Martial World Reincarnation

Chapter 30: The Martial World's Cycle

With a piece of candy from Cheng Yun in her mouth, the Heroine waited until the group of girls had all gone upstairs before asking, "Those young ladies... are they scholars from your world?"

Cheng Yun, who had been watching a show, nodded. "Mm."

The Heroine blinked. "In your world, can women also attend school to study?"

"Didn't you study too?"

"My father taught me; I never went to school."

"Gender equality," Cheng Yun stated concisely, then paused. "Our world has nine years of compulsory education, meaning everyone must study for at least nine years. If parents don't allow their children to complete the nine years of compulsory education, they are violating the compulsory education law. After nine years of compulsory education, there are high schools and universities, and most people will finish them if they can get in."

"Gender equality..." The Heroine murmured the words, almost forgetting the candy in her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Yun looked up at her.

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" The Heroine immediately snapped back to attention, tucking away her momentary lapse in focus and weakness. "That compulsory education... what if a family is very poor? If they can't even get enough to eat, they still have to study; isn't that harming them!"

"The tuition for compulsory education is very low. I remember the lowest I ever paid was five yuan. If a family is truly too poor to afford tuition and living expenses, usually, as long as it's reported to the government and the education bureau, there will be scholarships and various subsidies," Cheng Yun explained. "For ethnic minorities in impoverished border regions, it's even better. Schooling is free, and they even provide food and lodging. The country even gives them money, rice, oil, and clothes, and they get bonus points on their college entrance exams."

"That good?" The Heroine couldn't believe it. "Is the government in your world crazy!"

"Don't just say you don't understand; many people in our world don't either," Cheng Yun said with a smile, shaking his head. He didn't elaborate and continued watching his TV show.

The Heroine sat alone on the sofa, lost in thought.

After a while, she stood up. "I'm going upstairs to rest. I have to get up early to work tomorrow morning."

"Mm."

After work that evening, Cheng Yun went to find the Old Mage as usual. They had agreed that tonight, the Old Mage would engrave a rune program for him.

This rune program was said to be standard issue for the army of a certain country two hundred years ago. Every soldier in that country was required to have a set of rune program arrays engraved on their bodies, and this rune program was its most basic component. It consisted of several sets of basic healing magic runes, designed to continuously output restorative energy to the wearer, repairing all damage to their body, including the most minute muscle fatigue, bone wear, and even deformation, with the goal of maintaining the soldiers' bodies in peak condition.

The Old Mage recalled the original design and made some modifications, redesigning the appearance to suit Cheng Yun.

"Originally, the appearance of this rune program was a robust human silhouette, more fitting for military culture, but it would be a bit inappropriate on you," the Old Mage said, tapping in the air. Two phantom images of patterns appeared. "Since it had to be changed anyway, I redesigned it. Being able to guarantee the rune composition remains the same while redesigning the appearance in such a short time is something very few people can do."

Cheng Yun looked at the two patterns in the air. One was indeed a robust human silhouette, like a strong man, while the other was a pattern of a blazing sun, very simple.

"It's the national emblem of the Jia Nuo Kingdom, a sun. I just picked it randomly," the Old Mage said.

"Your country?"

"Mm... my former country."

"Oh, I don't mind," Cheng Yun said.

"Then I'll begin. Where do you want to have it engraved?" the Old Mage asked. "I will use the Bai Niao Pai pigment, which has a relatively mild reaction and the best environmental adaptability, to draw it for you. So, when this pattern is not activated, it will appear a reddish color. The restorative energy itself will emit a faint green glow, so when this rune program is activated, it will probably turn yellow or something similar. To avoid attracting attention, it's best not to engrave it on exposed areas."

"Then... on my back," Cheng Yun decided. He didn't play basketball often anymore, so there weren't many times he'd be shirtless. Besides, he couldn't exactly engrave it on his butt!

"Alright, take off your shirt," the Old Mage instructed.

Cheng Yun readily removed his shirt, revealing a reasonably muscular body, and then lay down on the Old Mage's bed.

"Since I'm hand-carving it, this process will likely take about three to four hours. I will cast an anesthetic spell on you, and then you will fall asleep. When you wake up, it will be done," the Old Mage said.

"It feels like surgery. Is there any risk?" Cheng Yun asked, surprised.

"Mm-hmm, there is a possibility of failure, but no risk," the Old Mage replied. "As you know, our civilization has developed to this extent, and rune programs are very complex and precise. Generally, no one can manually engrave a rune program. Even I might fail."

"What happens if it fails?"

"We start over. In any case, you'll be fine when you wake up."

"Okay, please proceed. Don't feel any psychological burden," Cheng Yun said, then fell silent.

The Old Mage smiled faintly.

When Cheng Yun woke up again, the Old Mage was standing nearby, tidying up the items in his hands. They were several unfamiliar, small, and precise crystal instruments with the texture of surgical scalpels.

"Done?" Cheng Yun felt a coolness on his back. He took out his mobile phone to check; only two and a half hours had passed. "Looks like it went smoothly!"

"Mm, it was indeed quite smooth, but you seem to have dreamt again. I sensed your emotional fluctuations."

