Chapter 13: Elder

Puzzled, he walked closer to examine it, discovering that not only was the Blue Line Grass affected, but even the Purple Night Flower across from it showed varying degrees of wilting, though not as severely as the Blue Line Grass.

He clearly remembered that these medicinal herbs were lush and green at noon; how could they have changed so much in just one afternoon. He picked up the withered Blue Line Grass and focused his gaze. Based on its appearance, it had lost all its moisture and dried up. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. He touched the soil on the ground and found it to be very moist, perfectly suitable for the herbs' growth, which made him feel bewildered.

After a long while, his eyes suddenly flashed, and he muttered to himself, "Only one person came here this afternoon, but how could he, a Named Disciple, cause these medicinal herbs to wither?"

Thinking of this, he decided to investigate. Without a word, he flicked his sleeve, his body immediately floated up, and a seven-colored Auspicious Cloud appeared beneath his feet. He quickly left the Main Courtyard, and shortly after, he arrived at the Named Disciples' Administrative Office.

"Which Disciple is in charge here?" Elder Sun roared, his voice instantly turning into peals of thunder. The yellow-robed Disciple Surnamed Liu, who was responsible for the area, immediately rushed out of the room, terrified and deathly pale. He plopped onto the ground and repeatedly kowtowed.

Elder Sun frowned and said impatiently, "Do you have Wang Lin's registration here?"

The Disciple Surnamed Liu's heart sank. He never imagined that a lofty Elder would personally come here to ask about a piece of trash. In his terror, he recalled how he had previously made things difficult for Wang Lin, and his face instantly turned ghastly white. Shaking with fear, he said, "Disciple… has… has Junior Brother Wang Lin's registration. Junior Brother Wang is diligent and studious, and he is meticulous in all his work. Disciple… Disciple has always taken him as a role model… a paragon… I…"

Elder Sun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but inwardly he was very pleased. The more nervous the other party was, the more it showed they respected and feared him. One must know that Elders of the Heng Yue School were actually not very valuable; all Second Generation Disciples were called Elders. Of course, this title was used by Named Disciples. If they were Inner Sect Disciples, they mostly referred to them as Junior Martial Uncle.

Although he was an Elder in the eyes of the Named Disciples, he actually held little status among the Second Generation Disciples, and his strength was bottom-tier. Even the Third Generation Disciples looked down on him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned the trivial job of handling the applications for Named Disciples returning home to visit their families.

Elder Sun straightened his face and said in a deep voice, "Which courtyard does Wang Lin live in?"

"In… in the Earth Character Sub-Courtyard in the northern corner…"

Before he could finish speaking, Elder Sun moved, transforming into a long streak of light that sped north, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The Disciple Surnamed Liu grew even more nervous, his intestines practically turning green with regret. He secretly swore that if he ever saw Wang Lin again, he absolutely couldn't mock him like before. He had to diligently flatter him and serve him like his own grandfather—after all, this was a favored person whom an Elder personally inquired about.

After Elder Sun arrived at the Earth Character Sub-Courtyard, his Divine Sense swept through the area, but he did not find Wang Lin. After a brief contemplation, he entered the Registration Office to check and, upon finding Wang Lin's room number, headed straight for it. Zhang Hu was sound asleep, completely unaware of Elder Sun's arrival.

After thoroughly investigating the room with his Divine Sense, Elder Sun frowned deeply and muttered, "He left very quickly. Hmph, it will be the same if I check again after he returns."

Wang Lin walked among the mountains, an Immortal Talisman affixed to his leg. This Immortal Talisman was truly miraculous. After being placed on his body, a warm stream of Qi flowed from it into his body, gathering in his feet and shining with dazzling white light. Seen from afar, he looked just like a true Immortal.

In particular, the wild beasts in the mountain forest quickly fled upon seeing this white light, daring not to approach.

A gentle breeze blew against his face, and the air in the mountains was fresh. Wang Lin was in a cheerful mood, moving quickly as he rushed along continuously in the direction held in his memory.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, he took a drink of spring water from his gourd. Feeling refreshed, he looked back and realized he had already left the mountain forest. He estimated that he only had a short distance left to reach the County Town, and from there, he could follow a small path back to the village.

Without stopping, he strode quickly forward. As the sky fully brightened, he entered the County Town. It happened to be market time, and the place was bustling with crowds. Wang Lin walked around, bought some gifts for his parents, and then quickly left.

When the sun reached the height of three poles, Wang Lin finally returned to the village. From afar, he saw a tall, red, long blessing banner hanging at his house, inscribed with a large character for Longevity.

Outside the door, there were many carriages, and people came and went in great excitement.

Wang Lin paused, then quickly approached and stopped just outside his family's door. The manner of his arrival was too startling. The relatives gathered at the Wang Family home to celebrate the birthday only saw a flash of white light before Wang Lin appeared right in front of them.

Everyone revealed looks of envy and began showering him with praise.

"Second Brother, Wang Lin is back! Look at this child; he truly is an impressive talent, clearly the material for an Immortal."

"Exactly! The Immortal misjudged him back then, but didn't they regret it later and take Wang Lin as a Disciple directly? Our Wang Family will rely entirely on these three children from now on."

"It was my old eyes failing me; I didn't see this child's merits. Looking now, how is Wang Lin inferior to Wang Zhuo and Wang Hao? He is clearly a Dragon among Men! Good, good, good!" The oldest Third Uncle of the Wang Family Clan, stroking his white beard, praised loudly, seemingly having forgotten his malicious demeanor from a month ago.

"Wang Lin was smart ever since he was little. I said long ago that he would surely be taken in by an Immortal. Last time was just an accident. If Immortals can misjudge, how much more so can we Mortals? Wang Lin, please don't resent Fifth Uncle. Fifth Uncle apologizes to you here."

Opinions were varied, and all the relatives had changed their tune. Every one of them was smiling and wearing a friendly expression.

Wang Lin scoffed internally. At that moment, his father excitedly walked out of the door, took Wang Lin's hand, and asked with concern, "Tiezhu, why are you back? Didn't I tell you to settle down at the Heng Yue School and not constantly worry about home?"

Wang Lin looked at his father and clearly saw that the wrinkles on his face had diminished significantly, indicating he had been extremely happy lately. He smiled and said, "Father, don't worry. Every Disciple in the School gets three opportunities a year to visit family. I'll rush right back after celebrating your birthday."

Wang Lin's father glanced proudly at the surrounding relatives, pulled Tiezhu inside the door, and loudly announced, "Mother of my child, look who's back."

Wang Lin's mother was surrounded by a group of female relatives, all chatting and gossiping about daily life. Hearing her husband's words, she quickly looked up, immediately ran over in surprise, grabbed Wang Lin's hand, and asked him many questions with great concern.