"This is a variation I devised at Shi Yin Temple, improved and refined, though not as grand as yours," Li Yunxian said, taking a few steps back after a gentle clap. "Let Lord Lu have some peace." Lin Chaoying then noticed that Lu Enshu was no longer there. She mused that his schemes and martial arts should be more than enough to deal with those two scoundrels. As for the person before her, although she harbored no hostility, it was best to be cautious, and it would be wise to send the boy away. "Boy, prepare tea." The boy, still lost in the graceful display of Li Yunxian's silk dancing, jolted awake and retreated with a soft affirmation.
As the boy returned to the cave, Li Yunxian said, "He was accused of colluding with you to help escape and was expelled from the Lu'an Alliance."
Lin Chaoying wondered how he would give up so easily. Could it be...
"Yes, to spare Xun Ruiyuan any trouble. Lord Lu was also concerned that they might discard his nephew after he served their purpose, leaving Pei Ji to secretly look after him," Li Yunxian explained.
Since he was expelled, why would Lu Enshu still bring her here? Lin Chaoying was perplexed.
Li Yunxian continued, "I have also withdrawn from the Lu'an Alliance. When they sought me out, it was merely to deal with your grandmother. I agreed only to monitor how they treated her." While the outside world believed her persistent kindness was due to fear, it was actually gratitude for her loyalty. This loyalty had earned her something she had always craved—the affection her grandmother had for her second sister. "Now, the Lu'an Alliance is gradually becoming a vassal of the Jin Dynasty, no longer an organization for the revival of Southern Tang. As I have already become a 'chicken rib,' isn't it a happy occasion for everyone that I proactively resigned?"
Lin Chaoying asked, "What about Nan... Nan Ying of Wu?" She had defected to Wanyan Liang, and now that the tree had fallen, the monkeys scattered, she couldn't help but worry.
'Your heart is too kind!' Li Yunxian remarked. "She had long since secretly joined the new ruler, Wanyan Yong. During the battles, she deliberately preserved her elite forces, and then instigated Wanyan Yuanyu to assassinate Wanyan Liang. The one who acted as the go-between for her and Wanyan Yong was Mao Ya."
Finally together, Lin Chaoying was happy for them.
'Elder Sister admires you for raising such a child!' Li Yunxian said. "They have become favorites of the new ruler and received his promise to uphold Wanyan Liang's pre-war commitments. The minds of the entire Lu'an Alliance are now buzzing with excitement. Heh, everyone loses themselves in pursuit… When your great-grandmother abandoned me and sent me to Shi Yin Nunnery, I was filled with resentment and despair over what I had lost. Fortunately, your grandmother visited often, admonishing me with 'giving up yields gain'."
'Stop feigning innocence. Grandmother always said she went to Shi Yin Nunnery to monitor your activities,' Lin Chaoying said with a cold smile. "Do you really believe her?" Li Yunxian frowned slightly. "Although I have been estranged from my two sisters since childhood, I believe they are the ones who love me most in this world and would never use me." Her words were as calm as ever, yet they stirred Lin Chaoying.
'Yes! I would rather believe that, even if Grandmother is accused of being cold-hearted, ruthless, and unfeeling.'
"At first, when I heard her advice, I dismissed it as insincere, cold comfort and turned to leave in disappointment. I then hid myself away, avoiding my husband and children, until one day I smelled the aroma of the food they were cooking and had an epiphany. I tried to live according to my husband's simple arrangements, spending time with my children for a period, and was fortunate to receive a blessing that neither my third sister nor even my mother had enjoyed."
Li Yunxian spoke slowly, igniting a warmth in Lin Chaoying's chest—living a simple, uneventful life with him in the tomb, cooking and managing trivial matters.
Lin Chaoying asked, "How did you find this place?" Li Yunxian replied, "Lord Lu learned of your presence in Cui Hua Mountain from someone named Liang of the Wei Wu Alliance. He searched for two days without success. By chance, he overheard those two lecherous scoundrels talking about a woman near Tianchi Lake, whose beauty was as captivating as it was chilling, seeming less like a celestial being and more like a denizen of the underworld. The two scoundrels spoke obscenely, accustomed to their methods of first laying traps with poison, and if that failed, resorting to force. Such villainous acts of predatory behavior are difficult to ignore, regardless of who orchestrated them." Lin Chaoying agreed, feeling an inexplicable sense of closeness, but she still needed clarification. "What is it you want with me?" Li Yunxian extended her left arm and said, "I believe you need her blessing too." She then opened her palm. Lin Chaoying's entire body trembled as she saw it—it was "Ugly Old Man"—
"Grandmother, this stone is too ugly. Who is carved here?"
