The World is Unfeeling

Hong Yuan was invited by his disciples to look at the corpse brought back under a white shroud, his brows furrowed tightly.

In the end, he merely shook his head and sighed: "His aptitude was mediocre, yet his ambition was too high. He was overly eager for success and did not know how to cherish his own body..."

"The Martial Dao is not something that can be achieved by simply throwing one's life away; that which is too rigid is easily broken."

His words carried a hint of pity.

Yet, they also revealed the indifference of one who had grown accustomed to such scenes.

Lin Qing stood in the crowd, looking at the body that would never breathe again, his heart stirred by waves of emotion.

He recalled Wang Cheng's frantic, day-and-night training.

He recalled his astonishing perseverance.

In truth, there had always been spectators.

But effort does not truly guarantee a reward.

Sometimes, it even leads to a more cruel outcome.

Do not contend for a moment of pride, do not show off for a moment of courage.

Lin Qing silently warned himself in his heart.

The body is the raft that carries one across the world; the foundation is the Great Wall of the Martial Dao.

Overdrafting one's strength only damages future potential.

I, Lin Qing, must follow the laws of nature and the Heavenly Dao, balancing tension and relaxation, and arranging my training reasonably so that I may walk a long path.

What he pursued was longevity and the ability to gaze upon the world for ages.

It was the power to control his own destiny.

Not the fleeting brilliance of a flash in the pan.

Just as everyone was still sighing and lamenting over Wang Cheng's sudden death.

A crisp sound of jade pendants clinking came from the entrance of the Hong Family Martial Hall.

It drew everyone's gaze.

A beautiful young girl, accompanied by an elderly man who looked like a steward, walked into the martial hall.

The girl was about eighteen years of age, dressed in a goose-yellow training outfit that outlined her budding, slender figure.

Her skin was fairer than snow, her brows and eyes were like a painting, and her every glance carried a natural, spirited air. A beautifully decorated short sword hung at her waist, adding to her heroic and dashing appearance.

Hong Yuan, who had been somber due to the matter of Wang Cheng.

The moment he saw this girl, his eyes lit up sharply.

A rare, amiable smile appeared on his face, and he took the initiative to walk up to her.

"Ying'er? Is it the Ying'er from Brother Liu's family?"

"You've grown so big!"

Hong Yuan's tone carried the joy of reuniting with an old friend.

Upon seeing Hong Yuan, the girl also beamed, blooming like a spring flower, and offered a graceful junior's salute: "Niece Liu Ying greets Uncle Hong!"

"My father ordered me to come here to study under your tutelage and strengthen my body through martial arts."

"Good, good, Brother Liu is very thoughtful!"

Hong Yuan laughed heartily, appearing extremely delighted.

He personally stepped forward to carefully examine Liu Ying's aptitude.

A moment later.

Surprise appeared in Hong Yuan's eyes, and his voice fluctuated slightly: "It is actually top-tier aptitude. Heaven blesses the Hong Family Martial Hall to receive such a fine piece of jade."

Ignoring the corpse covered by the white shroud on the ground, Hong Yuan personally led Liu Ying to familiarize her with the martial hall's environment.

He immediately began to teach her the introductory stance of the Iron Wire Fist hand-in-hand, his patience and the detail of his explanations being like a different person compared to how he usually instructed the outer disciples.

"Look here, Ying'er. For this Iron Wire Stance, your center of gravity must be stable, and you must visualize the iron rings between your arms..."

"Correct, just like that. Keep your back straight and sink your breath..."

Hong Yuan's voice was gentle.

The group of outer disciples watched Hong Yuan teaching her hand-in-hand, their hearts filled with a complex mix of emotions.

After a long while, seeing that Hong Yuan was still instructing Liu Ying.

At this moment, a disciple who lived on the same street as Wang Cheng and had a decent relationship with him plucked up the courage to step forward and ask cautiously: "Master, how should we handle the funeral arrangements for Junior Brother Wang Cheng?"

