Lian'er stood up, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Then, she began to play softly.
Lin Yan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and listened quietly.
He felt completely relaxed; the exhaustion of the past few days was swept away.
The sound of the flute was sometimes high and resonant, like a crane crying in the highest heavens, and sometimes low and lingering, like a weeping complaint.
Every note was just right—a bit more would be cloying, a bit less would be bland.
It was truly an eye-opening experience for him.
She really played the flute exceptionally well.
Drinking wine and listening to the flute, Lin Yan suddenly felt that this kind of life wasn't bad at all.
He had disciples on the mountain and good wine down below.
He could cultivate when he wanted to, or slack off when he felt like it.
There was no blood feud of a wiped-out sect, nor the heavy burden of saving all living beings.
Just quietly nurturing his disciples and quietly growing stronger.
It was pretty good.
As the song ended, Lian'er lowered the jade flute, her cheeks slightly flushed, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead.
"Young Master, pardon my poor performance."
Lin Yan opened his eyes and clapped his hands.
"Excellent. Truly well played."
Lian'er smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
"I'm glad you like it, Young Master."
Lin Yan took another tael of gold from his robe and placed it on the table.
"Play another tune."
...
Four hours later.
Lin Yan emerged from the Hehuan Pavilion; the sun was already slanting to the west.
The madam personally saw him to the door, her face wreathed in smiles, her attitude even more respectful than when he had arrived.
"Take care, Young Master! Please come again!"
Lin Yan waved his hand, fanning himself as he walked away at a leisurely pace.
He first took a stroll through the market. They sold everything: spirit herbs, pills, magical artifacts, talismans... there were even people selling spirit beast cubs.
Lin Yan browsed around and bought some daily necessities.
Passing by a fruit stall, he stopped.
"How much for these tangerines?"
"Three copper coins for a catty, ten for three catties, sir."
"Give me three catties of green tangerines."
"Right away!"
The stall owner nimbly weighed out ten catties, wrapped them in oil paper, and handed them to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan paid the money and carried the tangerines, muttering to himself.
"The disciples are still young; they should eat more fruit."
But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly realized something was wrong: three coins for one catty, ten coins for three catties?
Had he just been scammed?
Forget it, it was getting late; he should head back.
Lin Yan carried his things and walked to the city gates.
The sun was setting, its afterglow as red as blood, stretching the shadows of the city gates long.
Pedestrians were sparse, and a few city guards were leaning against the wall, yawning.
Just as Lin Yan stepped out of the city gates, suddenly—
"Senior!"
A hoarse voice came from the base of the city wall.
"Senior! Please save me, Senior!"
Lin Yan paused his steps and looked down.
Huddled at the base of the wall was a beggar in tattered clothes.
His hair was unkempt, his face covered in grime, his lips cracked and bleeding, and he was so thin that his cheekbones jutted out prominently.
Eh?
Wasn't this Zhao Feng, the elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect?
How did he become a beggar?
What was going on?
At this moment, Zhao Feng was desperately trying to crawl up from the ground, kneeling and kowtowing heavily in Lin Yan's direction.
"Senior! Zhao Feng is willing to toil like a beast of burden for you! Please take me in, Senior!"
"Zhao Feng is willing to toil like a beast of burden for you..."
"Please take me in, Senior..."
Lin Yan looked down at him, and just as he was about to speak—
Smack!
One of the city guards stuck out a foot and kicked Zhao Feng viciously in the shoulder. Zhao Feng's body tilted, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.
"Behave yourself!"
"What are you yelling about? You're disturbing the passersby!"
After scolding Zhao Feng, the guard looked up and glared at Lin Yan. His gaze swept over Lin Yan's white robes, and his tone became slightly more restrained.
"Young Master, don't meddle in other people's business. This man is a lunatic who spouts nonsense here all day. You should hurry along; don't delay your departure from the city."
Lin Yan did not look at the soldier.
He looked down at Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng's face was covered in grime and dried blood scabs. His cheekbones protruded sharply, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his lips were cracked with bloody fissures.
His clothes were so torn into strips that their original color could no longer be seen, and the exposed skin was covered in bruises and scars.
It seemed his limbs had also been broken.
"Zhao Feng, what happened?"
Zhao Feng raised his head, his lips trembling a few times: "Senior... that day, this junior observed a seven-day mourning period for your immortal pet at the foot of the mountain. After the period ended, I was just about to leave... but Wu Shan of the Earth Blade Sect brought people and blocked my way."
"He brought twelve people, ranging from early to mid-Foundation Establishment stage... This junior could not fight off so many hands and was besieged by them. My dantian... was shattered by a palm strike from Wu Shan."
"Then, they threw me at the city gates... and said... said they would make me beg here!"
Zhao Feng looked up, his eyes red, but he did not shed a tear.
"Senior, this junior knows... I am not worthy to beg you to take me in. I offended you before, and it was your magnanimity that spared my life."
