Journey Back To Time

[Riskbreaker]

Prologue

Journey Back To Time is an adaptation of Yu Zheng's Swordsman 2013 series. It tells a story about Zhao Fei a 21st-century undercover cop in Hong Kong. After almost getting killed in a dangerous operation, he travels back in time to the Ming Dynasty period of ancient China where the Five Mount Sword Sects Alliance was formed to battle against the evil Divine Sun Moon Cult.

[Riskbreaker]

Chapter 1

The sky was pouring heavy drops of rain that night. Zhao Fei sat in front of a television set watching an Ancient Chinese Series called Smiling Proud Wanderer. He was paying full attention to the television set and completely disregarded the group of fierce looking men standing around the rundown apartment.

Zhao Fei was twenty five this year. He was a handsome and sturdy young man had an air of cheerfulness around him. After graduating from the police cadet school and serving the police force as a constable at the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters for a year, he transferred to the Criminal Investigation Bureau and was instructed by his supervisor to infiltrate Hong Kong’s largest triad, Hong Ying Triad Society to gather information about its illegal activities.

Today was a great day for him. After enduring countless life and death situations being an undercover cop, he was finally able to crack down a major drug distribution led by Hong Ying Triad Society’s leader Lin Quan.

Unfortunately, his mission was not over yet. Lin Quan somehow managed to escape the police crackdown earlier and has gone hiding. He now has to find Lin Quan’s whereabouts and bring him to justice.

A beautiful and pleasant looking girl suddenly patted him on the back. “You’re watch this silly drama again?” she grunted.

Zhao Fei startlingly turned his head around and looked at the girl in shock. “Big Sister! Stop sneaking up on me like that! If I die of heart attack you’re going to have to bear full responsibility!” he snapped.

The girl chuckled, “You’re Hong Ying Triad Society’s second in command and the most outstanding gangster of the year. I doubt that it would be so easy to scare you to death.”

Zhao Fei gave the girl a faint smile. Recalling that his mission was still not over yet he gazed at the girl seriously and asked, “Sister Jie, have you heard from boss yet?”

The girl sighed deeply, “No. Rottweiler said that father contacted him and instructed us to wait for him here. We’ll be leaving for Taiwan at 1am tomorrow.”

The girl’s name is Lin Xiaojie and she was Lin Quan’s only daughter. She knew about her father’s illegal activities but did not get involve in any of it. In fact, she has been trying to persuade her father numerous times to quit but failed. Lin Quan insisted that it was not possible to just walk away from a large organized crime such as Hong Ying.

Zhao Fei got up from the sofa and patted the girl’s arm. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that boss will be alright,” he said with a smile.

The girl returned his smile and asked, “So how many episodes have you finished watching? I seriously hate the ending of this drama. Dongfang Bubai’s tragic death was so unnecessary.”

Zhao Fei made a face at the girl. “Hey! I still have one last episode to go! Stop killing the excitement!” he snorted.

“Trust me you are going to hate the ending. Linghu Chong is such a hypocrite like his master that he deserve to die a horrible death,” the girl replied.

Zhao Fei folded his arms and chuckled, “I thought you like Linghu Chong’s character very much?”

“Initially I did. But after seeing how he stabbed Dongfang Bubai and blaming her for something she did not do I despise him. He’s worse than a pig or a dog.”

“If I had the chance to travel to their era I would most certainly help Dongfang Bubai out,” Zhao Fei said with a grin.

The girl knew that he was telling the truth. “If you ever get to travel to that era promise me that you will hack Linghu Chong to death,” she said jokingly.

“I will!”

Footsteps could be heard.

Two men dressed in dark coats stepped into the rundown apartment. The gray haired man walking in front was Lin Quan, leader of the Hong Ying Triad Society.

The girl ran over to Lin Quan excitedly and gave him a hug. “Father! You’re here!” she said happily.

Lin Quan patted the girl on the back and said, “Silly girl. Everything is alright now.”

The five other men standing around the apartment walked over to Lin Quan hurriedly.

“Boss!”

Zhao Fei walked passed them and stood in front of Lin Quan. “Boss, what happened?” he asked worriedly, pretending to be concerned.

Lin Quan pulled away from the girl and shot a cold glance at Zhao Fei. His facial expression sent a chill done Zhao Fei’s body.

‘Did he find out about my identity? If he did I’m sure to die…’

Zhao Fei suppressed his emotions and remained composed. “Boss, what’s going on?” he asked calmly.

Lin Quan reached for an automatic pistol tucked at his waist and pointed it at Zhao Fei’s face. “Traitor!” he exclaimed angrily.

The girl panicked. She quickly grabbed Lin Quan’s hand holding on to the automatic pistol and pulled it down, “Father! What’s going on? Ah Fei would never betray you! It must be some misunderstanding!” she cried.

Lin Quan shrugged the girl’s hand off and hummed coldly, “PC3388 Liu Jiaqiang. This traitor is an undercover cop sent by the police to spy on us!”

The six men clenched their fists and strode toward Zhao Fei simultaneously.

