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Ch137 - Misfortune




Pavilion Master?
In fact, Lin Shu was really the Master of the Sword Pavilion.
However, he didn’t know who was the Master of the Sword Pavilion thousands of years in the past.
In this life when his master had been alive, he had been the Master of the Sword Pavilion.
When his Master departed from the world in the last life, Lin Shu had been the  only one living person left in the whole Sword Pavilion.
So by default, Lin Shu became the Master of the Sword Pavilion.
However this was obviously not the case now.
The Sword Pavilion had a legacy of independence and possessed superior strength. Southern Xia and Northern Xia had always wanted to ally with the Sword Pavilion, but they had no bargaining power on this, as the Sword pavilion had no lack of disciples, while they only had numbers on their side.
Lin Shu felt that a mistake must have been made.
He absolutely could not be the Master of the Sword Pavilion.
These people were probably greeting the cat.
After all, the cat had mysterious origins.
He looked at the cat.
The cat was proudly puffing up its chest and looking at Xiao Lingyang.
Xiao Lingyang looked back awkwardly
He looked at Yunlan again, and saw that Yunlan’s eyes remained on him, not on the cat or on Xiao Lingyang.
He became alert.
So he asked: “Who are you looking for?”
Yun Lan saluted him again with his sword:  “Responding to the Pavilion Master, we have come to welcome you back to the mountain.”
Ling Su, the girl next to him said: “Pavilion Master, the two elders are still in Hexu Heaven speaking with the Shangling Grandmaster, we wanted to greet the Pavilion Master, hence we came forward in haste to meet you.”
Before Lin Shu could speak, Xiao Lingyang called out first: “How was I not aware that he is the Sword Pavillion’s Pavillion Master.”
Lin Shu said, “I wasn’t aware either.”
Yun Lan didn’t give Xiao Lingyang more face although he was Southern Xia’s Crown Prince. He put on a rhetorical air and said coldly: “This is a matter of my Sword Pavilion.”
The implication was that outsiders should not interfere.
But how could Xiao Lingyang be so easily put off by those words, so he continued: “You must have mistaken him for someone else!”
Yun Lan said: “There is no mistake.”
Xiao Lingyang couldn’t believe his ears and continued to deny: “Impossible.”
Yun Lan said: “This is a fact.”
Xiao Lingyang said: “He doesn’t even have a cultivation base!”
Just at this time, another group of people came near them. Among them were two men in white clothes, a white-haired old man, and the Grandmaster of Shangling.
Shangling Grandmaster said to Lin Shu: “Taoist Friend Lin, that day, when you fought together with Ling Fengxiao to hold back the Great Wizard. I had speculated that your Master should be from a Great Immortal Sect in the hidden world. But I never expected that it would be the Sword Pavilion .”
Xiao Lingyang: “…”
Lin Shu looked at the two white-clothed men. Based on their appearance, they were about forty to fifty years old. They had a powerful aura, and the other white-haired old man had a deeper cultivation base than anyone else present.
Lin Shu recognized the style of their clothes, it was the attire of the elders from Sword Pavilion
The old man looked at Lin Shu and said respectfully, “This old man pays his respects to the Pavilion Master.”
Lin Shu: “…I don’t dare accept this great honor.”
Yun Lan said to the old man: “Elder Hui, the Pavilion Master is unaware that he is the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion.”
The old man said: “Events happened so suddenly, it is unsurprising that the Pavilion Master naturally was not aware of it.”
Lin Shu asked: “How did I come to be the Pavilion Master?”
“Fifteen years ago, there was an accident in the Sword Pavilion. It’s inconvenient to discuss it in detail right now.” The elder looked at Lin Shu warmly, and continued, “The Pavilion Master only needs to know that the practitioner of the Sword Pavilion’s “Endless Yearning” is the true Master of the Sword Pavilion. A detailed account of this will be explained to you in the future.”
Lin Shu asked the Elder, “How did you know that I am a practitioner of  “Endless Yearning”?”
“In response to the Pavilion Master’s question, ten days ago, the Sword Mound of the ten thousand swords sang together in unison. As this was a sign of the birth of a Heartless Sword intent, I immediately went down the mountain to follow the trail and came to Jubei City, and learned of your earthly identity.” Yun Lan said.
Ten days ago, was when he and Ling Fengxiao fought the Great Wizard together.
So it turned out that when the sword technique of “Endless Yearning” was used, the Sword Pavilion would be able to feel it.
Lin Shu: “……”
Since he has practiced “Endless Yearning”, he is indeed the Pavilion Master.
He looked at the several elders.
The elders looked back at him kindly.
He looked at the young disciples again.
The young disciples all looked at him with admiration and respect.
Lin Shu felt that it was better if he stopped talking now…
Aren’t you merciless, why do you suddenly need to be kind and respectful?
Then he thought again, only the Master of the Sword Pavilion could  truly practice “Endless Yearning”. Other disciples would not be utterly merciless, usually just a little colder than the normal people.
And the elder with white beard said, “I wonder if the Pavilion Master needs to pack? If not, we can return to the mountain immediately. ”
No.
