Discussing military affairs and the way of war (Chinese)

  After leaving Xi'an, Lin Heng continued westward. Along the way, he still inquired about skilled martial artists whenever he arrived at a major place, and if there were any, he would go to challenge them.

  For those who were challenged, if they got along well, like the White Tiger, Lin Heng would stay for a few more days, discussing martial arts with them and broadening his horizons; if they didn't get along, Lin Heng would leave on his own after defeating them.

  All in all, although he didn't walk a long way, he had been through twenty or thirty battles.

  Of course, Lin Heng didn't just compare with these people, for some **figures**, he would also go to challenge and kill them. In places where there were thieves, he would even directly enter their lair and eliminate those who harmed the innocent.

  Lin Heng's approach brought him no small reputation, especially when everyone knew he was a disciple of the Quanzhen School, this reputation became even more resounding.

  That day, Lin Heng arrived in Zhengzhou. As soon as he got here, he heard that there was a gang of extremely evil thieves. Immediately, Lin Heng wanted to go and eliminate them, but after asking around, he knew that this gang of thieves was not easy to deal with.

  This gang of thieves outside Zhengzhou has a scale of more than 300 people, which is still smaller than before, and they had a scale of thousands of people in the past. This is absolutely a very large gang of thieves, and it can be counted as a powerful thief. Moreover, Lin Heng was not unfamiliar with the former leader of this powerful thief, that is, Peng Lianhu, who was under the command of Wanyan Honglie.

  Peng Lianhu is known as the Thousand Hands Butcher, a notorious and ruthless figure who is also cunning and resourceful, making him difficult to deal with. This can be seen from the original work. However, the leader of this group of thieves has long since changed, and Lin Heng doesn't need to worry too much about it. Nevertheless, the number of over 300 people is still a bit of a headache for him.

  "It seems like we need to use some special means this time!"

  He muttered to himself, Lin Heng walked towards a wine shop in Zhengzhou City, where he bought a cow cart and loaded it with wine. He pulled the wine slowly out of the city, and when no one was around, he opened each wine jar and added a drugging agent that enhanced the aroma of the wine. After finishing this, Lin Heng sat on the cow cart, unhurriedly heading in the direction of the bandits.

  As he walked along the road, Lin Heng seemed to be in a carefree mood, but he was actually carefully observing his surroundings. Soon, he discovered that there were many people hiding in the grass on both sides. He knew that these must be those bandits.

  Lin Heng did not dare to be careless, and immediately picked up his long sword, walked to the front of the ox cart, and personally pulled the ox cart forward.

  Those bandits saw Lin Heng's movement, but they were too numerous and didn't care, so they rushed out immediately and surrounded Lin Heng. Lin Heng didn't run either, and immediately clasped his fists and said: "Brothers, it's not easy for everyone to make a living, my younger brother has some money here, please let me through!" As he spoke, he took out two large silver ingots from his pocket and threw them over. The bandits looked at the silver ingots with shining eyes, and the leader directly gave a signal to the crowd. Immediately, they didn't say a word and raised their knives to chop over.

  Lin Heng saw this and immediately drew out his long sword to counterattack, but he didn't dare show off too much, lest he scare away these bandits. He fought while retreating, and at the right moment killed a few of them, making them not dare to pursue him excessively. When he retreated into the thicket, he turned around and ran, and those bandits chased for a while before realizing they couldn't catch up with Lin Heng, so they stopped.

  Seeing the thieves walking back one by one, Lin Heng also found a place to hide and quietly followed them from behind, all the way into the mountain stronghold.

  Here, the bandits opened up their spoils, and the strong aroma of wine stirred up their appetites. The leader let out a loud shout, and then everyone in the camp began to revel wildly.

  They just didn't know that this wine would be their poison.

  Lin Heng's anesthetic this time was not ordinary, but a very soothing one. This anesthetic, although it made people drowsy after taking it, had a very gentle effect, just like modern sleeping pills.

  By dusk, the bandits one by one fell asleep, and Lin Heng slowly walked over. With over 300 people, he couldn't possibly kill them all, but... how was he going to resolve this?

  Lin Zhongxin couldn't focus his attention, and could only keep wandering around the mountain stronghold. Soon, he found many things, among which gold, silver, and jewels were not few. Of course, Lin Heng's greatest gain was not these, but that he rescued many people who had been kidnapped by thieves, most of whom were women. These women had all been ravished by the thieves, their eyes dull and expressionless, until Lin Heng said "you can avenge yourselves", at which point they revealed an expression, but it was one of hatred.

  Then, a massacre feast began. These women, at this moment, became goddesses of Asura, completely disregarding the bloodshed, wielding knives to slash and hack at the bandits. Before long, more than 300 bandits were slaughtered by these women, filling the entire mountain stronghold with the smell of blood.

  Under the dark night sky, the thick bloody smell accompanied by the sound of vomiting, added a layer of eerie atmosphere to the entire mountain stronghold. This atmosphere made Lin Heng very uncomfortable, he handed over two voices, divided the treasure of the thieves among them, and then hurriedly left this place.

