Several days later. The mist zone.
Amidst the gray, hazy mist, a tall, sturdy man with a ponytail, dressed in dirty white combat attire, dragged a black, branch-like object into the courtyard of the small hut. His face was etched with exhaustion.
Thud.
He threw the object onto the ground and sniffed. The faint scent of eggs fried in lard drifted through the air.
Creak.
The wooden door opened slowly. Inside, Master Mingde walked out unhurriedly, holding a bowl. He bit into a stalk of green onion while looking at the object on the ground.
"Why does it look like this hellish mess?"
"I don't know. I managed to chop it off with difficulty, and it immediately withered," Lin Hui shook his head.
He had chopped off the Faceless One's right arm. It had been full and complete then, with transparent blood dripping from the wound. Only a few minutes had passed, yet the limb had withered and dried into this state.
"Many thanks, Master."
"Don't rush yet. This is only the first stage. You've experienced the benefits of cultivating in this mist. Body Tempering is much faster here, right?" Mingde laughed.
"Yes, this disciple finds it strange too. Does the mist itself benefit Body Tempering?" Lin Hui nodded, curious.
"I don't know, but whether it is Body Tempering or Internal Force cultivation, efficiency in the mist zone is much higher than in the mist-free zone. This is a verified result experienced by everyone," Mingde said. "You've trained for so long; it's time to go back and rest a bit. Staying here too long... Tranquil Incense needs replenishing, and the human spirit will suffer mental deviation, causing all sorts of problems."
"Yes." Lin Hui nodded respectfully.
Master and disciple slowly packed their things. After eating the fried eggs, they locked the small hut and headed back toward the Daoist temple.
While traveling, Mingde seized the time to impart small details regarding sword techniques.
Clear Wind Temple's sword arts had several realms of application in actual combat. This distinction wasn't visible in training methods like the Seven-Section Swift Sword, but starting from the Nine-Section Swift Sword, a preliminary separation emerged. By the time one reached the Clear Wind Sword Technique, the difference widened rapidly.
Lin Hui listened with full concentration, his comprehension of the Swift Sword deepening.
"The moves are the same. Sword techniques really only consist of a few basic moves. But why do the effects differ vastly when used by different people? The key lies in understanding."
Mingde's voice continued in his ear.
"Why do many predecessors always like to seek martial insights from different things? Why not just pour everything into studying the single strongest path, the strongest style?"
"There are two reasons."
"First, people are different. Only what suits oneself is the best."
"Second, the strongest style and the strongest Dao have the most people flooding into them. Unless the gap between Daos is immense, forcibly squeezing in means the final competition is merely about effort and resources. If it comes down to competing in those areas, how can ordinary people contend with the upper class?"
"Thus, the predecessors chose to carve out new paths."
Before long, Mingde stepped out of the mist, returning to the mist-free zone. Lin Hui followed closely behind.
"So, the next step you need to take is to familiarize yourself with the sword technique to a certain degree. Only then can you adjust and change it according to your own conditions and state, turning it from the sect's sword technique into your sword technique. That is the sword style of individual practitioners."
"Fast, slow, grasp of timing, which moves your body coordination favors—these are all things you need to research and understand yourself. Remember: techniques are static; people are dynamic."
Mingde's guidance gave Lin Hui a completely new understanding of the sword techniques he had learned. He had previously attempted to practice according to some internet theories from his previous life, but none of it was as reassuring as having a master affirm the direction face-to-face.
Comparing the two, his cognition of sword arts and martial studies rose rapidly.
The two returned to the courtyard where Mingde lived.
"Alright. You haven't been out for a long time. Go home and see your parents. Things have been busy lately; go settle their hearts properly," Mingde instructed.
"Yes." Lin Hui nodded and took his leave.
Returning to the Daoist temple, he packed up, took a bath, changed into fresh clothes, and treated his wounds. Only then did he take some money and head home.
Before leaving, he glanced at the Blood Seal. The remaining evolution time was still over three months. He finally understood that this Blood Seal counted down rigidly according to the initially determined time; it wouldn't change just because his proficiency and comprehension of the Nine-Section Swift Sword increased.
Quite rigid.
In the future, it will be more cost-effective to split it up and evolve single moves. Nine months at once... the sword technique itself can't combine with my own practice insights. The efficiency is too low. If I do it move by move, the newly evolved moves can completely link up with my own real-time progress, saving quite a bit of time.
Lin Hui calculated in his heart as he hurried along the road.
The distance from Clear Wind Temple to his home wasn't short. Back then, it took a full half-day by cart. Now, traveling on foot and unfolding his movement techniques, it still took him over half an hour to reach the town.
Under the gray, hazy sky, bare fields began to appear gradually on both sides of the blurred yellow mud road ahead.
Some of the snow powder had melted. The fields were a mix of yellow, green, and white. The colors were rich, making it look quite scenic. A few simple scarecrows dressed in gray clothes stood lonely in the middle of the fields, the tattered cloth on their bodies flapping in the wind.
Lin Hui's heart settled slightly, and he continued forward.
Gradually, farmers carrying hoes and other tools began walking on the small paths beside the fields. Birds chirped, jumping and fighting by the field edges. Vitality and life slowly returned with the cessation of the falling snow.
Before long, individual small courtyards began to appear by the roadside. Some had mud walls, others stone walls. The poorer ones had only wooden fences.
