After a whole night of patching and mending, the wall was finally rebuilt at dawn.
After washing the mud and sand from his hands, Mo Hong came to the front courtyard and cupped his fists toward Lin Tianlu. "Mister Lin, the wall has been repaired. It's just that young lady from the Hua Family..."
He cautiously poked his head out and swept his gaze around several times. "Why can't I see her anywhere?"
After being watched by Hua Shuya with icy eyes for the entire night, even a grandmaster of swordsmanship would have felt his spine turn cold, still shaken to the core.
He couldn't help feeling that the neighbors' rumors he had heard last night were indeed true... That girl really was like a yaksha from the Nine Serenities, awe-inspiring and terrifying.
"I deliberately sent Miss Hua back to rest. Old sir, you don't need to be so frightened."
Lin Tianlu smiled.
He seemed to think of something and hurriedly said, "I wonder if you happen to have any martial arts manuals that I could borrow for a little study?"
"Manuals?" Mo Hong asked in astonishment. "With Mister Lin's extraordinary talent, why would you still need martial arts manuals from the martial world?"
"What extraordinary talent could I possibly have? It's merely a rumor spread by outsiders."
Lin Tianlu gave two sheepish laughs. "Besides, I'm rather interested in those martial arts that let one run along eaves and walls. In my spare time, I'd like to practice a little. If I could learn even one or two moves, I'd have something to defend myself with when I went out, and wouldn't have to worry about mountain bandits robbing me."
Mo Hong's expression turned strange.
In this world, what bandit could possibly have the ability to snatch anything from you?
But then he thought it over. Could it be that Mister Lin wanted to study these martial arts manuals so he could draw upon the strengths of a hundred schools and create an unparalleled martial art?
He hurriedly fished an ancient book from his robes and solemnly handed it to Lin Tianlu.
"Mister, this 'Soaring Dragon Phantom Step' was something I happened to acquire while traveling the world. Its footwork is exquisite and contains profound principles. Once cultivated to a high level, it may even allow one to briefly tread upon empty air. It is truly formidable. I practiced it for five years and have now reached the fourth level, but I still haven't grasped the final level.
"But with Mister Lin's cultivation realm, I'm sure these five levels of Phantom Step will be brought back into the world and shine brightly once more."
Lin Tianlu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he took the manual with extraordinary care.
"Thank you, old sir. I don't even know how I should repay you."
"Not at all. Being able to befriend Mister Lin is already this old man's good fortune."
With a smile on his face, Mo Hong retreated several steps and bowed. "The high wall has been rebuilt, so I won't impose any longer. Until we meet again, Mister Lin. This old man is off!"
With a long roar toward the sky, the old man's figure blurred, radiating a bold, dragon-like magnificence—
He cautiously jogged over to pull open the gate of the residence and stepped outside.
Then he turned around, cupped his fists toward the courtyard, smiled warmly, and casually closed the gate behind him.
"..."
Lin Tianlu's mouth twitched at the sight.
This old sir was probably halfway to becoming a comedian.
"Senior, has Swordsman Mo Hong already left?"
Hua Shuya leaned out from the inner courtyard and glanced toward the gate.
Lin Tianlu nodded. "That old sir has had an epiphany regarding the martial arts realm. He should be looking for a quiet place to cultivate properly. Naturally, he won't stay any longer."
Hua Shuya pursed her pink lips and gave a soft snort. "That man was shouting and yelling so early in the morning. He must have disturbed the neighbors again."
Lin Tianlu's expression stiffened.
Indeed—
Although that roar had been brimming with heroic spirit, it had also been genuinely noisy.
Judging by the time, it was probably around six or seven in the morning. He could only hope that the neighbors in the nearby houses wouldn't come knocking to complain.
Hua Shuya walked over and lightly blinked her beautiful eyes.
"What did Swordsman Mo Hong leave for you, Senior?"
Lin Tianlu pulled his wandering thoughts back and smiled as he waved the manual in his hand. "That old sir left me a manual on movement techniques."
"A manual?"
Hua Shuya's brows drew together slightly.
Why had that old man left such a shabby return gift?
But seeing the relaxed delight between Lin Tianlu's brows, she didn't complain further.
"Then wait here for a moment, Senior. I'll go to the market and buy two breakfasts."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"No, it's no trouble."
Hua Shuya gave a shy cough, her pretty face faintly flushed, and quietly departed.
With no one else at home, Lin Tianlu simply sat down and began flipping through the manual in his hands.
But after only a few glances, he couldn't help letting out a soft cry of surprise.
The profound incantations and mental cultivation methods he had imagined were nowhere to be found.
Nor were there any of the multicolored special effects that usually appeared when one flipped through a divine martial manual.
On the contrary, the pages were filled with all sorts of detailed drawings of little figures. They looked almost like a picture book.
Hmm, the manual had even been divided into two parts... a male version and a female version.
"The illustrations are pretty good. At least they look vaguely human."
