Early morning.
Misty clouds permeated the entire mountain peak villa. Little Jiu'er approached Lin Zhao with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, her voice gentle, "Brother Lin Zhao, have something to eat before you worry?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head, forcing a smile, "Little Jiu'er, you eat, I'm not hungry."
He then stood up and said, "I'll go for a walk at the Hefeng Academy."
"Do you want me to accompany you?"
Su Qingjiu's delicate brows furrowed. She had never seen Lin Zhao with such a vacant gaze.
"No, I'll be fine by myself."
Having fallen back to the Seventh Realm, Lin Zhao could no longer fly with his sword. Thus, carrying the Dragon Slaying Sword and the Immortal Sword Liquan on his back, he descended the mountain on foot. On the way down, he saw Tong Yu, who was refining swords. Tong Yu's eyes reddened, "Brother Lin Zhao?"
"I'm fine."
He waved his hand gently and smiled, "Tong Yu, keep refining your sword. In the future, we'll avenge Wang Yue together."
"Okay!"
Tong Yu nodded heavily.
In the small town, the early morning people were busy again. Many stalls selling steamed buns and fried dough sticks opened on the streets. Jianghu figures sat by the roadside, drinking and eating meat from early in the morning, while farmers carried hoes to work in the fields. Lin Zhao's eyes were vacant, and he entered Hefeng Academy as if he were a walking corpse.
"Little Martial Uncle?"
Gu Lingyu walked out of the dormitory, looking at Lin Zhao with a frown. At this moment, his state of mind was completely shattered. All his previous knowledge could no longer support his current state of mind.
"Lingyu."
Lin Zhao said softly, "I want to stay in the academy's library for a few days. Don't mind me. Lock the library. It'll just be me for these few days, and don't let anyone disturb me."
"Yes, Little Martial Uncle!"
Not far away, in the classroom, many young children looked over. They all recognized Lin Zhao, the formidable master of the mountain peak villa, the owner of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond. But… he looked so distraught now. However, the children didn't think much of it and soon returned to their morning lessons, a chorus of reading filling the air.
...
The Library.
Gu Lingyu and a group of disciples had brought over books of sages and various rare editions, all stored in the pavilion. Therefore, the library had an unusually large number of bamboo slips. Lin Zhao, feeling agitated, carried bundles of bamboo slips from the shelves and placed them on the desk. Leaning by the window, he flipped through them one by one. What he was thinking about was simple: keeping one's word. This was a principle he had learned from books. That book had once been placed on Mr. Qin's desk, and the teacher had also read it, even making some edits with his brush. However, Lin Zhao had not dared to overstep at the time, so he had not looked at what Mr. Qin had edited.
Since the confusion came from a principle in a book, he would find the answer in books again.
Deep down, Lin Zhao knew he had done nothing wrong, yet he bore too much guilt. The reason was the phrase "Promises must be kept, and actions must be decisive." This phrase was his inner demon, his knot. If he could not find a Confucian principle to clear the fog around this sentence, his knot would remain untied.
This was not only what Lin Zhao in "Tianxia" wanted to know, but also what Lin Zhao in reality wanted to know and find the answer to.
He flipped through the books one by one, reading every line meticulously and carefully understanding the principles within. It was somewhat amusing, as other players were leveling up, doing quests, and fighting monsters in the game, constantly improving their strength, while he was here studying the classics. But Lin Zhao could not help it; only these books of sages could bring his state of mind a little peace.
...
Confucianism, Wenlin.
Forests of moral stele stood tall, imbued with the ancient sentiments of sages. At the end of the stele forest, an old gentleman in a gray-white robe parted the clouds and mists, with heaven-piercing means, observing the human world.
"Old sir."
A middle-aged scholar in a blue Confucian robe floated over, looking in the direction of the mortal realm. The young sword cultivator in the library lay amidst a pile of bamboo slips, flipping through them one by one, his state of mind somewhat shattered. His spirit was incredibly focused, flipping through them one by one, not missing a single word, as if he were studying diligently until old age.
"This disciple of Suihan..."
The middle-aged scholar smiled, "His comprehension is actually excellent. Even among the young scholars in the Confucian Academy, he is among the best. It's just that he is too stubborn and slightly lacking in flexibility."
