"Master... the last Secret Technique... I entrust it to you... Don't... disappoint me...."
Lin Xin had just opened his eyes, still unclear about what was happening, when he saw an old man in ancient robes in front of him, a face full of sorrow, stuffing a yellow booklet into his hands. The old man's eyes widened as he suddenly breathed his last.
The old man's eyes were full of hope and expectation, his emaciated hands suddenly drooping, no longer having any strength. His eyes also widened and could no longer close.
Lin Xin stood dumbfounded by the bed, completely clueless about what was going on.
"Master!!!" Suddenly, a sharp cry broke out from behind him.
From an angle, a girl in a yellow long pants and shirt, with a ponytail, threw herself on the old man, crying bitterly.
It was then that Lin Xin came to his senses, glancing around. He was standing in a small wooden hut, surrounded by brown wooden walls built from roughly whittled logs, still smelling faintly of wood, although mostly it was a strong medicinal scent.
"Senior brother..." A delicate, weak voice came from behind Lin Xin, with a hint of sobbing.
Lin Xin turned around, seeing two siblings who looked very alike standing behind him, both in gray clothes similar to those worn in ancient China without buttons, secured with belts at their waists.
What on earth is going on??
Lin Xin's mind was numb, he only remembered that a minute ago he had been drinking tea and sitting at his computer discussing issues with online friends, then feeling sleepy he had planned to rest his head on the table for a while, but unexpectedly in the next second he had ended up in this utterly baffling place.
"What do we do now, senior brother?" The siblings looked somewhat dazed, clearly not very bright.
Lin Xin covered his forehead, completely at a loss.
He stretched out a finger, pointing at himself.
"I ask you, what is my name?"
The siblings blinked their eyes.
"Senior brother."
"I mean my name," Lin Xin said helplessly.
"..."
The siblings looked at each other.
"Lin Xinru."
"...." Lin Xin felt as if a vein in his forehead was about to burst out.
"What's wrong with you, senior brother?" the simple-minded siblings' elder brother asked, puzzled.
"Nothing... nothing," Lin Xin said feebly, "I just want to be alone for a while...."
He staggered out of the wood hut, feeling like he was shooting a period drama, the doorway had a high threshold, the sunlight striking it as if it were broken in half.
Two patches of gold lit the ground inside and outside the house, dazzlingly bright.
Once he left the wooden hut, outside was a golden expanse, a low, ancient pine tree grew in the middle of the small courtyard; sunlight filtered through the pine needles, flickering unsteadily, like golden sand.
A gentle breeze passed, Lin Xin's expression was wooden as he looked up and down at himself: he was wearing a black garment similar to a Taoist robe, his hair was tied up, and his legs were wrapped with bindings. The white cloth straps were evidently dirty....
"This is really.... utterly inexplicable," he muttered, squatting down and clutching his head, feeling as if his brain was in complete turmoil.
His own memories, those of this body, were mashed together like porridge.
Behind him was the continuous sound of loud crying; the group of disciples was still in deep mourning.
Gradually, Lin Xin also began to sort out some information about his current situation in his head.
Lin Xinru... his current name, the son of a wealthy merchant from the town below the mountain, a young master, the senior brother of this small sect, had practiced martial arts since childhood, his father still alive, his mother no longer alive, and he had an uncle who was a government officer.
But that wasn't the main thing, it was that this world was completely different from the world before.
Lin Xin recalled the residual memories in his brain, no cars, no airplanes, no electric lights, nothing at all....
He was sitting in the courtyard of the Red Pine Taoist gymnasium on Red Pine Mountain; below the mountain, Red Pine City was his old home, the farthest place he remembered ever going to was Haixu City, over a hundred miles away.
The surroundings were desolate, nothing but mountains and wilderness, countless wild beasts.
Dazedly, Lin Xin finally sorted out his situation after days of shock, disbelief, doubt, and rampant running around; he had come to the full realization of his current condition: he couldn't go back....
After staying on the mountain for several days, four people took care of their master's body and buried it according to his last wishes in the graveyard behind the mountain's Taoist gymnasium, leaving just the four of them to live together at the Red Pine Sect.
Lin Xin also gradually figured out the situation around him.
Their sect was called Red Pine Sect, a once flourishing but now dilapidated small sect. However, it was said to have had a notable history in the past.
Inside the sect, Lu Yun and Lu Yu, siblings with intellectual challenges, were adopted by the master from an early age and grew up here. They had average talent but were valued for their loyalty.
There was also a junior sister, An Ying, who came from the foothills to learn martial arts and had a good relationship with the master. She was delicate-looking and fairly talented. In fact, she was the real enforcer of this dojo, possessing the strongest martial prowess.
The Red Pine Sect's signature Swordsmanship, the Red Pine Sword, was perfected by her. She always charged to the front in any fight. However, her nature was reckless, preferring to solve problems with force. She often had to be restrained by family members, repeatedly causing trouble and being rescued financially by her elder brother, eventually joining the Red Pine Sect by a twist of fate.
As for him, the senior brother, his swordsmanship was mediocre at best, only slightly better than Lu Yun and his sister. If it weren't for his wealthy family supporting the sect's expenses, he would never have attained the position of senior brother.
"Senior brother, someone's coming. It's the Hengdao Sect!"
