After coming down from the mountain, Lin Yuanfan did not return home, heading straight for the Lin household.
When he walked through the door, Madam Zhou was in the courtyard cracking melon seeds. Seeing him arrive, she was quite courteous, telling a maidservant to pour tea.
After sitting down, Lin Yuanfan did not beat around the bush, selectively recounting what he had witnessed on the mountain today.
People from the Yunxiao Sect had arrived in Canglan City, and Lin Zhixue had spent the entire day with them, even heading up the mountain together.
The female disciple leading the group was an inner disciple and thought very highly of her.
Madam Zhou’s hand paused mid-crack.
“The Yunxiao Sect?”
She spat a seed shell onto the small plate, her tone shifting.
“That girl isn’t thinking of running off to cultivate, is she?”
“I wouldn’t dare make wild assumptions,” Lin Yuanfan said in a mild tone, holding his teacup.
“It’s just that Zhixue is part of our Lin family, after all. She is young and naive. If someone’s smooth words sway her into abandoning the family to run off to a sect, not to mention clan affairs, wouldn't Aunt’s kindness in raising her all these years go completely to waste?”
He enunciated the words “kindness in raising her” very lightly, just enough for Madam Zhou to grasp their weight.
Madam Zhou set down the plate of melon seeds, standing up to pace a couple of steps across the courtyard.
Lin Yuanfan could see right through her thoughts.
She wasn't wondering whether Lin Zhixue joining a sect was good for the Lin family, but whether Lin Zhixue leaving would be good for her.
A girl at the sixth level of Qi Refining remaining in the Lin family could be married off for a betrothal gift, used to curry favor with other factions, and serve many other purposes.
If she went to a sect, all of that would go down the drain.
“Yuanfan is right.”
Madam Zhou turned around, her face already plastered with a distressed expression.
“Zhixue has been frail since childhood, and cultivation is so arduous. I’ll speak to her father. For a girl, isn't settling down and marrying into a good household better than anything else?”
Lin Yuanfan lifted his teacup and took a sip, saying nothing more.
Madam Zhou had always been decisive in her actions.
That night, when Father Lin returned from outside, Madam Zhou hurried forward to greet him before he could even set foot across the threshold.
“Husband, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
She chose her words with calculated precision, never mentioning that Lin Yuanfan had visited, only that Lin Zhixue had frequently been associating with people from the Yunxiao Sect recently.
“Zhixue is young and simple-minded. I fear she doesn’t understand the treacherous nature of people and might be duped by outsiders.”
Madam Zhou sighed, wearing a worried look.
“The cultivation world is in such chaos. If she were bullied out there, as her stepmother, my heart truly couldn't bear it.”
Father Lin sat down in a chair, listened quietly to her words, pondered for a moment, and gave a slight nod.
“Mm, what point is there in cultivating?”
He set his teacup onto the table.
“Finding a good household to marry into is better than anything. See to it as you see fit.”
Beaming with smiles, Madam Zhou agreed, turning to instruct the maidservants to prepare a few extra dishes tomorrow, saying she wanted to invite Zhixue over for a proper talk.
She spoke with utmost gentleness, so gentle it seemed as if she truly doted on her daughter.
...
Early the next morning, Lin Yuanfan came by to deliver some tea leaves and fabric, claiming it was a small token of regard for his aunt and younger sister Zhixue.
Madam Zhou accepted them with a smile and shared with him what she had discussed with Father Lin the day before.
Hearing this, Lin Yuanfan said little, merely thanking his aunt for her trouble before taking his leave.
Walking along the bluestone pavement outside the Lin family's alley, his steps were remarkably brisk.
The words that needed passing had been passed, and the path that needed paving was laid. Madam Zhou would block Lin Zhixue for him, without him even having to show his face.
...
In the rear courtyard of the Gu manor, Gu Yanqing concluded his cultivation and opened his eyes, standing up from the wooden tub.
The medicinal broth of the fifth revolution of body tempering had turned a pale brown, its potency largely absorbed. Within a few breaths, the lingering burning sensation on his skin dissipated, replaced by a firm, potent vigor.
He pinched his arm; when pressed, the muscle bounced back rapidly, far more compact and dense than before tempering.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment sword qi could probably only leave a faint white mark on him now.
