The midday sun poured through the gaps in the clouds, scattering like crushed gold over the crisscrossing paths of the fields. In the distance, the village road meandered, where Hearth Smoke intertwined with the fragrance of rice, and the laughter of children was hidden amidst the sounds of chickens and dogs. Lin Dalu walked in a hurry, his steps rapid, dust flying beneath his feet, and his collar soaked with sweat. By the ridges of the fields, several farmers looked up, shading their brows with their hands and discussing animatedly.
"Eh, isn't that the Lin family boy, Dalu? The one next to him... could she be the girl he was carrying yesterday?" "Look at that appearance, so exquisite, she looks just like an Immortal Maiden descending to the mortal world." "I heard that Dalu's mother was still arranging a marriage for him a few days ago, but I never heard of this one." "Shh—look at how beautiful that girl is, she is much prettier than the second daughter of Master Cheng from Dongcai Private Academy."
Lin Dalu heard a few words, his face flushing, but he had no time to respond and simply acted as if he hadn't heard. His pace quickened further, though his mind was somewhat in disarray. Xiang'er walked beside him, the breeze brushing past her temples as a few strands of black hair swept over her shoulders. She called out softly, "Young Master Lin, have you ever been betrothed?"
Lin Dalu was slightly startled, then returned to his senses and smiled, "I heard from Liu Hai that my parents seemed to have such an intention, wanting to arrange a marriage for me. However, Mother has never mentioned it to me, so I imagine it was only in the inquiry stage."
Xiang'er's expression flickered, and she asked with a half-smile, "Then... is that second daughter of Master Cheng from Dongcai Private Academy truly beautiful?"
Lin Dalu scratched his head with a bit of naivety, "I have never met that lady. Even if she is beautiful, she surely cannot compare to your elegance, Xiang'er."
Hearing this, a faint red bloom appeared on Xiang'er's face, and she chuckled softly, saying, "What if she is like me? By coming here for my sake, wouldn't you, Young Master, be missing out on a great marriage?"
Lin Dalu shook his head and smiled, his tone certain, "Let alone that I have never met her, even if I had, if no betrothal was set, how could it be considered a betrayal on my part? Besides, your condition is unusual, and you cannot be more than a hundred zhang away from me. If I do not go with you, how could you reach Tianxing Mountain alone? ...As for this matter of matchmaking, Miss Xiang'er, please just act as if you never heard it."
After Xiang'er heard this, a small ripple arose in the depths of her heart. She lowered her eyes in silence, her fingertips lightly twisting the corner of her clothes, sighing inwardly, Young Master Lin has severed a marriage for me, how should I repay him? If I truly must make amends... could it be by offering myself? But... the former me... Thinking of this, her heart became a mess of tangled threads, yet her face remained as gentle as water. She lightly pursed her red lips, her thoughts surging as fragments of the past flashed through her mind.
Seeing Xiang'er in silence, Lin Dalu thought he had spoken too forwardly, so he scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "If that marriage were exactly you, Xiang'er, then that would be for the best."
Xiang'er was startled, looking up into Lin Dalu's sincere eyes, her heart leaping suddenly. Her cheeks were crimson, but she forced herself to remain calm, whispering, "Young Master Lin, you... really know how to joke. The family of Master Cheng from Dongcai Private Academy is a Scholar-Gentry Family, so the second daughter should naturally be well-educated and polite. As for me..." she paused, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "your parents have never seen me, so how could they..."
Lin Dalu smiled and waved his hand, his tone firm, "Xiang'er, do not worry. You are so gentle and virtuous, as well as intelligent and understanding, which family wouldn't like you? Moreover, your culinary skills are exquisite and your thoughts are delicate. If I could have your company, walking together through this life, it would be a blessing cultivated from my past life."
The joy in Xiang'er's heart welled up like spring water, and she smiled slightly, her eyes curving into crescents, "Young Master Lin, stop praising me... I am not as good as you say." Despite her words, the smile on her lips could not be stopped. Yet behind the smile lay a trace of indescribable fear—if he knew of my past... would he still treat me like this?
The wind rose, blowing her hair into disarray and also stirring that sliver of uneasy emotion.
While walking, Lin Dalu suddenly remembered something, his expression changing slightly, "Liu Hai also said he would come to visit you today. But since we have left, if he reaches the village, won't he have made the trip for nothing?"
Xiang'er said softly, "Young Master Liu is clever, if he cannot find us, he will naturally go back."
Lin Dalu pondered, "If those villains from the Yin Spirit Pavilion come looking, won't Liu Hai be in danger?" Having said that, his brow furrowed. Then he smiled with relief, "But Liu Hai has been quick-witted since childhood, his skill at hide-and-seek is top-notch. When he was a child, he could hide at the bottom of a dye vat, and no one could find him for half a day. Thinking about it, if he truly encounters danger, he will surely be able to escape."
