This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

Back then, the Third Branch’s Uncle Qi, the Fourth Branch’s Tenth Uncle, and the Fifth Branch’s Uncle Jiu were the three most prominent True Gang Realm experts in the Lin Family.

At that time, the Third and Fourth Branches had their grievances, but it wasn’t a bitter feud like it is now. The three of them all had a very good relationship.

A direct daughter from the Cui Family, which was one of the Four Great Clans of Qing State, secretly developed feelings for Uncle Qi. She used the Fourth Branch’s Tenth Uncle to create several opportunities to meet him. But it was a case of unrequited love; Uncle Qi had no interest in the Cui Family’s daughter, so the matter was dropped.

But what no one expected was that the Fourth Branch’s Tenth Uncle, used by the Cui daughter as a go-between, would actually fall for her himself, to the point of obsession.

After being rejected by Uncle Qi, the Cui Family’s daughter grew resentful and sought revenge. She learned many of the Lin Family’s secrets from the Tenth Uncle, which caused the family to repeatedly lose ground in their territorial disputes with the Cui Family.

Unfortunately, secrets can’t be kept forever.

Eventually, Uncle Qi discovered the truth. But instead of telling the family, he cornered the Cui Family’s daughter and the Fourth Branch’s Tenth Uncle in the courtyard where they held their secret meetings.

Uncle Qi had originally intended to give the Tenth Uncle a chance. If the Tenth Uncle killed the Cui Family’s daughter with his own hands, the matter would be forgiven.

But unexpectedly, not only did the Tenth Uncle fail to see his error, he even attacked Uncle Qi alongside the Cui Family’s daughter.

In the end, Uncle Qi had no choice but to kill them both.

However, the Fourth Branch never accepted this version of events. In their view, Uncle Qi had simply used this as an opportunity to eliminate their Tenth Uncle.

In the Fourth Branch’s version of the story, the Cui Family’s daughter and their Tenth Uncle were deeply in love, and a jealous Uncle Qi murdered them out of spite.

With the Cui Family’s daughter and the Fourth Branch’s Tenth Uncle dead, there was no way to verify the truth.

In the end, Uncle Qi chose to seal himself away in the ancestral hall.

The family’s punishment for Uncle Qi wasn’t severe because any discerning person knew he had no motive to kill them. The Fourth Branch insisted he acted out of jealousy because they didn’t want to be branded as traitors to the family.

Lin Yan understood. ’Uncle Qi sealed himself away in the ancestral hall more out of guilt for personally killing a fellow clansman and friend than anything else.’

However, given his cynical nature, Lin Yan couldn’t help but wonder maliciously, ’Did that Cui Family daughter really turn from love to hate, or was this a setup by the Cui Family from the very beginning?’

"That incident seven years ago started the feud between our Third Branch and the Fourth Branch. Ever since, in the biennial clan competition, whenever our branches face each other, only one person walks off the stage. After two competitions like that, the young people of our two branches are now at each other’s throats."

Lin Mingsong’s voice pulled Lin Yan from his reverie. "During the competition three years ago," he continued, "Lin Mingyu from the Fourth Branch—Lin Mingchuan’s younger brother—had just reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Meanwhile, our Third Branch’s Mingyu, who was the same age, had already been at that level for a year. Everyone thought our Mingyu was guaranteed to win. But, unexpectedly, to defeat him, Lin Mingyu chose to forsake his future in Martial Arts and immediately tried to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm right after his Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing."

It all clicked for Lin Yan. He had been confused back then. As a member of the Fourth Branch’s main line, and with a brother like Lin Mingchuan, there was no reason for Lin Mingyu to have rushed into the Blood Exchange Realm immediately after his Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing.

Now, the mystery was solved. This was the root of it all.

"In that match, Mingyu died on the stage."

Lin Mingsong’s voice grew somber. Lin Minghai, who was beside them, picked up the story, "That was when the animosity between the Third and Fourth Branches became absolute. In recent years, several of our branch members have been assassinated while on missions. It’s likely the Fourth Branch is behind it, but we’ve never found any proof."

Hearing Brother Hai suddenly interject, and seeing the somber tone Brother Song had just taken, Lin Yan understood that Mingyu must have been especially close to Brother Song.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. Mingyu wasn’t my brother, but we were very close."

Lin Mingsong seemed to guess Lin Yan’s thoughts and shook his head. "I’m not telling you all this to burden you with the feud against the Fourth Branch, but just to answer your questions. I heard from Minghai that you’re a cautious person. That’s a good thing."

Lin Yan scratched his head, offering a sheepish smile.

"After Uncle Qi’s appearance today, the Fourth Branch won’t dare to scheme against you anymore. I’ll let Minghai explain the rest."

Lin Mingsong got up, and Lin Yan quickly rose to his feet as well, watching as Brother Song departed.

"It’s enough for you to be aware of the history between the Third and Fourth Branches. Now, let’s get back to you."

Lin Minghai sized Lin Yan up, his smile growing wider and wider until his whole face crinkled with delight.

"You kid, you’re really good at hiding your strength. Even I was stunned. Let’s not even talk about your Qi Blood—you actually mastered the Four-Phase Condensing Gang Sword! But don’t get too arrogant. There are plenty of clan members who have reached a Mental Realm."

"I was just lucky to achieve a breakthrough. I won’t get arrogant."

Hearing Lin Yan’s earnest promise, Lin Minghai felt an indescribable frustration.

He had said it out of habit, worried that Lin Yan might grow arrogant after taking first place in the branch competition. But remembering Lin Yan’s cautious nature, he realized he had wasted his breath.

"Since you’ve chosen the Four-Phase Condensing Gang Sword, you should pick out a suitable Sword when you go to the Martial Arts Vault later. With the enhancement from a Spiritual Weapon, the power of your Sword Gang will increase. Also, you’re cultivating the Eight Desolates Dragon Elephant Realm. The progress of this technique isn’t fast compared to the other Main Techniques in the clan, mostly because it’s incredibly resource-intensive. The medicinal power of a single Bodhi Pill only lasts for three days. If you want to increase your cultivation speed, you’ll have to take one every three days. That’s a massive expense."