Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

"Miss Long," he led her to the grave, his voice gentle, "you and Granny Sun can settle here peacefully. If anything goes wrong, just tell me. If there's nothing else, I'll come to see you every day."

"Aren't you going to stay?" Little Dragon Girl tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with doubt amidst their coolness.

Lin Tian was taken aback: "Me? I live here?"

"You are my husband," she said in a tone as natural as if reciting a scripture, "shouldn't we live together? That's what the books say."

Husband...son-in-law? !

Lin Tian's pupils constricted sharply, his mind exploding in a whirlwind of thoughts—which book? Who wrote it? Is the author dead or can they be captured and made a high-ranking official?!

"Miss, I..." Granny Sun was about to speak when Lin Tian immediately raised his hand to stop her.

"Ah—of course I'll stay!" He chuckled dryly, quickly trying to save face. "That was a slip of the tongue! Come, come, let's go inside and see which room is more suitable for us... cough, for you."

He then walked into the tomb, his steps slightly hurried.

"Why 'we'?" Little Dragon Girl followed, her voice indifferent. "Don't we all live separately?"

Lin Tian paused, stiffly turning back: "That book...didn't it say that husbands and wives should sleep in the same bed?"

"No." She shook her head, as if she were discussing alchemical texts.

Lin Tian's lips twitched, thinking to himself: What kind of strange book is this? Can I burn it and rewrite it?!

"...Let's go." He sighed resignedly.

Little Dragon Girl nodded and followed him into the deep, ancient tomb. Behind them, Granny Sun covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

At first, she wanted nothing more than to skin Lin Tian alive—who told him to ruin her mistress's reputation? But after spending the last two months with him, she saw through his character and understood the cause and effect. Now, she actually felt that this young man was worthy of Xiaolongnu.

Night falls and the city lights begin to twinkle.

Lin Tian and Ma Yu bid farewell to everyone, left the Taoist temple, and went straight to the palace.

Inside the Golden Palace, the air was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and the clinking of cups and the exchange of toasts. Emperor Lizong of Song, Zhao Yun, along with Empress Xie Daoyun, his favorite concubine Consort Jia, and a host of powerful officials including Jia Sidao and Cui Jing, were already seated to receive their guests.

Upon seeing the two arrive, Zhao Yun abruptly stood up, his eyes gleaming: "Quick! Please take a seat!"

"This humble Taoist priest, Ma Yu, pays his respects to Emperor Lizong."

"Lin Tian greets Emperor Lizong."

The two nodded slightly, their posture composed, and did not kneel. Ma Yu was a recluse, unaccustomed to worldly etiquette; while Lin Tian—in his current status, had no need to bow to anyone.

"Good! Good!" Zhao Yun said with a beaming smile, staring at Lin Tian for a long time before exclaiming, "Tian'er, it's been more than ten years since we last met, but today, as close as ever, we are still as dear as yesterday."

"Of course, Your Majesty and His Highness are connected by blood. Even if we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, or even decades, this blood bond will never be broken." As soon as Zhao Yun finished speaking, one of the people at the table immediately stood up, his face full of smiles as he bowed and flattered him.

Lin Tian's lips twitched slightly. Blood ties? What nonsense! You've clearly been completely fooled by the system...

"Hahaha, Prime Minister Jia is absolutely right, hereby reward him with one hundred taels of gold!" Zhao Yun waved his hand, his face beaming with delight.

"Your Majesty, I, Jia Sidao, thank you for your great favor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" The man stepped forward in response, as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times. He knelt down with a thud and shouted, his movements fluid and graceful.

Jia Sidao?! That traitor who rose to the position of prime minister by fighting crickets, a villain in history who can be compared with Qin Hui?! Lin Tian squinted at the figure kneeling in the hall—sure enough, bad people never have the word "traitor" engraved on their foreheads.

Zhao Yun turned to look at Lin Tian, ​​his tone slightly helpless: "Tian'er, Minister Cui said you're not planning to go back to the palace?"

"I'm not used to living here," Lin Tian said calmly.

He had no emotional connection with his emperor father, so naturally he couldn't put on any affectionate act.

"Sigh..." Zhao Yun sighed softly, "Since you want to be with your fellow disciples, then so be it."

He paused, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Ma Yu beside him: "By the way, Daoist Ma Yu, how is Tian'er's cultivation going? Has his fate been reversed? Is he able to return to the Zhao surname?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Sidao interrupted, "Your Majesty, you absolutely mustn't!"