After speaking, the two were silent for a moment, only hearing the "shasha" sound of footsteps on the gravel and the low hum of the wind blowing through the rice waves in the distance.
Lin Dalu looked up toward the horizon, his gaze distant, and thoughts tumbled in his heart, My parents won't return for another two months. If those villains cannot find me, will they take their anger out on them? He thought of his parents' faces, and a sense of unease filled his heart.
"Fortunately, they do not know where my parents went," he whispered to himself, "When the two elders return and see I am not there, they will surely know something happened at home. At that time, they will check the Clay Jar, and seeing the silver in the jar is gone, they will understand that I went toward Tianxing Mountain and the Qingsong Sect, and they will surely follow the trail to find me."
At this point, Lin Dalu withdrew his gaze, his expression firm and his tone steady, "Xiang'er, do not worry. No matter what lies ahead, as long as I have a breath left, I will protect you."
Xiang'er's heart trembled, and the corners of her eyes grew slightly moist. She looked up at him, a smile on her lips, but with a hint of trembling, "Young Master Lin... why are you so good to me?"
Lin Dalu turned back, the sunlight falling on his profile, making his features distinct, and he replied with a smile, "Because you are worth it."
The wind passed through the treetops, and light and shadow swayed. The mountain road meandered forward, as a man and a woman walked side by side. Sunlight poured from the gaps in the clouds, reflecting on their backs and stretching their shadows very long.
The distant cliff was faintly in sight, with ancient pines and old cypresses, and the quiet echoes of birds. The undulating mountains were already appearing and disappearing within the mist ahead.
Lin Dalu tightened the bundle on his back, his voice low and firm, "Let's go, Xiang'er. The road ahead may be difficult, but we have no way back."
Xiang'er gave a soft reply, her gaze as gentle as water, her steps following closely.
—At that moment, the sound of the wind seemed far and near, and only their breathing and heartbeats remained in the world.
And the cliff of fate was quietly ahead, waiting for the two of them to take that step.
The mist at the foot of the mountain had not yet dissipated, and a light breeze brushed over the tips of the grass, bringing up dots of dew. At the end of the field ridge, the mountain forest rose abruptly. Lin Dalu and Xiang'er stepped into the dense forest, the stone path beneath their feet rugged, the pine wind howling, and several Tiger-Wood Trees leaning across the cliff, their branches twisted like dragons. The howling of wolves echoed in the distance, like metal grinding teeth, with a chill that pierced to the bone.
Suddenly, several pieces of gravel shot down from the top of the cliff, containing a trace of Spirit Power that did not belong to mortals, carrying a piercing whistle as they aimed straight for the face, "swish swish" past the ears. Before Lin Dalu could raise his hand, Xiang'er's fingertips lifted slightly, and Spirit Power swirled into a momentum in her palm. Only several crisp "ding ding" sounds were heard as those pieces of gravel were shattered into powder by an invisible force, scattering like grey mist.
"That was close," Lin Dalu said in a low voice, his gaze sharpening, and the muscles throughout his body instantly tensing.
In the next breath, deep within the forest, a figure slowly stepped out from the shadows.
That person wore a grey-brown Daoist robe, was hunched and stooped, with sinister eyes and a cold light flashing in his triangular eyes. With a purse of his lips, a raspy voice echoed through the forest, "There is no need to go any further, your road—ends here."
It was exactly Zhuo Huan.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/T2S04XpS/Q0009A.jpg
Before his voice had even faded, he flipped his palm, and Spirit Power surged. A giant rock about a zhang wide rose from behind the forest, carrying the momentum of wind and thunder as it crashed down.
"Watch out!" Lin Dalu shouted fiercely, pulling Xiang'er as they flipped and leaped to the side. The giant rock hit the ground, kicking up a sky full of dust and sand, with a sound like thunder.
The scene froze for an instant—dust and mist churned, while grass leaves and broken twigs drifted with the airwaves. The view rose from the ground; on the left was Xiang'er's slightly bent right foot, the corner of her skirt swirling with grey air, and on the right was Lin Dalu's left foot, his cloth clothes and hemp trousers mottled with mud marks. The two stood against the mountain wind, opening their stances, their eyes meeting, and their momentum already rising.
Zhuo Huan stood atop the giant rock, his grey robe fluttering, with continuous cold sneers.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/FFqpBQ72/Q0009B.jpg
Both sides stared at each other, and the surrounding air instantly froze, as if an arrow was on the string, ready to be fired.
Suddenly a scream was heard, and then a figure was thrown out of the forest, falling heavily in front of the two. In the dust was Liu Hai, with stained clothes and injuries, a dark mark hanging from the corner of his mouth, his breathing intermittent.