"But this junior truly... has no other path left."
"Senior... Zhao Feng is willing to toil like a beast of burden for you... I only beg Senior to give Zhao Feng a place to stay..."
After he finished speaking, he began to kowtow again.
Once, twice, three times.
His forehead struck the bluestone slabs, the dull thuds sounding like a hammer striking upon one's heart.
Lin Yan was silent for a moment.
"Zhao Feng, do you hate me?"
Zhao Feng's kowtowing abruptly stopped.
He raised his head, staring blankly at Lin Yan.
"If I hadn't made you guard the grave for seven days, perhaps none of this would have happened."
"Do you hate me?"
Zhao Feng stared blankly at Lin Yan for a few breaths, then shook his head.
"I do not hate you."
His voice was very soft, but very firm.
"Senior, this junior's life was spared by you. That day, when I brought people to storm your mountain gate and offended you, you did not kill me. That was already an immense grace."
"In this world, the weak are prey to the strong. This junior's skills were inferior, and being crippled of my cultivation and having my limbs broken is due to my own incompetence."
"I cannot blame anyone else."
"And I certainly cannot blame Senior."
After saying this, Zhao Feng kowtowed once more.
"Senior, every word this junior has spoken is the absolute truth!"
Lin Yan looked into his eyes.
He didn't know if the words Zhao Feng was saying right now were genuine, or if he was just putting on an act.
But in this world, who didn't live wearing a mask?
As long as the other party was willing to keep up the act indefinitely, Lin Yan felt that he could give him a chance.
"Zhao Feng."
"This junior is here!"
"The sect is still missing a gatekeeper."
"Are you willing?"
"I am willing! This junior is willing!"
Zhao Feng kowtowed heavily, each strike harder than the last. As his forehead smashed against the bluestone slabs, blood and tears mixed together, smearing his entire face.
"Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!"
"From now on, Zhao Feng's life belongs to Senior!"
"If Senior tells Zhao Feng to go east, Zhao Feng will never go west!"
"If Senior tells Zhao Feng to guard the gate, Zhao Feng will guard the gate for a lifetime!"
Lin Yan did not stop him.
For some favors, if he didn't let him kowtow these few times, the man wouldn't be able to find peace in his own heart.
Right at this moment—
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The city guards surrounded them from all directions.
Leading them was the soldier who had kicked Zhao Feng earlier. He was in his twenties, with a scar on his face and a sinister look in his eyes.
"Young Master, did you not hear what I just said?"
"This man was specifically ordered by Elder Wu to remain at the city gates. Without Elder Wu's orders, no one can take him away."
"If you know what's good for you, leave immediately. Don't look for trouble."
The other soldiers also took a step forward, their hands resting on the hilts of their blades. Their meaning was clear.
Lin Yan did not look at them.
He looked down at Zhao Feng. Zhao Feng's body was trembling slightly, though it was hard to tell whether it was out of fear or anger.
"Elder Wu?" Lin Yan spoke indifferently. "Which Elder Wu?"
The scarred soldier sneered.
"Naturally, it is Elder Wu Shan, the Outer Sect Elder of the Earth Blade Sect in Azure Cloud City!"
"Young Master, let me give you a piece of advice. There are some people you simply cannot afford to offend. Leave now, and we will pretend nothing happened."
Lin Yan finally raised his head and looked at the soldier.
His eyes were calm, as dead and still as a pool of stagnant water.
Yet, meeting that gaze, the soldier's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"No one can stop this seat from taking away the person I wish to take."
Lin Yan's voice was not loud, but every single word was crystal clear.
Before his voice even faded, Lin Yan took a step forward and grabbed Zhao Feng's wrist.
Zhao Feng felt his body lighten, as if he were being lifted by an invisible force.
And then—
The two of them vanished from the city gates in an instant.
...
The city guards stood frozen in place, as if struck by a paralyzing spell, completely motionless.
"Wh-where are they?" a young soldier asked, stuttering.
No one answered.
Because no one could answer.
One second they were right in front of their eyes, and the next they had vanished into thin air!
"Wh-what kind of cultivation technique was that?"
"Even a great cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm wouldn't have that kind of speed, right?"
"Could it be... a Golden Core?"
A soldier swallowed hard. "Did we... did we just offend a Golden Core Patriarch?"
Cold sweat began to bead on the scarred soldier's forehead.
He remembered the kick he had just thrown.
He remembered the words he had spoken while glaring at that young master in white.
"Don't ask for trouble."
"There are some people you simply cannot afford to offend."
...
The scarred soldier's legs began to turn to jelly.
"Boss, what... what do we do now?" the young soldier's voice trembled.
The scarred soldier took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down.
"Report it."
"Report to whom?"
"Elder Wu of the Earth Blade Sect, and... Elder Li of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
"This matter is no longer something pawns like us can handle."
"Let the higher-ups worry about it."