These words shocked everyone present. All eyes turned to him, even Zhao Yun's face instantly darkening. If it were anyone else daring to interrupt the emperor, they would have been dragged out and beheaded long ago. But this man was Jia Sidao—a powerful minister in the court, with his sister in the harem supporting him; he could only endure it for the time being.

Jia Sidao reluctantly agreed. He had no choice; his sister, Consort Jia, had been subtly signaling him from behind the table. It was they, brother and sister, who had been so adamant that Lin Tian was a "cursed lone star." They had intended to use this opportunity to expel Lin Tian from the royal family, and then, once Consort Jia gave birth to a prince, to place him as crown prince. However, more than a decade passed, and not only Consort Jia, but none of the dozens of women in the entire harem conceived a child. In the end, Zhao Yun had only Lin Tian as his sole heir.

Now that he has completely offended this person, how can he possibly recover? It's fine as long as Zhao Yun is alive, but once he passes away and Lin Tian ascends the throne... the first one to suffer will definitely be Jia Sidao!

"Jia Sidao, what do you mean by this?" Zhao Yun questioned coldly, no longer referring to him as "Prime Minister Jia" but calling him by his name, his anger clearly evident.

My Zhao family only has one son. If you don't let him return to his original surname, does that mean the Song Dynasty will have to change its surname to someone else in the future?

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Jia Sidao hurriedly bowed his head. "You know perfectly well why His Highness takes his mother's surname. If we were to rashly change it back to the Zhao surname now... what if..."

He paused, glancing at Zhao Yun with a clear meaning: You dare to touch someone who brings misfortune to their family?

Zhao Yun's expression changed slightly, and he coldly snorted, "I naturally know. That's why I asked Daoist Ma Yu whether Tian'er has achieved any success in Daoist arts."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Ma Yu again.

Consort Jia and Jia Sidao stared at them, their eyes flashing with a chilling light, their threat almost palpable in the air.

Ma Yu, seemingly oblivious, calmly rose and cupped his hands, saying, "In my Quanzhen Sect, Tian'er's understanding of the Daoist scriptures and his martial arts skills are comparable to those of Patriarch Chongyang. As for his destiny, although I cannot fathom the secrets of heaven, as his teacher, I am a close friend. For more than ten years, he has not only been free from disasters and illnesses, but his cultivation has also steadily increased."

He paused, his voice growing somber: "Two months ago, the Quanzhen Sect was annihilated by five thousand Mongol cavalry surrounding the mountains. Tian'er faced the enemy alone, raising his head to the sky and shouting 'Thunder, come!'—a thunderclap shattered the heavens; then he roared 'Earth Collapse'—the earth cracked open, crisscrossing with ravines. All five thousand elite cavalrymen perished in the abyss."

"Five thousand Mongol cavalry?" Zhao Yun gasped, speechless with shock.

"Rumor has it that each Mongol cavalryman is worth ten, and five thousand of them are comparable to thirty to fifty thousand soldiers of our Great Song Dynasty!"

"Indeed. This shows that Your Highness's fate has already been reversed, transforming from 'Heavenly Curse' to 'Heavenly Favor,' truly a destiny ordained by Heaven."

"This is a blessing for our Great Song Dynasty!"

……

The courtiers whispered among themselves, a buzzing sound filled the hall, and people's hearts were unsettled.

Lin Tian remained silent, as if the surrounding disturbances were nothing but fleeting clouds, focusing only on chewing the dishes in front of him. Tsk, as expected of the Imperial Kitchen's craftsmanship, the cooking time was just right, and the aroma wafted straight into his nose—this meal was arguably the most comfortable he had eaten since transmigrating to the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

"Hahaha!" Zhao Yun's face was flushed, and his voice almost reached his ears: "It seems that Tian'er's fate has changed! Let's choose an auspicious day to hold a ceremony and change his surname..."

"Your Majesty, I have something to report." A slightly abrupt voice rang out—it was Jia Sidao again, who stepped forward with a stiff upper lip.

"What is it?!" Zhao Yun frowned, his tone revealing a hint of impatience.

"Your Majesty," Jia Sidao bowed first, then turned his gaze to Ma Yu, his tone tinged with doubt: "What Daoist Ma Yu just said was far too exaggerated, wasn't it? Even if Your Highness's martial arts are unparalleled, capable of single-handedly fighting five thousand Mongol cavalry, to say that a single 'Thunder comes' will cause a thunderclap to erupt from the ground, or that a single 'The earth will crack open' will cause the ground to split open... Such things are far too mystical. If you were to fabricate such rumors before His Majesty, Daoist, do you know that that would be the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun frowned slightly. Upon closer examination, the scene of "lightning strikes" and "earth collapse" was indeed almost like magic, beyond comprehension.