The next day.
The Cliffside Villa received an invitation from the Medicine King Valley. The valley was hosting a banquet for Lin Zhao and his companions to express their gratitude for the help rendered at the Medicine King Valley. Upon receiving the invitation, Huang Tingyu, Mu Zha, Tang Guangjun, and others all agreed that the banquet was not to be missed and vowed to drink to their heart's content.
Lin Zhao had no objections either, so they decided to go together.
"Ling Yu, shall we go?" he asked mentally.
In the Hefeng Academy, Gu Lingyu was holding a cup of clear tea and said with a smile, "Little Uncle-Master, I'm just a scholar and won't join the revelry. I still have to lecture the students in the evening. You go ahead. However, regarding the marriage certificate, Little Uncle-Master must be quite troubled by it. Ling Yu might be able to offer some guidance."
"Yes, tell me!"
Lin Zhao said in a deep voice, "Why did Sun Xingchun give the marriage certificate to me and not someone else?"
"This goes back to the beginning."
Gu Lingyu spoke slowly, "The Sun family of the Medicine King Valley possesses a treasured heirloom called the Fire Spirit Jade, which has now passed to Sun Xingchun. She has refined it into her life-bound artifact. This Fire Spirit Jade is extremely sentient and can resonate with those whose fate is intertwined with Sun Xingchun's. It was on the stone bridge that Sun Xingchun felt the resonance of the Fire Spirit Jade, which is why she believed you were her future Dao companion."
"Ah!?"
Lin Zhao's heart sank. "No... no way? She shouldn't be my Dao companion..."
"Indeed, it's not correct."
Gu Lingyu smiled. "The reason the Fire Spirit Jade resonated is because of the flying sword in the third Sword Containing Lake, Little Uncle-Master."
"Xin Huo?"
"Precisely! Xin Huo was inherited from the fourteenth-realm Great Sword Immortal Yan Beichen and merged with a portion of the thirteenth-realm Demon King Man Yuan's Fire Dao. It possesses extremely pure and dense fire destiny. Although the Fire Spirit Jade is also a treasure, its grade is far inferior to Xin Huo. Therefore, when it encountered Xin Huo, the Fire Spirit Jade reacted strongly. Rather than a resonance, it was a submission. Sun Xingchun misunderstood this reaction, hence believing it was resonance."
"I see."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Thank you for the enlightenment. Otherwise, I would truly be troubled."
"Little Uncle-Master, go ahead and enjoy the feast."
...
As night fell, the Medicine King Valley was adorned with lanterns and decorations.
Firstly, to celebrate the elder, Sun Qinghe's breakthrough. Secondly, to celebrate the miraculous survival of the two young ladies. Thirdly, to celebrate the Medicine King Valley's successful overcoming of this tribulation. When Lin Zhao arrived with the six people from the Cliffside Villa, they were received with great honor by the Medicine King Valley. Sun Xingchun and Sun Yunnuan also emerged in long gowns. Although their complexions were still not entirely well, they were almost back to their normal selves.
"Valley Master Lin!"
Sun Qinghe said with a smile, "Two large tables have been set in the living room. Please, have a seat!"
"Thank you!"
Lin Zhao nodded, then lowered his voice and said, "Old Sir, there are a few matters to attend to before we drink. Shall we step aside for a moment? Preferably... the two young ladies should also come along."
"Oh?"
Sun Qinghe narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Xingchun, Yunnuan, come with us."
The four of them walked through the living room and into the courtyard. Sun Qinghe then conjured a small world created by a twelfth-realm great cultivator, saying, "Valley Master Lin, please speak freely."
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao respectfully took out the marriage certificate from his怀, and said, "First, I cannot accept this marriage certificate, nor does it belong to me. Lin Zhao is not fortunate enough to have such a blessing. I hope Miss Xingchun and Miss Yunnuan will withdraw their offer."
"Ah?"
Sun Xingchun and Sun Yunnuan were both taken aback, their delicate faces flushing slightly.
"Actually,"
Lin Zhao said, feeling a bit embarrassed, and scratching his head, "Before the two young ladies shattered their golden cores and sought death, I had already met your parents at the Snow Domain Celestial Pool. Senior Sun Bai Gui and Sword Immortal Lin Wanqiu were both very good people. We ate stewed goose and drank together, and talked about some things. But I believe the two seniors must have misunderstood something and thought of me as their future son-in-law, which has led to all these misunderstandings."
"..."
Sun Xingchun's nose instantly felt a pang of sadness. She knew that what Lin Zhao said must be true, because she had also seen her father and mother in a dream. And that was by no means just a dream; it was likely a manifestation of some profound Daoic return. Otherwise, why would the marriage certificate have appeared beside her? At that moment, Sun Xingchun's heart became even more complicated. Even if she couldn't be Lin Zhao's woman in the future, she would certainly never forget him.
"Please, Old Sir, take back the marriage certificate."
Lin Zhao held the marriage certificate with both hands, respectfully.
"Mm!"
Sun Qinghe solemnly accepted the marriage certificate, his gaze towards Lin Zhao filled with even more admiration. Sun Xingchun and Sun Yunnuan, the two treasured pearls of the Medicine King Valley, were also as beautiful as they were captivating. How many men in the world could refuse them? Just for Lin Zhao's clear state of mind, the old man had to think highly of him. His fame was not undeserved; Lin Baiyi, who had pioneered a hundred-year golden age for humanity with a single sword, was not famous for nothing.
Lin Zhao continued, "The second matter is to help Miss Xingchun and Miss Yunnuan resolve their inner turmoil."
"Oh?"
