Chapter 14: 014 Parting II

“No need to talk like that. Even if we can’t be in-laws, the two young people can still be good friends and keep in touch.” Lin Shunhe forced a strained smile.

Lin Hui, walking closer, immediately understood what had just transpired.

He realized the girl in the white skirt hadn’t favored him, which was normal. His physique had recently firmed up, but his facial features were still the same—unremarkable. It was better before when his family background enhanced his status, but now the family status was gone, and his job was just that of an ordinary accountant’s assistant.

It was normal for her not to be interested. After all, that was all he looked like on the surface.

What left him somewhat speechless, however, was that his father had already started arranging a marriage for him so quickly. It seemed like he had plans for his son to fail and his grandson to succeed, perhaps hoping the grandson would possess talent and achieve great things.

Since the meeting was unsuccessful, the hunchbacked old man felt too embarrassed to stay any longer. He bid farewell and left with his daughter, Huan’er, in the carriage to avoid prolonged awkwardness.

“That girl is Guan Qihuan, the third daughter of my old brother Guan Jing. Both our families were initially interested, but unfortunately, the girl was unwilling,” Lin Shunhe said helplessly.

“Father, you should just forget it. Focus on living a normal life. I have my own plans for marriage and all that,” Lin Hui said, exasperated.

“Plans? Could it be that you’ve taken a liking to someone here at the Clear Wind Taoist Temple?” His father’s spirits immediately lifted upon hearing this.

“No, not really, but I have my own arrangements,” Lin Hui thought. With the blood-red mark, he didn’t have the time or energy to waste on romance.

What he needed to do now was first ensure his own security, and then, after his strength reached a certain level, he would take a good look at what this world was really about.

“Son, maybe… maybe we should find another place to make a living?” Lin Shunhe hesitated for a moment before asking.

“What difference does another place make? It would take time to get familiar with everything again in a new place. Starting over from scratch is something you shouldn’t even consider, Father,” Lin Hui cautioned.

Standing at the temple gate, he chatted with his father for a while longer, learning that the Outer City had returned to peace, and many people who had hidden in the Inner City were gradually coming back.

However, recently, there had been an influx of people from other urban areas.

Beyond the Tuyue city limits, in the distant Mist Zone, there were similar vast urban areas.

There were nineteen such urban areas in total, which collectively formed the Taichu Federation. Everything in Taichu was jointly governed by the Inner Court and the Outer Prefecture. The Inner Court was a small, separate Mist-Free Zone at the center.

Due to the shrouding mist and the difficulty of travel, the Inner Court was effectively unable to govern the nineteen urban areas of the Outer Prefecture.

This meant that the Taichu Federation itself was actually a loose alliance of territories, with each urban area governing itself independently.

The official Yamen in each urban area was the actual governing body, such as the Tuyue Prefectural Yamen in the Tuyue urban area.

The “other urban areas” Lin Shunhe referred to meant the other large urban area closest to them: Xingdao.

The Xingdao urban area was rumored to be constantly in a state of chaos. Survival of the fittest was rampant, and a system of slavery prevailed. Xingdao people who occasionally ventured out were mostly volatile, nervous, and prone to violence and killing, making them quite ferocious.

“I heard that many of the newcomers have been causing trouble everywhere in the Inner City. The ranked sects and gangs in Tuyue are nothing more than the Three Sects and Six Gangs, but the Xingdao people have been challenging them, injuring quite a few people,” Lin Shunhe was well-informed. He had been running businesses outside lately and knew far more than Lin Hui.

“What about the martial arts halls?” Lin Hui frowned and asked.

“Martial arts halls are not considered significant. The Three Sects and Six Gangs are powerful forces that practice Internal Martial Arts outside of the Three Great Powers. Although they are far inferior to the Three Great Powers, the gap between them and the martial arts halls is like that between an adult and a child. They cannot be compared,” Lin Shunhe looked left and right, pulled his son to a corner, and whispered.