The old gentleman immediately disagreed, "If there's too much flexibility, how can one persist in what they believe and desire? Vice Dean Dong, I do not agree. I believe Suihan chose Lin Zhao as his disciple precisely because of this. Everyone says a gentleman is not an implement, but how many people can strike a balance in that?"
The middle-aged scholar chuckled, "Old sir, what you say has merit, but it makes Lin Zhao suffer."
"What suffering is there?"
The old gentleman's eyes reddened, "Our lineage has all come through this. Suihan, Wenliang, Zixi, haven't these children all come through this? It is better to seek rectitude than to seek convenience from crookedness. My little Zhao is precisely because he holds this belief in his heart that his state of mind is shattered to this extent. If he were more flexible, his state of mind might take a different path."
The middle-aged scholar nodded, "Old sir, you are absolutely right. Why don't you… descend to the mortal realm again? If you were to clarify these matters, Lin Zhao's state of mind would undoubtedly advance further. After all, Mr. Qin is gone, and now the true protector of Lin Zhao's literary path is only you, old sir. As for other literary lineages, who would care about Lin Zhao's state of mind?"
"I won't go."
The old gentleman squatted by the clouds and mist, looking helpless. "As Suihan's teacher, I naturally care about little Zhao, but when it comes to matters of the state of mind, too much interference is not good. Too much is as bad as too little. Vice Dean Dong, don't you agree? Moreover, if Zhao can understand the principle himself, it won't be just one step further, but two."
The middle-aged scholar couldn't help but smile, "That is good. Then we will look forward together to Lin Zhao taking two steps forward, shall we?"
...
Fusu Great Wall.
A figure in white, as pure as snow, stood on the battlements. Behind him, hundreds of Mohist cultivators were busy in an orderly fashion. Xu Shuo personally led people to build a Sword Pavilion. This Sword Pavilion was located within Fusu Great Wall, about five li from the city wall. From afar, it had already reached a height of thirty feet. However, Lin Wanhua had no mind to attend to this Sword Pavilion.
She stood on the battlements, gazing north with tightly furrowed brows. From where she stood, she could sense that Lin Zhao's state of mind was shattered, no longer possessing its former certainty and composure. She also knew what had happened. Wang Yue, the owner of the mountain peak villa, a disciple of Chu Yu, had been possessed. A human cultivator of the Lower Five Realms had been possessed by a great demon of the Eleventh Realm. This was an almost irreversible situation. In other words, Wang Yue's death was already sealed.
And what kind of person was Lin Zhao? He was extremely dedicated to every member of the mountain peak villa. He had previously paid great attention to Wang Yue's state of mind, pulling Wang Yue back from the brink of despair. Just when Wang Yue finally saw a glimmer of hope for survival, her body was taken by Yu Zhi through a dream technique. How self-blaming must Lin Zhao be at this moment?
Lin Wanhua pursed her red lips, her beautiful eyes filled with heartache. She knew that the better Lin Zhao's character was, the more he would suffer and the more guilty he would feel. The kinder a person was, the more self-blame and guilt they would bear.
But she was powerless. Lin Wanhua's greatest skill in this life was sword cultivation, cultivating a state of mind where a sword cultivator was unrivaled and could repel enemies with a single strike. For Lin Zhao's delicate state of mind, which leaned towards that of a scholar, Lin Wanhua truly had no solution. She wanted to help, but her love was insufficient. For a moment, she stood on the battlements, her nose stinging slightly. What was the use of her Thirteenth Realm?
She couldn't even share a fraction of Lin Zhao's worries.
...
Several days later.
Lin Zhao remained in the library, not sleeping or eating, just flipping through books of sages. He had become disheveled, almost to the point of exhaustion. Zhu Zhi, Gu Lingyu, Chen Ben, Chu Yu, and others watched with heartache, but none of them could do anything. At this moment, Lin Zhao was unwilling to interact with anyone from the outside world; any conversation would be a disturbance to him.
In the afternoon, after a lesson by the young tutor, the young children in the academy had a short break and played in the academy's garden.
