Evergreen Immortal-Chapter 34: Old Li the Janitor

Both Zhou Shulin and Liang He nodded their heads like pecking chickens.

Li Rui further reassured them: "Relax. This is Tianyi Hall. Nothing major will happen."

Han Peng and Yang San chatted with Ying Liu for a full hour.

Only then did they leave, clearly satisfied.

They showed no intention whatsoever of staying at Tianyi Hall to work.

This made Zhou Shulin even more disgruntled. Watching their departing backs, he muttered, "Why is it that they can get away with doing nothing, while we have to stay here and toil?"

But Liang He shook his head: "Brother Zhou, I thought you were clever, but you still didn’t catch Hall Master’s meaning."

Hearing this, Zhou Shulin grew even more frustrated: "Didn’t Hall Master just tell us to endure?"

"Why is it that, though we’re all Tianyi Hall disciples, only the two of us are so unlucky?"

Liang He couldn’t help but roll his eyes: "The key point was in the second half of what Hall Master said, he wants us to gather their dirt. Han Peng and Yang San not participating in Tianyi Hall's duties is the dirt."

Zhou Shulin’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ah He, you mean—"

Liang He nodded: "Exactly. Hall Master wants to back us up, but he needs a proper reason."

Zhou Shulin immediately grew excited.

"Hall Master is brilliant!"

Both Ying Liu and the two newcomers had been transferred from the outer field.

Those from the field were certainly tough and ruthless.

But they seemed to forget that this was now the branch headquarters, where the rules were strict, and rules were ruthless enough to grind people to death.

By evening.

Only Liang He remained in Tianyi Hall.

Liang He was practicing swordsmanship, his figure moving lightly like a swallow across the courtyard in front of the hall.

"Your swordsmanship is good, but it lacks killing intent."

Suddenly, a voice offering critique rang out.

Liang He stopped and turned to see Li Rui standing there with hands behind his back, watching him.

"Hall Master."

Liang He respectfully inverted his sword and saluted Li Rui.

Li Rui smiled and waved it off: "Carry on. I’m just passing by."

Seeing Li Rui about to leave, Liang He hurriedly called out: "Hall Master Li, what did you mean just now?"

Li Rui replied, "Your swordsmanship, it’s not something you learned from the Heaven-Earth Alliance, is it?"

"Good eye, Hall Master. It’s a family inheritance."

Li Rui nodded.

"Martial arts are skills for killing. You only practice sword forms, but in a real life-and-death fight, you’ll suffer."

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Saying this, he casually broke off a dead branch.

"I'll demonstrate only once."

Before the words even faded, Li Rui wielded the branch like a long saber, his arm stretching out and swinging the branch in broad, open, and fierce arcs, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Liang He was shaken by the strength of the blade energy and couldn’t help but retreat several steps.

He could barely breathe.

So strong!

Liang He stared intently at each of Li Rui's movements. As Li Rui had said, if they fought for real, he would have been dead already.

It wasn’t because Li Rui had higher cultivation.

It was because Li Rui carried a far heavier killing intent, unbound by set moves, with every strike aimed at taking a life.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Li Rui put away the "saber."

"A martial artist should carry at least a bit of killing intent. You’ve been staying safe in the branch all along; you should go out into the field to temper yourself. It’ll greatly benefit your mindset."

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

It wasn’t until Li Rui had gone quite a distance that Liang He finally snapped out of his shock.

He solemnly bowed deeply toward Li Rui’s departing figure:

"Thank you, Hall Master!"

Even though Li Rui had already walked a full hundred meters away, he still heard Liang He’s voice and allowed a slight smile to curl at the corner of his lips.

He had given Liang He guidance because he saw potential in the boy.

Tianyi Hall couldn’t rely on him alone forever, otherwise, he'd exhaust himself to death.

It was necessary to cultivate his own faction.

Rather than recruiting outsiders, it was better to nurture his own men from within.

Liang He had good natural talent and a solid temperament. If he hadn't offended someone in the past, he might already have made a name for himself within the Heaven-Earth Alliance.

Days passed one after another.

Outside Tianyi Hall,

Liang He was sparring with Zhou Shulin. Ever since Li Rui’s guidance, Liang He no longer practiced sword forms in isolation but emphasized actual combat more.

With a single thrust, he forced Zhou Shulin to stumble backward.

His spirit soared.

Zhou Shulin plopped down onto the ground, waving his hands:

"Enough, enough! Ah He, when did your swordsmanship get so ferocious? You’re like you’re trying to eat me alive!"

It wasn’t as if they hadn't sparred before, but the Liang He of these past few days felt like a completely different person, his strikes fierce and brutal, making Zhou Shulin completely unable to resist.

Liang He looked at the sword in his hand with delight.

Only ten moves, and he had defeated Zhou Shulin.

Through the past few days of sparring, Liang He clearly felt that the problems that had previously been plaguing him were suddenly clear and resolved.

"Hall Master truly is extraordinary!"

At this moment, Liang He felt nothing but deep respect for Li Rui.

He had had instructors before, but none had been able to pinpoint the root of his problem with a single glance, nor offer such effective guidance.

"Brother Zhou, we really underestimated Hall Master."

Hearing this incomplete statement, Zhou Shulin rolled his eyes.

Liang He didn’t bother to explain.

Previously, he had thought that Li Rui was just some unlucky old man demoted to Tianyi Hall. But now, he realized that Li Rui truly had some skills.

Thinking along these lines, Liang He’s eyes lit up.

Wasn’t it often said in tales of the jianghu that the most dangerous man in a sect was often... the old janitor of the scripture repository?

"Could it be that Hall Master Li is a hidden master??"

"Doesn’t seem like it..."

Liang He laughed at his own wild thought.

Just then Zhou Shulin suddenly nudged him: "Ah He, look it’s Han Peng and them."

He jerked his chin, signaling Liang He to look to the right.

As Liang He turned his head,

He saw Han Peng and Yang San walking toward them with hostile expressions.

"You two pieces of trash dare block your granddaddies’ way? Get lost!"