"Not at all. Even if we don't become in-laws, the two of them can still get along. It would be nice for them to be friends," Lin Shunhe said, forcing a smile.
As Lin Hui approached, he instantly understood what had just happened.
He could tell the girl in the white dress hadn't taken a liking to him, which was understandable. His physique had become more solid recently, but his facial features were the same as ever—completely unremarkable. Before, the boost from his family's status would have helped, but now that was gone, and his job was just an ordinary bookkeeper's assistant.
It was perfectly normal that she wasn't interested. After all, on the surface, he didn't have much to offer.
What left him a little speechless, though, was that his old man had already started trying to arrange a marriage for him. 'It seems he's already given up on me and is banking on a grandson. Maybe he's hoping a grandson will have talent and a great future.'
Since the meeting was a bust, the hunchbacked old man was too embarrassed to stay any longer. He and his daughter, Huan'Er, said their goodbyes and left by carriage to avoid any further awkwardness.
"That girl's name is Guan Qihuan. She's the third daughter of my old friend, Guan Jing. Both our families were interested in the match, but unfortunately... the girl wasn't willing," his father, Lin Shunhe, said with a helpless sigh.
"Just forget it, Dad. Let's just live a quiet, ordinary life. I have my own plans for marriage," Lin Hui said, exasperated.
"Plans? Don't tell me you've already found someone you like at Qingfeng Temple?" Upon hearing this, his father's spirits lifted at once.
"No, not really, but I do have my own arrangements." Lin Hui knew that with the Blood Seal, he had absolutely no time or energy to waste on romance.
His priority now was to establish a sense of security. Then, once his strength reached a certain level, he would take a good, hard look at what was truly going on in this world.
"Son... what if we... moved somewhere else to try our luck?" Lin Shunhe asked after a moment of hesitation.
"How would anywhere else be different? We'd have to spend time getting used to everything all over again. Starting from scratch... Dad, you should stop worrying so much," Lin Hui urged.
At the entrance to the Daoist Temple, he chatted with his father a while longer. He learned that the Outer City had returned to a state of calm, and many of those who had fled to the Inner City were gradually returning.
However, in recent days, there had been an influx of people from other city districts.
Beyond the Tuyue City District, far off in a vast expanse of fog, lay other similarly sprawling city districts.
There were nineteen such districts in total, which together formed the Taixu Federation. The Taixu Federation was jointly ruled by the Inner Court and the Outer Mansion. The Inner Court was a small, separate No-Fog Zone at the center of it all.
Due to the enveloping fog and the arduous journeys between them, the Inner Court was actually unable to effectively govern the nineteen city districts of the Outer Mansion.
This meant the Taixu Federation was, in reality, a loose alliance of territories, with each city district governing itself independently.
The Government Office of each city district was its de facto ruling body. In the Tuyue City District, this was the Tuyue Government Office.
The other city district Lin Shunhe mentioned was the closest major one: Xingdiao.
The Xingdiao City District was said to be in a perpetual state of chaos where the strong preyed upon the weak and slavery was rampant. The Xingdiao People who occasionally emerged were mostly manic and neurotic, quick to resort to violence and threats, making them seem incredibly vicious.
"I've heard many of the newcomers are already stirring up trouble all over the Inner City. Tuyue's most prominent sects and gangs are the Three Sects and Six Gangs, but the Xingdiao People have been challenging them on their own turf, and many have been injured." Lin Shunhe was well-informed. He had been traveling for business lately and knew far more than Lin Hui.
"What about the martial arts dojos?" Lin Hui asked with a frown.
"The dojos are in a different league entirely. The Three Sects and Six Gangs are major powers outside of The Three Greats that pass down Inner Martial Arts. While they're nowhere near the level of The Three Greats, comparing them to the dojos is like comparing an adult to a child. They're not even in the same conversation." Lin Shunhe glanced around, pulled his son into a corner, and lowered his voice.
