With a heavy heart, Lin Hui went home and told his parents what had happened. The next day, he returned to the clinic, but when he still couldn't find who he was looking for, he had no choice but to head back to Qingfeng Temple.
Before leaving, he slipped some money to one of the clinic's Pharmacists, asking him to send a message to Qingfeng Temple immediately if he heard any news.
Afterwards, he packed his things and returned to Qingfeng Temple.
During this time, he also tried to find the two friends his cousin had introduced him to. But they both lived in the Inner City, and though they had a contact point in the Outer City, Lin Hui had sent a letter and still hadn't received a response.
Lin Hui suspected the two might have also been there that night and been injured in the attack.
After returning to Qingfeng Temple, he did his best to clear his mind and resumed the tedious life of arduously practicing his Swordsmanship.
*
*
*
「In the blink of an eye, a month passed.」
Winter had fully set in. Fine snowflakes drifted on the wind, blanketing the roofs of Qingfeng Temple in a layer of pure white.
As the end of the year approached, the annual Yuan Dong Festival was about to begin.
The Tuyue People had a long-standing custom of celebrating the year's harvest and looking toward the future at the end of each year. The Yuan Dong Festival was precisely that kind of holiday.
The Daoist Temple was also preparing to hold its annual internal tournament, which would determine the disciples' rankings and their New Year's prizes.
The year-end Yuan Dong Festival was just one day away.
Lin Hui pushed open the door of his room and saw many people outside hanging black paper flowers under the eaves. They were one of the most common festival decorations.
He lived in a row of side rooms on one side of the front courtyard, along with a dozen or so other front courtyard disciples. They all shared these quarters.
Like him, the other front courtyard disciples were also emerging from their rooms. Seeing the Daoist Temple being decorated, their expressions couldn't help but soften.
Lin Hui noticed that from where he stood, he could see many of the rear courtyard students in the front courtyard and outside the main hall, helping with the work.
The Daoist Children were directing the arrangements, while the Daoists from the logistics department were already setting up a ring-like structure in the front courtyard's training ground.
Sturdy railings were erected one by one, and gray tarps were stretched overhead to provide shelter from the wind, rain, and snow.
Lin Hui, however, didn't see Daoist Mingde and the other masters. He took a few steps and scanned the area, finally spotting Daoist Mingde and Mingchen on a corner of the temple roof, sitting cross-legged, drinking from wineskins, and shooting the breeze.
Speechless, he picked up his sword and went straight outside the Daoist Temple, found a quiet corner, and began his daily practice.
By this point, his Seven-Section Quick Sword Body Tempering had successfully reached the Fourth Grade.
This meant he was now on the same level as Huang Shan and the others. In terms of its Body Tempering effect, the perfect version of the Seven-Section Quick Sword was undoubtedly stronger than what the others practiced.
Lin Hui could clearly feel his control and precision in Swordsmanship improving naturally.
At the same time, he had also grown more adept with his Light Body Effect, stabilizing it at a rhythm of one use every two seconds. As long as he maintained this pace, he could continue bursting forward indefinitely.
He had also become better at integrating Sealed Poison into his Swordsmanship. The poison took effect for one second with a two-second interval, perfectly matching the rhythm of his Light Body Effect. This allowed Lin Hui to seamlessly weave it into the tempo of his burst effects.
He named this move, a surprise burst of Light Body layered with the Sealed Poison, "Hidden Assault."
This was because when he executed the move, the speed was so immense that even he couldn't clearly make out the blur of his sword.
Standing in his usual spot beneath a shady tree, Lin Hui slowly began to practice the Body Tempering version of the Seven-Section Quick Sword.
He performed ten perfect repetitions in a row to complete his Body Tempering, then moved on to the Nine-Section Swift Sword. Before he knew it, a few young disciples had gathered nearby to watch.
Captivated by the perfection of his posture and Sword Techniques, they couldn't help but stop and watch.
"This senior brother's Swordsmanship looks... more elegant than the other senior brothers and sisters in the front courtyard..."
"I agree. It feels more precise. Every single move feels like it's exactly how it's supposed to be."
"That's what I was thinking. It looks so stable and precise, without a single flaw."
"Does anyone know this senior brother's name?"
