Grasping the gift box in his hand, Lin Xin hastened to chase after her, rembering Xiao Lingling’s stone house.
In the dark night, the freezing rain, driven by the rushing wind, lashed against his face, icy and bone-chilling.
The valley of Tingjian was deserted during the night, illuminated only by the sporadic glow of stone houses that sat silently, undisturbed.
The sound of rain was incessant, falling upon the grass between the stone houses, producing a soft, rustling noise.
Lin Xin quickly arrived at Xiao Lingling’s stone house and saw that the door had just opened, with Xiao Lingling about to enter and close it behind her.
He strode over in just a few steps, bracing the stone door with his hand.
"Lingling, what’s the matter?" he asked, seizing Xiao Lingling’s hand with his other.
"It’s nothing... Big Brother Lin, really, it’s nothing," Xiao Lingling mumbled, head lowered.
"Then why did you give all those dicinal pills?" Lin Xin asked gravely.
Xiao Lingling remained silent, offering no reply.
The two stood at the doorstep for a long while, and Xiao Lingling slowly withdrew her hand from Lin Xin’s grasp.
"Big Brother Lin... I... I’ve injured my internal organs... The internal injury is too severe, the senior sisters of the Elixir Hall say, my cultivation, probably, can’t advance anymore..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Those pills are of no use to anymore... It’s better to give them to you, Big Brother Lin, than to keep them on a useless person like ."
"Cultivation..." A pang hit Lin Xin’s heart.
"Mmm... I’ll be leaving the sect soon, returning to my hotown..." Xiao Lingling lifted her head and offered a pale, forced smile.
"From now on, Big Brother Lin, you’ll have to take care of yourself..."
Lin Xin was at a loss for words for a mont.
He knew what cultivation ant to Xiao Lingling, but now, with her cultivation ruined, it ant that Xiao Lingling’s future hopes were gone. A high-level expert could live comfortably in a small place, but in core areas like the royal residence of the Song State, filled with nurous experts, just having inner qi at the first layer made her not much different from ordinary Jianghu martial artists. While not exceedingly common, it wasn’t rare either.
"Big Brother Lin... you..." Xiao Lingling opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more.
"Enough." Lin Xin suddenly cut her off.
"In a few days, pack up, and co back to the clan with ." His tone was unusually calm,
"??" Xiao Lingling was taken aback, not having expected Lin Xin to suddenly make such a statent.
"But I..."
"If you run, I will break your legs!" Lin Xin grabbed her hand, pulling her in front of him and encircling her waist. He calmly gazed directly into Xiao Lingling’s eyes.
"If you run, I’ll break your legs, then chain you up and bring you back with ."
Xiao Lingling’s mouth fell slightly agape, at a loss for words. She stood sowhat helplessly, her hands involuntarily wrapping around Lin Xin’s waist.
"Big Brother Lin..." A multitude of thoughts flickered in her eyes, finally settling into a strand of emotion as she slowly hugged Lin Xin, burying her head in his chest.
Reflecting on this girl, Xiao Lingling, from their first encounter to the subsequent events, Lin Xin felt a trace of gentleness unconsciously coloring his heart.
This was a woman who could wholly belong to him if he so desired.
Holding Xiao Lingling, he felt the pitiable frailness of the girl in his arms, his heart devoid of any impure thoughts. All he felt was tranquility.
***********************
Half a month later...
In the southeast of the Song State, near Song River.
The river was tranquil, a green shade reflecting the densely wooded green hills on both banks.
A flat fishing boat slowly drifted downriver with the current, neither too big nor too small, its grey-brown surface covered by a canopy. From within, strains of lodious music could be heard.
The boatman, wearing a conical hat and covered in a rain cape, deftly worked the long pole, propelling the boat gently forward.
The sky was clear, the clouds ethereal, as a gentle breeze brushed by, raising ripples on the surface of the water, mingling with the waves caused by the boat.
The boat moved forward unhurriedly, with three young n and won seated under the canopy—two young n, one with a gentle deanor like a scholar, leisurely sipping wine.
The other, relaxed and composed, was tapping his yellow paper fan in ti with the music, his hand keeping the rhythm.
There was also a bewitching woman in a white dress, with a delicate black belt around her waist, sitting at one side of the canopy, softly playing a lute.
The strings of the long lute vibrated gently under her fingers, sending clear, ringing notes continuously forth.
