Chapter 253 Fate
There was a catty of fresh meat and a small packet of candies.
She prepared candies for Yueyue.
Besides, she had a suit of college clothes, which she had worn for three years. It was washed very clean, and several worn places were sewed up with tiny st.i.tches, which could not be noticed at first glance. The Fengming Academy handed out uniforms to its students twice a year, but Lei Yinyin exchanged them into money to support the family. She wore the suit of clothes for three years.
Her mother died a year ago, and she paid a lot for her funeral.
At the moment, her brother and sister-in-law had a three-year-old child. They relied upon each other for life.
As an honest man, her brother Lei Laohu had no talent and could only earn a living by working hard. Lei Yinyin was a senior student of the Fengming Academy. Her brother and sister-in-law were good people. Therefore, the family was popular in that block.
Although they lived a hard life, it was a lot better than in the old days. The family was satisfied.
Lei Yinyin dreamed of joining an escort agency or a chamber of commerce after graduation. The graduates from the Fengming Academy could get a job quickly in Chang’an city. The Dean treated graduates very well.
However…
She lowered her head and stayed alone in the room for a moment.
Unconsciously, she felt sadness welling up. Tears almost streamed out.
She never felt weak.
She felt that she could always pick up the courage to resist any power and injustice.
She cherished and wanted to protect all the things in the yard, her family, and the Fengming Academy. But when she was stricken with the cruel life and power, she realized that she needed to make a huge sacrifice to achieve her goals. That was worse than death.
She sighed again.
That day, she sighed many times, more than the total number of times in the year before.
She tried to settle her emotions. Lei Yinyin began to tidy up pots and pans to cook.
Her cooking skill was amazing.
Children from low-income families became thoughtful at an earlier age.
After a quarter of an hour, when Lei Laohu had returned, the kitchen was filled with the fragrant odor of meat. Drooling, Yueyue looked with longing at the dishes in front of the kitchen. Behind him, there stood the yellow dog and two puppies…
They set the table and sat down.
Low-income families did not care about too much.
The yellow dog lay next to the table and was chewing on a meat bone.
After dinner, Lei Yinyin wanted to clean up the tableware. Her brother Lei Laohu held his son and caught her, chatting and laughing, “Sister, you’re 16 years old now. Do you have anyone in mind? Your sister-in-law and I have saved up some money for your dowry.”
Lei Yinyin grumbled in a flirtish manner, “Brother, I’m still young…”
“The neighbor, Mr. w.a.n.g’s daughter, is only 15 years old, but her son is already one year old.” Lei Laohu said straightforwardly, “If we weren’t so poor and me getting married late in life, Yueyue would have been seven or eight years old by now. Haha.”
Those small household affairs were annoying on weekdays. But that day, Lei Yinyin felt very warm.
She deliberately laughed and said, “Brother, haven’t I said that? My favorite person must be like Young Master Li Mu. He has outstanding literary grace and unparalleled martial arts. Do you know such a person? If you know, you can introduce him to me. I’m willing to marry.”
“Sister, you’re so foolish. Your brain must be mush. Young Master Li Mu is a G.o.d from heaven. Are you daydreaming?” Lei Laohu laughed and rudely debunked her illusions.
Lei Yinyin said, “Tut-tut, I know Master Li.”
The family was talking and laughing.
Lei Laohu looked at his young sister and felt a little embarra.s.sed.
Over those years, his sister mainly supported the family. As a brother, he was more like a burden. Except for brute force, he had no other special skills. His sister was more like the head of the family. She managed everything inside and outside the home, like a pillar.
Of course, he hoped that his sister could find someone who could give her a better life.
In his eyes, his sister was the most excellent, beautiful, and kind girl. For him, she was the best girl in the world.
However, Master Li Mu… was a myth.
It was hard for his sister to find someone like him.
After a while, Lei Yinyin and her sister-in-law took bowls and chopsticks to be washed.
Lei Laohu took out five copper coins and lined them up in his palm.
Those were his wages for the odd jobs done that day. He set aside three coins and put them back in his pocket. He would hand them over to his wife to maintain the household. He put the remaining two coins into a wooden box on the bedside.
He gently shook the wooden box and heard a heavy sound coming from inside. And then, he weighed it in his hand. That honest and simple young man showed a satisfied smile.
There were probably 100 coins in the box.
He saved up for one year.
When he saved up 200 coins, which would be enough to make a silk dress, he would give it to his sister as her dowry.
He must ensure that his sister marries in a new dress.
It was the most simple wish of that young man.
It was also what he could do.
A moment later, Lei Yinyin’s sound came from outside. “Brother, I’m going back to college… I have cla.s.ses at night.”
…
…
It would be at night.
