remember the "Xuan Shui Xia Juan". People only know that the Hexi Qin family is one of the four great families in the martial arts world, with strong internal resources and powerful forces, but they have long forgotten what Qin Gang did in the past. Since ancient times, the winners have been kings and the losers have been bandits. No matter how "despicable" Qin Gang's methods were in the past, it would not affect the "high morals and prestige" of the Hexi Qin family in the martial arts world today. So your lord would rather make friends with the Pan family than be ashamed to associate with the Hexi Qin family. "

Liu Xunyi was in a trance, full of emotion, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "There is a saying that 'the net of heaven is vast and wide, nothing can escape it'. Perhaps it is because Mr. Pan regretted his mistakes that year that he was able to prolong his life. Although Qin Gang killed the goose that laid the golden eggs and made himself famous, he suddenly fell ill and died suddenly forty years ago. The second generation head of the Qin family also died nine years ago. Most of the people in the Qin family are short-lived, and the longest can't live beyond sixty years old. This may be God's punishment for the Qin family!"

"Although Qin Gang is dead, the Hexi Qin family is becoming more and more prosperous. The current head of the Qin family, Qin Ming, has just reached the age of forty, but his martial arts and intelligence are even better than Qin Gang." Luo Tianjin said, "Nine years ago, when Qin Ming succeeded as the head of the Qin family, his vision was far superior to that of his grandfather and his father. He believed that although the Qin Family Sword Skills were extremely powerful, they had not reached the pinnacle of sword skills. If the Qin family wanted to take martial arts to a higher level, they would have to obtain the Mysterious Water Volume 2 and let the real Return to the Sea Sword Skills reappear in the martial arts world."

Ling Xiaoxiao added: "Not only that, Qin Ming also believed that only by practicing the "Return to the Sea Sword Technique" and balancing the art of yin and yang can the "short-lived curse" of the Hexi Qin family be broken, and no longer be limited by fate, so that he can be strong and live a long life. Therefore, when Qin Ming first ascended the throne, he led people to Yingchuan to ask Mr. Pan for the "Xuanshui Volume 2". But because his foundation was not stable at the time, and our Xianwang Mansion came forward to mediate, Qin Ming reluctantly gave up."

"Reluctant to give up?" Liu Xunyi asked suspiciously, "It is said that Qin Ming has inherited his ancestors' style, and even the name 'Ba Dao' has been passed down from generation to generation. Ba Dao, Ba Dao... As the name suggests, this person must act ruthlessly and tyrannically. 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' not only concerns whether the Qin family's swordsmanship can reach the highest level, but also whether the Qin family's 'short-life curse' can be broken. This is a serious matter, and ordinary people will not give up easily, let alone the powerful head of the Qin family?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin nodded. "Although Qin Ming was willing to stop temporarily, he also put forward a condition. He brought out the rules of the former Guihai Dao Sect and challenged the Yin branch Pan family as a disciple of the Yang branch, and made a ten-year agreement. If the Pan family can beat the Qin family in the competition, Qin Ming will stop. But if the Pan family loses to the Qin family, they will have to hand over the "Xuanshui Lower Volume." "

Lin Fangda sneered and said contemptuously: "Qin Ming really has a good plan. He knows that Mr. Pan has long retired from the underworld, and the Pan family is now made up of honest businessmen, but he still uses a "martial arts competition" to challenge the Pan family? Isn't this clearly bullying the weak and using the majority to bully the few? This move goes against the ethics of the underworld, and cannot be agreed to! Absolutely not!"

Ling Xiaoxiao said: "Qin Ming had long expected that we would use this as an excuse to hinder his good deeds. That's why he 'generously' set the date of the martial arts competition for ten years, under the pretext of 'following the rules of the election of the leader of the Guihai Sword Sect, and also giving the Pan family ten years to recuperate.' Although ten years is not a long time, it is not impossible for the Pan family, who have the 'Xuanshui Lower Volume', to train one or two masters. Little did they know that Qin Ming not only left these ten years for the Pan family, but also for himself, so that he could take advantage of the situation to consolidate his power. "Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and said, "Now it seems that his goal has been achieved. Qin Ming back then was like Lu Tingxiang of the Jiangnan Lu Mansion today. He was young and difficult to convince. But after ten years of training, Qin Ming has long become a ruthless and decisive leader with deep roots in the martial arts world. In addition, the relationship between the Xianwang Mansion and the Hexi Qin Family is quite unfamiliar. I'm afraid it's not so easy to stand up and act as a peacemaker at this time."