  Entering the jianghu, one must inevitably kill. However, so much killing has made Lin Heng very uncomfortable. He cannot imagine that if the jianghu is like this, then how cruel will the killings on the battlefield be?

  What was originally a heroic act of chivalry cast a shadow over Lin Heng's heart.

  This shadow is not only reflected on his face, but also in his actions. You see his next challenge, every time he doesn't say much, just go up and fight, win and leave. This attitude of his really makes people feel very rude, especially when some people want to get along with him, he gives a cold face and walks away, how can they save face?

  But Lin Heng was completely unaware of all this, he only knew that his mood was very bad and wanted to vent. So, in the fight, he hit harder and harder, sometimes even hurting people.

  Fortunately, time can smooth out everything. After Lin Heng passed this hurdle, he also restored his usual mood. He knew that his actions in the past would inevitably cause trouble, so he immediately went back to find those who had been challenged by him and apologized one by one, and enthusiastically discussed martial arts with them, making progress together.

  His attitude makes people feel helpless, at least those who are angry with him have no anger left, and those who want to get along with him try to chat and discuss with him until they become familiar.

  After all this was done, Lin Heng did not continue to challenge, but entered the depths of the mountain alone.

  This time, the incident had a great impact on Lin Heng. He didn't know how to express his feelings, but he knew that after this incident, he had become more mature. This maturity allowed him to calm down and reflect on what he had gained recently.

  Every match will definitely bring some gains, especially for a newcomer like Lin Heng. So, after a period of matches, he must need time to summarize, and this matter gave him an opportunity.

  That's why Lin Heng entered the Great Mountain.

  This is an unknown mountain, not very high, standing at the foot of the mountain, you can see the scenery on the top of the mountain. Lin Heng chose this place completely because it was the only peak in the surrounding area.

  He stepped up step by step and slowly walked to the top of the mountain. What surprised him was that there was a Taoist temple here.

  "San Qing Guan..." His brow furrowed slightly, Lin Heng said loudly: "May I ask if there is anyone inside the temple?"

  From the outside, Sanqing Temple looked very old and worn out, but there wasn't much dust on the gate, apparently due to frequent opening and closing. Just then, after Lin Heng came out, an old Taoist slowly walked out. He saw Lin Heng and looked him up and down with a surprised expression, then seeing the long sword in his hand, he revealed a knowing look and said: "Since you've come, young brother, why not come in and rest for a bit?"

  "Thank you, Daozhang!" Lin Heng immediately clasped his fists together in respect, then followed the old Daoist into the temple.

  The Sanqing Temple is not large, it can be said to be very small. It has a main hall, and behind the main hall is a guest room, which is where the old Taoist priest lives. Lin Heng had never seen such a simple temple before.

  "Dao Zhang, here..."

  "Haha... As a carefree wanderer, one must be simple and unadorned." The old Taoist seemed to see through Lin Heng's thoughts and said with a smile: "Although my place is simple, there are still many good things. I see you're wearing a Taoist robe, so you should also be a Taoist disciple."

  "Yes, I am a disciple of the Quanzhen School." Lin Heng immediately revealed his identity.

  The old Taoist nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. Since we are both Taoists, then come with me to see my collection."

  As he spoke, the old Taoist walked past the great hall and came to the back of the Three Purity statue. Lin Heng was surprised in his heart, but also followed him over. As soon as he came over, he saw that behind the Three Purity Temple there was a very large space, where many small boxes were placed, stacked on top of each other.

  Lin Heng asked the old Taoist priest: "Taoist priest, what are these..."

  "These are the classics I've collected over the years..." As he explained, the old Taoist opened one of the small boxes and took out a few books. Lin Heng's eyes were sharp, and at a glance, he saw that they were all written with the three big words "Tao Te Ching". However, what was strange to him was that these several books were all "Tao Te Ching". "One of these three 'Tao Te Ching' was left by my master, one is mine, and one I got from outside. Don't underestimate these three 'Tao Te Ching', they all contain our own insights, especially this one I obtained, which is said to be written by a true Taoist immortal. Do you want to take a look?"

  Temptation, naked temptation!

  Lin Heng looked at the old Taoist's smiling face and sighed inwardly. But who was this old Taoist after all, and why did he do such a thing? And would he know martial arts?

  Lin Heng's heart was filled with suspicion, and his eyes seriously sized up the old Taoist priest. However, no matter how long he looked, he couldn't find any flaws. It seemed as if this old Taoist priest was just an ordinary person.

  "Has he already reached the realm of returning to simplicity and truth?"

  A sudden thought startled Lin Heng, and he immediately shook his head, thinking it was impossible. From the old Taoist's complexion, his body was clearly not in good condition. If he were really a hidden master, he wouldn't have such a complexion.

  Lin Heng said: "Thank you, Master Dao, for your kindness!"

  ;