"Ah Jiang, I know you and Old Si were close, but things are different now. We absolutely cannot be seen as colluding with him in what he did, or we'll be in big trouble!" Lin Chaoyi urged earnestly.
"Good thing Dad gave Old Si's spot to Hongyu back then; otherwise, that spot would be totally wasted now. That honest kid from Old Si's family has poor talent anyway. Even if he joined the Chen Family, he wouldn't amount to anything. Not like Hongyu, who's already mingling in the same circle as the disciples from the Chen Family's main branch," Lin Shunchong, the second son, said, grinning to reveal his yellow teeth.
"Who knows, maybe in the future Hongyu will marry a scion of the Chen Family's main line. Then our fortunes would truly soar!"
"That's true. Hongyu is already beautiful. If she could bear a few children with the bloodline of a direct Chen Family descendant, that would truly bring glory to our family!!"
"Having a daughter is better after all. If only I had a daughter like her..."
In an instant, everyone started complimenting Hongyu's father and his line of the family. As for Old Si's situation, no one cared anymore.
Everyone knew that after this, it would be truly difficult for Old Si to ever recover.
Without a benefactor's protection, his branch of the family might face a very difficult future.
Perhaps they would slowly, completely fade from everyone's view, never to be seen again.
*
*
*
Lin Hui stayed at home for three days. He helped his parents move, took care of all other matters, and left all his wages with them before returning to Qingfeng Temple alone.
He had just gotten back when Huishen summoned him to Master Mingde's room.
"Your father and I have been friends for many years. I tried to persuade him about this matter long ago, but alas... aigh." Master Mingde's burly figure was seated cross-legged in the room. His thick beard was streaked with gray, and his expression was tinged with regret.
"But don't you worry. I can't do anything about matters elsewhere, but here at Qingfeng Temple, as long as you work hard, I'll make sure you won't be shorted a single coin of your wages!"
"Thank you, Master!" A warmth spread through Lin Hui's heart, and he quickly bowed. From this, it was clear that Master Mingde's friendship with his father was genuine. After all, adding flowers to brocade is easy; delivering charcoal in a snowstorm is far more difficult.
"Keep up your training, work hard. Go on, now..." Master Mingde said softly, waving his hand dismissively before turning away.
Lin Hui bowed again before turning and slowly walking out of the room.
Huishen was waiting outside. When he saw Lin Hui emerge, he stepped forward and offered a few words of comfort, but his tone lacked its previous warmth. It was just polite and distant.
Lin Hui didn't mind. This was just human nature.
"By the way, the Master didn't mention it, but given the current situation, Junior Brother, you should probably return that private room to the temple as soon as possible. Otherwise, people might start gossiping..." Just as he was about to leave, Huishen's sudden words made Lin Hui pause.
"Mm, I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother." Lin Hui's expression was calm as he turned back and cupped his hands in a small bow.
"Mm." Huishen nodded. The gentle smile he used to wear was gone, replaced by a bland, distant expression.
Returning to his quarters, Lin Hui quickly packed his personal belongings and moved back into the large communal bunk room.
Chen Zhishen came over to ask about the situation. After hearing the details from Lin Hui, he offered a few words of comfort, then hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back.
"What is it?" Lin Hui asked. "Just say what's on your mind."
"It's Xie Li... I was going to bring her with me, but she..." Chen Zhishen's voice trailed off.
"It's fine. It's just human nature," Lin Hui said faintly.
"Sigh..." Chen Zhishen sighed and said no more.
This was the way of the world, its warmth and its coldness. Xie Li could get close to Lin Hui for the sake of the Lin Family back then, and now she could distance herself because his circumstances had changed.
News of what happened to Lin Hui's family quickly spread throughout the temple.
Many of the students who had once been friendly to him reverted to their original indifference.
He had few friends to begin with, spending all his days just practicing his Swordsmanship. Now, with this incident, he was even more of an outcast. Aside from Chen Zhishen, no one paid him any mind.
