Departure

Three days later, Jiang Yun looked at Lin Feier, dressed in a short outfit, appearing with Lin Shenhe. Surprised, he looked at Lin Shenhe and said, "Is she also coming?"

"Yeah, Feier is joining us on this mission, to let her broaden her horizons," Lin Shenhe seemed unconcerned about the dangers of the Qingyang Cave, bringing Lin Feier along. Jiang Yun wondered what he was thinking.

Jiang Yun reminded Lin Feier, "Do you know there might be dangers?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Li Tao. Feier is confident in her ability to protect herself even in the face of danger," Lin Feier raised her chin a little proudly, implying that Jiang Yun shouldn't underestimate her.

Frowning, Jiang Yun found it unusual for Lin Feier to speak in such a manner according to her usual character. After carefully sensing Lin Feier's aura, Jiang Yun realized that she had already broken through to the first level of the Elemental Martial Realm. No wonder she was confident in wading into this situation; there shouldn't be any problem for a martial artist at the Elemental Martial Realm to defend themselves.

Once they were ready, Lin Shenhe led Jiang Yun and Lin Feier to depart. Outside the eastern gate of Yanjing City, they met the four members of the Xiao family: Xiao Wanshan, Xiao Wanshui, Wang Qinian, and the middle-aged man with his disciple.

Xiao Wanshan introduced the man to Lin Shenhe, saying, "Brother Lin, this is Elder Qin Li from the Green Wood Sect. Elder Qin is already a true martial artist at the Earth Martial Realm. We will follow Elder Qin's command for this mission. Do you have any objections, Brother Lin?"

As the other person was a martial artist at the Earth Martial Realm, Lin Shenhe naturally didn't dare to have any objections. Fortunately, Elder Qin didn't seem to have any intention of giving orders or meddling. He just nodded as a form of acknowledgment. As for Jiang Yun and Lin Feier, the two younger generation members, the martial artist from the Earth Martial Realm didn't bother to greet them.

Elder Qin had the demeanor of a true expert, but unfortunately, his disciple Wang Qinian was not up to par. As soon as he saw Lin Feier also present, he immediately approached, fan lightly swaying, and his eyes shining. He looked up and said, "Fate brings people together, Miss Lin, we meet again. It's fate, it's fate."

Lin Feier didn't give him face and turned her head, ignoring Wang Qinian. Instead, she retreated behind Jiang Yun. Wang Qinian still had lingering fear from Jiang Yun's previous attack and didn't dare to be too persistent. He disregarded Jiang Yun and backed away.

After they had just acquainted themselves, three more people arrived outside the eastern gate. Ye Chengde, the head of the Ye family, came with Ye Qin, accompanied by Jiang He, the head of the Jiang family.

Once the three of them arrived, Xiao Wanshan introduced them to each other, and then announced that all the participants for the expedition to the Qingyang Cave were present, and they could depart.

Elder Qin took the lead, followed by the several family heads, with Jiang Yun and the other younger generation members trailing behind. Wang Qinian shamelessly walked at the back with Jiang Yun and the others.

"Miss Feier, I think these flowers are a perfect match for you. I got them especially for you," Wang Qinian said, not knowing where he had picked a few wildflowers, which he had tied into a flower wreath to give to Lin Feier.

There were quite a few men in Yanjing City pursuing Lin Feier, but Lin Feier had never encountered someone as shameless as Wang Qinian. Lin Feier had already made it clear that she rejected Wang Qinian, but he didn't take it to heart and continued to strike up conversations with her.

"Thank you, but I don't like azaleas," Lin Feier replied with a helpless tone, rejecting him once again.

Wang Qinian wasn't discouraged either. He casually threw the flowers and said, "Miss Feier doesn't like azaleas? Well, that's good. I have deepened my understanding of Miss Feier once again. Actually, I'm not particularly fond of azaleas either."

...

