Late at night, a divine light descended between the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake and the firmament. Wei Huarou ascended and returned to the upper realm.
...
The next morning, I woke up early.
The mountaintop villa in the early morning was shrouded in mist, giving it an ethereal aura. Lin Zhao had already gone up the mountain, taking the two children, Zhang Luobai and Zhuang Yirong, for a morning lesson of his own.
"Master!"
Zhang Luobai, holding his Willow Grow, said, "See how you like this new sword move I've been practicing!"
With that, the energetic child swung his sword towards the misty sky ahead, a surge of sword energy erupting and churning the clouds, bearing a resemblance to cleaving an immortal with a single sword.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhao, who was just beginning his boxing stance, narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "This move has some substance to it. Who did you learn it from?"
"I secretly learned it from Master's moves."
Zhang Luobai stood still, straightened his body, and grinned. "Master didn't teach me, so I had to learn it secretly myself. But Lord Tu Zhi said I only grasped the superficial aspects, having the form but not the spirit, so it doesn't count as a true peak sword technique."
"It's already quite good."
Lin Zhao smiled. "In a few more years, this move will likely mature. Practice it well and nurture that sword intent."
"Yes, Master!"
Zhang Luobai's body sank, and he assumed a sword stance, continuing his practice.
Zhuang Yirong, with her big, blinking eyes, watched Lin Zhao perform the Farmer's Nine Fists and found his movements captivating, possessing both imposing power and graceful elegance, vastly different from the fist intent of her master, Chu Yu. She then asked with a smile, "Mountain Lord, can you teach me this set of fists?"
"No."
"Ah?"
The little girl looked disappointed.
Lin Zhao smiled, stepped forward, and ruffled her hair. "It's not that I'm being stingy and unwilling to teach you. It's because the martial fist techniques Chu Yu taught you are already formidable. They were created by Commander Chu, the previous master of our Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. If I were to teach you something else, you might end up mixing your martial arts, which would be detrimental."
"Oh..." The little girl seemed to understand, yet not entirely.
Lin Zhao continued, "Although there are differences in martial arts, the mindset of every warrior practicing fists is fundamentally the same. By practicing Chu Yu's martial fist techniques, you can still achieve the same understanding of fist principles as I have. The ultimate principles are the same. Building your foundation with the martial fist techniques will benefit you for a lifetime, so don't slack off. Whatever tasks Chu Yu assigns you daily, you should add more to it yourself."
"Okay!"
The little girl straightened her body and said with utmost seriousness, "Master told me to practice my fists one hundred times a day. I will listen to the Mountain Lord and practice one hundred and fifty times from now on. I will also achieve the same fist intent as the Mountain Lord."
"Hmm, it shouldn't be difficult."
Lin Zhao smiled faintly. In reality, it wouldn't be that difficult. Zhuang Yirong's talent for practicing fists was already good; surpassing him, a cultivator at the fifth realm, wouldn't be too challenging. As for his own sword cultivation, he was currently at the Nascent Soul stage. Among the younger generation at the mountaintop villa, Tong Yu had already reached the Golden Core stage, and it was believed that it wouldn't be long before Tong Yu entered the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, he, Lin Zhao, would likely only be good for strategizing, with the younger generation handling the actual fighting.
Lin Zhao felt a sense of unease. This wouldn't do. His cultivation realm couldn't be too low, otherwise, it wasn't just about not being able to command respect; it would be a disgrace.
...
"Young Master."
A figure gracefully ascended the mountain. Clad in a red dress and holding a folding fan, she exuded an aura of radiant splendor. It was the Folding Fan Goddess, Liu Liying. Liu Liying thrived at the mountaintop villa, her spirit nourished by the abundant spiritual energy of the locale, making her even more radiant and graceful. She narrowed her beautiful eyes, watching Lin Zhao practice his fists, her admiration evident. She smiled and said, "Sister Dongcang asked me to call you all for dinner. The noodles are ready."
"Alright, let's eat!"
