Weighing III

Leaving home, Lin Hui already had a plan in mind.

Leaving Qingfeng Temple was not an option he could choose. Between morality and the sunk costs of the past, breaking away now would be far too troublesome.

Besides, speed was what he had always pursued. Among all the martial schools in the Outer City, Qingfeng Temple's movement techniques were already first-rate. Among external martial arts, it was hard to find anything faster.

"So, simplifying and refining the current structure, then optimizing Qingfeng Temple's martial arts anew, may be the key to solving its competitiveness in the future."

"But first, I should test just how far I've progressed."

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As Lin Hui made his way back, he pondered where he could test the effects of his newly fused ability. Yet no matter how he thought about it, only the monsters in the Mist Zone kept flickering through his mind.

"Though it's somewhat dangerous, as long as I'm careful and don't take risks, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

He had spent so long in the Mist Zone before that he roughly understood what monsters lurked in the area behind Qingfeng Temple.

Faceless Men, One-Horned Spiders, Thousand-Foot Eyeballs, Mist Barbarians.

These four kinds of monsters were common creatures of the Mist Zone. Their minds were chaotic and devoid of consciousness; like wild beasts, they were simply fiercely aggressive.

Having made up his mind, Lin Hui no longer hesitated. He quickened his pace and rushed back toward Qingfeng Temple. He needed to make preparations, and he also had to borrow some things like Ning Xiang from his master.

He was not worried about being unable to borrow them. In truth, Mingde also supported his going to the Mist Zone to train his swordsmanship.

*

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*

Lin Family territory.

Lin Chaoyi bent low and bowed as he escorted an Outer City steward from the Chen Family out through the gates. Along with a group of Clan Members, he watched the other man drive away. Only when the car's rear vanished from sight did he finally let out a long breath.

"Still no news... That brat Ade, when we need his help at a crucial moment, we just can't get in touch with him..."

He looked at the somewhat desolate fields outside the courtyard, then at the two-story building across the road that had been vacated not long ago. A trace of helplessness and repression flashed through his eyes.

"Profits from all our shops are shrinking now. The shops we had already settled have people coming around again to cause trouble and collect protection money... Can't Hongyu's side lend us some strength?" He looked toward Lin Shuntao, Lin Hongyu's father.

"Father, Hongyu truly has no way to help now... After what happened last time, she immediately went to the main family's Enforcement Hall, but..." Lin Shuntao's expression was ugly.

"Alas..." Lin Chaoyi understood as well. Lin Hongyu lacked the aptitude for resonance. Though she had entered the Chen Family, she was still merely an ordinary member from an outside lineage. Without resonance, she could only learn the various internal martial arts collected by the Chen Family.

Though Hongyu's aptitude was excellent, internal martial arts required accumulated time. Their effects could not show overnight. External martial arts, on the other hand, could be mastered far more quickly, just like Lin Hui's...

The moment Lin Chaoyi thought of Lin Hui, he turned and headed back into the courtyard while asking,

"By the way, how is Fourth's family doing now?"

"Fourth's son is finished." Lin Shunchong of the second branch revealed a gloating expression from the right. "He was removed from the Bureau's Enforcement Team. Qingfeng Temple's signboard was also smashed by the newly established Black Dragon Gate. It's now split into three, and even the name Clear Sword has fallen into a third-rate sword art. No matter how skilled Fourth's family is, no one outside will acknowledge them anymore."

"Such a huge name as Clear Sword just collapsed like that?" Lin Chaoyi froze for a moment.

"Isn't that so? Things have changed far too quickly lately. Those Martial Artists from Xingdao City look like failures driven out from over there, but even these failures can swiftly crush the Outer City martial schools of our Tuyue. Rumor says martial culture thrives over there, with fighting and killing everywhere. Looking at it now, that wasn't empty boasting after all," Lin Shunchong explained.

Lin Chaoyi fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.

