This Is Only a Fishpond, but His Heart Is Set on the Sea

Faced with Lin Yu's bluntness.

Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing not only did not get angry, but instead chuckled softly.

The laughter was clear and cold, revealing neither joy nor anger, but rather carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Master Lin speaks very frankly."

Su Wanqing looked up, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair and revealing her delicate face.

But those eyes ruined the sweet scene; those cold, sharp eyes made it impossible to look directly at them.

"Whether it's a human or a ghost, it doesn't matter."

Su Wanqing leaned forward slightly, the desk lamp casting light on half of her face, the interplay of light and shadow making her aura even more imposing.

"The important thing is..."

"Are you someone who can sit down and talk, or someone who can only speak with a knife?"

Lin Yu tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, the rhythm neither hurried nor slow.

"It seems Miss Su has already found the answer this time."

"Yes." Su Wanqing nodded frankly.

She paused, her tone suddenly softening, yet each word was clear. "You just asked me whether I was an enemy or an ally."

I will answer you again now.

Su Wanqing picked up her teacup and gently raised it towards Lin Yu.

The rims of the glasses touched, making a crisp sound.

"From this day forward, the Primordial Unity Martial Arts School and the Su Family of Jiangcheng will not invade each other's territory, but will exchange goods and services."

"You guard your west side of the city, I'll control my east side."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tense atmosphere in the private room, which had been almost explosive, suddenly relaxed.

Lin Yu looked at the young woman in front of him who was able to single-handedly support the entire Su Family.

Yet, my heart remained completely unmoved.

Perhaps it was because she was in charge of the entire family that Su Wanqing's every word and action was focused on the Su Family.

This also led Lin Yu to see no future with her.

Perhaps Su Wanqing will be bound to the Su Family for the rest of her life.

Perhaps one day the Su Family will fall, and then Su Wanqing will be herself. Or perhaps she will be bound to the Su Family's honor and disgrace for the rest of her life, sinking into hatred and obsession, never to escape again.

But Lin Yu couldn't see her transcendence, nor could he see her yearning for a higher realm.

In her eyes, there was only Jiangcheng's territory, power, and balance; only the survival and glory of the Su Family.

For Lin Yu, this ultimately reflects a narrow perspective and a limited path.

He looked up and replied casually, "Okay."

Su Wanqing keenly caught the nonchalance in his tone and was slightly surprised.

She had seen too many people who were eager for power in Jiangcheng, but no one had ever treated the tripartite alliance like Lin Yu, as if it were just roadside weeds.

But she didn't ask any further questions, suppressing her doubts and maintaining her composed and assertive demeanor. "Master Lin is straightforward, so today's appointment is hereby settled."

The banquet ended not long afterward.

The Nightscape outside the Listening to the Waves Pavilion was slightly cool, and the lights were dazzling. Zhao Chun had been waiting by the car for a long time. When she saw Lin Yu slowly walk out, she quickly stepped forward and bowed, her tone full of trepidation. "Master, is everything alright? Did Miss Su give you any trouble?"

Lin Yu got into the car, closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and said in a calm voice, "It's nothing."

A brief silence fell over the carriage, and as the light streamed past the window, it cast interplay of light and shadow on his face.

"Master, why do the authorities and the Su Family attach so much importance to our Hunyuan Martial Arts School? They never came even once when Jin Potian was around."

Zhao Chun has met more important figures in the past few days than he has in the more than he has in the past ten years at the Golden Bull Martial Arts School.

It is said that Hunyuan Martial Arts School has banned Golden Bull Martial Arts School, and various forces, large and small, have come to visit them to inquire about their intentions.

After a moment, Lin Yu suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with a strange melancholy. "Have you heard the story of the Three Kingdoms?"

Zhao Chun was suddenly taken aback, his mind racing to recall the names of any known factions, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. "Three Kingdoms? Is that some hidden power, or a powerful family from out of town? I've never heard of it before."

Lin Yu opened his eyes, looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar night view of Jiangcheng outside the window, gently shook his head, and muttered to himself, "Forgot, you didn't."

That was the world of his original heroes, a grand history of warring factions vying for supremacy, but also a microcosm of their current predicament.