"That's Senior Brother Lin Hui. He was just promoted a few months ago. I used to know Chen Zhishen, and he was on good terms with Senior Brother Lin Hui. I heard him talk about him..."
"Didn't Senior Brother Lin Hui just get promoted? How is he...?"
"Shh... he's finishing up. Don't talk about people to their face."
Lin Hui slowly brought his practice to a close. It wasn't that the surrounding voices had distracted him; with his current level of focus, they couldn't possibly affect his concentration.
The real reason was that he had spotted two people approaching in the distance.
One was tall and the other short. The tall one was none other than Chen Zhishen, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
He was leading a young man by the hand who bore a slight resemblance to him, and they were walking quickly toward Lin Hui.
While still over ten meters away, Chen Zhishen called out with a broad smile.
"Ah Hui! Looks like you're doing well for yourself! Did you miss me?"
'This guy is clearly living the good life now,' Lin Hui thought. The old Chen Zhishen, who always wore an expression of bitter resentment, would never have said such a thing.
"Miss you, my ass! What have you been eating? Did someone pump you full of air? How'd you get so fat so fast?"
He could see the other man was on the verge of a double chin. He must have gained at least thirty pounds since leaving Qingfeng Temple.
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Chen Zhishen's smile faltered. "It's not my fault Senior Brother Zhao's benefits are too good. Life is easy. I have a little wine every day, go out to roll the dice, and only go on missions occasionally. It's unbelievably comfortable."
"Then what are you doing back here?" Lin Hui was at a loss for words. Looking at his friend's out-of-shape physique, he knew the man had definitely been neglecting his Swordsmanship.
"Well, my nephew just paid his way into the Daoist Temple, so I brought him by for you to meet," Chen Zhishen said, skillfully backhanding a silver note toward him. "For my sake, if he ever gets into real trouble, how about you give him a hand?"
Lin Hui reached out and caught it cleanly. A quick glance revealed it was for one thousand.
"Fine. Friends' rate. But don't come bothering me over nothing."
'I barely have enough time for my own training as it is. If he comes to me with every little thing, I'm definitely not helping.'
"Of course," Chen Zhishen said, nodding with a smile. He then brought the boy closer and gave him a firm smack on the back of the head.
"Go on, call him Uncle! From now on, he's your Uncle Lin. If you run into real trouble here at Qingfeng Temple and can't reach me, you go to your Uncle Lin. Got it?"
"Hello, Uncle Lin." The boy seemed a bit dazed, possessing the simple honesty characteristic of a farmer's son.
"Mm. What's your name? I'll put in a good word for you with some people I know," Lin Hui said, his expression softening.
"His name is Chen Jiahu, but his nickname is Xiaohu. You can call him Ah Hu, too," Chen Zhishen said with a laugh. "Feel free to have him run any errands for you. The kid is strong and a first-rate worker back home."
"Good, I was just looking for someone to run errands for me," Lin Hui replied, nodding with a smile.
Looking at Xiaohu, he couldn't help but think of his cousin, Lin Hongzhen. Not long ago, she had done the same, introducing him to her friends. And now... she still hadn't woken up.
He had written to his eldest uncle a few days ago, and the reply stated that she was still unconscious. The Rain Palace had ceased treatment and sent her home. Her physical injuries had apparently healed, but her mind had suffered a severe shock, and no one knew when, or if, she would ever wake up.
The Rain Palace had spent considerable resources and money to treat her to this point; they had done all they could.
Whether she would ever wake up was now entirely up to fate.
At this thought, Lin Hui's smile unconsciously faded. He recalled his past moments with his cousin, and his heart ached.
Noticing the change in his expression, Chen Zhishen's smile vanished. "It's about what happened at Cyan Ink Tower last month, right?" he asked in a low voice. "I heard about it."
Xinyu Town was only so big. News about the Lin Family had spread far and wide, so much so that Chen Zhishen, who had always paid attention to their affairs, had heard about it even from the next town over.
"Senior Brother Zhao also mentioned it. He said it's a huge blow to the Lin Family. But didn't your family branch sever ties with the main house long ago?"
"The one who got hurt was close to me," Lin Hui replied. "Life is unpredictable... Let's not talk about it. Are you staying to watch the tournament?"
