Buddhist Sect's Greeting

Lin Su's heart immediately relaxed. That's it?

I thought they were going to break some organ in my body. I was scared to death...

The Third Elder's gaze swept across his face. Instead of finding panic, he saw a sense of relief. What's going on?

Lin Su poured the elder a cup of water. "Master, I don't have a spiritual root, so I don't have any cultivation to speak of. It's not like I'm having my cultivation crippled, right?"

The Third Elder froze...

The punishment that made cultivators turn pale with fear was treated by him with such indifference, and the reason was actually this.

Lin Su added, "As for being expelled from the sect, that's even less important. To be honest, Master, even if this hadn't happened, I would have wanted to go down the mountain. I don't have a spiritual root, so staying in the sect is just a waste of time. Why bother? So, please tell me today, Master, where do I come from? Do I have a family?"

This question was strange. Why would I need to ask others where I come from?

But coming from Lin Su, it was also normal.

Because when he transmigrated, the previous owner of this body had been struck by lightning, and his consciousness had vanished. He had asked his master who he was, but his master refused to tell him, only saying that he should focus on cultivation from now on, and that it would be better to forget about his family and worldly concerns.

Now that his path of cultivation was broken and he was about to leave the mountain, his master should tell him.

The Third Elder looked at the teacup in front of him for a long time. The water in the cup rippled without wind. After a long while, he slowly raised his head. "Since things have come to this, I should tell you. Everything I know was actually told to me by you when you first joined the sect. Whether it's true or false, it was all said by you..."

Hearing this, Lin Su's expression became somewhat constipated. What does this old man mean, shirking responsibility?

But what the old man said next shocked him...

He, Lin Su, was the third young master of the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate in the Great Cang Kingdom. The Marquis of Dingnan's Estate was facing a calamity. His father, the Marquis of Dingnan, sought help from the Buddhist Sect. A high monk from the Buddhist Sect gave him a cryptic verse: "Three paths unite, break the calamity and prosper greatly."

What did it mean? The most convincing explanation was that the Lin family had three sons, and if each followed a different path, they could break the calamity and bring great prosperity to the Lin family.

His eldest brother was a general on the border, corresponding to the Martial Way.

His second brother had outstanding literary talent and was already a Xiucai, corresponding to the Literary Way.

As for him, he had no choice but to choose the Immortal Way (cultivation is also called the Immortal Way). Therefore, his father, the Marquis of Dingnan, sent his capable subordinates to escort him to the Cloud Stream Sect for cultivation from afar.

—This was the reason he came to the Cloud Stream Sect.

This was also where the Third Elder felt quite conflicted. At that time, he respected the Marquis of Dingnan for guarding the border for the country and accepted this task. In the end, he couldn't help Lin Su step onto the path of cultivation, and now he was even facing the punishment of expulsion. He felt very sorry for this commission.

Lin Su sighed, "So, my coming to the Cloud Stream Sect was actually based on a Buddhist cryptic verse. Master, is this high monk reliable?"

The old man said, "I don't even know who this high monk is, but since your father trusts him so much, he must be an extraordinary master."

Damn it! He's really good at passing the buck!

Lin Su shook his head. "No matter how extraordinary his background or how profound his cultivation, he can't get past one dead end: my coming to the Cloud Stream Sect was clearly a mistake." He had no spiritual root and couldn't cultivate; this was a hard fact.

The old man agreed with this point. "Actually, I've had a suspicion for a long time. It's not that I doubt the Buddhist monk's cryptic verse, but I suspect... you and your elder brother have made a mistake. Perhaps you are suited for the Martial Way, and your elder brother is suited for cultivation."

Lin Su smiled. "I agree with Master's judgment. We brothers must have gotten the task assignment wrong. But the possibility of me and my second brother getting it wrong is even greater. Perhaps I am more suited for the Literary Way."

The Literary Way, studying!

And in his mind, there was a withered tree. Each leaf was a copier. It came alive when it encountered books, directly copying them. This kind of cheat, so closely related to books, used for the Literary Way... what's the word for it? A match made in heaven!

The old man directly rejected this idea. "This is absolutely impossible!"

His tone was decisive!

Now Lin Su was truly unconvinced. "Why?"

The old man said, "What do you think the Literary Way is? Do you think you're suited for the Literary Way just because you recognize a few words? The Literary Way is profound and vast. It is the foremost of the five ways. Top Literary Way Great Confucians can kill powerful enemies with a single stroke of their brush, shatter the heavens with a single character, and change the world with incredible magic. Correspondingly, the threshold is also incredibly high. Your second brother is already a Xiucai and has forged the Azure Literary Platform. He is the undisputed choice for the Literary Way. You still want to swap with him?"

What?

Lin Su was a bit bewildered.

What did "kill powerful enemies with a single stroke of their brush" and "shatter the heavens with a single character" mean?

What was the "Azure Literary Platform"?

Why did this Literary Way seem like a completely different thing from his understanding of it?

"Master, I'm about to go down the mountain, and I probably won't be able to listen to your teachings anymore. Master, why don't you tell me about the affairs of the world? As the ancient saying goes: 'To impart the Way, to teach knowledge, to resolve doubts' is the kindness of a teacher."

Perhaps it was the "ancient saying" that placed an unshakeable shackle on the old man's head.

Perhaps it was the tinge of sadness of imminent departure.

Perhaps it was the old man's nature as a keeper of the pavilion for many years, his innate tendency to discuss the Dao.

