True Solution of the Sword Dao

Time flew by, and before long, most of the holiday had passed.

July 14th.

Swordsmanship Club Public Sword Room

Lin Fei stood in front of the sword rack, reaching out to gently touch the blade of the Black Demon Sword. Almost every chance he had, he would meticulously ponder over the Black Demon Sword. Of course, to others, it looked like he was just checking the patterns on the blade. He performed this motion countless times every day, leading others to assume he was just very fond of that sword.

Behind him was a group of students slowly swinging their swords under Lin Yuanshan’s guidance. Their shouts and callouts were somewhat out of sync, occasionally ringing out. These students were all clad in the same white uniforms, striking clumsy poses—most of them were new recruits. Seasoned students like Zhou Ting from the previous batch, who had acquired a solid foundation, had moved to the second public sword room, where different instructors taught advanced swordsmanship.

"Brother~~~ I miss you~~. Brother~~~ I miss you~~~" Suddenly, the sweet voice of a little girl emanated from Lin Fei’s body.

The adorable, tender voice immediately drew the attention of the other students practicing their swordsmanship.

Realizing that he might have disturbed the students’ practice, Lin Fei offered an apologetic smile, picked up the Black Demon Sword, and walked out of the Sword Room. He pulled out his phone from his pocket. To his surprise, the incoming call display showed a rare number from the Shueisha office.

He gently pressed the answer key.

"Hello, Fei? There’s something I think you might be interested in," Lu Jun’s voice came through the phone.

"Oh?" Lin Fei turned and leaned casually against the railing.

*************

The previous afternoon, on the corner of East Garden Street in Ping City, a middle-aged man carrying a black travel bag strolled along the sidewalk. People and vehicles passed by him continuously, yet he seemed somewhat out of place in this city.

He wore old military green camouflage clothes, with patches and holes covering his black travel bag. Nevertheless, despite the wear and tear, they appeared relatively tidy.

Ling Weibing had been in this city for three days. During that time, he had gotten by with just a little change he had brought, resting in the park when tired, drinking water from the river when thirsty, and managing hunger with just a few steamed buns or dumplings.

He was here to seek out his relative—his cousin Ling Wei—and was hoping to get a job introduction from him, or find some work in the city. However, unexpectedly, he lost his wallet and phone on the way. Without any remembered phone numbers, he could only rely on his memory to find his cousin’s place, but unfortunately, after three days, he still hadn’t located his old residence. They had clearly moved away.

As he walked on the sidewalk, Ling Weibing looked around idly, calculating that if he couldn’t find his cousin today, he would look for a job to support himself.

Suddenly, a girl walking in front of him let out a startled cry.

"Thief! Someone’s stealing my bag!!"

She still had part of the strap hanging on her shoulder, clearly ripped off forcibly. The girl, in a state of panic, trotted ahead trying to chase someone. A man was running ahead of her, glancing back from time to time. The passersby around had noticed the commotion, yet not a single one offered help, opting to stand on the sidelines to watch or even taking out their phones to record the event.

Seeing this, Ling Weibing didn’t think twice—outraged at the broad daylight robbery, he dashed forward without a second thought. Having exercised regularly since he was young, he had good physical strength and naturally caught up with the man quickly, kicking him to the ground and wresting the bag from his grasp. The girl caught up, panting heavily.

Upon receiving her bag, the girl thanked him profusely. The thief quickly got up and disappeared into the crowd.

The girl was very grateful for Ling Weibing’s action; after a brief conversation, she sensed Ling Weibing’s awkward plight and, after persistent inquiry, he reluctantly shared his situation. The girl thought for a moment. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"How about this, Big Brother Ling, I’ll lend you two hundred yuan. You can use it for your fare, and it should be enough for you to get back," she insisted, pushing the money into Ling Weibing’s hand. She said it was a loan, but in reality, it was more like a gift.

Too embarrassed to refuse given his dire finances, Ling Weibing gratefully accepted and only asked to take down the girl’s phone number and name, determined to repay her later.

Holding the money and the slip of paper with her number in his pocket, Ling Weibing watched the girl’s retreating figure, feeling moved by the kindness of strangers still present in the world.

With two hundred yuan in his pocket, Ling Weibing felt more confident. He boarded a bus and headed straight for the bus station.

Ping City Bus Station, much like other stations, offered various ways to catch a ride.

One was to officially buy a ticket and take a bus, which was more expensive. Another option was to hop on an outbound bus outside the station, cheaper but without insurance or a receipt. Then there were car hires, which involved directly negotiating with private drivers.

In Ling Weibing’s case, there were basically no buses going in the direction of his hometown; he needed to transfer, but after that, he wouldn’t have any money left.

However, after circling the station, he found others in similar situations, resorting to the simplest method—carpooling. That meant sharing a hired car with other passengers heading in the same direction, splitting the fare. After all, whether it’s one trip or two, the cost was better shared, benefiting everyone.

*************

Swordsmanship Club

"A retired soldier from out of town shared a ride with others, and when they were about to leave Ping City, he killed two men including the driver. Now his whereabouts are unknown," Lu Jun briefed over the phone.

