Chapter 32: Change II

Sixth-Rank Body Tempering.

Lin Hui’s mind settled, his concentration reaching a peak as he continuously dodged the Faceless Man’s lunges and claw strikes.

At this moment, the advantages of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s movement speed were fully displayed. Having tempered his body with the Seven-Section Quick Sword, his movement speed was significantly higher than that of the Faceless Man, allowing him to dodge the creature’s lethal attacks with ease.

“The Harmless grade is perfect for you to practice real combat movement. But remember, about one li to the east of here is an ancient ruin area called Yanshan. Do not approach it. Those roaming there are all Nuisance-grade Mist Beasts; only martial artists of the Internal Force Realm or Summoners can deal with them,” Mingde continued to instruct.

“Teacher, aren’t Mist Beasts hunted frequently? Why are there still so many? What do they rely on to reproduce?” Lin Hui asked loudly while constantly dodging.

He could clearly feel that this kind of movement practice on the edge of danger was indeed of great help to his reaction speed and the footwork of the Nine-Section Quick Sword.

“I don’t know. There are countless types of Mist Beasts. Every night, a large number of new Mist Beasts emerge the next day. If they aren’t hunted regularly, the number of surrounding Mist Beasts will increase to an unbearable amount, which could eventually trigger a ‘Mist Beast Siege’,” Mingde replied. “Any more questions?”

“None.”

“Then keep practicing. Don’t forget the goal for passing: bring back a part of its body within fifteen minutes, and you will have completed this training.”

“This disciple will do his best!”

---

With the addition of Mist Beast training, Lin Hui’s life became more dangerous than before.

However, because of this, his understanding of the Nine-Section Quick Sword grew deeper and more thorough.

As the days passed, the Xinyu Town Security Office soon posted the new public list for the Emergency Response Team.

The Security Office did not break its contract with the Clear Wind Taoist Temple because of the establishment of the Black Dragon Gate; instead, the departure of Mu Qiaozhi, Zhao Jiangan, and others meant that more than half of the members of the Emergency Response Team were now from the Black Dragon Gate.

Fortunately, the Black Dragon Gate no longer seemed aggressive, only looking after its own base and not expanding further.

The situation stabilized. Only a fifth of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s disciples remained, meaning most had fled. But those who stayed were basically the firm-willed ones—a form of “purification.”

Other industries and collaborations were affected, but because of the previously signed contracts, the impact was not significant for the time being.

However, if there was no improvement after the contracts ended, the Black Dragon Gate seizing the remaining survival space of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple would only be a matter of time.

In Xinyu Town.

Passersby saw the Security Office officials posting the public list.

As soon as the list was posted, people crowded around to look.

“The members of the Emergency Response Team this time are: Li Yue, Mu Qiaozhi, and Zhao Jiangan from the Black Dragon Gate; Chen Sui, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, Deng Mingchao, and Lin Hui from the Clear Wind Taoist Temple…” A scholar, having received a “reading fee” from a few people, began to recite the names loudly.

This list was crucial knowledge in Xinyu Town. The people on it were not only skilled fighters but also possessed a “temporary execution authority” that regular officials did not have. If handled correctly, this power of life and death could easily decide the fate of a commoner.

Therefore, everyone below the rank of the town’s wealthy families—especially middle-class families—would periodically send someone to record the new list.

The list was changed annually, with the results posted in early spring. This was the time when the crowd at the notice board was at its largest.

At this moment, representatives from the town’s mid-tier clans—the Zhang, Lin, and Song families, along with a dozen or so smaller clans—gathered around the perimeter. Hearing the names, they used brushes to record the backgrounds of the members.

The Lin family had sent an employee of the second branch, Lin Shunchong—a short, sturdy man named A-Niu.

As he was writing the names, he suddenly felt something was off.

‘Lin Hui?? Clear Wind Taoist Temple? That name sounds familiar.‘

A-Niu tugged at his gray undershirt and tapped his chin with his charcoal pencil, looking at the handwriting on the list with a thoughtful expression.

“Heh, isn’t that the only son of the Lin family’s fourth branch?” Someone next to him recognized the name first.

“Clear Wind Taoist Temple, that matches; the name matches too. It really is him! Incredible, he actually made it into the ‘Life and Death Team’! Impressive!”

“The Lin family is about to make a comeback!”

“Comeback my ass. I heard the fourth branch cut ties with the main clan long ago.”

“Really?”

In the crowd, well-informed people began to school those around them on the internal gossip of the Lin family.

A-Niu, however, was sweating. Knowing this was no ordinary news, he quickly finished his notes, turned, and ran toward the Lin family estate.

A short while later, at the Lin family estate.

Lin Shunchong of the second branch was woken up from his nap, looking bleary-eyed. Hearing A-Niu rushing in and shouting, he got out of bed, feeling irritable.

“A-Niu, you’d better have a damn good reason for this, or your wages for this month are halved!”

A-Niu was drenched in sweat as he carefully handed over the yellow paper.

“Master, look. This new Life and Death Team list… it has… it has…”

“It has what?” Lin Shunchong didn’t wait for him to finish; he snatched the paper and looked down.

“Huh?? Lin Hui?! Is it someone with the same name?” His eyes widened.

“Probably not. He’s also from the Clear Wind Taoist Temple. The temple couldn’t have produced two people with the same name at once, could it?” A-Niu whispered.

Lin Shunchong’s sleepiness vanished instantly.

