Chapter 48 Relearning Martial Arts
Yu Jiang waited anxiously for three days, making sure to casually stroll around Lin Chengye's courtyard early in the morning, peeking through the crack in the door to see if there was any movement inside.
Even someone like Liu Zhenglin couldn't help but daydream in class, and even made a basic mistake while forging, almost causing a disaster and earning a severe scolding from the teacher. Liu Zhenglin himself was quite annoyed, sitting alone on the steps of the forging workshop, staring blankly at the back mountain.
They endured this difficult time until noon on the fourth day. The teacher had already finished teaching, and only the two of them remained in the classroom.
Unusually, Liu Zhenglin didn't rush into the forge; instead, he sat blankly in the classroom, lost in thought. Yu Jiang finally couldn't resist and poked Liu Zhenglin's side with his pen, whispering.
"You said... how about we go check out the back mountain?"
“That place is usually off-limits.”
Liu Zhenglin shook his head.
"If there's really a problem that Doctor Bian and the others can't solve, then there's no point in us going."
"Oh, I know, that makes sense. But I still want to see it for myself..."
Yu Jiang muttered, tugging at Liu Zhenglin's sleeve and shaking it. Of course, she was also afraid of being discovered, which was why she wanted to drag Liu Zhenglin along, so that even if she copied the sect rules a hundred times, she would have someone with her.
"...Actually, me too, how about tonight?"
Liu Zhenglin made a decisive statement.
"Okay. Then while..."
"What's so good about it? What are you trying to take advantage of now?"
Before Yu Jiang could finish speaking, a laughing voice suddenly rang out from outside the window. Then, something flew in through the window and lightly struck Yu Jiang's forehead.
Yu Jiang looked down and saw that it was a smooth, round pebble.
Only a martial artist with internal energy could control their strength so exquisitely. Yu Jiang excitedly raised his head and looked out the window at the person bathed in light.
Under the willow tree, Lin Chengye wore a long, dark blue-black veil, not the heavy black robe he usually wore. Underneath, he wore a sleeveless black vest, and his hair was half-tied up with a silver crescent hairpin with a round pearl hanging below.
Both are predominantly black, but they are vastly different from the silent, lonely, and desolate appearance of three days ago. Instead, they are like vibrant ink strokes on a painting, with every movement exuding the vitality of spring.
She is no longer afraid of the cold.
Yu Jiang suddenly realized this, and her eyes welled up with tears. She stepped onto the windowsill, leaped out, and hugged Lin Chengye tightly. His body beneath her clothes was warm, and the pounding of his heart in her chest was like thunder in spring.
The shimmering shadows of the trees fell into Lin Chengye's smiling eyes, his dark pupils blending with pale gold, creating a scene reminiscent of late spring.
"How are you? Are you really...recovered?"
Liu Zhenglin was a step too slow to reach the door. She curiously circled around Lin Chengye, wanting to touch him but unsure how much force to use.
"Actually, the most dangerous time had already passed three days ago in the morning."
Lin Chengye rubbed her forehead; she still felt a lingering fear when she thought about what happened back then.
She was probably on the Bridge of Helplessness again, almost possessed by the serpent and dying without knowing why.
However, what she could do most was to deal with Bian Yi.
Lin Chengye frowned at the thought of that person, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.
That morning, Bian Yi's robes were half-covered in blood, and the wound on her side had only been barely stopped by acupuncture. She handed the exhausted Lin Chengye to Guan Xiaoxian and said...
"Sect Master Guan, the rest is up to you. I've only suffered a minor injury, but I'll take care of myself, so don't worry."
Lin Chengye tried to call out to Bian Yi, but his throat could only produce a hoarse, breathy sound. Helpless, her trembling fingers tried to grasp the bright red clothes, but they only managed to graz them.
Her eyelids twitched, and Lin Chengye angrily struggled to get up.
“Chengye, she’s over thirty, she knows what she’s doing.”
Guan Xiaoxian didn't understand why Lin Chengye suddenly became excited, but she was immersed in the joy of Lin Chengye reconnecting the meridians, and without thinking much about it, she said again.
"Close your eyes and rest now. When you wake up, I will teach you the internal energy cultivation method to turn stone into gold and correct the chaotic internal energy in your inner sea."
These past three days have been extremely chaotic for Lin Chengye. Her body is newly reborn, but there is still a disconnect between her mind and body. She is often exhausted and fatigued, and sometimes loses consciousness in the blink of an eye. Moreover, she suffers from many aftereffects. The yin and yang snake blood have not fully fused, and she often experiences alternating chills and fever within her body, causing restlessness in her inner sea.
She had to focus all her energy on practicing the Alchemy Technique to quell the chaos in the inner sea. By the time she finally regained consciousness and the Alchemy Technique had taken root in her body, three days had passed.
And indeed, after that person left using his light-footed skills, there was no news of him for three days.
Lin Chengye couldn't understand why Bian Yi was so contradictory—both easygoing and tough, both close and distant to her. Bian Yi was clearly willing to risk his life for her, yet at times he insisted on shutting her out.
"So, what level has your internal energy recovered to now? Is it at the level before you were injured?"
Liu Zhenglin's curious question pulled Lin Chengye back to reality.
"Yes, that bone-regenerating two-headed serpent is indeed a rare object. It can not only reconnect meridians but also repair the inner sea. It saves the trouble of starting cultivation from scratch."
Lin Chengye suddenly revealed the mother-and-child hidden arrow on her wrist. This time, she did not use the hidden clasp that Yu Jiang had told her about last time. With the release of her internal energy, the hidden arrow shot out freely and pierced through the tree trunk in front of her, which required at least two people to hug.
