Becoming a Sage Starts From Condensing the Essence of Time

Chapter 18: The Young Man Takes Revenge Straightforwardly, Yuan Meng's Prince Consort, Fourth Master Lin

In the Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion, a hazy misty rain rose from the huge pond. Accompanied by the gentle spring breeze, it was quite comfortable.

The storm at the entrance of Jing Street had already subsided. Although the three women in the Water Pavilion had not left the residence, they all knew about the situation.

Madam Hua was graceful and elegant. There were no traces of age on her beautiful face, but the deepness in her eyes made her look even more mature and charming.

She looked at the young man standing in front of her, who had a refined temperament, handsome eyes, and a fearless fighting spirit. The admiration in the corners of her eyes intensified.

An Le's hair was soaked by the unbridled spring rain. It was still wet, but it could not erase his hidden fighting spirit.

Even Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin saw the difference in An Le. It was a change in his temperament.

"You don't have to thank me. This time, you were implicated by the Lin Residence."

Madam Hua looked at An Le and said seriously, "If you don't want to paint in the Lin Residence, you can bring it up now. The ten Origin Spirit Coins and the two books can be considered compensation from the Lin Residence."

When An Le heard this, he shook his head. "Madam, you're being too serious. Since I've agreed to paint for the young masters of the Lin Residence, I naturally won't back down just because of a little hardship. If that's the case, how can I cultivate? My thoughts won't be clear either."

"I will remember the kindness of giving me the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique and the Sword Waterfall Diagram. The value of those two cultivation manuals is far beyond a painting. I will definitely repay you in the future."

An Le was also very serious.

"You don't resent it? If I hadn't taken action, even if you didn't die today, your Dao heart would have been covered in dust. Your enlightenment was already late. If your Dao heart was covered in dust, your cultivation path would have been even more difficult."

When Madam Hua heard An Le's words, the corners of her lips curled up in satisfaction, but she continued.

"Resent? Of course, I do. Although Luo Qingchen was intimidated by Madam's actions and even messed up his Dao heart, that was because of Madam's actions. It was for the sake of the Lin Residence's reputation. Naturally, I also blame Luo Qingchen. However, I will naturally seek revenge in the future."

"A gentleman repays kindness with kindness, but he also repays grievances directly."

"I'm grateful that the Lin Residence treated me well. Luo Qingchen looked down on me and even wanted to destroy my cultivation. I naturally have a grudge against him." An Le said calmly.

In the main hall of the Water Pavilion, the young man's words were powerful and resounding.

The young man had a grudge in his heart and didn't hide it. He didn't pretend to be magnanimous and forgiving.

Madam Hua smiled, her admiration for An Le growing. However, as soon as he stepped into cultivation, he said that he wanted to get back at Luo Qingchen.

He was very courageous and fearless.

"Do you know who Luo Qingchen is?"

Madam Hua personally poured a cup of tea for An Le with a faint smile on her beautiful face.

An Le respectfully took the cup of hot tea and took a sip. The fragrance of the tea dispelled the coldness accumulated from the spring rain.

"Luo Qingchen, the current prodigy of the Luo family in Qingzhou. Meditation at the age of five, Shedding Mortality at the age of ten, Primordial Spirit born in the mind's Niwan Palace at the age of eighteen, and Oblivion at the age of twenty-five. His Body Tempering cultivation was not inferior, reaching the Connate Realm at the age of twenty-six. He came to Lin'an and challenged all the elites in the world…"

"He challenged two geniuses of the capital and won both battles. He was in the limelight and was personally recruited by the Second Headmaster of the Academy."

Madam Hua calmly described Luo Qingchen's deeds.

An Le listened attentively. He had to admit that Luo Qingchen was indeed a genius.

"However, in the third battle, he felt that he had cultivated enough sword intent, so he went to the Flying Snow Hall to challenge the Legendary Top Scholar, Li You'an. He wanted to step on the Legendary Top Scholar and enter the Academy with peerless talent."

"Unfortunately, he was defeated by Li You'an's majestic mental power in one move. His Dao heart was even covered in dust… He was stagnated in Oblivion for more than ten years and wasted his time in the Academy. Later, he was given the Eastern Sea Heart Cleansing Pearl by Prime Minister Qin. Only then did he wash away the dust of his Dao heart and break through the fifth realm…"

An Le took a deep breath and caught a key piece of information.

Prime Minister Qin was standing behind Luo Qingchen!

The current Prime Minister of Great Zhao was extremely powerful!

No wonder Luo Qingchen dared to attack him so brazenly at the entrance of Jing Street. It turned out that he had Prime Minister Qin backing him.

No matter how ignorant An Le was, he knew that the relationship between the Lin Residence and Prime Minister Qin was not harmonious. It could even be said that there was hatred between them.

"There's a huge gap between you and Luo Qingchen. He's a cultivator who has surpassed the fifth realm, while you're just a new cultivator who has just passed Qi Blood Awakening and entered Meditation. Do you still have the guts to compete with him?"