The price had been suffering through five agonizing rounds of living death in the medicinal bath tub, but it was worth it.
Slipping into an outer robe, he walked out of the wing room just in time to see Jiang Yinglan approaching from the front courtyard.
Today, she was not wearing her dark red gown, having changed into plain-colored robes suitable for traveling. The spirit crystal on her waist sword gleamed faintly in the morning light, and her two junior martial brothers were already waiting at the entrance with their packs on their backs.
“I’ve come to say goodbye.”
Seeing him, she got straight to the point.
“The mission is complete. It’s time to return to the sect.”
With that, she tilted her head to glance toward the herb field.
Lin Zhixue was crouching beside the field, inspecting the growth of the Scarlet Leaf Grass. After changing the soil, its leaves had completely regained their luster, and the edges of the newly sprouted tender leaves held a healthy, pale red sheen.
Sensing their gaze, she looked up, saw Jiang Yinglan waving at her, set down the small trowel in her hand, stood up, dusted the soil from her hands, and jogged over.
“Miss Lin.”
Jiang Yinglan looked at her, her tone a bit more casual than before.
“We’re leaving. Thank you for putting up with our disturbances these past few days. Guiding our way was a tremendous help to me.”
Lin Zhixue quickly shook her head.
“It was nothing.”
She glanced at the two junior martial brothers behind Jiang Yinglan, packed and ready to depart, realizing they were truly leaving this time.
The spirit spring had been found and the mission was complete; there was no longer any reason for them to linger in Canglan City.
“Right.”
As if suddenly remembering something, Jiang Yinglan retrieved two jade slips from her storage bag and held them out.
“Our Yunxiao Sect will be opening recruitment in a while. If you’re willing, you can come and register.”
“With Young Master Gu’s cultivation and family background, entering the inner sect won’t be an issue.”
“Though Miss Lin’s cultivation is still modest, I have seen your talent for myself. Starting from the outer sect and entering the inner sect after Foundation Establishment is also a viable path.”
Gu Yanqing took the jade slip; warm and smooth to the touch, it was carved with the cloud insignia of the Yunxiao Sect.
He nodded. “Many thanks.”
As Lin Zhixue accepted the jade slip, her fingers lightly caressed its surface.
This was the first time she had touched a sect jade slip; its texture was completely different from the jade pendant left by her mother.
It was cooler, harder, and the patterns carved upon it were intricate and unfamiliar.
She tucked it carefully into her sleeve and murmured, “Thank you.”
After seeing off Jiang Yinglan and the other two, silence fell over the entrance of the Gu manor.
Morning light spilled over the courtyard wall onto the bluestone steps. Occasionally, a peddler carrying shoulder poles passed by on the street, their hawking calls carrying from half an alley away, distant and hazy like sounds from another world.
Just as Gu Yanqing was about to turn back inside, Lin Zhixue suddenly spoke up.
“Will you go?”
She asked very directly, unlike before when she would hesitate and beat around the bush.
Gu Yanqing looked at her and nodded.
Lin Zhixue lowered her head, her fingers rubbing the edge of her cuff back and forth. Only after quite a while did she continue.
“My family... probably won’t agree.”
She sounded as though stating a fact she had long known, yet her fingers never ceased rubbing her sleeve.
Understandable... She was probably feeling deeply torn.
When Jiang Yinglan handed her the jade slip, she felt one step closer to that distant sect, but returning to reality, lying before that single step was a hurdle she had failed to cross for many years.
Gu Yanqing naturally knew how her family would react.
In the original novel, the resistance to Lin Zhixue joining the sect came mainly from Madam Zhou and Father Lin; Madam Zhou wanted to trade her for betrothal gifts, while Father Lin thought cultivating was a waste of time.
Now, with Lin Yuanfan muddying the waters behind the scenes, the opposition would only be greater than in the original novel.
Yet from his position, he could not make the decision for her, nor could he go argue with her family on her behalf—he had no standing to do so.
His voice was slightly lower than usual. “What you think matters most.”
“If you want to go, no one can shake your head for you.”
Lin Zhixue lifted her head and looked into his eyes.
The morning light fell into her amber eyes, gleaming there in quiet stillness.
She merely pushed the jade slip deeper into her sleeve, pressing it against the pulse of her wrist.
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