Lin Dongming patted Lin Muxue’s head and supported her by the shoulder as they walked inside.
Lin Muxue was petite, with delicate features, looking just like a carefully carved doll. In the Outer Sect, there were also people who coveted Lin Muxue’s looks and tried various reasons to get close or strike up a conversation, but they were all driven away by Lin Dongming.
The most serious one was beaten so badly he couldn’t get out of bed for a month.
To reverse-slay from the Jiedan Stage down to Lianqi and Zhuji was as easy as breathing. The fact that Lin Dongming didn’t crush their bones to dust was already merciful.
At least until Lin Muxue’s mind matured, Lin Dongming didn’t want her to be exposed to these things.
“Your cultivation’s improved?”
Lin Dongming sensed that the true qi in Lin Muxue’s body was thicker than before.
“Mm, mid-Foundation Establishment Stage.”
Lin Muxue puffed out her chest proudly.
“Does that mean I can enter the Inner Sect?”
According to Sect rules, as long as an Outer Sect Disciple successfully established their foundation, they could enter the Inner Sect and choose a master to apprentice under. But Lin Dongming never allowed Lin Muxue to enter the Inner Sect.
The reason was simple: he didn’t want her to know about his service to clients.
Although there weren’t many in the Inner Sect who knew, as the number of clients he served increased, more and more people slowly began to treat him like a playboy.
If Lin Muxue found out about these things, it would be troublesome in all sorts of ways.
“No.”
Lin Dongming replied as a matter of course.
“The Inner Sect is complicated, with a lot of scheming and plotting. It’s best to go after the Jiedan Stage, at least to have the ability to protect yourself.”
“…Got it.”
Lin Muxue pouted.
“But won’t big brother protect me?”
“Big brother isn’t omnipotent either.”
Lin Dongming brewed her a cup of Osmanthus Tea.
“Big brother has missions, cultivation, and has to go down the mountain for training. It’s impossible to always be by your side. Besides, I’m only at the Jiedan Stage, and there’s still Yuanying, Spirit Severing, and Integration above me. There are a lot of connections in the Inner Sect.”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Lin Muxue turned her mouth down a bit, unhappy.
“Big brother is always right.”
Having heard such words from Lin Dongming many times, she naturally knew how to deal with him.
“I brought Walnut Pastry and Almond Pastry. Which do you want?”
“Almond Pastry.”
Lin Muxue replied instantly, but quickly realized she was being coaxed like a child.
“Don’t change the subject!”
“Almond Pastry has a light flavor and goes well with Osmanthus Tea, but eating too much makes you gain weight, so moderation, okay?”
Lin Dongming took out two boxes of Almond Pastry.
After reaching a certain realm in cultivation, changing one’s physical appearance wasn’t difficult, but it was obviously not something possible at the Zhuji or Jiedan Stage. Being immune to cold and heat was already quite good.
So most cultivators still paid attention to their diet and daily habits.
“Muxue can’t get fat, so eating a bit more is fine!”
Lin Muxue’s fondness for sweets was very obvious, and Lin Dongming didn’t restrain it much.
“Fine, fine.”
Lin Dongming placed the Dragonblood Stone he brought from Song Yumian’s side on the table.
“Cultivate well and reach Jiedan as soon as possible.”
The current attitude Lin Muxue had toward him was just right for Lin Dongming.
Not too close, not too distant—though Lin Dongming knew that as time passed, Lin Muxue would inevitably drift away from him.
In his previous life, Lin Dongming had a very good relationship with his cousin, even becoming the faith of her adolescence.
Because her father—Lin Dongming’s uncle—was abusive, Lin Dongming, who shared the same misfortune, had often blocked his uncle from hitting her.
The two relied on each other through a difficult adolescence.
But as they both moved on to school, work, and romance, the distance grew, and eventually, the feelings faded. Having experienced these things, Lin Dongming had a more open view of the warmth and coldness of human relationships.
Moreover, the overly clingy Lin Muxue had once insisted that Lin Dongming accompany her to sleep—this made Lin Dongming worry she would become a yandere. If the story really headed in that direction, just thinking about it gave him a headache.
So he simply played the role of a somewhat strict brother, letting Lin Muxue train her own strength to protect herself.
After all, whether Lin Dongming wanted to or not, there would always be times he couldn’t be there.
“If you’re about done eating, let’s practice the sword.”
Lin Dongming wiped his hands.
“I’ll teach you a few more moves. Try to grasp Sword Intent as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
Lin Muxue, obedient as ever, finished the Almond Pastry and ran into the courtyard, putting on a diligent sword-practicing posture.
Because, for Lin Muxue too, this sense of distance was just right.
If she acted too enthusiastic, it might scare Lin Dongming and push him even further away.
But if the distance increased any more, perhaps Lin Dongming could accept it, but Lin Muxue could not. She still remembered the shock and retreat in Lin Dongming’s eyes when she said she could only sleep if he was there.
She was smarter and more perceptive than Lin Dongming realized.
So, she couldn’t interact with him in a way that would scare him off. Because she didn’t want to lose her brother.
Until she found a way for Lin Dongming to accept her, she would be a good little sister. A good little sister who only reluctantly listened to her brother.
Anyway, there were no other women around Lin Dongming right now, so there was still plenty of time for Lin Muxue.
In this world, cultivators had lifespans several times or even dozens of times longer than ordinary people. If they could reach Integration or even Crossing Tribulation, their lifespan would reach thousands of years.
In such a long life, Lin Muxue would always find a way for Lin Dongming to accept her.
“Not bad, you’ve improved again since last time.”
Lin Dongming didn’t dare to privately teach her the Tiandao Jingxin Jue, so he went to the Inner Sect’s Library Pavilion and selected some sword techniques suitable for Lin Muxue.
But based on his own understanding of the various sword techniques in the Heavenly Extreme Sword Sect, Lin Dongming adjusted all of them and even wrote his own insights into them.
Training with these adjusted sword techniques, Lin Muxue’s progress was much more effective.
“I believe comprehending Sword Intent is only a matter of time.”
Such things, close to Dao, could only be understood by oneself, not easily taught by others. Because everyone’s obsession and way of living are different, their Dao is naturally different as well.
Once you grasp Sword Intent, it’s like ordinary sword moves become attacks imbued with rules, utterly different from cultivators who haven’t comprehended Sword Intent. Lin Dongming’s confidence in facing cultivators of higher realms than himself also came partly from this.
But Lin Dongming could indeed sense something close to Sword Intent in Lin Muxue’s swordsmanship.
—She was about to touch it.
This feeling was like a kind of Enactment, or like Breaking Stance, or even Transcendence.
But at this moment, Lin Dongming had yet to learn what exactly it was that Lin Muxue wanted to surpass on that day.