Chapter 10: Disappointment II

“The two people around Huang Shan, Zhong Yuquan and Zhong Yushan—their older brother is a Summoned Officer from the Inner City Yamen. Then there is Chen Chong’s younger sister, who is a Summoner within the Chen Family. And then there’s your Second Senior Brother and me. Our families also have successfully Summoned relatives within the Three Great Powers of the Inner City,” Mu Qiaozhi said calmly.

Qiu Yiren and the few other students who heard this were slightly startled, making a mental note of it.

“Then, Senior Sister, can a Summoner really reach the level of a Master like ours in terms of strength immediately?” Qiu Yiren asked again.

“How is that possible? They only gain skin of bronze and bones of iron instantly, but in real combat, they still have weak spots. If they were to truly fight, without a foundation in martial combat, it would naturally be impossible to defeat a Ming Generation Master. However, their status and position are different, and it will be very easy for them to learn the techniques of martial artists. Their starting point is far higher than ours, as ordinary people,” Mu Qiaozhi explained. She clearly had a good opinion of her Junior Sister Yiren.

At this time, the boys’ queue ahead had mostly dispersed, so she took the lead to step forward, starting the girls’ queue to leave.

Inside the dim ox-cart carriage.

Lin Shunhe, the father, sat cross-legged on a soft mat, looking at his son, who had been silent since he got in.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re carrying a world of bitterness and hatred.”

Lin Shunhe had clearly been very busy lately. His skin was darker and his body thinner than before, but his eyes were brighter and more vibrant.

He was wearing a brownish-green silk robe over a cowhide vest, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

Lin Hui sighed and recounted the incident with Lu Baihua that had occurred earlier.

“That’s just how things are,” Lin Shunhe sighed. “This world is like this. If you are weak, you are like the wild grass by the roadside. You can only endure when someone steps on you.”

“What about our family?” Lin Hui suddenly asked.

“Us… don’t worry. No one would dare to provoke you for no reason,” Lin Shunhe chuckled and shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because your father is working for a noble person. That noble person is no ordinary individual. Alright, don’t worry about these things. Tell me, how do you feel about your time at the temple?” Lin Shunhe changed the subject and asked.

“It’s alright. Daoist Mingde regularly brings me the accounts to calculate, but none of it is difficult, and it doesn’t take up much of my time,” Lin Hui thought back to the simple math problems he had done. Because they were so simple, he needed to recall carefully to remember them.

“When Elder Brother Mingde mentioned this to me, he also praised your excellent arithmetic skills, saying you’re much better than the previous accountant. So, he spoke to Daoist Baohe, and they confirmed that you will be responsible for checking some of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s accounts from now on. As for the wages, after offsetting your current martial arts expenses, it will be one thousand qian (money) per month.”

One thousand qian was not a lot, but considering the high cost of martial arts and the decent food provided by the Clear Wind Taoist Temple, Lin Hui didn’t say anything.

“Does Father know that Elder Cousin received the Summoning and successfully became an elite member of the Rain Palace Cult of the Sha Yue Cult?” Lin Hui asked again.

“Yes. The Lin family compound held a Summoning Banquet a while ago, but it has nothing to do with us; we are no longer Lin family members,” Lin Shunhe said softly. “Of course, your personal relationship with Lin Hongzhen is your business.”

“I understand,” Lin Hui nodded.

“This is reality. Everyone has their own fortune. Life still goes on, and the sun rises as usual. It’s just like the Mist Zone; it won’t change for tens of thousands of years…” Lin Shunhe sighed with emotion.

Next, he asked about Lin Hui’s martial arts practice. Hearing that his progress was still very slow, he stopped worrying. Clearly, in his eyes, training too well was detrimental. Being an honest auxiliary accountant, tallying accounts, and eventually becoming a full-time accountant to earn money and live life was the correct path.

“When you become a formal accountant, I’ll find you a wife. Then you can have a few sons, and that will be a way for our separate branch to flourish and grow in vitality,” Lin Shunhe said with a laugh.

“Father seems to be in a good mood?” Lin Hui caught a hint of something.

“That’s right. I just did a big business deal and earned quite a bit. But this matter can’t be discussed. You know it, but don’t spread it,” Lin Shunhe nodded.