On the sixth day since his arrival in this world, Lin Xinru was studying the local script intently in his room when suddenly, his door was banged open, and Lu Yun rushed in, frantically shouting.
"The Hengdao Sect?" Lin Xin paused for a moment, then remembered—Hengdao Sect was a minor sect located on a nearby hill, also a martial arts school founded by a martial master in the city.
"What do they want?" he asked, putting down the book in his hands. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Definitely nothing good!" Lu Yun roared and charged over to pull Lin Xin.
"Where's your sister An Ying?" The first thing Lin Xin did was not to get up, but to sit firmly in his chair, refusing to budge.
"She's already gone ahead! She said she's going to negotiate with them." Seeing that the senior brother was still seated, Lu Yun grew anxious, "Senior brother, why aren't you moving?!"
"Right away... right away!" Lin Xin's legs felt weak. He had always lived in a civilized society, unaccustomed to these kinds of troubles, he tried to remain composed, but his hands gripped the chair's armrests tightly, refusing to stand.
Meanwhile, voices could be heard outside, with a series of footsteps converging at the dojo's entrance.
"Where is the Taoist Priest of Red Pine Sect? I am Huo Hengdao. The incident last month where your disciples injured mine—aren't you supposed to give an explanation today?"
A rough voice of a burly man echoed from outside.
"Explanation? What explanation? My sword is the explanation!!"
An Ying's voice suddenly rose, followed immediately by a loud bang and the clashing sounds of various weapons. They had started fighting!
"Sister's started fighting! Senior brother! Quick! Hurry up!!" Lu Yun cried out in despair.
"They've started fighting already? Wow, aren't they too direct with no nonsense at all!!" Lin Xin's heart raced, "Don't movies say that in ancient times, people used to name their moves before fighting… oh, no, announce their techniques?..." His mind was in chaos, yet he struggled to calm down.
"What's the rush," his voice quivered slightly, "we'll go later... later will catch them off guard..."
"No, senior brother, I'm worried about sister! I'm afraid she might go too far! She could kill someone!!" Lu Yun shouted with a gloomy face.
"Huh?"
"Hurry! Hurry up! Only you, the eldest disciple, can stop her now. Hurry, it'll be too late!!" Lu Yun said urgently, his forehead sweating.
"Damn!" A myriad of swear words raced through Lin Xin's mind.
The crashing sounds from outside had gradually decreased, interspersed occasionally with screams.
Lin Xin was finally dragged out the door by Lu Yun.
In the courtyard, the ground was a mess, with three or four sturdy men lying in disarray. A man with a dark face was fighting with An Ying, their blades clashing and flashing like silver lightning.
The two pushed and pulled, circling the yard. Suddenly, the man with the dark face took a leap back, withdrawing from the fray, gasping like a bull.
"Alright, alright! Worthy of being Red Pine An Ying, I admit defeat today! Let's go!"
An Ying was dressed in a tight green outfit, her waist cinched with a somewhat dazzling black belt. Her fair face was slightly flushed, and she was sweating profusely. However, her figure was slender due to her regular training. Her long legs and curves accentuated her athletic allure, and though her features were merely delicate, together they created a vibe akin to a sport goddess.
"Think you can leave just like that?"
Seeing her opponent trying to escape, An Ying's eyebrows shot up, a glint of murderous intent flashed in her eyes, and she rushed forward with a kick. But just then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Lin Xin stepping out of the room. Immediately, she retracted her right leg, and her previously furrowed eyebrows softened.
"Eldest brother, you saw it, it's not my fault, they started it first!" The guy immediately played the victim, raising his hands in an innocent gesture.
"I... I...!" Huo Hengdao from Hengdao Sect nearly spit out a mouthful of old blood. He had barely gotten a word out when this woman had burst forth, screaming and starting the fight. Heaven have mercy! He had simply come to negotiate, hoping to settle for some compensation, with no intention to fight....!
Lin Xin looked at the bright blades, his heart pounding. Even though he had braced himself, seeing the actual fight made him realize he was still somewhat afraid.
He knew, whether it was the seemingly innocent An Ying or that knife-wielding dark-faced brute Huo Hengdao, both were indeed desperate characters.
Nominally, he was the eldest disciple, but he knew very well that his martial prowess wasn't enough to withstand even a single strike from them.
Fortunately, his role as the eldest disciple wasn't based on his martial ability, which was nearly nil. However, the Red Pine Sect was almost entirely supported by his family's finances down the mountain; everything from everyone's food and drink to their daily needs were funded by his family. Therefore, both An Ying and the Lu siblings respected him immensely. Despite his poor martial skills at the dojo, he was in charge of everyone's livelihoods, and that was something that couldn't be helped.
"What do you want to do?!" Huo Hengdao, clearly no match for An Ying, wore a look of wary unease. Some disciples from Hengdao Sect managed to get up from the ground at this time, though some had clearly broken arms, others had several fingers cut off, and some were so pale it was clear they had internal injuries, with blood all around them.
Huo Hengdao had heard of the situation at Red Pine Sect and had thought he could take advantage of the death of the strongest, Taoist Priest of Red Pine, but he hadn't expected An Ying to be so formidable! Was this small Return to Origin Technique nearly at the Second Layer?
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