Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 316: Lin Twin Fish

Because his home was at Xiqiao Mountain, Lin Zisheng knew quite a few people in the Southern Sea Sword Sect and was on familiar terms with a bunch of them. By the time he reached the southern foothills of Shangjie Peak and entered Inviting Moon Hall, he saw a crowd waiting outside the main hall. Most of them were disciples and stewards from the Shangjie Peak branch of Fushan Faction.He walked over, found Zhao Ruyu, and bowed respectfully. “Senior Brother Zhao,” he reported quietly, “there’s someone outside the mountain gate claiming to be a friend or relative of Senior Brother Su from the Southern Sea Sword Sect...”

Zhao Ruyu blinked. “Who?”

Lin Zisheng lowered his voice even more. “Su Jing. Su Jing, a disciple under Bai Changzhen.”

Zhao Ruyu glanced up at the few people standing by the pond not far away, watching the fish. He hurried over and called out, "Senior Sister Lin..."

The group watching the fish were all disciples of the Southern Sea Sword Sect. The woman leading them was Senior Sister Lin. She had already reached late Foundation Establishment, and her paired of Silverfish Blood Needle Swords were famous far and wide. Throughout the Lingnan cultivation world, people knew her as Lin Twin Fish.

After hearing Zhao Ruyu’s question, Lin Twin Fish answered at once, “Yes, I have heard Junior Brother Su mention it. He does have a brother-in-law like that. The man married into Shenwu Mountain Manor, but many years ago he was divorced by Su’s elder sister. When that happened, Junior Brother Su even made a special trip back to Shenwu Mountain. But now Junior Brother Su is far away at Xiqiao Mountain, so as for whether this person is real or an imposter, I really can’t say...”

Hearing that the guy had married into the family and then got dumped, Zhao Ruyu felt a flicker of distaste. He figured the man was probably genuine, but almost certainly here to mooch off them. He turned and asked right away: "Since nobody here knows him, should we just send him away?”

Lin Twin Fish thought it over. “Let him wait for now. I’ll ask him about it when we head down the mountain later.”

Zhao Ruyu nodded and instructed Chen Zisheng, “Go. Tell him to wait.”

The discussions inside Inviting Moon Hall went on for quite some time. When the hall doors finally opened, five people came out. Two of them were the Nanhai Sword Sect’s First Elder, Lin Changbi, and Second Elder, Wu Changqing. The other three were the hosts of the meeting. Elder Lu of Shangjie Peak, Elder Jiang of Incense Terrace Peak, and Elder Huang of Huizhen Peak.

The three elders escorted the Southern Sea Sword Sect group to the guest hall to rest, then took their leave. Only then did Lin Twin Fish finally get the chance to ask the two elders about what had been discussed today.

Lin Changbi shook his head. “Things don’t look good. Elder Lu of Shangjie Peak leans in our favor, but Incense Terrace Peak and Huizhen Peak aren’t so agreeable. If even the three southwestern peaks can’t reach a consensus, there’s no need to talk about the Southern Faction, let alone all of Mount Luofu.”

“Lady Lin,” Wu Changqing asked, “what did you find out on the side?”

Lin Twin Fish replied, “I asked seven people in total. Three inner disciples from different peaks, two inner stewards, and two outer disciples. The results were about the same as what you and Master discussed. Very few support the proposal. Only two people were in favor.”

Wu Changqing shook his head. “The Luofu Sect has been comfortable for a hundred years. They’ve grown used to an easy life…”

Lin Changbi said, “Careful with your words, junior brother. The Luofu Sect is immensely powerful. Even if they stayed comfortable for another five hundred years, no one would dare set their sights on this mountain. Of course they don’t feel the need to fight for anything. We knew that the moment we left Xiqiao Mountain.”

The three of them fell silent for a long while before Wu Changqing finally spoke. “I’ll pay another visit to Iron Bridge Peak tonight.”

With the serious matters settled, Lin Twin Fish reported the situation about someone waiting outside the mountain gate. Lin Changbi said, “That’s Junior Brother Bai’s family business. How it should be handled is for Junior Brother Bai himself to decide. It wouldn’t be right for us to interfere too much.”

“Master, as I remember it, Junior Brother Su got along very well with this brother-in-law of his. I even heard that his life was once saved by the man. Back then, when word spread that his sister had divorced her husband, Junior Brother Su rushed back to Shenwu Mountain in a fury and caused quite a scene...”

Wu Changqing, listening from the side, was intrigued. “There’s a story like that? Then why did his sister divorce him? Could it be that Junior Nephew Su didn’t get along with his own sister?”

