Chapter 60 (See you later)

On the first day of the eleventh lunar month, the sky was overcast and there was no sun.

As the weather grew colder and frost fell on the branches, Bian Yi and Lin Chengye followed Chu He back to Qingluan Xianzhi Temple to live. Although the houses there were simple, they were much warmer because of the jade veins underground, and even the branches on the spring mountain still retained some green.

Lin Chengye was completely recovered, and the remaining poison had been eliminated. The young woman's inexhaustible energy finally had a chance to be put to use. Before dawn, she took out the Yin-Yang Twin Spring Swords and practiced in the courtyard wearing only thin clothes, yet she did not feel cold. Her internal energy flowed through her meridians, and even her eyes were tinged with a pale gold.

She reviewed the sword techniques Bian Yi had taught her yesterday several times, the pale gold in her eyes burning like a raging fire, the two blades joined together in her palm.

During her daily arduous training, Lin Chengye discovered that she was extremely prone to entering a state of selflessness. When sparring with Bian Yi, although their strengths were still vastly different, once she entered this state, she could feel Bian Yi's every move slowing down, and everything around her suddenly becoming silent.

Bian Yi said that this is a state of being one with the sword, which is called by martial arts practitioners. It is rare for someone her age to have such a calm mind.

The sword energy crossed the cliff, swept away the cold wind, and fiercely struck the hundred engraved marks. But this time was different. This time, the sword energy did not just leave marks like the others. Instead, it continued to penetrate the stone's body like cutting through mud, severing it in half!

"The fifth floor..."

She has actually surpassed her brother.

Lin Chengye once asked Bian Yi in confusion if the two-headed snake had reorganized her meridians, making her constitution better.

"Ah no, actually it's because you're a martial arts genius and you work very hard."

Bian Yi was busy at the stove at the time and replied without thinking.

"None of these things can stop you. You might feel difficulties on the seventh or eighth floor, or when you break through to the ninth floor. That's normal. No one would complain that things are going too smoothly for them."

Bian Yi focused intently on sprinkling the last handful of chopped scallions on Yangchun's noodles before tilting her head back and smiling as she ruffled Yangchun's hair.

Suddenly, the cry of a bird pulled Lin Chengye out of her reverie. She looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a majestic eagle circling overhead.

"It's been such a long time since I've seen you."

Lin Chengye's face lit up with joy. He put his finger to his lips and blew on it. He raised his arm, and the eagle flapped its wings a few times and swooped down. It then obediently grabbed Lin Chengye's forearm, and a few beautiful feathers fell to the ground.

Chai Hu Nan hasn't written in a long time, and seeing the letter again now really makes me miss him.

Lin Chengye took the familiar paper tube from the eagle's leg and slowly opened it. Perhaps because he hadn't received a letter in a long time, the message that Chai Hu Nan had selected this time was very long.

"Guan Xiaoxian, the current leader of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect, the number one sect in the world, has acquired a mechanical genius named Lin Chengye and wants to adopt her as his goddaughter. People in the martial arts world say that the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect finally has a successor."

The Baixiao Tea House has issued a new list of the most outstanding performers. The top four remain unchanged: Masked River – 'Dead Man's Umbrella' Ni Xiao, Litangfang – 'One-Eyed Qin Player' Bao Chouyang, Nine Dragons Spear Tomb – 'Six-Finger Spear Demon' Yang Muxue, and Azure Phoenix Carrying a Twig Temple – 'Jade-Faced Buddha' Chu He.

"Fifth A, Shen Shu Tian Ji Men—'Spring God' Lin Chengye."

She finally understood why Bian Yi reacted that way when others called her "the King of Hell" to her face. Lin Chengye's lips twitched, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

News travels fast! Could it be that I've already gained some fame in the martial arts world? Will this title change? Will I be known as the God of Spring for the rest of my life?

Lin Chengye's mind raced for a moment. She touched her chin, feeling a mix of embarrassment and a strange sense of joy.

But soon, Lin Chengye's expression hardened.

"The eldest princess summoned the third princess back to the capital immediately, citing the approaching end of the year and the temporary stability of Bingzhou, the border state between Lai and Southern Qi, where she had been demoted."

The Emperor of Lai seems to be in better health recently. The eldest princess has returned to Yongfo Temple to recuperate, and Crown Prince Wei Jingrui is overseeing the country.

The Kingdom of Lai issued a conscription order.