He spoke, and he spoke quite in detail...

Lin Su's heart churned like the sea, instantly enduring a category 12 typhoon...

This world was an incredibly wondrous place.

There was literature and martial arts, cultivation, demons, and devils, all combining to form its magical foundation.

The most magical of all was the Literary Way.

Scholars were not the epitome of fragility; on the contrary, they represented the pinnacle of combat power!

Poetry, songs, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting could stir the mighty power of the Literary Way and unleash real destructive force!

"Kill powerful enemies with a single stroke of their brush" was not an abstract description; it could literally sever heads.

A single word can shatter the heavens, truly allowing one to fly.

Changing the sky and transforming the earth is not just an abstract writing technique. Great Confucians of high rank can truly make mountains fall, rivers flow backward, and the land flip over...

He also deciphered a sentence from the library yesterday. A disciple said: "The Saintess is in a bad mood. Could her southern journey have not gone smoothly?"

Another disciple replied, "It really wasn't smooth. She encountered a big fish."

At the time, he thought these illiterate senior disciples didn't know how to use quantifiers. Now he knew they weren't talking about a "big fish" at all, but a "Great Confucian"—a special species within the Literary Way!

However, something was strange.

Lin Su asked, "Master, if the Literary Way is so miraculous, why has no one in the sect ever mentioned it? I've been in the sect for several months, and only today did Master bring it up."

As soon as he said this, the Third Elder fell silent, his expression quite odd...

Finally, he spoke...

Within the Cloud Stream Sect, the Literary Way is quite taboo. I will tell you the cause and effect. Firstly, I fear you might not know the background and inadvertently break the sect's taboos. Secondly, as your master, I want to impart some life lessons to you.

The sect listed the Literary Way as a taboo because the Sect Master was deeply harmed by it.

When she was still the Saintess, she traveled the world and encountered a Great Confucian of the Literary Way. This Great Confucian wronged her, and she gave birth to a daughter, who is the young lady Lin Su saw today—the one who dragged him out of the Dao Seeking Pavilion.

This Great Confucian was a scoundrel, who abandoned her after seducing her. From then on, the Sect Master harbored a deep hatred for the Literary Way.

Five years later, the Sect Master traveled thousands of miles to seek revenge on that beast.

The result was a mess...

After returning, she gave birth to another daughter. This daughter is the Cloud Stream Sect's Saintess, Meng Zhu.

Having been violated twice, the Sect Master's Dao root was damaged, and her reputation was severely tarnished.

The entire Cloud Stream Sect united against this common enemy, with the understanding that insulting our Sect Master was insulting our ancestors. They then listed the Literary Way as a taboo.

Therefore, in the future, when facing fellow disciples of Cloud Stream, do not mention the Literary Way. Furthermore, you must remember that the most crucial thing in life is to uphold your bottom line and know what not to do...

Lin Su's eyes widened...

Sect Master, your first "harm" could be explained as meeting the wrong person, but what do you call the second "harm"? Traveling thousands of miles for revenge, going off with great bravado, and returning pregnant—Damn! What kind of revenge were you seeking?

Out of respect for the Sect Master and considering that he was still a Cloud Stream disciple, Lin Su refrained from making any gossipy remarks and could only nod like a pecking chicken.

After much deliberation and weighing all factors, the Third Elder finally made up his mind. Forget it. You are no longer suitable to stay in the Cloud Stream Sect, legally, morally, or logically. You should leave...

Lin Su packed his personal belongings. Xiao Yao followed him in and out. For the first time, her cute face lost its smile. Lin Su patted her head by the door and told her, "Xiao Yao, big brother has to leave. You should stay with Master..."

Xiao Yao's eyes suddenly misted over, tears welling up...

Lin Su couldn't continue. "You want to come with me, don't you?"

Xiao Yao nodded desperately. "Brother, Xiao Yao can cook, and she can do laundry. Xiao Yao remembers all the dishes you taught me. Brother just said earlier that Xiao Yao is especially good at plucking chicken feathers..."

She rattled off all her merits, exaggerating them, then looked up at Lin Su with pleading eyes.

The Third Elder's voice came from the side, "Take her with you. The Marquis's Estate probably won't be short of an extra pair of chopsticks."

Lin Su thought for a moment. "The mountain is peaceful and safe, but everything below is unknown. It could be the luxurious life of the Marquis's Estate, or it could be full of hardships. Alright, we'll go together. If we can't make it, we'll cry together."

Xiao Yao let out a cheer, grabbed Lin Su's sleeve, and wiped her tears on it.

On their last night at the Cloud Stream Sect, Lin Su made the Third Elder another sumptuous dinner, though unfortunately, there was no wine.

After dinner, the Third Elder sat alone on the peak of the Dao Discussion Pavilion, lost in thought.

Xiao Yao sat by Lin Su's bed. She refused to go to sleep, no matter how much he told her to. When Lin Su fell asleep, the girl grabbed his sleeve. She finally succumbed to sleepiness, but even in her deepest slumber, she didn't let go of Lin Su's sleeve, worried her brother might sneak away in the middle of the night.

The next morning, they prepared to set off.

Just as the Third Elder was about to see them off, a silver boat descended from the sky, landing outside the courtyard gate. Lin Su's heart tightened. Was there one more tribulation before he left?

Although he had truly not overstepped when "treating" her the day before, he knew she was a Saintess, raised under feudal etiquette!

Moreover, he later learned that her family had a "tragic" history of being hurt repeatedly by men!