"Brother Dalu—!" Liu Hai struggled to look up, his voice hoarse, "They... harmed my father, my mother, my sister... Brother Dalu, save me..."
Lin Dalu's heart shook, and just as he was about to step forward, Zhuo Huan's sleeve flicked, and gravel rose again, whistling through the air. Xiang'er waved her sleeve with a turn, and Spirit Power condensed into a wall, causing all the gravel to bounce back, the sounds of impact connecting into a line, clinking continuously.
Zhuo Huan snorted coldly, "It turns out you were hiding in that chest at the cloth store, which is how you escaped the eyes of This Daoist."
Lin Dalu's expression changed, and he asked angrily, "How did you know Xiang'er was in the chest?"
Liu Hai lowered his head, tears and bloodstains mixed together, "I'm sorry, Brother Dalu... they threatened me with the lives of my parents and little sister, I... I had no choice but to..."
Lin Dalu's gaze darkened, his fists clenched tightly, and veins bulged.
"Liu Hai—" his voice trembled, yet it carried anger.
Xiang'er shook her head lightly, saying in a low voice, "Do not blame him."
Liu Hai sobbed, "But this evil person... I want revenge—!"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhuo Huan's sleeve shadow swept past, and a burst of energy struck out. Liu Hai was sent flying several zhang, crashing heavily against a mountain rock, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
"Beast!" Lin Dalu roared, and was about to rush forward when Xiang'er stopped him, her gaze as cold as frost.
"You are not his match, he is a person of the Dao."
Zhuo Huan gave a "jie jie" laugh, "The little girl is quite sensible."
Xiang'er said nothing, her hand gesture changed, and Spiritual Light suddenly gathered in her palm. A wisp of red light spun out, like a fire bead coming to life, reflecting red across half the sky.
"You are only at Qi Refinement Level 7," Xiang'er said coldly, "Today, do not even think of leaving alive."
Zhuo Huan grinned hideously, his left palm lifted slightly, the mountain rocks trembled, and stone chips flew wildly. His figure suddenly disappeared amidst the dust and sand.
"Bang—" a loud noise, Lin Dalu only felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate, and a stone fragment burst out of the ground, nearly grazing his cheek. Xiang'er retreated rapidly, and a large amount of White Qi Mist rolled up from her sleeves. Several fallen leaves turned into silver blades, swishing toward Zhuo Huan.
Zhuo Huan dodged and leaped, his robe sleeves flipping, as gravel shot rapidly from all sides, like a thousand-catty rain falling. Leaf fire and stone shadows interlaced, the airwaves oscillated, and there was a scorched smell in the air.
Xiang'er lightly stepped on the ground, her skirt fluttering, and Spirit Power flowed through her entire body. The ball of fire in her palm suddenly surged, as if it were a soul-burning fierce flame. Her right arm swung back, and the firelight turned into several streaming flame bullets, which were blasted out in succession, crashing into the gravel in front of Zhuo Huan, exploding into a series of roars.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/QNPmyrFL/Q0009C1.jpg
Zhuo Huan was forced back three steps. Amidst his roars, his palm gesture led, and over ten pieces of stone suddenly burst, turning into flying rain-like fragmented light, forcing Xiang'er to turn half-way and narrowly avoid them.
Although Lin Dalu was a Mortal, he was agile and his footwork was steady. If speaking of the mundane world, with this frame of his, being a warrior would also not be considered subpar.
In the early years, an old man who made a living through Street Martial Performance had come to Liangdou Village, staying for two years. At that time, Lin Dalu followed behind him every day, watching him practice boxing and brandish a saber, watching for an entire day. Over time, he began to call him "Grandpa Performer." Lin Dalu's mother had a kind nature and often sent some food and clothing to help, so the two families became quite close.
That Grandpa Performer saw that Lin Dalu had extraordinary bone structure and clear eyes, and felt joy in his heart, so he would occasionally point out a few moves. Since then, within two years, Lin Dalu received his teaching, learning the Eight-Path Long Fist and the Seven-Path Ornate Sword. Although it couldn't be said that he had reached the inner circle, he had already laid a solid foundation.
At this moment, seeing Xiang'er's aura gradually weakening, Lin Dalu's heart tightened, and anger rose from his heart. Qi penetrated his Cinnabar Field, and he suddenly gave a sharp shout,
"Hah—!"
His foot stepped on the blue mud, his figure charged forward rapidly, his fist momentum continuous, as all of the Eight-Path Long Fist was used. Although there was no Spirit Power reinforcement, he used the momentum like a rainbow, his fist wind surging, and the grass leaves all flattened. Only a muffled "bang" was heard as the fist strength hit Zhuo Huan right in the side of his waist.
——(To be continued)