Chapter 92: Although there is much silver, it is not my wish

Early the next morning.

Lin Chen greeted his parents and quietly left by boat with his eldest brother.

The liveliness and joy of yesterday had passed; from today on, he would move toward a new goal on the path of the Martial Way.

Going ashore and bidding farewell to his eldest brother, Lin Chen headed straight for the Jing Shui Martial Hall.

However, at the corner of the street where the Jing Shui Martial Hall was located, Lin Chen stopped his steps, looked at the figure in front of him, and bowed faintly: "Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen."

The person standing in front of him was none other than Chen Chunfeng of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

It was just that he didn't understand what Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen was doing appearing here at this time.

"Lin Chen, with your talent in the Clear Wind Palm, returning to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan would be better. Yesterday, the Kong Kong Guanzhu removed Zhao Ce's status as an instructor, and Vice Kong Kong Guanzhu Qi also resigned from his position."

Chen Chunfeng spoke; yesterday's Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan had been very oppressive.

Unlike other Martial Halls, which were more shocked by the strength of Jiang Qing and Lin Chen of the Jing Shui Martial Hall, they were shocked by Lin Chen's terrifying talent in the Clear Wind Palm.

Last night, all the instructors of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan, and even some old seniors who had already left the Martial Hall, had come.

Lin Chen, who had perfected the Clear Wind Palm, was not a student of the Clear Wind Palm, which made these old seniors furious!

If Lin Chen had only practiced the Clear Wind Palm and had never been a student of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan from the beginning—although such a situation was extremely rare, it hadn't been unheard of in the history of Poyang County—then it would still be easier to bear.

But Lin Chen had been a student of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan from the very beginning and had been actively abandoned by the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan, given up to the Jing Shui Martial Hall.

This was the shame of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

This shame couldn't be smoothed over by just throwing out Zhao Ce to appease the anger of these old seniors. Everyone could imagine that the further Lin Chen went on the Martial Way, the longer this shame would remain on the Martial Hall.

"What Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen says has nothing to do with me, right? I am not a student of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan." Lin Chen spoke faintly: "As for Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen saying that the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan is more suitable for me, may I ask, Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen, what else can the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan give me?"

A rhetorical question left Chen Chunfeng speechless.

Chen Chunfeng gave a bitter smile; he had forgotten that Lin Chen had already perfected the Clear Wind Palm, and in terms of techniques, the Martial Hall could no longer provide guidance to Lin Chen.

The only thing that could be guided was practical combat experience in the Clear Wind Palm, but judging by Lin Chen's performance in the arena, his practical combat experience wasn't bad either.

"Lin Chen, return to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan. Those seniors of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan made a decision yesterday to jointly fund you with a sum of silver, nearly a thousand taels."

A thousand taels of silver!

Lin Chen's pupils contracted; this was an extremely exaggerated number. As long as one wasn't a student who spent money as lavishly as Jiang Jiang Shijie Jiang, this sum of money was enough to support a martial artist's total expenses in the Martial Hall for three years.

"Come back. Junior Brother Yu also walked out of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan. If he were here, he would surely hope to see you become a student of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan."

Hearing Chen Chunfeng mention Yu Yu Jiaoxi, Lin Chen's face turned cold. If Yu Yu Jiaoxi were here, on the day his Grade A student treatment was revoked, he would have taken him to the entrance of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan and cursed loudly.

No, with Yu Yu Jiaoxi's temperament, he wouldn't do something like cursing loudly, but he definitely wouldn't let him return to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

Lin Chen's gaze was piercing as he stared at Chen Chunfeng: "Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen, I will ask just one thing: if there were no Grade A treatment from the Jing Shui Martial Hall, could I have opened seven acupoints? If I couldn't open seven acupoints, and didn't have this performance in the competition, would these old seniors of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan still give me silver funding?"

Without waiting for Chen Chunfeng to answer, Lin Chen's lips curled into a mocking smile:

"The Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan wants me to go back—is it truly because I am more suitable for the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan, or does the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan need me to go back to appease the criticism?"

Two rhetorical questions expressed Lin Chen's attitude.

Without the Jing Shui Martial Hall's regard for him, there would be no him today. To betray the Jing Shui Martial Hall now—wouldn't he, Lin Chen, be a treacherous villain?

"Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen, I have other matters, so I will leave first."

Lin Chen brushed past Chen Chunfeng. Until Lin Chen had walked far away, Chen Chunfeng didn't call out to stop him; he already understood Lin Chen's attitude, and no matter what was said, it would be useless.

Indeed, the Jing Shui Martial Hall had provided timely help to Lin Chen.

Even if the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan gave a thousand taels of silver in funding, it would only be adding flowers to a brocade.

