Lin Su felt a sudden relief in his heart. Is that all?
I thought he was going to break some organ in my body, scared me...
Elder Three scanned his face, not finding panic but instead seeing a sense of relief. What's going on?
Lin Su poured a cup of water for the elder. "Master, disciple has no Dao roots, without cultivation, there's nothing to abandon, right?"
Elder Three was stunned...
Punishments that made cultivators change color were light in his eyes. The reason turned out to be this.
Lin Su added, "As for expulsion from the sect, it's even less relevant. To be honest with Master, even if this incident didn't happen, I was planning to leave. With no Dao roots, staying in the sect is a waste of time. So today, please inform me, Master, where does disciple come from? Do I have a family?"
This question was strange. Why ask others where you come from?
But coming from Lin Su, it was normal.
When he transmigrated, the original owner of this body was struck by lightning, losing consciousness. Lin Su had asked Master who he was, but Master refused to tell him, only saying that he should focus on cultivation and forget about family matters.
Now, with his cultivation path cut off and about to leave, Master should inform him.
Elder Three looked at the water cup in front of him for a long time. The water inside moved without wind, creating ripples. Finally, he slowly lifted his head. "Since it has come to this, I'll tell you. Everything I know, in fact, was what you told me when you first entered the sect. Whether it's true or false, it's all your own words..."
Hearing this, Lin Su's expression was somewhat constipated. What does the old man mean, shifting the blame?
But what the old man said next shocked him...
He, Lin Su, the Third Young Master of the Duke of Dingsouth in the Great Cyan Country, faced a disaster in his family. His father sought help from the Buddhist sect, and a high monk gave him an eight-character advice: "The convergence of three paths breaks through calamity, and prosperity flourishes."
What does it mean? A plausible explanation is that the Lin family has three sons, each choosing a different path, and by doing so, they can overcome the calamity and bring prosperity to the Lin family.
His eldest brother was a military general, corresponding to the path of martial arts.
His second brother had remarkable literary talent, already a scholar, corresponding to the path of literature.
And he, with no choice, could only choose the path of Dao (cultivation), so his father sent capable warriors to send him to Yunxi Sect.
This was the reason he joined Yunxi Sect.
This was also the source of the elder's dilemma. When he respected the Duke of Dingsouth as a guardian of the country on the border, he took on this task. In the end, he couldn't allow Lin Su to enter the path of cultivation. Now facing expulsion, he felt he had failed this entrusted mission.
Lin Su sighed. "So, I came to Yunxi Sect because of a Buddhist advice. Master, is this high monk reliable?"
The old man said, "I don't even know who this high monk is, but since your father trusted him so much, he must be an extraordinary person."
Damn! This is a slippery answer!
Lin Su shook his head. "Even if the high monk is extraordinary, and his cultivation is profound, there is a knot that cannot be bypassed: I have no Dao roots and cannot cultivate. This is a fact."
On this point, the old man agreed. "Actually, I've long suspected something. It's not that I doubt the Buddhist monk's advice, but I doubt... that you and your elder brother might have been mixed up. Perhaps you are more suited for martial arts, and your elder brother is more suited for cultivation."
Lin Su smiled. "I agree with Master's judgment. We, brothers, may have misunderstood our assigned tasks. But the possibility of me being mixed up with my second brother is even greater. I might be more suited for the literary path."
Literary path, studying!
And in his brain was a withered tree, each leaf a copy machine. When encountering books, it would go into action, directly copying. This highly related golden finger used in the literary path was, how did they say it? A match made in heaven!
This statement was directly denied by the old man: "This is absolutely impossible!"
A decisive tone!
Lin Su was really not convinced. "Why?"
The old man said, "What do you think the literary path is? Do you think you are suitable for the literary path just because you recognize a few characters? Literature is vast and profound, the foremost among the five paths. A top literary scholar can kill enemies with a stroke, break the sky with a word, and perform miraculous changes. Correspondingly, the threshold is surprisingly high. Your second brother is already a scholar, setting the green tone in the literary world, the indisputable choice for the literary path. Do you still want to exchange with him?"
What?
