The Great Night Watch

Chapter 4 Siblings Entering the World

The young saintess remained calm, bowing to the Third Elder: "Third Elder, you endured great hardship on your recent journey. Let me escort this young master home."

Lin Su's heart skipped a beat. No! Master, don't agree! If you agree, her "farewell" will be completely distorted, and I might even get crushed...

But the Third Elder had already nodded: "In that case... thank you, Saintess!"

The young saintess turned to Lin Su: "Young Master Lin, board the boat. I'll see you off!"

Lin Su felt a chill run down his spine, but he had no choice. He steeled himself and boarded her silver boat. The silver boat soared into the air, carrying Lin Su and Xiao Yao on their journey home.

White clouds drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, the Lingxi Sect had vanished.

Lin Su's gaze shifted to the young saintess at the bow of the boat. His mind was already churning out a plethora of arguments—some righteous, some wicked, some even sinister—he was determined to pull off a grand deception to weather the immediate crisis…

The young saintess spoke first: “You violated the sect rules, and my sister dragged you out of the Inquiry Pavilion, making you suffer unbearable hardship. You deserved it. But the fact remains that you cured my incurable illness. Today, I'm seeing you off sincerely!”

What?

Lin Su was greatly surprised. She wasn't here to bully him, but genuinely to see him off?

Didn't you talk to your sister about this?

That's understandable. After all, she's a saintess raised under feudal ethics; who would dare to argue about sensitive topics with someone else?

He relaxed instantly: "The Holy Maiden is truly... truly principled!"

"Of course!" The little Holy Maiden smiled slightly: "In the ways of the martial world, justice prevails. Those who offend me, I will pursue them to the ends of the earth; but those who have done me a favor, I will repay with kindness."

What?

Leaving doesn't mean the end. Is there a possibility of further repercussions?

Lin Su's recently relaxed tension tightened again. She forced a smile and said, "Holy Maiden, you jest. With your celestial beauty and magnanimous heart, how could you be so vindictive? In fact, your recovery from this ailment is also thanks to your magnanimity."

The Holy Maiden was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Lin Su explained, "Your ailment was called 'A Thousand Knots,' stemming from stubbornness. Now that you've finally let go, if it recurs, simply let go of your attachments, and with a clear mind, it will disappear in four days at most."

This explanation filled the Holy Maiden with gratitude.

And also great relief.

Luckily, she had shown him kindness today; otherwise, how would she have known the true meaning of "A Thousand Knots"?

The old folks say that good intentions bring good rewards—how true!

She never imagined that this "true understanding" would be triggered by a single remark she made.

Lin Su was a little afraid that when her period came next month, she would relentlessly pursue him to the ends of the earth, so he gave her a heads-up—once her period started, she needed to first reflect on herself, then let go of the obsession with causing trouble for Lin. The most amazing thing was that this "illness" really would heal in four days!

But Lin Su did have his bottom line. "Letting go of obsessions and achieving a state of mental clarity" is a good medicine for anyone—it cures ailments and promotes health, not something that would completely corrupt the little saintess…

The atmosphere along the way was quite pleasant. Blue skies, white clouds, and a gentle spring breeze. Lin Su was moved by the scenery and wanted to recite a few poems, to sing a line like, "Blue sky, white clouds drifting, something running beneath the clouds." Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten the little saintess's "tragic" past, and managed to suppress the urge to recite poetry or sing, avoiding any attempt to provoke her with words.

After an unknown amount of time, the silver boat descended from the sky. A great river came into view, and an ancient city lay at their feet.

"We've arrived at Haining City, Quzhou!" The Holy Maiden's silver boat landed outside the city. "If fate allows, we shall meet again in the martial world!"

"Is there truly a possibility of meeting again?" Lin Su murmured.

"Yes, perhaps you can seek out that high-ranking Buddhist monk and ask him why your Daoist gate cannot be opened. Once this gate is broken, you and Lingxi will be fellow disciples, and one day you will meet again on your cultivation journey..."