"The reason I'm telling you all this is that, even though Qingfeng Temple is just a mid-tier dojo that teaches Outer Strength and isn't likely to be targeted, you still need to be careful. If trouble starts, try to stay in the back. Always remember that you have me and your mother behind you. If anything were to happen to you... your mother and I just couldn't take it." At that moment, both Lin Shunhe's tone and his expression had clearly lost the spirit they held before their family's misfortune.
But Lin Hui still nodded seriously.
"I know, Dad."
"Good. I'm heading back now. Things at home have gotten a bit easier lately. I found a new opportunity and started a small business, so don't you worry. And don't send your wages home anymore; we have enough." Without another word, Lin Shunhe took some Broken Silver from his waist pouch, which was already in a small leather bag, and pressed it into Lin Hui's hand.
"Don't worry. No matter how tough things get for your old man, I can definitely provide for the family!"
Lin Hui refused the money. After some back and forth between father and son, he walked his father part of the way home before returning to Qingfeng Temple alone.
In truth, the fact that his father had walked all the way here alone, without hiring an ox-cart or carriage, told Lin Hui everything he needed to know about their family's actual financial situation.
But he didn't dare prick his father's fragile pride, so he simply returned the money that had been pressed on him.
Back at the Daoist Temple, Lin Hui settled his mind and resumed his grueling swordsmanship practice. His movements with the sword were becoming lighter, swifter, and more precise.
Even without the Blood Seal's evolution, the longer he practiced the sixth and seventh Sword Techniques, the deeper his insight into them became.
By comparing them against the perfected versions of the first five techniques, Lin Hui gradually began to discover the hidden flaws in the final two.
He didn't discover all the flaws at once. Instead, he would find a new one every few days. After attempting to modify and fine-tune the techniques, Lin Hui keenly sensed that the altered Sword Techniques suited him better than the original versions, feeling much smoother to execute.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.
The Sixth Technique finished evolving sooner than expected. It seemed Lin Hui's own insights had helped to save some time.
The sky was gloomy today, with the sun just beginning to peek through the fog.
Lin Hui pushed open his door, wooden sword in hand, and stared thoughtfully at the Blood Seal's text at the bottom of his vision.
'It finished five days earlier than the normal two-month evolution time... It seems those five days are the result of all my hard practice.'
He could feel that his physique was much stronger now than when he had first arrived. It made sense that he could absorb more of his stamina each day, thus reducing the time needed for evolution.
Watching the students from the large communal dormitories come out to practice their swordsmanship or line up for water, Lin Hui walked to a corner and focused his attention on the final technique: the seventh, Wind Sound Stab.
'Evolve the seventh technique—Wind Sound Stab?'
'Resources required: One wooden sword, fifty days of reserved stamina.'
'Time required: Fifty days.'
'The final technique... At last...'
Lin Hui let out a deep sigh, his eyes fixed on the red text floating before him. After a few seconds of hesitation, he decisively confirmed the evolution.
'Yes.'
HISS.
The Blood Seal on his arm quickly shifted from a diamond to a circle.
Without looking at the Blood Seal again, Lin Hui held his wooden sword and carefully felt out the newly perfected Sixth Technique.
Having practiced the Seven-Section Quick Sword to this point, he was on the verge of achieving Perfection. As a result, he now had an extremely deep understanding of the entire swordsmanship style.
He raised his hand, thrusting forward, flicking upward, slashing down...
Each Sword Technique flowed from his hands as smoothly as running water, possessing a strange, captivating beauty.
A couple of nearby students practicing their swordsmanship glanced over, and their own movements slowed involuntarily as they became engrossed in watching Lin Hui.
After running through the forms several times, Lin Hui paused to rest. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then picked up the water skin and dry rations on the ground beside him for breakfast.
"Ah Hui," Chen Zhishen said, slowly approaching him. "How much do you know about our Second Senior Brother, Zhao Jiang'an?"