The Lai Kingdom's border garrison has repeatedly sent scouts near the Jiangjin border, but although Chen Pixi discovered and drove them away each time, the situation remains tense.

Lai's unusual actions all seemed to be tests, making no attempt to conceal its intention to start a larger war.

To those unaware of the truth, the annihilation of the strongest border army in Litao Prefecture, the Weilai Army, was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Lai Kingdom. Furthermore, the attempt by the allied forces of Southern Qi and Northern Yan to occupy Litao Prefecture had failed. This should have resulted in a lose-lose situation for all three parties, and there should have been no further fighting in the short term.

Lin Chengye frowned, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the paper, his heart sinking.

This only confirmed the earlier speculation. In this war, the Kingdom of Lai was not as badly damaged as outsiders perceived; on the contrary, it was the real winner.

"Hmm? It's snowing."

Suddenly, the wooden door in the courtyard creaked open. Bian Yi, wearing a thin coat, pushed the door open and stepped out, her eyes misty with tears, her voice still lingering in her throat.

"Is it snowing?"

Lin Chengye was stunned. She looked up and realized that, without her noticing, the first snow of the year was falling from the sky. However, before the soft, white snow could even land on her shoulders, it was melted into water by her uncontained inner strength.

Bian Yi suddenly opened his eyes wide, pointed to the distant mountains, and asked excitedly.

"You broke that rock? So you're already on the fifth level?"

Before Lin Chengye could answer, Bian Yi excitedly walked over and sat down next to her, looking quite proud.

“You are already considered a master. Even without me, there are not many in this martial arts world who can hurt you.”

Bian Yi raised her hand to smooth Lin Chengye's furrowed brows and asked softly.

"What's wrong? You don't look well. I saw the mail hawk arrive. Did Chaihunan's letter contain bad news?"

"Far from it, far from it. We will have to trouble Alliance Leader Bian for many more days."

Lin Chengye's mood improved considerably when she saw Bian Yi, and she raised her hand to brush a bit of snow off Bian Yi's hair.

"There is some bad news, but this matter cannot be rushed. News of Wei Jingchen should come soon; she will be returning to the palace soon. You don't need to worry."

Bian Yi visibly stiffened upon hearing the words "return to the palace," but relaxed slowly at the end and nodded.

Suddenly, Lin Chengye pointed to the paper and asked curiously.

"So, what is this Hundred Knowledge Tea House? And what is the Book of Amazing Beauty?"

"Ah, this."

Bian Yi smiled knowingly.

"This Baixiao Tea House also has another name, Idle Talk Manor, located within the territory of Lai Kingdom. You can call it a sect or a teahouse, but in short, it's a place that knows all the stories of the martial arts world. The people there are like ants, ubiquitous and well-informed about everything, big and small, and they are particularly fond of rankings."

"Of course, it's not as serious as the Yunya Yitian Register. Instead, it's some strange and gossipy things, like the Beauty Ranking and the Musician Ranking. This Jinghong Register is specifically for ranking the five most promising young people under the age of twenty-five."

"There are such interesting places?"

Lin Chengye listened with great interest and blurted out his answer.

"I really want to go and see it."

So, by that logic, her journey through the martial world hasn't even begun yet. Although she's in the martial world, she's not exactly adventuring at all.

“When you step inside, people will start calling you the God of Spring, the God of Spring…” Bian Yi joked.

"Ah, yes, after all, I have a Yama (King of Hell) bowing to me. There aren't many people with a reputation in this martial arts world..."

Bian Yi suddenly regretted saying that extra sentence; she knew best that not many people could get anything good out of Lin Chengye. Bian Yi immediately used the most decisive method: she reached out and covered Lin Chengye's mouth, letting out a groan of defeat.

"Let's both back down, and let's not talk about it anymore!"

...

After Lin Chengye and Bian Yi had finished joking around, they got down to business. Lin Chengye quickly decided to set off back to Shen Shu Tian Ji Men that day. After all, the matter had been completely resolved, and the things mentioned in Chai Hu Nan's letter made her very uneasy, so she decided not to delay any longer.

Bian Yi told her to go say goodbye to her friends, and that she would wait for her at the mountain gate.

When Lin Chengye found Chu He, the man was sitting cross-legged in the warm spring, meditating.

"Are you leaving?"

Chu He remained expressionless when he heard Lin Chengye's words. He simply stood up from the warm spring and said again.

"I will regularly go down the mountain to keep an eye on the repairs of Chun Shen Pond for you. Is there anything else you're worried about?"

"It's gone."