Zhao Fei nervously stepped to the back. “It’s not true! Someone is setting me up!” he said. His voice quivered with fear and anxiety.

The six men stood around Zhao Fei in a circle and started attacking him in unison.

Zhao Fei immediately dodged a punch from the man in front of him and elbowed him in the face. After that, he raised his left knee and thrust his leg at the face of a man standing beside him.

The four other men pressed in on Zhao Fei and swung their fists at him forcefully.

Zhao Fei bent his knees and crouched to the ground, dodging the incoming punches and retaliated with a swift sweeping kick at the four men’s foot, knocking them to the ground.

Seeing that his henchmen were unable to subdue Zhao Fei, Lin Quan took a step forward and pointed the automatic pistol at Zhao Fei’s head. “Die! Traitor!”

Zhao Fei closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for death.

The sound of a gunshot was heard.

Instead of feeling pain, Zhao Fei felt a heavy weight falling on him. He quickly opened his eyes and saw the girl lying in front of him, in pain.

There was blood running down her back. She had shielded him from the bullet.

Lin Quan was startled by the girl’s actions. He lowered his arm and cried in shock, “Xiaojie!”

Zhao Fei lifted up the girl’s head and looked her in the eyes. “Are you alright? You didn’t have to do this!” he murmured in tears. He surprised and alarmed to see the girl risking her own life for his. It was something that he had never expected.

The girl smiled while gasping for air, “I…will not let you die…”

Zhao Fei shook his head and burst into tears, “Xiaojie! Don’t die!”

“Once I’m gone…promise me that you…will sprinkle…my ash into the Houhai Lake in Beijing…I like the scenery and cold temperature there…”

Zhao Fei shook his head, “You will not die….don’t die…”

“You have to promise me…” the girl whispered softly and finally closed her eyes.

Zhao Fei gazed at the girl and shouted in grief, “Xiao Jie! Nooooo!”
Right at that moment, a group of police officers armed with guns knocked the door down and rushed into the apartment.

“Police! Freeze!”

Lin Quan shot a cold glance at the police officers and laughed bitterly, “It’s over…it’s all over…”

He removed his coat and hit a button on a strap of explosives fastened around his chest.

The police officers started to panic.

“Lin Quan! Calm down!” the leader yelled.

Lin Quan disregarded the police officers. He turned toward Zhao Fei and said coldly, “Traitor! We’re all going to join Xiaojie!”

Zhao Fei gazed down at the girl as tears trickled down his face. He tenderly held the girl in the back of her head and said softly, “Xiaojie, I’m bringing you to the Houhai Lake now.”

He carried the girl in his arms, slowly pulled himself up and walked toward the back door. His heart was in so much pain that he took no notice of the situation that he was in.

Lin Quan raised his hand and pointed his automatic pistol at Zhao Fei, “Come back here!”

The police officers immediately opened fire and shot Lin Quan in the back repeatedly.

Lin Quan stumbled forward and groaned in pain as he felt the bullets piercing through his flesh. After taking in another bullet, he fell on his face lifelessly.

Just as Zhao Fei was about to exit the back door, a thunderous sound could be heard from behind. The entire apartment started shaking.

Before anyone had a chance to make their move, the entire apartment was shattered into pieces by a strong explosion.

Zhao Fei felt himself being thrown out of the apartment, into the air with the girl still in his arms. The force of the explosion sent them flying out of the building, into the air. Zhao Fei held on to the girl tightly, as he grieved in pain.

Next thing he knew, his body was dangling on a truck. In the midst of sorrow and intense pain, he lost consciousness.

============

Zhao Fei woke up all of a sudden. His whole body was in pain. He found himself on the bed. What’s more shocking was that he saw a woman matured looking woman wiping his face with a warm piece of cloth.

“Heavens! Where am I?”

He frighteningly pulled the blanket aside and tried to sit up straight. The moment he felt the pain in his body, he let out a groan and helplessly fell back on to the bed.

Looking around he saw an oil lamp on a round table. The dim light revealed the surrounding of the small bedroom that he was in. The design and layout were exactly the ones that he normally saw in the Ancient Chinese Series. Even the bed that he was lying on was an Antique Chinese bed.

Zhao Fei felt a suddenly chill in his heart.

“Feng’er, you’re awake!” the woman said in joy.

Zhao Fei turned his head and looked at the woman in astonishment. What was more surprise was that he found himself wearing only a white garment. It was an inner garment that people in the ancient time wore when they were in bed.

She was wearing a bright flowery ancient garment. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She was at least in in her mid-forties.

“What the hell? I’m in the ancient time? This cannot be true!” he though in shock.

“Who are you? Why are you calling me Feng’er?” Zhao Fei rubbed his eyes and asked in surprise.

The woman examined Zhao Fei carefully and said, “I’m your Master Wife. Don’t you remember me?”

“Master Wife? Since when did I have a Master Wife?” Zhao Fei dropped his mouth wide open and uttered startlingly.