Lin Changbi waved a hand. “Same as before. Other people’s family matters are best left alone. All right, go take a look first and see if he’s the real thing.”

With her instructions in hand, Lin Twin Fish left the guest hall and went down to the mountain gate. There, she saw Lin Zisheng and asked, “Where is he?”

Lin Zisheng led her out. About twenty-odd zhang beyond the gate, under the shade of a stand of trees, they found Liu Xiaolou.

Liu Xiaolou rose to his feet and cupped his hands. “May I ask who you might be?”

Lin Zisheng introduced her. “This is Senior Sister Lin of the Southern Sea Sword Sect.”

Lin Twin Fish studied Liu Xiaolou. “So you’re Junior Brother Su’s brother-in-law?”

Liu Xiaolou replied, “I'm ashamed to say...”

Lin Twin Fish kept looking him up and down. Even though she was already past forty, and her cultivation and mental strength had steadily grown since reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage, she could not help admiring him inwardly. He really was handsome.

Then another thought crossed her mind. With looks like that, how had he still ended up being divorced by a woman of the Su family? What had gone wrong?

Could it be that good looks were all he had?

Of course, none of that was her business. She was only here to verify whether the man was genuine. So she asked, “What year did you meet Junior Brother Su?”

Liu Xiaolou thought back for a moment. “It was the second year after I married into the Su family. Thirteenth Brother returned from the South Sea to visit his family and came by our place. That’s how we met. In the blink of an eye, nine years have passed. It really…”

Not giving him time to dwell on it, Lin Twin Fish pressed on. “Did he return to Shenwu Mountain on his own?”

“He was accompanied by Elder Bai of your sect.”

Lin Twin Fish asked a few more questions, and Liu Xiaolou answered each one without error. The he took a letter out of his Qiankun Pouch, the divorce paper he had carefully kept all this time, and showed it to her. “Senior Sister Lin… please take a look.”

Lin Twin Fish accepted the letter and read it three times, curiosity plain on her face. For some reason, she suddenly felt like laughing, yet could not bring herself to do so. She let out a soft sigh and handed it back. “Junior Brother Su and I are very close. We talk about everything. He mentioned you many times. He’s always kept you in his thoughts, he just didn’t know where you had gone…”

“I’ve been drifting from place to place,” Liu Xiaolou said, “never staying anywhere for long. The past couple of years I spent deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so it's been a long time since I last saw him.”

“Junior Brother Su has been cultivating on the Ten Thousand Mountains Archipelago these past few months... have you been there?”

Liu Xiaolou shook his head. “I’m really not familiar with the Ten Thousand Mountains.”

Lin Twin Fish said, “There are countless islands out there. How about this. For the next few days, stay in Luofu market. Go rest at one of our Southern Sea Sword Sect shops. When we head back, we’ll take you along with us. Once we’re back, I’ll bring you to see him.”

Three days later.

Two hundred li west of Mount Luofu lies Xiqiao Mountain, the main seat of the Southern Sea Sword Sect.

Another two hundred li south from Xiqiao Mountain is Qiao Bay.

Liu Xiaolou traveled with Lin Twin Fish in a small skiff, setting out to sea from Qiao Bay. The breeze was light that day, and the waves rose no more than a foot high. The sea was as calm as could be. A lone sail was raised, but the wind was weak, and the little boat crept slowly along toward the southeast.

After an hour at sea, they had covered only two or three li. Lin Twin Fish was clearly wasn’t happy. She dipped the oar halfway into the water. Without any visible movement, it sent up ripples and sprays, pushing the skiff forward. At once, their speed tripled.

“Is that one of your sect’s sword techniques?” Liu Xiaolou asked curiously.

“Our sect's Thousand Waves Art isn’t some super complicated skill,” Lin Twin Fish said. “And it’s not strong in combat either, but when it comes to sailing the sea, it’s perfect.”

Liu Xiaolou grabbed the other oar and started rowing too, adding another fifty percent to the skiff's speed. But he was putting all his true qi into it, not gliding effortlessly like her. After an hour of this, he was starting to struggle.

Alarmed, he thought, What’s going on? I’m already at the Foundation Establishment stage. How can rowing a small boat be this exhausting?

Lin Twin Fish spoke up from the side. “The tides in Qiao Bay rise and fall with far greater force than on other seas. Right now, it’s the incoming tide. Well? You can feel how quickly your true qi is draining, can’t you? Most disciples of the South Sea Sword Sect begin their training by going out to sea like this. There are secluded cultivation sites on islands throughout these waters. Only by sensing the power of the tides do you cultivate a sword intent that flows without end and strikes with unstoppable force.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. “I see. Learned something new today.”