Chapter 49

Lin Zheng slept straight through until noon the next day. After waking up, he devoured a large table of food, feeling much better.

It turned out that Lin Zheng had been continuously refining a necklace for the past three days. He believed that the first gift for Li Ruoshui couldn't be too shabby, so he racked his brains and worked tirelessly. During the refinement, he discovered that combining many materials was far more complicated than he had initially thought. With his stubborn nature, he persisted, refining for three days straight.

"Third Brother, did you succeed? Quickly, take it out and let us see what you've been up to for these three days!" Lin Qin laughed from the side.

"Exactly, exactly, Third Brother, take it out quickly!" The crowd cheered.

Even Li Ruoshui looked on with anticipation as Lin Zheng took out a necklace from his ring. A series of small crescent moons were linked together, each emitting a faint white light, reflecting off each other. Inside the crescent moons, a thin, pale blue liquid flowed, like a blue silk ribbon connecting the moons. The pale blue ribbon shone through the white jade-like moons, creating a small, star-studded moon river.

The crowd stared at the necklace in amazement, and Li Ruoshui's face was filled with happiness and joy. White and blue were her favorite colors, and she loved the beautiful moonlit night sky. She never expected Lin Zheng to be so thoughtful in creating such a necklace. Even if it was just a piece of craftsmanship, it was priceless to Li Ruoshui.

Uncle Hong, who was sitting at the table, suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Genius! Without mentioning anything else, this inspiration and design are something that few of the younger generation can match!" Uncle Hong, who had spent his life forging, had a keen eye that everyone trusted.

Lin Qin and the three little rascals' eyes sparkled with admiration, as if they were about to drip with water. The crowd also looked at Lin Zheng with admiration. Lin Zheng, under everyone's gaze, gently placed the necklace around Li Ruoshui's neck, then pulled her to sit down. The soft glow illuminated Li Ruoshui's already beautiful face, making everyone around her entranced.

Everyone, including Lin Zheng, looked at Li Ruoshui closely, making her face turn red. Li Ruoshui gently held Lin Zheng's hand and smiled at him, and in that moment, it was as if a hundred flowers bloomed, warming Lin Zheng's heart, almost melting him!

Afterward, Lin Zheng continued to take out the items he had forged over the past few days and distributed them to everyone. The three little rascals, wearing cute soft armor, went to show off to their elders and then to Pizi Lang, who was quite helpless. Lin Zheng told the little rascals with a straight face that the big flower shorts were the best, and everything else was just a passing cloud, making everyone laugh.

During this time, Lin Zheng explained the effects of various protective gear, causing the crowd to cheer frequently. Even the elders looked surprised. Uncle Hong was very happy, laughing loudly and drinking big gulps of wine.

After a long while of excitement, everyone dispersed to continue their afternoon training.

Lin Zheng did not go to train with everyone but instead walked around the village with Li Ruoshui. Li Ruoshui's brows occasionally furrowed, as if she had something to say. Lin Zheng, understanding her, smiled and said, "Ruoshui, do you want to go back to the mountain?"

"Ah? How did you know, Lin Brother?" Li Ruoshui asked in surprise.

"All your thoughts are written on your face. How could I not know?" Lin Zheng smiled, gently scratching Li Ruoshui's small nose.

"Yes, I do want to go back. We will be leaving in a few days, and this visit is to say goodbye. After living here for so many years, there are many friends to bid farewell to and many places to visit."

"Sure, let's go now. We'll stay overnight and come back tomorrow," Lin Zheng suddenly said.

"Okay, I'll follow you," Li Ruoshui nodded obediently.

So, Lin Zheng found his uncle Lin Chu, explained the situation, and said goodbye to Lin Dao and the others. Then, he and Li Ruoshui left the village and headed up the mountain.

It had been almost a year since they last went up the mountain. The path was both unfamiliar and familiar, and the two felt quite nostalgic and excited. They chatted and laughed all the way, not rushing, stopping and walking as they pleased. After a while, the three large characters "Wukong Sect" were faintly visible!

"Hey? Lin Brother, the gatekeepers are new faces! It seems the sect has recruited many new members!" Li Ruoshui said, holding Lin Zheng's arm and smiling.

Lin Zheng looked up. He didn't have a clear impression of the people in the sect, but the gatekeepers were indeed quite young, like himself four years ago. He hadn't realized it had been four years already.

The two continued walking towards the gate of Wukong Sect.

"Stop, who are you?" the gatekeepers asked, seeing Lin Zheng and Li Ruoshui.

"Lin Zheng, Li Ruoshui, we are visiting the sect," Lin Zheng said calmly, without any arrogance, looking composed and dignified, while Li Ruoshui stood obediently by his side.