The woman answered him courteously, “You fell down from the roof and has been unconscious for two days. The doctor said that you suffered an excessive shock from your fall and there was a possibility that you would lose all your memories upon waking up.”

Zhao Fei could not believe what he had just heard. All he remembered was that he flew out of the apartment with the girl and fell onto a truck.

Refusing to believe what he saw, he tried to convince himself that it was just a dream.

The woman patted him on the head and smiled, “Feng’er, you’re now in Mount Hua. Don’t worry too much. The doctor said that with careful nurturing you will slowly recover.”

“Mount Hua?!”

“Yes. You’re the apprentice of Mount Hua Sect’s head master, Yue Buqun, my husband. We rescued you from your village years ago and took you in as our apprentice,” the woman explained.

Zhao Fei shook his head and murmured in disbelief, “Yue Buqun? You’re his wife Ning Zhongze?”

He finally realized that he had gone to the ancient times, the times of the Ming Dynasty, the times of the Smiling Proud Wanderer.

“This must be a bad dream…” he continued.

The room door was pushed open.

A gray haired man dressed in a light blue loose robe stepped into the room. He walked over to the bed and looked at the woman, “Junior Apprentice Sister, how is Feng’er doing?”

Zhao Fei shot a glance at him and thought in fear. From their exchange of words, he could tell that the gray haired man was Yue Buqun. “Well he certainly carries an air and a gentleman. If I had not seen the series even I wouldn’t be able to tell that he is a hypocrite.”

“Senior Apprentice Brother, Feng’er is awake but it looks like he has completely lost his memories,” the woman sighed.

The gray haired man narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhao Fei impassively. “Feng’er, do you recognize me?” he asked.

Zhao Fei lifted up his head and gave the gray haired man a blank look.

The gray haired man and woman took their time to explain everything to Zhao Fei. His name was now Linghu Feng, the second apprentice of Mount Hua Sect and the younger brother of Mount Hua Sect’s eldest apprentice Linghu Chong. They were all part of the Five Mountain Sword Sect Alliance with the mission of eliminating the evil Divine Sun Moon Cult.

Zhao Fei gazed at the two of them with his eyes and mouth wide open.

Initially, he thought that it was all just a bad dream. But after resting in the room for a few more days and seeing the other apprentices of the Mount Hua Sect coming by to visit him, he started to realize that he had gone back to fifteenth century where the Ming Dynasty was still ruling China.

A feeling of melancholy swelled in his heart. It has been fourteen days since he has been here in ancient times but he still felt as if it was all just a dream. He was waiting to wake up in modern times to fulfill his promise to Lin Xiaojie, sprinkling her ash into the freezing lake in Beijing. He kept reminding himself that he was that twenty five year old, single, undercover cop, Zhao Fei and not this twenty year old Han boy, Linghu Feng.

On the fifteenth day, a bright looking young man around the age of twenty six to seven and a beautiful eighteen year old girl came to visit Zhao Fei.

“Feng’er, how are you feeling? Look what I brought you?” the young man pulled a small pot of wine out from his chest pocket. “We had to secretly sneak it back to the mountain without Master realizing.”

Zhao Fei looked at him awkwardly, “Who might you be?”

“Mother is right. Second Apprentice Brother has certainly lost all his memories. I’m your Little Apprentice Sister Yue Lingshan and he is your blood brother Linghu Chong!” she said with a grin.

Zhao Fei stared at them astonishingly, “Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong? It’s really the two of you? You certainly look like a perfect couple!”

Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan looked at each other embarrassingly.

“Feng’er, stop talking nonsense!” Linghu Chong mocked.

Zhao Fei shakingly responded, “You’re indeed bashful. How could you win the heart of the girl that you love like this?”

Yue Lingshan flushed in red. “Big Apprentice Brother, we better get the doctor to come and see Second Apprentice Brother again. He has become like you, full of nonsenses!”

Linghu Chong made a face at Yue Lingshan, “It’s called adoring! Silly girl!”

Zhao Fei pursed his lips to contain his laughter. He could not help but to agree that the real Linghu Chong was quick-witted like in the series.

“Let’s not waste any more time. Master and Master-Wife has left the mountain and will not be back so soon. We use make use of this opportunity to drink some good wine!” Linghu Chong said delightedly.

Zhao Fei gazed at the small pot of wine doubtfully, “I’m wondering if it taste as bad as the yellow wine that I drank months ago.”

Linghu Chong raised his brow at Zhao Fei, “Yellow wine? What are you blabbering about? This is the famous Maiden Red. I used up months of savings to buy this for you!”

“Maiden Red? The best quality wine in ancient China?” Zhao Fei asked in surprise.

Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan looked at Zhao Fei confusingly. Since they were still in the ancient time, they did not understand a word that Zhai Fei was saying.

“Whatever! Let’s drink!” Linghu Chong replied.

He filled two cups with wine and handed a cup to Zhao Fei.

“There are three classes in drinking. One who has to pay for his own wine would be the lowest class. When its friends who pays, its middle class. When it’s the head apprentice of Mount Hua Sect who pays, it would be the highest class,” Zhao Fei remarked with a grin. It was a phrase which he learned from another series. He was trying to blend in with the people in the ancient time.

