After having dinner at the Lin Family Fortress, a servant led Lin Shen to the guest room. Instead of lying down to rest, Lin Shen walked to the backyard.
The ground was covered with green grass, and several peach trees were planted in the yard. On the other side of the yard ran a small river, with a few lotus leaves floating on the water. A gentle breeze blew, carrying a wave of fragrance. A stone bridge spanned the river, connecting the east and west side rooms.
Lin Shen looked up. The sky was cloudless today. The moon was almost, but not quite, full, and a few stars dotted the sky.
Using the Dimensional Travel Technique, Lin Shen descended onto the roof and sat there, gazing blankly at the moon. Feeling rather bored, Lin Shen took out his phone and played some songs stored on it.
Lin Shen muttered to himself, "There's no signal here, let alone 5G—there isn't even 1G. I can only use this as a music box."
The Lin Family Fortress was quite lively at this hour. Several servants were clearing away the debris from the martial arts arena, while others were on duty patrolling. The maidservants were also busy with their respective tasks.
However, because Lin Shen had left the speaker on when playing his music, the entire Lin Family Fortress could hear the songs coming from his phone.
Meanwhile, because Lin Tiannan's daughter's marriage matters were finally settled, and on top of that he had a few extra cups of wine during dinner, he had gone to bed early. Not only did the music played by Lin Shen fail to wake him up, but it actually acted as a lullaby, and he was soon fast asleep like a log.
A buzz of discussion rose from the courtyard:
"What is this racket?"
"It's music."
"What kind of music is this? I've never heard it before."
"It sounds wonderful."
Preoccupied with his own thoughts, Lin Shen didn't notice the discussion below.
Lin Yueru had originally thought the night view was lovely and was practicing her swordplay in the garden, sword dancing while thinking about every little detail of her interactions with Lin Shen today. Before long, she heard music playing and followed the sound.
After a while, Lin Shen heard voices arguing below, asking:
"Is it here?"
"That's right, the sound is coming from this direction."
Then came a woman's reprimanding voice: "What are you lot doing just standing around here for no reason? Get back to work!"
Lin Shen glanced down and saw that it was Lin Yueru chewing out the servants.
Lin Shen called down, "Miss Lin."
Lin Yueru looked up, saw clearly that it was Lin Shen lingering on the roof, and shouted, "Anuosi, what are you doing up on the roof?"
The servants looked up and only then noticed Lin Shen's presence.
One of the servants cried out, "So the sound was coming from the Daoist priest!"
Lin Shen looked at his phone and finally realized he hadn't plugged in his earphones, meaning all the music he was playing had been broadcasting out loud. A look of awkwardness instantly crossed Lin Shen's face, and he quickly turned the music off.
Lin Yueru said, "You know what's going on, so hurry up and clear out."
With that, the servants all dispersed, leaving only Lin Yueru standing in place.
Lin Shen said, "The moonlight is lovely tonight. Care to chat for a bit?"
Lin Yueru replied, "Alright, but... how do I get up there?"
Lin Shen snapped his fingers, and Lin Yueru was teleported onto the roof by his Dimensional Travel Technique.
After sitting down, Lin Yueru said, "There's something I want to thank you for."
"What is it?"
"Thank you for fixing my cherished sword."
"Rather than calling it your cherished sword, it's more like your mother's, isn't it?"
Lin Yueru asked with a puzzled look, "How did you know?"
"I'm not blind. After I broke that sword to pieces, I saw the way you cried your eyes out and kept shouting for your mother."
Lin Yueru didn't talk back. Instead, she curled up on the roof, gazing into the courtyard as she said, "My mother passed away early, leaving only that sword behind. Having it by my side makes me feel like my mother is still here. Actually, when sparring with others before, I had already sensed that the sword was reaching its limit. But after you broke it, I couldn't accept it for a moment, and I just..."
"To see an object and think of its owner—I understand."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Anuosi, come to think of it, I'm quite curious; I've never seen your moves before. Especially that technique that turns the sword pitch black—will you teach it to me?"
An awkward expression immediately appeared on Lin Shen's face. He said, "Well, about that, it's a secret technique of my sect and isn't allowed to be passed on to outsiders."
Lin Yueru drew her sword and handed it to Lin Shen, saying, "If it can't be passed on, surely you can demonstrate it one more time."
Helpless, Lin Shen took Lin Yueru's sword and infused Armament Haki into the blade. The entire sword turned pitch black, and with a gentle swipe by Lin Shen, the resulting sword qi sliced off the Qilin decoration on the eaves.
Lin Yueru stared in astonishment and said, "That move is too incredible!"
Lin Shen handed the sword back to Lin Yueru, and the weapon instantly returned to its original appearance.
Lin Shen said, "I can only put it to you this way: I can infuse a special kind of power into a weapon. While the weapon turns completely black, its hardness and sharpness also increase drastically. But I can't teach this power; it's a rule of my sect."
"Then... then which sect are you from? Another day I'd like to pay a visit and learn a thing or two."
Lin Shen instantly wore a wry smile and said, "That sect's movements are extremely secretive; you can only meet them by fate, and once you finish your studies, you get kicked out of the sect anyway. Besides, teaching is one thing in our sect, but actual combat depends entirely on going out and making your own way. Even if you turn out to be a bookworm and bring shame to the sect's reputation, that just means you have limited talent, so don't expect them to clean up your messes."