Lin Chengye shook his head, then suddenly remembered something and smiled.

"To be honest, when I first met you, I thought we weren't compatible and wouldn't become friends."

"You talk as if I had a great first impression of you. I thought you were an idiot back then."

Chu He snorted coldly, showing no politeness. But soon, she also fell silent. The two looked at each other from a distance. Snow fell on the ground, piling up in a thin layer on their shoulders, truly giving the feeling of parting.

"Alright, I'm leaving."

Lin Chengye pinched the bridge of her nose. Those words suddenly came to mind at this moment of parting, and after a moment of reflection, she felt they were too painful to swallow. She couldn't say another word.

Clearly, Chu He did the same; she stood there and waved, but said nothing. Only after Lin Chengye turned around did she slowly open her eyes, watching the figure in the black coat slowly disappear into the distance, becoming a black dot, and finally being completely melted away by the wind and snow.

...

As Lin Chengye and Bian Yi rode through the streets of Mengshan City, almost all the people came out to wave goodbye, see them off, and even kowtowed.

Some followed their horses all the way to the city gate of Mengshan City. Lin Chengye heard someone sobbing softly in the bustling crowd, and others worried that Meng Jiang would be angry again after Chun Shen left.

But these anxieties and doubts must be left to time, to the future Chun Shenbei to slowly appease these people; she couldn't answer them. Lin Chengye smiled faintly, stopped his horse, and turned to look.

Soon, she spotted the small figure in the crowd. The small figure was trying hard to stand on tiptoe, tears welling up in her reddened eyes, but they still burst out when Lin Chengye looked at her.

"Xiaoman, come here, I want to talk to you about something."

Lin Chengye dismounted, squatted down, and watched as Xiaoman ran towards him with a delighted smile. Tears and smiles mingled on her innocent face, and her braid bobbed at the back of her head. He couldn't help but smile back.

“Your mother told me that she wants you to come with me. If you are willing, I can take you back to Jiangjinmeng, which is a very good place. You can learn some medical skills there, and you won’t have to worry about making a living when you grow up.”

Lin Chengye held Xiaoman's hands and asked very sincerely.

"Are you willing?"

The girl seemed a little stunned. She tilted her head to look behind Lin Chengye. Her mother's eyes showed joy and expectation, as if she was eagerly hoping that she would agree.

Xiaoman pursed her lips, and suddenly looked somewhat dejected.

What a cunning adult! Why did it take so long to tell her? If she had known earlier that the Spring Goddess was going to take her away, maybe... maybe she would have... After all, she really, really liked the Spring Goddess.

But... there were things she really wanted to do. Xiaoman thought for a long, long time under Lin Chengye's gaze. No one urged her until Xiaoman's gaze gradually hardened, and she spoke loudly in her own voice.

"...No, Xiaoman doesn't want to!"

This was Xiaoman's answer. Lin Chengye was somewhat surprised, but accepted it readily. She nodded, smiled, and patted Xiaoman's head.

"Xiaoman has already found a teacher herself!"

The girl pulled her small hand away from Lin Chengye's, but her slender legs ran very fast, and she ran to another person in no time, reaching out to grab that person's robe.

"You really acted quickly." Lin Chengye stood up helplessly, but there was no blame in his words, and his smile widened.

Look, this child has found a better future for herself; it's her own choice.

“I saw that this child was talented, so I took her on as my student.”

Wang Xiuwen coughed lightly, patted Xiaoman's head, and whispered.

"You, you didn't say that either... but Xiaoman said she'd be with me, so you can't take her away from me..."

“Spring Goddess, I… I want to stay! I will learn flood control from my master, and then… and then… I don’t know what to do after that. But I want to be like you, just like you guarded Mengshan City, to protect the places in the world that suffer from floods! I… I want… I…”

In the very end, Xiaoman could no longer speak. She cried very hard, she couldn't bear to part with the Goddess of Spring, and she was afraid that she would never see her again.

She was too young to understand the meaning of "see you again in the martial world," nor did she understand the adults' saying that fate would bring them together again. All she knew was that the God of Spring was leaving. Xiaoman could only wipe her tears and snot with the corner of Wang Xiuwen's clothes, burying her sorrow in her sobs.

"Xiaoman, we will meet again, I promise."

Lin Chengye didn't wipe away Xiaoman's tears again, but made a very serious promise.

She didn't linger, but mounted her horse, cupped her hands in greeting to the people of Mengshan City, and said loudly.

"Until we meet again, everyone!"