The Three Kingdoms period was divided into Wei, Shu, and Wu. Cao Cao had ambitions to conquer all under heaven, Liu Bei was indomitable, while Sun Quan was confined to Jiangdong, living in a corner of the country. Later generations focused their writings on Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and few people really paid attention to Sun Quan, who was living in a corner of the country.

And today's Jiangcheng, with its Primordial Unity Martial Arts School, Su Family, and officialdom, is precisely a miniature version of the Three Kingdoms.

Primordial Unity Martial Arts School, on the other hand, is the weakest party. If it truly intends to remain closed off and disdains to engage in strategic maneuvering, it will be the weakest.

Once the authorities and the Su Family reach a tacit agreement, with the fate of the Primordial Unity Martial Arts School sealed—its demise and vulnerability to external threats—only annexation and gradual absorption await them.

Lin Yu simply couldn't be bothered with such calculations.

He never cared about the power of the Primordial Unity Martial Arts School, nor did he bother to fight for even a small piece of land in Jiangcheng.

To this world, he was always just a passerby.

With the grand path ahead, the grudges and intrigues of a small town were nothing but dust to him.

The people he'd met these past two days were all scheming for territory and fighting for profits; their vision was confined to Jiangcheng, which truly bored him.

Seeing that Lin Yu remained silent, Zhao Chun assumed that his inability to answer had displeased the master, and quickly declared, "Master, I will immediately go back and thoroughly investigate all the intelligence to find out exactly what this Three Kingdoms faction is all about!"

Lin Yu glanced at him and casually ordered, "Drive back to Primordial Unity Martial Arts School."

Lin Yu closed his eyes.

Su Wanqing's face appeared in his eyes.

That woman was definitely not the type to be subservient. She took the initiative to be friendly tonight, saying she wanted to make friends, but Lin Yu saw through her.

She is waiting.

Wait for Hunyuan Martial Arts School to reveal a weakness, wait for him to make a mistake.

Primordial Unity Martial Arts School reveals even the slightest weakness, Su Wanqing will pounce on it without hesitation and bite off a piece of flesh.

This was his intuition, and also a conclusion drawn after seeing through the illusions of self-interest.

Since they were not related by blood, it was impossible for the Su Family to immediately show goodwill to the Hunyuan Martial Arts School.

The only possibility is that Su Wanqing doesn't want to be the vanguard, which would result in both sides suffering losses while others reap the benefits.

But Lin Yu wasn't afraid.

Because his goal was never in this small Jiangcheng.

The car stopped in front of Primordial Unity Martial Arts School Hall.

Lin Yu got out of the car and stood next to the stone lion in front of the gate, looking at the plaque that hadn't been replaced yet.

"Have someone change the signboard tomorrow," Lin Yu said.

Zhao Chun quickly replied, "Yes, Master."

In the cultivation room, Lin Yu sat cross-legged.

He closed his eyes, but images from that time flashed through his mind.

And that line: There's something different about you.

Aren't they the same?

Lin Yu opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

These hands were created by immortals in another world just a few months ago.

Now, in this unfamiliar world, he is dealing with a group of ordinary people who are fighting for territory, resources, and survival.

Outside the meditation room, the Nightscape of the western part of the city unfolded.

In the distance, the scattered lights in the slums looked like stars about to go out.

On the other side, the bustling eastern part of the city was brightly lit, with neon lights flashing, as if it were daytime.

Two worlds, separated by a wall.

Lin Yu withdrew his gaze and landed on the newly created "Hunyuan Art" on the windowsill.

Whether it's the Three Kingdoms period or a tripartite balance of power, it doesn't matter.

These were merely interludes on his path of cultivation; his true goal was never here.

But

He needed resources, he needed intelligence; a person in a strange world always feels so helpless.

Without power, one is like a headless fly, darting about aimlessly, never able to escape until death.

Lin Yu turned around, picked up the book "Hunyuan Art", and opened to the first page.

"Hun Yuan is chaos. It encompasses everything and contains all rivers..."

He picked up his pen and added a line to the blank space:

"Still as a mountain, swift as thunder. Not striving for a moment, but for eternity."