Chapter 95: Wanting to Win

The sunset glow at dusk was dazzling, like flames burning the distant sky to its very edges.

The clouds were so red they seemed like blazing fire.

Fire that could devour everything, burn everything down to ash.

On the mountain path of Lonely Sword Peak, Senior Brother Jin silently listened to everything Su Hui said. For a long time, he did not speak.

Seeing him lower his head and fall silent, Su Hui, who stood before him, only sighed softly and said no more.

Neither of them spoke again.

They stood there in silence.

Wordless, facing one another as if in a standoff.

Until—

“Are you really content with that?”

Senior Brother Jin said those words in a hoarse voice. “Of course you are.”

He abruptly raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, so red they looked like the flames at the edge of the sky. He stared at the calm-faced Su Hui before him. “But I am not!”

“I don’t care about fairness or unfairness! So what if there are differences in talent?” Senior Brother Jin growled at Su Hui before him, his voice deep, or perhaps a low roar. “If you give up, then that is true failure!”

“Su Hui, you disappoint me so much!” he said to Su Hui. “Too much. You’re too weak!”

“I always thought…”

“What did you think?”

Su Hui cut him off. His face was calm, but his tone was cold as he said, “That was only what you thought. I have always been like this.”

“Jin Zhi, you seem to have courage that will never run out, inexhaustible, an endless supply. That is you,” Su Hui said. “I merely chose the road best suited to me, the road I wanted.”

“That is all.”

Su Hui looked at him. “I respect your choice. I also hope you will respect mine.”

“…” Senior Brother Jin.

Hearing this, he stood there without moving.

Nor did he speak.

He only stood there.

Like a statue.

And Su Hui likewise stood before him, unmoving.

A long time passed. A long, long time.

So long it seemed as if the two of them had truly become statues.

Senior Brother Jin moved.

He lifted his head and looked once at Su Hui’s calm face. Then the hand hanging at his side clenched tightly.

All at once, he swung it out.

Toward the face of Su Hui before him, smashing down hard.

One punch flew out and landed.

Then, without saying a word, he turned and left.

And Su Hui, who had taken that punch, also stood there without a sound. He did not speak, nor did he make any extra movement.

He only raised his head.

His gaze followed Jin’s departing back.

His lips pressed together.

…

At that moment.

In the disciple pavilion, Lin Yuchu, who was tidying up his room, knew nothing of what had happened between Su Hui and Senior Brother Jin.

He had thought the two of them had a pretty good relationship.

They looked like fellow disciples and friends who had known each other for years and understood each other well.

After he finished tidying the room, Lin Yuchu lay down on the bed. Very soon, he wanted to rest, and he fell asleep.

A lot had happened today, and he had expended too much energy. So even if Lin Yuchu himself did not notice any fatigue, his body very honestly reflected it.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

In the darkness.

Before his eyes, however, appeared the set of sword techniques that he had seen Yu Yaoguang demonstrate during the day at the sword testing field.

Every sword move, every motion, even every breath.

All of them emerged clearly before Lin Yuchu’s eyes. In the darkness, there was nothing else.

Only that one set of exquisite, profound sword techniques remained.

As Lin Yuchu watched and watched, he became absorbed, entranced.

And then…

He fell asleep.

…

He slept very deeply.

He slept straight through until he woke the next morning.

When Lin Yuchu opened his eyes, his gaze was clear. The light in his eyes was lucid, without the slightest trace of confusion or fatigue.

“Strange…”

Lin Yuchu lay on the bed, both hands placed neatly and properly at his sides.

With that honest and well-behaved sleeping posture, he lay on the bed without moving at all.

“Strange.”

Lin Yuchu said it again.

“Too strange!”

He murmured.

After waking from his sleep, Lin Yuchu felt unprecedentedly clear-headed, full of energy, his whole body brimming with strength.

It was as if…

He had chugged a big blue bottle that restored magic.

He subconsciously circulated the spiritual energy inside his body and discovered… the spiritual energy within him was more abundant than yesterday, and also purer.

His spiritual energy completed one full circulation, using one minute less than usual.

In other words, his spiritual energy was circulating more smoothly.

“So it really wasn’t an illusion?”

Lin Yuchu thought, “There really has been improvement.”

“But my cultivation clearly hasn’t grown,” Lin Yuchu thought inwardly. “Although my cultivation hasn’t increased, the benefits to my body, energy, spiritual energy, and sea of consciousness are very obvious.”

