In the wind, a white afterimage flashed, and Gu Yanshu's body flew out, crashing heavily onto a rock face, knocked unconscious with a single punch.
"Brother Lin Zhao..."
Tong Yu hastily turned her head, wiping away the tears about to fall, then looked at Lin Zhao with a smile. "Why are you here?"
"I've always been here."
Lin Zhao glanced at the unconscious Gu Yanshu in the distance, frowned, and said, "Tong Yu, come with me."
"Okay."
Lin Zhao led Tong Yu into the depths of the mountain cliff. In the distance was a beautiful mountain maple forest. He sat down on a rock, and Tong Yu sat beside him, blinking her large eyes at Lin Zhao.
"It's not that I don't want to avenge you."
Lin Zhao said, "It's just that it cannot be done."
Tong Yu pursed her red lips and said softly, "Brother Lin Zhao, actually I also... I also..."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "You witnessed your family being slaughtered with your own eyes, and wanting revenge is a natural human emotion. There's nothing wrong with that. The problem lies in how to seek revenge. I told you before, cultivate yourself first, and then speak when your cultivation reaches a sufficient level. Actually, that was a bit of an excuse, but not entirely. After all, what you carry is a family and national vendetta. So... are you willing to listen to my true thoughts?"
"Mhm!"
Tong Yu nodded heavily and sat down beside him. "Brother Lin Zhao, please speak."
Lin Zhao smiled and looked down at the mountain scenery in the distance. "Your family feud originates from the Great Shang Dynasty's annihilation of the Eastern Wu Kingdom. But in the end, it's just a dispute and annexation between a strong nation and a weak one. The problem lies with Yu Rang. He gave the order for the massacre. And this order could have been avoided. Therefore, you cannot blame the entire Great Shang Dynasty for Yu Rang's single offense."
"Mhm."
Tong Yu pursed her red lips. "I understand this reasoning."
"Furthermore."
Lin Zhao sighed and said, "In fact, even if the Emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty ordered the massacre and annihilation, we would be powerless. Because the human world today is propped up by the Great Shang Dynasty. Are we going to hold the Great Shang Dynasty accountable and start a human civil war just because a vassal state like the Eastern Wu Kingdom was annihilated? If that happens, the four northern tribes will move south, and humanity will truly be finished."
He crossed his arms and said, "Sometimes, it's not about standing on the side of justice just because justice is present. It's about enduring for a while, because the time is not right. The destruction of the Eastern Wu Kingdom is your family and national vendetta. But for the entire human world, if this family and national vendetta is infinitely magnified, it could lead to turmoil in the human world."
Tong Yu's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she whispered cautiously, "Brother Lin Zhao, according to you, does this immense injustice and this deep blood feud really go unavenged?"
"That's not the point."
Lin Zhao said, "The world is complex. We need to choose a compromise. The current human world needs the Great Shang Dynasty. The Great Shang Dynasty cannot fall, otherwise the entire human territory will fall into division and conflict. The massacre in the Eastern Wu Kingdom was primarily caused by Yu Rang. The root cause behind it lies with the nobles of the Great Shang Dynasty who wanted to profit from the massacre. Vengeance must be sought one by one, minimizing the turmoil caused by revenge. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Mhm."
Tong Yu nodded, a smile appearing on her face. She was actually very willing to listen to Lin Zhao reason. After all, what he said was indeed logical, and Tong Yu could completely understand.
"Alright."
Lin Zhao stood up, rubbed Tong Yu's small head, and smiled. "I'll give you a promise. When the time is ripe, I will not hesitate. I will definitely deal with Yu Rang, the primary culprit, first. The mere Deputy Commander of the Lin Lu Army can be dealt with when the time comes. However, we still need to wait for the opportunity. We cannot go directly to Yan Province to apprehend him. This would give Li Chunyang and others an excuse."
"Mhm!"
Tong Yu nodded. "I'll listen to Brother Lin Zhao. I'll just focus on practicing my swordplay."
"Good."
Lin Zhao smiled. "It's already very good if a person can do one thing well in their lifetime. Alright, you practice your swordplay slowly. I'm going down the mountain."
"Mmm~~~"
Tong Yu stood up and watched Lin Zhao float away, carrying Gu Yanshu by the back of his neck as he descended the mountain. Tong Yu then pursed her red lips, her mind filled with Lin Zhao's words, "It's already very good if a person can do one thing well in their lifetime." The more she pondered it, the more it made sense. And she, Lu Tong, must do one thing well in this life, and that is to practice swordsmanship. She couldn't disappoint her master, nor could she disappoint Brother Lin Zhao.
...
Evening, nightfall descended.
Tong Yu, along with Zhang Luobai and Zhuang Yirong, returned to the mountain peak villa. Under the supervision of their senior sister, Zhang Luobai practiced sword stances all the way back, while Zhuang Yirong also practiced her boxing forms, her internal energy growing stronger and more vibrant. In fact, both Zhang Luobai and Zhuang Yirong had excellent aptitude. Even in the Fusu Great Wall, such individuals would be called innate sword seeds or innate general seeds.
Dinner was a simple home-cooked meal.
After eating, Lin Zhao practiced his fist techniques by the lotus pond, while Dong Zang washed dishes by the well.
