Lin Long averted his gaze from Li Tan, his expression growing distant, as if his thoughts had wandered elsewhere, leaving his face somewhat vacant and sorrowful.
“That was thirty years ago. I was only seventeen back then.”
“…” Thirty years ago, Linjiang was still an obscure small town, even more so than it would be thirty years later. People lived monotonous, repetitive lives without novelty.
On this day, a great upheaval occurred in the Lin family.
The family patriarch had passed away, and the eldest son, Lin Juncai, was about to inherit the patriarch position according to ancestral rules.
It was an important day, a day for mourning as well as celebration. Those who had always supported Lin Juncai would rise in status along with him.
It was the dusk of that day. Lin Juncai, still reeling from seeing his father’s corpse, was in a gloomy mood. He strolled along a quiet riverside path, trying to adjust himself.
Now that his father was gone, he had become the pillar of the Lin family, the hope for the family to achieve honor and prestige. Yet every time he thought about this responsibility, he felt particularly melancholy.
The Lin family was merely a small clan with practically no foundation. It lacked depth and even decent martial arts techniques. How could such a family compete with the fierce rivals around them?
If only there were a martial arts technique, though that might be too much to ask. Even a decent combat skill would suffice.
As Lin Juncai was thinking this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, surprised to see a girl sitting under a large tree, plucking flower petals. Actually, he was more surprised by the girl herself.
“Will she come back?”
The girl softly murmured, her voice like the pleasant chirping of an oriole. Lin Juncai abruptly froze, a strange sense of infatuation arising in his heart.
Unable to resist any longer.
“Excuse me, miss,” he called out, but by the time he came to his senses, the girl had already risen and left, not hearing Lin Juncai’s words.
Lin Juncai, somewhat shy by nature, retracted what he had intended to say and left with regret.
The next day, again at dusk.
As if summoned, Lin Juncai, despite having nothing particular to do, still found himself retracing his steps from the previous day, heading toward the riverside path with the large tree.
However, his mood this time was quite different from the day before. Anxiety and melancholy had given way to anticipation for the young girl.
Under the setting sun, beside the rippling river, under the shade of the parasol tree, the girl was indeed sitting with her head bowed.
“He won’t come back, will he?” she murmured softly, her voice filled with barely concealed sadness.
Thinking of his recently deceased father, Lin Juncai unexpectedly felt a sense of sorrow as well, his heart feeling heavy. He wondered if the girl was also grieving the loss of someone important.
Therefore, he felt an even stronger concern for the girl, thinking that no matter what, he needed to get to know her. With this thought, he politely approached the parasol tree.
“My name is Lin Juncai. May I ask for your honorable name, miss?”
Startled, the girl lifted her head and timidly replied, “Jiang Xin.”
“…” “…”
They chatted for a long time until sunset, then parted ways.
The third day, again the habitual dusk.
After arranging the next day’s itinerary with the family steward, Lin Juncai eagerly made his way to the parasol tree. This was the first time he had ever felt such urgency about anything.
After chatting for so long yesterday, he had forgotten to ask where the girl lived. If she never came again, they might never meet.
Though Linjiang was not a large city, specifically searching for someone still felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.
By the riverside, he gazed into the distance, and his heart immediately tightened.
Under the familiar parasol tree, the girl’s lonely, endearing figure was already gone.
The third day.
The fourth day.
The fifth day.
Every day at dusk, Lin Juncai diligently made his way to the riverside. This behavior even drew the attention of his family members, forcing him to bring along accompanying guards.
He disliked this. Though the guards claimed to be protecting his safety, in reality, they were just spies sent by the true power holders in the family. Even though he understood this was out of his elders’ concern, he still disliked it. After all, who would like to be monitored?
He was almost forty years old, yet still treated like a child. Just thinking about it made him angry.
This situation continued for a month. Lin Juncai decided to make one final visit to the parasol tree to conclude this month-long experience.
As for his feelings toward the girl, there was no need to hide them. It was affection, different from the love he felt for his wife, which was due to political marriage.
If possible, he wanted to take the girl as his concubine and devote all his efforts to loving her.
However, the girl had left without saying goodbye the day after he made this resolution. Actually, it couldn’t be described that way, since the two of them had never made any promises to each other.
Let it end here. This would be the last time.
Lin Juncai resolved to fully commit himself to cultivation.
However, fate always enjoyed playing tricks on people. The girl he had longed for so intensely appeared once again by the shimmering riverside at dusk, dancing gracefully in the autumn evening breeze.
No, not dancing.
It should have been martial arts practice, but the moves were overly elaborate, beautiful enough to resemble a dance.
Lin Juncai carefully observed the girl’s martial arts techniques. At first, he watched casually, but gradually, his expression became increasingly solemn.
Though he had only seen a short portion of her clearly flawed performance, Lin Juncai could already confirm that this martial arts technique was no ordinary one.
He watched in fascination, not even noticing when the girl left. That night, he imitated the girl’s moves in the backyard based on his memory, performing only the forms without the essence. Yet he could still be certain that this martial arts technique was extraordinary.
Yellow tier, no, perhaps even higher—Dark tier! How could that girl possess such an incredible martial arts technique?
Lin Juncai didn’t know that he wasn’t the only one astonished by the girl’s martial arts; the elders in the clan were equally shocked.
That night, Lin Juncai tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He completely ignored his wife’s concern, his mind filled only with the girl’s graceful figure under the parasol tree.
Why did the girl possess such martial arts?
The reason was probably unknowable, but there was an old saying that held true: an ordinary person is not guilty, but possessing a treasure can bring guilt.
If this matter became known, the girl would likely disappear due to various “accidents.”
At dawn, Lin Juncai made a firm decision: he would tell the girl about this and ask her to stop practicing this martial arts technique.
In the afternoon, after having a light meal, Lin Juncai arrived at the parasol tree early to wait. Fortunately, those annoying guards hadn’t followed him today.
Time passed slowly, torturing Lin Juncai as he anxiously waited.
Finally, dusk arrived, but the girl never appeared.
“I’ll come again tomorrow.”
Disappointed, Lin Juncai returned home, only to be immediately informed by the guards that the elders were waiting for him.
Haven’t I just met with those old traditionalists a few days ago? Why are they looking for me again?
Puzzled, Lin Juncai went to pay his respects. The elder poured tea for him, signaling everyone else to leave. Lowering his voice, he asked, “How much do you know about that martial arts technique?”
“What martial arts technique?”
“Hehe, naturally I’m talking about the martial arts your lover practiced. Don’t tell me you don’t know about it.”
“She’s not my lover, and she never told me anything about any martial arts technique!”
Lin Juncai’s voice carried anger, but the elder only smiled wider.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just marry her then.”
“Why?”
“Obviously for the martial arts technique. You should understand how desperately our family needs a martial arts technique to uphold our dignity.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage