Volume 1, Chapter 90 – Setting Out

“Then where does this Miss Shi Lan sit in your heart?” The man was amused by Zhao Jinheng’s words. He raised a brow and asked.

Zhao Jinheng curled his lip. “Previously, my heart was in twenty-eight pieces. Now this young lady has shattered one of them, so there’s no place left for her.”

“What twisted logic. I’m heading back.” The man shook his head, got up, and strode out of the inn toward the City Lord’s Manor.

Before Zhao Jinheng could say anything to make him stay, the man had already vanished into the crowd.

“Young Master, what should we do?” a guard at his side asked cautiously.

“What else can we do? Go home!” Zhao Jinheng said irritably. There were flowers everywhere under heaven. This one came with thorns—he’d just switch to another patch and leave this one to whoever liked being pricked.

……

After going upstairs, Shi Lan summoned Wang Ning and instructed,

“Make arrangements, restock our supplies, and get ready to leave Purple Flame City.”

Wang Ning took the order and left.

Shi Lan tidied up the scattered documents, stacked them together with the map, packed everything up, then picked it up and went downstairs.

Once Wang Ning and the others had finished resupplying, they donned armor again and led the flood-dragon horses to the inn’s entrance.

Shi Lan vaulted onto her horse and, with the group in tow, slowly rode out of the city.

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……

In a side courtyard of the City Lord’s Manor.

Lin Yusheng was lying on a recliner beneath a massive tree, holding a book and reading with full concentration.

Bang!

The courtyard gate swung open, and a figure strode over to his side.

Lin Yusheng closed the book in his hands, tossed it onto the nearby table, lifted his teacup, and said calmly, “Fan’er, I remember I’ve told you many times—you knock before you enter the courtyard.”

“Your grandson knows he was wrong.” Lin Fan admitted his mistake very neatly, then said, “Grandfather, I’ve found someone I like.”

“Oh? That’s a good thing. Which family’s girl?” Lin Yusheng smiled slightly and took a light sip of tea.

“The one who came to see you yesterday—Shi Lan,” Lin Fan said casually.

Lin Yusheng’s expression changed. Before he could swallow, he choked on his tea.

“Cough… cough…”

Lin Fan stepped forward and patted him on the back, a little helpless. “Grandfather, you’re getting on in years. Drink slower. If you miss a breath, that’d be a real problem.”

After a bout of light coughing, Lin Yusheng rubbed his chest, caught his breath, then slapped Lin Fan’s hand away. “This old bag of bones of mine won’t fall apart that easily. Say it again—who is it you fancy?”

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“The one who came to the manor yesterday, Shi Lan. You were the one who told me her name,” Lin Fan repeated.

“No.” Lin Yusheng shook his head.

“What do you mean, no?” Lin Fan didn’t react for a moment.

“You cannot get involved with this Shi Lan,” Lin Yusheng said in a deep voice.

Lin Fan didn’t get angry, only asked in some confusion, “Why?”

“There is no why. Your horoscopes clash.”

Hearing that, Lin Fan actually looked a bit delighted. “Grandfather, you have Shi Lan’s birth characters?”

The question stumped Lin Yusheng. He had just been saying whatever came to mind.

With a sigh, Lin Yusheng said slowly, “Fan’er, give up on that idea. There’s no way anything can happen between you two.”

Lin Fan was silent for a long moment before saying, “Grandfather, do you know how old I am this year?”

Lin Yusheng was slightly taken aback and replied instinctively, “Two months short of twenty-five.”

“My father’s been urging me to marry for nearly eight years now. I’ve stayed unmarried all this time because I never met a girl I liked. Now, finally, someone’s appeared who stirs something in me, and you want me to give up without even giving me a reason. I can’t do that.”

Before Lin Yusheng could speak, Lin Fan continued, “If you want me to give up, you at least have to give me a reason.”

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Lin Yusheng set down his teacup and stood up, speaking earnestly, “Fan’er, your father is the City Lord of Purple Flame City. Within a radius of several hundred li he has some standing, but in this life, that’s about as far as he’ll go. As for you, you don’t study the classics, you don’t practice martial arts, and you spend all day tinkering with those little tricks and contraptions…”

“That’s not called little tricks and contraptions… that’s called mechanism arts,” Lin Fan corrected.

“Fine, mechanism arts. Since you want a reason, I’ll give you one. In this Lingyang Realm, strength is what ultimately speaks. With your father’s strength, he can still manage in this little patch of land, but if he goes to those big places, he won’t really measure up.”

“And what does any of that have to do with Shi Lan… or with me?”

“Don’t rush. Listen to me first.” Lin Yusheng waved his hand.

“I’ll leave Shi Lan’s identity aside for now. Just that girl’s talent alone is enough to leave the vast majority of people in this world far behind. I dare say, if she doesn’t die halfway, within five years her strength will surpass your father’s.”

Lin Fan’s expression shifted, his fingers unconsciously tightening.

Seeing the look on his face, Lin Yusheng sighed softly. “Now do you understand? You and that girl are not on the same line at all. And that’s even after ignoring her background and everything else. You’re simply not on equal footing.”

Letting out a long breath, Lin Fan said, “Grandfather, do you know Shi Lan’s background?”

Lin Yusheng shook his head. “I don’t know her exact background, but just her status in the Demon-Suppressing Army alone means you two are destined never to walk the same path.”

“Demon-Suppressing Army…” Lin Fan murmured.

“You’ve never dealt with the Demon-Suppressing Army. You have no idea what kind of people they are. They’re maniacs, ten times more ferocious than desperate outlaws. From the officers at the top to the common soldiers at the bottom, they’re all fearless madmen who care nothing for death!”

Lin Yusheng’s expression grew solemn. “Fan’er, the women in the Demon-Suppressing Army are not someone an ordinary person can handle. Put this out of your mind.”

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“Grandfather, I… understand…” Lin Fan murmured, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Watching his departing back, Lin Yusheng sighed. “You can come out now.”

A middle-aged man in a blue robe walked into the courtyard, looking somewhat embarrassed as he cupped his fists. “Father.”

After giving the man a once-over, Lin Yusheng sighed again. “Back then I told you to study, but you wouldn’t. You insisted on practicing martial arts and ended up like this—neither accomplished in letters nor in arms—stuck in this countryside, playing the local strongman.”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “Father, if I’d studied with you back then, I’m afraid I still wouldn’t have cultivated righteous qi by now.”

Lin Yusheng gave a cold snort. “Rotten wood that can’t be carved! One after another, none of you are worry-free. I can’t be bothered with you anymore. Your precious son is yours to discipline. I’m going back to the academy. The two of you are on your own!”

“Safe travels, Father.” The middle-aged man bent slightly, speaking respectfully.

Expressionless, Lin Yusheng waved his hand. The table under the tree vanished without a trace, and then astral wind rose beneath his feet. His figure soared upward, stepping into the air as he left.

After Lin Yusheng departed, the giant tree that had shaded the courtyard with its lush canopy suddenly turned yellow. Leaves fell in a flurry, and in less than half a quarter of an hour, only bare branches remained.

Looking at the thick layer of fallen leaves carpeting the courtyard, the middle-aged man shook his head slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a wild gale swept through, leaving the courtyard spotless.

“If everything in life has to follow some prearranged track, what’s the point of being alive?” he murmured, then turned and left the courtyard.