"Good wine!"
Yu Wanning sat on a rock by the bonfire, gazing at the shimmering Xianning River. She held a pot of Qingzhu wine, and her posture of drinking tilted her head back, lacking some of the demure grace of a young maiden but possessing more of the heroic spirit of a veteran warrior. Her beauty had a unique charm. Turning to Lin Zhao, she asked, "Lin Zhao, what's the origin of this wine?"
"Dongting Qingzhu Wine."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "In my hometown, there's a large lake called Dongting Lake. This wine... was brewed by a lake lord from Dongting Lake. It's quite rare."
"Is that so..."
Yu Wanning's pretty face suddenly blushed slightly. "Is there any more? If so, I'm willing to pay for it. I'd like to save some..."
"Not much."
Lin Zhao looked at the female war god of the ancient Shu Kingdom and smiled. "But if you truly want it, I can give you ten pots of Qingzhu wine. However, I don't want money. I only have one condition for exchange."
"Oh?"
Yu Wanning narrowed her beautiful eyes, looking meaningfully at the young sword cultivator. She chuckled, "Tell me, I'm very curious what you, Lin Zhao, would want from me, Yu Wanning."
"Marshal!"
From afar, a drunk cavalry captain, urinating against a tree while holding it, roared with laughter, "Young Master Lin likely wants to marry you!"
Yu Wanning's cheeks flushed, and she glared at him fiercely. "Scram, scram, scram!"
Lin Zhao also felt a bit awkward. "Miss Yu, when we met last time, you stepped on a reed and walked across the river. That movement technique was truly incredibly beautiful. So... I wanted to ask if you could teach me this technique? If you're willing to teach me, then these ten pots of wine will be my gift to you. How about it?"
As he spoke, he rustled and pulled out ten pots of Qingzhu wine. He actually had more, but he decided to save them for future use.
"You want to learn 'One Reed Crossing the River'?"
Yu Wanning tilted her head and asked with a smile.
"Yes."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I'm very interested in this technique. Can you teach me?"
"No problem, I'll teach you after we finish drinking!"
"Thanks!"
The two clinked their wine pots together, drinking with great relish.
...
Not long after, snores could be heard from the three armies' encampments. Chen Changsheng was taken away by one of Yu Wanning's personal guards and would henceforth follow Yu Wanning into the army. As for Lin Zhao and Yu Wanning, they began teaching the "One Reed Crossing the River" technique by the river. When Yu Wanning casually picked up a reed and tossed it into the river, she leaped up and stood steadily on it. Then, with considerable patience, she explained the secrets and mind-body methods of this movement technique to Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao also learned earnestly, his eyes wide open.
He wondered if learning this technique would count as creating a skill.
If it did, the benefits should be substantial.
However, this seemingly simple technique was not easy to learn. Lin Zhao's attempts almost all ended in him falling into the water. Yu Wanning, meanwhile, drank wine and laughed at him. Later, after repeatedly demonstrating it with endless patience, they practiced until the early morning. As the sky began to show the white of dawn, Lin Zhao finally showed signs of improvement and could move across the river by stepping on reeds, much like learning to ride a bicycle as a child. It felt incredibly difficult at first, but in reality, once the body adapted to the balance, it became much easier.
As he leaped gracefully from the reed onto the shore, a bell rang in his ears—
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Bai Yi] for successfully creating the skill [One Reed Crossing the River] (Heavenly Grade ★★★)!
...
"Wow~~~"
Lin Zhao squinted his eyes and chuckled. It actually counted as creating a skill? Although it was only three-star Heavenly Grade, it was quite high. After all, his starting point was high; his first self-created skill was "Slaying Immortals with One Sword," a two-star Immortal Grade, but that was a great opportunity left by the fourteenth-realm cultivator Wang Lao Dao. This, however, was a movement technique comprehended and self-created from a ninth-realm female martial artist of Baihua Tianxia. Being rated as three-star Heavenly Grade was already quite high, indicating that this movement technique was extremely profound.
He hurriedly opened his skill list, and the attributes of "One Reed Crossing the River" immediately appeared before his eyes—
[One Reed Crossing the River] (Heavenly Grade ★★★): Passive skill. Agility +50. When on water, movement speed doubles.
Instantly, Lin Zhao was overjoyed.
This was good enough. A passive skill that added 50 Agility, what more could he complain about? After all, he, a dignified second-realm martial artist, only gained 20 points of Agility. Moreover, upon learning "One Reed Crossing the River," Lin Zhao could clearly feel his body becoming lighter. As a martial artist, his punching speed and movement speed would both gain increased bonuses in the future. Even the speed increase obtained by using the "Divine Speed Talisman" would be considerable. The immediate power boost from "One Reed Crossing the River" was moderate, but in the long run, the benefits would be immeasurable!
In the early morning, Lin Zhao again brewed a pot of fish soup as a farewell meal for himself, Yu Wanning, and Chen Changsheng. This meal was without wine, only flatbread and fish soup.
After eating, his expression became solemn.
"Changsheng."
"Yes!"
The young boy looked at the young cultivator who had guided him to escape death. "Immortal Master Lin, please speak!"
"Follow Marshal Yu Wanning and cultivate diligently. Martial artists must practice punching ardually, especially those of us with less favorable innate talent. We have no right to be complacent. I know a seed of revenge has been planted in your heart, but don't rush revenge. Wait until you've grown strong. You must learn to endure. Be brave in battles within the army, but don't be reckless. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Chen Changsheng only understood part of it, but that was fine. He had remembered the words.
"Alright, you may go."
"Yes!"
The young boy left.
Lin Zhao looked at Yu Wanning. "Miss Yu, are you really planning to challenge the Feiyun Sect?"
"Yes."
Yu Wanning's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly. "To be honest, for decades, Zhao Qian, the Imperial Advisor of the Xu Dynasty, has been meticulously planning and annexing other dynasties. The current changing situation has led to changes in the hearts of people on the mountains. Previously, the ten sects on Cuiwei Mountain were loyal to ancient Shu. Now, however, like the Feiyun Sect, they have all sided with the Xu Dynasty. If I can succeed in challenging them and extinguish the arrogance of the Feiyun Sect, perhaps all the mountain sects in the land of ancient Shu will be alerted and know which side to stand on."
"That's not very good, actually."
Lin Zhao said softly, "Allow me to say something presumptuous. Extreme rigidity is prone to breaking. You need to change this aspect of your personality. Even if you want to discipline the Feiyun Sect, there's no need to resort to challenging them on the mountain. It's a bit rash."
"Then..."
Yu Wanning pursed her red lips. "What should I do?"
"There are many methods."
Lin Zhao looked at the river ahead and chuckled. "You can, in the name of the ancient Shu Kingdom, increase mountain taxes on the Feiyun Sect, forcing Qin Fei to comply. Or, you can find an excuse in the name of the court to order the Feiyun Sect to relocate from Cuiwei Mountain, a move to cripple their foundation. Otherwise, launch a large-scale assault on the mountain. As the female war god of ancient Shu, you have many ways to make Qin Fei yield. Challenging them is too risky, as they have too many people."
Yu Wanning immediately burst into laughter and gave Lin Zhao a thumbs-up. "You seem like a good person, but I didn't expect you to be so wicked."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao was surprised and chuckled. "Is this wicked? This is called being resourceful. Alright, Miss Yu, you could be at war at any moment. As an outsider, it's not appropriate for me to get involved in this conflict between two countries. This place is not suitable for lingering. I'll be leaving now."
"Lin Zhao."
Yu Wanning's beautiful eyes looked at him. "Where are you going?"
"Downstream, drifting wherever the current takes me."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, leaped lightly, and landed on a reed in the river. He turned, cupped his fists towards Yu Wanning, and chuckled, "Miss Yu, we'll meet again in the Jianghu!"
"Mm."
Yu Wanning also cupped her fists. "Take care on your journey!"
"You too."
Afterward, Lin Zhao, stepping on a reed, headed east.
...
After drifting downstream for dozens of miles, as Lin Zhao pricked up his ears, he seemed to hear a familiar sound. He turned and saw a wild donkey on the bank braying at him.
"Ah!?"
Lin Zhao was overjoyed. "Brother Donkey? You're still here!"
The donkey immediately lay down in the grass by the bank, rolling and frolicking.
"Alright, alright..."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "I'll enjoy the scenery in the river, and you can follow along the bank. Eat grass if you're hungry."
The donkey got up slowly, happily wagging its little tail.
...
Afternoon.
Lin Zhao drifted slowly along the river, stepping on the clear ripples. The flow of the Xianning River was extremely slow, almost stagnant in some areas. The picturesque scene of green mountains and clear waters was incredibly pleasant. Looking up, Lin Zhao saw a small boat drifting on the river. At the bow of the boat sat a middle-aged man in a blue scholar's robe, with an oil-paper umbrella on his back. He had a handsome face and an air of scholarly refinement. In his hand, he held a brush, painting a landscape of the Xianning River.
A painter?
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and guided his reed to the side of the small boat, silently observing the painter as he depicted the beauty of the world.
The middle-aged painter was extremely focused, his entire attention on the canvas. As he added ink to the weeping willows on the bank and the autumn waters of the river, Lin Zhao looked up and noticed that as more ink was added to the painting, the scenery on both banks seemed to gain more green, as if the entire river landscape had come to life.
Instantly, Lin Zhao frowned. This painter was extraordinary. He was evoking the atmospheric phenomena of heaven and earth through his art!
...
At the mountain peak villa, Tianranju.
Before the large water vat, the old gentleman looked down at the patterns emerging from the stone, observing the receding figures of Lin Zhao and the painter on the boat. He frowned, deduced for a moment, and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Those who scheme and struggle for petty gains harbor deep intentions. I hope Xiao Zhao can see through it. Hmph, he actually wants to turn the beauty in Xiao Zhao's heart into his inner demon. How malicious!"
As he spoke, he flicked his hand gently, and all the scenes of Baihua Tianxia on the water vanished.
"Old sir?"
Lin Xingchu asked in surprise.
"There's no need to watch further."
The old gentleman smiled and said, "Whatever is in Xiao Zhao's heart, we don't need to investigate. Don't worry, he will be fine."
"Mm."
Su Qingjiu, Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua, Zhu Zhi, and others all nodded in unison, then returned to their respective guest rooms.