"Disciples from the Front Courtyard?" Lin Hui stood up, musing for a moment. "Let them in."
"Yes." The attendant left to relay the order.
Before long, a familiar figure led two slender women into the manor and up to the pavilion. They were dressed in the white martial attire of the Clear Wind Temple and grasped long swords in their hands.
The visitor was none other than Chen Sui, whom Lin Hui had not seen in a long time.
His face was haggard, yet his eyes shone with an inexplicable brightness. His entire frame, though thinner than before, seemed tougher.
The other two were Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, who had been absent for just as long.
"Chen Sui greets Sect Master Lin." As soon as Chen Sui approached, he took the initiative to cup his fists in a formal salute, his attitude respectful and correct.
Behind him, Huang Shan had originally intended to greet Lin Hui familiarly, but seeing the Eldest Senior Brother's demeanor, she realized the situation and followed suit, cupping her fists.
"Eldest Senior Brother, long time no see. Have you been well?" Lin Hui had not seen Chen Sui since the last Auxiliary Watch mission. On that day, Chen Sui had been easily defeated by his former junior brother and had looked utterly wretched. He had vanished silently afterward, without a trace.
"I've been getting by. Is Junior Brother Lin still willing to acknowledge our past relationship?" Chen Sui’s lips twitched as he sighed.
"Naturally. Since Eldest Senior Brother and my two Senior Sisters have come before me again, you must have chosen your hearts." Lin Hui guessed their intent.
"Is Sect Master Lin still willing to accept the three of us?" Chen Sui asked solemnly.
Compared to other disciples, their character was considered quite high. At the very least, they hadn't defected to the Black Dragon Gate and then turned around to attack the Clear Wind Sword Sect. Now that they saw a turning point, they immediately returned to rejoin the sect. They were clearly people who valued loyalty and sentiment.
"Of course, I am willing," Lin Hui smiled. "My Clear Wind Sword Sect is currently in need of people, let alone three former fellow disciples."
"Then many thanks to the Sect Master for accepting us!" A trace of shame appeared on Chen Sui's face as he bowed deeply.
Lin Hui was worthy of this bow. Back then, Chen Sui had left the temple without a word, choosing to escape during its most difficult time. That Lin Hui was willing to accept him now moved him deeply.
Unlike him, Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren had never defected to another sect, nor had they fled. They had simply been assigned to the other two branches earlier. Later, when the Swift Sword Sect and Wind Sword Sect branches dissolved, they became disheartened and simply went home to practice swordsmanship on their own.
Then, more than a year later, they heard that the Clear Wind Sword had actually swallowed the Black Dragon Gate!
Surprised and delighted, they asked around for details. After learning the truth, they immediately came to the door, intending to lend Lin Hui a hand.
"Junior Brother Lin, long time no see. You actually muddled your way into becoming a Sect Master? That's impressive!"
After reacquainting themselves, Huang Shan returned to her carefree attitude.
"Have some propriety. Before, I was your Senior Brother in the sect; now I am the Master of a Sect, yet you still call me Junior Brother? Are you asking for a beating?" Lin Hui laughed scoldingly.
"Alright, alright, Senior Brother~~~ You're so majestic now. Do you want me to come over and massage your back?" Huang Shan deliberately pitched her voice into a coo.
"Have you reached Body Tempering 9th Rank yet? If you aren't 9th Rank, you aren't qualified to massage my back," Lin Hui sneered.
"Aren't you being too realistic?" Huang Shan couldn't hold back her laughter. "But you actually hit the mark. If I weren't 9th Rank, I really wouldn't have dared to come over and offer my help!"
Her pretty face suddenly turned serious.
"It's not just A-Huang; I am 9th Rank as well," Qiu Yiren added earnestly from the side.
"Hey, hey, what the hell is 'A-Huang'!?"
After the jokes, the atmosphere relaxed considerably. The estrangement from not seeing each other for so long was quickly washed away.
