Chapter 47: Thoughts III

Leaving his teacher’s house, Lin Hui returned to the training ground. In the distance, he saw the newly recruited students of the other two branches laughing and joking while practicing swordplay.

Xiaohu and Little Fatty were earnestly rearranging the stones that served as boundary lines.

These stones were found by Vivi specifically to divide the entire temple grounds among the three branches of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple.

Which area belonged to whom was clearly demarcated by the lines formed by these stones.

‘Black Mist… The environment outside is so dangerous. Then, what power is protecting the entire urban district? Where does that power originate?‘

One thought after another surfaced in Lin Hui’s mind.

He had originally thought the Inner City would be a safe haven, but now it seemed that life there had its own hardships.

Lifting his sword, Lin Hui could understand his master’s thoughts.

To live a stable life without any particularly grand goals—eating well, dressing well, living simply—that was enough.

At the very least, the immediate dangers had been cleared away. For Mingde, this was the greatest relief.

But…

Lin Hui turned his head slightly, looking at the massive white wall of the Inner City that towered into the clouds, its boundaries unseen.

Then he looked in the opposite direction at the boundless gray mist.

The area where the people of the Outer City lived was only under that long strip of gray sky above, through which sunlight filtered down.

At this moment, the spring rain was subsiding, and sunlight filtered through the gray mist, its color turning gray-white.

Lin Hui looked up. The sky was still gray mist; neither the sun nor clouds could be seen. The entire urban district was like a giant sphere, with the Inner City as the center, forcibly squeezing away the mist to prop up a huge spherical cavity.

‘Perhaps I should go into the Inner City first to see if it’s truly as rumored before deciding whether to move the whole family in.‘

Having made his decision, Lin Hui hesitated no longer and continued practicing his sword technique.

Time passed day by day.

With the continuous evolution of the blood-red mark, the completion of the Clear Wind Sword Style was also progressing by leaps and bounds.

And as Lin Hui continued his Body Tempering and strengthened his physique, the evolution time for each move of the Clear Wind Sword Style began to shorten.

By the time he was evolving the sixth move, the required time had changed from the previous five days to four days.

This gave Lin Hui even more motivation to strengthen his physique and temper his energy.

In the blink of an eye, the spring plowing passed, followed by waves of busy farming seasons. The Black Mist period arrived along with it.

Just as Lin Hui was quietly waiting for the blood-red mark to evolve, Daoist Baohe finally woke up.

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Clear Wind Taoist Temple, Abbot’s Bedroom.

Cough, cough…

Daoist Baohe’s face was as yellow as gold paper. Half-lying on the sickbed, he turned his face to look at his three junior brothers standing in the room.

Minchen, Mingde, Minxiu.

The three waited respectfully, waiting for him to speak.

The room was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Even with the heavy incense burning on the table, it couldn’t suppress the distinct scent of blood coming from Daoist Baohe.

“Flying Cloud Fist’s Shangguan Fei… how is he?” Baohe covered his mouth with his hand, coughing up another trace of blood, and asked weakly.

“The Flying Cloud Pavilion Master passed away over half a month ago… he died from heavy injuries inflicted by the Hundred Flowers Gate…” Minchen sighed.

“Is that so… It seems all this is fate…” Baohe sighed.

“Senior Brother…” Minchen hesitated to speak.

“Say no more. The Clear Wind Sword Sect has developed to this point… having been glorious once is enough.” Baohe coughed a few times. “I can’t hold on any longer… After I leave, the Clear Wind Taoist Temple will be handled by the three of you. The situation is difficult now. Wait for the Black Mist to pass, then you… should leave this place and find another… As for my children at home… tell them not to open a martial arts hall again…”

Baohe and his three junior brothers all had relatives behind them. Among them, Baohe had the most kin. With his fall, the situation of his kin was naturally precarious.

During this time, they had already been divided and scattered, fleeing in all directions. No one was willing to care for the comatose Daoist Baohe.

“You… you…”

Baohe pointed at the three, wanting to say something more, but his breath finally failed him. He tried three times consecutively, but in the end, his right hand fell heavily, devoid of strength.

“Senior Brother!!” Mingde cried out, rushing forward to hold the edge of the bed, tears streaming down his face.

The other two also stepped forward, looking at Daoist Baohe’s corpse, their eyes filled with tears.

Outside the bedroom, the core disciples of the three branches lowered their heads silently, listening to the sounds inside, their thoughts churning.

Lin Hui stood with Vivi and Wang Yun, listening to the crying inside, and also sighed in his heart.

“Junior Brother, what are your plans for the future?” Wang Yun asked softly from the side. “Practicing sword requires money, but looking at the state of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple, I’m afraid it can’t support your continued practice anymore.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just go to the Mist Zone to hunt for some materials,” Lin Hui said calmly.

“That is not a long-term solution. You are young and strong now, without burdens or drag, so naturally, you can say such things. But what if you fall ill one day or get delayed by something? Or what if you get married and have children later? Your safety alone concerns the safety of the whole family. Taking risks when you are older is too dangerous,” Wang Yun said softly.

“What does Senior Sister mean?” Lin Hui looked at her.

“You are a man of heavy sentiment and righteousness,” Wang Yun said. “Your talent is also good. Why not come to my Wang family together, like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren? Stop drifting in the martial arts world.”

Lin Hui understood her meaning.

Being unable to survive in the martial arts world didn’t mean one couldn’t survive elsewhere with the Clear Wind Sword. With their movement skills and strength, switching to other downgraded circles, they wouldn’t be considered weak.