"So what?" Lin Fei’s gaze slid sideways along the corridor in front of the Sword Room. Some staff were coming and going in the hallway, and two cleaners armed with brooms and dustpans were sweeping up the larger bits of rubbish. Bright sunlight streamed in from the windows at the end of the corridor, casting a peaceful scene.

"I suspect this retired soldier has awakened the abilities of a Dream Eater," Lu Jun said succinctly. "The two dead showed no signs of injury, which is very similar to the signs you described that victims of Dream Eaters exhibit."

"And then?" Lin Fei said indifferently. "Although there aren’t many Dream Eaters in Ping City, there are hardly a few. One more doesn’t make much difference."

"The problem is, one of his victims had a relative in the police department. It’s a bit troublesome. And this guy has just entered the Inner World, I’m afraid he doesn’t understand the rules and will cause serious trouble," Lu Jun said helplessly. "The few men I sent out almost couldn’t find him at all, and one that did ended up slightly injured."

"That formidable?" Lin Fei became interested. A newbie with such strong abilities would be the best to recruit. "I’ll have someone take care of it."

"That would be good, we can only rely on you now."

After hanging up the phone, this was just a minor incident in Lin Fei’s life. He didn’t take it to heart.

However, he soon received all the details about the escaped Dream Eater. The documents sent over by Chen Chen were placed directly on Lin Fei’s desk.

Sitting in the management room, Lin Fei picked up a set of documents that had just been sent over.

They featured the headshot of a middle-aged, honest-looking man. Simple, short-haired, beneath his neck the collar of a camouflage uniform could be seen.

"Ling Weibing, male, 34 years old; during a shared ride, he encountered a male passenger attempting to rape a girl sharing the ride. The assaulter threatened him to help cover up the act. Enraged, Ling Weibing fought back and quickly killed two men including the accomplice driver, and then fled the scene. The above is narrated by the female victim," and then it followed with some information on the girl, and the two deceased men.

"A vigilante who fights violence with violence," Lin Fei put down the documents, deep in thought.

In this matter, he played the role of a law enforcer, aligned with the law enforcement camp, while Ling Weibing was like a civilian hero, a character of justice. Morally, Lin Fei could imagine Ling Weibing’s anger when threatened to be an accomplice, drawing his sword to aid the distressed and playing the hero to save the damsel. Such behavior is naturally commendable and something he admired. But Ling Weibing had gone too far. Killing two people in one go must have been the unintended consequence of his uncontrolled awakening to his abilities. But the deed was done. There was no room for him to argue.

Responsibility should be taken, not shirked.

He gently picked up the phone and dialed a saved number.

"Hey, Director Bai? You know about the carpool murder case?"

"What, younger brother, you want to take it on? Such a case is quite typical nationwide, though it hasn’t been publicized yet. If you want to take it, we can help cover it up," Bai Yang was as enthusiastic as ever, but his intensity had lessened; it was more of a normal peer-to-peer conversation.

"Indeed, we will take it over, this person’s abilities fall within our jurisdiction," Lin Fei said with a smile.

Bai Yang also chuckled, "This matter is a trifle, but recently I have a case that I hope someone from your side can help investigate. The subject is very dangerous."

"No problem, I’ll send someone over later," Lin Fei agreed readily.

Director Bai had always been very supportive of him, and such requests came from time to time, usually involving cases that were dangerous for ordinary people. For Shueisha’s people, these cases weren’t an issue. In the long run, Director Bai, who didn’t have good relations with the public security system, was accustomed to not seeking the help of the special police or armed police, finding Shueisha a safer option.

But this time, Lin Fei chose not to tell Lu Jun about accepting Bai Yang’s request - he had his own reasons. After all, some of the seeds from the Swordsmanship Club also needed real combat opportunities, like Xu Ruoruo, who received the True Force Seed.

Usually, dispatching someone for such help meant sending someone from Shueisha. But Xu Ruoruo, who had been Cultivating True Force for a while, was also due for some experience.

After making a phone call to Shuang’er, instructing her to help look for Ling Weibing, Lin Fei had a staff member call Xu Ruoruo over.

Xu Ruoruo seemed to be instructing students, still dressed in a white swordsmanship uniform. Walking into the management room, she immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Lin Fei.

"You... called me for something?" Ever since obtaining the True Force Seed, Xu Ruoruo felt Lin Fei’s unfathomable depth even more acutely. Someone who could bestow such a thing on others must be no ordinary person. Initially emerging from the desolation of betrayal, she had felt lost and adrift, but the True Force Seed completely unlocked the knot in her heart that had been there since she started learning swordsmanship - the dream of mastering the exquisite ultimate form of swordsmanship akin to that of a Sword Immortal. Especially after the setback in her emotions, she chose to focus all her energy on her dream.

And Xu Ruoruo, who received the True Force Seed from Lin Fei, held him in a mixture of respect and awe. Originally, she was planning to quietly leave the Swordsmanship Club and start anew somewhere else; after all, she was an orphan with no real family. Only her master Yuan Yonglong had taken good care of her, and she used to have a senior brother, but now, apart from her master, only Lin Fei’s kindness remained. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)