Chapter 184: My Cultivation

Not a single one can fight.

When Yu Lin withdrew his hand, a group of clerks already lay on the ground. His gaze fell on Li Lin ahead, and he grinned:

"What tier, and you share a Lin with me?"

Li Lin heard that, and his already ugly complexion turned even more ashen.

He couldn't help but clap: "Alright, alright, still a practitioner! I indeed underestimated you!"

He suddenly turned his head and shouted, "Chen Hu, take him down!"

The Official Messenger who had been gripping the sword hilt finally moved.

He pulled off the brim of his hat, tossed it onto a nearby eave, revealing a weathered middle‑aged face.

His eyes were indifferent, and a few scars on his face added a hint of murderous aura to his otherwise ordinary look.

Chen Hu stepped forward slowly, his aura accumulating around him like a blade gradually being drawn.

When he reached five steps away from Yu Lin, his hand had already clenched the hilt:

"Whirlwind Blade Chen Hu."

His voice was hoarse like a whetstone: "My blade never cuts nameless ones. May I ask your name?!"

Yu Lin: "Yu Lin."

"Alright, I've noted it." Chen Hu's eyes suddenly sharpened like an eagle's.

The Long Sword in his hand slowly slid out of its sheath, the blade scraping the scabbard with a sound that made one's teeth tingle.

"You will become the thirty‑fourth person to die beneath my blade!"

As the words fell, the Long Sword fully unsheathed! A flash of cold light flashed, forcing the surrounding crowd to involuntarily squint.

The blade light surged like a sudden gale, bearing a force that seemed to tear everything, as if even the air were being sliced.

The Long Sword swung straight toward Yu Lin!

But Yu Lin merely raised his hand casually—

Clang!

A crisp ringing sound rang out, and the seemingly indestructible Long Sword shattered in response!

The fragments scattered like ice crystals, refracting light under the sun.

Chen Hu's confident expression froze completely, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"How... could this be possible?!"

Yu Lin seized a fragment: "Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I cultivate."

As the words fell, the fragment had already pierced Chen Hu's forehead.

Chen Hu gave no quarter, and naturally he would not hold back.

Now it's Li Lin's turn.

Yu Lin, too lazy to speak further, waved his hand lightly, and the fragments on the ground rose automatically, shooting toward Li Lin!

"Wait, I..........."

Pfft.

The fragment pierced him together with the boy behind him.

His body fell heavily to the ground.

Yu Lin turned back, smiling at the stunned Zhong Kui: "Brother Zhong, it's time to go."

"Uh, oh, fine."

Zhong Kui and he continued forward, and this time no one dared to intervene, nor did anyone wish to die.

"Yu brother."

"What's the matter?"

"You... just now said cultivating—was that true?"

"Of course, I rarely lie."

"Then your earlier words about teaching me... let's forget it, we only met for a day, I truly can't endure it."

"Brother Zhong."

Yu Lin stopped, turned his head to look at him: "What do you want to become in the future?"

Zhong Kui swallowed the words he had intended to refuse, and with almost no hesitation replied, "Justice—becoming a just official."

Yu Lin asked again: "Then how do you achieve that?"

He answered, "Study, be erudite. As long as you demonstrate governing talent, you will naturally be promoted."

Yu Lin shook his head, meaningfully saying, "That may not guarantee promotion."

"If others try to usurp your reputation, officials protect each other and suppress your accusations, even sending people to capture you as today..."

"You might escape?"

Zhong Kui fell silent, and after a long while bitterly shook his head:

"I cannot."

Yu Lin patted his shoulder: "Then cultivate with me."

"Not just for yourself—think of your little sister as well."

He turned and kept walking:

"Let's go, don't keep your little sister waiting anxiously."

Zhong Kui, watching Yu Lin's back, suddenly dropped to his knees and respectfully kowtowed three times.

I've been taught.

After standing up, he quickly followed Yu Lin's pace.

The two walked ahead, behind them lay the chaotic silhouette of the county town.

Only at dusk did they hurry back to Zhongjia Village.

At the village entrance, Zhong Xiao Mei anxiously looked out; upon seeing the two figures, she immediately broke into a relieved smile.

Cooking smoke curled upward, blending with the evening glow and winter snow.

Zhong Kui gazed at the familiar scene, his mind already made up.

"Li Lin is dead?"

"And his younger brother Li Qing?"

Inside the tavern.

After hearing what had just happened, Wang Congwen gaped: "Who did it?"

"How daring!"

"You have a death wish!"

The messenger, one of his lackeys, immediately said: "Sir, you're mistaken—it's that they lacked courage and provoked the wrong person!"

"One of them is ugly-looking; I heard his name is Zhong Kui."

"There's nothing to say about him; the other is an expert named Yu Lin, who killed those two with his own hand!"

"That expert Chen Hu from the government office runs rampant in the martial world, his strength is unmatched, but.............."

After his lengthy explanation of the fight, he finally raised his voice:

"What do you think?"

"How so?"

"That Yu Lin is a cultivation expert! Just see him wave his hand—swish, swish—broken knives fly up, and those two from the Li family are dead!"

"Really?!"

"Indeed!"

"Go, fetch my horse!"

"Sure!"

Wang Congwen turned and gave an apologetic smile to Han Ping and Du Ping: "Sorry, both of you."

"I need to go home for a bit."

"I'll go ahead."

As his words fell, he headed downstairs.

Watching his hurried departing back, Han Ping and Du Ping instead thought about other things, possibly that Wang Congwen's father had some dealings with the Li family.

Han Ping then rose and said: "Today, thanks to Brother Du's guidance, I have many thoughts,"

"I was about to go back to practice calligraphy, so I'll take my leave now."

Du Ping also rose: "No problem; it's getting late, but it's fine to go."

The two walked out of the tavern and clasped hands in farewell at the doorway.

Du Ping walked alone down the street as dusk deepened, eventually arriving before an inn.

He pushed open the door, lit the oil lamp, and the dim yellow light illuminated the room.

Du Ping took a roll of paper from his travel pack and carefully unfolded it.

On the paper was an essay, the handwriting vigorous and forceful, the arguments incisive.

The most striking thing was the signature on it—

Zhong Kui

Du Ping's gaze fell on those two characters, and he murmured softly: "Zhong Kui..."

"What a capable person..."

"We must go see him; if he can become an official, he will surely be a pillar of the state in the future!"