Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 13 The past is gone, fate has it, not man's will.
"Thank you for understanding my master's good intentions, Uncle Tian. Also, before I left, my master instructed me to have a reunion with Uncle Tian's junior brother Zhang."

Seeing that Tian Buyi agreed, Qi Hao breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled again.

Tian Buyi snorted lightly. Reminiscing? Was he just trying to annoy me because he wasn't angry enough?

Unfortunately, Cangsong underestimated Tian Buyi. Tian Buyi was, after all, an enlightened person. How could he be such a narrow-minded person?

"Seventh brother, you figure it out yourself."

Tian Buyi waved his hand dismissively. He was confident in his abilities. So what if Lin Jingyu had a high level of cultivation? Being able to teach a prodigy was not a real skill.

Lin Jingyu had been waiting for a long time, but his master and senior brother had repeatedly told him not to provoke that short, fat man, so he had held back until now.

At this moment, having received Tian Buyi's permission, Lin Jingyu turned his head and walked towards Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan looked at his childhood companion, a look of emotion on his face, and said softly.

"Jingyu, you've grown up."

"You too, Xiao Fan!"

These words brought tears to Lin Jingyu's eyes, filling him with a mix of emotions. Zhang Xiaofan sighed again upon hearing this.

"Yes, it's been more than three years. We've all grown up, and it's time for us to grow up too!"

"Xiao Fan, about that incident back then..."

Lin Jingyu's nose tingled, and he couldn't help but speak, but before he could finish, Zhang Xiaofan reached out and grabbed Lin Jingyu's arm, interrupting him.

His slightly taller stature gave Zhang Xiaofan's gaze a strange sense of pressure.

"Alright, Jingyu, what happened back then is all in the past. We are both Qingyun disciples now. The past is gone, and fate is beyond our control, so why dwell on it?"

Zhang Xiaofan sighed softly and couldn't help but offer words of comfort.

Unlike Lin Jingyu, who knew nothing, Zhang Xiaofan was aware of every detail. He didn't want Lin Jingyu to be too fixated on the past.

The murderer in the Grass Temple Village massacre appears to be the monk Puzhi, but in reality, it should be two people: the monk Puzhi and the Taoist Cangsong.

But deep down, Zhang Xiaofan preferred to believe that what truly caused all of this was the fate of those high above, who could decide the fate of all beings with a single word!
Puzhi killed the entire village of Caomiao with his own hands. However, if Cangsong hadn't launched the sneak attack, Puzhi would have been seriously injured and on the verge of death. Furthermore, because of Cangsong's identity, Puzhi dared not go up the mountain for help. Ultimately, in his panic and anxiety, he lost his composure and committed such a grave mistake.

Of course, Daoist Cangsong could not have imagined that the eminent monk Puzhi would commit such a heinous crime.

The reason why the monk Puzhi lost his composure was twofold: firstly, Puzhi was too obsessed with immortality; secondly, it was because Puzhi was compassionate.

Yes, have compassion.

It sounds ridiculous that someone commits heinous crimes because of their compassion, right? But reality is just that ridiculous and absurd.

If not for compassion, Puzhi would not have intervened to rescue Lin Jingyu when he was kidnapped, unaware of the kidnappers' motives, thus allowing Cangsong to exploit this and poison him.

If not for compassion, Puzhi would not have fought so desperately despite being seriously injured, for fear that Cangsong, this "demonic cultist," might commit murder in a fit of rage.

If not for compassion, Puzhi would not have carried the Bloodthirsty Pearl with him, applying Buddhist demon-subduing techniques to it day and night without interruption, which led to him being corrupted by evil thoughts and committing a grave mistake.

How tragic it is that a person with a heart full of compassion would commit such a grave mistake on the verge of death.

However, all of this cannot be entirely blamed on the Venerable Puzhi and Daoist Cangsong; Zhang Xiaofan himself was also a key figure. At that time, if Zhang Xiaofan had not been kind-hearted and brought food to Puzhi in the middle of the night, giving Puzhi hope, Puzhi would not have been grateful for his kindness, imparting Buddhist teachings to him in the hope that he could fulfill his long-cherished wish, and ultimately committing such a grave mistake in order to allow him to successfully enter Qingyun.

Therefore, as the Venerable Master Puzhi himself said, all of this is predestined, and everything is preordained.

Do you hate Puzhi?

Zhang Xiaofan didn't hate anyone; he just lamented the cruel twist of fate. Not to mention that Puzhi had saved him twice that day, even now that Puzhi had died with resentment, what could he do?

Do you hate the pine tree?

Zhang Xiaofan didn't hate him. Cangsong was just a pitiful and pathetic person. However, since he had committed a serious crime and caused the tragic deaths of the villagers of Caomiao Village, Zhang Xiaofan would bring him to justice sooner or later.

What Zhang Xiaofan truly hated was the lofty and unapproachable destiny of Heaven—Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs!

Why is the fate of humankind determined by Heaven?

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaofan's words, Lin Jingyu's eyes widened, unsure of what to say. He stared blankly at his old friend, who resembled him somewhat from back then, yet was no longer the same honest and stubborn man he once was.

“Jingyu, you have now reached the fourth level of Yuqing. If you have time, you can ask Uncle Cangsong for permission to go down the mountain to pay your respects.”

Zhang Xiaofan sighed, feeling a pang of pity. He gently patted Lin Jingyu's arm before turning and retreating.

He was the cook of Dazhu Peak and also had good cultivation. He did all sorts of things himself, such as gathering firewood and collecting materials. Occasionally, he would go into the mountains to pick some mountain delicacies, so Tian Buyi didn't really care where he went.

In the past six months, Zhang Xiaofan, who is free to go up and down the mountain, has also gone down the mountain to Caomiao Village several times.

When the senior brothers saw that Zhang Xiaofan's expression was strange, they thought that he had remembered the past again and were about to go and comfort him, but Tian Ling'er, who had been by Su Ru's side, was one step ahead.

Tian Ling'er came to Zhang Xiaofan's side and saw that Zhang Xiaofan rarely showed a sad expression. She felt a pang of heartache and gently held Zhang Xiaofan's arm with both hands, comforting him in a soft voice.

"Xiao Fan, it's alright, it's all in the past."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I'm fine."

Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback at first, not expecting Tian Ling'er to be so affectionate with him. After realizing what was happening, he chuckled at Tian Ling'er and replied.

In the past three years, apart from the time Zhang Xiaofan carried Tian Ling'er away from the pool in order to save her in the secluded valley, this was only the second time the two had been this close, and it was Tian Ling'er who took the initiative.

Song Daren, Zheng Dayi, and the others, who were standing to the side, looked at Zhang Xiaofan and Tian Ling'er standing together. At first, they showed surprise, and then they all revealed some inexplicable smiles.

Zhang Xiaofan and Tian Ling'er, who were directly involved, may not have noticed, but Song Daren and several other senior brothers could see how close the two were on a daily basis.

Especially in the past six months, after Zhang Xiaofan finished his studies, he still insisted on going to the back mountain to practice swordsmanship every day, and Tian Ling'er would follow along as usual, and then they would come back together to cook.

Tian Buyi and Su Ru didn't react much to Tian Ling'er's actions, perhaps because they were already used to it. Instead, they showed some emotion at their daughter growing up.

Qi Hao, standing in the middle, looked at Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan, especially at their arms, and felt a mix of emotions.

But thinking of his mentor's instructions before leaving, Qi Hao couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Seeing Lin Jingyu standing there in a daze, he smiled and took the initiative to speak.

"This young lady must be the famous Tian Ling'er, Junior Sister Tian, ​​right?"

(End of this chapter)