Lin Hui was left alone, sitting in the courtyard. He watched the dimming sky, an inexplicable sense of peace settling in his heart.
He hadn't been sitting for long when someone knocked on the courtyard gate again.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
He got up and went to open it.
Outside stood the two men with Brother Huang who had just left, along with a slender, scar-faced woman.
"Brother Lin, this is the protection money your family paid before. It's all here, not a single coin missing. And this is a small token of our apology. We didn't understand the situation earlier. Our apologies, our apologies." Brother Huang handed over a small money pouch and also held up a bag of kumquats.
Kumquats had a poor harvest recently, so their price had risen, making them a relatively expensive fruit.
"Alright, I'll take the money, but the kumquats…" Lin Hui took the pouch, but before he could finish, the bag was thrust into his hands.
"You must take them! We were the ones who broke the rules first. This is an apology. We hope you'll look out for us at the martial hall, Brother," Brother Huang said humbly.
He was just an ordinary gang member. If these Body Tempering Martial Artists targeted him, and he got clubbed to death in some dark alley one day, it would all be for nothing.
So, this bag of kumquats was an apology he had paid for out of his own pocket. He would probably have to look after the Lin Family more in the future to make up for his mistake.
"Fine. I won't spread this around. We'll consider the matter settled." Lin Hui took the kumquats. "Is there anything else?"
"No, nothing else. This is my sister. She'll be patrolling the area from now on, so I brought her by to get acquainted," Brother Huang patted the scar-faced woman's back and said politely.
"Okay. If there's nothing else, you can go. I won't see you out." Lin Hui didn't want to waste words on these low-level gang members. He understood their way of survival, but he had no desire to associate with people who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He might understand them, but that didn't mean he wanted to befriend them.
"Right, right. We won't disturb you then." Brother Huang nodded repeatedly.
The courtyard gate closed softly.
Lin Hui carried the kumquats and held the money pouch, turning to see his mother standing at the door of the main house, looking his way.
He held up the pouch and the kumquats for his mother to see.
"It's nothing. The Mu Hua Bang came to return the money and apologize."
Hearing this, his mother, Yao Shan, visibly relaxed. Her gaze then fell upon the money pouch and the kumquats.
'Those people from the Mu Hua Bang actually came to return the money…' Only now, seeing the cash with her own eyes, did she truly grasp the real impact her son becoming an Official Disciple had on their family.
It wasn't something ethereal and intangible, but an influence that could be tangibly converted into money and benefits.
Watching her son, Lin Hui, standing in the courtyard, Yao Shan suddenly felt it. Their family, once teetering on the verge of collapse with only her husband struggling to hold it up, now had a new pillar of support.
This pillar wasn't thick, but it helped her husband stabilize the once-shaky roof, allowing their home to continue sheltering her from the wind and rain.
During the three days he spent at home, Lin Hui also met with people from the Fu'an Bang. They were sensible enough to return half of the protection money. Since their gang had no members from Qingfeng Temple, getting half back was considered pretty good.
This brought a significant amount of cash flow back to the family.
After his parents saw him off, Lin Hui returned to Qingfeng Temple and went to see Daoist Mingde first.
After all, Mingde had arranged for him to enter the temple in the first place, so it was only proper to visit him after reaching Body Tempering.
Mingde's quarters were in a small, private courtyard on the outskirts of Qingfeng Temple.
He didn't live inside the Daoist Temple proper, but had built his own courtyard right next to it.
When Lin Hui arrived, he was scattering a handful of dry rice to feed his chickens.
A flock of large yellow chickens, so fat they wobbled when they walked, scurried around the courtyard like a bunch of pale-yellow balls.
"Disciple Lin Hui pays his respects to Master Mingde," Lin Hui said, bowing from outside the courtyard fence.
"Ah, it's you. How's your father doing?" Mingde finished scattering the rice and looked up at Lin Hui.
"Eh? Finally broke through to Body Tempering? Not bad, not bad at all."
A smile appeared on his face.
"He is well, thanks to you, Master. This disciple was just lucky to break through," Lin Hui said in a serious tone.
"Breaking through at your age isn't too shabby. But the next stage is where the real gap widens. Have you thought about how you're going to make money? You can't earn much by staying in Qingfeng Temple," Mingde said casually.
"I haven't thought about it yet." Lin Hui was taken aback and shook his head.
Mingde opened the gate to let him in, then turned and spoke as he walked toward the main house.
"Now that you've reached Body Tempering, Old Lin can relax a bit. He's a stubborn mule; refused to let me help him no matter what. It's good now. You're finally somewhat useful, kid."
"Thank you for your care, Master," Lin Hui said sincerely again.
From that last sentence, he understood that Master Mingde had been keeping an eye on his family's situation all along. It was just that his father, not wanting to owe a favor, had been unwilling to accept his help.
"What's there to be polite about? Your dad helped me out a lot back in the day. Come, sit." Mingde found two stools, one for each of them, and they sat down at the table in the main room.
"Since you don't have a plan, how about I arrange something for you?" He seemed to have already prepared for this.
"Please, Master, go on," Lin Hui said quickly.
"Because of your contract with the temple, you can't work for the major families. However, the temple has an ongoing partnership with the town's Government Office. They need to requisition people from us and other martial halls to form an auxiliary security patrol. You'll assist the Government Office's Officials in patrolling the surrounding areas. The main tasks are catching bandits and thieves, and helping to encircle beasts and monsters that sneak in from the Fog Area. Of course, for the latter, you'll just be acting as lookouts, so don't worry."
Mingde paused for a moment before continuing.
"The job is still considered part of your Qingfeng Temple contract. Besides your temple wages, you'll get an extra ten thousand a month, with food and lodging provided. Most importantly, we Martial Artists need real combat experience. You can't become a master by just training behind closed doors."
