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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: The Terrifying Essence of Swordsmanship
In today's world, during the Clear and Bright Festival, some conglomerates and major powers hire powerful Armed Ghost Hunter teams to take them far from the cities, back to their ancestral burial grounds. Even if the burial sites have been reduced to ruins, they will arrive at the exact coordinates to pay their respects.
If an ancestor appears, it adds a guardian spirit to the family. If an enemy of the ancestors shows up, they can be eliminated to prevent future troubles.
For the common people in the cities, this day is also marked by incense burning and offerings at the city’s edge, hoping to summon the spirits of their ancestors.
In response, each city dispatches a large number of personnel for protection.
If the ancestral burial ground is located within the city, that would be ideal.
However, unlike most people who place great importance on Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Lin Family does not emphasize this holiday much.
This is because Lin Jin and Grandma, despite sharing blood ties with their ancestors, were both orphans who relied on each other. They built their lives from scratch and endured many hardships to elevate the Lin Family to its current status.
Thus, the Lin Clan has a family rule: live in the present and do not seek out ancestors.
As a newly emerging family, although powerful, the Lin Family lacks deep roots. Therefore, they prioritize unity and education.
Only in the nearly twenty years since Lin Jin's passing has the Lin Family held memorial ceremonies. However, since Lin Jin's body is missing, they reminisce about him without conducting overly elaborate rituals.
In recent years, the memorials have also included Lin Beiyan and his son-in-law Lian Cheng.
Yet, both Lin Beiyan and Lian Cheng's bodies are also unaccounted for, leaving Lin's Three Uncles eager to hold a grand ceremony but unsure how to proceed.
On the other hand, Lian Yun's former family, the Lian Family, has a long-standing tradition. Every year during Clear and Bright Festival, they hold grand ceremonies. Three years ago, Lian Yun always stood at the forefront to pray for blessings for her family and seek protection from their ancestors.
Yet now, he found himself without much thought, simply wishing to sit alone for a day, reminiscing about his parents.
Thus, when Grandma inquired, Lian Yun shook his head, expressing no desire for anything.
Grandma felt a pang of sympathy but said, "Take the Purple Qi tomorrow!"
"You have helped save your grandfather nearly a month's time over these past few days, and while we cannot know exactly when he will awaken, you are about to embark on a journey. The more abilities you possess, the more secure you will be!"
"Consider it your grandfather's first birthday gift to you!"
With that, Lian Yun nodded in acceptance. However, as he sat quietly into the deep night, a sense of loneliness suddenly enveloped him after midnight.
Seeing this, Grandma felt compassion but remained silent, simply sitting beside him in companionship.
As the night drew to a close and dawn had yet to break, a mass of Purple Qi floated in.
Today, for some reason, the Purple Qi seemed denser than usual—almost three times its normal potency.
Inside him, the Box demanded that he take at least one-third of it.
However, this time Lian Yun was somewhat 'greedy,' taking nearly ninety-five percent of the Purple Qi and leaving only what Lin Jin would usually absorb.
Despite this, Grandma was still dissatisfied; she wished for Lian Yun to take it all.
But Lian Yun smiled slightly and said, "Although Yun'er senses no error in Grandma's Secret Technique, due to the scarcity of Earth Spirit Energy, the Purple Qi is not as abundant as in ancient times. This has caused Grandfather to remain unawakened until now. How could Yun'er risk another mishap for him?"
"To cease absorbing Purple Qi for even a day could jeopardize the efforts of twenty years from Grandfather and the waiting of twenty years from Grandma. If that were to happen, where would Grandma place Yun'er?"
"Only you can!" Grandma scolded, yet she couldn't resist Lian Yun's filial piety.
Lian Yun smiled lightly, then stood up and bowed to Grandma and the water basin. After that, he summoned Hei and, with a few leaps, left the courtyard. Upon returning to his own courtyard, he saw Chen Er Gou, who had been waiting for a long time, still wearing a joyful expression.
"Lord, Mother has arrived at the Lin family, but the elder wants to train her and my sister for a few days~~"
Lian Yun smiled faintly and waved his hand, allowing Hei and Chen Er Gou to enter his internal Box.
This was the reason he didn't want to recruit more Ghost Slaves.
He knew that Grandma had called him over late at night with the intention of giving him Purple Qi. Since the supply of Purple Qi was extremely limited each day, Lian Yun refrained from recruiting too many Ghost Slaves.