Lin Hui was happy with this arrangement, content with the peace and quiet. He just focused on practicing his sword alone, waiting to grow stronger.
But while he wanted peace, some people were unwilling to grant it to him.
Before long, trouble came knocking.
BANG.
The door to the communal bunk room was violently kicked open.
Chen Chong and two of his lackeys appeared outside, their expressions arrogant. As the three of them scanned the room, all dozen or so people in the bunk room fell silent.
"Where's Chen Zhishen?" Chen Chong held a black fan, waving it pretentiously.
"What do you want with me!" Chen Zhishen took a deep breath, stood up, and faced them.
"You, come outside." Chen Chong pointed at him, then turned and led his men away.
Chen Zhishen's face paled. He knew this was bad. He instinctively glanced around, but everyone else avoided his gaze.
Only Lin Hui stood up.
"Let's go. I'll go with you."
"No, it's fine! I can go alone!" Chen Zhishen shook his head, his body trembling slightly.
"Let's go." Lin Hui said no more and walked out the door first.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Chen Chong and his two lackeys waiting not far away, their eyes turning to look right at him.
"Lin Hui, I showed you respect before because you were somebody. You think I'm still going to show you any respect now that you've come out?" Seeing him, Chen Chong let out a mocking, sarcastic laugh.
"My family may be down on its luck, but here at Qingfeng Temple, with Master Mingde around, I'm not worried about anything happening." 'If a real fight breaks out,' Lin Hui thought, 'even though I've trained for a long time, I haven't mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword. At best, I'm just an ordinary person who's a bit more agile, probably on the same level as the three of them.'
'Two against three, we'd definitely lose.'
'So, it's best to avoid a fight if possible. Once I've fully mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword and my body is tempered by Perfect Level Swordsmanship, that's when the real transformation will begin.'
Sure enough, at the mention of Master Mingde's name, the eyes of Chen Chong and his men flickered. "Don't try to use Master Mingde to intimidate me. I won't touch you today. This has nothing to do with you. I'm here for Chen Zhishen!" Chen Chong laughed twice and raised his voice.
"How did he provoke you?" Lin Hui frowned.
"None of your damn business!!" Chen Chong cursed. "I'd advise you to mind your own business, or else..."
Clearly, the name of Master Mingde alone wasn't enough to scare him off. After all, Lin Hui had already moved out of his private room. Who would believe that Master Mingde would still look after him like before?
Even if there was still some favor left, it certainly wouldn't be much.
At this thought, Chen Chong's resolve hardened. Seeing Chen Zhishen come out, he waved his hand.
The two men behind him immediately rushed forward, lunging at Chen Zhishen. They were both swift and agile—they were temple disciples who had already begun Body Tempering and training in Light Body!
With skills like that, just one of them would be enough to beat both Chen Zhishen and Lin Hui, to say nothing of two of them together.
The skill of the two men exceeded Lin Hui's expectations.
He knew this was bad. He quickly took a step forward and shouted.
"You dare!?"
Then he drew his sword, about to join Chen Zhishen and fight back.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a loud shout came rapidly from off to the side.
"What are you all doing here!?"
From the courtyard to the right, Daoist Mingde leaped down from a second-floor window, approaching as lightly as a willow catkin.
With a single display of his Body Technique, one of his steps covered the distance of ten normal steps. In just a few movements, he crossed the backyard training ground and arrived at their side.
Qingfeng Temple was only so big; he could hear any sound that was slightly loud. It was just that he usually couldn't be bothered to interfere in most matters.
But he had just heard Lin Hui shout. His good friend had just met with disaster, and now his son was being bullied right inside the temple. If word of this got out, how could he, Mingde, show his face among his friends?
So, the moment he heard the commotion, he immediately came down to put a stop to it.
