The Martial Arts Convention began, and the first match was the Guiwu Sect against the Qingshan Sect.
Jingming stepped onto the arena and fought for several rounds before finally knocking his opponent off. He lost the second match, and Jingtong took his place. She also struggled for a long time before managing to defeat her opponent, only to lose the fourth match.
In the fifth match, the Eldest Senior Brother, Jingcheng, took action. Both sides were evenly matched, but in the end, Jingcheng was a cut above. He won by a narrow margin and successfully advanced. With a look of sheer relief, he cupped his hands to his opponent and praised them with great humility. Below the arena, Jingyang was so happy he looked like a fool, earning him numerous eye-rolls from the crowd.
Their matches for the day were over, but the jianghu arena fights were still ongoing. Li Le dominated Platform 1, arrogantly and provocatively challenging anyone to come up. Below, a group of martial artists gripped their weapons and glared at him. Someone eventually couldn't take it anymore, stamped their foot, and flew up to fight him.
Unfortunately, their skill was lacking, and they were knocked off the stage. Others went up, only to be sent down moments later. The people below took turns, their eyes like vengeful wolves, while the person above continued to shout for someone to come beat him up.
Then, a person took the stage.
He wore a small bamboo-leaf crown with a high ponytail, wispy layered bangs, and a white silk robe with a plum-red sash tied at his waist. Carrying a long sword on his back, he looked at Li Le with a rising smirk. Tilting his head slightly, his eyes sparkled with a mix of amusement and arrogance.
It was a familiar person with a familiar vibe; the young man was still wearing the same clothes from ten years ago.
This time, it was Li Le's turn to glare with eyes like a vengeful wolf. The two began to fight, and the people below shouted encouragement for the young man to give him a thrashing.
They fought for a long time without a clear victor. The crowd watched in silence. After a while, some people began to leave. As evening approached, the crowd dispersed, leaving only two or three stubborn individuals who insisted on waiting until the moment Li Le was beaten.
On the second day, both Li Le and the young man were gone, as were the few people who had been waiting below. It was unclear if they had seen the outcome.
By the second round on the fourth day, the Guiwu Sect took the stage again, once more winning by a narrow margin.
Lin Yue met Ren Siyan. She was now an elder of the Huajian Sect, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She had shed her youthfulness, and her face now bore a more mature charm.
When the two met, Ren Siyan sized Lin Yue up carefully and suddenly sighed with emotion.
"You haven't changed at all."
Lin Yue replied with a light smile, "I have changed. Perhaps it is due to the technique I practice."
Ren Siyan smiled at that.
The two talked about the past ten years. Ren Siyan had crossed the Wangsu Stream and returned safely to her sect. New disciples had joined, and she had become a master and a manager, teaching her apprentices. Her disciples were talented, and she herself was quite strong, eventually becoming an inner sect elder and leading the disciples to the Martial Arts Convention.
They then talked about Hong Ying, Fang Heng, and the others. It felt as if everything had happened yesterday. They lamented for a while, and when Lin Yue mentioned Chen Zhiyi, Ren Siyan let out a sigh.
"Seeing his relatives die before him, burdened with such a bloody vendetta... his path ahead is destined to be bumpy. To have the hatred of the previous generation pass down to the children is both a misfortune and a tragedy."
"After the Martial Arts Convention ends, I plan to travel around. I might not come to the next session,"
Lin Yue changed the subject. Other people's family matters were not for outsiders to meddle in; speaking too much would only add to the sadness.
Ren Siyan was stunned for a moment. Everyone was scattering, leaving only her behind.
"You have no attachments. It's good to go see more of the world while you're young. You'll encounter many interesting people and things on the road. If I hadn't become an elder and couldn't get away, I would have wanted to travel too."
Ren Siyan spoke of the funny things she had encountered during her youthful travels. There was a blind man who still insisted on having others watch his facial expressions, and the key was that they actually understood them... As they talked, time passed quickly. The Huajian Sect's matches were beginning, so Ren Siyan took her leave.
The five members of the Guiwu Sect fought their way into the top fifty. The spectators weren't blind; everyone realized the group had been hiding their strength. Suddenly, their opponents grew nervous. Some resorted to petty tricks—taking pills, poisoning, or switching contestants... But taking pills didn't work, as the Guiwu disciple would simply step down and swap in a powerhouse. Poisoning didn't work either; at the first sign of a suspicious move, the opponent would howl louder than a pig. Switching contestants didn't work either, as the sect was too cunning...