After a while, he slowly spoke. "The gifts and goods we planned to send to Fourth's family before, have they been delivered?"

"Not yet," the old steward at the side replied heavily.

"That's good, then delay them for now. With Qingfeng Temple trending this way, I fear it will be difficult for it to rise again. Fourth's family will have limited prospects from now on; continuing to pour money into them would be more loss than gain..." Lin Chaoyi said in a low voice.

"But didn't you say those gifts were meant to ease the relationship...?" Lin Shunjiang, Lin Hongzhen's father from the first branch, asked in surprise.

"That was before. Now that the Lineage has suffered a change, there's no need to send out those valuables." Lin Chaoyi frowned.

"But if we don't repair the relationship now, then if Fourth's family rises and falls again in the future... will gifts sent then still be of any use?" Lin Shunjiang found it hard to understand.

"It's fine. I understand Fourth. It'll be fine to send them then. The last time we went over, he declined on the surface, but in truth he still wanted to return. Otherwise, he would never have allowed us into the inner room," Lin Chaoyi said.

"Father is right. Fourth is famous for having a knife's mouth but a bean-curd heart. If his side develops poorly in the future, there's nothing more to say. But if he still has prospects, Father can visit him again then, and it won't be much of a problem." Lin Shunchong of the second branch smiled. "With Fourth's temperament, if the Lineage truly reaches a life-or-death crisis, he will definitely help. So whether we give him these benefits or not, the result is the same. We might as well use them to win over the wavering middle faction."

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyi could not help giving Second Elder another look. That was indeed what he had been thinking.

"Still, it seems the larger situation in the martial school market has now been decided. Only Inner Strength Realm Martial Artists can affect such a landscape," he said softly.

"Exactly. I even asked about it. That brat Lin Hui refuses to leave Qingfeng Temple no matter what. Black Dragon Gate even went to recruit him, but he didn't go. He's stubbornly clinging to his old place. Most of Qingfeng Temple's people have run off now, leaving only him and a few others barely holding on," Lin Shunchong said, shaking his head.

"When a tree is moved, it dies; when a person is moved, they live. He's still young, after all. He can't see through that yet." Lin Chaoyi sighed, knowing in his heart that Lin Hui was unlikely to have any hope left.

Once a martial school had fewer students, it had less money; with less money came fewer resources, and with fewer resources came slower martial progress. It seemed that, decades from now, Lin Hui would at most reach a level similar to his teacher Mingde's.

But looking at Qingfeng Temple now, even Mingde himself could barely protect his own skin.

"Mingde helped in fights back then and made quite a few enemies. Given the current situation, I fear it won't be long before..." he said quietly.

"There hasn't been any movement for now, but I reckon they're waiting and watching..." Lin Shunchong nodded.

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyi no longer held any hopes for Fourth's side.

"Alas, forget it. Send that batch of valuables to Hongyu. As long as she can turn the situation around, everything will come alive again."

"Alright!"

*

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*

Qingfeng Temple.

As evening fell, mist slowly began to rise and spread.

Lin Hui and Mingde sat quietly at the table, eating.

There were five dishes and a soup on the table, all personally cooked by Wei Wei. Stir-fried pork with garlic shoots, shredded pork with edamame, braised pork, lettuce with minced garlic... dish after dish still gave off steam, clearly having just come out of the wok.

"You just said... you've completely mastered the Nine Section Fast Sword, and want to learn the Clear Sword?" Mingde put a piece of braised pork into his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Lin Hui.

"That is correct. This disciple asks Master to teach me the sword," Lin Hui said solemnly.

"You don't mind that the Clear Sword is weak?" Mingde asked.

"This disciple has always believed that the Clear Sword was never meant for head-on clashes. Our school focuses on movement and speed, so we should fully exploit our strengths. If the Temple Master had not been forced into a corner back then, with his movement techniques, if he had drawn out the fight, he might not necessarily have lost," Lin Hui said earnestly.

