Chapter 51: The Simpleton's Awakening to Love

“Give me back my father’s love! Lin Tian is my father, you are a liar!” In the rear courtyard of Songyan Peak, Lin Xiaobao, lying in bed, suddenly woke from a dream with a cry.

In his dream, the image of the young girl he had once rescued was so vivid. Upon waking, Lin Xiaobao was overwhelmed with guilt. Was he truly a liar? If he were to tell Lin Tian the truth now, would Lin Tian be able to accept it? If Lin Tian learned the truth, and Lin Xiaobao failed to refine the Flaming Sun Elixir, would Lin Tian’s final days be marked by regret?

Suddenly, Lin Xiaobao resolved that, once this competition ended, if he failed to obtain the inner core, he would leave the Snow Pavilion and, before Lin Tian’s life reached its end, bring his real daughter before him.

With this decision made, Lin Xiaobao felt the weight on his shoulders lighten somewhat, though he knew this was only the last step should all his efforts fail.

The morning light streamed through the window. Lin Xiaobao rose from bed and stretched, then pushed open the door and stepped outside, only to find Wang Dashan already waiting at the threshold, his expression anxious.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xiaobao asked, puzzled.

“Nothing!” Wang Dashan replied with a silly grin. “I just wanted to get to Snow Peak early—to have a look around. I was going to call you, but I was afraid I’d disturb your rest.”

Watching Wang Dashan wring his hands nervously, Lin Xiaobao laughed. “What’s the matter, are you excited?”

As they spoke, the two began heading straight for Snow Peak. Since this was a competition for the direct disciples, the Snow Pavilion naturally hosted it atop the main peak, Snow Peak, to emphasize its prestige.

Leaving the bounds of Songyan Peak, Lin Xiaobao noticed that many disciples were also heading toward Snow Peak. Besides the direct disciples, there were many outer disciples as well. Yet, the gazes cast upon him now seemed oddly strained.

“Brother Xiaobao, do you think Nie Feiyan will come today?” Wang Dashan asked, his face flushing red like a pig’s liver.

“You like her?” Lin Xiaobao teased.

Embarrassed by the question, Wang Dashan seemed to fear that Lin Xiaobao would see through him. He suddenly picked up his pace, leaving Lin Xiaobao with only the sight of his back, and managed a muffled grunt as if he’d used all his strength.

“If you like her, go tell her yourself! Telling me is pointless,” Lin Xiaobao called after him. He meant no harm; he simply felt that if Wang Dashan wasn’t rejected face-to-face by Nie Feiyan, he’d never let go. With his stubborn nature, if his feelings lingered unresolved, he’d never be able to settle down and cultivate. Better to get it over with and move on.

Wang Dashan abruptly halted, hope shining in his eyes. “If I tell her, do you think she’ll agree to be with me?”

“I couldn’t say!” Lin Xiaobao replied, and, fearing he might discourage Wang Dashan too much, added, “But you’re blessed with the Physique of Herculean Strength—your cultivation is even fiercer than mine. Maybe she really will agree.”

“Alright, I’ll tell her today!” Wang Dashan nodded earnestly. Lin Xiaobao’s words made sense: though she was the city lord’s daughter, he was no ordinary man either. Perhaps it was a fair match.

If others knew what Wang Dashan was thinking, they’d want to slap him. The Physique of Herculean Strength matching the city lord’s daughter? Even if a princess married someone with such a physique, it would be the princess who was marrying down.

Lin Xiaobao understood this logic as well, but in his view, Wang Dashan was dumb in a solid way—he truly didn’t believe Nie Feiyan would agree. Watching his brother brim with hope, Lin Xiaobao felt as if he were pushing him into the fire.

The Hall of Eternal Vision atop Snow Peak was the site of today’s competition for direct disciples. Five elders were already seated at the entrance. Any direct disciple wishing to participate could now step forward and register.

However, only the top three would receive contribution points as rewards; the rest gained nothing. Direct disciples didn’t face the survival pressure of formal or outer disciples, so after weighing each other’s strength, not many chose to register.

“Brother Xiaobao, Master said my cultivation isn’t quite enough yet. I won’t compete this time—I’ll cheer for you instead!” Wang Dashan declared as soon as they reached the entrance.

Wang Dashan’s master was now Lin Tian. Since he’d said so, Lin Xiaobao, trusting him, saw no reason to argue and proceeded alone to register.

Registration was simple: present your Snow Order to prove your identity as a direct disciple, and sign up.

When Lin Xiaobao handed over his Snow Order, Elder Qi, who was registering him, couldn’t help but glance twice at the seventeen thousand contribution points recorded on it.

At Snow Pavilion, anyone who reached the Spiritual Path realm could claim a mountain as an elder, a status above the regular disciples, though elders themselves were ranked in status. Elder Qi, who was registering Lin Xiaobao, had only advanced to the Spiritual Path realm two years prior. Though an elder by title, he was far inferior to elders of Lin Tian’s generation.

Even compared to Lin Xiaobao’s wealth of over ten thousand contribution points, he seemed lacking, which was why he paid extra attention to Lin Xiaobao.

When registration was complete, Elder Qi returned the Snow Order to Lin Xiaobao, still unable to resist another glance at the alluring contribution points.

“I want to sign up too!” Wang Dashan suddenly ran over, placing his Snow Order on the table.

Lin Xiaobao looked at him in confusion. “Weren’t you not going to compete?”

Wang Dashan glanced at Elder Qi, then pulled Lin Xiaobao aside and whispered, “I just told Nie Feiyan I like her—guess what she said?”

“What did she say?” Lin Xiaobao asked, displeased, clearly having guessed the answer.

“She said that a man should be able to protect a woman. If I can place in the top five in the competition, she’ll agree to be with me!” At this, Wang Dashan became excited.

“Go for it, you can do it!” Lin Xiaobao replied. “Register first, I’ll go check things out.”

Turning away, Lin Xiaobao frowned and searched the area, heading toward Nie Feiyan. He knew that if Wang Dashan had enough time, not only could he reach the top five, he could surpass all disciples of Snow Pavilion. But with his current Seventh Stage innate martial strength, it was almost impossible to break into the top five.

If Nie Feiyan had rejected him outright, Lin Xiaobao would have understood. But her present approach left him somewhat annoyed.

“What do you mean by this?” Lin Xiaobao confronted Nie Feiyan bluntly.

“What do you mean?” Nie Feiyan lowered her gaze, her eyes flickering, unable to meet Lin Xiaobao’s stare.

“If you’re going to reject Dashan, why not just be direct? With his current strength, he has no chance of making the top five!” Lin Xiaobao said with a hint of anger.

“Senior Nie was simply stating her conditions. She never forced him to enter,” interjected Cen Shuyuan before Nie Feiyan could reply. “Besides, if a man doesn’t have the courage to fight for his woman, how can he claim to care for her?”

“In any case, if anything happens to Wang Dashan because of this, I won’t let you off!” Lin Xiaobao said grimly, then strode off to where Wang Dashan was registering, unwilling for his brother to witness discord between himself and the woman he admired.