The ox-cart slowly drove onto the main road. The surroundings were no longer secluded. Through the half-open carriage window, Lin Hui saw golden rice fields being harvested on both sides of the dirt road.

Flocks of black birds circled in the air above the fields. He had no idea how they managed to get there.

“I heard that birds are unaffected by the Mist Zone and can travel freely in and out. Is that true, Father?” Lin Hui asked.

“How is that possible? These are birds that live in the city limits. Once they fly out, they basically can’t return. However, if they only venture out briefly, with good luck, they can still return by relying on speed,” Lin Shunhe replied.

Lin Hui’s mind stirred, and dark red blood-text appeared in his lower field of vision.

‘Hundred Turns Thousand Hearts’ had already completed its evolution. The next stance he was seamlessly evolving was the third move, Transforming West Wind.

It still required sixty days, consuming energy and time, nothing else.

‘Instead of saying it’s evolution, it’s more like deduction. Once the time is up, the deduction is automatically completed in an idle state, allowing me to completely master the refined and perfected move obtained after the deduction. This blood-red mark seems more like a deduction tool.’

Lin Hui pondered in his mind.

Back home, his mother, Yao Shan, had already prepared a large table of dishes. They had also hired an extra helper, whom his mother called Sister Luo, a woman from a nearby farm family, to assist with the busy work.

Outside the courtyard, workers had begun building a second outer wall, doubling the already not-so-small size of the courtyard.

Clearly, his father was expanding their home now that he had money.

After the busy morning, his father took Lin Hui out to visit old friends, attempting to build a network of connections among the younger generation for him.

However, as Lin Hui watched his triumphant father, he always felt a vague sense of worry.

Although they had branched out from the main family, his father’s wealth was not supported by martial power, but relied entirely on the favor of a noble person. It was fine now that the noble person was looking out for them, but what if the relationship soured one day…

At that point, if their own family lacked the ability to stand on its own, how would they cope? Relying on these so-called connections and old friends?

He raised this concern with his father, but the latter dismissively waved him off, telling him to relax, that he would handle these matters, and Lin Hui only needed to focus on his own responsibilities.

The three-day holiday quickly ended.

Lin Hui boarded the ox-cart once again, heading back toward the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

This time, he no longer forced himself into the communal bunkhouse but found Huishen, Daoist Mingde’s Taoist child, to arrange a private room.

Next came the monotonous daily routine of practicing the sword and hardening his body, day after day, regardless of the weather.

Chen Zhishen still walked with him daily, but after the incident with Lu Baihua, he became quiet and taciturn, the determination in his eyes heavier than before.

He practiced the sword every day without distraction. When others rested, he practiced. When others played, he practiced. When others chatted, he found time to practice.

Lin Hui worried that he might damage his health and often bought him some nourishing and healing medicinal herbs from the temple’s logistics department. This was no big deal for him since he had already started earning money.

But for Chen Zhishen, it was undoubtedly a timely and crucial support.

Lin Hui himself only needed to wait for time to progress systematically, and once he progressed, he would never regress.

Therefore, his sword practice was more about training his physical reaction. He didn’t need much in the way of tonics or healing.

In the blink of an eye, the third stance was successfully evolved, followed by the fourth stance.

During this time, Lin Hui officially took over the auxiliary work for part of the temple’s accounts. His status shifted from purely a disciple to half disciple, half logistical member.

His interactions with Huishen and Daoist Mingde also became much more frequent than before.

During this period, another group of people left the temple, and a new batch of students arrived.

After paying the tuition, the new students’ introductory lessons began again. This time, Lin Hui was no longer one of them but stood in the area reserved for older disciples in the front.

Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, the two geniuses, had completely mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword and its points of force, and had begun learning the second style, the Nine-Section Quick Sword. It was rumored that they had already finished learning the Nine-Section Quick Sword, and the two had officially begun sparring with the Senior Brothers and Sisters.

No geniuses like them appeared among the new students; only a few had some talent, but they were far behind.

After the new student instruction concluded.

Daoist Baohe, the Abbot, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time, unexpectedly made an appearance, briefly patrolling the rear training ground to check everyone’s progress.

