A Word That Changed Another's Fate

Back at the Herb Garden.

Lin Chen first reported to Elder Lin Song, then followed the bluestone path back to his residence.

He pushed open the courtyard gate. Everything inside was as it had been; clearly, someone had been cleaning regularly. After a short rest and a change of clothes, he summoned Lin Tie.

"Young Master!" Lin Tie bowed as soon as he entered the courtyard, unable to hide his delight. "You're finally back."

Lin Chen had told only Elder Lin Song before leaving, but after several months away in seclusion, Lin Tie had evidently guessed he had gone to Yanfeng City.

"Sit."

Lin Chen gestured to the stone stool opposite him. "How has the Herb Garden fared these past few months?"

Lin Tie's expression turned serious as he replied.

"Rest assured, Young Master. Everything in the Herb Garden has run smoothly these past few months..."

Lin Tie went through the garden's affairs in detail. Lin Chen listened quietly, nodding from time to time.

"Well done."

At last, Lin Chen offered his praise.

Lin Tie quickly replied, "It was all thanks to your guidance, Young Master. I merely did my duty."

Lin Chen smiled but did not respond to that. Instead, he said, "I recall telling you that once you secured the auction invitation, you would be rewarded afterward."

"I gave my word, and I won't go back on it."

Lin Chen set a jade bottle on the stone table. "This is a Spirit-Gathering Pill. At the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, refining it alongside your regular training should help you make some progress."

Lin Tie's eyes widened. He stared at the jade bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing, but did not dare reach for it.

A Spirit-Gathering Pill might be an ordinary Spirit Grade pill, but it was still valuable—worth several months of arduous training to him.

"Young Master, this is too precious..."

Lin Tie's voice came out a little hoarse.

"Take it," Lin Chen said calmly.

"You've handled many matters for me over the years and devoted yourself to the Herb Garden. All those chores have played some part in keeping your cultivation at the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Consider this pill a small compensation from the Lineage."

Lin Tie's lips trembled. At last, he rose and bowed deeply. "I... thank you for your reward, Young Master!"

Lin Chen gave a slight nod. Once Lin Tie sat down again, he continued.

"From now on, keep handling the garden's daily affairs, but you needn't do everything yourself. Delegate more tasks to those under you and spend more time training."

Lin Chen looked at him and said slowly:

"I can't stay in the Herb Garden forever. If you break through to the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, I can recommend you to my father for the position of Herb Garden Manager when I return to the Lin Residence."

The words exploded beside Lin Tie's ears like a thunderclap.

He jerked his head up to look at Lin Chen. Disbelief crossed his face first, followed by excitement he could barely contain.

Herb Garden Manager!

At present, he was merely a Herb Garden steward. The titles differed by only one word, but what they meant was worlds apart.

If he gained that position, not only would his stipend double, his standing in the Lin Family would rise dramatically.

"I said it, and I wasn't joking."

Watching his excitement, Lin Chen said evenly, "But your cultivation must catch up. Otherwise, even if I recommend you, you won't be able to take the position."

"I understand! I understand!"

Lin Tie nodded again and again, his hands clenched into fists.

"Rest assured, Young Master! I won't let you down. I'll break through to the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm."

Every word rang with resolve, and a fire he had never known burned in his eyes.

Lin Tie had already made up his mind to spend every bit of the wealth he had saved over the years on pills. Even if it cost him everything, he would break through the bottleneck and enter the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

Lin Chen nodded.

"There's no need to rush. Train steadily, and don't neglect your duties in pursuit of cultivation."

"Yes!" Lin Tie drew a deep breath and stood again. This time, he cupped his fists and declared solemnly:

"I can never repay your kindness, Young Master. From now on, whatever you ask of me, I'll cross mountains of blades and seas of fire without hesitation!"

It was a weighty vow, but Lin Chen merely shook his head. "Serve the Lineage well. That's the best way to repay me."

Lin Tie nodded firmly. He bowed respectfully once more, put away the bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pills, and left the courtyard.

Quiet returned to the courtyard. Lin Chen sat alone on the stone stool, his expression calm.

He had not spoken on a whim.

Lin Tie had spent more than a decade in the Herb Garden. Already a steward, he knew it inside and out, handled matters reliably, and had long since gained enough seniority.

Before Lin Chen arrived at the Herb Garden, Lin Tie had even managed it temporarily in his capacity as steward.

In Lin Chen's view, the only things Lin Tie lacked were sufficient cultivation and someone willing to advance him.

After all, the Lin Family was a martial lineage.

No matter how clever or capable someone was, with cultivation only at the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, he would never be entrusted with major responsibilities.

Lin Chen himself had reached the Fourth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm. In a few more years, he expected to surpass Elder Lin Song, so he naturally could not remain in the Herb Garden forever.

When he left, the manager's position would open up.

Since Lin Tie had been loyal all these years and handled his work well, Lin Chen did not mind giving him a push.

"If Lin Tie were at the Third Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, his abilities could make him Herb Garden Manager even without my recommendation. I hope he makes the most of this chance."

Lin Chen shook his head.

He had offered the chance. Whether Lin Tie seized it was no longer his concern.

Spring gave way to autumn, and cold to heat.

The Spirit Herbs in the garden grew another two years older, while the old locust tree in the courtyard shed its leaves and grew new ones.

Two years passed. As promised, Lin Tie poured vast resources into his cultivation and barely broke through to the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

When Lin Chen heard, he had someone deliver a bottle of Essence-Stabilizing Pills to help consolidate Lin Tie's cultivation, then returned to studying the Sword Diagram and practicing martial arts.

That day, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze blew.

Lin Chen sat in a bamboo pavilion, engrossed in an Ancient Book.

Its cover bore the words Miscellaneous Accounts of the Great Qian Dynasty. Written by a wandering poet who had traveled throughout the Nineteen Provinces, it was a vast work distilling local customs, geography, and strange accounts.

For instance, it described the Blood-Colored Wasteland within the Great Qian Dynasty. Its terrain was fractured and fraught with danger. Even a Heavenly Martial Realm martial artist would struggle to escape unscathed, yet weaker martial artists who entered it had a slim chance of survival.

It also described a power in the Great Qian Dynasty's Yuan Province called the Clear Origin Daoist Temple.

The temple was a first-rate sect with a top-tier expert presiding over it, but its standards for accepting disciples were rather peculiar.

Each generation, it accepted only one True Disciple, and only a young woman of peerless beauty and unmatched talent.

"Within books lie beauties like jade, and houses built of gold."

"These books may not be martial arts manuals, and they may do nothing for my cultivation, but they can still broaden my horizons and deepen my knowledge."

Lin Chen snapped the Ancient Book shut and spoke at his leisure.

He had, unmistakably, reached the Sixth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm!