Chapter Fifty-One: The Dojo Advances, Spirit of the Wind

When Lin You pushed open the stone door of the meditation chamber, a shaft of autumn sunlight spilled warmly onto his body.

He stepped out, standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing out upon the boundless sea of clouds. Below, the mountains competed in elegance, and wherever his eyes fell, the world in all directions was encompassed within his view. Amid this vast and majestic scenery, the human form appeared exceedingly small, stirring within him a sense of utter insignificance.

If one did not walk the path of immortality, a lifespan of a hundred years would be no different, in essence, from the mayfly that lives and dies within a single day. But now, everything was different.

Lin You stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze drifting over the beauty before him, his eyes agleam. Unnoticed, Bai Yi had come near as well, observing Lin You’s fluttering robes as he stood by the cliff, his bearing for a moment resembling that of a true immortal.

She followed Lin You’s gaze, seeing nothing but the familiar sea of clouds, unchanged from days past. Her curiosity piqued, she asked, “Master, what are you looking at?”

Lin You smiled and replied, “I’m looking at this world before us.”

“The world? Has something changed?” Bai Yi’s curiosity grew.

“In your eyes, perhaps not. But to me, though separated by only a single door, once it is opened, it becomes an entirely new world.” Lin You shook his head and laughed, his words carrying hidden meaning.

“What door? Master, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying!” Bai Yi asked, scratching her head in confusion.

“Haha! You’ll understand in time.” Lin You patted her head gently.

Though she did not comprehend, Bai Yi squinted her eyes and ceased pondering these fox-bewildering questions.

The autumn wind, tinged with a faint chill, blew across them both. Lin You, gazing upon the scenery of the Daoist grounds, suddenly turned to Bai Yi and asked, “Bai Yi, have you ever tried riding the wind?”

She shook her head at once.

“Would you like to try?” Lin You asked, smiling.

“Can I? But I don’t know the art of wind-riding,” she replied, her eyes brightening, eager to try.

Lin You produced a talisman from his sleeve, adorned with ancient wind patterns, identical to those on the jade leaves of Daoist arts. With a flick of his finger, the talisman transformed into a stream of light and entered Bai Yi’s body.

“Eh?”

Bai Yi exclaimed in surprise.

She found that the world before her had changed.

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She seemed to hear the wind’s gentle song, sensed myriad transformations in the world, and in a trance became one with the mountain breeze. Inside and out, she felt an unrestrained freedom.

With a thought, a mountain wind lifted her, bearing her through the skies.

Bai Yi walked among the clouds, watching the autumn-bound wild geese flap their wings beside her, the novelty filling her with exhilaration.

So this was wind-riding? Her eyes grew brighter.

Moments later, she landed at Lin You’s side.

“How did it feel?” Lin You asked with a smile.

Bai Yi’s eyes sparkled, still tinged with excitement, though she regretted, “It was fun! If only it lasted longer…”

She then asked, “Master, was that a talisman you used?”

Lin You nodded with a gentle smile, “Yes, that was a Wind-riding Talisman, but it only lasts for a short while. In the days to come, you’ll be able to soar freely here, even without the talisman.”

Bai Yi was puzzled by this.

Lin You offered no explanation, but stood by the cliff and opened his hand.

A violet-gold “star” lay quietly in his palm.

To Bai Yi, Lin You seemed to merge with heaven and earth, like a true immortal bearing the stars.

In the next moment, the violet-gold Dao seed in his palm transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the world.

There was no shaking earth or shattering sky.

But Bai Yi sensed that something in heaven and earth had come alive.

Following this sensation, she looked out toward the sea of clouds. The clouds had formed a massive vortex, as if something was being born within.

Suddenly, a breeze brushed her, ruffling her snowy fur into a fluffy mess.

Was it an illusion? Bai Yi felt a unique spirit leaping within this breeze.

It was not merely wind, but a sprite freshly born of the wind.

After teasing Bai Yi, the wind sprite began to circle Lin You, lifting his azure robes until they billowed.

It was joyous, yet seemed to bow in reverence.

Lin You reached out and gently “caressed” the wind.

The wind spirit grew even happier, as if it had been acknowledged.

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It turned and plunged into the sea of clouds, stirring the surrounding haze into chaos, like a puppy frolicking. Fortunately, Lin You’s warning kept it from running wild.

Otherwise, the mountain pines and cypresses would have suffered a calamity!

Even so, the extraordinary phenomena atop Red Pine Mountain attracted the attention of many observant souls.

...

“Winds rise and clouds swirl, celestial signs are altered—there must be a grandmaster on the mountain!” In Jinhua Prefecture, Zhang Zongcheng stood atop a high platform, his gaze deep as he looked at the cloud-piercing peak in the distance.

He took out a letter, glanced at it, sneered, and crumpled it, tossing it into a corner.

On the letter, only one line was written: “Verified! Songhe the Daoist has passed away in Taizhou, buried by his disciple Lin You!”

Songhe is dead? What a joke!

If Songhe hadn’t intervened, who else could have slain a grandmaster with a single sword? Could it be that Lin You? Ridiculous!

Zhang Zongcheng snorted disdainfully.

The day he glimpsed that sword mark in the forest, he was already certain it was the work of a grandmaster—surely Songhe!

So upon returning to the city, he lay low for several days, emerging only after nothing happened.

But it puzzled him: Songhe had not come to kill him. Was the old Daoist wary of the imperial court? Afraid his disciples would be targeted after his death?

“Uncle, is my great vendetta to be left unresolved?” Zhang Niankang, pale-faced, protested, his voice strained and sharp.

Zhang Zongcheng stood with hands behind his back, frowning, “Of course not! But now is not the time. Small impatience ruins grand designs!”

“But I don’t want to wait! I can’t!” Zhang Niankang said bitterly.

Zhang Zongcheng was about to rebuke him, but seeing the hatred in his nephew’s eyes, he merely sighed.

He patted Zhang Niankang’s shoulder, offering comfort, “Rest assured, Niankang. The prince has already dispatched a grandmaster. He’ll arrive in Jinzhou soon, and then I’ll see the entire Red Pine Dao Palace wiped out!”

After returning from the forest, he immediately used his secret communication with Prince Weiling, reporting everything.

The prince, having plotted for over a decade, would not let this pawn go to waste, and agreed to send a grandmaster.

Counting the days, in at most half a month, the grandmaster sent by Prince Weiling would arrive in Jinhua Prefecture.

But before that, he would not let Red Pine Dao Palace enjoy peace!

“You intend to hold a Medical Dao Conference? Let me provide some entertainment for you!” Zhang Zongcheng’s eyes gleamed coldly as he gazed into the distance.