"You're right." Mingde sighed. He chewed the meat to mush in a few bites and swallowed it, then rose to his feet and walked to the window, gazing at the hazy gray mist outside.

"Actually, according to the rules, if you wanted to learn the Clear Sword, you would at least have to undergo a certain trial like everyone else. But in the current circumstances, there's no need to cling stubbornly to the rules."

Though he drank heavily, he still kept everything around him in his heart. As an Inner Strength Realm Martial Artist, how could ordinary alcohol, no matter how much he drank, make him truly drunk?

It was merely that his heart wanted intoxication; the wine was only the spark.

"Many times, I think that all this is like a dream. If I could wake up and everything had returned to how it was, how wonderful would that be... But Senior Brother is in this state now, unable to rise or fall again, and the temple has become this ghostly mess..." Scenes from Mingde's past surfaced in his mind. Back then, his senior brother had still been well, Qingfeng Temple had been flourishing, and its future had seemed limitless. The top ten elites had been like wolves and tigers, their prestige still resounding through the surrounding towns.

Coming back to himself, he looked at things now...

Alas...

He let out a long sigh.

"Fine. I'll teach you the Clear Sword first. In a while, I'll have Wei Wei handle something and deliver an item to an old friend. The journey is long, and I'm worried she won't be able to take care of herself. When the time comes, you may need to travel with her."

"Yes," Lin Hui replied.

Mingde restrained the strange look in his eyes. Among all the disciples he had accepted thus far, Lin Hui could be said to be the one who moved him most deeply.

True feelings were revealed in hardship. Now that this martial school was in grave danger, on the verge of decline and dissolution, Lin Hui still refused to abandon it. No matter what, that heart and that character gave him one final shred of comfort.

They let him know that the moral principles he had upheld for so many years had not all gone to waste.

There would always be some people in this world who could not be swayed by money or moved by fame and profit. They still upheld virtues that outsiders might view as foolish.

He was like that. Lin Hui was like that.

But unfortunately...

He had met Lin Hui too late.

If it had been ten years earlier, perhaps Lin Hui would already have...

The thought in Mingde's mind was abruptly cut off by the image of Song Zhanlong from Black Dragon Gate flashing through it.

"Forget it, forget it. Even if I had met him ten years earlier, if Song Zhanlong came knocking, the outcome would still be..."

He recalled the information a friend had secretly sent him yesterday. In some time, Liu Sitao of the Breaking Mountain Fist—the man with whom he had formed enmity after helping in a fight years ago—would gather a group of former opponents and enemies and head this way to seek revenge.

Qingfeng Temple had lost its power, Bao He had fallen, and only a handful of disciples remained under him. If he truly faced Liu Sitao's group...

Mingde knew the final outcome would likely be grim indeed.

That was why he had arranged for his daughter and Lin Hui to leave in advance. Wang Yun had nothing to worry about while staying with her great family. As for the other disciples, he would dismiss them freely, so they would not be caught up in it.

Then he would remain alone in the temple and wait for them, settling the grudges of those years once and for all.

He had arranged everything.

Gathering his thoughts, Mingde turned back and began carefully explaining the key points of the Clear Sword.

"The Clear Sword is actually very different from other sword arts."

He raised a hand, formed a sword with his index finger, and thrust forward.

"In essence, the Clear Sword is an enhanced fusion of the Seven Section Fast Sword and the Nine Section Fast Sword. It incorporates the momentum-gathering method of the Seven Section Fast Sword into the whole, blends the explosive assassinating thrusts of the Nine Section Fast Sword into its offensive techniques, then uses a special mental art to perfectly merge the two. In the end, it forms a killing sword art like the wind."

"Clear wind, clear wind—what is a clear wind? Clear and formless, shapeless as the wind and impossible to stop. Only then can it be called the Clear Sword!" Mingde turned sideways and walked toward an open space.