"Ying, you can actually tell it's a person? Did I really carve it so ugly? No wonder he didn't like it..."
"Is it Grandfather?"
"He's much more handsome! This old man..."
"Grandmother—a young lady must always conduct herself with propriety in speech and action."
"Fine! You're really something! This... old man, not only is he ugly, but he's a bit smelly too."
"Oh dear, Grandmother, why do you still wear it often!"
"Why... still wear it?... Ying, shall we both make fun of him as 'Ugly Old Man'?"
The grandmother and granddaughter, pointing at the stone and calling it "Ugly Old Man," laughing as they pointed at the stone and called it "Ugly Old Man"—I was only five years old then. Lin Chaoying glanced at Li Yunxian approaching, but felt no sense of caution.
Li Yunxian picked up her right hand and placed the stone in her palm. Lin Chaoying said, "Thank you." Li Yunxian replied, "No need, I am your kin." Lin Chaoying softly whispered, "Aunt." Li Yunxian closed her eyes, turned her back to her, and said, "You are also my only kin."
The boy came out with the tea set and looked at Li Yunxian's expression with some surprise.
Li Yunxian turned her face slightly to the right and said, "That man named Liang also said that Wang Chongyang is currently in seclusion and cultivation at Ying Yi Guan in Jinshan." Lin Chaoying's heart leaped with joy; he was actively preparing for the battle in March. Li Yunxian glanced at Lin Zhongying in her monastic robes and said, "You have innovated upon the martial arts of your founding ancestress." Turning back to face her, she said, "Since you can carve a new path in martial arts, why not also live a life of freedom? Opportunities often pass in an instant." She patted her shoulder lightly and turned to leave. Lin Chaoying called out to her, "Please have some tea first." Li Yunxian replied, "This cup of tea, you will have to offer it to me together with that person another day." With that, she lightly flicked the dust from her sleeves.
The boy was busy tidying up and preparing meals in the cave. After they finished dinner, as the boy rushed to wash the utensils and wiped his hands dry, he caught Lin Chaoying giving him a cold glance. He sighed inwardly. This was the first time in his life he had wanted to conceal something from her, yet it felt improper to let it pass.
The boy went to a nearby place as usual to "fetch" the necessary supplies and then returned to Illusion Light Cave along the woods beside Tianchi Lake. Suddenly, a familiar figure, running frantically in the distance, made his heart pound. The scene of their first meeting seven years ago flooded back into his mind. No matter how many wicked deeds he had committed, that noble and radiant demeanor, along with a smile like the warm sun in winter, always made people reluctant to forget him. The boy gazed at his back and saw a person whose appearance and actions were like a living ape, chasing after him with roars. "Serves you right! To betray your conscience and trick the poor into becoming 'Palm Warriors,' it's your retribution to be pursued by a madman for your life."
Seeing the ape-like man roll on the ground and sweep out his arm, Chong and Wu lost their footing and fell backward. The ape-like man lunged forward, and the boy quickly fired three "flea scratches," aiming for the points of Gu Lv and Qu Chi and Yang Xi on his left arm. Knowing that the "Warriors" had numb meridians, he could only hope to divert his attention. Chong and Wu shouted, "Little lady, be careful, he's gone mad!" 'You still don't recognize me!' the boy thought. 'Your brain is also sick.'
Seeing his movements falter, Chong and Wu quickly crawled backward with their elbows. The ape-like man indeed turned to attack the boy with fierce force, his moves swift and wide-ranging. The boy used his fingers as a sword, employing the Nanxi River Sword technique, combined with the Four Steps of the Wanderer. Although not yet reaching ethereal grace, he was still quite dashing and elegant, complementing the ape-like man's leaps and bounds.
Chong and Wu turned and ran about twenty paces before being blocked by a young man dressed entirely in white, with deep-set eyes and a high nose. He was handsome but had an indifferent expression. He said, "Someone is risking their life to save you, and you're fleeing without looking back. Are you even a man?" Chong and Wu retorted, "Stop your nonsense!" and charged forward, using a fierce move to force him to let them pass. The white-clothed man, with his hands behind his back, unleashed a flurry of kicks, deflecting Chong and Wu's attack and forcing him to retreat.