True Solution of the Sword Dao

Outer World

Hua Nation

In the living room, Lin You yawned and sat on the sofa, casually flipping through TV channels. The house was silent.

"I heard that Jiang Nan transferred schools, did you know?" Feil sprawled over Lin You’s legs.

"Yeah, her previous school was terrible. Now that Lin Fei is back, she listens to him. The transfer was inevitable," Lin You said calmly.

"They must be close..." Feil glanced at Lin You.

"Definitely," Lin You said expressionlessly.

"Don’t you think it’s a bit much that your brother gives you so much money without getting anything in return?" Feil whispered.

"And what do you want me to do?" Lin You glared coldly at Feil,

"Show some closeness, like acting a bit spoiled... After all, it’s hundreds of thousands. Even a small dog would wag its tail if it was given money to buy food... We need to learn sustainable development," Feil spoke with earnest.

"So you’re treating Lin Fei as a free ATM, huh?" Lin You finally understood Feil’s intent, this was again laying groundwork for the next time he would ask for money...

"That sounds so ugly when you put it that way." Feil changed position while continuing to lie down. "It’s emotional investment. None of us have a source of income right now, we’ve got no choice but to rely on you."

"I still owe that guy a favor, what do you want me to do?" Lin You rolled her eyes.

While they were talking, the sound of a key turning in the anti-theft front door could be heard.

Jiang Feng entered, carrying a bag of vegetables.

"Mom, let me help." Lin You quickly went forward to take the bag from Jiang Feng. "How come you got back so early today?"

"There was a school event, and once it ended, I came straight home. The May Day holiday is almost here; we need to prepare a brief on safety knowledge," Jiang Feng said while changing her shoes. "Where are your brother and Nannan?"

"Nannan went to work, and Lin Fei..." Lin You suddenly recalled one of the requests she had promised Lin Fei, her face turning a slight shade of red as she spoke softly, "..Brother... I don’t know where he is," 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Aren’t you usually playing with those foreign friends of yours? How come you have free time today?" Jiang Feng smiled.

"Just taking a break," Lin You smiled, "Mom~~~ what’s for lunch? I saw you brought celery, are we having a stir-fry with celery and pork?"

Just outside the school quarters in a clustered residential building, within one of the central apartments,

Lin Fei casually tossed a cellphone in his hand. Behind him, stood two robust men, one of whom was Yu Fei.

"How have things been at home lately?"

"All is well. Although, recently, there seemed to be some unusual activity near your home. We couldn’t get close to investigate, but we suspect it may have been a battle. As for the opponents and timing, we have no clue. It seemed to happen abruptly and then end just as suddenly, with no warning at all," Yu Fei reported respectfully, ever since the last time in Shueisha, when Lin Fei easily killed all the dissenters, he hadn’t dared make a wrong move and just followed Lin Fei’s orders.

An Ying had been the same, devoted and careful not to show any disrespect. Recently, Shueisha’s influence in Ping City had reached several surrounding districts, almost covering half of Southwest Province’s territory. Their power and Lin Fei’s rights and influence had expanded even further. And now, fewer people dared to defy him.

Lin Fei had Yu Fei bring up the recordings to watch.

In the footage, the scene jumped from an empty space to suddenly being littered with blood stains and signs of combat, as if the recording had skipped frames. But Lin Fei knew it wasn’t a glitch.

"It must be a Barrier, Lin You and the others must have used a Barrier Sphere. Ding Ning’s barriers were demonstrated for me before; this effect and characteristics fit with her craftsmanship," Lin Fei thought back to those D-level ants from before.

"They are getting closer and closer to the paths from our previous lives..." He glanced at the time on his phone. Then he dialed his home number and called.

"Feifei, why aren’t you back yet? How long are you girls going to play? You could at least let us know," Jiang Feng complained.

A smile appeared on Lin Fei’s face: "Not much longer, probably another three or four days at a friend’s. Don’t worry about me."

"Is that so? When you have time, bring your friends over to our place. They’ve invited you; we should return the favor."

"Yes, yes, I know, Mom, I was just calling to let you know I’m safe. Gotta hang up now,"

On the other end, Jiang Feng had more words of caution before the call ended.

"Stay alert to your surroundings. After a month, you can find someone to replace you, but dereliction is not allowed. You know the consequences," Lin Fei stated calmly.

Yu Fei shivered and quickly acknowledged his orders.

When he looked up again, Lin Fei had already disappeared.

Yu Fei wiped his forehead only to realize his hand was covered in cold sweat.

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

Inner World

Despair Plains

Behind a small grassy hillock, a small group of people sat quietly on a laid-out plastic mat, resting.

The group consisted of five individuals, two men and three women, led by a noble young girl with shoulder-length golden hair.

In the azure sky, a black dot moved swiftly across.

Scree...

The sharp cry echoed in the heavens.

As noon approached, the temperature grew increasingly hot and stuffy, with waves of humid heat rising continuously from the grass.

The golden-haired young girl looked at her watch with a displeased expression.

"It’s one o’clock, why hasn’t Feilin come back yet?"

"Nailisha, we shouldn’t stay in one place for too long. It’s too dangerous," said a man with a ponytail, frowning.

"Let’s wait ten more minutes. If he’s not back by then, we’ll have to move on. It would be easier if we had completed the rookie task already; then we would have designated communication devices and wouldn’t be so in the dark," Nailisha replied helplessly.