Sun Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Lin Zhao, are there any hidden circumstances?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao looked at Sun Xingchun and said with a smile, "Miss Xingchun believes Lin Zhao is good and can be entrusted with her future because of the resonance of the Fire Spirit Jade, right? After all, once the Fire Spirit Jade resonates, it means the person before you is your destined one. But in reality, that's not the case. The resonance of the Fire Spirit Jade has another reason."
"Ah?!"
Sun Xingchun's Fire Spirit Jade was already quite restless within her. She frowned and said, "Lin Zhao... what exactly is the reason?"
"Some hidden secrets concerning fire destiny."
Lin Zhao raised his hand and waved it. Instantly, the third Sword Containing Lake opened, and a fiery red glow shot out with a "swish" from the Sword Containing Lake, transforming into the flying sword Xin Huo. It coiled around Lin Zhao's arm like a small fire snake. As Lin Zhao willed it, Xin Huo's sword light grew more and more intense, and its fire destiny became increasingly profound. In an instant, Sun Xingchun clutched her chest, the resonance of the Fire Spirit Jade within her becoming incredibly strong, almost as if it were about to explode.
Seeing this, Lin Zhao quickly retracted Xin Huo back into the Spirit Void, and sealed the flying sword's aura within the Sword Containing Lake. Only then did Sun Xingchun feel much better.
"Are you alright?"
Lin Zhao asked with concern.
"I'm fine..."
Sun Xingchun's beautiful eyes were slightly red. "So, it's because of the resonance between this flying sword's fire destiny and the Fire Spirit Jade's fire destiny, right?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled, scratching his head. "It was a misunderstanding. It almost led to the young ladies entrusting themselves to the wrong person. I also ask Old Sir to understand, Lin Zhao has no disrespect towards the Medicine King Valley. I simply do not wish to take advantage of the situation."
"Mm!"
Sun Qinghe nodded. "Understood!"
Sun Xingchun also pursed her red lips, her mood extremely complex. She was even thinking, 'If it's a misunderstanding, then let it be a misunderstanding. I haven't refused, so why do you think it's taking advantage of the situation?'
...
Returning to the living room, the banquet officially began.
Elder Sun Qinghe brought out the Bamboo Leaf Wine and Lotus Wine that had been aged for many years, encouraging everyone to drink to their heart's content without any reservations. Immediately, he began to clink glasses with Lin Zhao, drinking endlessly. The elder was fiery and hated evil. Even if his own son, Sun Tingxuan, did wrong, he could still uphold righteousness and punish his own kin. Therefore, he greatly appreciated young people like Lin Zhao who clearly distinguished between good and evil in their hearts. Especially during their first meeting, when Lin Zhao had shouted at him, "Who are you? Scram if you don't want to die!" This statement was not only righteous but also full of spirit. This young man knew when to be cautious and when to be assertive. He was quite interesting!
In a short while, the old man and Lin Zhao had drunk a lot, and he wanted to make friends with this "unconventional" companion.
Firstly, Sun Qinghe genuinely admired Lin Zhao's way of handling affairs. Secondly, he found the young man to be to his liking. Thirdly, it was a bit of selfish consideration on the elder's part. After all, he would likely be going into seclusion to deduce and research incomplete pill formulas. And the next head of the Medicine King Valley would be Sun Xingchun. Sun Xingchun's cultivation had now dropped to the lower five realms, and it would take some time to recover. Therefore, forging a bond of goodwill with Lin Zhao at this time was definitely a wise move. With the Snow Domain Celestial Pool as a powerful ally, any sect in the world that dared to covet the Medicine King Valley would have to consider their capabilities.
After three rounds of drinks.
Huang Tingyu and Tang Guangjun were completely drunk and were already chatting arm in arm about the romantic tales of sword immortals on the mountains. Zhuo Zhi and Chu Yu sat aside, suppressing their laughter, thinking that Huang Tingyu and Tang Guangjun were truly scoundrels among twelfth-realm sword cultivators. Mu Zha and his disciple Chen Ben attacked the food like flying, prioritizing eating their fill. The food at the Medicine King Valley was indeed very good, with many rare delicacies.
At this moment, Lin Zhao's face was also flushed from drinking.
"Valley Master."
Beside him, Sun Xingchun handed him a cup of clear tea and said with a smile, "Have some tea to sober up?"
"Mm, thank you, Xingchun."
Lin Zhao took the tea and drank it down like an old ox drinking water. Sun Xingchun and Sun Yunnuan both covered their mouths and laughed. The legendary Lin Baiyi, a scholar-like warrior and sword cultivator, actually had such a side to him.
"Lin Zhao!"
Elder Sun Qinghe put his arm around Lin Zhao's shoulder and said, "It's a shame we didn't meet sooner. If I were a thousand years younger, I'd shamelessly ask to become sworn brothers with you today."
"Hahahaha~~~"
Lin Zhao grinned. "Old Sir is joking. Your seniority is much higher than mine. By the way, by the way, I actually have another matter to discuss with Old Sir. Let's see what Old Sir thinks."
"Speak!"
"Alright."
Lin Zhao took out the pill refinement technique given by Xu Ming'an. "This is the pill refinement technique for the Zhenyuan Pill. If you have the alchemists in the valley cultivate this technique and learn the heat control, they will be able to refine true Zhenyuan Pills. However, Danxia Mountain, where Xu Ming'an is from, sacrificed greatly to provide this pill refinement technique. Therefore, as a collaboration, I hope that a portion of the profit from the sale of pills by the Medicine King Valley can be given to Danxia Mountain. It doesn't need to be much, one-tenth is fine. Is that acceptable?"
"Ah?!"
Sun Qinghe's face was filled with joy. "Yes, yes, yes! But one-tenth is too low. How about... two-tenths, or three-tenths?"