Lin Hui scrutinized the three of them carefully and indeed sensed a huge change. Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren were worthy of being called geniuses. To reach the Body Tempering 9th Rank in such a short time meant that the two 'Ming' generation Daoists must have poured massive resources into them before leaving. Otherwise, with their ordinary family backgrounds, they could never have afforded such consumption.
"Was it the work of the two Perfected Ones?" Lin Hui asked solemnly.
"Yes," Huang Shan nodded, speaking gravely. "Also, there is an important matter I must tell you."
She glanced around to ensure the surrounding courtyard was completely empty before taking a step forward and lowering her voice.
"My master, Martial Uncle Mingchen, and your master, Perfected Mingde—their departure wasn't because of the Black Dragon Gate. It was because someone was secretly capturing Internal Force Realm experts for testing. The previous extermination of the Hongqu Temple was due to this."
"Testing?" Lin Hui’s eyes narrowed. His heart went cold. "Is this true? What is your basis?"
Huang Shan leaned in closer. Her chest, much fuller than before, nearly touched Lin Hui's arm, but she seemed not to notice, focused only on speaking.
"When I went to Master Mingxiu's hometown, I found a message he left for his family. The message vaguely mentioned that they were only going out to avoid calamity and would return in about a year. But if they didn't return after a year, it meant something had happened." Huang Shan paused, then continued, "I inquired thoroughly. Before this, Master Mingxiu would also go out periodically for short periods, claiming to be in secluded cultivation or hunting monsters in the mist zone. But in reality, it was likely all to avoid calamity."
Lin Hui unconsciously moved his arm to avoid touching her.
"Now, a year has long passed. That means..."
"Yes. I suspect something may have happened to Master and the others," Huang Shan said in a low voice. "Afterward, I spent time visiting various towns to investigate. I found that many other martial halls had similar situations. The previous Martial Alliance had numerous halls and recruited disciples every year, among whom were quite a few geniuses. But have you ever considered why, after so many years, there are still so few Internal Force Realm experts? Is breaking through to the Internal Force Realm really that difficult?"
Lin Hui fell silent. He indeed hadn't noticed this. "Although the Internal Force Realm is strong, the Three Major Powers of the Inner City shouldn't care about it."
"So I also ruled out the Three Major Powers. I suspect it might be the work of the Three Sects and Six Gangs in the Inner City. External Style martial halls with Internal Force experts might affect their rule. Perhaps the previous Martial Alliance showed signs of resistance, so..." Huang Shan said darkly.
Hearing this, numerous clues and pieces of information converged in Lin Hui's mind as he tried to strip away the falsehoods to find the probable truth.
But this news came too suddenly; he truly had no intelligence on it.
"I will investigate this matter secretly. Don't worry about it for now. Focus on practicing your swordsmanship and breaking through to the Internal Force Realm first. No matter what, strength is the most critical core," he instructed.
"En." Huang Shan nodded heavily. "I hope Master and the others are alright... I felt before that their departure was too strange and hasty. I didn't expect..."
"I had that feeling too, as if something was chasing them away from behind," Lin Hui nodded, his heart somewhat heavy.
If what Huang Shan said was true, then the power behind the scenes—capable of forcing numerous Internal Force experts to flee every year—was unknown in its strength. Whether it would notice him, someone who had quietly broken through, was also an unknown variable.
And Master Mingde... he didn't know what his situation was now. If he had really been targeted...
A new sense of urgency suddenly arose in Lin Hui's heart. The trace of complacency brought by swallowing the Black Dragon Gate and crippling Song Zhanlong was beaten down once again.
After quickly arranging for people to settle the three of them, Lin Hui returned to the Lin Manor alone. He found Weiwei and the other two, who still knew nothing, and informed them of the situation.
"So, what are your plans now? Do you intend to continue maintaining the Wellness Class, or return to your previous rhythm and practice martial arts to break through?" Lin Hui gave the three of them a choice.
In the courtyard, the three looked at each other. After the shock, there was a look of blankness.
But soon, Little Hu, who didn't understand anything, was the first to make a decision.