The silver boat soared into the air and vanished without a trace in a flash.

Lin Su stared blankly at Xiao Yao: "Finally, I've stepped into the mortal world, Xiao Yao. What do you want most?"

Xiao Yao licked her lips: "A bag of candy!"

Lin Su glared at her: "Judging by your ambition... dare you ask for something bigger?"

"...Two bags of candy!"

Lin Su laughed heartily, grabbing her hand: "Come on! Let's go back to the manor first, then we'll search the whole city for candy for you..."

Haining Manor is a manor in Quzhou, with counties under its jurisdiction; in modern terms, it's a prefecture-level city.

This era, naturally, lacked towering skyscrapers of reinforced concrete and bustling traffic, but it boasted pavilions and towers, and boundless natural beauty. Lin Su gazed at the carved beams and painted rafters lining the streets, at the passersby dressed in fine silks and satins or barely clothed, and at the greetings of "Sir, please wait," and "Sir, please come in" emanating from the taverns, finding it all quite novel.

Books described feudal society as sparsely populated, far less densely populated than modern society, but this didn't apply to this world.

This small prefectural city had unfolded the bustling prosperity of Bianliang, the Song Dynasty, as Lin Su had imagined.

But he also knew that this wasn't the Song Dynasty; this world was far more wondrous and mysterious.

Even within the city, clues were emerging. For instance, he spotted several strange mounts, resembling both wolves and horses. And, as far as the eye could see, a figure was riding the waves of the Yangtze River; this person didn't seem like a cultivator, but rather a scholar.

Xiao Yao kept wiping her drool the whole way, starting whenever she smelled the aroma of restaurants, and again when passing fruit stalls. Lin Su knew she was hungry; he was hungry too. The little saintess herself didn't eat much, and she hadn't prepared any food on her silver boat. After more than ten hours, the worldly siblings were both starving, their stomachs practically touching their backs, but they had no money.

They had finally managed to swindle a small amount of silver, but the Third Elder had given it all away. They didn't have a single copper coin left.

So, Lin Su could only comfort her, "Girl, just bear with it for now. When we get home, my house is a Marquis's mansion. We'll have plenty of food! I'll cook you a feast—roast chicken, roast lamb chops, bring the whole thing!"

The girl's mouth watered.

Lin Su led her to a fabric shop. The old man inside looked up: "Young master, would you like some clothes made?"

"Shopkeeper, may I ask where the Dingnan Marquis's mansion is?"

But the old man's expression was strange, his brow furrowing slightly: "Young master, you're not from around here, are you?"

"...Why would the shopkeeper ask that?" Lin Su frowned as well.

The old man said, "Because everyone here knows that the Dingnan Marquis's mansion committed a crime, and it no longer exists..."

What?! Lin Su's face changed drastically!

Xiao Yao beside him also paled!

“What happened? Tell me, shopkeeper…”

The shopkeeper looked around; seeing no one paying attention, he lowered his voice and spoke…

“Three months ago, the Marquis of Dingnan committed a crime and was executed by imperial decree. His title was stripped, his property and fiefdom were confiscated, and his servants scattered like leaves in the wind. The Marquis of Dingnan's mansion no longer exists. Fortunately, His Majesty is merciful and left the orphaned widow and her child their former residence. Nuo, it's over there…”

Lin Su felt a sense of loss and inexplicable sorrow.

The home she had finally found was now destroyed.

She had traveled thousands of miles back, but it wasn't what she had imagined.

Although he wasn't from this world, and psychologically had no connection to the Marquis of Dingnan's mansion, he still felt a profound emptiness, difficult to understand, yet very real…

Lin Su felt a touch on his hand; Xiao Yao gripped it tightly: "Brother, don't be sad, Xiao Yao is with you…"

She had experienced the pain of losing a loved one. After losing her home, the world felt like an icebox to her. Only after her brother appeared did she smell the fragrance of spring flowers and see the rainbow again. But now, her brother's family had also met with misfortune. She didn't know how to comfort him, so she simply took his hand and told him, "Brother, don't cry, Xiao Yao is here…"

Her brother didn't cry; instead, she wept first.