"Huh? Are you Senior Brother Lin Zheng and Senior Sister Li Ruoshui?"

"The first and second place in the sect's assessment last year?"

"The legendary Senior Brother and Fairy Senior Sister?"

"That's right, it must be them. What luck, on the first day of duty, we get to see two of the most famous people in Wukong Sect!"

"Huh?" Lin Zheng frowned. The four most famous people in Wukong Sect? He asked curiously, "Junior Brother, who are the other two besides us?"

"Senior Brother, you are too humble. Besides you two, there is one called the Perverted Taoist, wearing a green Taoist robe, who looks quite perverted and often peeks at the female disciples bathing and steals their clothes. The other is the Perverted Taoist's disciple, who is only a nominal disciple but is no less than the Perverted Taoist. We call him Pizi Pang, but it has become Pizi Páng. He is a fat guy and was the third place in last year's competition!"

Lin Zheng couldn't help but laugh, and even Li Ruoshui smiled. This smile made the gatekeepers hold their breath, afraid to break the serene beauty!

After Lin Zheng and Li Ruoshui walked far away, the gatekeepers finally came to their senses.

"Did you see that? Fairy Senior Sister smiled at me."

"Bullshit, she smiled at me."

"You didn't feel that Senior Brother Lin Zheng is very impressive, as if he can see through your heart."

The gatekeepers argued, and for the first time in a year, the entrance to Wukong Sect became lively.

Speaking of which, Lin Zheng and Li Ruoshui didn't know where to go in the sect. Lin Zheng had no friends in the sect except for the fat guy, and Li Ruoshui was going to the women's quarters, which would be inconvenient for Lin Zheng to follow. They decided that Lin Zheng would walk around the sect and meet at his old courtyard in the evening.

After separating, Lin Zheng wandered around the sect alone. In the past year, the sect hadn't changed much, except for some new faces. Lin Zheng didn't care about the gazes of the people around him and walked around calmly.

Unconsciously, Lin Zheng found himself in front of the main hall. On the square in front of the hall, some people were sparring. The sparring platform from a year ago was still there, and it was used for daily practice and settling disputes.

Lin Zheng watched for a while, but the fights were boring, so he was about to leave. Suddenly, a voice called out from a distance, "Everyone, be careful! Pizi Pang has appeared in the west area. Everyone, go quickly!"

Instantly, the people on the sparring platform stopped and quickly left, and the crowd below also ran quickly, their faces flushed with excitement.

Lin Zheng was taken aback, then chuckled. The fat guy must have been caught by the old man, and now he was in a predicament of being chased! This reminded him of his past. He wondered how the fat guy was doing. With a mischievous smile, Lin Zheng moved his feet and disappeared.

"Hey, don't let him run away, block him."

"The Elder said, if you catch the fat guy once, you get a golden pill."

"Also, the Seventh Elder said, if you catch the fat guy, you get a magical weapon."

"Also, the Little Senior Sister said, if you kill him, you get a cultivation technique; if you catch him alive, you get whatever you want!"

"Catch him, catch him!"

"Hey, fat guy, stop! Come to the bowl!"

When Lin Zheng arrived, he saw a group of people chasing a fat figure. Who else could it be but the fat guy?

The fat guy was even more skilled than he was! This scene was much more lively than when he was being chased. Lin Zheng touched his chin and smiled mischievously, looking a bit like the old man. He picked up a few stones from the ground and quickly joined the crowd, chasing the fat guy.

Although the fat guy was fast, people kept appearing in front of him to block his way. Each time, he dodged with strange movements, but the gap between him and the crowd was gradually closing.

At this moment, Lin Zheng was already ahead of the crowd. Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, and a stone flew towards the fat guy in a strange arc. The fat guy seemed to sense the danger behind him and leaped to avoid the stone. The stone hit the ground, creating a small pit. The fat guy's forehead was drenched in sweat. There was a master! The fat guy ran even faster, occasionally throwing sharp triangular nails and explosive talismans to hinder his pursuers. This fat guy was well-prepared!

This was much more mature than when he was being chased! Lin Zheng smiled mischievously and picked up another stone.

The crowd kept jumping over various obstacles, and some unfortunate ones were hit, causing occasional screams.

Just as the gap was getting larger, Lin Zheng suddenly jumped into the air and threw a handful of stones, which whistled through the air towards the fat guy.

The fat guy, who was running in front, suddenly moved in even stranger ways, as if he had eyes on his back. He dodged left and right, even doing splits and bending over. This fat guy was more like a monkey than a human!

More and more people joined the chase, and Lin Zheng, in the crowd, could clearly see the layers of fat on the fat guy's body dancing. Ha,