On the way, Ye Qin and Jiang Yun had a pleasant conversation. Ye Qin admired Jiang Yun's extraordinary swordsmanship, and Jiang Yun appreciated Ye Qin's straightforward and open-minded nature.

"Brother Li's swordsmanship is beyond comparison. As a fellow practitioner of the sword, I feel inferior in front of Brother Jiang," as they were both sword practitioners, the topic naturally turned to Jiang Yun's swordsmanship.

"Brother Ye is too kind. I heard from Miss Feier that Brother Ye is skilled in painting?"

"I wouldn't say skilled, just a little familiar," Ye Qin didn't know why Jiang Yun suddenly brought up painting and didn't want to boast too much. However, seeing Jiang Yun's confident expression, he must have had confidence in his own paintings.

"In fact, the art of swordsmanship and the art of painting are remarkably similar, both emphasizing the concept of intention. As the ancients said, 'A good painter must focus on intention before brushstrokes. It is better to have intention without brushstrokes than brushstrokes without intention.'"

Seeing Ye Qin lost in thought, Jiang Yun continued, "To have intention without brushstrokes means that even if the brush doesn't touch the paper, the intention is conveyed; to have brushstrokes without intention means that even if the brush touches the paper, the intention is not expressed. Brother Ye, if you can combine the art of painting with your swordsmanship, it will surely be beneficial."

Ye Qin humbly sought advice from Jiang Yun, and Jiang Yun couldn't help but offer some insights. However, he wasn't sure how much of these metaphysical concepts Ye Qin could comprehend. But judging from Ye Qin's furrowed brow and contemplative expression, he probably had some understanding.

After Ye Qin fell into silence, Jiang Yun stopped speaking as well. His words weren't mere nonsense but based on his own personal experiences. However, the Dao that can be spoken of is not the true Dao, and how much Ye Qin could comprehend depended on his own aptitude. Jiang Yun didn't mind sharing his martial arts insights with others.

"Miss Feier, this journey is quite boring. How about I perform a magic trick for you?" Jiang Yun suggested.

Ye Qin was still lost in thought after Jiang Yun's words, and even Jiang Yun fell silent. Throughout the journey, only Wang Qinian tirelessly kept finding topics to chat with Lin Feier.

Lin Feier was tired of him and completely ignored him. Just as she was thinking about how to get rid of Wang Qinian, Ye Qin clapped his hands and respectfully bowed to Jiang Yun.

"Brother Li, your words have greatly benefited me. Please accept my respects," Ye Qin said.

Jiang Yun, not being modest, accepted Ye Qin's gesture and replied, "It's good that you can understand. It shows that you have talent in the way of the sword. If you continue to study diligently, you may achieve remarkable results."

"I don't have the face to talk about talent in front of Brother Li," Ye Qin humbly replied, aware of his own abilities.

Wang Qinian, seeing Ye Qin paying his respects to Jiang Yun, scoffed disdainfully, "Some people are just good with their mouths, and there are fools who actually believe them. It's strange indeed."

Wang Qinian's comment was an indirect insult to Ye Qin as well. Ye Qin was about to retort, but Jiang Yun spoke first, "Brother Wang, your words are quite strange. You should have witnessed the strength of some people, haven't you?"

Wang Qinian remembered the incident when Jiang Yun struck him with a finger and instinctively adjusted the hat on his head.

"Splurt."

Lin Feier burst into laughter, recalling Wang Qinian's sorry state that day. She quickly waved her hand and said, "I'm not laughing at you, I just remembered the featherless rooster we had at home this morning."

Wang Qinian felt like crying but had no words to express his frustration. Wasn't she mocking the fact that Jiang Yun had shaved off half of his hair with a single finger? Wang Qinian was infuriated and increased his pace to move ahead.

Wang Qinian's departure aligned with Lin Feier's intentions. With him no longer chattering on the side, the journey became quieter. Occasionally, they exchanged words with Jiang Yun and Ye Qin, making the journey less monotonous.