Martial World

Lin Ming departed. His visit to Sword Mountain had left him with an inexplicable feeling.

Although during this period he did not perceive cultivation methods, enlighten himself on the Heavenly Dao, or even sit in meditation, Lin Ming knew that in truth, his heart had gone through an unprecedented baptism.

If the fires of his soul were still vibrant, then these feelings and sentiments would bring him unimaginable accomplishments in the future.

However, he still hadn’t found a way to restore his source soul force…

He crossed Sword Mountain, passing through a vast wilderness and then arriving at the Sky Fortune Kingdom.

The Sky Fortune Kingdom – the land where he was born and raised.

This land carried far too many memories for him.

Lin Ming stood on a mountain, looking down over the country. In the infinite vastness of the cosmos, this tiny nation was far too small. It wouldn’t even be able to be described as a grain of sand in the desert.

But even so, this tiny land was burdened with Lin Ming’s memories…

He spread out his sense, easily covering the entire nation.

He found Green Mulberry City; this was the city he grew up in as a child.

In the past, Green Mulberry City was a small town. Its walls were 200 feet high and it had less than a hundred thousand citizens living within.

But in the current era, Green Mulberry City had already surpassed the capital, Sky Fortune City, and had become the number one city of the Sky Fortune Kingdom.

This city was extremely lively and bustling. The streets were wide and spacious and filled with crowds of boisterous people.

This world-overturning change was naturally because of Lin Ming. Lin Ming had come from this city and was the legendary hero of Green Mulberry City. Because of this, innumerable martial artists came to visit, and these martial artists possessed a massive amount of wealth that boosted Green Mulberry’s rapid growth.

At the city entrance there were three 30 foot high rock sculptures.

The sculpture in the city was that of Lin Ming. Lin Ming’s statue grasped a long spear that pointed straight into the bright blue skies.

Behind Lin Ming, there were two sculptures of peerless women. They were as beautiful as ephemeral fairies; they were Mu Qianyu and Qin Xingxuan.

These three statues were worshipped by countless people every year.

Lin Ming stood at the entrance of the city for a long time, looking around.

Finally, he stepped into the city.

In the busy crowds there was everyone one could think of: students, martial artists, actors, maids, chair-bearers, stall owners selling sesame cakes…

“Come on, take a look! Take a look! Don’t miss out on this! I can crack a stone on my chest and a jar on my head! Those with money come and try, those without money, come and look!” A man with a bare upper body excitedly shouted out to the crowd, his fists cupped together.

“Feng shui can tell your fortune. If you believe, then come and try it, and if you don’t…” A fortune teller had set up a stall to divine the futures of gullible customers.

Lin Ming listened to the sounds all around him. Slowly, he blended into the crowd, become a common and inconspicuous individual. Only the mask covering his face caused people to notice him.

Luxurious carriages could be seen everywhere. Exquisite sedan chairs came one after another.

Some people rode towering horses into the city. Some people walked in with their heads held high, and some people sat at the city entrance in rags, begging atop their straw mats.

“Buy a sesame cake! These are fresh sesame cakes that just came out of the oven! Two pennies for one! Fresh and fragrant, these are made with the secret recipe of my ancestors! Little brother, how about trying one?”

As Lin Ming passed over a stone bridge, an aunty selling sesame cakes shouted out to him.

Lin Ming turned to see an aunty. Her face was wrapped in a scarf. Her exposed skin was reddened from years of sun exposure and harsh winds. She wore simple and coarse clothes, and a pair of worn out shoes.

At this time, she had wrapped a sesame cake with a piece of paper. The hands that held the sesame cake were gnarled with age.

Lin Ming looked at this aunty and felt a burning feeling in his nose. He felt over his body, but he knew he didn’t have any copper coins or even gold or silver.

He couldn’t take out anything from his spatial ring. Any single item taken out and placed in the mortal world would cause a catastrophe.

Thus, he shook his head.