"The tournament? Of course," Chen Zhishen grinned. "That's exactly why I'm here."
"I thought you just said you came to see me and have your nephew pay his respects?"
"Can't you take a hint? It was just a pleasantry."
The smiles returned to both their faces, and they entered the main hall together.
The main hall of Qingfeng Temple was spacious. Disciples were already at the registration desk, signing in the guests they had brought to watch the tournament.
Amidst the bustling crowd at the registration desk, besides returning former disciples, there were also a few family members and invited guests from other martial arts schools.
At a glance, there were at least a hundred people.
After Chen Zhishen finished registering, he took his nephew to greet other acquaintances. Lin Hui, meanwhile, returned to his room to center himself and prepare for the start of the tournament.
This time, having reached Fourth Grade Body Tempering, he planned to reveal some of his strength to improve his standing within Qingfeng Temple.
'Hiding one's strength only means hiding your trump cards,' he thought. 'There's no need to conceal my actual power. Displaying it is the only way to earn more resources and better treatment.'
'That way, I can leverage those resources for greater growth, continuing the cycle and creating a snowball effect. That's the fastest way to become powerful.'
'As long as I don't stand out too much and draw excessive attention.'
Once the morning preparations were complete, all the disciples were summoned. They formally paid their respects to the ancestors of Qingfeng Pavilion, lit the large incense sticks in the cauldron on the training ground, and struck the surrounding gongs. Finally, they lit a large pyre outside the Daoist Temple, sending a great fire and plumes of smoke soaring into the sky.
On the newly constructed ring, a young female Daoist Child in a snow-white robe, her hair in two pigtails, stood holding black paper flowers and sang a ballad for the Yuan Dong Festival in a loud voice.
The sound of the child's a cappella singing was clear and sweet, as if it could wash over the soul.
After the song, a theater troupe specially invited by the Daoist Temple took the stage to perform acrobatics and skits. The lively sound of gongs and drums filled the air.
The lively festivities continued for more than two hours. At noon, the meal began. Tables and chairs were set up around the ring in the training ground, and a seemingly endless banquet was served.
First Senior Brother Chen Sui, Second Senior Brother Zhao Jiang'an, and First Senior Sister Mu Qiaozhi, all of whom had not been seen for a long time, were also present.
Daoist Baohe raised a cup of wine to offer everyone a New Year's blessing, and the crowd returned the toast.
After everyone had their fill of food and drink, it was finally time for the main event—the tournament—to begin.
Daoist Mingde's Daoist Child, Huishen, took the stage to announce the tournament rules. After the main competition, there would also be exhibition matches against the guests from other martial arts schools.
The surrounding tables and chairs were quickly cleared away. In their place, tiered wooden spectator stands were brought out and arranged neatly around the ring.
The Daoists from the logistics department had prepared sets of standardized, white Daoist Formal Clothing to be worn as uniforms for the competition.
All the front courtyard disciples received their uniforms and returned to their rooms to change.
About ten minutes later, all preparations were complete.
CLANG.
With the sharp sound of a gong, the tournament officially began.
Lin Hui stood below the stage, gripping his sword, his mind already calculating what rank he could achieve. 'If I can break into the top ten, I'll be able to get much better assignments than before.'
'Qingfeng Temple also allocates extra resources to its top ten elite disciples, and the monthly stipend is quite substantial.'
'In theory, the top ten disciples are the public face of Qingfeng Temple. They're the ones who have to go out and spar with other martial arts schools. That's why the temple has to invest resources to help them grow.'
Being among the top ten elites also meant rising above the rank of ordinary disciples and having the potential to one day master the Qingfeng Sword and reach the Ninth Grade of Body Tempering.
One step beyond Ninth Grade Body Tempering were the titled masters, like the Daoists of the Ming Generation.
Masters of that caliber had to be treated with caution even by the elites of the Inner Cities of The Three Greats, as they were equals in power.
In fact, Lin Hui had once asked Daoist Mingde about the realm beyond Ninth-Grade Body Tempering.
Daoist Mingde's answer had been simple: from the external to the internal, birthing a hidden power from within.
For now, Lin Hui's goal was set on that Inner Power Realm. He felt that once he reached it, he might finally have the power to protect himself.