"Unfortunately, I didn't practice martial arts properly from a young age and only reached the second level. In fact, I felt the barrier to the third level many years ago, but I never sought to break through it."
Yu Jiang and Liu Zhenglin suddenly looked strange. They looked at each other and spoke at the same time in disbelief. Yu Jiang almost jumped up.
"Wait, you mean you're not practicing martial arts properly? You're almost at the second level even though you're not practicing properly?"
"Huh? Is this a sign of being ignorant and incompetent?"
Why is he reacting like this? Lin Chengye took a step back, puzzled.
The two men, however, were relentless and almost pounced on her.
"Are you kidding me! We're only at the second level, and that's with our already pretty good talent."
Yu Jiang was on the verge of tears. She had only recently recovered, and now she was showing signs of resentment again. But more than anything, she felt a great sense of defeat.
She thought she could finally put on a show in front of Lin Chengye. Yu Jiang suppressed her distorted expression and said.
"There are countless people in the world who want to learn martial arts, so why don't you think there are many great heroes? It's just that the vast majority of them don't even have the basic aptitude. Those who do enter the gate, most of them can only stay at the first level."
"...But my brother has already broken through to the fourth level at my age."
Lin Chengye was even more puzzled, as she really hadn't learned much about it, since she only used her two family members as a reference.
"I don't want to listen to her anymore! She's so annoying!"
Yu Jiang screamed and covered her ears. She didn't want to ask who her brother was at all. Staying in the Tianji Sect for too long was definitely not a good idea. The martial world was vast and never lacked geniuses.
"Comparison is the thief of joy..."
Liu Zhenglin rarely agreed so deeply with Yu Jiang's words. She suddenly patted Lin Chengye on the shoulder like an old scholar and said earnestly.
"Honestly, practice martial arts properly and don't waste your talent. If it's true, as you say, that you've reached nearly the third level without practicing martial arts properly, you're probably not much worse than your brother."
...
When Lin Chengye returned to the courtyard in the evening, the meal was already prepared on the table. He sat to the side, watching Bian Yi try to cool the scalding porridge with a fan, and then rambled on about the strange patients she had encountered that day.
Suddenly, curiosity struck him, and Lin Chengye didn't hold back, asking directly.
"Bian Yi, what level of internal energy did you have when you were my age?"
"Well, I broke through to the ninth level when I was seventeen, and I'm still at the ninth level now."
Oh right, she was already the best in the world back then.
Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.
Lin Chengye silently lowered his head and quickly shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.
...
The following day, Guan Xiaoxian surprisingly appeared at the Wenshu Academy. All the disciples stood up straight, their eyes lowered in tension, while secretly observing the sect leader's expression.
Yu Jiang's lips turned pale with nervousness. She hadn't studied properly for several days and felt quite guilty. Under the table, she kept twisting and turning the hem of her clothes with her fingers.
"Alright, what's the rush? It's almost July, have you forgotten our Tianji Sect's old rules?"
Guan Xiaoxian looked at the rows of quails in front of her and chuckled to herself.
"The summer heat is gradually subsiding, the locust trees are casting their deepest shade, and the season for new fruits and vegetables is fast approaching. You disciples of the Divine Pivot School should know that the seasons change and your studies should not be neglected. Today, in accordance with the school rules, the annual assignments will be announced. All students must listen attentively."
Is this kind of coursework? Could it be a check on what the disciples have learned in a year? Lin Chengye didn't feel anything at first, but when she heard Guan Xiaoxian's serious voice, she suddenly became nervous. She almost held her breath and listened intently.
All students must concentrate on forging their skills, lest they regret that the furnace fire is not yet pure when the blade is drawn from its sheath.
Strive diligently! Anyone who is lazy or delays will be punished by reflecting on their mistakes for three days and nights.
A personal weapon? This certainly tests both formation design and forging skills; it's a good question. I just wonder if this assignment can be done collaboratively. Wouldn't it be much better if Yu Jiang designed two weapons, and Liu Zhenglin forged them all by himself…?
Lin Chengye found the questions increasingly novel and intriguing, and was even somewhat eager to try them out.
So what should she design? A knife? A sword? Or a gun like her mother's and brother's?
After speaking, Guan Xiaoxian ignored the commotion of whispers in the classroom and immediately looked at Lin Chengye, saying...
"Lin Chengye, come out with me."
The two left the classroom one after the other and stopped by a relatively secluded wall.
"Although your internal energy has stabilized, the snake venom still needs to be absorbed as soon as possible to relieve the alternating chills and fever. The best way is to find a blessed place to cultivate internal energy and heal your injuries. Do you still remember where the jade bed we made for you came from?"
Guan Xiaoxian didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.
"Mengshan City".
Lin Chengye thought for a moment and then said.
"Yes, I've already made arrangements and told that person I need to borrow his jade vein."
Guan Xiaoxian showed no airs of a sect leader in front of her, appearing relaxed.
"As for the rest, just ask Bian Yi."
"Thank you..."
The words "Master Guan" seemed to linger between Lin Chengye's teeth before she swallowed them back down. She quickly changed her words, smilingly tugging at Guan Xiaoxian's sleeve.
"Thank you, Mother."
"But being there doesn't mean you don't have to do your homework."
Guan Xiaoxian listened with a smile and patted Lin Chengye's head.
“I know you won’t stay here long. So, you should hand in your lessons to me when you return from Mengshan City.”
"That is... early November."
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