Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 89 Mantuo Villa
In the evening, Lin Yi attended a banquet and finally met Daiyu.

"Hello, Brother Lin."

The oil lamp cast a dim yellow glow, and in the interplay of light and shadow, the young girl gracefully bowed, a faint smile on her delicate face, tinged with a hint of shyness.

In just a few months, Lin Yi could sense that Daiyu had also changed. It seemed that the trip to the capital had matured her considerably.

Lin Yi returned the greeting, "Hello, Miss Lin."

After the host and guests were seated, Lin Ruhai said, "I can never repay the kindness of Sect Leader Lin. I will offer a cup of tea in place of wine to Sect Leader Lin."

"It was just a small favor, nothing to mention."

Lin Yi finished his drink, and a pretty maid poured him more wine while secretly glancing at him.

Lin Yi smiled in response: "Is this Zijuan, Daiyu's new maid?"

The atmosphere at the table was harmonious. Halfway through the meal, Lin Ruhai suddenly felt unwell. After coughing for a while, he left the table to rest, accompanied only by Daiyu.

The two women recounted their initial encounter, both expressing their feelings. Daiyu was curious about Lin Yi's deeds, so Lin Yi told her his story—a embellished version, of course.

Daiyu was deeply shocked after hearing this: "In just a few months, Brother Lin has become a great hero in the martial arts world, with the best martial arts skills in the world..."

"The martial world is full of hidden talents and crouching tigers; I dare not accept that title," Lin Yi chuckled. "You haven't told me about yourself yet. How was your time at the Rongguo Mansion? When are you returning to Yangzhou? Did you encounter any trouble on the way?"

Daiyu shook her head: "What could possibly happen to a young lady who doesn't leave the courtyard every day? The Rongguo Mansion... is quite nice. My maternal grandmother, aunt, and sister-in-law Lian all treat me very well."

Lin Yi asked, "Where is Jia Baoyu?"

“Brother Bao is a very nice person, but he’s a bit annoying. I’ll just ignore him,” Daiyu chuckled. “I came back a month ago, escorted by Lord Lu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Sister Ding. Nothing happened… it’s just Father’s illness, sigh.”

Daiyu frowned slightly. Seeing the girl's worried face, Lin Yi felt a little sorry for her and offered, "Miss Lin, I also know a little about medicine. Why don't I examine Lord Lin?"

"That's wonderful, thank you so much, Brother Lin." Daiyu was overjoyed and quickly bowed deeply to express her gratitude.

Lin Yi impressed her as strong and reliable. He had personally witnessed Lin Ruhai's serious illness, yet he took the initiative to offer treatment, so he must have some confidence in the outcome.

After the banquet, Daiyu took Lin Yi to the main courtyard. Lin Ruhai was overjoyed to hear this.

As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts are inseparable. Famous doctors in the martial arts world, such as Doctor Xue, Ping Yizhi, and Huang Yaoshi, are so skilled that even high-ranking officials and nobles often heard of them, as if Hua Tuo were alive today.

However, these renowned doctors in the martial arts world are known for their elusive whereabouts and eccentric temperaments, making it difficult to persuade them to treat patients.

Now that Lin Yi has taken the initiative to propose it, Lin Ruhai is naturally looking forward to it.

Daiyu moved an embroidered stool for Lin Yi. When she saw Lin Yi taking Lin Ruhai's pulse, her big, watery eyes were full of anticipation and nervousness.

As soon as Lin Yi took Lin Ruhai's pulse, he frowned slightly and carefully examined and questioned him.

He fell silent for a long time, pondering Hu Qingniu's "Medical Classic." After withdrawing his hand, Daiyu asked anxiously, "Brother Lin, how is my father...?"

Lin Yi said, "It can be cured."

Hu Qingniu's medical skills were extremely advanced, and his medical classic was the culmination of his life's work. Lin Yi only lacked some medical experience.

In addition, the Nine Yang Divine Skill is also a sacred text for healing injuries and poisons. With the healing power of the Nine Yang True Qi combined with the power of medicine, there are not many diseases in the world that can stump Lin Yi.