"Do you remember anything?" Cheng Yun touched his back, feeling nothing. "What does it look like?"

"Like this." The Old Mage pointed, and two mirror surfaces that appeared out of nowhere reflected the image of his back into his eyes.

A simple sun pattern, about the size of an egg, appeared on his back. It looked like a tattoo, but much fainter, with a strange reddish hue.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Old Mage said. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning and will be back on the fifth at ten o'clock."

"Okay."

It was just as autumn was arriving, and the weather in Yuzhou was turning cool.

That person was named Ji Qinglin. In his youth, he became famous for fighting a Western Regions martial arts master alone and killing him in the desert. He later became a renowned expert in the martial world, eventually reaching the peak of his fame due to his involvement in the Qing Su Armory case. However, for some unknown reason, he suddenly disappeared from the martial world. Some rumors said he was killed by the descendants of that martial arts master seeking revenge.

The reappearance of the former top expert, who had settled down and lived in seclusion in a remote mountain village, spread through the martial world like ink dropped into clear water.

At that time, Heroine Yin was acting as a bodyguard for a group of traveling merchants at the border between Hengzhou and Yuzhou. Upon hearing this news, she immediately realized her chance to gain fame had arrived! So, she gritted her teeth, spent a 'fortune' on a good saber, and traveled day and night, taking two days to reach the mountain village named Wei Ya Village.

Many martial world figures from Yuzhou had already arrived. Heroine Yin could still recognize a few familiar faces among them—most were people she had been hired with or had crossed blades with for one reason or another.

Yet, Ji Qinglin, whose temples had turned white, seemed like a blade still sharp. He defeated three young challengers in a row, intimidating everyone. For a time, no one dared to step forward and challenge him!

Heroine Yin took out a flattened, dry steamed bun from her robes and stuffed it into her mouth. After a brief rest, she no longer hesitated. Gripping her blade, she pushed through the crowd and looked towards Ji Qinglin—in that instant, her eyes could hold no one else!

"Senior, this junior is Yin Dan." Her simple tunic fluttered in the cool mountain breeze, her presence commanding!

No extra words were needed!

Her eyes were like blades, her movements like lightning!

One wielded a mottled, rusty iron sword, the other held an Autumn Water Wild Goose Feather Blade. They clashed instantly.

Ji Qinglin's movements were agile, his martial arts living up to his fame. In the initial phase, he forced Heroine Yin into a series of retreats. Before long, he left a terrifying gash on Heroine Yin's face.

But after all, he had not set foot in the martial world for many years. Every attack and dodge showed stiffness. Furthermore, at his age, his stamina could not compare to the vigorous Heroine Yin. He had already fought three rounds, leaving him exhausted. Heroine Yin only persisted for a short while before his fatigue became apparent. Finally, in a counterattack that seemed to pour out all his youthful pride, Heroine Yin narrowly won by a single move. She won!

Ji Qinglin fell to the ground, his face ashen. His blood slowly spread across the uneven, muddy ground. Heroine Yin stood before him, as if she had already foreseen his imminent death.

Their gazes met, perhaps by chance.

At that moment, Heroine Yin's heart trembled!

In Ji Qinglin's eyes, there was no resentment or unwillingness as she had imagined. Of course, he wasn't indifferent either. There was more a sense of sorrow and helplessness, a fear of fate that could not be resisted. It was as if he had replayed this moment thousands of times in his mind, and thus, he was fully prepared psychologically.

Following his gaze, Heroine Yin then saw his current family, and the resentment she had imagined should have been in Ji Qinglin's eyes.

A woman, simply dressed but still beautiful, held two young sons who were roaring and trying to rush forward to avenge their father. Beside her stood a terrified teenage daughter.

A family was thus shattered.

Someone came forward to check Ji Qinglin's injuries, others approached Heroine Yin to strike up a conversation, some wore expressions of regret, and a few even seemed eager to spar with Heroine Yin.

But Heroine Yin felt lost and dazed. In the end, she didn't even know how she left that place.

She did leave behind her life savings. After buying her blade, she was left with three silver ingots. Considering their purchasing power, it would be equivalent to about ten to twenty thousand yuan in modern times.

In the evening, the sky was gloomy. She found a dilapidated temple and huddled in a corner, staring blankly outside, her thoughts wandering uncontrollably. She began to ponder what the martial world truly was, finally feeling that all heroes and valiant figures were like puppets on a stage, doing things for storytellers to entertain others. While storytellers could at least earn a few coins for tea, martial artists had to pay with their lives.

She seemed to see her own destiny.

From this event, from Ji Qinglin's eyes, from the familiar and unfamiliar martial world figures watching...

As the thunderous sky turned into pattering rain, the mountain forest rapidly cooled. Heroine Yin, alone in the ruined temple of early autumn, shivered. For the first time in her life, she doubted her path and her beliefs.

Three days later, she walked out of the dilapidated temple, her blade on her back. Her slender figure was instantly swallowed by the mountain forest.

She had become famous, just as she had wished.

In the early morning, Cheng Yun also sensed it. This battle had indeed been very important to Heroine Yin's life, leaving a deep impression on her. It could be called a turning point in her life.

Then... he rolled over and continued sleeping.