True Solution of the Sword Dao

"Tell me clearly!" his wife shook him vigorously.

"Supermarket, savings, house... all gone." Jiang Yuansheng’s voice was like a thunderclap that momentarily stunned his wife.

"Could it be Li Qiang’s...??" his wife asked incredulously.

Jiang Yuansheng nodded slowly with a bitter expression. "He also lost hundreds of thousands... we’re finished."

"You even mortgaged the house! Where will we live now?? Our two daughters still need to attend school!! Wait! Don’t we still have that old house we used to own?" his wife suddenly remembered they still had an old house.

"That’s right!" Jiang Yuansheng also remembered this last resort. But then he realized, "We used to disdain it for only being about fifty square meters, and now..."

"But it doesn’t matter, this time it’s just an accident, as long as I have some capital again, I can definitely make a comeback!!" he slapped his palm fiercely. "As long as Li Qiang’s connections are still in place, making money will definitely not be a problem!"

"Right!" his wife also had great confidence in her husband. "We still have a chance!"

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

Lin Fei sat quietly cultivating in one corner, while Lin You and Chen Yuanyuan chatted politely with each other, discussing unimportant matters including recent news, reviews on the quality of various schools, and some challenging academic subjects.

The adults chatted in the living room, while the children stayed in the study. Since the term exams had just ended, and winter vacation had begun, Lin Fei no longer had to attend school. He repeated his daily routine of cultivating and practicing sword fighting, which was monotonous and dull. He had also found a pattern; it seemed that immersing himself in activities related to the Sword Dao True Solution would immediately make the Yan Shi mark recede as if being blocked or confined. Thus, whenever a hallucination appeared, he would immediately dive into self-cultivation.

"Are you avoiding me?"

A faint voice arose next to Lin Fei’s ear. He suddenly opened his eyes wide. When he listened carefully again, he could no longer hear any sound.

"What’s wrong, Brother Feifei?" Chen Yuanyuan, who was nearby, noticed Lin Fei’s reaction and couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s, it’s nothing..." Lin Fei managed a forced smile.

In the afternoon, Chen Jingde and his daughter left, and Lin Fei also received a text message from Xiaoling, saying this year’s list of new members had arrived. Lin Fei found an excuse and left the house.

He kept both the Bear Claw and Longsword Ring with him, feeling an increasing lack of security.

"I must always carry something tangible with me," he said to himself. Whether it was the mark attributed to the Longsword Ring, he had tried separating from it and seeking an alternative, but without exception, no other sword could withstand the strength of his sword techniques.

"President, these are the new members who heard about your exploits and greatly admire you." Xiaoling brought two young people, a man and a woman.

Having just browsed the list of names, Lin Fei didn’t bother to recognize their names and just nodded.

"Hello President, my name is Yue Sa," the man, or rather the boy, stepped forward and respectfully said. "I also come from a Martial Arts background, having practiced the Ox-Tongue Palm since childhood. I hope the President can give some guidance."

Lin Fei smiled, "Guidance is not necessary, you joined the association because you accidentally killed someone, right?"

"Yes, I also practiced the Poison Sand Palm, so I accidentally killed two people." The boy’s mood suddenly took a downturn.

"No problem, go ahead and show me." Lin Fei now practiced Tracing Shadow Sword Art, which had doubled his movement technique and speed from before, so naturally, he did not consider this person a threat. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Yue Sa respectfully performed a fist-palming salute, his antique manner thick in the air. Lin Fei, however, turned his gaze to the girl standing at the side. He suddenly noticed that her face looked familiar. But he didn’t have time to think much about it.

Yue Sa moved in specific steps, palm edges showing a hint of blue, his whole palms half as large as an ordinary person’s. His entire demeanor was akin to a monkey approaching Lin Fei.

At the same time, a stench was stirred, causing Xiaoling standing on the side to involuntarily take a few steps back.

Lin Fei stood calmly, his right hand resting on the sword handle.

"Swoosh!" Hand and sword disappeared at the same time.

A shadow flitted, and the sword sheath suddenly stopped in front of Yue Sa’s throat.

Yue Sa’s palm was still a good ten centimeters from Lin Fei, but a cold sensation from the point at which the sword sheath aimed at him subtly conveyed that if Lin Fei wished, even at such high speed, the sword sheath could still injure him fatally.

"I lost. The President truly lives up to his reputation," Yue Sa took a respectful step back. He bowed deeply, his respect deepening.

"It’s okay, you are still young." Lin Fei accidentally spoke amiss. "Alright, Xiaoling, I am feeling a bit unwell today, lead them out."

"Okay." Xiaoling also noticed that Lin Fei seemed off today. She nodded, leading Yue Sa away.

Lin Fei sat in the leather chair of his office; the longsword lay on the desk. He plunged his hands into his hair, the coolness of his fingers seemingly helping to clear his mind somewhat.

Suddenly, he saw the corner of the room, the girl from earlier was still standing in place, not having left, her large eyes curiously staring at him.

"Why haven’t you left yet?" Lin Fei inquired. "Please leave."

The girl shook her head. "I’m good at massages, do you want me to give you one?"

"I said, leave!" Lin Fei was getting impatient. He did not appreciate subordinates who did not follow orders.

"Oh. If you’re going to be like that, fine, I’ll leave," the girl pouted, but her eyes remained full of admiration and veneration as she looked at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei lowered his head, seemingly hearing the sound of the door closing. When he looked up again, the girl had already disappeared. She must have left.