Li Le, the champion of the last session, demanded to be ranked first. That way, he would have a double championship, which would be very prestigious.
Lin Yue felt this was inappropriate and refused to argue with him. She had Jingcheng and the others fight their way into the top ten. When the next Martial Arts Convention began, having a chair for the sect leader on the high platform would be enough. Whether he sat at the front or the end, wouldn't he still be the number one in the martial arts world?
And so, they entered the top twenty, then the top ten, and then they began to lose, ending up at the bottom of the list.
The Martial Arts Convention concluded. At the closing ceremony, Li Le, the world's number one, took the stage again to recruit disciples, and the sect leader of the tenth-ranked sect also recruited.
They still screened for top-tier talent and only had a few left over. However, they did recruit two people: one a farmer's child, and the other from a wealthy family. One joined because they had no money, while the other joined because they had plenty; one couldn't afford to be headstrong, while the other simply was.
They also went to a beggars' nest and a brokerage to find recruits. They found one in the beggars' nest—a disabled child. The brokerage had no one; those with good physical foundations had already been taken.
Jingming stayed in the capital, while Li Le went off to break through to the Master Realm. Jingcheng and the other three took the three children back with them. They recruited more disciples and traveled along the way, eventually returning to Mount Guiwu to teach the children martial arts and literacy.
At twenty, Jingcheng became the sect leader, and the disciples had finally transitioned from apprentices to masters.
Lin Yue did not follow them back. She bid farewell to Ren Siyan, bought a horse and a sword, and rode southward. In the setting sun, half of her silhouette was bathed in golden light while the other half was hidden in the shadows, her long shadow trailing behind on the ground as she slowly moved forward.
Passing through the prefectural city, Lin Yue went to the Wu Manor. It had been ten years since they last met, and she wanted to visit the Wu siblings.
After the guards announced her, the steward led her inside. The host greeting her was a young lady in elegant finery, dignified and graceful. Beside her was a chubby child about four years old wearing a tiger-head hat.
This was Wu Yan's wife and son. After returning from the Martial Arts Convention, Wu Yan had focused on the imperial examinations, becoming a juren and then a jinshi. He was assigned a post as a county official. After returning home to marry, he took his wife to his post and had a child. Since his parents were elderly, he sent his wife and son back to serve his father and mother.
The doctor said his time was short.
Life reaching seventy has been rare since ancient times; for Wu Yang to live to sixty was already considered good.
"Miss Lin, my father-in-law heard you arrived and wishes to see you."
Lin Yue was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
"My father-in-law is gravely ill. Please, Miss Lin, do not agitate him..."
Young Madame Wu cautioned. Wu Yang was over sixty now and bedridden, sleeping often. He had been weak since childhood, and as an official, he had been busy and neglected his health. In his old age, his ailments had increased; his hands and feet were cold and weak, and a single chill could keep him bedridden for months.
Lin Yue agreed and followed the leading maid to the back courtyard.
Upon entering the room, the scent of aging mingled with the smell of medicine. Incense had been used to balance it out, so the odor wasn't unpleasant.
A white-haired old man leaned against a pearwood daybed, his hair somewhat disheveled. The dark bags under his eyes were prominent as his cloudy gaze turned toward the door. As the sound of footsteps rang out and he saw a young woman in a green robe enter, she overlapped with the figure in his memory, causing him to daze for a moment.
Time decays the human body. Seeing Wu Yang's face full of wrinkles and his aged appearance, Lin Yue felt a sense of discomfort.
They were once peers, yet he was already old while she was still young. She felt a sense of ethereal displacement, as if she were watching the past fade away.
In that moment, a sliver of fear and rejection surged in her heart. A strong desire for life and a reluctance to leave erupted from deep within her, her indignation and trepidation reaching a peak.
Only two words remained in her mind: Longevity.
Perhaps this was how the First Emperor felt back then.
Lin Yue felt fortunate to have her system. She cupped her hands and spoke softly, "Uncle Wu."
"You've come." Wu Yang's voice was hoarse and excited. "It's been so many years. Why didn't you come back to see your Uncle Wu?"
Hearing the intimacy in his words, Lin Yue only felt awkward. "The journey was long. I hope Uncle Wu can forgive me."
"Come, sit."