"This disciple is willing!" Lin Hui agreed without hesitation.
'Are you kidding me? An extra ten thousand a month on top of my temple wages? This is an absolutely cushy job!' Though it was a bit dangerous, it was just as Mingde said: practicing martial arts inevitably meant facing real combat.
"Good. I'll send your name over later. You'll need to practice the Nine-Section Swift Sword more. You'll be seeing real combat out there. Also…"
He got up, went to a wooden cabinet in the corner, opened it, and took out a silver-black longsword, over a meter long, with its hilt wrapped in anti-slip cloth.
"This is for you," he said, placing the sword in front of Lin Hui.
"A top-grade piece from Yunsong Pavilion. Take good care of it, and it'll last you a long time. Remember to maintain it and sharpen it regularly."
"This… this is too valuable!" Lin Hui was shocked. Real weapons were already expensive—the cheapest metal weapon cost over ten thousand—and this was from Yunsong Pavilion.
Yunsong Pavilion was a famous weapons shop in the Inner City. Its weapons were of superior quality, and their prices were just as high. By that calculation, this sword was probably worth over a hundred thousand!
He quickly stood up to refuse.
"What are you panicking for? Consider it a loan. You can pay me back when you're making more money," Mingde said dismissively. "Alright, stop dithering. This sword is useless sitting here with me; it'll just rust. Take it and think of it as helping me maintain it. Even a house will fall into disrepair if left empty for too long, let alone a weapon."
Without taking no for an answer, he insisted Lin Hui take the sword. Then, he gave Lin Hui some pointers on practicing the Nine-Section Swift Sword.
The two chatted for about ten minutes before Lin Hui stood up to take his leave.
Only after Lin Hui was long gone did a long-haired girl walk out from the bedroom.
"Dad, it was just a favor from a long time ago. Was it necessary to invest so heavily? That kid isn't some genius, and he doesn't have much potential. Is it worth it?"
The girl resembled Mingde by about half, with a pretty face; the other half she clearly inherited from her mother.
She had a well-proportioned, curvy figure. Her legs were especially long and shapely, and her hips were firm and perky. Even her light green robe couldn't hide her mature curves.
"Weiwei, Lin Shunhe helped me through a tough time back then. Now that I want to repay him, he refuses. So, I can only repay his son. This is the outcome he wants as well," Mingde said calmly.
"But you don't have to go all out like this, do you?" his daughter, Weiwei, said helplessly. "There's no way you'll get a return on this investment. It's all just money down the drain."
"This is a matter of principle for me!" Mingde's voice rose slightly. "Weiwei, you must remember, there are some things in this world that can't be measured in money."
"Yes, yes, I know…" Hearing this same old spiel, Weiwei rolled her eyes, speechless. But she didn't argue with her dad any further.
It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Mingde's habit of helping his friends had already placed a considerable burden on their family. But no matter what she and her mother said, it was useless.
*
*
*
Lin Hui returned to his quarters. Seeing that it was still early and the fog hadn't rolled in with the dark, he grabbed a wooden sword and headed to the front courtyard's training grounds.
He planned to officially start learning the Nine-Section Swift Sword.
As for the Blood Seal, it had already begun evolving the Dead Insect Egg.
The evolutionary path was the Sealed Array Poison, which would take one month.
'It's only a month. I can afford to wait.'
Arriving at the front courtyard, he saw the training ground was divided into ten areas, most of which were already occupied.
Only the spot near the front gate was empty, perhaps because the constant foot traffic created too many distractions.
Lin Hui went over with his sword, claimed the spot, stood firm in the center, and slowly began practicing the Seven-Section Quick Sword.
Not far behind him was First Senior Brother Chen Sui.
In another area to his side was the genius, Huang Shan. Both of them had clearly been practicing for some time.
Seeing Lin Hui arrive had no effect on Chen Sui, who continued to meticulously practice the Qingfeng Sword.
Huang Shan, however, had some impression of Lin Hui. It was all because Chen Chong had groped her, and Lin Hui had also gotten into a conflict with Chen Chong because of his friend.
She had seen the incident with Chen Zhishen from a distance.
Their shared conflict with Chen Chong gave them something in common.
Now, watching Lin Hui practice his swordplay, she saw his Seven-Section Quick Sword unfold as smoothly as flowing water, giving it an indescribable sense of agility.
Huang Shan's eyes lit up. For some reason, she felt that Lin Hui's practice seemed even better than her own.
After watching a few more times, she saw Lin Hui go to the on-duty Skill Transmission Daoist, Mingxiu, to learn the Nine-Section Swift Sword.
Lin Hui quickly learned the first few moves of the Nine-Section Swift Sword. But when he returned to practice them repeatedly, the stunning impression he made before was completely gone. His movements were slow and clumsy, like a child dancing.
Huang Shan quickly lost interest.
Days passed, one by one.
Lin Hui soon received the patrol position at the town's Government Office that Mingde had mentioned. Besides him, four other people would be going.
Among them, Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, as well as Chen Chong, were surprisingly on the list.
The last person was the team leader, First Senior Brother Chen Sui.
It was obvious how the team was formed: First Senior Brother was there for his strength, Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren for their talent, and he and Chen Chong were there because of connections.
Lin Hui was keenly aware of this.
Without the Blood Seal, his progress with the Nine-Section Swift Sword was extremely slow. But he wasn't worried at all.
His Body Tempering speed, on the other hand, was maxed out every day. He could feel his body becoming more agile with each passing day.
This continued until two days before they were scheduled to depart for the patrol.
Lin Hui's wait was finally over. The Blood Seal's Special Effects for the Seven-Section Quick Sword had activated.