Hong Yuan was focused on instructing Liu Ying and did not even turn his head upon hearing this, merely waving his hand casually with a flat, emotionless tone: "Since the person is gone, just handle it according to the old customs of the martial hall."

"Go to the accountant and find the Mistress to withdraw half a month's wages as compensation, then take it back to his family."

A mere two taels and five mace of silver.

This was the total compensation Wang Cheng received after months of bitter cultivation, only to end in sudden death.

The disciple opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something more.

But upon seeing Hong Yuan's unquestionable back.

He ultimately dared not speak, retreating in dejection.

Lin Qing watched coldly from the side, thinking to himself, The coldness of human relationships is nothing more than this.

However, Hong Yuan's actions were in line with the martial arts school's rules, leaving little room for criticism.

After all, Wang Cheng had not died in battle for the school; he had simply suffered a mishap while practicing on his own.

Providing any compensation at all was already fulfilling one's duty to the utmost.

This was the cruelty of reality.

Without value, it is difficult to gain importance.

By evening.

Lin Qing went to the market to purchase household supplies as usual.

The streets seemed noisier than usual, with people whispering to one another, their faces filled with panic and unease.

He vaguely heard some fragmented words drift into his ears:

"You Province is completely finished!"

"Tens of thousands of troops, I heard not a single one escaped..."

"The Golden Barbarians are brutal; they slaughter everyone once they break the city..."

"Grain prices are going to skyrocket!"

You Province had fallen.

Tens of thousands of soldiers had been slaughtered by the Golden Barbarians!

Lin Qing's heart sank, as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

His father had been conscripted to the northern frontier.

Although his specific destination might not have been You Province.

Given the dire state of the northern war, one could imagine their situation.

A massive sense of crisis gripped him.

Once war breaks out, prices soar, especially for grain.

It would inevitably become the most sought-after commodity!

He immediately headed toward the rice shop he frequented.

At this moment, there were already people whispering in front of the shop, though large-scale panic buying had not yet begun.

Lin Qing pushed to the front and said directly to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, three hundred catties of brown rice, I need it now."

The shopkeeper had also heard the rumors and was feeling uncertain.

Seeing Lin Qing's large order, he was stunned for a moment before reacting, hurriedly calling his assistant to weigh the rice.

When Lin Qing left the shop carrying those three heavy bags of brown rice—enough to feed a family of three for several months—

A much louder commotion erupted behind him.

"Quick, buy rice!"

"You Province is gone, war is coming!"

"Give me a hundred catties too."

"Don't push, don't push!"

Panic continued to spread, and the crowd that had been watching from the sidelines just moments ago.

Instantly fell into a chaotic frenzy of panic buying.

The rice shopkeeper was both shocked and delighted, immediately raising prices on the spot.

"Stop pushing! Grain prices have risen by three wen per catty; buy quickly if you want it!"

The others cursed upon hearing this.

But they gritted their teeth and bought plenty regardless.

Lin Qing carried the rice back to Yongning Street.

Before even reaching Benevolent World Hall, a fierce argument could be heard erupting from the entrance of his own shop.

Lin Qing pushed through the gathered neighbors and hurried toward the storefront.

He saw a slovenly middle-aged man with a scalp full of scabs pointing at his sister Lin Wan's nose, shouting loudly: "Everyone, come and see! Benevolent World Hall is using its status to bully customers! I paid for three qian of hemostatic herbs, but when I weighed them back home, they were a full half-qian short. Isn't this just swindling the hard-earned money of us common folk?"

Lin Wan's face flushed red with anger, her chest heaving as she argued her case: "Zhao the Scabby, stop spouting such slander. I weighed it out for you perfectly, not a single grain missing. You are clearly trying to extort us!"

Zhao the Scabby, however, began to act like a rogue, plopping himself down on the threshold of Benevolent World Hall and slapping his thighs while howling: "Oh, woe is me! The young lady of the Lin family is bullying people! She sells fake medicine, shorts the weight, and now refuses to admit it!"

"Neighbors, come and judge this for yourselves!"

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around.

They pointed fingers and whispered amongst themselves.

Lin Qing frowned and strode over.