Lin Su was a little confused.
What does "killing enemies with a stroke, breaking the sky with a word, and performing miraculous changes" mean?
What does "setting the green tone" mean?
Why does this literary path seem different from his understanding of the literary path?
"Master, the literary path is so magical, why has no one in the sect ever mentioned it? I've been in the sect for several months, and only today did I hear Master mention it."
This question silenced Elder Three, and his expression was quite strange...
Finally, he spoke...
In Yunxi Sect, there was a taboo against the literary path. For the sake of fairness and to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, he would inform Lin Su of everything. First, he feared Lin Su would not know the root cause and break another taboo in the sect. Second, as a master-disciple relationship, he wanted to impart some life lessons.
The sect classified the literary path as taboo because the Sect Master had been deeply hurt by it.
When she was still the Holy Maiden, traveling the world, she encountered a top literary scholar. She was harmed by this scholar and gave birth to a daughter, the same girl Lin Su saw yesterday—the one dragged out of the Ask Dao Pavilion.
This scholar was not a good person, causing trouble from the beginning to the end. The Sect Master developed a deep enmity with the literary path.
Five years later, the Sect Master traveled far and wide seeking revenge on this scoundrel. The result was a mess...
When she returned, she gave birth to another daughter. This daughter is the current Holy Maiden of Yunxi Sect, Dream Pearl.
Twice insulted, the Sect Master's Dao roots were damaged, and her reputation plummeted.
The entire Yunxi Sect, with a common resolve of "an insult to our Sect Master is an insult to our ancestors," categorized the literary path as taboo.
So, in the future, when facing fellow disciples of Yunxi, do not mention the literary path. Furthermore, remember that the most crucial thing in life is to maintain one's bottom line and refrain from certain actions...
Lin Su's eyes widened...
Oh, Sect Master, the first time you were "harmed," it could be explained by unfortunate encounters. But what about the second time? What do you call that? Seeking revenge for thousands of miles, returning with a pregnant belly... damn it, what kind of revenge was that?
Out of respect for the Sect Master, and considering that he was still a disciple of Yunxi, Lin Su did not express his sensational feelings. He could only nod as if pecking at rice.
After much contemplation, Elder Three finally made a decision. Alright, you are not suitable to stay in Yunxi Sect in terms of emotion, reason, and rules. Go...
Lin Su packed his personal belongings, and Little Yao followed him in and out. Her cute face lost its smile for the first time. Lin Su, sitting by the door, patted her head, telling her that he was leaving, and she should follow the master...
Little Yao's eyes suddenly misted, tears sparkling...
Lin Su couldn't go on. "Do you want to come with me?"
Little Yao nodded vigorously. "Brother, Little Yao can cook, can do laundry. Brother taught me how to pluck chicken feathers..."
She listed all her strengths, then raised her head, looking at Lin Su with expectant eyes.
A voice from Elder Three came from the side, "Take her with you. There are probably not many who can handle both cooking and laundry in the Duke's mansion."
Lin Su thought for a moment. "The mountain is quiet and peaceful, and everything below is unknown. It might be a life of luxury in the Duke's mansion, but it could also be full of trials. Alright, let's go together. In case things don't work out, we can cry together."
Little Yao cheered, grabbing Lin Su's sleeve, wiping away her tears with it.
On the last night in Yunxi Sect, Lin Su prepared another sumptuous dinner for Elder Three. Unfortunately, there was no wine.
After dinner, Elder Three sat alone on the top of the Ask Dao Pavilion, silent.
Little Yao sat at Lin Su's bedside, refusing to sleep. Lin Su had to sleep with her, and even in his deepest sleep, she didn't let go of his sleeve, fearing her brother would slip away in the middle of the night.
Early the next morning, they prepared to leave.
Just as Elder Three was about to see them off, a silver boat descended from the sky and landed outside the courtyard gate. Lin Su's heart tightened. Is there another calamity before leaving?
Although he had treated her "illness" the day before, he genuinely didn't go too far beyond the rules. But she was the Holy Maiden, influenced by feudal ethics! And after learning what happened, she had a "painful" memory of being hurt by a man!