The aunty looked at Lin Ming’s clothes. He didn’t seem like a poor person, but he didn’t have a single penny on him. Perhaps he had forgotten to bring money.

She smiled, “Little brother, did you forget to bring money? It’s already noon, you might not have eaten yet. Here, take a sesame cake, it’s free of charge.”

The aunty took the paper-wrapped sesame cake and stuffed it into Lin Ming’s hands.

Lin Ming took the sesame cake. He stood there, not knowing what feeling was in his heart.

In the past when Lin Ming was still a child, his family circumstances hadn’t been bad or good. His parents managed a restaurant for their clan and would receive money every year. When his mother gave him pocket money, Lin Ming would frequently stroll through the streets, buying sesame cakes and candied fruits.

Lin Ming held the sesame cake in his hands and slowly brought it up to his mouth. He took a small bite.

The mild taste melted in his mouth, bringing with it a unique fragrance.

The flavor hadn’t changed, even after over 100 years.

The only change was… those who ate the sesame cake…

Lin Ming cautiously ate.

This was a food unique to mortals. For many years, Lin Ming had eaten innumerable heavenly materials. Just a tiny bit of what he ate for a single meal couldn’t even be afforded by the entire wealth of a nation. But… he couldn’t remember any heavenly materials that tasted as good as this sesame cake did today. Lin Ming ate it up.

“Little brother, how is it?”

The aunty saw tears form at the corners of Lin Ming’s eyes as he ate the sesame cake, and she was flustered a little. “Does the cake not taste good? Or did you have some troubles with your family and run away…?”

“No, I’m fine… thank you, aunty…”

Lin Ming shook his head. He respectfully bowed and then turned to leave.

Lin Ming walked forwards step by step. Along the way, he saw many dignitaries and nobles. He saw young masters riding atop horses and spoiled misses in their sedans.

He saw even more poor people. He saw prostitutes displaying their bodies in front of brothels and he saw beggars begging on the streets.

The life of a mortal was less than a mere hundred years. From young to old, who knew how many peoples had been born and died, living through happiness and suffering.

Lin Ming had seen these sights in his youth. But, he had never truly experienced it.

When martial artists cultivated the Heavenly Dao, that was a type of enlightenment.

And returning to the mortal world and feeling the soil, that was also another type of enlightenment.

Yet, there were far too many people who perceived the Heavenly Dao and far too few people who understood the toils of mortals…

A martial artist stood at too high a height. Compared to an ordinary person, there was a natural moat as great at the skies that separated them; they were naturally unable to feel the sweet, sour, spicy, and all the other tastes of a mortal’s life.

Imperceptibly, Lin Ming arrived at the center of Green Mulberry City. Here was where the Lin Family was located.

For the past 100 some years, because of Lin Ming, they had become the number one mortal family clan of the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom and even the entire South Horizon Region.

Even the royal families of great nations weren’t as prominent or prestigious as the Lin Family.

No matter who it was or what influence they came from, no one dared to provoke the Lin Family.

In the past, Lin Ming had taken his parents away from the Lin Family and had ended his karma with them. Today, Lin Ming returned to the Lin Family, but only quietly stood at the front gates.

For two hours, Lin Ming watched as all sorts of famed and powerful individuals walked in and out of the Lin Family. Each one was respectful as they walked in, and didn’t dare to hurry their steps.

He also saw some disciples of the Lin Family practice their martial artists on the military field, their movements intense and vigorous.

The current head of the Lin Family was an intelligent individual. He understood that one’s own strength was the most important thing.

Lin Ming silently looked at all of this and then silently departed. From start to finish, he never passed through the gates of the Lin Family.

Life and death was fated, wealth and honor came and went. The Lin Family should be able to live prosperously for thousands of years, but in this world, there was no such thing as eternal wealth and glory.

Perhaps in the future, this respected family would be ruined, one day reverting to an ordinary family…

In Lin Ming’s eyes, this was a natural samsara. There was no need to change it…