Chapter 368:
With the Blood Letter Case closed and Xie Tieniu's father at last laid to rest, calm returned to the district.
Awed by the formidable strength of Wu Anning and the Pine Wind Sword Hall, Hao-ge and his two companions eagerly enrolled as students—and even paid out of their own pockets to replace the splintered wooden door.
Life settled back into its rhythm.
Under the new commander's administration, Xidong City had grown remarkably stable. Despite a punishing drought, the city's vitality only surged. Lin Hui, meanwhile, began screening the disciples he intended to formally take under his wing.
It was around this time that Zhao Lingxiao brought her closest friend, Liu Xuezhen, to the sword hall. Liu Xuezhen registered, paid her tuition, and signed the contract without a moment's hesitation—becoming one of the hall's refined martial arts students in a single visit.
"Aren't you going to observe a little longer?" Zhao Lingxiao asked, exasperated. The tuition was due annually, yet her friend had handed over the money on a whim.
"Observe what? As long as Brother Hui is here, I'll be here!" Liu Xuezhen laughed, eyes bright with mischief.
"I have nothing to say to you." Zhao Lingxiao shook her head. Her gaze drifted to the disciples running forms on the drill grounds, and she had to admit—had she not seen it herself, she never would have believed a sword hall could transform like this.
The massive figures moving through their stances were barely distinguishable by gender. What remained were solid slabs of muscle, flexing and contracting beneath the sun, sheened with sweat.