"Brother Lin, after several days of traveling by boat, you still seem to be in such high spirits. That’s really rare," the fan-holding young man said with a smile tracing his lips.
Lin Xin shook his head slightly, casting a soft gaze towards Xiao Lingling, who was playing the lute beside him.
"Lingling and I are rely enjoying the scenery and waters on our way ho. What about you, Brother Huang? What made you decide to travel with us?"
"Do you think I want to?" Huang Shan said helplessly, "Once you leave the sect, there’s no cultivation environnt out there that’s as good. But once a formal disciple achieves success, they must choose a place to establish their base. You’ve been promoted to formal disciple this ti, and Elder has made an effort for you to choose the family settlent yourself. I’ve been sent out to help you set up a detection formation."
"A base?" Lin Xin had never heard of this.
"Of course," Huang Shan replied with a smile, lifting the cup of wine from the small table in front of him, gently swishing it back and forth and watching it nearly spill over the rim before quickly swirling it back in.
"A base is where the sect allocates resources to help you build an external cultivation formation for your practice. It’s much more effective than the stone houses of recorded disciples, and various resources will be delivered every so often. Formal disciples are required to hold their ground across different locations, to suppress the frontiers of the nation and the edges of the Yang mbrane."
"Like the Peacock Sect? And the Plum Blossom Sect in my hotown?" Lin Xin said thoughtfully.
"Exactly."
Huang Shan nodded, "As a formal disciple, you enjoy not only better treatnt and resources, as well as access to all cultivation technique materials, but also bear heavier responsibilities. Whether you establish a sect, strengthen a family, or build a manor, as long as you et the sect’s requirents of you, everything else is not a problem."
"No wonder you rarely see Qi cultivation experts coming and going within the sect," Lin Xin realized.
"Exactly." Huang Shan nodded, "Aside from a small portion of Qi cultivators staying in the six halls for secluded cultivation, responsible for maintaining the order and operation of the sect, the rest of the experts are dispersed everywhere, to suppress and eliminate evil. They only occasionally return to the sect, but not via ships on Ming Shui River; instead, they use other channels and thods."
"The formal disciples within the sect all have duties. Those who are truly stationed in the sect are mostly secluded Foundation Establishnt Elders. Even the main and deputy Hall Masters of the six halls often go out. Without the constraints of ti in Qi cultivation, it is said that Golden Core experts, sotis, may spend several years away on a single visit to friends."
"It’s really... I wonder when we’ll be able to reach that realm," Lin Xin sighed lightly.
"Hey, why think so much? The hermit Shi nghan of Lonely Mountain and the Immortal Luo Fu, reveling in wine. Sister, play another tune! I shall dance with my sword to add to the enjoynt!" Huang Shan chuckled and stood up, stepping out of the cabin and positioning himself at the stern as he slowly drew his sword.
At that mont, Xiao Lingling smiled, her fingers tapping and pressing on the strings, as the music slowly changed, suddenly becoming clearer and more brisk.
Riding on the high spirits of the wine, Huang Shan thrust his sword out, the tip silently bursting forth like a silver flower blooming with countless silver lights, slowly unfolding.
The shadows of the sword danced; for a mont, it seed as if several silver flowers, like silver plum blossoms, lit up around him.
Huang Shan appeared slightly drunk, his figure swaying, dodging and moving, yet seemingly as stable as on flat ground. No matter how he moved, he always landed precisely on that small spot on the tail of the boat.
Lin Xin sipped his wine, watching Huang Shan’s sword dance, while Xiao Lingling occasionally cast tender glances at him. For a ti, he seed quite captivated by the scene.
The faint plum fragrance in the wine infiltrated his senses through his nose, a feeling he had never experienced before.
Huang Shan laughed as he danced, expressing the plum with his sword movents, but Lin Xin, who was not versed in poetry, failed to appreciate the poetic flair. However, he definitely recognized the exceptional lightness and precision of Huang Shan’s Qinggong technique.
When the tune ended, Huang Shan also slowly stopped, returning to sit under the awning. The boatman who had been poling the boat applauded in admiration, and Huang Shan politely bowed his thanks.
After Xiao Lingling finished playing, she got up and sat down next to Lin Xin, leaning gently against him and just smiling tenderly, without saying a word.