However, although it was called a patrol, his gaze consistently lingered around Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, clearly indicating he had come specifically for the two girls.

He did not seem concerned about how the others were practicing.

Lin Hui stood in the back row, practicing the Seven-Section Quick Sword methodically. His wooden stick had been replaced with a thick wooden sword. As he rotated it now with a backhand grip, it was skillful and fluid. The first three stances were flawless, but the last four stances instantly reverted to their original, mediocre standard, which was painful to watch.

After completing the sword style, he paused briefly to rest and catch his breath.

“Alright, everyone stop for a moment. Since the Abbot is also here, today we’ll have a quick, impromptu sparring competition. Let’s see everyone’s progress,” Daoist Minxiu clapped his hands, attracting everyone’s attention.

There were over a hundred disciples present, scattered across the spacious rear courtyard practicing the sword. Hearing the sound, some of the newly admitted disciples immediately grew excited.

Everyone loved watching a spectacle, but the older disciples whose progress was worrying looked displeased.

Minxiu didn’t pay attention to them and clapped his hands again.

“Disciples who have mastered the Nine-Section Quick Sword, step forward.”

The Seven-Section Quick Sword was only a training method and thus unsuitable for combat. Only the Nine-Section Quick Sword and the Clear Wind Sword Style were the temple’s true combat sword styles.

Immediately, twenty people from the hundred or so disciples stepped forward one after another.

This group included Senior Brother Chen Sui and others.

These twenty people were clearly the true essence of the temple’s disciples.

As for the remaining students and disciples, there was a possibility that they might quietly leave if they didn’t completely master the Seven-Section Quick Sword.

Therefore, they were not considered formal disciples.

Only these twenty people were the true core of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

“Since it’s a small competition, let’s stick to the old rule. We’ll offer a prize: the top five winners will each receive a portion of the Body Enlightenment Powder refined in the temple,” Minxiu said with a smile.

The competition quickly began with drawing lots. Disciples stepped forward one by one, wielding wooden swords to spar with the Nine-Section Quick Sword.

Lin Hui watched from the periphery, keenly noticing that the movement speed of these disciples was significantly faster than that of ordinary people.

“The Body Tempering Light Body effect of the Seven-Section Quick Sword is showing,” Chen Zhishen whispered beside him.

“Hmm. It is said that completing one perfect cycle of the Seven-Section Quick Sword has the effect of one instance of Body Tempering Light Body. It seems this is true,” Lin Hui, watching the Senior Brothers and Sisters moving more swiftly than monkeys, finally gained a more intuitive understanding of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s self-preservation skill.

Truth be told, even after being admitted for so long, this was the first time he had personally witnessed the true effect of the sword style he was practicing.

“However, this competition mainly compares everyone’s proficiency in the Nine-Section Quick Sword and the level of Body Tempering from the Seven-Section Quick Sword. If they were to venture outside, they would need to gain experience in dealing with other martial arts and various enemies,” Lin Hui murmured softly.

“That’s true, but as long as one’s movement is fast enough, after saving one’s life, isn’t it possible to slowly observe and accumulate experience?” Chen Zhishen said. After practicing for so long, they were no longer the complete novices they once were. They frequently exchanged information with others and knew much more than before.

At that moment, the two competing in the cleared space were locked in a difficult, close match. One of them finally couldn’t hold back, suddenly changed their move, and switched from the Nine-Section Quick Sword to the single-handed Wafting Cloud stance of the Clear Wind Sword Style.

Clap followed by three rapid impacts.

The opponent’s wooden sword was suddenly knocked away, flying out of their hand and clattering onto the ground.

“Wu Cheng wins!” the Taoist priest keeping score immediately announced loudly.

Lin Hui outside watched the scene, narrowing his eyes.

“Is the Clear Wind Sword Style that powerful?”

“Of course it is. Otherwise, why would our temple be called the Clear Wind Taoist Temple?” A light, clear female voice came from the side.

The speaker was a petite female disciple with delicate features and a fragile, pitiful demeanor.

Lin Hui recognized the person. The girl, named Xie Li, was one of the students with relatively good aptitude in this latest batch of newcomers.

(End of Chapter)