He had already anticipated this result. If it weren't for the fact that the Eldest Lin Lin Shixiong insisted he come to find Lin Chen, he wouldn't have intended to come at all.

It wasn't that he was afraid of being rejected by Lin Chen, but that if the Eldest Lin Lin Shixiong had come to find Lin Chen personally, it could have reflected the sincerity of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

But the Eldest Lin Lin Shixiong chose to send him, and just as Lin Chen said, it was more about wanting Lin Chen to return to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan to appease the criticism.

Seeing Lin Chen's departing back, Chen Chunfeng understood in his heart that after today, there would be no possibility of Lin Chen returning to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

Jing Shui Martial Hall.

Lin Chen, as usual, nodded and greeted the gatekeeper when entering the Martial Hall.

"Young Lin Shi, you have won glory for our Martial Hall." The gatekeeper gave a thumbs up toward Lin Chen.

Lin Chen gave a faint smile and didn't take up the topic. After entering the Martial Hall, he also encountered many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters, but what surprised him was that whether it was the Senior Sisters or Junior Sisters, they only looked at him with smiles, and not one of them spoke.

It wasn't that there were none who spoke; there were those who greeted him, but it was just a "Lin Lin Shixiong," and after the greeting, they hurried away.

What was the situation with this?

Based on his understanding of the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters in the Martial Hall, normally, if he returned to the Martial Hall today, they would all have to praise him a few times upon meeting him. Why were they all not speaking today?

Seeing Lin Chen's departing back, a female student stopped her steps: "I almost couldn't hold it in and made a mistake. The rules set by the Kong Kong Guanzhu are truly too difficult for us."

"Isn't that so? Lin Lin Shixiong took first place, which was originally a thing worth being happy about, but the Kong Kong Guanzhu ordered that we are not allowed to praise him in front of Lin Lin Shixiong."

"Since the Kong Kong Guanzhu ordered it this way, there must be the Kong Kong Guanzhu's reasons. We just need to follow it."

Lin Chen didn't return to his dormitory; halfway there, he was led by a servant toward the Martial Way Pavilion.

Martial Way Pavilion, Lin Chen was led to a small courtyard at the back.

The courtyard wasn't large; it was here that he had obtained the Open-Acupuncture Pill back then. At this moment, the door of the main room in front of the courtyard was wide open, and Lin Chen thought for a moment before stepping into the main room.

As soon as he entered the main room, Lin Chen was shocked by the plaques hanging on the four walls of the room.

【Year 294 of Daliang, County Examination Top Scholar Zhang Fang】

【Year 292 of Daliang, Prefecture Examination Grade B Fourth Place Qi Chudie】

【Year 287 of Daliang, County Examination Top Scholar Zheng Qin】

One plaque after another recorded the brilliant achievements obtained by students of the Jing Shui Martial Hall throughout the years.

This was the student honor exhibition room of the Jing Shui Martial Hall.

"Since the establishment of the Jing Shui Martial Hall, those who can have their plaques hung here are at the very least County Examination Top Scholars. As for the year-end competition for new students, even if one takes first place, one is not qualified to hang a plaque."

Kong Yinglei's voice came from behind. Lin Chen turned his head to see Vice Kong Kong Guanzhu Kong and Kong Kong Guanzhu Ceng arriving together, and he bowed hurriedly.

"Student greets the Kong Kong Guanzhu, greets Kong Kong Guanzhu Kong."

Ceng Qingyao looked at Lin Chen, a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

It was she who had ordered that the Martial Hall students were not allowed to praise Lin Chen anymore.

The reason was none other than the fear that Lin Chen would be lost in the praise.

If Lin Chen were a woman, it wouldn't matter, but Lin Chen was male, a youth, and facing the fawning praise of one young girl after another, it was very easy to breed complacency.

The praise of one person of the opposite sex was worth the fawning of ten people of the same sex.

Not letting the female students praise him was the first step, and letting Lin Chen see the achievements of the Martial Hall's students throughout the years was to let Lin Chen understand that the path of the Martial Way is long, and the achievements he had obtained now didn't count for much.

Lin Chen being able to appear in the Martial Hall at this time meant he must have set out from the village before dawn. This behavior alone showed that Lin Chen hadn't become slack or complacent because of taking first place.

"Seeing these plaques, what are your thoughts?" Kong Yinglei asked.

"The Senior Sisters of the Martial Hall are too amazing. Compared to the Senior Sisters, I still have a long way to go." Lin Chen sighed with emotion.

