5 Rescuing Master Lin

Before they knew it, the sword with the yellow glare stopped on its own. Lin Kun seemed to notice while he was trying to carry a brother to a safe spot. The yellow glare turned golden in color, striking a sudden surge of energy throughout the place. Soon, the sword cloned itself into ten before starting to dance wildly.

Lin Kun hurried to get out of its reach, but the sword continued to follow him. However, unlike what he seemed to fear, the golden-glared swords were skinning the corpses that dared attack him. They moved swifter and more fluid than the sword with the green glare and the one with the whitish glare.

The cultivators retreated into the northern gates as the gold sword continued to sweep through the Cinder Army. Soon enough, the corpses began to move away. They had lost a lot of numbers—more than what their kidnapper was willing to gamble. If it was the Bride of Corpses, she would have a certain melody play, and all the broken corpses would become whole again. That proved Lu Bang that the Cinder Army was indeed not in the hands of the Bride this time.

After a few minutes, Huayuan city was back to its peaceful state. However, the destruction caused by the siege was heartbreaking. A lot of them had lost their lives. Lin Kun could only honor his fallen brothers that he could not save. Sun Yin and Lu Bang went to join him as he gave orders to the rest.

"Lu Bang!" His brother was overjoyed to see him as soon as the fighting stopped. He then turned to the lady next to him. He noticed her ripped sleeve. "My lady, your hanfu…"

"No need to worry about this." She held the fabric together. "You're quite a strong one. Three flying swords are under your command."

Lin Kun shook his head. "My master, my father, Lin Guwei, could control five all at once. I am merely trying to match him." He collected the three swords, sheathing the one that used to have a yellowish glare. He left the two out for her to see. "These are Xiangwei, Lu Bang's sword; and Huaban, my own." He gestured to the sword with green glare and then white glare respectively.

Sun Yin eyed at the two more swords on his hips; one of those was the sword with the yellow glare. "You're carrying four? Why not introduce the other two?"

"I apologize, my lady. They are… not for the eyes of outsiders."

"We call that yellow one, Fenqi. It's a family heirloom, but only a few are allowed to use it." Lu Bang answered in his stead. He received a gaze from his brother, but he still continued. "The other one is Xiaowan. No one gets to use it."

"Swords that only a few or none can use? Sounds dangerous." Sun Yin hummed before reaching out to dust Lin Kun's robes. "Now that it's over, shouldn't we head back and try to relax? Send a message to the boats at the harbor that everything is fine now."

"We shall…" Lin Kun was confused as to why he would obey her without questions.

After a few more preparations, the city was starting to rebuild. However, the surviving cultivators were all cooped up in their temple. They were replenishing their spiritual energies through breathing exercises. Lin Kun invited Sun Yin and Lu Bang into his quarters to have tea with him. Though using Xiangwei and Huaban did not exhaust him, letting Fenqi run wild drained him of considerable energy.

His quarters were nothing special. It was mostly a big room with a huge bed and a wide space to work in. His work table was separated from the one his guests would use for talks. He also had a full-size window, overseeing the zen garden in the atrium of the temple. The room was filled with wood energy which seemed to be the leading root for the disciples of the Huayuan Lin sect. Sun Yin and Lin Kun sat across each other in the guest table while Lu Bang sat on the window, his legs on the ground of the garden.

Strong rogue cultivators like Sun Yin were important assets to be recruited. After hearing about her strength, the master of the sect knew he had a jewel waiting to be fished in front of him. That was why Lin Kun was doing his best to make Sun Yin join his sect; however, she kept on making light of their conversation. In the end, he gave up on her.

"Wandering after years of isolated cultivation, I see." Lin Kun sipped his tea. "Are you planning to go to other cities aside from Huayuan, Miss Sun?"

"Yes. My next destination would be either Heici or Haiyang." She took a sip of the chamomile tea. She looked at Lu Bang who was not interested in their conversation. "Would you like to accompany me, Lu Bang?"

"And be enslaved and thrown all over the place by you? Not interested." Lu Bang enjoyed his share of cookies that came with the tea.

Sun Yin pouted before turning to the master who seemed gleeful of his brother's refusal. She hummed without a sound before asking. "It's not my position to ask, but… why do you call each other 'brother,' and yet Lu Bang receives awful treatment from the rest of the sect? Isn't he supposed to be respected for being brothers with the master of the sect?"

Lin Kun held his hand up. "I apologize, Miss Sun. What you are asking is… personal."

She leaned on the table as if alluring the master with her chest, but her head was turned towards Lu Bang. "Hm, I don't understand why you stay here, Lu Bang. Is this personal matter so light to you? That you could ignore it?"

The master stared at her vulgar actions. He pulled away from the table. "Please, Miss Sun. You are becoming disrespectful."

"If it becomes so unresolved, then wouldn't it be better if I take Lu Bang away from this place?" Only her eyes moved to look at Lin Kun. "He's a reliable fellow. If he stays here, I wonder what will happen to his sanity."

"Sun Yin," the master of the sect hissed her name.

"This is my home, Sun Yin. Don't take me away." Lu Bang answered without casting a gaze at her.

"Lu Bang…" Lin Kun felt relieved by his answer.

The woman looked at the master of the sect, turning her head. "I'm amazed by how your energy reacts to his voice. One moment, you're full of fury; but the next, you're light as a feather." She covered half of her face with her sleeve. "Oh, my, I must have missed something. Should I leave the two of you alone?"

Lin Kun's words got stuck in his throat. No one had ever made him feel so embarrassed before.

However, Sun Yin pulled her head back to evade a cup that flew to her face. She turned to Lu Bang who had thrown his cup at her.

"I don't care if you're some legendary maiden, but if you dare insult Lin Kun again, I will hurt you." Lu Bang threatened her with empty words. However, it was enough for her to shrug and back off from the master's case.

"Master Lin, the seamstress had arrived." A voice came from outside the door. A handmaiden walked in and fetched Sun Yin. "Miss Sun, please come with us."

Sun Yin got up from the seat and came with the maiden. She watched her close the door, blocking her view of the brothers in the room. The seamstress was called to mend Sun Yin's hanfu. It was the least they could do to show gratitude. The Huayuan Lin sect had lost a lot in the siege; they could not be bothered to be generous.

The handmaid was with her as the seamstress fixed her hanfu. Since she had to take it off, she had to deal with the cold of not having her thick robe. She was left in a white inner robe, left spotless despite the battles she had done. The room was also filled with silence. Sun Yin ended up asking the handmaid instead.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering why Lu Bang is here. I mean, he doesn't seem to be a disciple of the sect."

"Master Lin will have your head if you say something like that." The seamstress answered on the servant's behalf. "He loathes everyone who insults Lu Bang."

"Eh?"

"Lu Bang was a disciple… before his core was melted as a punishment for their father's crimes." The handmaid decided to join their conversation. "Late Master Lin Guwei was accused of treason against the Chief Cultivator and against the Society. He was killed honorably, they said." She paused a little. "The Lin sect was supposed to be punished heavily as well, but negotiations ended up with his son, Master Lin, taking the punishment for the entire sect… in the form losing his core.

"However, Lu Bang stepped in and took his place… as the older son of the late master." She hummed, worried that someone might be listening. "Lu Bang is the son of the late master's concubine. He had always had a low position here in the sect, but no one could say anything to him. Not in the face of the masters."

"Instead of them showing gratitude for his sacrifice, the disciples saw his action as making himself useful." The seamstress sighed. "Even though Lu Bang was the best among the disciples, he never earned their respect. He's always the concubine's son to their eyes…"