A servant brought a chair, and Lin Yue sat down. She then politely asked about his condition. "Uncle Wu, is your health well?"
"Just old ailments, it's fine," Wu Yang replied, his gaze looking at Lin Yue with complexity. "Your name is Lin Yue?"
Lin Yue nodded silently.
"Who was your mother?"
Lin Yue's mind was stable, showing no panic. "Lin Xiaya."
Since Wu Yang asked this, he must have sent people to investigate. She had been a medicine apprentice in the city for over a decade and many people had seen her. Checking her portrait would inevitably reveal some clues.
With so many similarities, a denial might only bring trouble.
His suspicion confirmed, the old man on the daybed looked at her with a complicated gaze. "Your father is..."
Lin Yue fabricated the facts in a calm tone. "My mother was a medicine apprentice at Tongren Hall. She wanted a child of her own but didn't want to be bound by marriage. So, she drugged her master and gave birth to me. Then she hid me away so outsiders wouldn't know... and she never told him."
She could only sacrifice Ma Lin for this.
"Master and disciple? Drugging?" Wu Yang was shocked by Lin Yue's shocking and ethically unconventional words. He hadn't expected Xiaya to be so bold...
Lin Yue nodded with a cold expression. "Uncle Wu, please let this matter rest. Do not tell my father."
By confining the truth to a single person, she saved herself much trouble.
"Child, you've suffered..." Wu Yang said, his eyes full of heartache.
Lin Yue: "..."
Wu Yang spoke of the past; the old man did most of the talking while Lin Yue listened quietly.
He suddenly said, "If you have nowhere to go, then come to your Uncle Wu. I will take you as my adoptive daughter..."
Hearing that he wanted to be her adoptive father, Lin Yue's eyelid twitched. She quickly said, "Don't trouble yourself, Uncle Wu. I'm doing quite well. I have a sect and a place to go."
"Very well. You and your mother are both headstrong."
Recalling Xiaya's unannounced departure, Wu Yang didn't press further. He could only sigh; they were not destined in this life. If there was a next life...
Seeing the fatigue on his face, Lin Yue rose to take her leave.
The next day, Lin Yue met Wu Nian.
She wore a plain silk robe and light makeup; her youthful greenness had been replaced by the dignified aura of a noble lady.
Upon seeing Lin Yue, Wu Nian gave a gentle smile, her eyes filled with excitement. Casting aside her noble reserve, she trotted over and familiarly took Lin Yue's hand.
"Sister Lin Yue, it's been so long. Are you still with the sect? How have you been all these years?" As Wu Nian spoke, her eyes grew somewhat moist.
She lived a secluded life in the inner manor and hadn't met many people from the jianghu in the latter half of her life. Lin Yue, Fang Yu, and the others were the few jianghu friends she had once ventured with, and their bond was deep. Those few short months were the unforgettable youth she could never forget.
"I'm doing well. I accompanied the disciples to the Martial Arts Convention this year. Once it ended, I came to see you."
They discussed their experiences over the past ten years. Wu Nian had married into the Sun family of the prefectural city, managing the household, honoring her parents-in-law, and raising her children, living the life of a matriarch.
Lin Yue, on the other hand, spent her days fighting and training disciples, living a leisurely life.
"Sister Lin Yue, could you tell me about your life in the sect?"
"Sure. Our sect is quite desolate. In the beginning, there was only a dilapidated mountain gate and an abandoned courtyard..."
Lin Yue slowly recounted their story—how they fixed up the sect, how they practiced their martial arts, and their duels with other jianghu people. Wu Nian listened intently, a look of longing in her eyes.
"Sister Lin Yue, I truly envy you. You can go wherever you want, so free and unfettered."
Lin Yue replied with a smile, "On the contrary, we envy wealthy families like yours. You're born beautiful, eat delicacies, wear fine silks, and have people to serve you. It's comfortable, and you don't have to wander everywhere."
"It's not as good as it seems; there are plenty of worries..."
They had an enjoyable conversation. It was late evening when Lin Yue finally left to stay at an inn.
Over the next few days, Wu Yang lingered on his deathbed with not much time left. Lin Yue visited twice, and Wu Yan, who was an official elsewhere, also returned to observe the mourning period.
"The Master has passed!"
A servant's cry rang out, and the members of the Wu family knelt in rows, inside and out. The sound of weeping echoed through the manor, lingering for a long time.
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