For some reason, he always felt that the girl seemed so familiar. As if he had seen her somewhere before.

Suddenly, flashes of memory flickered through his mind, finally stopping on a woman dressed in white, holding a sword.

"It’s her!" he suddenly stood up. The woman from Yan Shihuan’s illusion earlier was strikingly similar to the girl who had just left.

"Click!" He opened the door, only to be stunned to find the girl sitting directly in front of the door, leaning against the wall as if she had been waiting for him all along.

"You’re out," the girl said with a bright smile upon seeing Lin Fei emerge. She was actually very beautiful and well-dressed, with a great figure. But the moment Lin Fei saw that smiling face, a sense of familiarity rose from the bottom of his heart, instantly making him feel repelled.

He knew that it was Yan Shi’s, not his own.

He completely ignored the girl and walked straight past her.

"Hey! Wait for me," the girl called out, chasing after him.

The two of them exited the hotel one after another.

Lin Fei didn’t want to ask Xiaoling to drive, so he just carried his sword and slowly walked home through the busy streets. Somehow, he was increasingly enjoying this feeling of being amidst the crowd.

The girl finally caught up with him, walking by his side without speaking, just wearing a content smile. It seemed that just being near him made her thoroughly satisfied.

Lin Fei paid her no mind and continued to walk while guiding the True Force in his cultivation. Normally, he would perform the simplest circulation to increase his momentum, and it was only when he had a lot of spare time that he would start the cultivation of Tracing Shadow Sword Art. The simplest cultivation cycle didn’t require much concentration, allowing him to multitask.

The two thus strolled through the streets. Suddenly, directly in front of them, a young man with parted hair saw Lin Fei and seemed to recognize something. He walked over quickly, pointing at Lin Fei and exclaimed jovially.

"Lin... Fei! Haha! What a coincidence!"

"You are... Wang Qing?" Lin Fei also remembered his best friend from childhood. Wang Qing used to live with Lin Fei, but then moved to another city because of his family’s work, and they hadn’t seen each other for many years since.

"Long time no see! Feifei, you still look so gloomy," Wang Qing said with a sunny smile, patting Lin Fei’s shoulder vigorously. He also noticed the girl by Lin Fei’s side.

"Is this your little sister?" He was older than Lin Fei and immediately started to tease.

Just as Lin Fei was about to speak, the girl suddenly said sweetly with a smile, "Hello, Brother Wang Qing, my name is Jiu’er." She seemed to do it on purpose, wanting to affirm this relation.

Lin Fei frowned slightly, "Don’t listen to her nonsense." He then noticed that people around were starting to take notice of them. So, he suggested, "Let’s find a place to talk in detail."

"Yeah, let’s go to the café just ahead," Wang Qing, ever so trendy, took the lead.

Lin Fei glanced at the girl who was thick-skinned enough to follow beside him; this self-proclaimed Jiu’er still wore a sweet smile.

After a cup of coffee, Lin Fei also learned about this childhood friend’s situation. After moving, because his address was always changing and he was also young, they naturally lost contact with each other. It was only recently that he had moved back.

"You don’t know how painful it is to move repeatedly!" Wang Qing, who didn’t even drink coffee, went on a rant. "Moving here and there, just as you get familiar with the environment, you have to leave. You can’t make any friends, classmates haven’t had time to get to know each other yet. I remember one time I fell for a girl...."

Lin Fei sat opposite him, quietly smiling, occasionally sipping coffee. He listened as his friend talked about things from their childhood up to his recent situation, over half an hour had passed. Jiu’er stuck by his side all the while, pretending to be his girlfriend. Lin Fei simply chose to ignore her.

Suddenly, he realized that chatting with Wang Qing seemed to stabilize his mind a lot. Yan Shi’s imprints and illusions seemed to have fully settled down without a ripple. The occasional voices also quieted down. He liked this feeling.

Peaceful and serene.

Wang Qing talked on and on, then suddenly stood up saying he needed to use the restroom, though embarrassment flickered across his face. Lin Fei immediately noticed it. Once Wang Qing left, Jiu’er couldn’t help but whisper to Lin Fei, "I just saw him touch his wallet." She then burst into laughter.

Lin Fei couldn’t help but laugh wryly, knowing that Wang Qing must not have brought enough money and couldn’t pay for the coffee. He casually called the waiter over and paid the bill himself. Of the three cups of coffee, only he had drunk any.

Soon, Wang Qing returned, just in time to see Lin Fei paying. He hurried over in a fluster.

"Feifei, what are you doing? I should be treating you as your elder brother! You shouldn’t...never mind, next time! It definitely has to be my treat next time!" He shifted his tone so quickly that Lin Fei was taken aback.

Jiu’er giggled silently on the side.

After a round of complaints, Wang Qing mentioned he had something else to do and hurriedly left, still repeatedly insisting he would treat them next time.

Lin Fei and Jiu’er left the café. It was already past five in the afternoon.

Under the setting sun, Jiu’er hopped and skipped ahead, looking like a child.

Lin Fei slowly followed behind, whether he slowed down or sped up, Jiu’er always seemed to sense it and maintained just that little bit of distance ahead of him.

Suddenly, Lin Fei stopped.

"What do you really plan to do?"

"I want you to be my boyfriend!"

The girl suddenly turned around, revealing a radiant smile. Under the sunset, her skin was like creamy curds, with her long hair draped over her shoulders.