Siblings Enter the World

The Little Saintess's expression remained calm as she bowed to the Third Elder. "Third Elder, you have suffered greatly from your long journey. Allow this disciple to see this young master home."

Lin Su's heart leapt violently. No, Master, don't agree to her. If you do, her "seeing off" will definitely go horribly wrong. I might end up being kneaded flat by her...

But the Third Elder had already nodded. "Very well... I leave it to the Saintess."

The Little Saintess turned to Lin Su. "Young Master Lin, please board the boat. This little sister will see you on your way."

Lin Su's heart bristled with unease, but he had no choice. He steeled himself and stepped onto her silver boat. The boat broke through the void, carrying Lin Su and Xiao Yao on their journey home.

White clouds drifted past their ears. In the blink of an eye, Cloud Stream Sect was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Su's gaze shifted to the Little Saintess at the bow of the boat. His mind was already brewing a pile of arguments—some upright, some crooked, some outright devious. In any case, he was determined to pull off a grand bluff and get through this immediate calamity first...

The Little Saintess spoke first. "You violated the sect rules, and my sister dragged you out of the Dao Seeking Pavilion, making you bear what you could not bear. You deserved it. But you cured my affliction, and that is a fact. Today, I see you off with genuine sincerity."

What?

Lin Su was greatly surprised. She wasn't here to knead him flat? She was genuinely seeing him off?

You and your sister didn't communicate?

Well, that made sense. After all, she was a Saintess raised under feudal etiquette. Who would be comfortable dwelling on sensitive matters with others?

He relaxed completely. "Saintess... you truly have principles!"

"That is natural!" The Little Saintess smiled slightly. "In the jianghu, one acts with swift vengeance and gratitude. Those who offend this young lady, I will chase to the ends of the earth and never let go. But those who show me kindness, I repay with kindness."

What?

Leaving didn't mean it was over? There might still be consequences in the future?

Lin Su's just-relaxed nerves tightened again. He forced a smile. "The Saintess jests. With your heavenly grace and broad-mindedness, how could you be one to hold grudges? Speaking of which, your recovery from this affliction is also thanks to your broad-mindedness."

The Saintess was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Lin Su said, "Your affliction is called 'Thousand Knots.' It stems from stubbornness and ends with letting go. If it recurs in the future, you only need to release your fixation and achieve a clear mind. At most, it will subside in four days."

Hearing this explanation, the Saintess felt immense gratitude in her heart.

And immense relief.

Fortunately, she had harbored good thoughts today and seen him off. Otherwise, how would she have learned the true solution to "Thousand Knots"?

The elders said that good thoughts bring good rewards. Truly, they did not deceive her!

She had no idea that this "true solution" was prompted by a single sentence from her.

Lin Su was a bit afraid that when she came down with "that thing" next month, she would vengefully chase him to the ends of the earth. So he gave her a preemptive warning—once that happens, you must first self-reflect, then let go of the fixation to trouble Lin Mouren. Most miraculously, this "affliction" would truly heal in four days!

But Lin Su also had his bottom line. "Let go of fixation, achieve a clear mind"—for anyone, this counted as good medicine. It could cure illness when sick and maintain health when not. It wouldn't go so far as to trick the Little Saintess into ruin...

The atmosphere along the way was quite pleasant. Blue skies, white clouds, a spring breeze stretching ten thousand miles. Lin Su, moved by the scenery, felt like chanting a few poems or singing a verse of "Blue skies above, white clouds drift, beneath the clouds something runs—who knows what?" Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten the Little Saintess's "tragic" life experience before him, so he suppressed the urge to chant poems or sing, not wanting to provoke her with literary dao.

Before long, the silver boat descended from the sky. A great river came into view, and an ancient city lay beneath their feet.

"Haining City, Qu Prefecture, has arrived!" The Saintess landed her silver boat outside the city. "If fate allows, we shall meet again in the jianghu!"

"Is there really a chance we'll meet again?" Lin Su murmured.