He had yet to find a way to obtain Purple Qi on his own.
As for the distribution of today's Purple Qi, Lian Yun didn't need to worry about it; he trusted Big Head to handle it properly.
In the past, when they captured Spirits, Big Head would sometimes distribute equally, sometimes based on need, and other times based on effort.
Whenever Big Head made the distribution, the other nineteen Spirits never voiced any objections.
As for the so-called training for Chen Er Gou's mother and sister, Lian Yun saw it merely as a way to keep them from disturbing him.
After all, he would be leaving for more than three years starting tomorrow; he didn't need anyone to attend to him.
With no one in the courtyard, Lian Yun naturally felt lonely. He walked into the Pavilion. Unable to suppress the emptiness in his body, mind, and spirit any longer, he simply gave in and lay down on the stone table, wearing an expression of sadness and longing.
"Mother~~ Father~~ I miss you both!"
No one responded to Lian Yun's words. After he spoke, he ceased to talk to himself and instead sank into his own sorrow.
Such deep sadness consumed his spirit, and before he knew it, Lian Yun had fallen into a slumber.
Time passed unmeasured until he felt a disturbance before him, prompting him to slowly open his eyes.
Before him stood several spirits, arranging some food and drink on the table, along with a set of Armed gear and various components.
The spirits were startled when they saw Lian Yun awake and bowed deeply in response.
Lian Yun smiled lightly at them and waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
Looking at the food and drink on the table, Lian Yun realized that it must have been his three uncles or cousins who worried that he might feel too lonely.
Feeling warmed by this thought, Lian Yun smiled again, then rose gracefully and floated into the courtyard. He waved his hand to unleash a sword aura that snapped a branch from a tree. Using the sword aura, he brought the severed limb to his side, then Lian Yun grasped it with a wave of his hand and turned his body.
"Swallow Dance, Warbler's Song."
It was now dusk; however, after Lian Yun executed this move, it felt as if spring had returned.
"Old Swallow Returns Home."
Lian Yun's steps rippled as his body swayed gently, embodying the joy of returning home.
"Newlywed Bliss."
With this move, the entire courtyard was filled with a sense of joy, carrying a beautiful wish for a bright future ahead.
"The Nest of Swallows"
"Nest in the Curtain"
"Fried Fish and Swallow"
"Nest of Swallows in Flames"
The swordplay shifted dramatically, from the beauty of the first three moves to a sense of crisis, surrounded by enemies on all sides, leading to a final dead end with no escape.
A set of seven sword techniques was completed in mere moments, yet Lian Yun did not stop. After "Nest of Swallows in Flames," it was "Swallow Dance, Warbler's Song."
From despair to the vibrancy of spring, the contrast was as vast as the ends of the earth, yet Lian Yun could switch between them flawlessly.
However, such a shift in artistic conception could wound the heart and mind.
This illustrates the brilliance of swordsmanship or perhaps the high level of skill possessed by the swordsman.
……………………
At some point, outside the courtyard where Lian Yun was, Lin's Three Uncles had arrived, and the third generation of the Lin Clan was also present.
Lin Dong said, "What terrifying swordsmanship! If a hint of killing intent were added, even a Monarch would likely fear it. If filled with murderous intent..."
Lin Xi remarked, "The first three moves must be my sister's Northern Yan Three Styles, while the last four moves should be what Yun'er has created in recent years!"
Before he finished speaking, he already felt a pang of sympathy.
"Brother~~" Lin Nan called softly, her eyes red.
Lin Feiyu and the others shared a similar sense of heartache.
Just as the Nest of Swallows in Flames exchanged with Swallow Dance, Warbler's Song, Lin Dong suddenly waved his hand, releasing an inexplicable aura that enveloped all three generations of the Lin Family.
There was an unspoken admiration in their expressions.
It was due to this seamless transition between extreme calm and extreme danger, between the best and the worst. If one did not have a certain understanding of life, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve.
Lin Nan said, "No wonder Yun'er unexpectedly grasped Sword Intent by herself; it turns out she has long been able to merge her own will into her swordsmanship. These four sword techniques will likely not be inferior to those of Yun Zui's most admired swordsman in the future!"
Lin Nan's gaze held a hint of pity, but in the end, her tone was tinged with envy.
However, what kind of person could become the most admired individual by the Cloud Emperor?
(End of Chapter)
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