Chapter 14

Update complete, more to come later.

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Wang Lin's heart felt warm. Over the past month, he had become accustomed to the cold ridicule and sarcasm from others. Now, back at home, he immediately felt the care and concern from his parents.

"Second Brother, Wang Lin is now a disciple of an immortal. I was blind back then and said some harsh words. Don't take them to heart, you know me, I have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, all for Wang Lin's good."

"Second Sister-in-law, when I told my daughter that I hadn't arranged a marriage for her, she got angry and insisted on marrying your son Tiezhu. What do you think about this match?"

"Second Brother, Uncle Wu is old, and the Wang family will rely on you in the future. Uncle Wu has always valued your children the most. Honestly, I think they are more promising than your eldest brother's son."

Wang Lin's parents were beaming with joy. Soon, the birthday banquet began, and all the relatives present praised Wang Lin endlessly. Some, after a few drinks, loudly expressed their indignation over the family property issue from years ago, vowing to unite and fight for what was rightfully his. Wang Lin's father smiled but didn't take it seriously; he knew these relatives too well.

More importantly, he no longer cared about the past. He only wished for his son to have a better future, nothing more.

The day was filled with festivities. As dusk fell, all the relatives gradually left. Wang Lin looked at the various gifts in the courtyard, feeling quite moved. As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." He now fully understood this.

That night, his parents asked about life in the sect. Wang Lin, seeing their hopeful eyes, lied to them for the first time, describing how well he was treated and how diligently he practiced. His parents were delighted, their faces beaming with joy.

For his parents, he would endure the hardships and ridicule of being a nominal disciple, no matter how tough it was. After all, his parents had never been this happy before.

"Just ten years, I can endure it!" Wang Lin resolved.

Wang Lin stayed with his parents for two days. On the third morning, with his parents and the entire village seeing him off, he attached the immortal talisman to his leg and left.

Even from a distance, he could still hear the envious words of the villagers.

The sky was overcast, with dark clouds gathering like a heavy stone on people's hearts. Thunder rumbled intermittently, and the humidity in the mountains increased, with mist appearing.

Wang Lin quickened his pace and finally returned to Hengyue Sect late at night. Lying in his bed, Zhang Hu was still snoring loudly. Wang Lin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At midnight, the thunder roared, and lightning illuminated the room. Wang Lin touched the bead in his pocket, which his mother had sewn into a hidden pocket in his clothes.

Taking out the stone bead, Wang Lin examined it by the oil lamp. Suddenly, he rubbed his eyes and stared intently at the cloud pattern on the bead.

"That's strange, I remember there were five clouds last time, but now there are six?" Wang Lin was surprised. He sat up and counted again, confirming there were indeed six white clouds.

He was puzzled and couldn't figure out why. However, his curiosity about the bead grew. He carefully put it back in his pocket, blew out the oil lamp, and went to sleep with the question lingering in his mind.

Outside, the wind howled, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. Large raindrops pattered down, and the windows rattled in the wind. In his sleep, Wang Lin was awakened by a chill. When he opened his eyes, he was stunned.

Several lightning strikes illuminated everything. The room was filled with thick mist. The table, floor, and even the bed were soaked. However, Wang Lin's body was only damp at the chest, while the rest remained dry. He quickly looked at Zhang Hu, who was covered in white frost, his clothes soaked, his body frozen, eyes closed, face purple, and teeth chattering.

"Zhang Hu, Zhang Hu!" Wang Lin was alarmed and hurriedly got up, pushing Zhang Hu for a long time, but there was no sign of him waking up, and his breathing was barely detectable.

In a panic, Wang Lin was about to go out to seek help from other disciples when he suddenly stopped, feeling a sense of doubt as he touched his clothes.

"Why, in the same room, with the bedding so wet it could be wrung out, did I only get damp at the chest while lying on it?" Wang Lin's heart raced. He looked down at his chest and quickly took out the mysterious bead.

At that moment, all the water droplets in the room began to tremble and slowly float up, even the white mist from Zhang Hu's body formed droplets in the air.

Another lightning strike illuminated the room, and Wang Lin was stunned to see the water droplets shimmering and turning into bright points, rapidly gathering toward the mysterious bead in his hand.

Wang Lin quickly threw the bead away and crouched on the ground to avoid the flying droplets.

The mysterious stone bead drew an arc in the air and finally fell to the ground, rolling to one side. All the water droplets quickly shot at it, merging into the bead and disappearing.

Soon, all the water in the room had vanished, and even the damp bedding became dry. Zhang Hu's breathing gradually returned to normal, and his clothes clung to his body, wrinkled and wet.

After a long while, although the thunder and rain continued outside, the sky was no longer pitch black, and the moonlight began to shine through. Wang Lin stood up, hesitated for a moment, and carefully picked up the mysterious bead. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a difference.

The clouds on the bead had increased to seven!

The scene just now made him feel both curious and a bit afraid of the mysterious bead. If he hadn't woken up and taken out the bead in time, Zhang Hu might have been frozen to death.

As for why he himself was unharmed, Wang Lin pondered for a moment and attributed it to his frequent consumption of mountain spring water and dew infused with the bead.

However, he became deeply interested in the clouds on the bead, wanting to know their purpose. After much consideration, he decided against letting the bead absorb more rainwater outside, fearing it might cause a significant disturbance and draw attention.

After some hesitation, he carefully placed the bead back in the hidden pocket of his clothes. As dawn approached, Wang Lin was about to go to the miscellaneous affairs office when Zhang Hu suddenly jumped out of bed, shouting, "Water, water, I'm drowning!"