Due to Linghu Chong’s incompetence in literature he had no idea what Zhao Fei was talking about. He raised the cup and clinked it against Zhao Fei’s cup before gulping it down his throat.

Zhao Fei slowly sipped the wine and said, “This is good wine indeed.”

“Of course it is!”

After resting for another five days, Zhao Fei was starting to feel better. Feeling bored and lethargic, he climbed out of the bed and slowly limped out of the room.

He stood at a long corridor looking at the surrounding in amazement. The sky was abnormally blue and the clouds looked as white as the snow.

Zhao Fei's heart skipped a beat. He knew that he had really gone back to the past. Why else would there be such an unpolluted sky.

“Heavens…this is bad…I’m stranded here and will never be able to return to the police force…”

End of Chapter 1

[geraldsaw]

Interesting. Let's see how this tale turns out. Commendable first chapter.

[Riskbreaker]

Interesting. Let's see how this tale turns out. Commendable first chapter.

Thanks for the kind words Gerald.

[Riskbreaker]

It was chilling that morning. Snowflakes were falling all over the mountain. Zhao Fei sat under a veranda reaching his hand out for the tiny flakes. His heart was as calm as the ocean. It has been a long time since he experienced such a relaxing mood. He did not have to worry about the gangsters discovering his true identity.

“It’s always calm and peaceful before the storm,” he thought. Since he was from the future, he knew the events that would to take place. The joyous and jovial atmosphere in Mount Hua that he was seeing now would soon turn solemn and quiet.

Reaching into his chest pocket, he slowly pulled out a flask and took a sip of wine.

A slender arm coming from behind patted him on the shoulder. “Feng’er, you’re still not well. You should drink less wine,” a tender voice said.

Zhao Fei turned around and saw Ning Zhongze standing behind him. He gave her a cheeky smile and said, “Master Wife…it’s cold today. I’m only drinking a little bit of wine to keep myself warm.”

Ning Zhongze shakingly replied, “You have definitely changed.”

Zhao Fei gazed at her confusingly, “How have I changed?”

“You never liked the taste of wine and hated the feeling of being tipsy. In the past you would even criticized Chong’er for drinking in Mount Hua. Your Master used to say that you’re so much more disciplined that your big brother. After your fall, you went through a complete change. You are learning how to drink wine.”

Zhao Fei thought inwardly, “I did not even know Linghu Chong had a younger brother.”

Ning Zhongze reached for Zhao Fei’s arm and slowly pulled him up. “It’s cold out here. Let me walk you inside so that you can get some rest,” she said smilingly.

Zhao Fei felt warmth as he looked at her and listened to her words. He was an orphan and had never received any family love before. “It might not be such a bad thing being sent back to ancient time,” he thought with a grin.

As Ning Zhongze propped Zhao Fei by the arm walking him back to his room, Linghu Chong exited a corridor and came running toward them.

“Master Wife, let me do it,” he exclaimed.

Linghu Chong reached for Zhao Fei’s left arm and propped him by the shoulder.

Zhao Fei gave Linghu Chong a faint smile, “Thanks Big Brother.”

“We’re blood brothers. There is no need to thank me,” Linghu Chong replied.


Over the next few days, after finishing his meals, Zhao Fei would go out for a stroll. His plan was to work out his body so that he could recover faster. Gradually he felt less feeble and weak compared to weeks ago when he had regained consciousness.

He persuaded Linghu Chong to show him the roof where he had fell from. There were several times when he was standing at the bottom, he had the urge to climb up and dropped himself, hoping in a blink’s time he would return to the present. Nevertheless, he did not as he was afraid that he would end up becoming permanently disabled instead of returning to modern times.

The horrific scene that he had seen after losing consciousness from the explosion was not an illusion. As for how he ended up coming to ancient time was still a mystery. Since he was already here, he decided to make the most of it.

Ning Zhongze held Zhao Fei’s arm as they strolled to a square.

There were a group of boys standing in rows in the middle of the square. They held a sword each and were performing similar sword moves.

“Inner strength over external strength. Concentrate on your moves and not your form,” a matured looking man reiterated as he walked to and fro along square. His name was Lao Denuo, the third apprentice of the Mount Hua Sect. He was the oldest among all his peers but joined the school later than Linghu Chong and Zhao Fei, hence he was the designated as the school’s third apprentice.

The Mount Hua Sect apprentices practicing their sword moves in the open reminded Zhao Fei of his time in the police cadet school. “After going through the life of being an undercover cop, I’m now back to being a trainee? What a joke,” he thought amusingly.

“Feng’er, I hope you have not forgotten your martial arts,” Ning Zhongze said.

Zhao Fei fixed his eyes on the Mount Hua Sect apprentices, paying full attention to their moves. Since he had gone through much martial arts training during his time in the police cadet school, picking up the Mount Hua Sect sword moves would not be a problem to him.