"Alas!" Luo Tianjin sighed, "The most helpless thing is that Master Pan Ba ​​readily agreed to Qin Ming's conditions. Although he has retired for many years, he has always regarded himself as a disciple of Guihai Dao Sect. Perhaps to atone for his sins, or perhaps to completely end the years of grievances between the Pan and Qin families, he agreed to Qin Ming's ten-year agreement and swore an oath with blood."

"Does he want to hand over 'Xuan Shui Volume 2'?" Lin Fangda asked in surprise.

"The lower volume of Xuanshui is the only relic that Mu Sheng left to Mr. Pan Ba, how could he be willing to hand it over so easily?" Ling Xiaoxiao pondered, "What's more, the other party is the grandson of the traitor of Guihai Dao Sect. If the 'lower volume of Xuanshui' is really handed over to Qin Ming, it would be tantamount to handing over the 'Guihai Dao Fa' to the Hexi Qin family. In the hands of the Hexi Qin family, the 'Red Fire Dao Fa' has become the 'Qin Family Dao Fa'. If they get the 'lower volume of Xuanshui', the 'Guihai Dao Fa' will completely disappear from the world. People in later generations only know that the 'Qin Family Dao Fa' is world-renowned. Unparalleled, but no one will remember the Guihai lineage. What is the Qin family doing differently from thieves? What they stole was not only a martial arts secret book, but also the hard work of Master Guihai and the century-old reputation of the Guihai Sword Sect. The thief Qin Gang will legitimately replace Master Guihai's title of "Sword Saint", and the Qin Family Sword Skills will also take away the reputation of "Guihai Sword Skills" as "the best sword technique in the world". If the "Xuanshui Volume 2" is there, then the former Guihai Sword Sect is there. If the "Xuanshui Volume 2" is gone, then the Guihai Sword Sect will completely disappear from history."

"What a pity!" Lin Fang said with regret, "If only Master Pan hadn't given up his martial arts, wouldn't he be more than capable of dealing with a junior like Qin Ming with his skills? Why would he end up in such a predicament?"

"Brother, you are wrong." Liu Xunyi shook his head and said, "As the saying goes, a disciple is better than his master. Even if Mr. Pan Ba ​​had not given up his martial arts back then, he might not be a match for Qin Ming today. After all, the Hexi Qin family has been fighting in the martial arts world for decades, and has experienced many battles. Naturally, the martial arts of the Qin family's descendants have become more and more advanced. In comparison, the Pan family has been doing business honestly and has not been in the battlefield for a long time. Even if they have the 'Xuanshui Lower Volume' which is not inferior to the 'Qin Family Sword Skills', I am afraid that their martial arts have been abandoned after so many years of peace."

"The ten-year agreement between the Qin family and the Pan family is coming soon. In this case, isn't the Pan family doomed to lose?" Lin Fang said anxiously, "If Qin Ming really masters the Return to the Sea Sword Technique, the Hexi Qin family will definitely increase in strength, and may even become the leader of the four great families in the martial arts world, and even reproduce the former heyday of the Return to the Sea Sword Sect. The Hexi Qin family has transformed itself into the number one sect in the martial arts world... No! No! Our Xianwang Mansion and the four great families have always been incompatible. If we let the Hexi Qin family become bigger, it will sooner or later become a disaster for us!" After that, General Lin Fang cast an urgent look at Luo Tianjin and asked, "Palace Master, in the past ten years, has the Pan family cultivated any decent masters?"

"I don't know!" Luo Tianjin shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Because Mr. Pan had said before that he would no longer have much contact with people in the martial arts world after retiring. Therefore, he and I mostly greeted each other with small letters during festivals, and we didn't have much contact. Therefore, I don't know what the Pan family has been like in the past ten years."

After that, facing the stunned Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda, Luo Tianjin smiled meaningfully and said, "Hearing is false, seeing is believing. The tenth anniversary will come in the spring of next year, so this year's birthday, Mr. Pan sent someone to send an invitation, and he must let me go to Yingchuan to talk in person. But now Wang Xutong's intention is unclear, and the situation in Luoyang is chaotic and complicated. I can't go there, so I decided to let you go instead of me. This time I go to celebrate the birthday, and secondly, I want you to see with your own eyes what the current strength of the Pan family is, and report to me truthfully when you come back. In addition, you need to pass a message to Mr. Pan for me."

"Please give instructions, Lord."

"Love is as heavy as a mountain, and loyalty is as deep as an ocean. If you are in trouble, no matter when, Luo is willing to stand with Brother Pan and Wu Yue, and will never abandon you!"

……

(End of this chapter)