"There is. Perhaps you can seek out that Buddhist monk and ask him why your dao gate cannot open. Once you break through that gate, you and Cloud Stream Sect will have a day to meet again on the path of cultivation..."

The silver boat rose into the sky and vanished without a trace in an instant.

Lin Su stared blankly at Xiao Yao. "Finally back in the mortal world, Xiao Yao. What do you want most?"

Xiao Yao licked her lips. "A bag of candy beans!"

Lin Su shot her a sideways glance. "Look at your ambition... Dare to ask for something bigger?"

"...Two bags of candy beans!"

Lin Su burst out laughing and took her hand. "Come on! Let's head back to the estate first, then I'll find you candy beans all over the city..."

Haining Prefecture was a prefecture under Qu Prefecture, with counties beneath it. In modern terms, it was a prefecture-level city.

In this era, naturally, there were no steel-and-concrete skyscrapers, no bustling traffic. But there were pavilions and towers, boundless scenery. Lin Su looked at the carved beams and painted rafters lining the streets, at the passersby in silk finery or barely clothed rags, and listened to the calls of "Sir, take care" and "Sir, please come in" drifting from the taverns. It all felt quite novel.

Books said that feudal society had sparse populations, far less dense than modern society. But that didn't apply to this world.

Even a small prefectural city recreated the bustling prosperity of Great Song's Bianliang that Lin Su had imagined.

Yet he also knew this wasn't Great Song. This world was far more mysterious and strange.

Even within the city, clues were everywhere. For example, he spotted several strange mounts—half wolf, half horse. For example, within sight, a man walked across the Yangtze River atop the waves. This man didn't seem like a cultivator; rather, he resembled a scholar.

Xiao Yao had been wiping her mouth the whole way. She started wiping when she smelled the tavern's aromas, and again when they passed a fruit stall. Lin Su knew she was hungry—he was hungry himself. The Little Saintess didn't really partake in mortal worldly affairs, and she hadn't prepared any food on her silver boat. After more than a dozen hours, the brother and sister who had entered the mortal world were both starving, their stomachs nearly touching their backs. But they had no money.

They had barely managed to swindle half a jar of silver, and the Third Elder had scattered it all. They didn't have a single copper coin between them.

So Lin Su could only comfort her. "Girl, bear with it a little longer. When we get home, my estate is a marquis's residence. What food won't we have? I'll make you a feast—roast chicken, roast lamb, one after another. Whole ones!"

The girl's mouth watered uncontrollably.

Lin Su led her to a cloth shop. The old man inside looked up. "This young master, would you like some clothes made?"

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask—where is the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate?"

But the old man's expression turned strange. He furrowed his brow slightly. "Young master isn't from around here, is he?"

"...Shopkeeper, why would you ask that?" Lin Su frowned as well.

The old man said, "Because everyone around here knows—the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate has been implicated. There's no Marquis of Dingnan's Estate anymore..."

What? Lin Su's face changed drastically!

Beside him, Xiao Yao's face changed too!

"What happened? Shopkeeper, tell me..."

The shopkeeper looked left and right. No one was paying attention. He lowered his voice and spoke...

Three months ago, the Marquis of Dingnan was implicated. His Majesty decreed his decapitation. The title of Marquis of Dingnan was stripped. All estate properties and fiefs were confiscated. The servants and underlings scattered like monkeys when the tree falls. In this world, there was no longer a Marquis of Dingnan's Estate. Fortunately, His Majesty was merciful, leaving the widows and orphans their former residence. Over there, see it?

At this moment, Lin Su felt a sense of loss, and a nameless sorrow.

The home he had finally found was already broken, its people gone.

He had traveled ten thousand miles back, only to find it wasn't what he imagined.

Though he wasn't a person of this world, and had no real connection to the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate in his heart, he still felt an emptiness—hard to understand, yet very real...

A touch came to Lin Su's hand. Xiao Yao gripped him tightly. "Brother, don't be sad. Xiao Yao is here with you..."

