Tianbo Water Pavilion lay shrouded in misty rain rising from the Great Pond, accompanied by the gentle spring breeze and carrying a touch of ease.
The assassination turmoil at the Quiet Street Entrance had already subsided. Though the three women in the water pavilion had never left the manor, they all knew something of what had happened.
Madam Hua was graceful and luxurious, her exquisite face bearing no Traces of Time, yet the depth in her eyes only accentuated her mature charm.
As she looked at the refined, handsome youth standing before her, whose body seemed to radiate fighting spirit and fearlessness, the appreciation in her eyes grew ever stronger.
An Le's hair had been soaked by the unrestrained spring rain and had yet to dry. Though damp and dripping, it could not wash away the restrained yet unyielding fighting spirit within him.
Even Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin could see the difference in An Le. It was a transformation of temperament.
"You need not thank me. This time, you were implicated by Lin Manor."
Madam Hua looked at An Le, her red lips parting as she said seriously, "If you do not wish to paint for Lin Manor, you may say so now. Those ten Primordial Spirit Treasures and the two manuals shall be considered Lin Manor's compensation to you."
Hearing this, An Le shook his head. "Madam, you overstate it. Since I agreed to paint for the young masters of Lin Manor, I naturally will not shrink back over a little hardship and go against my word. If I did, how could I speak of cultivation? My thoughts would no longer flow freely."
"I shall remember the kindness of gifting me the 'Five Animal Body Tempering Technique' and the 'Sword Waterfall Diagram.' The value of those two cultivation manuals is far beyond that of a single painting. One day, An Le will surely repay it."
An Le spoke with equal seriousness.
"You do not resent it? Had I not intervened, even if you had not died today, your Dao heart would have been covered in dust. You began enlightenment late to begin with. If your Dao heart were covered in dust, your path of cultivation would become harder than climbing to the heavens."
Upon hearing An Le's words, Madam Hua's lips curved upward in satisfaction, but she continued.
"Resent? Of course I resent it. Although Luo Qingchen was cowed by Madam's intervention and even had his Dao heart thrown into disarray, that was because Madam acted for Lin Manor's dignity. I naturally resent Luo Qingchen as well, but this grievance will be collected one day."
"A gentleman repays virtue with virtue, but repays resentment with integrity."
"Lin Manor has treated me well, and I am grateful in my heart. Luo Qingchen looked down on me and even sought to ruin my cultivation. Naturally, I bear resentment in my heart."
An Le spoke calmly.
Within the main hall of the water pavilion, the youth's words rang sonorous and forceful, striking the ground like falling stones.
The youth harbored resentment in his heart. He did not conceal it, nor did he pretend to be magnanimous and laugh it away.
Madam Hua smiled, the appreciation in her eyes for An Le growing ever stronger. He had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation, yet he spoke of one day settling the score with Luo Qingchen.
He truly had courage. He truly feared nothing.
"Do you know who Luo Qingchen is?"
Madam Hua personally poured An Le a cup of tea, a teasing smile hanging on her beautiful face.
An Le respectfully accepted the hot tea and took a sip. The fragrance of the tea spread freely, dispelling the faint chill that the spring rain had accumulated in his body.
"Luo Qingchen, the foremost talent of the Qingzhou Luo Family. He entered stillness at five, transcended worldliness at ten, and produced a Primordial Spirit in his Niwan Palace at eighteen. At twenty-five, he entered the state of Sitting in Forgetfulness. His Martial Body Tempering cultivation was likewise exceptional. At twenty-six, carrying the force of the Innate, he ascended to Lin'an and challenged the outstanding talents of the realm..."
"He challenged two geniuses of the capital and won both battles, unrivaled in prominence. Second Master of the Academy even personally accepted him."
Madam Hua spoke lightly, recounting Luo Qingchen's deeds.
An Le listened attentively. It had to be said that Luo Qingchen truly was a genius.
"However, in his third battle, he believed the sword intent he had nurtured was sufficient, so he went to Feixue Hall to challenge the Legendary Scholar Li You'an. He wished to step upon the Legendary Scholar and enter the Academy with unmatched splendor."
"Unfortunately, Li You'an defeated him in a single move with vast spiritual power, even leaving his Dao heart covered in dust... He stagnated in Sitting in Forgetfulness for more than ten years, wasting away in the Academy. Only after Prime Minister Qin gave him the East Sea Heart Cleansing Pearl did he cleanse the dust from his Dao heart and break through to the Fifth Realm..."
An Le drew in a sharp breath, catching a crucial piece of information.
Behind Luo Qingchen stood Prime Minister Qin!
The current prime minister of Great Zhao, whose power soared to the heavens!
No wonder Luo Qingchen had dared to attack him so unscrupulously at the Quiet Street Entrance. Prime Minister Qin was backing him.
No matter how inexperienced An Le was in worldly affairs, he knew that the relationship between Lin Manor and Prime Minister Qin was far from harmonious. It could even be called a feud.
"The gap between you and Luo Qingchen is immense. He is a cultivator beyond the Fifth Realm, while you have only just opened your qi and blood and entered stillness with your spiritual power—a newcomer to cultivation. Do you still dare to contend with him?"
Madam Hua asked with a light smile.
At that question, the water pavilion fell so silent that only the sound of spring rain striking the tiles remained.
Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin also looked over curiously.