“Good, very good.” Recently, because Lin Hongzhen of the first branch was seriously injured and unconscious, the Lin family’s situation had become much worse. If this Lin Hui of the fourth branch was indeed the one on the Life and Death Team, it might help alleviate the family’s predicament.

As for whether the fourth branch would acknowledge the family, he wasn’t worried. They were all one family; if the old man apologized and lowered his head, the matter would be settled. After all, decades of blood relations couldn’t just be cut off like that, right?

Immediately, he took the list and hurried through his hall to the main courtyard.

In the courtyard, Lin Chaoyi stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the newly arrived koi in a corner pond.

The red, yellow, and white carp swam about, sending ripples through the clear water, allowing his recently troubled mood to relax slightly.

“Father, look at this list.” Lin Shunchong approached and handed over the roster.

Lin Chaoyi knew the second son wasn’t one to stir up trouble for no reason. Seeing his solemn expression, he narrowed his eyes and took the list.

His eyes immediately landed on the five characters at the end: Clear Wind Taoist Temple, Lin Hui.

“This is… the fourth son’s boy??”

“Almost certainly.” Lin Shunchong nodded. “I’ve already checked; there is no second ‘Lin Hui’ at the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.”

Lin Chaoyi’s expression softened, and he pondered over the list for a while.

“If it really is the fourth branch’s boy, he has truly brought honor to the Lin family! Good! Very good!”

“Father, I think you should go and apologize to the fourth son and just let them come back. They are family after all. Decades of affection, blood is thicker than water—how can it really be cut off?” Lin Shunchong whispered.

“Alas, that is true. I loved the fourth son most when he was young; it’s just that as I got older, I focused a bit more on Lin Hongyu’s branch. Fine, I will go to their house in a few days.” Lin Chaoyi stroked his beard. Looking at the name on the list, he felt much of the gloom from Lin Hongzhen’s injury lift.

Now that the Lin family had the protection of a member of the Emergency Response Team (nicknamed the Life and Death Team), who in town would dare look down on them?

In this way, although it wouldn’t help much in the Inner City, the decline in the Outer City town could be stabilized instantly.

“Alas, fortune truly comes after extreme misfortune.” He let out a long sigh with his aged face. “I always knew the fourth son was capable and would eventually make something of himself. It seems that my driving him out back then was also for his own good. If it weren’t for my decision, they wouldn’t have risen so quickly, right?”

“Father, you truly have a keen eye,” Lin Shunchong said with a smile.

“Say no more. I’ll go to the fourth son’s house tomorrow morning. By the way, where do they live now?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out if I ask around.”

---

Meanwhile, Lin Shunhe and his wife, Yao Shan, were still tending to their shop. They had just wrapped up goods for a customer when they saw the owner of the neighboring bamboo weaving shop walking toward them with a wide smile, hands behind his back.

“Brother Lin, you did it! Quietly pulling off something big! From now on, our street will probably have to rely on your family’s protection.”

This Shopkeeper Chen of the bamboo shop was a notoriously stingy man, yet he now pulled two fat fish from behind his back and hung them by Lin Shunhe’s counter.

“These are two crucian carp my son caught yesterday. I brought them for you to try.”

“This…” Lin Shunhe was utterly confused, wondering what was wrong with the man.

Before he could recover, the owner of the porcelain shop across the street also emerged with a beaming face, bringing a stack of clean, neat porcelain plates and bowls. He kept saying “please look after us.”

The neighbors and shopkeepers who had previously shared a word or tea also gathered around to congratulate them, delivering set after set of compliments as if they were free.

Brother Huang from the Muhua Gang and his sister also arrived with heavy gifts, bowing and congratulating the couple with smiles. No matter how Lin Shunhe and his wife refused, they left the gifts and ran.

Just as the couple was getting more and more confused, someone finally noticed their bewilderment and explained the Emergency Response Team list.

“Life and Death Team? Execution authority? Killing someone isn’t a crime??!” Yao Shan was stunned as she listened.

Lin Shunhe, who had known about such things before, suddenly understood everything. He had been a manager of an oil workshop, after all; how could he not know the weight of the “Life and Death Team”?

But what he couldn’t believe was that his son had quietly entered such a vital department!

This was simply…

Hadn’t something happened at the Clear Wind Taoist Temple recently? How…

Looking at the smiling faces around him, he forcibly suppressed the myriad of doubts in his heart, returning smiles and dealing with everyone’s compliments one by one.

By the time they saw everyone off, the shop’s business in the afternoon had skyrocketed. Customers were coming in an endless stream—at least ten times more than usual!

This gave the couple a direct understanding of the influence of the “Life and Death Team.” The previous life pressure vanished completely in this moment, replaced by doubt and worry about their son, Lin Hui.

This boy, who usually didn’t show off, had suddenly surged into such a prominent position. This abrupt and major change left the old couple with an uneasy feeling.

Meanwhile, Lin Hui was continuing to hone his Nine-Section Quick Sword movement within the mist.

With the Faceless Man as a full-effort “sparring partner,” his Body Tempering speed was much faster than it was in the temple. In just one month, his Body Tempering level had rapidly broken through from fourth to Sixth-Rank.

One must know that the higher the rank, the harder it is to break through.

Geniuses like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren had only just broken through to the Fifth-Rank, yet they were easily surpassed by Lin Hui.

This also led Mingde, after learning of the situation, to place even greater expectations on Lin Hui.

(End of Chapter)