Not possible.
They were here to take him back to the Sword Pavilion.
What about Ling Fengxiao?
Regardless of the situation, Lin Shu felt that he had to wait for Ling Fengxiao to return.
Ling Fengxiao used to stick around him all the time, but she had received an urgent letter last night, informing her of changes in the situation within the capital. The next morning, she rushed to the capital, promising him that she would return as possible.
“I…” He said, “May I have some time for consideration?”
Shangling Grandmaster smiled, and said to the elder, “Immortal Master, this matter was too sudden. Lin Shu needs some time to digest.”
The elder said, “Naturally.”
Having said that, he came forward and looked at Lin Shu for a long time and said kindly, “The Pavilion Master is a member of my Sword Pavilion. There is no mistake about it.”
The cat was also delighted and said: “Meow.”
The elder asked, “Is that Qingyuan?”
Cat: “Meow.”
Lin Shu: “…”
Oh yes, the Legendary Emperor Ye had also been a Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion.
Everyone is part of one family.
The elder was even more certain now.
He was a man of the Sword Pavilion. A genuine person from the Sword Pavilion.
But..
Lin Shu wasn’t very clear what “but” was about, but he felt that he could not make such a rash decision.
The elder began to talk with Lin Shu. The main topic was about how the Sword Pavilion had been searching for their Pavilion Master for a long time. The Pavilion Master was the backbone of the Sword Pavilion, and indispensable. There was nothing left but the snowfield in the Sword Pavilion which was suitable for the cultivation of “Endless Yearning”.
When it was getting late, Shangling Grandmaster arranged for the immortal cultivators of the Sword Pavilion to stay.
The elder reluctantly gave up, and explained that he would come back to discuss with the Pavilion Master about returning to the mountain.
Xiao Lingyang had been in a trance-like state from when he heard the news, and staggered dazedly when he left.
Lin Shu also felt a bit dazed.
Shangling Grandmaster decided to personally send him back to Drizzling Rain in Wind Garden.
On the way to the Bamboo courtyard, Shangling Grandmaster said: “Taoist friend.”
Lin Shu: “Sir.”
Shangling Grandmaster: “Taoist friend seems to have something on his mind, so let’s talk about it.”
Lin Shu said: “I don’t know if I should go or not.”
Shangling Grandmaster said: “Taoist Friend, do you want to leave?”
Lin Shu shook his head blankly: “I don’t know.”
His Master was the Sword Pavilion’s Master. He had been a disciple of the Sword Pavilion since he was a child. He grew up in Sword Pavilion. Although Master was the only one in the Sword Pavilion at that time, all the mental skills he learned, the sword techniques he used, the manuals and pills he used came from the ancestors of the Sword Pavilion. In a sense, this version of the  Sword Pavilion was also his home. When he first came to this world, all he had wanted was to be able to return to Sword Pavilion.
And Yun Lan said that the Sword Pavilion needed a Pavilion Master.
The Elder also said that only he could be the Master of the Sword Pavilion.
He should return.
However, Ling Fengxiao was based in Southern Xia.
The next sentence of the Shangling Grandmaster was: “Taoist friend, are you concerned about Southern Xia?”
Concerned?
Probably…
Lin Shu nodded.
“The Sword Pavilion is a secluded sect. It only cares about the pursuit of swordsmanship and never interferes in worldly disputes.” Shangling Grandmaster said: “I am a person of Southern Xia, and my heart leans towards Southern Xia. Naturally, I hope that fellow Taoist can stay and help Southern Xia. However, in all fairness, the rivers and lakes are in chaos, the world is impermanent, and may be detrimental for cultivation. The Sword Pavilion is better suited for this Taoist friend. ”
“Sword Pavilion…” Lin Shu thought about it and asked, “What can you tell me about it?”
People in the Immortal Path seldom speak of the Sword Pavilion, but when they do, it was always akin to looking up at the mountains – but no one has really commented on the strength or status of the Sword Pavilion.
“The Sword Pavilion is of course excellent,” said Shangling Grandmaster. “Shangling Academy is devoted to cultivating immortal disciples. There are tens of thousands of disciples in the Academy. However, there are only a few people who can survive the tribulation. Thus there are only a few hundred people in the Sword Pavilion. However, the disciples in Yuanying stage and the disciples who can survive the tribulation can be compared with the whole academy and surpass them. Even if we don’t mention the mental skill of the Sword Pavilion, even the sword skill has its own uniqueness. ”
“So…” Shangling Grandmaster said slowly, “If the Sword Pavilion wanted someone from the Academy. The academy would be powerless to stop them, nor would it try to. The same is true if Taoist friend chooses to go.”
Lin Shu did not speak.
He looked at the Shangling Grandmaster. In the twilight, his outline was a little vague, which made Shangling Grandmaster resemble  Mr. Meng even more.
The manner of speech was also similar to Mr. Meng’s, even  in the way he called him “Taoist friend”.
Knowing that he was having difficulty in making a choice, the Grandmaster sighed: “Would you like to hear a story?”
Lin Shu: “Okay.”