“Master Wife, the moves does look familiar to me…” he murmured, furrowing his brow.

From his tone of voice and facial expression, Ning Zhongze could tell that he had forgotten the sword moves. “Don’t worry. I will get your Big Brother to give you a refresh course. Under his guidance I’m sure that you will be able to pick up your martial arts again very soon.”

After spending half a day playing around with Yue Lingshan around the mountain, Linghu Chong accompanied Zhao Fei strolling the backyard in a circle.

“Feng’er, why are you so quiet? Are you feeling much better?”

Zhao Fei nodded with a smile, “Big Brother, don’t worry about me. I’m definitely recovering.”

Linghu Chong put his hand around Zhao Fei’s shoulder and said excitingly, “That’s good! Master Wife said that you have also forgotten your martial arts. I will train you up again so that you will not fall behind the other apprentices.”

Zhao Fei nodded with a smile.

“Compared to all the other apprentices, Linghu Chong is friendly and cares a lot for the people around him. There is no air in him although he tends to show his elder brother authority now and then. Unfortunately, he has no ambitions and his only desire is to make Yue Lingshan happy,” Zhao Fei thought inwardly.

After spending another seven days lazing around watching the Mount Hua apprentices practicing their sword moves, Zhao Fei decided that it was time for him to undergo some serious practical training. He knew very well that understanding and remembering the moves were one thing but performing it during a duel was a complete different thing.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze stood at the stone steps while the other apprentices sat around the square in a circle, looking at Zhao Fei and Linghu Chong intently.

Linghu Chong turned the point of his sword downward. With his right palm grasping the sword hilt and his left palm covering the back of his right hand, he bowed to Zhao Fei in a warrior’s salute.

Zhao Fei remained in his position, staring at Linghu Chong awkwardly. After spending so many years being a member of the triad society, he had forgotten about the martial arts courtesies.

Yue Lingshan raised her brow at Zhao Fei and asked, “Second Apprentice Brother, why are you not returning Big Apprentice Brother’s salute?”

Ning Zhongze turned her gaze toward Yue Buqun and said worriedly, “Looks like Feng’er’s memory loss is quiet severe.”

Yue Buqun clasped his hands behind his back and said, “The doctor said that it would take time for him to recover. Fortunately he is not in any life endangering condition. All we have to do now is be patient.”

Zhao Fei finally regained his senses and quickly returned a salute to Linghu Chong.

Right after that, Linghu Chong pointed his sword forward and charged toward Zhao Fei.

Using his quick reflexes, Zhao Fei dodged to the thrust and slashed his sword horizontally at Linghu Chong’s abdomen.

Linghu Chong leapt into the air and effortlessly dodged the attack before returning a vertical slash at Zhao Fei’s head.

Zhao Fei immediately raised his sword to block the attack.

The moment the two sword steels collided, Zhao Fei felt a sudden pain in his hand and dropped the sword to the ground but very quickly sent his left foot upward, hitting Linghu Chong in the chin. It was a move that he had picked up during his martial arts training in the cadet school.

Linghu Chong groaned in pain as his body flew backward.

Zhao Fei picked his sword up from the ground and leapt forward like a ferocious tiger, stabbing Linghu Chong in the chest.

Linghu Chong set foot on the ground and very quickly swept his sword upward to block the attack.

The two of them exchanged another twenty moves. Zhao Fei executed the loose moves that he had picked up here and there to fight against his opponent. Thanks to the intense training that he had gone through in the police cadet school, he faired pretty well in the duel. And since there was no form in his attacks, Linghu Chong struggled a little to fend off his attacks.

After exchanging another five moves, Linghu Chong’s attacks became faster. Zhao Fei was forced into a defensive mode. No matter how fast his attacks were it was still be a fraction of a second slower than Linghu Chong. The force contained in his attacks were also weaker than Linghu Chong’s.

Zhao Fei finally understood that Linghu Chong executed his moves with the use of his inner strength, something that he had no knowledge of.

“So inner strength does exist and it’s not just some nonsense that the novel writers created,” Zhao Fei asserted inwardly.

Linghu Chong dodged to the left and proceeded to smack Zhao Fei’s hand with the flat surface of the blade, knocking the sword off Zhao Fei’s hand. After that, he lightly pointed the tip of his sword at Zhao Fei’s shoulder.

Zhao Fei took a few steps backward and bowed, “Big Brother, I admit defeat.”

Linghu Chong went over to Zhao Fei and patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. You’ve just recovered from your injury.”

Yue Buqun slowly climbed down the steps and walked toward his two apprentices. “Feng’er, after your fall your martial arts has certainly deteriorated. You had completely forgotten to use your inner strength to execute your moves,” he remarked.

“Hypocrite, what rubbish are you talking about? I don’t know anything about inner strength at all,” Zhao Fei cursed inwardly.

Since putting up an act was something that he had mastered over the years as an undercover, he quickly bowed to Yue Buqun courteously and replied in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Master.”

Yue Lingshan stood up and strode toward Yue Buqun, reaching out for his arm. “Father, Second Apprentice Brother lost his memories after his fall. It will take time before he can completely recover his martial arts,” she said softly.