In the air at the height of one kilometer, the Samsara Knife shot like lightning and broke through the sound barrier. In the dark sky, it left an unhealed crack.
“The blade is wide and thick, so I can stand stably.”
Li Mu stood on the knife blade like skateboarding. He opened his arms to maintain his balance.
He flew by riding on the knife.
It was pretty cool.
He finally realized it.
The blade of the Samsara Knife was engraved with various Taoist magic arts and tactical deployment. Being urged, it moved as fast as the Flying Eagle Sword a few days ago, but it was more stable. At the top point of the knife’s inclined surface, starlight was twinkling. The cyan air s.h.i.+eld at the cambered surface was unfolded to keep out the wind in upper s.p.a.ce called by Taoism, which was generated by the high-speed flight.
For Li Mu, some of his ideas were initially realized.
On the basis of ensuring the speed, it was more stable to fly by riding on the Samsara Knife. At least, the ‘flight accident’ like the one suffered on that day would not happen again. He did not need to worry about falling down from the sky thousands of meters high due to a mistake.
Flying was mankind’s eternal dream.
Li Mu was not exceptional.
He controlled the Samsara Knife and made different movements in the sky, such as diving, turning, accelerating, decelerating, and so on. He was so excited that he yelled, like a child who had just learned how to go skateboarding.
To activate the Samsara Knife with his natural qi of the Natural Expert Realm, he could fly for about 30 minutes.
At the speed of breaking through the sound barrier, he could go across over 600 kilometers within 30 minutes. It was ridiculously faster than the high-speed rail on earth. It would be Li Mu’s trump card—if he could not beat the opponent, he would run. It finally came into reality after he mastered flying by riding on the knife.
In that world, even the experts of the Celestial Being Realm could not do this.
As time pa.s.sed, Li Mu practiced more and more skillfully.
The natural qi inside him would be used up soon. Li Mu swooped down from the mountains and forests of the west city. He fell to the ground and slightly adjusted his breath. When it was completely dark, he went to the military cemetery and started the “Leaping Dragon Formation” to absorb the Qi of Earthvein.
General Roaring Flame and the other dead generals’ faces were turning green.
At the same time, Lei Yinyin arrived at the entrance of the Pig-Herding Alley.
She was going to return to school, but she walked there involuntarily.
In her mind, the most outstanding peers lived in that place.
From the battle in the Heaven Sword Martial Club, no, maybe even sooner, when she heard the story of Li Mu for the first time, Lei Yinyin began to wors.h.i.+p that young man, including his decision to run away from home, his stubbornness of clapping thrice, and his return after eight years. He was a legend.
On that day, when she met him at the Heaven Sword Martial Club, she really became his huge fan.
The day before yesterday, at the gate of the Fengming Academy, Li Mu appeared and had gotten rid of He Yunxiang and the others quickly. She felt a stronger attachment to him.
In her mind, the relations.h.i.+p between Li Mu and her was a kind of spiritual belief.
She could not realize what she desired. However, Li Mu realized all the things she wanted.
She came to the door of the Shack more than once. From a distance, she looked at the fairyland-like courtyard amidst drifting clouds and fog.
But that time, she had gone there to say goodbye.
She did not walk into the Pig-Herding Alley, because she did not come to ask Li Mu for help.
The “Red-hair Killing Invitation” was too burdensome. At present, Li Mu might not be able to deal with it.
Moreover, Lei Yinyin did not believe that Li Mu was obliged to solve such a difficult thing for her.
She hoped that Li Mu could continue his legend.
She hoped that he would not be like her. In the face of sudden disasters, she became vulnerable and stopped abruptly.
Looking at the courtyard of the Shack from afar, she gave a smile.
Then, she turned away.
After returning to the Fengming Academy, she visited Dean Qu, who was not cured after being seriously injured.
“My girl, you can go. Leave Chang’an city and go as far as you can. I’ll find my old friends to send you out of the city secretly.” Dean Qu said.
Lei Yinyin shook her head and said, “If I leave, the Academy will be over. It’s the Holy Land for the poor young people in Chang’an city to change their fates. I can’t see it be destroyed. And my family, my friends… Dean, youv’e always told us that if fate is cruel to us, we have to face it. If I have a caldron face, as said in the ‘Red-hair Killing Invitation,’ I want to see what kind of path fate has laid for me.”
Dean Qu sighed.
He trained her personally, and he treated her like his daughter.
He was distressed.
“Dean, after I leave, please secretly take care of my brother and sister-in-law.” Lei Yinyin still cared about her loved ones.
Dean Qu nodded.
He remembered something and said, “Tomorrow, Master Li Mu will come to our academy to read scriptures. Haven’t you always wors.h.i.+pped him? You might as well leave for Qing Sha Clan of the Hanshan Academy after taking a look at him tomorrow.”