The next morning, at Qingfeng Temple.
Lin Hui held the reply delivered from the Baihua Sect, his brow furrowed in concentration as he read it carefully.
’Great changes have recently occurred in the Xingdiao City District. A large number of Summonings and Martial Artists are fleeing the area. So have arrived in Tuyue. It’s not just Qingfeng Temple; my Baihua Sect has also had many acquaintances from Xingdiao co seeking refuge.
Among these people, there are more than a few who are unwilling to submit to others. They’ve established their own factions and are recruiting masters. It’s highly likely that a faction of this type is deliberately stirring up trouble in Fu’an Town.’
Ou Tianrong’s letter was very detailed. She ntioned that the Baihua Sect had gained two new Inner Power Realm Elders in the past few days, both old acquaintances from the Xingdiao City District. It was a considerable boost to their strength.
For so factions, this was an opportunity, but for the native factions of Tuyue, it was becoming a bit of a problem.
The trouble Qingfeng Temple was facing was supposedly caused by a faction called the Flying Stone Sect. But as for the Flying Stone Sect’s background, they were a bit far away and hadn’t shown enough of their achievents in battle, so their true strength was unclear.
Everything that could be said was written in the letter. He could clearly feel Ou Tianrong’s sincerity.
CRUMPLE. Lin Hui crushed the paper in his hand, stood up, and remained silent for a mont.
’The decision now depends on the reply from Xue ng’s side.’
He tossed the crumpled paper into a brazier, watching it burn and turn to black ash.
Lin Hui gripped the hilt of his sword again and slowly drew it. For the past two days, he had been constantly contemplating Swordsmanship and reading the notes of his predecessors, gaining an even deeper understanding of his sect’s Swordsmanship.
He had successfully shortened the duration of his Blood Seal by a small amount.
It wasn’t much, just a tiny bit, but it was a great encouragent for him.
At the very least, it made him realize there were other ways to supplent the Blood Seal and accelerate his increase in strength.
’Unfortunately, the cultivation difficulty for Gale Swordsmanship is too high. I’m still stuck at the First Grade.’ This third stage of Body Tempering was more difficult than Lin Hui had imagined.
His progress was so slow that he couldn’t even feel any changes after his Body Tempering.
Just as he was deep in thought, Wang Hongshi’s voice ca from outside the door.
"Observatory Master, Young Master Wang from the Inner City is here."
"Wang Yueheng? What’s he doing here?" Lin Hui was taken aback, then quickly opened the door and walked out.
Standing silently behind Wang Hongshi was a man with delicate features, dressed in magnificent attire, and carrying the unique fragrance of a sachet. Who else could it be but Wang Yueheng?
"Brother Wang," Lin Hui cupped his fist. "What brings you here this ti?"
"There’s sothing I must warn Brother Lin about." Wang Yueheng’s expression was grave, lacking his usual relaxed and easygoing deanor.
"This way to the study, please." Lin Hui gestured with his hand.
The two entered the study one after another. After a servant delivered fragrant tea and closed the door...
Only then did Wang Yueheng let out a breath and speak.
"I’ve co this ti to warn Brother Lin about the trouble in Fu’an Town. The ones causing trouble are a faction called the Flying Stone Sect. Their origins are not simple. The faction was founded by a Circulation Martial Artist from Xingdiao nad Li Chi, and he has gathered many Inner Power Realm Martial Artists from Xingdiao, provoking surrounding factions everywhere. Furthermore, they have intricate connections with the New Martial Alliance in the Inner City. To be precise, we suspect they were invited by mbers of the New Martial Alliance who are from Xingdiao."
He paused, his brow furrowed tightly, and continued.
"As you know, after the previous conflict, the New Martial Alliance compromised and gave up quite a few seats to Martial Artists from Xingdiao. Now they’re pulling a stunt like this... I’m afraid a storm is brewing. Sothing big is about to happen."
"The Flying Stone Sect... A Circulation Martial Artist!?" Lin Hui’s heart sank. He thought of Xue ng, who had gone to deal with this incident, and had a bad feeling.
"Is this information reliable?" he asked again to confirm.