Lin Hui soon arrived in front of a large courtyard with gray-white stone walls. He looked at the red spring couplets pasted on the door: Bamboo shadows sweep the street, yet the dust moves not; Spring sounds enter the home, and fortune remains.
The horizontal scroll read: Peace is Fortune.
Just looking at this, I can tell they paid someone to write it. Seems the family is well-off.
Lin Hui's mood improved considerably. He stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Thump, thump.
Before he could knock a third time, the door opened a crack with a clang of its own accord.
Lin Hui paused. Through the crack, he faintly heard voices speaking in the inner room. He simply pulled the door open and walked in.
A flock of small yellow chicks scurried back and forth in the yard. Startled by him, they scattered into the corners, daring not to come out.
The voices from the inner room became clearer now.
"...heart is good, but the situation back then was indeed difficult to handle. There was only that one opportunity..."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, causing Lin Hui to frown.
He took long strides, merging steps, and pushed open the door to the inner room. He saw his parents sitting on chairs with ugly expressions. Clearly, they had encountered some difficult decision.
Seeing Lin Hui enter, the two were startled and stood up quickly.
"Ah Hui, why are you back? Is it holiday time already?" Yao Shan walked over quickly, pinching her son's arm. Confirming there was still plenty of meat and he hadn't lost weight, she immediately let down half her worries.
"You even changed into new clothes. Where's that set I made for you last time?"
"Uh..." Lin Hui's voice stalled. That set had been torn with a massive gash during the fight with the Faceless One.
This Body Tempering through actual combat was fast, certainly, but it took a heavy toll on his clothing.
"You kid, didn't say a word before coming home. Your mom and I could have prepared food for you. Your appetite is huge now; without buying groceries in advance, it's not enough for you to consume," Lin Shunhe walked over, speaking helplessly.
"Dad, it's fine. I'll go buy some with you in a bit." Lin Hui smiled. His gaze swept over the other people in the room. Clearly, these were the source of his parents' bad mood—so distracted they forgot to even close the door.
Seeing these people, he understood. No wonder his parents were in a bad mood.
The visitor was none other than the Lin Clan Patriarch, Lin Shunhe's biological father, and his, Lin Hui's, biological grandfather—Lin Chaoyi.
At this moment, Lin Chaoyi wore a trace of a benevolent smile on his old face. He was dressed in a clean, tidy greenish-blue squire's robe, leaning on a redwood cane inlaid with turquoise. His attitude seemed worlds apart from his previous posture of ignoring Lin Hui's family.
"It's Lin Hui. Long time no see. Grandpa came this time to apologize for my poor attitude towards you all before." He restrained his smile and sighed deeply. "Before..."
"Apologize for what? I don't remember anything," Lin Hui glanced at his parents' ugly expressions, understood immediately, and interrupted directly.
"Don't remember? That's good, that's good. I was saying..." Lin Chaoyi sighed again. "Actually, regarding that matter back then, when it comes down to it, it was me, the Patriarch, who didn't handle it well..."
"No, you handled it very well. Aren't we all living quite well separately now? Since you've seen the situation, please go back. You don't need to worry about things here," Lin Hui smiled and interjected.
"Look at you, you still haven't forgiven me. You blame me. Blame this old bag of bones for acting too unfairly back then..." Lin Chaoyi lowered his head, his old face trembling. "A thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes, they are all my fault..."
"You aren't wrong. Alright, you can go back now. At your age, don't be out in the wind and rain. Just enjoy your old age properly," Lin Hui continued.
Thud.
As soon as his voice fell, his expression changed, and he quickly dodged to the side.
He saw Lin Chaoyi in front of him bend his knees without hesitation, throw away his cane, and kneel right toward him and his parents.
Lin Hui dodged. His parents actually dodged skillfully as well, and there was no shock on their faces.
This shocked Lin Hui, but also made him understand why his parents looked so terrible and troubled when he first came home.
He looked at Lin Chaoyi kneeling on the ground. This guy was still apologizing incessantly, saying how he shouldn't have done this or that back then.
"Old Fourth! I'm kneeling to you! A thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes, are all my fault alone. But no matter the mistake, we are still one family after all! Blood is thicker than water! Do you know that after you left, every night when I was alone, thinking of my decision back then, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife..." Lin Chaoyi's voice trembled, giving the impression of someone incredibly pitiful who might collapse into shock at any moment.
Seeing this, Lin Shunhe didn't hesitate. He pulled his wife and knelt down on the spot opposite the old man.
"Dad, when you snatched my son's opportunity back then, when you snatched the blood and sweat of my wife and me for half a lifetime, did you ever think about whether you would force us to death?"
His expression was resolute. He wasn't swayed in the slightest by the old man's performance. From childhood to adulthood, he had seen Lin Chaoyi act like this too many times.
"You are my son! How could I, as a father, want to force you to death!?" Lin Chaoyi's voice grew louder. "Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs! Let alone a human??"
"You also know a tiger doesn't eat its cubs? We moved so long ago; you didn't come to apologize early, you didn't come to apologize late. You only came running to apologize when you saw our family had a bit of improvement? Father, I learned your 'three old tricks' long ago. Do you want me to perform fainting first, then foam at the mouth and vomit some blood for you?" Lin Shunhe also raised his voice.
He looked at the speechless Lin Hui, who clearly didn't know what to do, and waved his hand at his son, signaling him to handle this side while letting Lin Hui go into the room to rest.