Madam Hua asked with a smile.

With this question, the Water Pavilion was so quiet that only the sound of the spring rain and falling tiles could be heard.

Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin also looked over curiously.

However, An Le did not think about it for long. He smiled gently and said, "Cultivation cultivates one's thoughts. If I'm timid and don't have the courage and willpower to walk towards the tiger mountain, what's the point of cultivating? Why should I bitterly embark on the path of cultivation?"

"Moreover, I am still cultivating, so it's not impossible for me to catch up. Today, you've covered Luo Qingchen's Dao heart with dust again. In the future, I, An Le, might be able to cause Luo Qingchen's Dao heart to collapse."

Silence!

The entire Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion was extremely silent, only the sound of boiling water could be heard.

A moment later, Madam Hua covered her mouth and chuckled. Her laughter became louder and louder.

"That's right. The young man is heroic, neither servile nor overbearing, fearless, and unyielding. Very good."

"When cultivating, you should have a fearless heart and be heroic. You dare to challenge immortals in the sky with a sword." Madam Hua covered her mouth and patted her plump thigh happily.

It was as if at this moment, something in her heart had been exposed. She felt relieved and enlightened.

In the Water Pavilion, An Le and Lin Zhuifeng looked at each other. What was so funny about his words?

"Alright, alright. Go. Since you chose the Lin Residence and have no regrets, the Lin Residence will naturally protect you. From now on, as long as I, Hua Jiebing, am alive in Lin'an, I will protect you and let you cultivate in peace."

Madam Hua was still smiling, but her words were serious.

When An Le heard this, he could not help but be moved. Madam Hua's words were equivalent to being An Le's guardian. It was only the second time An Le and Madam Hua had met. It was not an exaggeration to say that they had met by chance, but Madam Hua had first lit a green lamp for him on his cultivation path, and now she was protecting him…

This favor was very heavy.

"Thank you, Madam Hua. An Le will remember your great kindness."

An Le bowed deeply.

Madam Hua nodded slightly, then opened the Confucian book again and began to read.

"Qingyin, Zhuifeng, take Young Master An to the young masters. I'll read quietly for a while."

Madam Hua leaned against the bed again and looked at the yellowed book.

An Le bade farewell and left the Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion with Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin.

They were shrouded in the misty rain.

Madam Hua looked away from the Confucian book and muttered, "Unfortunately, my days in Lin'an are numbered. How far can you go in the meantime?"

...

...

In the long corridor, a spring breeze blew over, causing their clothes to flutter.

"Young Master An, Fourth Master has been at the Lanke Temple for half a year and hasn't returned. Why don't you draw for him first?" Lin Zhuifeng said with a fire stick on her waist, but she looked at An Le curiously.

"Fourth Master Lin?" An Le nodded.

He guessed that by painting for the young masters of the Lin Residence, their status would naturally go from high to low. Fourth Master Lin should be a benefactor with the same seniority as Madam Hua.

In the current Lin Residence, the Matriarch naturally had the highest status. Below her should be Madam Hua and Fourth Master Lin.

"Fourth Master's identity is special… Young Master An, if you're painting for Fourth Master, you should be more careful."

Lin Zhuifeng thought for a moment and reminded him.

An Le was stunned and looked puzzled.

Lin Qingyin had followed him here to learn painting. Seeing that An Le seemed to be a little puzzled, she explained, "Fourth Uncle led the army to fight the Golden Wolf Army of Yuan Meng Empire back then and was defeated and captured. He was placed under house arrest in Yuan Meng Empire for 60 years… He changed his name and took the surname of Mu. He was called Qingfeng and married a princess of the Yuan Meng Empire. Now that he has returned to Lin'an, he has naturally been gossiped about…"

An Le was also shocked.

He was captured by the Yuan Meng Empire and even married a princess to return to Lin'an. This… was a little absurd.

An Le was rather interested in this Fourth Master Lin.

To be able to marry a princess as a captive in the Empire's camp and even return to Great Zhao safely… This was the amazing part. There must be something extraordinary about him.

The three of them walked out of the corridor and held up their oil-paper umbrellas.

"Let's go to the Martial Arts Hall. The young masters should be practicing martial arts there," Lin Zhuifeng said.

However, the three of them quickly stopped in their tracks and looked into the distance with their umbrellas.

There, in the hazy rain, a thin figure wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat slowly walked over.

The raindrops intertwined at the edge of the bamboo hat, forming a bead curtain that fell.

The figure had a hatchet at his waist. The handle of the hatchet was stained with raindrops. He was wearing a pair of muddy straw shoes. When he stepped on the ground, the soil was washed away by the rain.

Tap, tap…

He raised his straw sandals and stomped down. The sound of his repeated stomps resounded and lingered. The air seemed to have become oppressive and heavy.

Lin Qingyin's face was slightly pale as if she had been caught badmouthing someone. She looked at the figure and couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Fourth… Fourth Uncle…"