Lin Tianlu examined them with great interest and copied the poses from the illustrations, moving his body a couple of times.
But soon, an extremely peculiar expression appeared on his face.
"Why does this look like street dancing?"
He tried imitating the figures in the diagrams, crossing and stamping his feet one after another before turning around on the spot.
All he lacked was striking a pose with his hands.
"..."
Lin Tianlu flipped through the manual for quite a while longer before finally snapping it shut.
All right, it wasn't street dancing.
It was elderly disco.
"It really is a martial art that old sir would bring out. It suits his age group perfectly."
Lin Tianlu couldn't help sighing.
Of course, that wasn't to say the manual was a worthless fake.
The strange, asynchronous footwork that looked like elderly disco was actually a wondrous movement technique that had to be performed alongside profound internal energy. Without internal energy to complement it, it naturally became nothing more than empty movements—awkward and comical to watch.
The book did contain a corresponding method for circulating internal energy. But the prerequisite was having internal energy in the first place.
Lin Tianlu scratched his head, wondering whether the Spiritual Energy coiled within his body could serve as a substitute.
"Ah, I nearly forgot. I can't even mobilize this Spiritual Energy of mine."
He shook his head with an amused laugh and simply strolled into the courtyard, walking back and forth at will.
Although he lacked internal energy to cultivate the movement technique, there was no harm in occasionally using it as morning exercise and a warm-up.
Cultivating immortality and the Way really did require health preservation above all else.
Add in a few stretches and chest-expanding exercises, and it could count as his daily morning radio calisthenics.
Knock, knock, knock—
But at that moment, someone suddenly knocked on the gate.
"Another visitor?"
Lin Tianlu raised his brows, put away the manual, and quickly went forward to pull open the gate.
"Who is it... Madam Mao?"
Mao Ruoyu was standing outside the residence.
She was wearing an elegant light-colored ruqun, a long robe and gauze wrapped around her body. Her delicate face, lightly adorned with makeup, carried a hint of gentle charm.
Their gazes met. She hurriedly lowered her brows, inclined her body, and gave a graceful salute. "Good morning, Mister Lin."
"Madam, you look much better today." Lin Tianlu revealed a gentle smile. "May I ask what brings you here?"
Mao Ruoyu hesitated, her expression conflicted.
Lin Tianlu gently reassured her, "Madam, there's no need to hurry. Take your time and think it through."
"Actually, I..." Mao Ruoyu's heart pounded wildly, and her breathing quickened. Fine beads of sweat had even begun to appear on her forehead. After remaining silent for a long while, she seemed to steel herself and suddenly shouted, "I want to stay by Mister Lin's side!"
Huh?!
Lin Tianlu froze. "Madam, what did you just..."
But Mao Ruoyu's reaction was even more unexpected.
She hurriedly covered her red lips, her face filled with shock and panic, then quickly explained, "No, no, I only meant to say... Mister Lin has no relatives or family in Changling County, so there are many inconveniences.
"Besides, you took such good care of me yesterday. I was thinking... I could prepare some meals for you whenever possible, so you wouldn't go hungry."
By the time she finished, she was already stammering, her face covered in a brilliant flush that might have come from embarrassment or urgency.
Only then did Lin Tianlu relax. He gave an awkward laugh. "I appreciate your kindness, Madam. But I can still properly prepare three meals a day myself. There's no need for you to trouble yourself."
"But don't you still have to read a lot of books every day, Mister Lin?" Mao Ruoyu said softly. "It wouldn't be any trouble for me to make a little extra food while I'm at it. If you truly feel uncomfortable, then... you can just pay me some wages."
Lin Tianlu paused slightly, then quickly understood.
He had almost forgotten.
This woman before him was raising a child alone. Although she had a residence, her home was in complete disarray with no one to clean it, and she probably had very little source of income.
And raising a child to adulthood was bound to be a considerable expense. An additional source of income would at least lessen the burden on the family.
Thinking this, Lin Tianlu quickly cupped his fists. "Then I'll respectfully accept your offer. Since you're being so kind, I won't refuse any longer."
"Thank you for your favor, Mister." Mao Ruoyu gently gathered her hair with one hand, her eyes darting away. "Then starting tomorrow, I'll come to your residence and help with the cooking."
After saying this hurriedly, she immediately lifted her skirt and hurried away, her figure seeming somewhat flustered.
"Madam—"
Lin Tianlu reached out as if to say something, but after reconsidering, he didn't call her back.
As for the wages, he might as well give her a little more. It truly wasn't easy for a single woman to raise a child in ancient times.
Of course, there was another reason...
Having such a stunning beauty with an exquisite figure managing the household and cooking really was easy on the eyes.
The money was well spent.
"I didn't expect that I'm still tempted by beauty after all."
Lin Tianlu gave two self-mocking laughs and closed the gate once more.
He also felt somewhat relieved. Fortunately, the Spiritual Energy within his body hadn't turned him into a man without desires.
Before you continue