Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

When Xie Yuan saw Second Master Lin reaching for him, his brow furrowed. He sneered,

"I was just thinking it would be improper for a guest to overstep his bounds, wondering how I should meddle in this affair. But you... you’ve got some nerve.

"You made the first move. Since you want this saber, then take it. Catch."

With a flick of his fingers, a flash of steel lit up the mourning hall. Before anyone could register his movement, the chillingly sharp Treasure Saber had stopped right in front of Second Master Lin, poised for him to run right into it.

Second Master Lin stared at the blade that had suddenly appeared before his hand, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He had been there when Landlord Lin first acquired this very saber. Landlord Lin was a young man then. While not as rich as he would later become, he was still fabulously wealthy. And this saber... it had cost him over half his entire fortune.

Second Master Lin had witnessed firsthand how Landlord Lin had spent a fortune to acquire the Treasure Saber of his dreams, and he knew just how impossibly sharp it was. He understood it more deeply than anyone else in the Lin family; even Lin Cheng and Lin Zhen weren’t as aware of its true worth.

That was why he had been consumed with jealousy the moment he saw it on Xie Yuan’s hip. But now, with the blade whistling toward his hand, his scalp went numb with terror.

Given the Treasure Saber’s sharpness, he was certain the slightest touch would slice his fingers clean off.

Second Master Lin summoned every ounce of his strength, grabbing his outstretched arm with his other hand. He managed to halt his hand just shy of the blade before yanking it back in a reflex.

But as luck would have it, the jadeite thumb ring he wore was snagged by the very tip of the blade, sliding down to rest perfectly upon the cutting edge.

Throughout the entire exchange, Xie Yuan had merely held the saber steady. To any observer, it looked as if Second Master Lin himself had reached out, deliberately placed the thumb ring on the blade, and then retracted his hand.

Even those who knew nothing of martial arts could see that the precision and timing involved were anything but ordinary. Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Xie Yuan chuckled.

"Since you couldn’t take the saber, it seems it’s not fated to be yours."

He spun the long saber in a flourish, deftly catching the thumb ring. Then, with a crisp SHIING, he slid the blade back into its sheath.

Xie Yuan walked forward and placed the thumb ring on the rim of the incense burner before the sandalwood coffin. Then, under the dumbfounded gazes of the Lin family, he took a stick of incense, lit it, and bowed deeply, praying silently in his heart:

’Landlord Lin, though we knew each other only briefly, I have received your Treasure Saber. In return for your favor, I swear I will not allow your son and daughter to be bullied. If your spirit is watching from the heavens, I hope you won’t mind me meddling in this affair.’

When he finished his prayer, he respectfully placed the incense stick in the burner and straightened up.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the mourning hall, sending the joss paper on the floor fluttering into the air with a great RUSTLE.

The crowd swatted at the air, trying to keep the fluttering paper and ash out of their eyes. When the Lin family members opened their eyes again, they were stunned. Xie Yuan stood perfectly still, the joss paper swirling around him but never touching him, as if he were the eye of the storm.

Xie Yuan said in a low voice,

"It seems Landlord Lin agrees that I should see justice done."

The Lin family members paled at the sight, their stances shifting.

But they reacted differently. Landlord Lin’s two children stepped forward, looking at the coffin with excited expressions. In contrast, their uncles all instinctively recoiled, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Father, did you send Master Xie to back us up?"

Lin Cheng said, his face flush with excitement.

Lin Zhen, on the other hand, was looking at Xie Yuan. A thought had clearly struck her, and her beautiful, tear-filled eyes shimmered brightly.

Second Master Lin’s face was a mask of astonishment, and his heart hammered in his chest.

’What? Did Big Brother really find this so unbearable that his spirit decided to intervene?’

Xie Yuan turned and patted the Treasure Saber at his waist.

"Elders of the Lin family, I, Xie Yuan, may be unworthy, but I have been entrusted by Landlord Lin to bear his prized Treasure Saber and oversee the distribution of his inheritance.

"All assets left by Landlord Lin—including the fertile lands of the Lin Estate, the Lin family shops in the city, and all silver in the bank—shall belong to his son and daughter, Lin Cheng and Lin Zhen. No one else, be they brother or clansman, shall lay claim to any of it. Otherwise, this Treasure Saber of his will show no mercy!"

Xie Yuan drew and sheathed his saber in a single, blurring motion. A phantom shadow seemed to flash through the air with a sudden roar, startling the Lin family uncles so badly their legs began to tremble.

He then turned to Second Master Lin, his voice low and grave.

"Elder, out on the streets, if you had dared reach for my weapon, you’d be spending the rest of your life needing someone else to feed you. But we are before Landlord Lin’s memorial, and I will not disturb his spirit. For the sake of your name, Lin, I will let it slide. But if I ever hear that you’ve tried to usurp the Landlord’s inheritance again, I will settle today’s score and that one together."

He turned to Lin Cheng and Lin Zhen, his expression softening.

"You two, if you run into any trouble in the future, or if anyone tries to bully you, you can find me at the Longteng Escort Agency. As long as I carry this saber, I will protect you. I have other business to attend to today, so I must take my leave."

Xie Yuan clasped his hands in a farewell salute and swept his gaze around the mourning hall. Every one of the uncles averted their eyes, daring not to meet his.

He turned and departed, as swift as the wind.

"Master Xie, Master Xie..."

Lin Cheng took a few steps after him, calling out, but in a flash, Xie Yuan was already gone from the estate, leaving no trace. Lin Cheng stood frozen in place for a moment.

"Ah Cheng, I... I left a kettle on the fire at home. I have to go. I’ll be back tomorrow to burn some joss paper for Big Brother."

One of the uncles spoke up, startling Lin Cheng out of his stupor.

He turned his head to see the man looking awkward and fearful. All talk of demanding his share was gone. The man scurried off and was gone in a flash.

The other clan members did the same. Even Second Master Lin’s expression flickered with uncertainty before he, too, quietly departed, leaving the thumb ring he coveted so dearly sitting on the incense burner, not daring to touch it.