The twins did not give up, and they continued their duel despite not being able to land any fingers during the following three days. Donghai Lin taught them for the three days as they were so adamant about staying with him.
Even Hui Lang, the puppy who was watching their duel all this time was amazed to see the rapid improvement in the martial technique of the twins.
On the third day, Donghai Lin brought out three wooden swords, tossed each to the twins, and announced, "Xuan Er, Chan Er! Today, let's have a bit of change in our duel. From what I can see you two seem to master 7 styles out of my set of 8 drunken styles and still you can't even catch after my shadow. So, how about changing to the last eighth style? The Evil Spirit Destroying Sword Style!"
Yes, it was the style of the Immortal Lu Dongbin, the leader of the Eight Immortal Pantheon.
"Gege, it sounds really interesting. But, I haven't seen you practice any sword martial style before. So I don't think I can defeat you with the sword." Xuan Er the playful one said as she waved with the wooden sword interestingly.
"Me too, Gege! As much as I like the idea of defeating Gege with this sword, I have never seen a sword fight or used one before. So, why don't we fight like before with fists and kicks?" Chan Er, the cold one said.
They didn't witness Donghai Lin practice this sword style because he had practiced this style whenever they were not around and had his epiphany after three months of practice and after that, he had been practicing only in his mind and not physically.
"Mmm-hmm, you two are right." A soft voice came from Donghai Lin as he supported his chin with his palm, contemplating, and then added, "But, today is the sword day. Then what about this? I'll teach you the last Sword style and you two can challenge me after you get the hang of it, yeah?"
"Yipee! That's exactly what I was meaning to say earlier. Gege is going to teach me. Hee-hee, that's going to be the most impressive one." Xuan Er, the playful one yelled in delight while jumping up cheerfully.
"How about you Chan Er? Don't you like to learn a really cool martial style from me?" Donghai Lin asked as Lin Chan remained silent.
"Okay, my mind is all calm now. I'm ready to learn, Gege!" Chan Er responded which even shocked both Donghai Lin and Hui Lang, the white puppy.
And Donghai Lin wondered in his head, 'Hahaha… Really impressive! Chan Er's mentality is a lot different from Xuan Er's. I think this sword style would fit her perfectly since her attitude is quite similar to that of Immortal Lu Dongbin.'
Then he said, "Girls, watch carefully! I'm demonstrating this sword style only once, okay?"
After that, he began his demonstration by making a clumsy-looking sword dance, mostly back and forth and there was no rhythm in them as it looked like a crazy man playing with a stick but unexpectedly he would do stabbing, slashing, hacking, and butchering motions in a very intricate posture. He was doing this in slow motion and the twin glanced at his every move, his leg movements, and also the other parts of his body posture to balance those intricate postures.
Gradually, Donghai Lin sped up and he continued for the next fifteen minutes and ended his lesson.
Then he glanced at the twins and tried to ask, "Now, do you…." But he halted as he saw Chan Er, the cold one entering a strange state just like Donghai Lin had before.
"Gege, I…" Xuan Er said, but she stopped before she could finish her sentence when she saw Donghai Lin shushing her, placing his index finger before his mouth.
"Shh!" Donghai Lin scuttled forward at them soundlessly and he hushed in her ear, "Xuan Er, Chan Er is currently having an epiphany. Let's stay silent, okay?"
Xuan Er turned around and saw Chan Er entering that strange state and she nodded at Donghai Lin obediently.
Her eyes glowed with a fiery gleam that revealed both jealousy and her determination not to be left behind.
Seeing that, Donghai Lin reached out his hand and caressed her head, and said in a soft consoling tone: "Xuan Er, don't you worry? You'll have your own epiphany soon."
"Hmph, as if I care. Epiphany or not, I'll still be one step ahead of Chan Er because I'm the older one." Xuan Er snorted once and responded with a cute pout.
"Hahaha, yes, Xuan Er is right." Donghai Lin said, laughing heartily while hugging her.
Meanwhile, unbeknown to Donghai Lin, a rumor was currently spreading faster than a wildfire.
Two pieces of news were reported; one was about Lin Donghai, the 17th grandson of the current patriarch and next in line to become the patriarch of the Lin Noble Family. And in addition, some information to support this theory was also included in the news, including the grooming of him when he was still in his mother's womb, the dog selection ceremony, the ridiculous demands for him, and ending with how strong he was during the Martial Heart Root Test. The first theory was pretty convincing.
As to the second theory of the rumor, it was revealed that Lin Donghai, the young genius, had some serious eye defects from his birth, which led him to name his white puppy Blackie.
This rumor first surfaced from Pearl River City which was nearest to Lin Manor and then it reached the ears of the Other Three Noble families of the Xue Prefecture. And subsequently, they helped the rumors to spread like wildfire and soon reached the nook and corner of the entire Xue Prefecture.
It became the talk of the entire Xue Prefecture, as some people lamented the fate of the Lin Family while most ridiculed them for grooming a visually impaired child to become the next patriarch.
At first, Patriarch Lin Ren remained silent but due to the pressure from his clansmen and also from various cultivation masters of the Xue Prefecture, he couldn't remain silent anymore. But first, he made a request to Daoist Chu Yin who was always with him to look into the source of the rumor.
In one of the chambers of the Lin manor, an elegant youth dressed in purple Daoist Robe was enjoying dinner and drinking alone inside a luxurious-looking room. The man was none other than Lin Meng, Donghai Lin's third uncle, the man who walked out of the meeting a few days ago.
He nibbled on the fried chicken leg and drank up the wine cup in one fell swoop and he winched.
"Tsk! Tsk! It's way more bitter than the usual one, but the intoxication level is worth its price." In order to replace the bitterness of wine on his palate, Lin Meng took another big bite of the chicken leg.
While he continued enjoying his drinks and meat, he muttered under his breath, beaming: "Hee-hee-hee, first brother, you really don't disappoint me this time. That's really a nice catch to spread such rumors with a strong basis. Rumor is the best way to kill someone with less chance of backfiring in a family like our Lin. Since the first layout of your plan went well, now you can use the voices of the mass to continue the next phase of your plan. Hahaha, excellent! Now, I can finally have the chance to understand why my old man is so obsessed with grooming that little brat?"... (please, stay tuned!)
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* We all know and have come across the idiom-slash-metonymic adage, "Pen is sharper than a sword!"
* Then what about Rumor? Which can easily blind everyone by beguiling the eyes and ears of the public. Therefore, my Point of view is, "Rumor is way lot sharper-slash-mightier than a sword!"