Martial God Book 2 - Fame Spreads - Chapter 6 - Graceful Rejection

Lin Taoli blankly stared for quite a while before eventually forcing out a few laughs, “Lord Master He, Taoli was presumptuous.”
At the side, He Yiming felt quite strange inwardly. He didn’t know what Hong Mountain’s registered disciple represented, but as he observed Lin Taoli’s behaviour, he could say for sure that it was not anything minor. Otherwise, Lin Taoli wouldn’t have behaved in such a manner.
“Doesn’t matter, this old man is merely a registered disciple.” He Wude shook his head, “Since this old man is not an official disciple, young master Lin’s discerning eye failed to recognize this old man.”
Lin Taoli said a few modest praises then hesitated for a few moments before saying, “Lord Master, I understand your intentions. You wish to send brother He to Hong Mountain.”
“Correct.” He Wude said without the slightest hesitation. His words didn’t contain the slightest bit of leeway to compromise.
He Yiming felt a bit sour inwardly. His grandfather had said that he would not interfere in his cultivation at all. However, from Lin Taoli’s tone, the old man seemed to have already set a different path for him. He could only wonder, in the end, what would this path be.
Lin Taoli faintly nodded but still said, “Lord Master, with He Yiming’s talent, entering Hong Mountain would be quite easy. However, even if he becomes an official disciple of Hong Mountain, sooner or later, he will have to leave and assume a post, and I don’t believe Hong Mountain’s sect rules forbid their disciples to assume a position of Enforce Elder in an influential family. As such, I invite brother Yiming to join Lin family, and it wouldn’t be in the way of your wishes either.”
He Wude also blankly stared before astoundedly looking at Lin Taoli.
Returning to Hong Mountain was his life’s biggest wish. However, allowing He Yiming to enter Lin family was an equally extraordinary alternative. Lin family possessed a legacy of millennials. Their martial arts collection wouldn’t be as rich as Hong Mountain but, in any case, would be vastly above He family’s. For the current He Yiming, this was, undoubtedly, the best alternative.
As He Yiming saw the conflicting expressions in his grandfather’s eyes, his heart softened as he said, “Brother Lin, since grandfather has already decided, I can’t go. However…..”, he thought for a moment before continuing, “If, in the future, I can truly enter there, that place called Hong Mountain, and pass out, I will certainly not forget today’s words. If I arrive at Lin family’s door at that time, please don’t decline.”
Lin Taoli’s expression relaxed before he said with hearty laugh, “This Lin is already so happy since you have agreed to come, how could I decline?”
Actually, he felt quite regretful inwardly. However, He Yiming had already made his decision. He couldn’t coerce the latter. Otherwise, it might even turn into enmity.
However, for He family to actually originate from Hong Mountain…this he could never have imagined. This old man, He Wude, had been so deeply hidden that even Cheng family couldn’t find any information. He must have been biding his time quite patiently.
After their discussion concluded, Lin Taoli prepared to leave but was forcibly stopped by He Yiming.
“Brother He, I am merely returning to my clan. In the future, there will be many opportunities to visit you,” Lin Taoli also felt somewhat reluctant to part. However, he immediately supplemented,” If brother He wishes to meet me, you might as well come to Jadeting city. That place is, after all, a big city. Being able to expand your horizons will also be good for you.”
He Yiming shook his head like a rattle-drum and said, “Brother Lin, if you want to leave you can. However, before that, you must have another round with me. I want to try your Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint again.”
Lin Taoli: “……..”
He Wude: “……..”
Under He Yiming’s ‘hospitable’ urging, Lin Taoli stayed for three more days. After three days, regardless of how sincerely He Yiming urged, Lin Taoli didn’t agree to stay more and left as if he’d escaped for his life.
In these three days, He Yiming seeked his guidance on martial dao whenever he could.
Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint were Lin family’s secret arts. Without permission of the family master and elders, even the family’s young master couldn’t rashly impart this technique to other people.
However, this didn’t pose a problem to He Yiming at all. He didn’t seek the complete battle skill techniques and merely wished to obtain a feel of the imprints’ Internal Energy circulation routes through real fights.
Since he knew that he would hardly obtain such opportunities again, he didn’t waste any time. Within these three days, Lin Taoli’s bottom didn’t have a moment of rest.
Such a bitter cultivation completely drained Lin Taoli, and he felt that he would not be able to handle it.
As such, although He Yiming was not even closed to finished, Lin Taoli hurriedly left.
One can say that a time period of three days is not long, but it’s not short either.
Under He Yiming’s meticulous scheming and planning, after many discussions and fight sessions, the unfathomable Rain Cloud Imprint, which had been covered in mist, somewhat opened up for him.