Daiyu's face was full of surprise, and Lin Ruhai was also somewhat moved. He was only in his forties and had not yet seen his only daughter Daiyu get married and have children. Of course, he did not want to die.

Lin Ruhai said, "Sect Leader Lin's kindness is truly beyond repayment..."

Daiyu also thought that Lin Yi had first saved her, then treated Lin Ruhai, and was even going to escort them back to Yangzhou... She was extremely grateful to Lin Yi for such great kindness.

Lin Yi immediately wrote down a prescription, which included many precious and rare medicinal herbs. However, given the Lin family's wealth and power, obtaining these herbs would not be difficult.

That night, Lin Yi stayed at the Lin family home.

……

The next morning, Lin Yi arrived at the shore of Taihu Lake, where Lu Wenzhao, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already arranged for someone to meet him.

Lin Yi boarded a small boat and was slightly surprised to see the person rowing the oars. "It's you?"

"Didn't Sect Leader Lin want to keep it a secret?" Ding Baiying said calmly.

She was still dressed in a white, fitted outfit, with a goose-feather sword at her waist, looking capable and dashing.

Lin Yi glanced at her a couple more times, but didn't say anything more: "Let's go."

Ding Baiying rowed the oars, and the small boat slowly left the shore. After a few turns, the boat drifted into a large lake, where the vast expanse of water stretched as far as the eye could see.

Lin Yi casually lay down on the boat, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling quite content, before looking at Ding Baiying.

Her hair was tied up, her face was expressionless and aloof, her waist was slender, and the curves of her body were much smaller than yesterday. Her fair hands were made even more pale by the wooden oars.

Under his undisguised gaze, Ding Baiying frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Lin Yi smiled, closed his eyes, and focused on resting.

……

He fell asleep without realizing it, and when he woke up, the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of lotus root.

Lin Yi got up and saw Ding Baiying still rowing the boat. The lake was full of lotus leaves, duckweed, and reeds, swaying in the wind, a beautiful sight.

"Are you a local? Sing me a Wu opera song."

"will not."

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Is it that you can't, or that you don't want to?"

Ding Baiying glanced at him and said indifferently, "I neither will nor want to."

Lin Yi looked at her and said, "Then let me play a tune for you."

He took down the jade flute and began to play it.

Amidst the melodious sound of the flute, lotus leaves swayed like ripples on water.

After days of honing his skills, Lin Yi's flute playing had become extremely proficient. He planned to draw inspiration from Huang Yaoshi's "Azure Sea Tide Melody" and incorporate his inner strength into the flute music.

Ding Baiying's oarsmanship slowed. After a long while, the music stopped, and she asked, "What tune is this?"

Lin Yi said, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer."

A year ago, Yue Buqun led the Huashan Sect in Luoyang. The Wang family of the Golden Saber mistakenly took Linghu Chong's qin score as the Bixie Sword Manual. Lin Yi also looked through the qin score.

The musical score was a relic of Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng, the "Laughing at the World" melody.

"Laughing at the world..." Ding Baiying murmured, "Your martial arts are the best in the world, and you are unrestrained, so of course you can laugh at the world."

Lin Yi smiled, his interest piqued, and began to play other tunes, all popular songs from his previous life.

After traveling for another hour, looking out from the lake, a small island could be seen in the distance, with lush green willows planted neatly on the shore, their branches swaying in the wind.

Lin Yi felt a surge of joy: "This is truly a wonderful place."

Ding Baiying said, "That is Mantuo Manor."

Lin Yi stood up. "That's enough for now. Come pick me up tomorrow."

The things he was going to do on the island were beneath his dignity, so he didn't plan to bring anyone with him.

Ding Baiying stared at the lake and was momentarily stunned to see that the small boat was still more than a hundred feet away from the island.

After Lin Yi finished speaking, he leaped into the water, used his lightness skill to walk on the water, and soon reached the shore.

He waved to the small boat on the lake, then turned and ventured deeper into the island...

(End of this chapter)