Yue Buqun nodded in agreement, “That’s true. If Feng’er practices his martial arts and inner strength cultivation diligently, I’m confident that he will be able to recover the skills that he has forgotten.”

Linghu Chong grinned, “Feng’er! Don’t worry! Brother will practice martial arts with you daily until you have fully recovered!”

Yue Buqun narrowed his eyes and gazed at Linghu Chong suspiciously, “Until he has recovered? So you’re saying that you’ll slack on your martial arts training after that?”

Linghu Chong shook his head and bowed to Yue Buqun, “Apprentice wouldn’t dare.”

Yue Lingshan smiled sweetly and said, “Father, I will make sure that Big Apprentice Brother does not slack in his martial arts training.”

Yue Buqun turned around and looked at Ning Zhongze, “Junior Apprentice Sister, did hear what our precious daughter just said?”

Ning Zhongze shakingly replied, “Shan’er you mean not slacking in playing around?”

Yue Lingshan immediately ran up toward Ning Zhongze and started pulling her sleeve childsihly. “Mother…” she frowned.

All the Mount Hua apprentices looked at Yue Lingshan and started laughing.

Zhao Fei folded his arms and looked at them silently. The moment he thought about the misfortune that would befall on the mother and daughter, he couldn’t help but to feel sympathetic. “Madam Yue has been treating me like a son. How could I just stand on the side and watch her die? Looks like I have to act on behalf of heavens,” he thought, flashing a faint smile across his face.

Over next few weeks, Zhao Fei practiced his swordplay whenever he is free. The skills that he had learnt in the past provided him a good foundation, so it did not take long for him to grasp the essence of the Mount Hua swordplay. It was in fact the inner strength cultivation portion that he found it to be difficult. Since he came from the future, he did not have much understanding about breathing exercises and forming inner strength from within.

Due to his willful nature, he did not give up. He would go and seek advise from Ning Zhongze to have a better understanding, hoping that she would be able to give him a clearer direction of how it was being done.

End of Chapter 2

[skoo78]

It's funny. Not too long ago, I was wondering if somebody was going to write about traveling back to Swordsman, and VOILA! It happened! Very interesting. I wonder if there is going to be a romantic interest between Zhao Fei and DFF Keep up the good work.

[Riskbreaker]

It's funny. Not too long ago, I was wondering if somebody was going to write about traveling back to Swordsman, and VOILA! It happened! Very interesting. I wonder if there is going to be a romantic interest between Zhao Fei and DFF Keep up the good work.

Thanks for your interest skoo78.

[Riskbreaker]

Chapter 3

Time seemed to pass by very fast for Zhao Fei. It has been almost six months since he arrived here at the ancient time. He was determined to make full use of his time here. He would wake up very early in the morning to practice his swordplay and would only stop in between for meals.

Zhao Fei and Lao Denuo stood in the middle of the square facing each other. They cupped their hands and gave each other a bow.

“You may begin now!” Yue Buqun instructed.

The two of them swept their swords and started exchanging moves. After six months of hard work Zhao Fei made tremendous progress in his swordplay. His moves were swift and unpredictable. Each time he finished executing a move, he would instantly follow through with another move.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze gazed at Zhao Fei in amazement.

“Where did Feng’er learn such exquisite swordplay?” Yue Buqun uttered in surprise.

Ning Zhongze narrowed her eyes and responded, “The moves that Feng’er used are definitely our Mount Hua’s sword moves. Although the sword positions and stances of the moves don’t connect at all but he is able to follow his own flow abd make it more convenient for himself.”

Zhao Fei thrust his sword upward and performed the White Aurora Shooting the Sun, after that, he slashed his sword downward and performed the Graceful Phoenix. Before he was entirely done, he changed the position of his sword and smoothly performed the move called Golden Geese Crossing The Sky. His sword moves were smooth and flawless.

All the Mount Hua Sect apprentices looked at Zhao Fei in awe.

Lao Denuo who had spent more years practicing the Mount Hua swordplay was dumbstruck. It was his first time seeing someone performing such an exquisite swordplay. Before he knew it, the tip of Zhao Fei sword was already pointed at his throat.

Linghu Chong jumped up and clapped in joy, “Feng’er! You’re amazing! He was amazed with Zhao Fei’s magnificent swordplay. He had never seen anyone performing such flawless Mount Hua swordplay in his entire life before. It was certainly an eye opener for him.

Yue Buqun coughed and asked, “Feng’er, where did you learn how to perform such swordplay?”

Zhao Fei pointed his sword downward and bowed to Yue Buqun, “Master, on the third month of my training I started to get bored practicing the same sword moves repeatedly. So I decided to try something new by connecting them together and came up with this moves.”

Yue Buqun showed no trace of approval. Instead, he hummed coldly and said, “Didn’t I tell you that learning martial arts should go by its course? As the saying goes…”

Linghu Chong made a face at Zhao Fei and cut in, “Haste makes waste.”