"They’re here," said a stunningly attractive woman with alluring features, speaking softly as she sat to the side.

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned in the direction she was looking.

A small black dot was rapidly approaching from afar, zipping across the grass toward them.

"Finally back," Nailisha sighed with relief.

As soon as Lin Fei returned, a crowd gathered around her.

"What’s the situation?" Chen Fengnan asked.

"That group was killed by a woman shrouded in purple, and their shoulder patches were taken as well. Luckily, it seems our camp didn’t catch her eye. Should we pack up the camp before we leave?" Lin Fei inquired.

"A woman in purple?" Nailisha questioned, puzzled. "Wasn’t she wearing a military uniform?"

"No," Lin Fei shook her head.

"Generally, there are only two types of people who aren’t in military uniforms," Chen Fengnan said gravely. "One, an interloper from outside both of our sides, and two, a high-level powerhouse from either side. Senior successors like Lord Xia Longque don’t need to strictly follow these clothing regulations. If she killed members of the Red Armor faction and didn’t attack you, Feilin, then it’s very possible she’s a successor-level powerhouse on our side."

"That’s the only explanation," Zhou Sixue agreed.

"So what do we do now?" Lin Qishan asked.

"Let’s not go back; the scent of blood will attract the night wolves from the Desolate Plains and other creatures. Keep moving outward. We need to find a suitable hiding place as soon as possible," Nailisha declared decisively. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on Lin Fei’s shoulder.

"Where’s your shoulder patch?" she asked sternly.

Lin Fei retrieved a black rectangular metal piece from her shirt pocket.

"It’s here."

"Good, just make sure you don’t lose it," Nailisha relaxed.

"Everyone pay attention to your shoulder patches. They all have the ability to record military merit, and if they’re separated from the body for a period, they’ll default to the owner being dead, revoking all records because it means the other party has taken our shoulder patches. So be very careful about this," Nailisha reminded them. "If our patches are revoked but we are still alive, when we return, we’ll face a military tribunal and be executed for desertion. This is no joke!"

The others all nodded silently.

Lin Fei looked thoughtfully at the black shoulder patch in her hand.

The group continued moving outward, with Nailisha occasionally taking out a map to compare and observe.

They occasionally encountered what looked like ordinary prairie marshland, which was indistinguishable from the plain grass. Zhou Sixue, walking at the end of the group, nearly got trapped in one. Even though she managed to struggle free using her abilities, her lower half was completely covered in mud.

Two days later.

The plains began to spot with forests here and there, the terrain no longer flat, but undulating with hills and such. At a glance, the view was spread with varying shades of green, and the grass underfoot had become firmer and not so squishy.

A faint scent of flowers wafted through the air, with gentle breezes blowing by from time to time.

"Okay," Nailisha put away her map. "This should be the middle of the Desolate Plains. We’re quite far from the main force now, and the terrain is getting complex, making it easy to hide. Let’s pick a concealed spot here."

The group found an open space in a forest.

The surrounding trees were tall, forming an enclosing pattern.

"This is it. I’ll set up a temporary camp," declared Zhou Sixue as she stepped forward.

Everyone else cleared space for her.

Zhou Sixue chose a spot between four large facing trees and took out something resembling an emerald from a small pocket at her waist. She tossed it lightly ahead of her, then quickly ran back.

The emerald landed in a parabolic trajectory, instantly releasing a green halo that spread out. The grass and trees around it began to grow wildly, quickly interweaving to form structures on their own.

Lin Fei and Feil watched in amazement, while the rest seemed unsurprised, merely standing aside and waiting.

"This is a specialty of Forest City, a tree house that can accommodate five to six people; it’s a medium-sized product, very convenient, right?" Zhou Sixue said with a smile. "Only for this mission did my family specially prepare it for me." She was obviously explaining to Lin Fei and the others.

"I also have a Defense Barrier Stone that can detect anything within a five-hundred-meter radius. If anyone enters, I will get image feedback," Nailisha said, taking out a small red gem from her clothing pocket.

Lin Fei and Feil had never seen such items before.

"May I take a look?" Lin Fei asked.

"Of course," Nailisha passed the Barrier Stone to Lin Fei.

Upon receiving it, he examined it closely.

Now that he had been in contact with the Power of the Divine Artifact for a long time, he was essentially considered a Dream Eater, albeit not one who was accustomed to fighting in a Dream Eater’s style. Thus, Lin Fei’s first thought upon encountering the Barrier Stone’s energy was the Dream Eater’s Dream Space.

But the red gem he now held was different.

Transparent and lustrous, with silver runes occasionally lighting up on the surface of the Defense Barrier Stone, an intricate web of delicate and complex circuit-like lines connected the runes, forming layer upon layer. There was not a trace of the so-called Dream Eater’s dream power within the stone—it was entirely filled with a different, unfamiliar force.

"This Barrier Stone comes from Screw Tower and is a product of the magic side. Its intricate lines and symbols are Magic Patterns and Runes that only mages can understand. If it gets damaged, this Barrier Stone will be rendered completely useless," Nailisha explained.

Lin Fei nodded, handing back the Barrier Stone to her.

Just then, a rustling sound came from one side of the forest.

"Someone’s coming!" a voice called out from behind the group.

"It’s the Black Armor, our people!"

Lin Fei and the others quickly turned around.

Just as the building finished constructing itself automatically, nobody paid it any attention. All eyes were focused on the direction from which the sound was coming. (To be continued... If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)