“The reason I’m telling you this is that even though the Clear Wind Taoist Temple is only middle-tier among the external martial arts halls, it is unlikely to be targeted. But you still need to be careful. When trouble arises, try to stay back. Always remember that your mother and I are behind you. If anything were to happen to you, your mother and I would truly… Alas.” Lin Shunhe‘s tone and demeanor now clearly showed a loss of spirit compared to before the incident.

But Lin Hui still nodded earnestly.

“I understand, Father.”

“It’s good that you know. I’m going back now. Our family is comfortable again. I found another source of income and did a small business deal, so don’t worry. Don’t send your wages home anymore; we have our own money,” Lin Shunhe insisted, taking some broken silver from his waist pouch, putting it in a leather money bag, and stuffing it to Lin Hui.

“Don’t worry. No matter how difficult things get, your father can absolutely support his family!”

Lin Hui did not accept the money. After a brief back-and-forth between the father and son, he walked his father part of the way before returning alone to the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

In truth, the fact that his father came alone without hiring an ox-cart or a carriage, choosing to walk instead, told him the real situation at home.

However, he did not puncture his father’s fragile self-esteem. He simply returned the money he had been given.

Back at the temple, Lin Hui calmed his mind and continued his hard practice of the sword style. His sword became increasingly agile, swift, and precise.

Even without the blood-red mark’s evolution, the longer he practiced the sixth and seventh stances diligently, the deeper his understanding of them became.

Coupling this with the perfect versions of the first five stances as a reference, Lin Hui gradually began to discover the hidden flaws in the last two stances.

This discovery didn’t happen all at once; rather, he would find one flaw every few days. After attempting to modify and fine-tune it, Lin Hui keenly realized that the modified sword stance was a better fit for him than the original version, and it felt smoother to practice.

Time flowed on, and another month passed in the blink of an eye.

The sixth stance unexpectedly finished its evolution ahead of schedule. It seemed Lin Hui‘s own insight had somewhat shortened the time required.

The sky was gloomy today, with the sunlight only beginning to peek through the mist.

Lin Hui pushed the door open, wooden sword in hand, and looked at the blood-red text in his lower field of vision, lost in thought.

‘It finished five days earlier than the normal two-month evolution time. It seems those five days are the result of my hard practice during this period.’

He could feel that his current physical body was much stronger than when he first arrived. Therefore, the amount of energy that could be absorbed daily had also increased significantly, making it reasonable that he could reduce the evolution consumption.

Watching the students emerge from the communal bunkhouses, preparing to practice the sword and queue for water, Lin Hui walked to a corner and focused his attention on the final stance, the seventh move: Wind Sound Stab.

‘Evolve the seventh stance – Wind Sound Stab?’

‘Required Resources: One wooden sword, fifty days of stored energy.’

‘Required Time: Fifty days.’

The final stance, finally…

Lin Hui sighed deeply, staring at the red text that appeared before him. After a few seconds of pause, he resolutely confirmed the evolution.

‘Yes.’

Hiss.

The blood-red mark on his arm quickly changed from a rhombus to a circle.

Ignoring the blood-red mark, Lin Hui raised his wooden sword and carefully felt the newly completed sixth stance.

With the Seven-Section Quick Sword practiced to this stage, it was close to complete mastery, giving him a profound understanding of the entire style.

Now, he raised his hand, thrust forward, swept upward, and sliced downward…

Stance after stance flowed from his hand like moving clouds and running water, carrying a strange kind of beauty.

Two students practicing nearby glanced over, and their movements involuntarily slowed down a notch, their attention fixed on Lin Hui‘s sword practice.

After several repetitions, Lin Hui paused to rest, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and picked up his water bag and dry food from the ground to have breakfast.

“A Hui,” Chen Zhishen slowly approached at this moment. “How much do you know about Second Senior Brother Zhao Jiangan?”