“Once you leave the circle, no one will gossip if you cultivate other martial arts on the side,” Wang Yun lowered her voice even more. “Later, I’ll introduce you to a marriage match. Once it’s settled, you can start a family and a career, have bloodline descendants… your family will be at ease, and you won’t have worries for the future.”

“…” Lin Hui fell silent.

Listening to the crying coming from the bedroom, he lowered his head.

“And then? What about sword practice?”

“What’s there to practice? It’s enough if your current Body Tempering movement speed is sufficient. What level can you reach by continuing to practice the Clear Wind Sword? Isn’t our goal in learning martial arts to live a good, safe life? As long as the goal is achieved, doesn’t the method matter?” Wang Yun said softly.

Pausing, she looked at Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren on the side.

“Look at them; several are about to leave soon too, having signed agreements with the Mu family. Ah Hui, you have to remember, practicing martial arts is for life, not putting the cart before the horse and sacrificing life to fulfill martial arts. Look at Mu Qiaozhi and Zhao Jiangan; they are clear-headed.”

Lin Hui remained silent.

He admitted that what Senior Sister Wang said made sense. Being able to persist until now, Wang Yun had already done very well.

She didn’t care about the Clear Wind Taoist Temple; she only cared about Teacher Mingde. So she didn’t care about the state of the temple; there were plenty of alternatives.

For them, or for 99% of the disciples, practicing the sword was just a way, a means to achieve an end.

“Yes… people have limits. After passing the period of rapid growth, continuing to practice yields too little in return for the effort… it’s not worth spending too much time and energy on it…” he sighed.

“Aren’t you quite clear-headed then?” Wang Yun said. “Think about it carefully. If you decide, you can come to the Wang family to find me anytime.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Lin Hui nodded. “By the way, what about Senior Sister Vivi?”

“She agreed long ago. And Master actually tacitly approved it too,” Wang Yun whispered.

Lin Hui fell silent again.

Even Master’s own daughter had…

Looking at the bedroom door ahead, the antique dark red wooden door, his thoughts drifted very, very far away.

Judging from the words and actions of Wang Yun, Teacher, and Senior Sister Vivi, he knew that even they themselves had given up hope of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s martial arts regaining their glory.

Even Master Mingde felt it was impossible to rise again.

The Clear Wind Sword was more than a notch inferior to the martial arts of these new halls.

A thought of giving up also rose in Lin Hui’s heart, but seeing the text from the blood-red mark floating in his vision—Seven-Section Quick Sword, Nine-Section Quick Sword—he had spent so much time, cost, and energy to reach the Clear Wind Sword Style.

If he gave up now, wouldn’t his previous investments be in vain?

Moreover, even if he switched to cultivating other stronger martial arts, wouldn’t the time required be even longer?

Daoist Baohe’s funeral lasted for three days. Very few came to pay their respects; the grand occasion of the Clear Wind Taoist Temple’s past had now vanished.

Finally, the three Ming Generation Daoists carried the coffin to the burial tomb.

And from then on, the Clear Wind Taoist Temple was completely divided into three branches, rather than the temporary arrangement from before.

Taking the opportunity, Lin Hui returned home and told his parents about this.

His father’s reaction was also unexpected.

“What do you think?” His father, Lin Shunhe, sat on a small stool in the shade of the courtyard, looking at Lin Hui.

“I just think… I’ve practiced for so long… I don’t really want to give up,” Lin Hui replied.

“Since you like practicing the sword, why not choose a stronger one? The Clear Wind Sword is no good now; that’s a fact. You spend the same money, time, and energy, but in the end, what you practice isn’t as good as others. Is it worth it?” His father was unexpectedly rational and realistic.

“But Master…” Lin Hui hesitated.

“Mingde himself has no hope, otherwise would he agree to his daughter cultivating other martial arts?” Lin Shunhe said. “Think about it. When it’s time to turn back, you must turn back decisively. Don’t sink deeper and deeper until you fail completely… a total mess.”

He stood up, patted his son on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Leaving Lin Hui sitting alone in the original spot, looking at the muddy road outside the courtyard with people coming and going, lost in thought.

He sat from morning until noon. When his mother, Yao Shan, came out to call him for lunch, she realized Lin Hui’s eyes were different from before.

“What? Made a decision?”

“Mh-hm, I’m going to keep practicing,” Lin Hui nodded and answered. “Anyway, I’m not short of money, and the family’s situation is good now. I just want to continue practicing and try; I like the Clear Wind Sword Style.”

“…You, oh you… also a stubborn mule. Fine, treating it as a hobby is okay too,” Yao Shan said helplessly. “Let’s go, come in and eat.”

“Alright!” Lin Hui smiled, stood up, and followed her into the house.

Actually, if not for the blood-red mark, perhaps he would have switched cultivation long ago. But since the blood-red mark was there, he would wait until the Clear Wind Sword Style was completely evolved, and then evolve the sword technique once more…

In this way, perhaps evolving again would take a lot of time and energy, but relearning other martial arts would also consume a massive amount of time and energy.

Thus, it was better not to change, saving the process of relearning in the middle.

Having made this decision, Lin Hui returned from home to his master.

Master Mingde and the other two had spent a few days dividing the Clear Wind Taoist Temple into three, building thick partition walls in the middle.

And Mingde’s branch was renamed the Clear Wind Sword Sect, a return to its former name.

However, after this renaming, Mingde himself slacked off, fishing for three days and drying nets for two. He left matters to his daughter and Lin Hui. Every day he either went fishing or found Steward Huang to drink a little wine, living a leisurely and free life.

As for practicing the sword? He had given up long ago. Cultivating internal force to stabilize his condition was the busiest thing he did.

And the Clear Wind Sword Sect was no longer listed as a martial arts hall; it could only be considered a loose cultivation lineage.

(End of Chapter)