Chapter 39: Evaluation III

Leaving his home, Lin Hui had already formulated a plan in his mind.

He couldn’t choose to leave the Clear Wind Taoist Temple. Out of morality and the sunk cost he had already invested, leaving now would be too troublesome.

Moreover, he pursued speed, and among all martial arts halls in the Outer City, the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s movement speed was first-class. In external martial arts, it was hard to find a style faster than it.

‘Therefore, simplifying and elitizing the current structure, and re-optimizing the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s martial arts, might be the key to competitiveness in the future.’

‘But first, I need to test what level I’ve reached.’

On his way back, Lin Hui pondered where to test the newly merged special effect. After much thought, only the images of monsters in the Mist Zone kept flashing before his eyes.

‘Although it’s a bit dangerous, as long as I’m careful and don’t take risks, it shouldn’t be a big problem.’

Having spent so much time in the Mist Zone before, he had a general understanding of what monsters were distributed in the area behind the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

Faceless Men, One-Horned Spiders, Thousand-Legged Eyeballs, and Mist Barbarians.

These four types of monsters were common creatures in the Mist Zone. Their minds were chaotic and unconscious, only possessing extreme aggression like wild beasts.

Having made his decision, Lin Hui hesitated no longer. He quickened his pace back to the Clear Wind Taoist Temple. He had to make preparations, and he also needed to borrow some Tranquility Incense from his master.

He wasn’t worried about not being able to borrow it. In fact, Mingde was supportive of him going to the Mist Zone to train his sword technique.

---

Lin Family Compound.

Lin Chaoyi bowed and scraped as he saw off an Outer City steward from the Chen family. He led a group of clansmen to watch the car leave until it disappeared from sight before heaving a long sigh of relief.

“Still no news… That kid Ah De, when we need his help at a critical moment, we just can’t reach him…”

He looked at the somewhat desolate fields outside the compound and the two-story building on the opposite side of the road that had recently become vacant, a flash of helplessness and suppression in his eyes.

“Now profits from our shops everywhere are shrinking. The shops we dealt with before are having trouble again, with people coming to stir up trouble and collect protection fees… Can’t Hongyu do something from her end?” He looked at Lin Hongyu’s father, Lin Shuntao.

“Father, Hongyu really can’t do anything right now… After the incident last time, she immediately went to the Main Family’s Law Enforcement Hall, but…” Lin Shuntao looked grim.

“Alas…” Lin Chaoyi also knew that Lin Hongyu didn’t have the aptitude for Summoning. Although she entered the Chen family, she was still just an ordinary outer member. Unable to be Summoned, she could only learn various internal martial arts collected by the Chen family.

Although Hongyu had good aptitude, internal martial arts emphasized accumulation over time; effects couldn’t be seen overnight. On the contrary, external martial arts were much faster to cultivate, just like Lin Hui…

Thinking of Lin Hui, Lin Chaoyi turned back to the courtyard and asked, “By the way, how is the situation with the fourth branch now?”

“The fourth son’s boy is finished.” Lin Shunchong, from the second branch, revealed a look of schadenfreude on the right. “He was removed from the Response Team by the Yamen, and the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s reputation was smashed by the newly built Black Dragon Gate. Now it’s split into three, and the Clear Wind Sword brand has been reduced to a third-rate sword style. Even if the fourth branch learns it well, no one outside recognizes it anymore.”

“Such a big brand like the Clear Wind Sword, collapsed just like that?” Lin Chaoyi was stunned.

“Isn’t it? Changes have indeed been too fast recently. Those martial artists from Xingdao City seem to be losers driven out from there, but these losers can actually quickly defeat our Tuyue Outer City martial arts halls. Rumor has it that martial arts are prevalent there, and fighting and killing can be seen everywhere. Now it seems it wasn’t just talk,” Lin Shunchong explained.

Lin Chaoyi fell silent, a thoughtful look on his face.

After a while, he slowly spoke: “Have the gifts and wealth we planned to send to the fourth branch been sent yet?”

“Not yet,” the old steward on the other side answered in a low voice.

“That’s good then. Hold off for now. Given the trend of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple, it probably won’t rise again. The fourth branch’s future development is limited; throwing money their way would be more loss than gain,” Lin Chaoyi said heavily.

“But, didn’t you say these gifts were to ease relations…??” Lin Hongzhen’s father, Lin Shunjiang from the first branch, asked in surprise.

“That was before. Now that the family has encountered changes, there’s no need to send this wealth out,” Lin Chaoyi frowned.

“But, if we don’t repair the relationship now, if the fourth branch has ups and downs in the future… would sending gifts then still be useful?” Lin Shunjiang found it hard to understand.

“It’s fine. I know the fourth son. Sending gifts then will work too. Last time I went over, he declined on the surface, but actually, he still wanted to return, otherwise he wouldn’t have let us into the inner room,” Lin Chaoyi said.

“Father is right. The fourth son is famous for having a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If he develops poorly, we won’t mention it, but if he still develops, Father can just visit again then; it won’t be a big problem,” the second branch’s Lin Shunchong laughed. “Given the fourth son’s character, if the family truly faces a life-and-death crisis, he will definitely help. So whether we give this benefit or not, the result is the same. Better to use it to win over the wavering centrists.”

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyi couldn’t help but give the second son an extra look; he indeed thought the same way.

“But it looks like the general situation of the martial arts hall market is set. This kind of pattern can only be influenced by those Internal Force Realm martial artists,” he said softly.

“Exactly. I even asked around, and that kid Lin Hui refused to leave the Clear Wind Taoist Temple no matter what. The Black Dragon Gate even tried to recruit him, but he didn’t go, just stubbornly staying put. Now most people from the Clear Wind Taoist Temple have run off, leaving only him and a few others struggling to hold on,” Lin Shunchong shook his head.

