Zhao Linyuan chimed in, "Master knows my Realm because I write to him all the time, even if he doesn’t write back. But he probably has no idea about yours, Senior Brother Lin." He couldn’t help but grin at the thought of their master’s expression upon finding out Lin Yan was at the Blood Exchange Third Transformation.
"Speaking ill of Master, Junior Brother Zhao? Careful, or I’ll report you to him."
Zhou Wei stood to the side, watching the way Junior Brother Zhao spoke with his Senior Brother Lin, and a feeling she had never experienced before welled up inside her.
In the Sect, Junior Brother Zhao was always impeccable in his conduct. He was respectful toward the elders and friendly with his peers, carrying himself like a gentleman and getting along harmoniously with his many sect brothers.
But compared to this moment, Junior Brother Zhao’s laughter was much louder than it ever was in the Sect. His words were no longer carefully chosen, and he even joked about their master. His tone carried an undisguised ease.
’That isn’t the respect for an elder, nor the friendliness toward a peer. It’s... the feeling of coming home.’
Zhou Wei thought of herself. She had spent her childhood in her clan, only entering the Profound Celestial Sect after her talent was revealed. Although she also got along very well with her sect brothers and sisters, there was always an extra layer of caution and defensiveness.
They were all sect siblings, but they were also rivals.
「One day later.」
The three of them entered the territory of Deng State. Zhou Wei no longer followed Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan; she had to take the gray-robed man’s corpse back to the Sect to complete her mission. She dearly wanted to accompany Junior Brother Zhao to Guangping County Town to see the place where he had spent his youth, but traveling with a corpse was ultimately inconvenient.
Upon entering Deng State, Zhao Linyuan took Lin Yan straight to the stables. As disciples of the Profound Celestial Sect, the stable Steward didn’t even ask for a deposit after they showed their Identity Tokens. He quickly selected two fine horses for them, and the two sect brothers, each on his own mount, headed toward Guangping County Town.
「Three days later!」
Guangping County Town was in sight.
"It’s been almost two years."
Zhao Linyuan gazed at the walls of Guangping County Town, his expression a little dazed. He had left two months earlier than Lin Yan.
Two years wasn’t a long time for a Martial Artist, but for a young man not yet twenty, once you subtracted the years of early childhood he couldn’t remember, it was a significant period.
"Yeah, two years."
Emotion flickered in Lin Yan’s eyes. When he first left Guangping County Town, his heart had been filled with apprehension. He didn’t know what the situation in Qing State was like, nor what attitude the Lin Family held toward their branch.
But then he recalled how everything in Guangping County Town had changed overnight. He thought about how the local Martial Artist Clans had fought tooth and nail, only for their struggles to be rendered meaningless by a few casual words spoken over tea by the powers of the Prefecture City, deciding the fate of most Martial Artists there.
The sense of crisis from being unable to control his own destiny had made him want to become stronger. And to become stronger, he had no choice but to go to Qing State.
But now, both he and Junior Brother Zhao were qualified to decide the fate of a county town. Junior Brother Zhao had an Elder of the Profound Celestial Sect backing him, while he had the Lin Family behind him.
During their three days on the road, Lin Yan had also learned about Junior Brother Zhao’s experiences in the Profound Celestial Sect.
Not long after entering the Sect, Junior Brother Zhao was noticed by an Elder who took him on as a Direct Disciple before he had even reached the Blood Exchange Realm. After that, he was cultivated with the Sect’s full support, given Elixirs and Cultivation Techniques. That was how Junior Brother Zhao was able to break through to the Blood Exchange Second Transformation in less than two years.
Lin Yan was happy for him. With Junior Brother Zhao’s character and talent, it would be hard for any Powerhouse not to appreciate him.
The two rode up to the city gate. The guards on duty looked over, and when one of them saw their faces, his expression turned to excitement. "Lin Yan!"
After shouting, the man caught himself and quickly corrected his address, "Lord Lin."
"Brother Ping."
Lin Yan looked at the excited man, surprised to see Xu Ping on guard duty at the city gate. Although the gate guards of Guangping County Town were just Martial Artists who hadn’t even reached the Skin Smoothing stage, it was still a lucrative post that most people couldn’t hope to get—let alone someone like Xu Ping, who had no background and had been crippled.
In an instant, Lin Yan understood. ’Junior Brother Zhuang must have arranged this.’
When he left Guangping County Town, he had entrusted Junior Brother Zhuang with looking after his family, and had also mentioned Mr. Sun and Xu Ping.
The reason he hadn’t asked his master or the Lin Mansion for help was simply that he felt Junior Brother Zhuang was the most suitable person for the job.
"Lin Yan? Which Lin Yan?"
The other soldiers at the gate curiously sized up Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan. They could sense that the two had an extraordinary bearing.
"Could it be that Lin Yan from the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall?"
"It must be! There isn’t a second Lin Yan in our Guangping County Town."
After a moment of confusion, the gate guards all came to the same conclusion. Less than two years had passed, so of course they hadn’t forgotten the two geniuses produced by the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. No, wait... counting Director Zhuang of the Inspection Bureau, the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall had produced three prodigies.
The captain of the city guards gave Xu Ping a deep look. Xu Ping wasn’t one of his men. Although Xu Ping was sensible and always brought gifts during festivals, the captain had already accepted a hefty gift from someone else and was just waiting for an excuse to drive Xu Ping out.
Now, he was immensely relieved. ’Thank goodness I haven’t made a move yet. So Xu Ping has such a powerful figure backing him.’
’That single "Brother Ping" from Lord Lin... It doesn’t matter if they’re actually close. With a title like that, it’s more likely I’d be replaced than Xu Ping would ever be.’

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