“I haven’t interacted with him. He’s the second in line among the formal disciples. I’m just an ordinary student still practicing the Seven-Section Quick Sword, not even considered a formal disciple. Do you think I have any standing to build a relationship with Senior Brother Zhao? What’s going on?” Lin Hui asked casually.

To be precise, students who hadn’t fully mastered the training method were considered unqualified individuals who paid for a service.

Only by mastering the Seven-Section Quick Sword and then mastering the Nine-Section Quick Sword could one leap forward and formally become a true disciple of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple, joining the circle of the twenty core members.

At that point, many gangs and wealthy families in Tuyue would extend olive branches.

Their future income and life would not be poor.

Chen Zhishen‘s goal was to reach the formal disciple level. His aptitude was not the worst, and combined with his extreme diligence in practice, mastering the style in over a year was quite good. He had hope of improving his family’s life.

“Second Senior Brother is friendly and highly skilled in sword arts. Yesterday, when the class ended, he spoke to me, gave me a few pointers on my sword style, and even invited me to work for his Zhao Family. He also said that for the conflict between Chen Chong and me, if I agree to join the Zhao Family, he will step in and mediate,” Chen Zhishen whispered, a hint of admiration for the Second Senior Brother in his voice.

Lin Hui listened silently, saying nothing.

“Second Senior Brother analyzed my career options after leaving the Clear Wind Taoist Temple: joining a gang, another wealthy family, or a business house. The Zhao Family, where Second Senior Brother is from, is also a well-known major clan in the nearby town. If I join, I’ll be considered his direct subordinate, and I’ll train alongside the Senior Brothers and Sisters who joined before, so I’ll have support. A Hui, what do you think? Do you think I should go?” Chen Zhishen felt the prospect was increasingly suitable.

“It sounds pretty good,” Lin Hui thought for a moment and replied. “Second Senior Brother is probably using family resources to build his own influence. You mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword in over a year. While your aptitude isn’t the best, combined with your diligence, you’re not the worst after becoming a formal disciple. You’re worth recruiting.”

“The monthly wage is five thousand qian! My whole family only earns about ten thousand a year at most! Coming here to learn martial arts was only possible after saving for a long time. The Zhao Family‘s benefits are so good, I can’t help but feel uneasy about something,” Chen Zhishen grew hesitant again.

“It’s fine. That treatment is normal. After all, you’ve started Body Tempering; you’re no longer an ordinary student,” Lin Hui noticed the subtle change in Chen Zhishen at that moment. When he raised and moved his limbs, his speed was noticeably lighter than usual.

This was a classic sign of the first Body Tempering having been completed.

Clearly, it wasn’t just him who was practicing the sword faster and faster. As others practiced later on, their comprehension also increased with improved proficiency, leading to accelerated mastery. Chen Zhishen was an example of this.

“Heh, you noticed. Alas, it wasn’t easy…” Chen Zhishen sighed. “A Hui, you’ll be finished soon, right? When you are, will you come to the Zhao Family too? We can be brothers working together!?”

His eyes were filled with eagerness as he looked at Lin Hui.

“I already signed an accountant contract with the Clear Wind Taoist Temple. I’ll be here for at least five more years, so I can’t leave,” Lin Hui smiled and replied.

He was happy that Chen Zhishen could leverage this opportunity to escape Chen Chong‘s retribution.

“That’s too bad,” Chen Zhishen sighed. “But Zhao Family Town is only a half-hour walk from here. Senior Brother said that the work and training inside don’t take up too much time. There are always four fixed days off each month, so I can still come back often to see you.”

“Oh, right.” He suddenly remembered something, fumbled in his waist pouch, and quickly pulled out a piece of black, sooty material.

“Here. Take this. You like those residual fragments left behind by the Monsters in the Mist Zone, right? I also went out and picked up a few pieces. This is the largest and most complete one I found. It’s for you.”

(End of Chapter)