He even felt as if his ears were sharper and his eyes clearer.

And that was after only one night.

Regarding the changes in his body, the only thing Lin Yuchu could think of was the set of sword techniques he had learned from Yu Yaoguang at the sword testing field yesterday.

“But could it really have such a huge effect?”

Now it was Lin Yuchu’s turn to doubt his life. “That’s too impossible, too unbelievable…”

He had merely followed Yu Yaoguang and learned that set of sword techniques once yesterday. Then he had come back at night, slept, and undergone such a huge change.

It was practically as if he had activated a cheat!

Oh my god, he wouldn’t get his account banned for this, right?

Lin Yuchu lay on the bed and agonized over it for a long while before slowly crawling up. At this moment, he realized how terrifying Yu Yaoguang was. The so-called strongest young martial uncle of Lonely Sword Peak really was not just for show. His abilities were extraordinary.

As he washed up, he let his thoughts wander without direction. Had the people who had tested swords for Yu Yaoguang in the past also undergone changes like this?

No, probably not.

As soon as this thought surfaced in Lin Yuchu’s mind, he denied it himself. If they had, then those disciples of Lonely Sword Peak would not fear Yu Yaoguang like a tiger, trying every possible way to avoid testing swords for Yu Yaoguang until only Su Hui remained in the end.

The logic was very simple.

If testing swords brought benefits like this, then no matter how difficult or arduous it was, no one would give up.

After all, the benefits were huge!

“So I should go ask Senior Brother Su.” Lin Yuchu washed his face and thought this.

Su Hui was the person who had tested swords for Yu Yaoguang the longest, so he should know more.

“As expected, I really should go find Senior Brother Su and ask for guidance,” Lin Yuchu thought. “But…”

He raised his head and looked ahead. The bronze mirror placed in front of the table reflected his blurry face.

A thoughtful look appeared on Lin Yuchu’s face. “Before that, shouldn’t I apologize first?”

Although at the sword testing field yesterday, he had not reacted in time.

Afterward, on the way back, Senior Brother Jin had been conflicted and silent the whole way, then had ultimately said those things to him, tactfully and subtly reminding him.

Lin Yuchu was not stupid. How could he fail to understand his meaning?

It was just that he did not think Su Hui would care about this matter the way Senior Brother Jin did, or even brood over it. The reason was very simple.

Someone who could sit steadily in the position of chief disciple of a peak, if he did not even have this much breadth of mind and tolerance, could not hold that position.

Lin Yuchu understood this very clearly.

But Senior Brother Jin did not understand, or rather, he was caught inside the situation himself.

Lin Yuchu was not afraid that Su Hui would be wary of him or resent him because of this matter. Compared with Su Hui, it was clearly Senior Brother Jin who cared about this issue more.

However, it should have been resolved by now, right?

Lin Yuchu murmured to himself, “Yesterday, Senior Brother Su should have solved this problem.”

With Su Hui’s sharpness, naturally he would not have failed to notice how strange Senior Brother Jin had been yesterday. He would definitely ask what had happened, and Senior Brother Jin would not hide it from him. He would tell him the truth.

Then, with Su Hui’s view of the bigger picture, he would certainly enlighten him. He would not let any rift form between Senior Brother Jin and Lin Yuchu.

Lin Yuchu had thought of all these things long ago.

“So in the end, Senior Brother Jin is the only silly sweet one!” Lin Yuchu sighed inwardly.

Then he turned and opened the door, walking out.

In the end—

“Whoa!”

Lin Yuchu could not help being startled.

The moment he walked out, he saw Senior Brother Jin crouching at his doorway.

His head hung low, revealing the soft, pitch-black hair behind him. It spilled loose down his back, making him look like a large, pitiful dog that had gotten lost and been abandoned.

And a black dog at that!

“Trouble has arrived.”

Lin Yuchu looked at Senior Brother Jin, who was crouched at his doorway first thing in the morning, and immediately thought inwardly, A huge trouble, too.

Was it still not too late to turn around, go back into his room, and pretend he had not seen him?

Lin Yuchu could not help thinking this. He really was very afraid of trouble…

Especially these kinds of emotional problems.

Honestly, he felt that if there was any trouble that could not be solved, one beating would solve it. But clearly, emotional problems were not something that could be solved through fighting and killing.