Lin Su gently wiped away her tears: "Let's go home!"

Passing through bustling streets, a large courtyard came into view, backed by high mountains and bordered by the mighty Yangtze River. It seemed like a prosperous place, yet overgrown weeds grew before the gate, and a lone stray dog ​​foraged for food, perfectly illustrating the decay of this once-grand mansion.

With a mournful creak of the door hinges turning, Lin Su stepped into the former residence of the Marquis of Dingnan—the home of his physical body.

The empty front yard was deserted, not a single person was there, only the overgrown weeds obscuring its former glory.

Entering the backyard, a maidservant stepped out of the main hall. Her gaze fell upon Lin Su's face, and she immediately let out a piercing cry: "Third Young Master... Madam, the Third Young Master is back!"

A loud crash came from the main hall behind her, as if something had been knocked over. Soon, a woman of about forty or fifty years old, supported by a young man in his twenties, emerged. Upon seeing Lin Su, she became excited; a sudden glint appeared on her pale and haggard face... A sickly blush appeared on her face, and tears welled in her eyes. She rushed forward, grabbing Lin Su's hands, sobbing, "Sanlang, you're finally back! Mother was so afraid this illness would take your life, that I wouldn't see you one last time..."

Feeling her surging emotions, feeling the warmth of her hands, Lin Su's heart also stirred. If he had the habit of writing in a diary, perhaps he would have written something like this:

On the eighty-third day after transmigrating to this world, I returned to my predecessor's home.

The Marquis's mansion was so dilapidated that there was no hope left; everyone seemed to have reached their end.

Theoretically, I had no relation to the Marquis of Dingnan's mansion, but perhaps it was the mysterious pull of blood, I clearly felt a deep maternal love and sibling affection.

The ship, having sailed ten thousand miles, has finally found its way home. My wandering boat has returned to port!

The maid, Xiao Tao, brought over a thin porridge, so clear you could see the bottom. There were also two small, yellowish, hard buns. If you took them to Lin Su's world, even a dog wouldn't eat them. But Lin Su and Xiao Yao ate them heartily. Throughout the meal, their mother held tightly to his clothes, as if afraid he would run away if she let go.

After finishing their meal, the second brother whispered, "Mother, Third Brother is back now. You can rest assured. I'll write another 'Qi-Guiding Text' for you to help you recover soon."

"Second Brother, you shouldn't overwork yourself..."

"Don't worry, Mother, I can manage!"

He took out a sheet of golden paper, opened the inkwell, and a strange, delicate fragrance filled the room. The second brother's brush touched the golden paper, and he wrote a text...

"The Qi of Heaven and Earth, the grandeur of literature, man is established by bones, Qi enters man..."

Golden light filled the air, and the setting sun outside the window faded, seemingly merging into the text.

The second brother's face grew paler with each stroke, his writing incredibly labored. It seemed each character on the gold paper drained his energy. Halfway through, the gold light flickered, and his pen trembled. With the final stroke, he swayed, about to collapse.

Xiao Tao unbuttoned her mother's collar. Her neck was covered in dense writing: "The Qi of Heaven and Earth, the Grandeur of Literature..." Layer upon layer, the darker shades tinged with pink, the lighter ones nearly fading away.

This new piece of writing was placed on her mother's neck. The words on the gold paper vanished completely, transferring to her mother's neck. Her mother's pale face flushed, she exhaled softly, and slowly closed her eyes.

Lin Su was utterly astonished. This was the power of literature and medicine—it could even cure illnesses?

His second brother slowly straightened up: "Third brother, Mother is asleep. Come with me to the ancestral hall and offer incense to Father."

When Father was beheaded, Lin Su was at the Lingxi Sect and hadn't even received the news. Now that he was back home, it was only right that he offer incense to his father.