She had known the pain of losing loved ones. After losing her home, the world had been as cold as an ice cellar to her—until her brother appeared, and she smelled the fragrance of spring flowers again, saw the colors of sunlight. But now, her brother's home had also fallen. She didn't know how to comfort him, so she just took his hand and told him, Brother, don't cry. Xiao Yao is here...

He didn't cry, but she was the first to shed tears.

Lin Su gently wiped her tears away. "Let's go. Home."

They walked through the bustling streets. Ahead lay a large courtyard, backed by tall mountains, neighboring the Ten Thousand Mile Yangtze River to the left. How Do I See It? It should have been a prosperous place. Yet weeds grew wild before the gate, and a stray dog foraged alone—instantly painting a perfect picture of a marquis's estate in ruin.

With a creak of the desolate door hinge, Lin Su stepped into the former Marquis of Dingnan's Estate—the home of this body he inhabited.

The empty front courtyard had no one. Not a single person. Only rampant weeds, covering over the former glory.

Entering the rear courtyard, a maid stepped out of the main hall. The moment her eyes landed on Lin Su's face, she let out a sky-shaking shout: "Third Young Master... Madam, Third Young Master is back!"

From inside the hall behind her came a clatter, as if something had been knocked over. Soon, a woman around forty or fifty years old, supported by a young man in his twenties, emerged from within. The moment she saw Lin Su, she grew agitated. A flush of sickly red appeared on her pale, haggard face. Tears streamed from her eyes. She rushed forward a few steps, grabbed Lin Su's hands, and sobbed, "San Lang, you've finally come back. Mother was afraid this illness would take me away, and I'd never see you one last time..."

Feeling her surging emotions, feeling the warmth of her hands, ripples quietly stirred in Lin Su's heart. If he had the habit of keeping a diary, he might have written this:

On the eighty-third day since crossing over to this world, I returned to my predecessor's home.

The marquis's estate was already so ruined it showed no hope. Everyone seemed to have reached the end of their road.

In theory, I have no connection to the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate. But perhaps blood has a mysterious pull—I clearly felt deep maternal love and brotherly affection.

A boat sails ten thousand miles, yet there is always a Path Home. This drifting vessel of mine has finally docked.

The maid Xiao Tao brought thin congee, so clear the bottom was visible, along with two Steamed Cornbread Buns—yellow, hard. If they were taken to the world Lin Su had once lived in, even a dog might refuse them. But Lin Su and Xiao Yao ate them heartily. During the meal, Mother kept clutching his clothes, as if afraid that if she let go, he would run away.

After the meal, the Second Brother beside him said softly, "Mother, Third Brother is back now. You can rest assured. Let me write another Qi Guiding Text for you, to help you recover soon."

"Er Lang, you shouldn't overwork yourself..."

"Don't worry, Mother. I can still manage."

He took out a sheet of golden paper and opened an ink box. A strange, faint fragrance filled the room. Second Brother's brush fell upon the golden paper, writing a text...

"The qi of heaven and earth, the majesty of the Literary Way. Man stands by bone, qi enters man..."

Golden light radiated. The sunset outside the window dimmed, as if the evening glow had melted into the words.

And Second Brother's face grew pale, Little by Little. He wrote with immense strain, as if every character falling on the golden paper was devouring his energy. Halfway through the text, the golden light flickered. His brush tip trembled. As the final stroke landed, Second Brother's body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

Xiao Tao unbuttoned the collar of Mother's neck. Her neck was densely covered with characters—"The qi of heaven and earth, the majesty of the Literary Way..." Layer Upon Layer. The dark ones were tinged with faint red; the light ones were nearly faded away.

This new text was pressed onto Mother's neck. The golden characters on the paper vanished completely, transferring to her neck. Mother's pale face flushed red. She let out a soft breath and slowly closed her eyes.

Lin Su watched in amazement. This Is the power of the Literary Way—it could even heal?

Second Brother slowly straightened up. "Third Brother, Mother is asleep. Come with me to the Ancestral Hall to burn incense for Father."

When Father was beheaded, Lin Su was at Cloud Stream Sect. He hadn't even received word. Now that he was home, it was only right to burn incense for Father.