Who taught him to practice swordsmanship like this?

Magistrate Guo left again, and Su Baichen breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Talking to officials like that is exhausting. He now misses the days when he was cultivating in Yinfeng Gorge. Those days were truly simple and happy.

Now that he has entered the mortal world to cultivate and sever ties with worldly desires, he must consider these matters.

Su Baichen felt deeply how troublesome it was to be alone; he was restricted and it was inconvenient to do anything.

However, just as he was fretting, another visitor arrived.

"Excuse me, is Brother Bai Chen inside?"

He heard a very gentle and familiar voice.

Su Baichen walked to the front hall in surprise: "Sister Zhaodi? What brings you here?!"

This is such a pleasant surprise.

This was Lin Zhaodi, his fellow villager who had entered Changchun Palace with him to practice Buddhism years ago.

Lin Zhaodi was speaking seriously to Qing Mozi's illusion at that moment.

Seeing Su Baichen emerge from behind the hall, she exclaimed with delight, "Brother Baichen, you're really here!"

Su Baichen asked curiously, "Sister Zhaodi, it's been three years since we last met. Why have you come down the mountain?"

In his memory, Lin Zhaodi should still be cultivating in the outer sect of Changchun Palace. Even if she later successfully entered the inner sect, she should still be cultivating in the Foundation Establishment stage, right?

However, Lin Zhaodi was only fourteen years old at the time and was still quite inexperienced.

Now, three years later, Zhao Di has blossomed into a beautiful young woman, standing tall and graceful.

"Wait, Sister Zhaodi, you've already reached the Qi Refining Realm?"

He sensed that Lin Zhaodi was clearly also at the initial stage of Qi Refining.

Lin Zhaodi nodded gently: "I regained my Qi shortly after you left, and then I worked in the outer sect while consolidating my cultivation. It was quite peaceful and comfortable."

"When the year-long outer sect examination came, my master selected me to enter the Yang Sect for cultivation."

As Su Baichen listened, he suddenly realized something: his sister Zhaodi might also be a cultivation genius.

"So, sister, is your descent from the mountain this time also to sever your ties with worldly affairs?"

Lin Zhaodi nodded and said, "Yes, the intermediate stage of Qi Refining requires moving the furnace. At that time, there will be many dangers. It is the first life-or-death hurdle that all cultivators have to face. It is always best to sever worldly ties before passing this hurdle."

Su Baichen nodded in agreement, then asked curiously, "I wonder if Sister Zhaodi cultivated alchemy at the Yang Sect?"

Lin Zhaodi shook her head: "No, alchemy is very difficult, and it takes time to try and fail. I don't have that kind of time."

"I was thinking that my parents' health must be poor because they work hard all year round, so I learned some methods of regulating the body with internal energy and memorized some herbal remedies for nourishing the body, hoping they could come in handy."

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen couldn't help but sigh, "Sister Zhaodi's choice is really... like something you would make."

From the very beginning, Lin Zhaodi had no desire to compete, and indeed, what she learned at Yang Sect was nothing about fighting or winning.

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen couldn't help but ask curiously, "But... Sister Zhaodi, did Master really trust you to come down the mountain alone?"

In his opinion, Lin Zhaodi's ability to reach the initial stage of Qi Refining in just three years was definitely a testament to her exceptional talent, and she should be highly favored by the sect.

Lin Zhaodi said with a smile, "My master and several uncles and senior uncles are very kind to me. Knowing that I was coming down the mountain, they prepared some self-defense items for me. In short, I will have no problem protecting myself."

"But little brother, you're only twelve this year, right? How could your master let you come out at such a young age?"

Su Baichen was taken aback by the question, then chuckled and said, "Sister is right. My elders in the sect have naturally taught me some self-defense techniques."

It's clear from their answers that there's a difference in their natural talent for cultivation.

Lin Zhaodi was probably only good at cultivating qi, and not very good at applying magic, so she only learned some methods of guiding qi for healing.

Su Baichen's talent is even more outstanding; he has already mastered the Yin Sect's secret techniques and is also a sword cultivator...

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Ah, we were so busy chatting that we forgot we had a senior here. How rude of us."

At this moment, Lin Zhaodi suddenly remembered that there was a "Qing Mozi" beside her, and quickly bowed her head to apologize.

She didn't realize that this "Qingmozi" was actually an illusion; in her eyes, it was indistinguishable from a real person.

Su Baichen sighed, "Sister Zhaodi, this was just an illusion I cast. The real Senior Brother Qing Mozi has already passed away."

Lin Zhaodi covered her mouth in surprise and said, "I don't know..."

Su Baichen didn't explain much, but simply led Lin Zhaodi to the backyard.

She saw the graves in the backyard and immediately went forward to bow and pay her respects.

Only in this way can one be considered to have fulfilled all the proper etiquette.

"Sister Zhaodi, are you staying here or at your own home now that you've come out to sever your worldly ties?"

The Xuanmiao Temple has only four rooms. Su Baichen lives in one room, and the room that Qing Mozi originally lived in is obviously not suitable for being used immediately. There is another room that Guanlan Sword Aunt once lived in, so it will be left for the time being. Only one room needs to be cleaned up.

With Qingmozi's passing, there's no one to do the daily cleaning anymore.

Instead of answering, Lin Zhaodi asked, "Young man, you've also come to sever your worldly ties, haven't you gone home to stay?"

Su Baichen replied, "I have no relatives left, only some villagers who helped me in the past. I don't want to disturb their peaceful lives, so I'll just stay here and guard them for a while."

Lin Zhaodi was taken aback for a moment, then a knowing look appeared on her face: "Should I also be like you, just silently protecting you from the sidelines?"

Su Baichen hesitated for a moment, then said, "If my mother were still alive, she wouldn't even have participated in the selection of Changchun Palace. She would have only tried her best to make her life better in the secular world."

Lin Zhaodi instantly understood Su Baichen's meaning and was no longer hesitant or confused.

She said, "I understand, I'll go home and stay there now."

Su Baichen was taken aback upon hearing this, hesitated for a moment, and then simply said nothing more.

Actually, he wanted to advise Lin Zhaodi that since she had already entered Chunyang Palace, there should still be some distinctions to be made.

But then he thought about it again. Lin Zhaodi's situation was different from his. Her parents loved her very much, but she only entered the Taoist sect out of helplessness.

To sever her ties with the world, she must return to this family, experience certain things, and gain some insights before she can truly break free.

"Then I won't let you stay here overnight. It's better for you to go home."

"By the way, where do you live? I can come over to visit if I have some free time. And if you ever need any help, remember to come find me."

Lin Zhaodi smiled and replied, "Okay, my home is located in the north of Hekou Town. You can see three small hills in a row over there; that's where my home is."

Remember to come visit me.

She greeted him with a smile and then took her leave of Su Baichen.

Her departure was sudden, just as her arrival was sudden as well.

However, after Lin Zhaodi's interruption, Su Baichen felt much more relaxed.

Perhaps it's because I know I'm not actually alone.

Thinking about this, I suddenly remembered another fellow townsman, Wang Xingyuan.

If you have some free time, you might also take the opportunity to look after the Wang family.