Shangling Grandmaster said slowly, “At that time, I was named Meng Jian. I was not yet a teacher with great powers and was not yet appointed as a Grandmaster at the Academy, but I was stationed in the Southern Pass. Fifteen years ago, when Min Prefecture rebelled, I was ordered to go to pacify the rebellion. ”
Lin Shu’s heart suddenly missed a beat.
Fifteen years ago… the Min Prefecture rebellion, the dynasty sent troops to suppress it, killing all the population in the city.
This… wasn’t it the origin of Min Prefecture Ghost Town? It was precisely because of this incident that the Li Yamao family and the little fool had been trapped in the ghost village for many years.
And the slaughter of the city had been committed by the Shangling Grandmaster?
The Shangling Grandmaster continued on: “The rebellion in Min Prefecture was not helmed by elite soldiers , so although the matter was urgent, it was not dire. At that time, they only needed to stall and whittle down the rebel forces to subdue the rebellion, there was even a possibility to persuade them to surrender.”
Lin Shu listened to his tale and thought, Why did the massacre occur then?
He got his answer in the next sentence: “It’s just that, during those few days, the Northern Territory rebelled, and the Northern Xia army suppressed the situation. My brother… was garrisoned in Changyang City. The elite troops in the north were all in this city, and the situation was grim. He did not know about the rebellion in the South and asked for help from the capital, and… our troops were limited. If we were to have a direct confrontation with the Northern Xia Dynasty, there was but one army under my command. ”
Shangling Grandmaster seemed to smile lightly, but there seemed to be an endless melancholy in the smile: “If we rush to aid the North, the South will be in chaos. If we choose to stay in Min Prefecture, Changyang City will likely be lost. If we split our forces, the probability of victory for both sides would be less than 30%. At that time, I was in a dilemma, so I first attacked Min Prefecture with the elite troops, intending to make a quick resolution to the battle, and then send help northwards. However, the Great Wizard was no ordinary person and not easily defeated. After a day and a night of stalemate, I decided to initiate the forbidden techniques, the effect of the forbidden techniques was uncontrollable. Once it was triggered, the whole population of Min Prefecture was slaughtered. ”
“The Min Prefecture Rebellion was put down. After that, I immediately rushed to aid Changyang City, but…” Shangling Grandmaster said softly: “The Great Wizard went there personally. The moment that I reached the city with the reinforcements, was also the time of his demise.
Lin Shu knew the identity of Mr. Meng.
Mr. Meng was related to the Shangling Grandmaster by blood. He had guessed it right.
He also knew how Mr. Meng died, but he didn’t realize that in this history, there was a situation of fate playing them all for fools.
“After the reinforcements arrived, although we were able to keep Changyang City safe, he could not be revived. The tens of thousands of people in Min Prefecture who died because of my actions, turned into wronged and malicious ghosts,” he said. “It’s hard to achieve a win-win solution. In the end, it was my indecision at the time which resulted in this lifelong regret. ”
He said with a self mocking smile: “I know that this matter is irrelevant, but I brought it up today because you, Taoist friend, are just like me on that fateful day. You need to choose quickly. If you want to stay, then stay; if you don’t want to stay, then don’t. If you take too long to consider the matter,  and make the Sword Pavilion doubt you, or if the imperial court tries to keep you and gets into conflict with Sword Pavilion, or if the Northern Xia Dynasty gets wind of the situation and takes advantage of it, the losses will outweigh any possible benefit ”
Lin Shu nodded: “I am aware.”
Shangling Grandmaster said: “Is fellow Taoist waiting for Her Highness Fengyang?”
Lin Shu said: “Yes.”
He just… needed to see Ling Fengxiao.
Shangling Grandmaster said: “In my humble opinion, Her Highness may not have you stay.”
Lin Shu: “Why so?”
Shangling Grandmaster did not explain, but only said: “It’s just my guess.”
After returning to the bamboo house, Lin Shu immediately took out the jade talisman, entered the martial arts field in the Dreamscape, and issued a challenge to Xiao Shao.
Xiao Shao did not reply for a long time.
Lin Shu left the Dreamscape, put down the jade talisman, and gazed out the window for a long time in a daze. The jade talisman flashed, Xiao Shao had accepted the challenge.
Lin Shu entered the martial arts field.
Xiao Shao smiled at him: “Did you miss me?”
Lin Shu looked at him, not knowing where to begin the story.
Xiao Shao set up a barrier, to isolate them from the prying eyes of others, and said to Lin Shu: “Hug for a bit.”
Lin Shu was hugged by him.
Xiao Shao hugged him quite tightly.
Lin Shu knew that he was Xiao Shao’s self-propelled emotional soothing machine. When Xiao Shao requested for hugs, sometimes it was merely the desire for a hug, and sometimes he needed a hug because something was wrong.
Lin Shu asked: “What’s the matter?”
“I will return tonight, and will then bring Xiao Lingyang back to the capital.” Xiao Shao said: “Emperor Father is ill, and the capital is in chaos, I fear… that the situation will be difficult to suppress.”
Lin Shu was stunned for a moment.