"I'll do whatever Master says."
"Me too!" Little Fatty followed closely.
Lin Hui nodded in gratification and looked at Weiwei. "And Senior Sister Weiwei?"
"I..." The dim skylight fell on Weiwei's face, making her expression appear uncertain. After hesitating for a long while, she slowly answered.
"In other words, the Clear Wind Sword Sect doesn't need my help to maintain it anymore? Eldest Senior Brother and the others are back, and there are far more hands than before."
She looked up at the current Lin Hui. Strangely, the face she had once thought mediocre and ordinary now seemed to possess a trace of charm.
If she really followed Father's arrangement and got together with Junior Brother Lin... perhaps that wouldn't be bad?
This thought flashed through her mind, but it was quickly covered by another beautiful and glamorous face.
Her gaze slowly became firm. Junior Brother Lin had exploded with power, strong enough to single-handedly suppress numerous disciples of the Black Dragon Gate. Although there was the factor of good luck—that the Black Dragon Gate Master had met with an accident—regardless, being able to suppress over a hundred people with one's sword was, in itself, unimaginable.
Looking at Lin Hui, Weiwei vaguely felt that he seemed to have become somewhat unfamiliar, somewhat mysterious. Since when had that blockhead, who only knew how to train hard in swordsmanship every day, grown and qualitatively changed to such a degree?
"Indeed," she heard Lin Hui answer.
"Then, I can rest assured..." Weiwei sighed. "Father passing the position of Sect Master to you was indeed the correct choice."
"You aren't going to go out and verify it?" Lin Hui asked in surprise.
"You wouldn't joke about this kind of thing. Besides, one could clarify this matter just by going out and asking anyone randomly," Weiwei said calmly. "Since that's the case, I should also go pursue the happiness I want."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes. I have an agreement with someone to go to them. But I was tied down by the Clear Wind Temple and couldn't travel. Now, I finally have the time." Weiwei smiled. "From now on, the Clear Wind Sword Sect is entirely in your hands."
"..." Lin Hui could see she was serious.
After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Stay safe. Don't go near the edge of the mist zone."
"Don't worry." Weiwei smiled, turned back to her room, and began packing her luggage.
Without delay, she planned to set off immediately. The anticipation she had suppressed for so long erupted instantly, like uncontrollable magma spewing continuously from a volcano deep in her heart.
Not long after, the three of them left the Lin Manor. Weiwei walked in one direction, while Little Hu and Little Fatty walked toward the Clear Wind Temple.
Lin Hui stood at the gate, watching the backs of the three, especially Weiwei. He felt an inexplicable sensation in his heart that perhaps after this parting, the next time they met would be a long, long time from now...
….
Baishan Town.
The headquarters of the Hundred Flowers Sect.
This was a complex of gray-white buildings built against a mountain. Because they hugged the mountain body, more than half of the rooms were half-cave, half-stone towers.
A massive white stone stele for the Hundred Flowers Sect stood beside the inevitable path for entering and exiting. The characters were written with iron strokes and silver hooks, the calligraphy fluid, as if carved out forcefully by fingers.
At this moment, inside the largest and tallest six-story stone tower of this building complex.
A fat, pale woman, over two meters tall and extremely obese, was sitting upright on a wide, heavy stone throne. She stared gloomily at the female disciple reporting below.
"You're saying that guy Song Zhanlong is dead??!" The fat woman's face was full of astonishment. "Who could kill him? Even this old woman needs two consecutive palms to break his Black Dragon Body!"
The speaker was the current Sect Master of the Hundred Flowers Sect—Ou Tianrong.
"It is precisely so. The matter is absolutely true. Song Zhanlong's corpse has already been collected and buried. We saw it with our own eyes." The female disciple’s voice was clear, her enunciation distinct.
"And then you say, a junior from the Clear Wind Sword Sect, a young man, just happened to pick up the pieces and swallowed the remnants of the Black Dragon Gate in one gulp?" Hundred Flowers Sect Master Ou Tianrong continued.
"That is indeed the case."