Fellow Traveler

Hearing this, Lin Xiao quietly followed behind Lin Dayou, his head bowed in thought.

Lin Dayou continued,

"Although your old man hasn't read many books, the most important thing in life is to have reverence for all things in the world. Only after having a heart of reverence can you have the drive to forge ahead."

"Whether you want to temporarily hide the sect or continue developing it like now, I don't understand, nor can I give you much advice. I just want to tell you that being afraid is perfectly normal and natural. Not being afraid of anything isn't called being fearless; it's called being a fool."

"No matter what you do, Dad will support you."

Hearing Lin Dayou's words, Lin Xiao looked up, deeply moved, his eyes welling with tears as he looked at him.

"Dad..."

Seeing Lin Xiao's touched expression, Lin Dayou waved his hand in utter disdain and said,

"Alright, alright, it's no big deal. You're almost thirteen, yet you still cry as easily as you did when you were a kid."

Lin Xiao sniffled and said,

"Since when do I cry easily... I just wanted to say, Dad, how many days has it been since you used the Cleansing Spell? You've got a smell on you. Your son is in the Golden Core realm now, and my nose is incredibly sharp. Being this close to you is practically suffocating me."

Lin Dayou felt his temples throbbing, his hands itching to hit something.

With a swift motion, he lifted his foot and took off his straw sandal. Anyway, he had cultivation now, which made daily farm work much easier, leaving him plenty of time to weave new sandals.

Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Lin Xiao decisively greased his soles and slipped away. As he ran, he didn't forget to holler back,

"Dad, remember to use the Cleansing Spell! If that doesn't work, just go take a bath! It's not shameful if you aren't good at using the spell!"

Furious, Lin Dayou pointed the straw sandal in the direction of his fleeing son and shouted,

"You little brat, don't run if you have the guts! How dare you show disgust toward your own father!"

However, Lin Xiao was already nowhere to be seen. Only his voice echoed back from the air.

"Thank you, Dad—"

Sprinting all the way to the foot of the mountain in one breath, Lin Xiao made sure his father wouldn't chase after him before letting out a long sigh of relief. After casting a Concealment Spell, he walked toward the village.

He didn't have any particular plans; he just felt a bit overwhelmed after the profound conversation with his father and wanted to clear his head.

With his current early-stage Golden Core cultivation base, casting the Concealment Spell meant that even if he walked right next to mortals, they wouldn't be able to detect his presence. It was just like being invisible.

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and every household in the village had lanterns hung in front of their doors.

People were going from door to door offering New Year's greetings.

Whenever a guest arrived, the host would toss a few firecrackers into the stove to make a loud bang.

Children scurried from house to house to give their greetings, receiving a few candies here and a handful of melon seeds there. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

It was already evening, and many guests from neighboring villages who had come to visit Xiushui Village were beginning to take their leave.

People said their goodbyes at the courtyard gates and walked each other to the village entrance. Amidst reluctant farewells, they stepped into the night and departed from Xiushui Village.

Walking along the village paths and watching the bustling scenes, Lin Xiao felt completely relaxed.

As he strolled, Lin Xiao ran into Li Zhanying, who was also wandering around the village.

Since they had crossed paths, there was no reason to avoid him.

Lin Xiao took the initiative to step forward, bowing in greeting as he said,

"Happy New Year, Senior Li."

Seeing that it was Lin Xiao, Li Zhanying smiled at him and replied,

"Happy New Year, Sect Master Lin. I didn't expect Sect Master Lin to enjoy wandering around the village just like this old man. I wonder if Sect Master Lin would do me the honor of walking together for a while?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao figured that since he was just strolling around by himself anyway, he might as well walk with him.

He nodded and said:

"Thank you for the invitation, Senior. I shall respectfully accept."

Thus, the old man and the young man took a stroll together through Xiushui Village in the winter.

Looking at the vast expanse of white scenery, Lin Xiao asked,

"I wonder, Senior, how long do you plan to stay in Xiushui Village this time?"

Li Zhanying didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully admired the distant scenery for a moment before turning to look at Lin Xiao, his gaze sincere and carrying a smile as he said:

"To tell you the truth, the reason this old man left the capital this time is that I have been in secluded cultivation for two years without making any progress. That is why I wanted to come out for a walk."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised.

"Senior, is it really appropriate for you to tell a junior so openly that your cultivation has encountered a bottleneck?"

Li Zhanying laughed heartily, walking forward with his hands clasped behind his back as he said:

"What is inappropriate about it? Anyway, if this old man remains unable to break through, my lifespan is just about at its end. In a few years, I will be nothing but a pile of bones. And if I do succeed in breaking through, what is there that I cannot say?"

"Besides, would Sect Master Lin leak this matter to others?"

Living to Li Zhanying's age, having cultivated in solitude within the imperial city for so many years, he had long since figured out many things.

He had his principles of protecting the country, but he no longer held any lingering obsessions he couldn't let go of.

Lin Xiao subconsciously shook his head, but he didn't say any words of guarantee that he wouldn't tell anyone. He knew that Senior Li wasn't looking to hear empty promises from him anyway.

The two arrived by the mountain stream and stopped in their tracks as they looked at the frozen water.

Li Zhanying asked,

"This old man wishes to ask Sect Master Lin for an answer on behalf of my Li imperial family. I wonder if Sect Master Lin would be willing to tell me?"

Lin Xiao then said,

"Please speak, Senior."

Gazing into the distance at the majestic and mysterious mountain peaks under the night sky, Li Zhanying spoke softly:

"Will the Lingxian Sect ever become an enemy of my Li imperial family, the imperial court, and the Pusi Kingdom in the future?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao knew that this senior was worried his sect might want to overthrow the dynasty in the future.

Perhaps back when their Li imperial family formed alliances with every sect, they had asked similar questions and established some kind of covenant.

However, he didn't know that Li Zhanying asking him this question wasn't because he said this to every sect.

In fact, when discussing cooperation with the three great sects in the past, the Li imperial family had never asked for such guarantees from them. It had merely been a complete exchange of interests under the premise that their strengths could counter each other.

But Lin Xiao was unaware of this point.

He thought for a moment and replied:

"As long as the imperial court led by the Li imperial family can continuously act in the best interests of the country and its people, remaining worthy of the public's livelihood and the state, my Lingxian Sect will absolutely not interfere in the slightest."

He had no ambition to fight for power and profit. As long as those in power were decent, he had absolutely no desire to cause trouble.

Receiving this answer, Li Zhanying nodded as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

"That is very good. With Sect Master Lin's words, this old man is satisfied."

Immediately after, he looked up at the sky and said to Lin Xiao:

"It is getting late. This old man will take his leave now. Sect Master Lin should head back soon as well."

The two parted ways at the mountain stream, and Lin Xiao returned to the mountain.

After chatting with his father for a while and taking another relaxing walk in the village, Lin Xiao finally felt that his heart was no longer so lost and confused.

He arrived at the sect's main hall in high spirits, planning to first check out the New Year's gift given by the system!

Lin Xiao shut the doors tightly to keep anyone from disturbing him while he opened his gifts. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he opened his private treasury.