Chapter 72: Hometown Faces Meet Again?
"Hm? Boss Xian'er, did you just say Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran agreed to a three-year pact? Huh, those two lovebirds sure like to spice things up."
"Huh? They're breaking off the engagement? I thought they were just having a couple's spat—wait, wait, Boss Xian'er, mercy!"
In the depths of the Magical Beast Mountains, inside Forging Valley, Jiang Lin had invited Xiao Yi Xian over for a few days of fun. Yes… the very innocent kind—picnics, fresh air.
Under the roof of his "barebones" workshop, Jiang Lin was sorting through the Dou Techniques he'd recently obtained from the Miteer Auction House. The more he studied low-tier Yellow techniques, the more adept he became at understanding energy models, which in turn drastically sped up his learning and deconstruction skills. Two seemingly useless Yellow-tier techniques, Blow and Inhale, were so similar that Jiang Lin broke them down in less than a day.
Afterward, he couldn't help but wonder if the original creator of those two techniques had worked for some kind of black-ops Dou Technique research department—churning out required quotas just to scrape together enough coin to buy steamed buns. Maybe the guy just phoned it in with Blow and Inhale to pass the performance review?
Heavenly Craft Pavilion: Ahem…
Little did Jiang Lin know, his wild guess had nearly cracked a deeper truth about the world.
Back under the work shed, Jiang Lin rubbed his reddened ears and looked at the still slightly pouting Xiao Yi Xian in amusement. "Come on, I didn't know! I've been holed up in the mountains—I didn't hear any news. I actually thought they were doing fine, so I wrote a letter to Xiao Yan… to try and build a connection."
Xiao Yi Xian's curiosity was piqued. "Xiao Linzi, what did you write to him?"
"Uh…" Jiang Lin made a weird face, then laughed. "I wished them well."
"Pfft—" Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly stifled it and gave Jiang Lin a playful glare. "Why do I feel like you were totally being shady about it? That was absolutely a critical strike, full frontal, riding-the-face kind of mockery!"
"Agh, Boss Xian'er, have you really picked up that many of my expressions over the years?" Jiang Lin shrugged and offered a new term: "A comedy of errors! But seriously, there are so many gossip-lovers in this world. Word just reached Qingshan Town—must've traveled fast."
Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes at him but still made a mental note of the new phrase. She said softly, "It really was just a family matter between the two clans—nothing worth all the noise. But then Xiao Yan went and made it interesting by setting a three-year challenge. Especially that line… what was it again? 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't bully a poor youth!' A fallen genius who won't tolerate his father being humiliated, standing tall to challenge the beloved daughter of a top sect—that image really hits."
She leaned on Jiang Lin's workbench, resting her chin on her hands, eyes sparkling with starlight as she smiled and retold another young man's story.
Xiao Yan exuded a youthful, romantic air. What girl wouldn't be intrigued by that? But Xiao Yi Xian just found it amusing—especially compared to the mischievous chaos embodied by Jiang Lin, who could make her laugh and fume in equal measure. Somehow, this rude rascal seemed even more captivating.
"It's 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west'... right?" Jiang Lin muttered, casually pulling a map of Wutan City from the wall.
Wutan was a second-tier city in the Jia Ma Empire—prosperous, well-maintained, and with reinforced waterways. Historically, there'd never been any major changes in river flow.
So… where exactly was this "east" and "west" river shift supposed to happen?
Scratching his head, Jiang Lin stared at the map in confusion.
"What's wrong, Xiao Linzi?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.
"I'm just wondering how he came up with that line when the rivers around Wutan haven't changed course," Jiang Lin replied honestly.
"Huh? It's about river changes?" Xiao Yi Xian looked puzzled. "I always thought it meant you lived on this side of the river for thirty years, then moved to the other side after thirty more…"
Which, to be fair, was how most people in this world interpreted it.
In truth, the original phrase described how even if your house didn't move, the river's change in course could completely change your world—symbolizing dynastic shifts and life's unpredictability.
"Well… that interpretation works too," Jiang Lin nodded. "If everyone accepts it that way, there's no need to correct it. Language exists to communicate meaning, not to impose rigidity."
"Mhm. So since Wutan doesn't have any shifting rivers… maybe Xiao Yan just made it up, like you do," Xiao Yi Xian offered, her logic sounding perfectly reasonable.
"…" Jiang Lin gave her a look. Who taught this woman to speak like this? Why did she always sound just a little too much like him?
He looked up at the wooden model of a flying machine hanging on the wall—its six sleek, blade-like wings curved with aerodynamic lines, resembling mechanical angel wings. Not exactly feathers, more like dragonfly or cicada blades.
There was no dodging it now. Between the Black Feather Bow and the flying Dou Artifact still in development, his tech-infused fighting style was far too distinctive.
"Thirty years east, thirty years west…" Jiang Lin remembered seeing that line in an old book called The Scholars from his past life.
Since fate was bound to bring them together anyway, Jiang Lin decided to go check on Wutan City in person.
Whistle!
He blew a sharp note, and from somewhere in the distance, Purple Cloud Lan Eagle came running like a land-bound chicken, legs pumping and cooing. Jiang Lin had long banned it from flying over Forging Valley—there might be formation restrictions overhead.
"Boss Xian'er, keep an eye on Pei Xuan. If he slacks off, give him a hundred-pull punishment. I'm off to Wutan to clear up a misunderstanding. I'll be back by tomorrow at the latest."
As Jiang Lin flew off on Eagle-bro, Xiao Yi Xian watched with an exasperated look.
Feeling slightly annoyed, she looked around, then shouted, "What are you dawdling for?! Get back to work!"
Pei Xuan, who had never once slacked off: "…"
Are all of them like this?!
(END CHAPTER)
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