"You don't need to belittle yourself either. With your talent, the Clear Wind Palm being perfected, the Martial Hall will give you rewards, plus the rewards from the Wuzheng Office. As long as you continue to maintain this heart for practicing martial arts, you will also have the opportunity to hang your name on the wall in the future."

At Kong Yinglei's words, Lin Chen was overjoyed. Qingfeng Wuguan still had rewards?

He had originally thought that for this competition, there were only rewards from the Wuzheng Office; he hadn't expected the Martial Hall to have left a surprise waiting for him.

"On the way here this time, did you encounter anyone from the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan?"

Hearing the Kong Kong Guanzhu's question, Lin Chen narrowed his eyes and didn't hesitate, answering: "Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan met with me at the street corner of the Martial Hall."

"Chen Chunfeng?"

Ceng Qingyao's mouth curled into a disdainful arc. The Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan was truly arrogant. If Li Tianqi had come to find Lin Chen personally, she would have thought more highly of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

So, was Li Tianqi close to breaking through to the Ranked Tier?

That was why he didn't care about these things, and letting Lin Chen return to the Martial Hall was just to appease the criticism of other martial artists toward the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

"What did Chen Chunfeng say to you?" Kong Yinglei hadn't thought that much; she was just curious about what Chen Chunfeng wanted to use to persuade Lin Chen to go back.

"Yu Yu Jiaoxi Chen said that if I returned to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan, those old seniors of the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan would give me a sum of silver funding, nearly a thousand taels. However, I rejected it directly. Without the Jing Shui Martial Hall, there would be no me today. Let alone a thousand taels, even ten thousand taels wouldn't move my heart."

When saying this, Lin Chen still had some small calculations in his heart. Wasn't the Martial Hall going to give him rewards? He could use this as a reference.

Of course, he didn't expect the Martial Hall to give him such a large reward, but perhaps after the two Hall Masters discussed the benefits the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan had offered, they would increase it somewhat.

This was legitimately striving for his own interests and couldn't be counted as calculating against the Martial Hall.

"Don't think about it, our Martial Hall can't take out so much money for you. However, when you go to the Wuzheng Office in a while, you can mention it to Lord Su."

Ceng Qingyao saw through Lin Chen's little thoughts at a glance and said quietly: "Qingfeng Wuguan is poor, but the Wuzheng Office is not poor. Remember one thing: no matter what this Lord Su says, don't easily agree to it."

Lin Chen was startled; the Kong Kong Guanzhu's words had deep meaning.

"Jiang Jiang Shijie, don't keep me in suspense. Is there any news regarding Lord Su?" Kong Yinglei asked impatiently.

Ceng Qingyao didn't pay attention to her Xiao Xiao Shimei, just looked at Lin Chen and said meaningfully: "This Lord Su of ours now needs political achievements the most."

Lin Chen was thoughtful. The political achievements of the Wuzheng Office—wasn't that cultivating students?

The more talented the students, the higher their ranking in the Prefecture Examination, which meant the better the political achievements of the Wuzheng Office.

He vaguely guessed the implication of Kong Kong Guanzhu Ceng.

His Clear Wind Palm being perfected—wasn't that the political achievement of the Wuzheng Office?

"Since your Clear Wind Palm is already perfected, your subsequent path of cultivation will inevitably be different from other students. When you reach the Wuzheng Office, you can ask Lord Su for guidance."

Ceng Qingyao didn't hide anything. Qingfeng Wuguan's cultivation of students followed a set process, which was what was called "following the steps."

But Lin Chen perfecting the Clear Wind Palm so quickly was something the Martial Hall had never encountered before, and Lin Chen being able to go from opening three acupoints at that time to opening seven acupoints now in a short period must have a relationship with the Clear Wind Palm being perfected.

But how big the relationship was, she couldn't distinguish.

Whether Lin Chen should follow the steps to open acupoints like Fu Jingya and other students, or increase the investment in silver, she wasn't sure.

Lin Chen was the son of a fisherman, and it was extremely difficult for him to have today. Every step afterward couldn't be wrong. She couldn't gamble with Lin Chen's future for the sake of the Jing Shui Martial Hall's face.

There was one thing she hadn't told Xiao Xiao Shimei Kong: last night, she had thought that if the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan truly had extreme sincerity and was willing to give Lin Chen a large amount of martial arts resources, she would persuade Lin Chen to return to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan.

But obviously, Li Tianqi had no sincerity!

Li Tianqi, at this moment, cared more about whether he himself could break through to the Ranked Tier.

As a martial artist, Li Tianqi was qualified, but as a Kong Kong Guanzhu, Li Tianqi was extremely irresponsible.

Since that was the case, Lin Chen couldn't return to the Clear Qing Qing Feng Wuguan again.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 93 =====