"Absolutely! The New Martial Alliance is already actively trying to bring Li Chi into the Inner City. They’re moving so fast, it doesn’t seem like a sudden developnt at all. It’s more like it was planned long in advance," Wang Yueheng said in a low voice.
"Then the current situation is..." Lin Hui said grimly.
"The situation is still fluid. It would be best for Qingfeng Temple to wait and see, and not make any rash moves," Wang Yueheng advised.
"It’s too late. The Flying Stone Sect has already seriously injured two of my disciples. The trouble is already at our doorstep," Lin Hui replied.
"Find an excuse to delay for a bit. It’s just two disciples. Give them so compensation for their injuries and that should be enough." Wang Yueheng didn’t seem to think his disciples being seriously injured was a big deal, his attitude casual.
This seed to be a common habit among many masters from the Inner City—they didn’t treat those at the bottom as human.
Lin Hui rubbed his teacup, closed his eyes, and thought quietly.
He had many thoughts, but the most important one was how to stand firm amidst this new wave of Martial Artists from Xingdiao.
"Brother Wang, do you think I should prioritize forbearance for now?"
"Correct," Wang Yueheng nodded. "We don’t know how many masters have co from Xingdiao this ti, and you have no idea how many eyes are watching from the shadows. If you act recklessly, misjudge your opponent’s strength, and get injured, you might find yourself torn apart by a pack of wild dogs. The loss would far outweigh the gain."
"That makes sense..." Lin Hui understood what he ant.
It wasn’t about not retaliating, but rather waiting until the situation beca clear and they had a firm grasp of the opponent’s strength before making a move.
He felt the sa way. It would be better to retaliate after he had sorted out the sect’s internal situation.
’As for the rest... as long as the seriously injured disciples are properly cared for, it should be...’
"Report!" A sudden shout interrupted his thoughts.
A disciple ca scrambling and stumbling to the study door. Blocked by the disciples on guard, he simply dropped to his knees.
"Observatory Master! Please save my master! Save him!"
The newcor wailed, his voice shrill with grief.
Lin Hui and Wang Yueheng exchanged a glance, then quickly opened the door and walked out one after the other.
Kneeling on the ground by the door was a man covered in blood. It was none other than Xue ng’s disciple, Old Si, a man nad Ding Shu.
"Observatory Master! Quickly! Please... my master, he..." Ding Shu looked wretched. His clothes were soaked in blood and he was in a sorry state, having clearly fought his way back to escape.
"Where is your master?!" Lin Hui’s expression turned cold in an instant.
"Fu’an Town! It was there! The masters from the Flying Stone Sect set up an ambush. My master held the rear to let us escape, staying behind by himself to hold off two masters of the sa level... He... WAAAH..." Ding Shu couldn’t continue, breaking down into sobs.
"It seems the people from Xingdiao don’t have any regard for Qingfeng Temple at all..." Lin Hui’s face was grim.
"Brother Lin, calm down!" Wang Yueheng warned in a low voice from behind him. In his view, sticking one’s neck out at a ti like this was the worst possible move, a sure way to get surrounded. In tis like these, one had to endure.
"Brother Wang, why can’t they be the ones who endure?" Lin Hui turned and glanced at Wang Yueheng.
"It’s been a long ti since I’ve killed anyone. People always try to bully because of my age. Fine. That’s fine. I’ll make a trip myself this ti. I’ll have to kill a few more, just to let people know that the na of Qingfeng Temple wasn’t built on boasts, but on a pile of bodies!"
"Brother Lin!?" Wang Yueheng saw the look in Lin Hui’s eyes and knew this was bad. It was a sign of one of his episodes! He had seen the signs of Inner Strength masters having relapses too many tis in the Inner City, and what he saw in Lin Hui right now was similar.
He imdiately tried to talk him down, but...
WHOOSH!
A fierce wind howled past, forcing him and the people around him to squint. By the ti they recovered, Lin Hui had vanished from his spot, nowhere to be found.
"Since you’re here, Brother Wang, I’ll trouble you to watch over the headquarters for a night. I’m taking so n. I’ll be right back." Lin Hui’s voice drifted back from a great distance.
Those words made Wang Yueheng’s eyelids twitch.
"How foolish!" he slapped his thigh in frustration.
’So what if he’s fast??’
