Chapter 37 Mother, Friend
"Going to Baimianlou so late?"
Bian Yi simply cooked two bowls of vegetarian noodles and a plate of edamame. The two of them sat in the courtyard and ate, each with a chopstick. The sun was setting, and the afterglow spilled onto the ground. Lin Chengye squinted, resting his head on the breeze blowing past his temples.
"This is the first time I've stopped since arriving in Southern Qi."
Her answer was irrelevant, but Bian Yi was somewhat pleased to hear it. Her expression softened, and she picked up a large mouthful of noodles and put it in her mouth, asking indistinctly.
"Did you finish your morning pastry? Was it good?"
Lin Daiqiao used to say that one should not speak while eating or sleeping. Lin Chengye swallowed the mouthful of food in his mouth before speaking leisurely.
"Delicious, chestnut cake is the best."
"Then I'll make it for you again tomorrow."
Bian Yi listened happily, and ate quickly and in small portions, leaving only a small half bowl. She put down her chopsticks, rested her chin on her hand, and watched Lin Chengye slowly finish the last bite, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Hmm...did you make any friends?"
Why are you suddenly asking me that? Do you really think of me as a child?
Lin Chengye chuckled. This question really sounded like a mother asking her child. But in reality, her feelings for Bian Yi were quite equal. Somehow, all the weight of their identities and ages seemed to vanish when they sat facing each other.
"without."
Lin Chengye paused for a moment, then continued.
"I met two very interesting people."
...
After dinner, Lin Chengye didn't bother Bian Yi anymore, but went to Baimianlou by himself to digest his food.
She was the only one going to Baimianlou at this hour, so Lin Chengye was happy to have some peace and quiet. He casually found a table and lit the table lamp.
As night deepened, a damp chill gradually settled on the branches and in the night wind. Fortunately, he had prepared a slightly thicker coat before leaving home, which Lin Chengye draped over his shoulders as he continued to devour the dry books under the lamplight.
The knowledge required to learn mechanical formations is quite extensive, including material forging, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, mechanical blueprint design, illusion and poison theory, and even trap combinations adapted to the environment.
In short, the broader one's knowledge base, the easier it is to combine different elements. Take the Ninefold Array, for example; that ancestor truly exhausted all connections to bring the mechanism array to its ultimate potential. Lin Chengye sighed and turned another page. This was something that couldn't be mastered overnight. Even with talent, it would be useless without spending enough time and years learning it.
"Cheng Ye?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, and Lin Chengye raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Liu Zhenglin rushed in, looking travel-worn, carrying a pair of tongs that hadn't cooled down yet. Her nose and sleeves were still covered in grayish-black coal dust, which she hurriedly wiped away when she saw Lin Chengye inside, a stark contrast to her usual mild-mannered demeanor.
She put the scroll back on the shelf and then walked behind Lin Chengye to look at her several construction drawings with the ink still wet.
"Did you memorize all of this? Did you draw it? It looks like a basic hidden arrow trap."
Liu Zhenglin pondered for a moment, circled a few places with his pen, and made a few corrections.
"There's a problem with this part. But I'm not good at this. Yu Jiang's drawing is the neatest and easiest to understand. You... you can ask her next time."
"Thanks."
Lin Chengye smiled and nodded.
By the dim candlelight, she could just see the thick calluses on Liu Zhenglin's palms. Holding iron pliers and wielding a hammer for a long time had worn down the lines on her palms, making her hands thick and clumsy. She could even see the scars left by the splashing molten iron, which had become pits.
"You want to mainly learn mechanical formations? No... you probably want to do two things at once, like Master Guan."
Liu Zhenglin continued.
"The practice of forging is far more valuable than mere theoretical knowledge. If you wish to learn, just tell me anytime. Of all my disciples, I am currently ranked first in forging."
“You…” Lin Chengye paused, then said meaningfully.
“You are completely different from Yu Jiang.”
"Ah yes, we two are actually... quite different. I'm not as strong-willed as Yu Jiang, nor am I as noble as Yu Jiang to blame myself for the lack of successors in Tianji Sect. To be honest, I'm happy to see you here."
Liu Zhenglin shrugged.
"I may be blunt and not very pleasant to hear, but... I'm glad you're such an ambitious person. I'm going now, I'm incredibly sleepy today."
She left decisively and quite gracefully.
Lin Chengye lowered her head and continued studying. About an hour later, when she was feeling mentally exhausted, the question Bian Yi had asked her suddenly flashed through her mind.
If she can really stay here and continue studying, then when these two go down the mountain, they might meet again in the vast world. Would that... count as old friends?
Lin Chengye suddenly realized that he didn't really understand the meaning of the word "friend" and didn't understand why Bian Yi and Fang Yanzhou hadn't seen each other in Vietnam for twenty years, yet their friendship had never changed.
...
This went on for about half a month.
"Ah, it's impossible not to get burned. You'll get used to it as you get burned."
Just as she herself said, Liu Zhenglin took Lin Chengye to the forging workshop almost every day. She believed in the power of practice and let Lin Chengye do it himself.
However, Lin Chengye is currently unwell and has not yet cultivated the internal energy to turn stones into gold. He cannot fully infuse his internal energy according to the methods of the sect members, and can only forge like an ordinary blacksmith.
"Let me rest for a bit." Lin Chengye was almost fainting from the heat of the fire, and only when he couldn't take it anymore did he sit down on the steps at the entrance of the forge to rest.
"It's really troublesome not having internal energy."
Lin Chengye did not hide her physical condition. When Liu Zhenglin first heard about it, he was only surprised for a moment. Now, sitting next to her, he reached out and patted her shoulder.