But very obviously, it was too late.

Because the moment Lin Yuchu opened his door and walked out.

Senior Brother Jin, who had crouched in wait at Lin Yuchu’s doorway for more than half the night, had long since heard his movements and immediately turned around.

He raised his eyes, revealing a pair of dispirited, listless eyes, and looked at Lin Yuchu standing at the doorway ahead. “You’re up.”

Sure enough!

It was a heavy blow.

Listening to Senior Brother Jin’s weak voice, Lin Yuchu could not help thinking this. Even his voice was feeble and lacking strength. It seemed many things had happened after he went back yesterday.

Tsk.

Inwardly, he sighed over Su Hui’s calmness, or perhaps his cruelty and lack of sentiment.

But at the same time, he felt an even greater headache. Su Hui had tossed this trouble to him.

And this was trouble Lin Yuchu could not kick away even if he wanted to.

So he had no choice but to brace himself and go forward. He looked at the miserable Senior Brother Jin before him, who looked as if he had been abandoned, and asked, “Senior Brother, when did you come?”

But the moment the words left his mouth, his gaze caught sight of Senior Brother Jin’s clothes, which were stained with morning dew and slightly damp.

He thought, Fine. No need to ask.

Looks like he had been sitting here for at least half the night. It seemed this knot in his heart was heavy enough, and the problem serious enough!

When Senior Brother Jin was asked this, he froze. A few traces of embarrassment immediately appeared on his face, as if only now, with delayed awareness, did he realize his own behavior was inappropriate.

He coughed twice to cover it up, then said, “Not long. I just got here.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuchu inwardly laughed twice.

He thought, Like hell I believe you.

But he did not expose him. Instead, he followed along with his words and said, “It isn’t convenient to talk outside. Senior Brother Jin, if you have something to say, why not come in and speak?”

Hearing this.

Senior Brother Jin did not object. He stood up.

Then he followed Lin Yuchu into the room.

After they entered.

Lin Yuchu received him and had him sit down. Then he turned to fetch the tea set and brewed Senior Brother Jin a pot of tea.

The entire time.

Senior Brother Jin was uncharacteristically quiet and did not speak.

He stood there in silence.

Watching Lin Yuchu busy himself.

Only when Lin Yuchu placed a pot of scalding-hot tea in front of him did he seem to come back to his senses. He raised his head and looked at Lin Yuchu before him.

His lips pressed together, and then he said, “I’m sorry.”

“…” Lin Yuchu.

Lin Yuchu’s hand, which was pouring tea, trembled. Immediately, a few drops of scalding-hot tea spilled from the teapot.

Afterward, he set the teapot down as if nothing had happened.

He sat upright beside the table, raised his head, and looked at Senior Brother Jin before him.

His expression was calm, and his gaze was also mild as he said, “Senior Brother Jin, why say that?”

After hearing this.

Senior Brother Jin pressed his lips together, lowered his eyes, and was silent for a while.

Only then did he say, “It’s nothing.”

“I just feel that I should apologize to you for what happened yesterday,” he said. “I feel very sorry.”

“…” Lin Yuchu.

Looks like the problem is very serious!

Lin Yuchu looked at the dejected and silent Senior Brother Jin before him, so unlike his usual self, and his face took on a thoughtful expression.

He naturally knew why Senior Brother Jin was apologizing, but at this time, he could not know.

Not knowing was better than knowing.

Although Senior Brother Jin had apologized to him for this matter, in truth, he still did not want Lin Yuchu to know why he was apologizing.

That much was clear from the fact that he had not explained the reason for his apology.

So Lin Yuchu thought it over and also said, “If you’re apologizing because yesterday you forcibly dragged me to help young martial uncle, then I accept.”

“I forgive you,” he said in a light tone.

And when Senior Brother Jin heard him say this, the expression on his face eased quite a bit.

As if he had let out a breath of relief.

Then he raised his head, looked at Lin Yuchu before him, and suddenly asked, “Little Junior Brother, is there anyone you want to beat?”

Lin Yuchu fell silent after hearing this. Then he looked at him with a face full of sincerity and said, “No.”

“Because I’ve never lost.”

“…” Senior Brother Jin.

There was no way to keep this conversation going!

Senior Brother Jin, who had already been depressed, felt even more depressed now.

He wanted to cough up blood.

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