In front of the bunk room, Chen Chong's two lackeys felt their hair stand on end. They froze, not daring to move. Pinned by Mingde's gaze, a chill ran down both their spines.
Chen Chong himself hadn't expected Master Mingde to actually step in to back Lin Hui up. His expression turned ugly, and he froze on the spot.
"Master, a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" His mind raced as he quickly forced a smile.
"We weren't targeting Lin Hui. It's just that this kid next to him was deliberately starting trouble earlier, provoking my Chen Family. He even said some things that insulted my family, and I just lost my temper for a moment..."
"You're full of shit!" Chen Zhishen roared angrily.
"Enough. In the future, I don't want to see any private duels inside the temple. Chen Chong, do you understand?" Master Mingde stared at him and said in a low, serious voice.
He had long known who was actually causing trouble. He just didn't want to get involved because of the Chen Family and Chen Chong's younger sister. But now that Lin Hui was involved, he had to step in and issue a warning.
"Fine. As the Master says." Chen Chong's expression was grim. He cupped his fist, then turned and left with his men.
He understood Master Mingde's underlying message: don't cause trouble inside the Daoist Temple. But outside the temple, he couldn't control that much.
Master Mingde sighed and glanced back at Lin Hui.
"Let's leave it at that. You two be more careful from now on." He wasn't a babysitter; he couldn't personally watch Chen Chong around the clock. To have done this much was already showing the greatest possible consideration.
He also knew exactly why Lin Hui had shouted, which was why he had stepped in to warn Chen Chong.
"Thank you, Master!" The two of them quickly bowed. Chen Zhishen's gratitude was especially intense.
If Lin Hui hadn't summoned Master Mingde today, he likely would have been in for a world of hurt.
While his life probably wouldn't have been in danger, getting injured, having his progress hindered, and ultimately leaving in disgrace was almost a certainty.
Watching Master Mingde leave, Lin Hui thought back to Chen Chong's expression. He knew that after being publicly humiliated by Master Mingde like that, a grudge had been well and truly formed.
The ever-arrogant Chen Chong would definitely find a way to vent his anger.
He himself would be fine; Master Mingde's intention to protect him was clear. But as for Chen Zhishen...
"Try not to leave the Daoist Temple from now on," he finally advised Chen Zhishen, then turned and went back into the bunk room.
Chen Zhishen stood frozen, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word.
The pairs of eyes that had been watching the spectacle all around now quickly withdrew.
Not far away, Mu Qiaozhi, Qiu Yiren, and Xie Li were standing together, having just happened to pass by and witness the scene.
"Even with Lin Hui's family in such a state, Master Mingde is a truly principled man, still willing to step in and help," Qiu Yiren sighed.
"Being principled isn't necessarily a good thing," Mu Qiaozhi said coolly. "A person must learn to judge the times and assess the situation. Master Mingde values loyalty, and because of that nature, he's shielded his friends from a lot of trouble. Right now, he's strong and his position is stable, so of course it's fine. But if he ever runs into trouble himself, all the hidden dangers he's accumulated by helping others will erupt at once. That's when he'll face a real crisis."
"But won't the people he's helped before also lend a hand?" Qiu Yiren asked, confused.
"Who says a favor must be repaid?" Mu Qiaozhi retorted. "Xie Li has the right idea on this point. When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. If you want to lend a hand, you run the risk of being crushed by the falling tree."
"Xie Li..." Qiu Yiren knew that before Xie Li had entered their circle, she used to be in the same one as Chen Zhishen and Lin Hui.
But now... she couldn't help but glance at her, only to see Xie Li's expression was complicated. Although her emotions were stirred, she showed no intention of stepping out to help.
"Let's go. You two must remember, Qingfeng Daoist Temple is just a temporary place for us to learn skills. Don't get too attached. We paid money to learn martial arts not to contribute to the temple, but to make ourselves stronger," Mu Qiaozhi said coolly, taking the lead and walking toward the main hall where the Observatory Master resided.