Yet An Le did not ponder for long. He smiled gently. "Cultivation is about allowing one's thoughts to flow freely. If I were timid and hesitant, if I lacked the courage and boldness to march toward Tiger Mountain even knowing a tiger waits there, then what would I cultivate for? Why would I suffer to embark upon the path of cultivation?"
"Besides, Madam, An Le is still cultivating. Who is to say I cannot rise later and surpass him? Today, Madam caused Luo Qingchen's Dao heart to be covered in dust once more. Perhaps one day, I, An Le, may also make Luo Qingchen's Dao heart collapse. Who can say?"
Silence!
The entirety of Tianbo Water Pavilion was silent to the extreme, with only the rolling sound of boiling water in the brazier remaining.
After a moment, Madam Hua covered her mouth and laughed. Her laughter grew louder and heavier.
"Not bad. A youth with lofty spirit, neither servile nor overbearing, fearless and unafraid. Very good."
"One who cultivates should possess a fearless heart. Their bold spirit should soar ten thousand zhang high; once they grasp a sword, they should dare challenge immortals in the heavens." Madam Hua covered her mouth, her hand patting her lush thigh as she laughed with great delight.
It was as though, in that instant, some concern in her heart had been laid bare. She felt the relief and enlightenment of clouds parting to reveal clear skies.
Within the water pavilion, An Le and the two women, Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin, looked at one another. His words were filled with grand ambition. What was so funny about them?
"Enough, enough. Go. Since you have chosen Lin Manor and do not regret it, Lin Manor will naturally protect you. From now on, in Lin'an, so long as I, Hua Jiebing, remain here for a day, I will protect you for a day and allow you to cultivate in peace."
Madam Hua's smile remained, but her words were earnest.
An Le could not help being moved. With those words, Madam Hua was essentially willing to become An Le's protector on the Dao. This was only the second time he had met Madam Hua; calling them strangers who had met by chance would not be an exaggeration. Yet Madam Hua had first lit a green lamp upon his path of cultivation, and now she would protect his Dao...
This kindness was truly weighty.
"Many thanks, Madam Hua. An Le will remember this great kindness."
An Le bowed deeply.
Madam Hua nodded slightly, then spread open the Confucian scholar's book once more and began reading.
"Ninth Sister, Zhuifeng, take Young Master An to find the young masters. I wish to read quietly for a while."
Madam Hua leaned back against the couch once more, her gaze falling upon the yellowed book as she spoke indifferently.
An Le took his leave and departed Tianbo Water Pavilion together with Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin.
After the figures of An Le and the others blurred into the misty, rain-washed spring scenery,
Madam Hua finally moved her gaze away from the Confucian scholar's book and murmured softly, "Unfortunately, I do not have many days left in Lin'an. How far can you walk?"
Spring wind poured through the corridor, lifting the hems of the three people's robes.
"Young Master An, Fourth Master went to Lanke Temple half a year ago and has yet to return. Otherwise, you should have painted Fourth Master first." Lin Zhuifeng had a fire poker tucked at her waist, while her round, lively eyes watched An Le curiously.
"Fourth Master Lin?" An Le could not help nodding upon hearing that.
He guessed that since he was painting portraits for the young masters of Lin Manor, their status would naturally proceed from high to low. Fourth Master Lin ought to be a distinguished figure of the same generation as Madam Hua.
Within the present Lin Manor, the highest in status was naturally Old Madam. Below her should be Madam Hua and Fourth Master Lin.
"Fourth Master's identity is rather special... If Young Master An paints Fourth Master, you should be careful."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Zhuifeng offered a reminder.
An Le was stunned, confusion appearing on his face.
Lin Qingyin had come along to learn painting. Seeing that An Le seemed somewhat puzzled, she explained, "Fourth Uncle once led troops against the Golden Wolf Army of the Yuan Meng Empire. He was defeated and captured, then held under house arrest in the Yuan Meng Empire for sixty years... He changed his name, taking the Lin surname and the name Yimu, calling himself Qingfeng. He married a Princess of the Yuan Meng Empire, and now that he has returned to Lin'an, people naturally gossip..."
An Le was inwardly astonished upon hearing this.
Captured by the Yuan Meng Empire, yet he had actually married a princess before returning to Lin'an? This... was rather remarkable.
An Le became somewhat interested in this Fourth Master Lin.
To marry a princess within an imperial camp as a prisoner, then return safely to Great Zhao... that was what made him formidable. He must possess extraordinary abilities.
The three left the corridor and each opened an oil-paper umbrella.
"Let us go to the Training Hall. The young masters should be practicing martial arts there right now," Lin Zhuifeng said.
However, the three soon halted, holding their umbrellas as they looked into the distance.
There, through the hazy rain, a thin figure approached slowly, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw rain cape.
Raindrops intertwined along the brim of the bamboo hat, falling like a curtain of pearls.
The figure had a woodcutter's knife at her waist, its blade and handle beaded with rain. She wore a pair of muddy straw sandals, and as she stepped upon the ground, the rain washed the soil apart.
Patter, patter...
The sound of straw sandals lifting and stepping down, lifting and stepping down again, echoed and lingered. Even the air seemed to grow oppressive and heavy.
Lin Qingyin's face turned slightly pale. Like someone caught speaking ill of another behind her back, she looked flustered. Gazing at the figure, she could not help pursing her lips.
"F-Fourth Uncle..."
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