Not far away, a middle-aged胖子 (fat man) in a grey short shirt, carrying a three-sectioned spear on his back, walked over, patting his round belly. He squatted under a tree in front of Dong Zang, staring intently at her, and said with a smile, "Miss Dong Zang, although you are a female apricot, you should also have a destiny. I wonder what Miss Dong Zang's destiny is?"
"Ah?" Dong Zang felt a little flustered. "Perhaps... perhaps it's the apricot tree?"
"Oh?"
The胖子 smiled. "It seems only natural. However, if everyone in this world had a personal number, then my personal number, Lu Qi, would be 9, and you would be 3. Thus, besides you, there is only you."
"..."
Xu Shuo, who was sitting in the pavilion reviewing blueprints, held his forehead and sighed.
Lin Zhao also shook his head slightly. It was indeed too greasy, worthy of his Lu Qi.
"Dong Zang, get some rest early. You can wash the dishes tomorrow morning," Lin Zhao said.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Dong Zang felt as if she had been granted a general amnesty and floated away.
In the distance, under the moonlight in the bamboo forest, Zhang Luobai was practicing his sword. The sword energy of a Great Sword Immortal of the First Realm overflowed, and with each swing, bamboo leaves fell. Zhang Luobai was quite satisfied with this basic sword technique taught by Zhuo Zhi. He felt that perhaps the most powerful sword techniques in the martial world were no more than this—sharp and powerful, perfectly suiting the personality of Young Master Zhang.
Just then, applause came from not far away. It was Gu Yanshu, who had just recovered from his injuries.
"Excellent sword technique, excellent sword technique!"
Gu Yanshu grinned and said, "If I weren't a sword cultivator, I would almost think this is the most supreme sword technique in the world. How can it be described as exquisite?"
"Hmph!"
Zhang Luobai stopped practicing, rested his sword on his back, and said with a smile, "Gu Yanshu, it's good that you know fear. Although my cultivation level isn't as high as yours now, it's not a big problem. In a few more years, you brat will probably only be able to follow behind me as a lackey."
Gu Yanshu smiled. "It would be my ability as Gu Yanshu to be a lackey for Sword Immortal Zhang. Would just anyone be qualified to serve tea and water for Sword Immortal Zhang?"
"You have a way with words, a way with words."
Zhang Luobai chuckled.
Gu Yanshu cupped his sleeves and sat down on a rock not far away, squinting and smiling. "Zhang Luobai, what do you think of your master?"
"Mmm?"
Zhang Luobai frowned. "Master is naturally the best person in the world. Before, he was the best besides my parents. Now... now he is as good as my parents!"
"Hahahaha~~~"
Gu Yanshu laughed. "Silly boy, do you know why your master is so good to you? There are so many children on Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, and many are suitable for sword practice. Lin Zhao didn't take a liking to any of them, yet he chose you, Zhang Luobai, as his disciple, and your only disciple. Do you really think your aptitude for swordsmanship is so extraordinary?"
Zhang Luobai's heart pounded. "Then what do you say is the reason?"
"Simple."
Gu Yanshu raised a finger and smiled. "Because your previous life was called Zhang Liucheng, your master's best friend in a small town a hundred years ago. Back then, your master was very thin and often couldn't get enough to eat. Many times, it was Zhang Liucheng who secretly took food from home for your master to eat, otherwise he wouldn't have survived until now. Later, your master led a large army down the mountain to fight the demon race, and that silly boy Zhang Liucheng stood on the stone bridge, pointing his sword at the Great Demon Lu Hai of the Twelve Realms. He was slapped to pieces by Lu Hai. After that... Zhang Liucheng's soul wandered around Snow Domain Heavenly Lake for nearly a hundred years, waiting for Lin Zhao to be reborn. Finally, he reincarnated and became you, Zhang Luobai. This is the reason why you, Zhang Luobai, could become Lin Zhao's disciple."
He squinted and smiled. "So, don't always think too highly of yourself. Lin Zhao truly wanted to take Zhang Liucheng as his disciple, not you, Zhang Luobai. Otherwise, in Lin Zhao's eyes, what difference would you be from a wild grass by the roadside?"
"..."
Zhang Luobai said nothing, but his eyes were already filled with tears.
...
Just then, a figure descended slowly from the wind. It was Lin Zhao, dressed in white. A fierce killing intent flickered in his eyes as he looked coldly at Gu Yanshu. "Do you want to die so badly?"
"Yes, I want to die."
Gu Yanshu's lips curved slightly as he smiled. "If you have the ability, Lin Zhao, kill me."
With a thundering punch, Gu Yanshu spat blood and flew backward, crashing into the bottom of the lotus pond, carving a gully in the pond before finally hitting the foundation of the pavilion. If the entire lotus pond were not a treasured artifact that had been tempered for a long time, that pavilion would have likely fallen apart.
"The force is still a bit lacking."
Gu Yanshu, looking disheveled, surfaced from the water. He leaned against the pavilion's foundation, his hands resting behind him on the stones, his eyes full of hatred. He smiled and said, "Lin Zhao, did you not eat? This punch doesn't even have the strength of a baby's suckling. Aren't you going to be a little more ruthless? Shall I dig up your mother from her grave and feed you some milk again?"
"..."
Lin Zhao stood in place, waves of military killing intent rising from his body. Golden ripples surged in his eyes.