All the Mount Hua Sect apprentices covered their mouths to hide their laugh.

Yue Buqun turned his head and shot an angry glance at Linghu Chong, “It’s good that you know this too! Listen to me carefully. From now on I want you to keep a close eye on Feng’er and make sure that he does not come up with his own moves. You know very well that he has not completely recovered from his memory loss. If he practices without following proper methods it’s easy for him to spiral into fire deviation.”

Linghu Chong lowered his head, “Don’t worry, Master. I will not let Feng’er do it again.”

Zhao Fei put up a remorse expression on his face and bowed to Yue Buqun, “Master, I would not make the same mistake again either.”

Yue Buqun flashed a faint smile across his face and nodded.

“No wonder Feng Qingyang said that you rigidly adhere to formalities with no adaption. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I can’t help but to agree with him. What an idiot,” Zhao Fei cursed inwardly.

In fact, while Zhao Fei was practicing his swordplay he recalled the scene at the Repentance Cliff where Feng Qinyang taught Linghu Chong swordplay and said that swordplay calls for fluency like floating clouds and flowing water – natural and smooth, come and go freely. That was when he decided to try and connect the Mount Hua swordplay moves. His effort certainly paid off well.

Ning Zhongze stood beside Yue Buqun and said, “Feng’er, you must be very tired already. Go and take a rest.”

Linghu Chong reached out for Zhao Fei’s arm and smiled, “Feng’er, you’ve not recovered. Big Brother will walk you back to your room.”

Zhao Fei nodded without saying a word. He was in fact starting to get worried. “Now that I’ve revealed these moves to him would he be able to defeat Tian Boguang in the near future? If he does he would never be able to encounter Feng Qingyang and learn the Dugu Nine Swords,” Zhao Fei thought inwardly.

After getting into the room, Linghu Chong closed the door behind him and sat beside Zhao Fei.

“Feng’er, the moves that you performed earlier were splendid. I’ve certainly learned something from you today!” he said excitedly.

Zhao Fei gave Linghu Chong a blank look and laughed inwardly. “Really? Actually it wasn’t that difficult. All it took was some creativity. Only an idiot would have problems figuring it out.”

Linghu Chong put his hands on his waist and stared at Zhao Fei angrily, “So you’re calling me an idiot?”

Zhao Fei looked away and said condescendingly, “I didn’t say anything.”

Linghu Chong shook his head and broke into laughter, “Feng’er, you have always been quiet and passive. Now that you took a fall, it actually changed you for the better. You are actually more outspoken and daring now.”

Zhao Fei looked toward Linghu Chong and asked smilingly, “Do you want me to continue to be a nerd?”

Linghu Chong snorted, “Of course not! Since master does not have a son and I have no interest in taking over the position of head master, you would eventually be the one who will succeed master. It would be nice to have a lively head master for once.”

Zhao Fei chuckled, “So you’re saying that Master is boring?”

Linghu Chong shook his head and replied assertively, “I did not say anything.”

Zhao Fei nodded laughingly, “Neither did it.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Zhao Fei and Linghu Chong looked toward the door and then looked at each other, with their finger at their lips.

“Second Apprentice Brother, it’s me, Little Apprentice Sister,” a tender voice whispered.

Linghu Chong let out a sigh of relief, “It’s Little Apprentice Sister.”

He went over to the door and pulled it open, “Feng’er is resting. What do you want?”

Yue Lingshan bent her head and peeped into the room. “Really? How could he be resting and laughing at the same time?” she retorted with a frown.

Zhao Fei hurriedly jumped into the bed and covered himself with a blanket. “I’m really feeling tired. Why don’t the two of you go outside and play,” he smirked.

Linghu Chong nodded, “Very well then. Have a good rest.”

Yue Lingshan shook her head, “Hold on! I want to ask Second Apprentice Brother about his swordplay…I want to learn it too!”

Linghu Chong reached out for Yue Lingshan’s shoulders, turned her around and led her out of the room. “Feng’er has already told me about it. I’ll explain it to you outside. Let’s go.”

Zhao Fei let out a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness there’s someone around to handle that unreasonable girl.”

It was a windy night. The leaves were falling down from the trees. Zhao Fei, Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan were taking a stroll at the night market in Huayin City. They were given three days to buy food supplies from the city.

Yue Lingshan walked through a crow and stood in front of a stall watching a merchant performing magical tricks.

The old merchant waved his hands, opened small wooden box and pulled out a small pigeon.

Amazed with his performance, the crowd gave him a loud round of applause.

Linghu Chong stood behind Yue Lingshan gazing at her. Seeing that she was so happy watching the performance he couldn’t help but to smile.

Zhao Fei who came from the modern time was not amazed with the performance at all. Feeling bored he strolled down the long road by himself.

As he turned to the left, he noticed two suspicious looking men tailing a girl wearing a green flowery dress closely. “These two guys are probably up to something no good,” he narrowed his eyes and thought inwardly. Worried about the girl’s safety he went after them.

After walking a short distance, they reached a dark alley.