"How can there be such a sect?"
"The world is vast, and there are all sorts of eccentric and extraordinary people. I can tell that you practice very diligently in your martial arts usually."
Lin Yueru sighed and said, "Anuosi, you don't understand. Don't look at how glorious our Lin Family is right now, known alongside the Northern Shen Family as the Southern Lin. But my father is getting older, and among the Lin Family disciples, there are very few who can truly hold their own. Meanwhile, Shen Qingfeng of the Shen Family is not a peace-abiding man, and his son Shen Qi is even less of a decent character. I worry that after my father steps down, no one will be able to take over the Lin Family. So even if I am just a woman, I must shoulder the heavy burden of the Lin Family and contribute to its future development."
Lin Shen smiled and said, "Miss Lin, your character truly lives up to the word 'heroine.' Actually, your situation reminds me of a girl."
"Oh? Tell me about her."
"Her family ran a martial arts school, and by the age of eleven, she was already the top student there. She had a junior martial brother who challenged her two thousand times without winning a single match. But just when that girl was full of confidence, believing she could become the greatest swordsman in the world, her father poured a bucket of cold water on her."
"Ah? What did her father say to her?"
"He told her that because she was a female, physical limitations would prevent her from ever becoming the world's number one swordsman."
"Is that something a biological father would say? What happened after that?"
"Deeply devastated by her father's words, the girl hid in an empty place and cried. At that moment, her junior brother found her and initiated the two-thousand-and-first challenge. And this time, without a doubt, the junior brother lost again. But the girl didn't feel joy from her victory; instead, she had thoughts of quitting. It was her junior brother who encouraged her and gave her the faith to continue pursuing her dream. Moreover, the two made a pact that whichever of them succeeded would claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman."
"That girl had a good junior brother."
"Yet... yet, as fate would have it, while searching for a whetstone, the girl accidentally fell down a flight of stairs and thus passed away from this world. Her junior brother took up her saber, swearing to carry her share as well and definitely secure the title of the world's greatest swordsman—to let his name echo in the heavens so her heroic spirit could rest in peace. Ever since then, that junior brother created the Three-Sword Style on his own and became a famous swordsman."
Lin Shen thought to yourself: Zoro, Kuina, I'm borrowing your story for a moment.
After hearing this, Lin Yueru sat there, her heart turbulent for a long time. After a while, she asked, "Can... can I revitalize the Lin Family?"
Lin Shen gently patted Lin Yueru's back and said, "Where we come from, there's a saying: women hold up half the sky. What of being a female? In our place, there are female warriors who protect the country, female doctors who save lives and heal the wounded, female teachers who impart knowledge, female envoys who navigate political affairs, and so on and so forth. Do not belittle yourself just because you are a woman; you are you, the one and only Lin Yueru in this world!"
Hearing Lin Shen's words, Lin Yueru threw herself into his arms and hugged him, saying, "Anuosi, thank you."
With that, she broke down in loud sobs, the sound of Yueru crying echoing through the entire backyard.
Lin Shen raised both hands, thinking: Oh no, I ran my mouth too much this time. I hope nobody starts gossiping about the Lin Family behind our backs. Too bad Yueru's destined prince charming isn't me. Li Xiaoyao, if you fail Yueru, don't blame me for splitting you in two.
At that moment, Lin Zhong was watching from below and was just about to go comfort Lin Yueru when he felt someone grab him. Looking back, Lin Zhong saw it was Lin Tiannan.
Lin Zhong said, "Master, this..."
Lin Tiannan shook his head and said, "Let Ruer cry for a bit. She has sacrificed too much for the Lin Family; let her pour out the bitterness in her heart."
With that, Lin Zhong supported Lin Tiannan as they walked back to his bedroom. Lin Tiannan murmured softly, "Ruer, you've had it hard."
After Lin Yueru finished crying, Lin Shen wiped away her tears with his sleeve and said, "Miss Lin, there's something I'd like to give you. It might be of help to you."
Lin Yueru asked, "What is it?"
Feigning the action of reaching into his clothes, Lin Shen materialized the Jade Ring.
Lin Yueru said, "Such a pretty ring. What is it used for?"
"Let me demonstrate it for you."
With that, Lin Shen formed hand seals and chanted an incantation, conjuring a flying knife. He tossed it forward, and the knife embedded itself straight into a pillar in the courtyard.
He turned back and said, "See? This ring can transform into any hidden weapon you need."
"What a great item! Teach me how to use it."
So Lin Shen taught Lin Yueru the incantation for the ring and personally slipped it onto her finger.
With a delighted expression, Lin Yueru looked at the ring on her hand, made a gesture toward Lin Shen, and asked, "Does it look good?"
"It looks good. (Lin Shen glanced at the sky) It's getting late, you should rest too."
"Mm."
With that, Lin Shen used the Dimensional Travel Technique to teleport Lin Yueru down into the courtyard, and Lin Yueru returned to her boudoir to sleep. Lin Shen remained lingering on the eaves.
(Chapter 13 End)