In the past few days, Lin Xin had revealed his feelings, and had refused to let Xiao Lingling go, no matter what. The result was naturally the confirmation of their relationship. This trip back was for the purpose of taking the opportunity to confirm the marriage. Xiao Lingling’s injury only ant she could no longer advance further in cultivation, but living a normal life for the rest of her days was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Senior Brother, your lightness skill really opened my eyes," Lin Xin didn’t complint the swordsmanship, but praised the Qinggong instead.
The man in the yellow shirt gently poured himself a cup of plum blossom wine, the corners of his mouth revealing a hint of pride.
"There are so many Qinggong techniques in the Sect, but they are all minor paths only cultivated below the Foundation Establishnt Stage. It seems that Junior Brother hasn’t touched upon lightness skill yet?"
"Indeed, I just haven’t found the opportunity to properly practice the skill of lightening the body." Lin Xin had been at a disadvantage last ti due to his lack of Qinggong, which led to Zheng Xiuqin and another escaping. ntioning it now naturally indicated his hope for the man in the yellow shirt to offer pointers. After all, he had only joined the Sect a year ago and hadn’t had much ti.
"There are nurous Qinggong skills. Within the Sect, we have ’Soaring Sky Decree’, ’Nine Turn Cloud Ladder’, and ’Flash Spirit’, which are three main lightness skills. The one I practice is the ’Nine Turn Cloud Ladder’, which excels in subtle movents and is suitable for close-combat skirmishes. I’ve been interested in Qinggong since I was young, so I’ve dabbled in the other two as well. If Junior Brother wishes, I can teach you," said the man in the yellow shirt with a smile.
"What effects do the other two have?" Lin Xin asked.
"The ’Soaring Sky Decree’ focuses on the height of leaping and long-distance running speed. ’Flash Spirit’ is also for close-range combat, but it is the most difficult to cultivate. Very few in the Sect have mastered it, He Tianhe being one of them. With Junior Brother’s talent, I don’t recomnd wasting ti on ’Flash Spirit’. For your combat style, I suggest the ’Soaring Sky Decree’."
"Why is that?"
"The advantage of the ’Soaring Sky Decree’ lies in that the more abundant your Inner Qi, the stronger the effect. It’s also simple to cultivate and won’t delay your primary practice of the ’Return to Origin Technique’. Junior Brother mainly uses Formation Magical Artifacts in battle, which doesn’t consu too much Inner Qi. Therefore, you’ll be able to maximize its advantages.
Whereas the effect of ’Flash Spirit’ is similar to teleportation, it’s a short-term burst that allows for rapid approach to catch the opponent off guard. It consus a lot of Inner Qi, and this approach isn’t conducive to controlling magical artifacts during battle."
Lin Xin pondered for a mont.
"Senior Brother has considered thoroughly. I will learn the ’Soaring Sky Decree’. As for the fees, please trouble Senior Brother to report back to the Sect," he said, extending his hand to the right. Xiao Lingling passed a jade token to his hand.
"Whatever the cost for learning the lightness skill, please deduct it directly, Senior Brother," Lin Xin said, as he handed over the jade token worth ten thousand Jade Money to the man in the yellow shirt.
"Aren’t you afraid I will pocket it and not return it to you?" the man in the yellow shirt asked with a laugh.
"rely ten thousand Jade Money, I’m sure it’s not sothing Senior Brother would be concerned about," Lin Xin replied unconcernedly. For an expert of the Eighth Layer of the Innate Realm and a certified formal disciple, such a sum was unlikely to tempt him to betray his principles.
"That’s true," the man in the yellow shirt nodded, then began to explain in detail the overarching principles and decrees of the ’Soaring Sky Decree’ to Lin Xin.
Xiao Lingling, even if she listened, would not be able to practice it. This lightness skill required at least the Innate Cultivation, and it was not for ordinary people to learn.
While one taught and the other asked, the boat slowly drifted with the current, floating far away.
After a while, Xiao Lingling leaned against Lin Xin and slowly fell asleep, while the man in the yellow shirt continued to explain intricacies in a soft voice, with Lin Xin rembering every detail carefully.
Suddenly, from the riverbank outside, there ca bursts of shouting. It seed many people were chasing soone, loudly calling out and roaring the person’s na. Curses mixed with local dialects were incessant.
Lin Xin gently laid Xiao Lingling down on the long bench inside the boat’s canopy, draped his outer long coat over her, and stepped out of the canopy with the man in the yellow shirt. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it at Qidian (qidian), and cast your monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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