Among them, a child in patched clothes played the most joyfully, using a wooden stick as a sword and leading a group of children around the garden. Wherever they went, weeds fell to the ground, displaying an unruly demeanor. This mischievous child was named Zhang Luobai. He was only seven years old but was the most mischievous in the academy and the one who received the most slaps on the hand from the teacher. However, his desire to play was too strong. Each time he would say, "It hurts so much, I'll play again next time." This left all the young teachers in the academy shaking their heads.
Gu Lingyu smiled and told the disciples, "It's okay. Boys should be like boys. If you suppress them too much, they won't be good scholars."
At this moment, Zhang Luobai, the leader of the children in the academy, holding a wooden sword and stick, beckoned to a group of children secretly. After gathering his subordinates, he whispered, "Do you know? Our Sword Immortal Mountain Master is staying in the library these past few days. It is said that he is not only a Sword Immortal but also a scholar."
"Sigh..."
A child with a snot bubble grinned, "The Mountain Master is so handsome. If my sister could marry him, that would be great."
"You wish!"
Zhang Luobai laughed, "With your sister's looks, she's not much better than Tang Guangjun who guards the gate. Would our Sword Immortal Mountain Master fancy her?"
A group of children burst into laughter.
Zhang Luobai lowered his voice again, "Let's go see the Mountain Master?"
"No, no, no..."
A group of children frantically dissuaded him, "The Dean said no one can disturb the Mountain Master in the library, or they will be severely punished. Zhang Luobai, the teacher made you cry last time. If you break the rule again, you might even be beaten until you defecate!"
"Hmph!"
Zhang Luobai was furious, "You cowards! If you don't even dare to do this little thing, what great achievements can you make in the future? Hmph, you wretches, I cannot discuss matters with you. I'll go alone. What if an opportunity arises and the Sword Immortal Mountain Master accepts me, Zhang Luobai, as a personal disciple? At that time, I will be the first native great Sword Immortal in the small town. You short-sighted idiots will have to call me Zhang Jianxian!"
A group of children laughed heartily, "Zhang Luobai, if you really dare to go, what's wrong with us calling you Great Sword Immortal?"
"Hmph!"
Zhang Luobai, carrying his wooden sword and stick, nimbly climbed the rockery to the library, then climbed onto the roof of the library from a large willow tree. From above, he peered down at the Mountain Master Sword Immortal, who had such an ethereal aura.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Zhao was holding a bamboo slip, studying it carefully.
"Oh no~~~"
The mischievous child lost his grip and fell directly down. A willow branch brushed past the bamboo slips piled behind Lin Zhao, causing them to tumble down with a rustling sound. With a "crack," a bamboo slip hit Lin Zhao's face, its threads loosening. Coincidentally, a line of text on the bamboo slip caught Lin Zhao's eye. The moment he saw this line, Lin Zhao's soul trembled. He lay on his back amidst the bamboo slips, tears streaming down his face. He finally understood.
On the bamboo slip, a line of text, only a few words, but each word was a gem—
"Promises need not be kept, actions need not be decisive; only righteousness matters."
...
"So that's how it is. So that's how it is..."
Lin Zhao closed his eyes, "I understand."
He slowly stood up, his entire being's aura surging. His inner knot had completely opened. So that's how it was... No wonder he had read a sentence from the Supreme Sage Teacher before: "He who insists on keeping his word and acting decisively is a pedantic petty man." He hadn't understood it well before, but now he finally understood a little. What did it mean to be a gentleman who is not an implement? It likely referred to this principle: not being bound by a single word or action. A person who truly cultivates virtue should be more adaptable. As long as it is within the lines they have drawn for themselves, they should have a clear conscience.
"So it's like this..."
He couldn't help but smile. Then, he began to think about how to remedy the situation, how to make things less bad.
At this moment, in the distant sky, golden clouds rolled in, all surging towards Lin Zhao.
"..."
Under the eaves of the academy, Gu Lingyu looked at the end of the sky and couldn't help but smile with relief. As expected of Little Martial Uncle. Just by understanding a principle, he had actually stirred up a wisp of literary fortune in the north, showing signs of integrating with the Dao!
Inside the Library.
Bathed in strands of golden literary fortune, when Lin Zhao opened his eyes again, he had returned to the Eighth Realm.