"I've never interacted with him. He's the second-ranked Official Disciple. I'm just an ordinary student still practicing the Seven-Section Quick Sword, not even close to being an Official Disciple myself. What makes you think I'd be in any position to get close to Senior Brother Zhao? Why do you ask?" Lin Hui replied casually.
To be precise, students who hadn't even fully mastered the basic forms were just unqualified customers paying for a service.
Only by mastering the Seven-Section Quick Sword, and then the Nine-Section Swift Sword, could a student make the leap to become a true disciple of Qingfeng Temple and enter its inner circle of twenty.
At that point, many of Tuyue's gangs and prominent families would come forward with offers.
Their future income and lifestyle would be secure.
Chen Zhishen's goal was to reach the level of an Official Disciple. His aptitude wasn't the worst, and combined with his diligent practice, mastering the form in just over a year was quite decent. He hoped to improve his family's standard of living.
"Second Senior Brother is very kind, and his swordsmanship is superb. He spoke with me for a bit after practice ended yesterday, gave me some pointers on my Swordsmanship, and even invited me to work for his Zhao Family... He also said that if I agree to go to the Zhao Family, he'll step in and mediate the conflict between me and Chen Chong," Chen Zhishen said softly, his voice full of reverence for the senior disciple.
Lin Hui listened in silence, saying nothing.
"Second Senior Brother broke down my future prospects after leaving Qingfeng Temple. The options are basically joining a gang, another prominent family, or a merchant guild. The Zhao Family is a well-known clan in a nearby town. Since Second Senior Brother and I come from the same school, if I join, I'll be one of his direct followers. I'd train with the other senior brothers and sisters from Qingfeng Temple who've already joined, and we'd all look out for each other. Ah Hui, what do you think? Should I go?" The more Chen Zhishen thought about it, the more perfect it seemed.
"It sounds pretty good," Lin Hui replied after a moment's thought. "Second Senior Brother is probably using his family's resources to build his own power base. You mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword in just over a year. Your aptitude might not be the best, but with your diligence, you won't be at the bottom of the pack once you become an Official Disciple. You're worth recruiting."
"The pay is five thousand cash a month! My whole family makes ten thousand a year at most! We had to save for a long time just for me to come here and learn martial arts. The Zhao Family's offer is so good, it feels a little too good to be true," Chen Zhishen said, starting to have second thoughts.
"Don't worry, that's a normal salary. After all, you've already begun Body Tempering, so you're not an ordinary student anymore." Lin Hui had noticed a subtle change in Chen Zhishen. When he moved his hands and feet, his movements were clearly a little quicker and lighter than usual.
These were the typical signs of having completed the first stage of Body Tempering.
Clearly, it wasn't just Lin Hui whose practice was accelerating. As other students became more proficient and gained more insight, their own progress would speed up as well. Chen Zhishen was a perfect example.
"Heh, you noticed. Man, it wasn't easy..." Chen Zhishen sighed. "Ah Hui, you must be close too, right? When you are, why don't you come to the Zhao Family with me? We can stick together, brother!"
His eyes were filled with longing as he looked at Lin Hui.
"I've already signed a bookkeeper's contract with Qingfeng Temple. I'll be here for at least the next five years, so I can't," Lin Hui replied with a smile.
He was glad to see that Chen Zhishen had found a way to use someone else's power to escape Chen Chong's retribution.
"That's a real shame..." Chen Zhishen sighed. "But Zhao Family Town, where the Zhao Family is based, is only about a half-hour walk from here. Senior Brother said the work and training don't take up too much time, and we get a fixed four days off every month. I can still come back and visit you often when I'm free."
"Oh, right," he said, suddenly remembering something. He fumbled around in his waist pouch and quickly pulled out a dark, black object.
"This is for you. You like those fragments left behind by the monsters in the Fog Area, don't you? I've been picking some up in my spare time. This is the biggest and most complete one I've found. It's yours."