Chapter Seventy-Eight: What's There to Cultivate?

At dusk, lying prone on his flying sword, Jiang Lin let the evening breeze brush his face as he gazed up at the sky, trying his best not to let the tears at the corners of his eyes fall.

How could this have happened... How did I miss it...

Thinking back on the events of the afternoon, Jiang Lin felt as though his heart were being torn apart.

When that martial fortune descended, he had thought it was just dark clouds gathering for rain and paid no attention, only to realize too late that it was actually the martial destiny of the entire Phoenix Province gathering in one place.

At the last moment, Jiang Lin soared into the air, using a mysterious warrior’s sense to gather what martial destiny he could.

But he had missed the best opportunity; in no time at all, the fortune dissipated and scattered...

Though he felt that martial fortune wasn’t that important—after all, practicing martial arts was only his sideline, while swordsmanship was his true calling—he’d heard that pearls condensed from martial destiny could be sold for a handsome sum.

The thought of this stabbed at Jiang Lin’s heart, as if a thousand flying swords had pierced him all at once. It was like missing a flash sale on a rare skin, or failing to snatch up red envelopes in the family and class group on New Year’s Eve.

It felt as though he had just missed out on a fortune...

Though he had no idea why those people had been wailing when he missed the martial fortune, that didn’t matter anymore.

“Forget it. So what if I missed out on a fortune? I’ll just earn it back next time. I can’t go home looking so downhearted.”

Jiang Lin rubbed his face. Thinking of his master and little Nian Nian waiting for him at Twin Pearl Peak, he felt much better.

Besides, he reckoned he’d been lucky enough—when he’d hurriedly launched into the air to gather fortune, he’d left half his undershirt exposed on the stone table. At that moment, Aunt Chen’s face had turned green.

He’d even seen, as he was collecting martial fortune, the pavilion collapse suddenly in a crash, followed by a heart-wrenching scream that echoed into the sky...

Hearing that agonized cry, Jiang Lin had hastily gathered what little fortune he could and fled without looking back.

Sigh... He could only hope Uncle Chen survived...

...

“Papa, you’re back!”

“Little Lin Lin, welcome home!”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Jiang Lin had just landed when he saw little Nian Nian toddle over on her short legs, her small tail wagging.

His master’s eyes shone with innocent joy, intent on knocking into him like usual, but Jiang Lin sidestepped just in time.

“Yes, I’m back.” Jiang Lin picked up little Nian Nian, smiling as he ruffled the pouting master’s head.

“I brought you both a gift.” From his storage pouch, he took out two pearls condensed from martial fortune.

These were all the martial destiny he had managed to collect that afternoon, just two small pearls.

“How pretty! Thank you, Papa.” Little Nian Nian accepted the sparkling pearl with delight in her eyes—dragons really did love shiny things.

“Is Little Lin Lin proposing to Master? Master accepts!” Master Jiang Yuni grinned as she took her pearl.

“Don’t tease, Master. Don’t lead the child astray.” Jiang Lin tapped her on the head.

“Master isn’t teasing. Little Nian Nian already calls me Mama...”

“Hmm?” Jiang Lin looked at little Nian Nian hugging the pearl in his arms.

Sensing Papa’s gaze, little Nian Nian clutched the pearl to her chest and poked her fingers together nervously. “Papa... it’s all my fault, but... but...”

Seeing her guilty little face, Jiang Lin thought she was both amusing and adorable. He feigned anger and asked, “But what?”

“But the candied hawthorn Mama Yuni gave me was just too delicious...” Little Nian Nian glanced at Jiang Lin, her soft voice trembling, “Papa, are you mad at me?”

“No, Little Lin, you can’t be mad at Nian Nian. If you must be angry, be angry at me instead. We mother and daughter can take it!” Master Jiang Yuni scooped up little Nian Nian from Jiang Lin’s arms, and the two of them blinked their big eyes at him.

“All right, all right, I’m not angry.” Jiang Lin smiled, patting both their heads.

Though he’d missed out on martial fortune and felt as though he’d lost a fortune, seeing his master and little Nian Nian so warm and happy, he felt as though he’d gained double that.

Little Nian Nian, being of true dragon blood, could innately sense malice in others—a basic talent. Even though Master lured her with candy, the fact that Nian Nian now called her “Mama” meant she fully trusted her, and that Master truly liked Nian Nian too. With that, Jiang Lin was at ease.

“Papa really isn’t mad at me?” Little Nian Nian blinked up at him, tears trembling on her lashes.

“Of course not. How could Papa ever be angry with you?” Jiang Lin gently wiped the tears from her eyes. The dragon’s tears slid from his fingertip to the ground.

“Then Little Lin Lin isn’t mad at Master either?” asked Jiang Yuni, hugging little Nian Nian and beaming.

Jiang Lin frowned, curled his finger, and gave Master a gentle flick on the forehead. “No more tricking Nian Nian from now on, all right, Master?”

Head bowed, Master rubbed her forehead and sighed softly, “All right, I understand...”

Just as always, even though cultivators at their level no longer needed to eat, Jiang Lin insisted that the happiest thing was for the whole family to sit and eat together. Even if he and Master could go without food, little Nian Nian still needed to eat.

So, back at Twin Pearl Peak, Jiang Lin made a table full of delicious dishes. Once their bellies were full, he made desserts with honey that Master and Nian Nian had “borrowed” from Black Mountain Peak next door. Then, the three of them sat atop the peak and gazed at the star-filled sky.

Jiang Lin continued to tell his master and little Nian Nian stories of the constellations, and of innocent, child-friendly Greek myths, carefully edited for young ears...

As he spoke, he noticed little Nian Nian snuggling closer in his arms, her tail curled up, while Master, holding his arm, leaned against his shoulder and fell soundly asleep.

“Cultivation, cultivation—if, at the end of the road, you find yourself alone with none you love, what’s the point of immortality?”

Looking at the girl and the woman beside him, Jiang Lin smiled gently, placed little Nian Nian in Master’s arms, then picked up Master and carried her inside.

There were two thatched cottages on Twin Pearl Peak: one for Master, one for Jiang Lin. The temporary hut he’d built was already dismantled—those makeshift dwellings never felt secure.

Little Nian Nian was afraid to sleep alone, but now that she had Master, he couldn’t let her sleep with him forever.

After tucking them both in and making sure they slept soundly, Jiang Lin decided that when he left at dawn, he wouldn’t wake them. He knew he couldn’t withstand their tears if he tried to say goodbye.

Returning to his own room, Jiang Lin wrote a letter to his master and little Nian Nian, then settled down to sleep. At the first light of dawn, before the alarm clock—crafted by the Mo family artificer Xiao Hei of the Sun & Moon Sect—could smash him in the stomach with its hammer, Jiang Lin shot awake and turned it off.

Just as he was about to sneak away from Twin Pearl Peak to head to Eastwood City—

Bang!

Rising from bed, Jiang Lin’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees...

He grabbed the bedside, supporting his back.

“Damn it! Why does my waist hurt again?”

...

...

[The cover was forcibly changed... Apparently, the original didn’t meet the standards... emmm... The lazybones has already hired an artist to redo it, it should be up in a few days... PS: Even if the cover had to go... this new one is just too ugly... (covers face)]