"It's so hot, don't touch me."
Lin Chengye, looking pained, stepped aside and wiped the sweat pouring down his face.
Liu Zhenglin moved to the side and said again.
"It hurts a lot. I've heard that reconnecting meridians is also very painful, and not many doctors can do it."
"That's nothing..."
"Ah, it's time. Let's continue."
Before Lin Chengye could finish speaking, Liu Zhenglin suddenly grabbed her sleeve, refusing to let her rest any longer.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chengye felt utterly devastated and scratched his head with a ferocious expression.
"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer."
Yu Jiang's relationship with her was always lukewarm, but that person would always point out her shortcomings or mistakes.
When Lin Chengye responded quite kindly, she sulked again.
Lin Chengye was truly at a loss; she seemed to have never been good with this kind of person. One evening, while she was working late into the night at Baimianlou, she bumped into Liu Zhenglin again, who came in looking disheveled. He quickly waved to her and whispered something.
"Quickly find an opportunity to bring her to my place for a meal."
"When? We're both free."
Liu Zhenglin was caught in the middle and felt even more uncomfortable, wishing they could reconcile as soon as possible.
Lin Chengye propped his chin up and counted the days, then suddenly remembered something and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through. How about next month? There are still some things to take care of at the end of this month."
That evening, after Liu Zhenglin left, Lin Chengye stayed at Baimianlou for a while longer. The moon had been hanging on the branches for a long time and then disappeared without him noticing. Dark clouds pressed down, and soon it began to drizzle.
"I didn't bring an umbrella..."
Lin Chengye murmured. She wasn't in a hurry; it was late at night and raining, and Bian Yi would definitely come looking for her if she didn't return soon.
Sure enough, about an incense stick later, the door of the Hundred Faces Building creaked softly again. Lin Chengye stretched lazily in a good mood and said.
"Let's go, I knew you'd come."
"oh?"
The newcomer let out a teasing laugh. Lin Chengye's lips, which hadn't even had a chance to curl into a smile, froze. He looked towards the doorway somewhat awkwardly and touched the tip of his nose.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Sect Master Guan, I thought..."
"I came to see you. Liu Zhenglin said you've been studying very late these past few days."
Guan Xiaoxian, dressed in fine clothes still damp with the chill of the rainy night, held an oil-paper umbrella and looked at Lin Chengye with a smile, her affection for him growing stronger.
Who doesn't like a motivated and hardworking kid, especially one who's also talented? Guan Xiaoxian walked closer, looked at Lin Chengye's notes haphazardly spread on the table, nodded with satisfaction, and drew a circle in two places.
"Your understanding of the basics of trap formations is good. Look, here's a blueprint for a hidden arrow, the initial design, where a thin arrow shoots out from the sleeve. So, starting from this point, how do you think it can be improved?"
Guan Xiaoxian's few words opened up Lin Chengye's mind, and her eyes lit up as she murmured.
"The most basic thing is to poison the arrow. But since hidden arrows can't be retrieved and are easy to use against, you can connect a thin thread similar to the 'Ten Thousand Threads Entanglement' technique we used last time. This way, the arrow can be retrieved and reused, and the thread can also be used as a weapon..."
"Very good." Guan Xiaoxian rubbed Lin Chengye's head.
"So, this kind of hidden arrow has a new name—silk sleeve arrow. In fact, mechanisms and formations are all like this, constantly reflecting and constantly generating new ones."
Guan Xiaoxian raised her hand and pointed to the location of her temple.
"This place is very important."
"I am deeply grateful for your guidance." Lin Chengye hurriedly tried to get up and thank you, but Guan Xiaoxian pressed him back down.
Guan Xiaoxian half-squatted down, her hands, also covered in thick calluses, stroking Lin Chengye's cheek. She spoke in an extremely affectionate tone.
"Let's set aside the fact that you can't become the young sect leader for now. How about you... recognize me as your godmother?"
"What……"
Lin Chengye was taken aback.
“If you acknowledge me as your mother, then there will be no more barriers between mother and daughter.” Guan Xiaoxian patted her shoulder and stood up.
“I know you have a lot to do, so I can legitimately offer you my help.”
"Thank you for your kindness, Sect Leader. I..."
Lin Chengye didn't know what to say either; she even nervously crumpled the paper in her hand. Guan Xiaoxian's use of the words "mother and daughter" was too heavy, while the phrase "no longer any barriers" was too sentimental.
She could imagine the peace that would follow after her revenge was over, and she never even dared to hope that she would have a mother again.
"I'll take my time to think about it."
Guan Xiaoxian took off her coat and draped it over Lin Chengye. Her face appeared extremely gentle in the dim candlelight, and her eyes held only the tenderness of a mother for her child.
She didn't linger and left quickly.
Lin Chengye met her gaze and felt a pang of emotion. Guan Xiaoxian was about the same age as Lin Daiqiao, and although she was not as tall and imposing as him, she possessed the carefree spirit of a martial arts master. Perhaps it was because the night was deep and the dew was heavy, and the fragrance of lotus blossoms was intoxicating, but their figures gradually overlapped in the candlelight.
Before she knew it, she found herself shedding a tear as she watched Guan Xiaoxian's departing figure.
But soon, Lin Chengye sighed and wiped away his tears. He then remembered another matter that was right before his eyes.
The 30-day deadline is fast approaching, and the answer that Southern Qi seeks from the dead will be revealed. But will she be able to accept this answer calmly, and how will she proceed?
Lin Chengye looked at the full moon in the sky, his expression solemn.
Author's Note: [Applause] Ahhh, I finally caught up with daily updates...
I really want to comment (trying... [clapping])
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