Chapter 234: Chapter 113: Lin Yue’s Decision
"Come in." Lin Yue’s voice, slightly hoarse, came from inside the room.
Zhao Wenzheng pushed the door open and walked in, a faint medicinal scent wafting out to greet him.
The room was quite spacious and simply furnished. Lin Yue stood in the center, slowly practicing a set of basic martial arts forms.
He had far more energy than three months ago. Though his face still held a sickly pallor, his movements were much more nimble. Still, a slight stiffness was visible when he threw a punch, a clear sign he didn’t dare use his full strength.
Hearing the commotion, Lin Yue relaxed his stance and turned. A smile touched his lips when he saw Zhao Wenzheng. "Third Senior Brother, you’re here."
"You’re looking much better. Your recovery is coming along well." Zhao Wenzheng placed an oil-paper package he was carrying onto the table. It contained two pounds of candied fruit he had just bought. "Brought you some snacks to help with the boredom."
Lin Yue smiled, walked over to the table, and sat down. He picked up a piece of candied fruit and popped it into his mouth.
As he tasted the sweet fruit, the smile on his lips faded, and a hint of melancholy entered his voice. "These days, you’re about the only one who still comes to see me, Third Senior Brother. Besides Master, I imagine everyone else at the Martial Arts Hall has long forgotten me."
He toyed with a piece of candied fruit and sighed softly. "Things used to be so good between us. Eldest Senior Brother, Senior Sister Qi, you, and me... we were practicing and drinking together almost every day. But ever since I was badly injured, Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Qi only visited a couple of times at the very beginning. After that..."
Zhao Wenzheng picked up a teacup and took a sip. "Don’t take it to heart. Things have been busy at the Martial Arts Hall, so no one’s had the time."
Lin Yue looked up, his brow furrowed slightly. A flash of confusion crossed his eyes. "What could possibly be going on at the Martial Arts Hall?"
Zhao Wenzheng set down his teacup, a strange half-smile on his face. "No new arrivals, but one of the old-timers has certainly made a name for himself. I’m guessing you haven’t heard, Junior Brother. Yesterday, our Junior Brother Yang accomplished something monumental. He single-handedly killed Li Qianxiong, the leader of the Flying Horse Thieves, and then joined forces with the River Gang to wipe out the entire band!"
He leaned in, his tone heavy with meaning. "Is there anyone in all of Yuhe County who doesn’t know Junior Brother Yang’s name by now? The Lord County Magistrate himself is holding a celebratory banquet for him at his residence tonight. I’d wager that right about now, Junior Brother Yang is sipping Jade Liquid Nectar and watching dancers perform. Living the good life, I’m sure."
"What?" The candied fruit in Lin Yue’s hand dropped onto the table with a soft clack. He snapped his head up, his eyes filled with utter disbelief. "Yang Jing? He killed Li Qianxiong? And wiped out the Flying Horse Thieves?"
He was well aware of Li Qianxiong’s fearsome reputation. The man was a top-tier expert at the Peak of Dark Energy. Even before his own injury, Lin Yue knew he would have been no match for him.
’Yang Jing only passed the proving grounds trial by a fluke. How could he possibly have this kind of power?’
But Zhao Wenzheng’s tone didn’t sound like he was joking. Lin Yue’s heart sank.
Whether he believed it or not, the mere fact that the County Magistrate was hosting a banquet for Yang Jing was enough to prove his status was no longer what it once was.
’Without him even realizing it, the nobody he’d never given a second thought had already surpassed him.’
"How... How did he get so strong?" Lin Yue muttered to himself, his fingers gripping the edge of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Zhao Wenzheng sighed, his voice thick with envy. "Who knows? Maybe his luck finally turned. Master thinks very highly of him now, spending a long time personally instructing him every day. I heard he even gave him a token for the Exotic Beast Pavilion, which lets him collect a large amount of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat each month to replenish his qi and blood."
He clicked his tongue. "My Zhao Family has some money, but even we can’t afford to eat high-grade Exotic Beast Meat every day. The treatment Junior Brother Yang is getting... tsk, tsk..."
Lin Yue’s expression darkened bit by bit, as if covered by a layer of frost.
’The Exotic Beast Pavilion Token?’
’Master personally gave that Token to me. He said I was the future hope of the Martial Arts Hall and that I had to be nurtured with the very best resources.’
’Later, after I was seriously injured and bedridden, Master said I wouldn’t be needing it for the time being and took it back... So he gave it to Yang Jing?’
An indescribable feeling of stifled resentment and fury surged through him. Beneath the table, his hand clenched into a fist so tight his nails nearly pierced his palm.
Zhao Wenzheng, seemingly oblivious to Lin Yue’s reaction, continued, "And that’s not all. I heard from Eldest Senior Brother that Master is apparently planning to take Yang Jing on as a Closed-door Disciple. When Master retires, the legacy of this Martial Arts Hall will likely be passed on to Yang Jing."
He paused, looked at Lin Yue, and added with a sigh, "You know, Junior Sister Ning Xiang is of marriageable age. Since Master values Yang Jing so highly—planning to make him his Closed-door Disciple and hand the Martial Arts Hall over to him—I’d guess... he’ll probably betroth Junior Sister Ning Xiang to him, too."
"Impossible!"
Lin Yue slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter.
His face was livid, his eyes bloodshot. He trembled all over like a lit firecracker.
’A Closed-door Disciple?’
’The legacy of the Martial Arts Hall?’
’Senior Sister Ning Xiang?’
’All of that should have been mine!’
’I’m the one with superior aptitude! I was Master’s most cherished disciple!’
’The Martial Arts Hall’s resources, Master’s expectations, even Senior Sister Ning Xiang’s affection... all of it was supposed to be mine!’
’But now, Yang Jing is going to snatch it all away?!’
’How could Master do this to me?!’
’I risked my life for the Martial Arts Hall and brought honor to Master, only to end up like this?’
’Even my Exotic Beast Pavilion Token was taken back and given to Yang Jing?’
"Master... How could he..." Lin Yue’s voice was raspy, thick with bitter resentment and indignation. His chest heaved violently, as if it were about to burst.
Watching Lin Yue lose his composure, an imperceptible smile touched the corner of Zhao Wenzheng’s mouth before he quickly replaced it with a worried expression. "Junior Brother, don’t get so agitated, you’ll hurt yourself... With your natural talent, once your injuries fully heal and you return to the Martial Arts Hall, Master will surely value you the most again."
But in his heart, he knew those words had already pierced Lin Yue’s like poisoned barbs.