“A tree dies if moved, a person lives if moved. He’s still young after all; he doesn’t understand this point,” Lin Chaoyi sighed, knowing in his heart that Lin Hui likely had no hope left.

Once a martial arts hall has fewer students, money decreases, and resources decrease. With fewer resources, progress in martial arts slows down. It seemed that Lin Hui would at most reach a level similar to his teacher Mingde in a few decades.

But looking at the current Clear Wind Taoist Temple, Mingde himself couldn’t even protect himself.

“Mingde helped in fights back then and made quite a few enemies. In this situation, I’m afraid before long…” he said softly.

“No movement for now, but I guess they are watching…” Lin Shunchong nodded.

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyi no longer held any hope for the fourth branch.

“Alas, forget it. Send that batch of wealth to Hongyu. As long as she can turn the tide there, everything will be revived.”

“Okay!”

---

Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

At dusk, the mist began to slowly rise and disperse.

Lin Hui and Mingde sat quietly at the table eating.

Five dishes and one soup were on the table, all cooked by Vivi herself. Garlic sprouts with fried meat, edamame with shredded pork, braised pork, garlic lettuce… the dishes were still steaming, clearly fresh from the pot.

“You just said… you’ve completely mastered the Nine-Section Quick Sword and want to learn the Clear Wind Sword?” Mingde put a piece of braised pork into his mouth, squinting at Lin Hui.

“Exactly. Please teach me the sword, Master,” Lin Hui said solemnly.

“You don’t mind that the Clear Wind Sword is weak?” Mingde asked.

“This disciple has always felt that the Clear Wind Sword shouldn’t be about head-on confrontation. Our sect focuses on movement speed and should fully utilize our strengths. If the Abbot hadn’t been forced into a corner back then, using his movement to prolong the fight, he might not necessarily have lost,” Lin Hui said seriously.

“You’re right,” Mingde sighed. He chewed the meat and swallowed it in a few bites, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the hazy gray mist outside.

“Actually, according to the rules, if you wanted to learn the Clear Wind Sword, you would at least have to go through certain tests like everyone else. But given the situation now, there’s no need to stick rigidly to the rules.”

Although he drank heavily, he still took everything around him to heart. For an Internal Force Realm martial artist, drinking ordinary wine, no matter how much, couldn’t really make him drunk.

It was just that his heart wanted to be drunk; the wine was merely a catalyst.

“Many times, I think, this is all like a dream. If I could wake up and everything returned to how it was, how good would that be… Unfortunately, with Senior Brother’s condition making recovery difficult, and the temple turned into this ghostly state…” Mingde recalled scenes from his past in his mind. Back then, his Senior Brother was fine, the Clear Wind Taoist Temple was thriving with a promising future, the top ten elites were fierce as wolves and tigers, and their reputation was illustrious in the surrounding towns.

Coming back to reality, looking at now…

Sigh…

He sighed deeply.

“Alright. I will teach you the Clear Wind Sword first. In a while, I’ll ask Vivi to do something, to deliver an item to an old friend. The journey is long, and I’m worried she can’t take care of herself. When the time comes, I might need you to travel with her.”

“Yes,” Lin Hui responded.

Mingde concealed the strange look in his eyes. This disciple, Lin Hui, was arguably the most touching one he had accepted so far.

As the saying goes, true feelings are revealed in adversity. In a situation where the martial arts hall was in critical condition and almost about to decline and disband, Lin Hui still didn’t leave. No matter what, this heart, this character, gave him a final trace of comfort.

It let him know that his years of dedication to righteousness were not all in vain.

In this world, there are always some people who are unmoved by money, unmoved by fame and profit, who still uphold conduct that outsiders might see as foolish.

He was like this, and so was Lin Hui.

But unfortunately…

The time he met Lin Hui was too late.

If it were ten years earlier, perhaps the current Lin Hui would have already…

The thoughts in Mingde’s mind were instantly cut off by the flash of Song Zhanlong from the Black Dragon Gate.

‘Forget it, forget it. Even if it were ten years earlier, if Song Zhanlong came to challenge, the result would still be…’

Thinking back to the message secretly sent by a good friend yesterday, in a while, Liu Sitao of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, whom he had offended by helping in a fight back then, had gathered a group of former enemies and was heading this way for revenge.

With the Clear Wind Taoist Temple losing power, Baohe fallen, and only a few kittens left under his own wing, if they really faced Liu Sitao’s group…

Mingde knew the final result would likely be grim.

So he arranged in advance for his daughter and Lin Hui to leave first. Wang Yun didn’t need to worry in her large clan home, and the other students could be dismissed at will to avoid being implicated.

When the time came, he would stay in the temple alone to wait for them and settle the grievances of the past once and for all.

He had arranged everything.

Gathering his thoughts, Mingde turned around and began to carefully explain the essentials of the Clear Wind Sword.

“The Clear Wind Sword is actually quite different from other sword styles.”

He extended his hand, index finger acting as a sword, and thrust forward.

“Essentially, the Clear Wind Sword is actually a fusion and upgrade of the Seven-Section Quick Sword and the Nine-Section Quick Sword. It integrates the momentum-building practice of the Seven-Section Quick Sword into the whole, and incorporates the explosive assassination of the Nine-Section Quick Sword into offensive moves. Then, using a special mental cultivation method, the two are perfectly fused, finally forming a killing sword art like the wind.”

“Clear Wind, Clear Wind, what is Clear Wind? Clear and invisible, formless like the wind and unstoppable. Only thus can it be called the Clear Wind Sword!” Mingde walked sideways to a spacious open area.

(End of Chapter)