’Wait... actually, that is pretty incredible... If he’s fast enough to rush over, save the person, and return, the other party might not even expect him to be so quick. The conflict might not escalate... the situation could be much better than I thought...’
’At the very least, with Lin Hui’s speed, even if he ran into a Circulation Master, he could still escape if he couldn’t win.’
’As long as Lin Hui doesn’t do sothing stupid and fight to the death.’
’But the problem is, it looks like that guy Lin Hui is having one of his episodes!’
*
*
*
「An hour later.」
Fu’an Town, in front of the Black Dragon Pharmacy.
A troop of fast horses galloped through the snow, gradually slowing to a stop before the Black Dragon Pharmacy.
The commotion attracted the attention of passersby. Across the street, a portly shop owner perked up, his small eyes fixed on the scene, eager for so drama to gossip about over drinks later.
"Here they co, here they co! I knew Qingfeng Temple wouldn’t just swallow this insult. Beating soone up like that... even I couldn’t let that slide, let alone these martial arts practitioners," he muttered under his breath.
The owner of the tea shop next door leaned in closer.
"They’re all in white robes. What an imposing presence. The one in the lead looks like he’s not to be trifled with. Looks like we’re in for a good show."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, they can hear you from this distance! If you want to die, don’t drag down with you." The portly owner shoved the other man away and quickly glanced left and right.
"That young swordsman in the lead, he must be the Observatory Master of Qingfeng Temple, right? The Invisible Sword, Lin Hui?" the tea shop owner asked again in a low voice, unconcerned.
"Probably... He certainly looks powerful. But I wonder how he’ll be in a real fight. The last ti those three masters fought, they broke everything they touched. The ruckus was incredible!"
"He wouldn’t be weak if he dared to charge over here with his n," the tea shop owner nodded in agreent.
THUD.
A tall, sturdy figure in a pure white, form-fitting robe dismounted his horse and stood before the shattered gate, looking down at the scattered fragnts on the ground.
A longsword hung from his waist, and flecks of snow were scattered in his long, black hair. He had a cold and sharp temperant.
It was Lin Hui, who had rushed over from the headquarters.
Behind him, he had brought four of his elite disciples: Wang Hongshi, Chen Sui, Huang Shan, and Qiu Yiren.
"The enemy is very strong. Do you know why I brought you here?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.
"To gather intelligence and pinpoint the enemy’s location and details. After all, if the Observatory Master ca alone, searching in all directions would be far less efficient than having several of us split up," Wang Hongshi answered grimly.
"Correct. No matter how fast I am, I can’t instantly teleport from one end of town to the other. The distance in between gives them enough ti to scatter and escape. We can’t catch them all in one net. So..."
SHING!
Suddenly, Lin Hui’s figure flickered and vanished from his spot.
In the next second, he reappeared out of thin air beside a civilian house more than twenty ters away.
A flash of sword light.
By the wall of the house, three disciples in yellow robes with cross-shaped scars, who had been hiding, had just started to get up when they felt a sharp pain in their throats. They choked for breath, clutching their necks in terror before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
"Three lookouts."
Lin Hui took a few steps forward, stopping in front of the innermost one, a young woman in yellow robes who was holding so kind of cylindrical tool, preparing to send a signal.
"Go on," he said calmly, looking at her.
"I... I..." The woman’s voice trembled. She tried to pull a thin string at the bottom of the cylinder, but her hand slipped three tis in a row.
Her companions’ corpses lay beside her, a bloody hole in each of their throats. They had fallen to the ground, their eyes wide open in death.
She was the only one left...
"Don’t... don’t kill !?" the woman’s voice trembled.
She never expected Qingfeng Temple’s retaliation to be so swift and so ruthless.
"Where is my sect’s Elder, Xue ng?" Lin Hui asked in a low, heavy voice.
"I don’t know... Don’t!" Tears and snot stread down the woman’s face. The mont the words left her mouth, she let out a scream, trying to beg for her life.
But in the next instant, Lin Hui’s sword blurred and then returned to normal.
At the tip of the sword, a tiny drop of blood trickled down.
"If you don’t know anything, what use are you?"
Lin Hui looked at the woman, who now had a gash on her forehead between her eyebrows, then turned to examine the tracks on the ground.
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