Lin Zhao smiled and ceased his boxing stance.
Beside him, Zhang Luobai shouted, "Time to eat! First come, first served. Those who are late won't get their pick."
With that, the mischievous boy, swift as the wind, charged down the mountain with his sword. Zhuang Yirong, enveloped in a faint aura of fist intent, followed Zhang Luobai, both of them sprinting down the mountain. She exclaimed, "I'm definitely eating a bowl of eel noodles today!"
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and, with a whoosh, rode his sword down the mountain. Although all the noodles made by Dongcang were delicious, everyone had their preferences, so the Mountain Lord would choose first. As a result, with fallen leaves swirling on the mountaintop, in the blink of an eye, only Liu Liying was left standing there blankly. The strong reaction of this group to the call for dinner was something Liu Liying hadn't anticipated.
She couldn't help but smile and also floated down the mountain, heading for dinner.
...
Down the mountain, at the Natural Dwelling.
Su Qingjiu, holding two bowls of noodles, both eel noodles, narrowed her eyes as she watched the figures descending the mountain. She smiled and said, "Brother Lin Zhao, I've already gotten you a bowl of eel noodles. Do you want another bowl of lobster noodles?"
"No, one bowl is enough!"
Lin Zhao descended gracefully, and he and Su Qingjiu each took a bowl of noodles, holding them as they sat in a lakeside pavilion to eat. Soon, Lin Zhao, a martial artist at the fifth realm, finished his bowl of noodles, still feeling a lingering sense of satisfaction, as if he could eat another bowl. However, he suppressed this urge. After all, he was a sword cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage and shouldn't truly consider himself purely a martial artist.
He placed his noodle bowl aside and looked at the peach wood hairpin on Su Qingjiu's head, which had lost its spiritual energy. Peace and Smoothness were gone, and now the peach wood hairpin was just a piece of ordinary wood, with burn marks on it. Clearly, it was no longer fitting for Xiao Jiuer, a sword immortal at the peak of the twelfth realm. Thus, Lin Zhao said, "I'm done eating. I'll make you a new hairpin."
Su Qingjiu narrowed her beautiful eyes. "Mhmm, thank you, Brother Lin Zhao!"
Shortly after, the two of them rode their swords down the mountain and landed in the peach forest behind the mountain. Su Qingjiu gathered some dry peach branches and started a bonfire in the peach forest. Lin Zhao, on the other hand, took out the piece of thirteenth-realm lightning-struck wood gifted by Wei Huarou. This piece of lightning-struck wood wasn't small, about as thick as an adult's arm. Lin Zhao then summoned his flying sword, Xin Huo, and shaved off a suitable piece from the lightning-struck wood.
The flying sword Xin Huo was sharp, and cutting the lightning-struck wood was like slicing through iron.
Immediately, Lin Zhao summoned his flying sword, Ming Yue. Carving a hairpin was a task best suited for Ming Yue because it was small, and its tip wasn't as sharp as Xin Huo's, preventing him from exerting too much force and damaging it. After that, Lin Zhao buried himself in diligently carving. Since the material was lightning-struck wood, he was even more cautious, afraid of wasting such superior material.
This carving process lasted until evening. As night fell, a small piece of lightning-struck wood had been transformed into an exquisite hairpin. Subsequently, Lin Zhao summoned his flying sword, Hao Ran. At this moment, the tip of the flying sword Hao Ran was still surrounded by golden literary fortune, but there were already quite a few cracks on the sword body, which made Su Qingjiu feel distressed. It must have been the karmic backlash caused by her expenditure of "Smoothness" in the Eastern Sea.
"Brother Lin Zhao..."