However, in comparison, although Rain Cloud Imprint was mightier, its cultivation was exceedingly mysterious. Without a complete scripture, even He Yiming felt helpless.
Whoever created this technique couldn’t be a trifling cultivator. This technique was not one with which he, who only possessed a superficial knowledge- a three-legged cat, could reconstruct or modify.
However, even though he couldn’t understand the Rain Cloud technique in its entirety, he still had a rough prototype of it in his mind. In the future, as his cultivation would improve and experiences increase, he could slowly bring it to perfection.
This situation was much better than the one before, where he could neither make out its head nor tail.
In addition to this, his understanding regarding Prostrate Imprint had also improved. Although, he still couldn’t recreate it in its entirety. Regarding his own Hidden Needle Imprint, he’d been able to make some improvements, which in turn had increased its might by quite a bit.
After three days, when Lin Taoli left, He manor returned to its previous calm. The affairs of the manor resumed the previous order.
Although He Yiming now lived alone in the manor for the most part, it didn’t make any difference to him at all.
However, the only matter which He Yiming felt strange was that as soon as Lin Taoli left, his grandfather He Wude, eldest uncle He Quanxin, and old servant He Laibao mysteriously entered a closed-door session.
He Quanxin and He Laibao even left the Book Pavilion unguarded as they joined the Lord Master in the session- their activities seemingly mysterious.
As these three entered closed-door cultivation, all the matters of the clan befell on He Quanyi’s shoulders. His third uncle immediately asked He Yixuan and He Yihai to stop their cultivation and replace He Quanming in the county town, while the latter returned to the manor.
After all the second generation brothers gathered at the same place, He family immediately loosened from the outside and tightened from the inside. Even the number of everyday patrols also increased by several folds.
The Book Pavilion temporarily closed, and He Quanming stayed in the outer hall of the grand courtyard, clearly indicating that he was standing guard for the Lord Master and the others.
In addition to this, even He Yitian had been added to the clan administration- helping his second uncle and third uncle in dealing with the clan’s affairs.
Even He Yiming had been informed by his father to not cultivate any technique that consumed too much time. When needed, he would have to provide his assistance in defense.
The entire He manor seemed as if echoing with rumbles of wind and cries of cranes as the storm clouds approached. Although people inside the manor were not frightened, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Regarding these circumstances, He Yiming didn’t seek his grandfather for explanation. After all, they seemed to be doing something shady. Instead of slowing down his cultivation, he followed his father’s example and started to live in one of the grand courtyard’s side halls. He naturally still pondered over the two imprints despite living here and kept on implying modifications- incessantly moving towards perfection, but with extremely slow speed.
Seeing such sensibility from He Yiming, He Quanming felt extremely pleased and satisfied. However, regarding the former’s interrogations, he opted to preserve silence.
This strange transformation in He manor actually didn’t alert outsiders at all, and the reason was that just after one month, the three individuals ended their closed-door session.
When they walked out, although their appearance looked quite tired, their expressions were that of incomparable excitement, and spirits seemed to be soaring.
Anyone who could see their appearances could tell, at a glance, that their closed-door session’s harvest was quite good.
However, what made He Yiming feel at a complete loss was the fact that despite his grandfather’s excited appearance, the latter’s Internal Energy had not even budged from its stagnated level. In fact, it even seemed to have lessened by a minute amount.
Evidently, the purpose of these three’s seclusion was not to attack the Xiantian realm of legends but something else entirely.
After seeing that He Wude and the rest had successfully completed their closed-door session, the manor truly resumed its original state.
He Quanming left for the county town, and He Yihai and He Yixuan returned again. Maintaining a firm position in the county town without an eighth layer overseer was quite difficult. One would be hard pressed to keep conflicts in check in absence of a high-level cultivator.
However, after spending this month in the county town, He Yihai and He Yixuan’s attitude had matured a lot. Joining the secular world could often times directly improve one’s training results.
After a few days, the effects of this unexpected change started to slowly dissipate. Even the servants stopped talking about it.
A few days after it was over, Xu and Cheng families also accidentally discovered this information. However, they similarly felt absolutely puzzled. Without any better options, they had to leave it unsettled. Because they had no clue what He Wude and the other two could have been doing in this one month.
He Yiming returned to his own residence. In addition to Internal Energy cultivation, he continued to relentlessly steer these two techniques towards perfection.
This was an enormous undertaking- not something that could be done in a short period of time.
However, after several days, the Lord Master himself rang the bell of the training room and guided him to the grand courtyard.
As He Yiming entered the room, he saw He Quanxin and He Laibao.
He Yiming immediately understood that his grandfather wished to talk about their strange closed-door session.
However, for some reason, not a single person could be seen aside from the three of them. Even his father He Quanming, third uncle He Quanyi, and He Yitian were nowhere to be seen.