The girl halted her steps and had her back facing the two men tailing her.

“Renhao, get her,” a man whispered to his companion.

Zhao Fei stood against a wall, watching them intently. “Could the girl be Dongfang Bubai…?” he murmured.

Realizing that the two men were going to make their move on the girl, Zhao Fei decided to get out of his thoughts and lend the girl a helping hand.

“It’s disgusting to see two stray dogs harassing a defenseless girl,” he said condescendingly.

The two men turned around and looked at Zhao Fei menacingly.

“Stinky kid! Who are you calling stray dogs? If you want to live longer you better scram now!”

Zhao Fei shot a cold glance at them and replied, “Don’t tell me you two are part of the Four Aces of Qingcheng?” He paused and started shaking his head, “No I mean the Four Beasts of Qingcheng.”

The girl grinned to herself as she heard Zhao Fei’s words.

“Damn you! Who are you? How dare you insult us, the Four Aces of Qingcheng!”

Zhao Fei folded his arms and responded coldly, “I’m your owner. Why are you not bowing to your owner?”

“Stinky kid! If you keep insulting us, don’t blame us for being rude!”

Zhao Fei made a face at them and smiled coldly, “Please don’t be polite to me. I hate people being polite to me.”

“Very well then! Let him have a taste of our QIngcheng Swordplay!”

The two men drew their swords and charged toward Zhao Fei together.

Zhao Fei shot his hands out and knocked the incoming blades away with his bare hands.

The girl looked over her shoulder, gazing at Zhao Fei in surprise. She was beautiful and elegant but yet she appeared cold and indifferent.

The two men quickly retracted their swords and slashed horizontally at Zhao Fei’s chest.

Zhao Fei bent over backward and strode forward, dodging the two sword edges. After that, he turned around, jumped up and sent a sweeping kick at back of the two men’s head.

The two men swayed to the left and hit the ground in pain.

“Looks like Qingcheng Sect’s martial arts are nothing great at all,” Zhao Fei mocked.

The two men climbed up from the ground and continued attacking Zhao Fei with relentless attacks. Every move was swift and fatal.

Zhao Fei drew the sword tucked in his back and swept it vertically, blocking the two men attacks. He then retaliated with a diagonal slash, simultaneously cutting the two men’s sashes apart.

The two men’s pants fell down. Feeling embarrassed and shocked, they quickly dropped their sword and pulled their pants up.

“Apprentice Brother! What’s going on!” a loud voice called out.

Another two men armed with swords were running toward the scene.

Fearing of the girl’s safety, Zhao Fei hurriedly ran over to the girl, carried her in his arms and ran forward. “Young lady! Don’t worry! I’m here to save you!”

The girl was taken aback for a moment. She lifted up her head and gazed at Zhao Fei awkwardly.

Zhao Fei saw a wall up ahead and abruptly halted his steps.

The other two men were yelling out at him as they closed in on him.

Zhao Fei hastily climbed onto a stack of boxes beside the wall, jumped over it and fled from the scene.

He held on to the girl in his arms and just kept running, not knowing where he was heading to.

The girl narrowed her eyes and stared him menacingly. She was shocked and thrilled. This was the first time in her life that a man had gotten this close to her. “Who would have expected a complete stranger would go his way out to me...” she thought in astonishment.

After running far away from the city limits, Zhao Fei slowed his pace and started gasping for air.

“Hey, those men are no longer following us. You can put me down now,” the girl said. Her voice was tender and clear.

Zhao Fei halted his steps. He gazed at the girl with his face blushed red. Even though he was from the modern time, he knew very well that man and woman should not give and take directly. He slowly lowered her to the floor and took several steps back.

The moment he saw the girl’s beautiful face, he couldn’t help but to raised his brow in amazement. He was surprise that there was such a beautiful girl in the ancient time.

The girl gazed at the ground and replied with a grin, “Thank you for rescuing me from those bad men.”

Zhao Fei blushing looked down to the ground and murmured in embarrassment, “You’re welcome. I’m sorry for being impolite…”

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it…”

Zhao Fei cupped his hands and continued, “Since you’re no longer in danger, I’ll take my leave now.”

The girl gazed sideways at him and asked, “Hero, mind telling me your name?”

Since Zhao Fei was an experience undercover cop, he knew exactly how to respond to her. “You can call me Linghu Feng,” he replied.

After finishing his words, he turned around and walked away.

“Linghu Feng?” the girl muttered with a grin.

Upon returning to the city, Zhao Fei met up with Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan at the city gates.

“Feng’er, where have you been? We were worried that you got lost!” Linghu Chong said worriedly.

Zhao Fei smiled faintly, “I was walking alone and ended up here.”

Yue Lingshan sighed in relief, “Big Apprentice Brother was worried that you lost your way. Now that you’re back we should go back to the inn and get some rest.”

End of Chapter 3

[Eccentric One]

Thanks for an interesting update! Seems like Zhao Fei would surpass lhc in swordplay

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Riskbreaker

[Silverhawk]

This story looks rather promising so far. Thanks.