She frowned. "Just use Ming Yue to carve the characters... I only wish for your calligraphy, Brother Lin Zhao. It doesn't matter if there are no Confucian divine abilities. From now on, Xiao Jiuer will also learn to be cautious in everything, just like Brother Lin Zhao, and won't put herself in danger. So... even ordinary carving will suffice. There's no need to use Mr. Qin's sword tip anymore..."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao smiled faintly. "How can everything in the world go as one wishes? Sometimes, it's not that you want to step into danger, but you are forced to take that step. So, the characters still need to be carved. Xiao Jiuer, you don't need to worry too much. If the literary fortune of the flying sword Hao Ran is insufficient, I will replenish it with my own blood and cultivation. It's the same."
As he spoke, Lin Zhao raised his finger and gently brushed the tip of the flying sword Hao Ran. A drop of fresh blood dripped onto the hairpin. Immediately, the flying sword Hao Ran's tip danced, carving the characters "Peace" at the spot where the blood had fallen. The moment the characters "Peace" were completed, the golden literary fortune on the tip of the flying sword Hao Ran became extremely dim, and Lin Zhao felt a deep fatigue, as if his life force had been drained at that moment, leaving him feeling utterly weak.
However, the "Peace Hairpin" in front of him was adorned with subtle wisps of purple lightning, and at the tail, the characters "Peace" glowed with golden light, shining brilliantly. Made from lightning-struck wood, carved by the tip of the Han Niu sword, and replenished with a few drops of Lin Zhao's blood, it had become a supreme treasure the moment it was completed.
"Done."
Lin Zhao took a life potion to replenish his blood. The wound on his finger immediately stopped bleeding. He then replaced the hairpin on Xiao Jiuer. At that moment, Xiao Jiuer looked even more like a celestial being from the mountain. However, no matter how beautiful Xiao Jiuer was, or how captivating she was, in Lin Zhao's heart, she would always be the little girl from the town, standing on the fence and reaching out her hands for a hug.
...
After dinner.
Two senior sisters from Changming Mountain arrived at the mountaintop villa. Although Su Qingjiu had eaten her fill, she still craved the white fish soup brewed by Lin Zhao. While everyone else had put down their chopsticks, she was still holding a bowl of steaming fish soup, picking up fish meat with her bamboo chopsticks, and savoring the aroma of the soup by the lotus pond.
She looked at the two eleventh-realm cultivators from Changming Mountain in surprise. "Why have you two senior sisters come?"
"Sect Leader Junior Sister."
One of the senior sisters, with a more prominent chest, said, "Two Star River Realm junior sisters are about to refine their flying swords. After refining, they will have the possibility of breaking through to the upper five realms, but there are some dangers involved. We are all worried that they might become too obsessed with the way of the sword and fall into a demonic trance. Therefore... we've come to invite the Sect Leader Junior Sister back to the mountain. If you preside over it, it will ensure complete safety."
"Oh..."
Su Qingjiu pursed her red lips. She was truly burdened by worldly affairs. She couldn't even spend more time with Brother Lin Zhao.
"Two senior sisters!"
Lin Zhao cupped his fists slightly and smiled. "I'll help Xiao Jiuer pack her belongings now."
"Mhmm!"
The senior sister with the more prominent chest nodded with a smile. No wonder so many people liked this Mountain Lord. He was indeed understanding and courteous, possessing the aura of a Confucian scholar, a sword cultivator, and a martial artist all in one. He was also handsome. Such a young man would be liked by many women wherever he went.
Lin Zhao bustled about, packing so many food items that Xiao Jiuer's storage bag was nearly full. He then saw Xiao Jiuer and the two senior sisters off as they returned to Changming Mountain.
...
He glanced at the bags of freshly harvested spiritual rice. Hmm, he should send some to Xu Ming'an. Xiao Man and Xiao Han were at ages where they were growing and cultivating, so it was best not to let them run out of spiritual rice. He then looked towards the mountain path in the distance, where Gu Yanshu, dressed in a dark purple long gown, was diligently sweeping the ground with a broom. However, the way he looked up at Su Qingjiu and the two senior sisters was extremely unfriendly, as if he wanted to draw his sword and cut them all down.
Lin Zhao frowned, said nothing, but made another mental note.