# Chapter 6: Lin Ningshan
Zhang Ruochen, Lin Fei, and the maid Yun'er sat in an antelope-drawn ancient carriage as it slowly made its way out of the Cloud Wu Royal Palace.
The antelope was not a real horse, but a barbarian beast with a single horn on its head. Its body stood over three meters tall, resembling a small elephant, and it could run more than five times faster than an ordinary warhorse. Some of the stronger antelopes could even travel three thousand li in a single day.
The antelope-drawn carriage traveled for an unknown distance before gradually coming to a stop.
Zhang Ruochen stepped down from the carriage and looked at the two magnificent golden gates not far away. He then gazed at the gold-rimmed plaque hanging above the gates, on which two bold and vigorous characters were inscribed: "Lin Mansion."
His heart stirred. Wasn't his mother's surname "Lin"?
Judging by the grandeur of this residence, the Lin family was no small household but rather a prominent clan.
If his mother's maiden family was truly a great clan, why hadn't they supported her? Why had she been bullied by the other consorts in the Prince's residence?
There must be a hidden reason.
Lin Fei also stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the gates—both familiar and unfamiliar. She said, "Chen'er, you must have been eager to see Ningshan for a long time, haven't you? Now that you've awakened your Divine Martial Mark, I believe you and Ningshan will have many topics to discuss. You must work hard!"
Until now, Zhang Ruochen still didn't know who Ningshan was. Hearing Yun'er and Lin Fei's words, he felt a strange sensation.
Under Lin Fei's lead, Zhang Ruochen and Yun'er entered the Lin Mansion.
In theory, a consort returning to her family should receive a grand welcome, but the one who received Lin Fei and Zhang Ruochen at the gate was merely an elderly steward.
The old steward led Lin Fei to the inner residence, while Zhang Ruochen and Yun'er remained in the outer residence. Only two maidservants stayed behind to attend to them.
Zhang Ruochen felt that the atmosphere was very strange, but he didn't know how to ask, so he could only remain silent.
"Ninth Prince, aren't you going to see Ningshan? She should be at the training ground right now. The young disciples of the Lin family are probably all training there," Yun'er said.
Having been reminded several times by Yun'er and Lin Fei, Zhang Ruochen became even more curious. Who was this woman named "Ningshan"? Meeting her shouldn't hurt.
"Mm. Let's go, to the Lin family training ground," Zhang Ruochen nodded.
...
Inside the Lin family's inner residence.
In an antique hall, the Lin family patriarch Lin Fengxian sat steadily on a grand armchair.
He appeared to be around thirty years old, with two neat mustache strokes above his lips. He glanced at Lin Fei sitting across from him and said, "The Ninth Prince is a descendant of the Prince's residence. Even if he has awakened his Divine Martial Mark, he should go to the Prince's residence library to choose his cultivation technique. Why has Consort Lin come to the Lin family to ask for a cultivation technique?"
Lin Fei bit her lip gently and said, "I'm not asking, I'm begging my elder brother to consider that Chen'er is your own nephew and grant him a volume of cultivation technique."
"Bang!"
Lin Fengxian snorted coldly and slammed his palm on the table. "Now you know to come and beg me, your elder brother? Now you want to talk about family ties? Three years ago, when I went to the Prince's residence to beg you, why didn't you consider that Chenyu was your own nephew and save him? You knew full well that Chenyu was my legitimate son, a once-in-a-century genius of the Lin family. If you had just begged the Prince, he could have been saved. But you didn't..."
"Three years ago..." Lin Fei was extremely wronged and couldn't help but cry, wanting to speak the truth about what happened three years ago.
But Lin Fengxian interrupted her. "Leave. The Lin family severed ties with you long ago. Don't come back anymore. Consort Lin."
"Thud!"
Lin Fei knelt directly on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "Elder Brother, are you so heartless? I want to see Father."
"Father has gone to the Demon Ridge and won't return for three months. You won't be able to see him now," Lin Fengxian said coldly. "Also, Ningshan and the Seventh Prince are about to be betrothed. Tell the Ninth Prince to stay away from Ningshan from now on."
Lin Fei felt even more despair. "You know that Chen'er has always liked Ningshan. How heartbroken will he be when he learns that Ningshan is betrothed to the Seventh Prince? And why the Seventh Prince of all people?"
Lin Fengxian said, "The Seventh Prince awakened a seventh-rank Divine Martial Mark when he was only three years old. How astonishing is his talent? With his current martial arts cultivation, no one in the younger generation of the entire Cloud Wu Commandery can even come close to him. Ningshan being able to marry the Seventh Prince will bring tremendous benefits to the Lin family's future."
"Although the Ninth Prince and Ningshan are cousins and were good playmates as children—childhood sweethearts, you might say—the Ninth Prince is ultimately mediocre in talent. Awakening his Divine Martial Mark at sixteen, he won't achieve much in this life. Reaching the late stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm would probably be his limit. He simply can't compare with the Seventh Prince."
Lin Fei asked, "Does Ningshan also agree to be betrothed to the Seventh Prince? Will a marriage arranged for the sake of family interests truly bring happiness?"
Lin Fengxian stared at Lin Fei and said coldly, "You're wrong. This was Ningshan's own decision."
...
The Lin family training ground was very spacious, as large as half a football field.
Young disciples of the Lin family, all dressed in blue martial arts robes, were training martial techniques on the training ground. Some practiced fist techniques, some practiced sword techniques, and some practiced blade techniques.
They were the elite of the Lin family, each having awakened their Divine Martial Mark, training with full concentration. Elders of the Lin family were also present on the training ground, offering guidance—a scene of thriving vitality.
Zhang Ruochen nodded to himself. "The Lin family can indeed be considered a major clan in the Cloud Wu Commandery."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on a slender young girl, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration.
The girl appeared to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a petite and delicate figure. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes bright as stars, and her skin as white as spiritual jade—a true beauty in the making.
She held a sword that emitted faint starlight, radiating a pale blue sword glow. Countless sword energies swirled around her body, following her movements as she stepped gracefully. Her movements were as swift as a startled swan and as agile as a swimming dragon. Her swordsmanship was exquisite to the extreme.
"True Qi released externally, the sword following the heart. Her martial cultivation has at least reached the middle stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm—far stronger than the Eighth Prince," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
"Oh? Isn't that the Ninth Prince? He actually came to the Lin Mansion?" A young disciple of the Lin family spotted Zhang Ruochen standing outside the training ground and revealed a cold smile.
"He must be here to see Sister Ningshan again. Too bad, Sister Ningshan can't even be bothered to see him now."
"I heard he awakened his Divine Martial Mark too."
"Heh! Awakening his Divine Martial Mark at sixteen—what can he possibly achieve? If he weren't Sister Ningshan's cousin, he probably wouldn't even be allowed through the Lin family gates."
"I heard Sister Ningshan is about to be betrothed to the Seventh Prince. What a perfect match!"
"Heh heh! I heard that the Ninth Prince has always had a crush on Sister Ningshan. Guess what expression he'll have when he hears that Ningshan and the Seventh Prince are getting engaged?"
The young martial artists of the Lin family all stopped training, staring at Zhang Ruochen standing outside the training ground. They pointed at him, whispered among themselves, and occasionally let out mocking laughter.
Lin Ningshan also stopped practicing her sword and glanced at Zhang Ruochen standing outside the training ground. With a light flick of her slender jade-like arm, the star-gleaming sword in her hand precisely inserted itself into the scabbard five meters away.
Lin Ningshan walked up to Zhang Ruochen, looked at his thin frame, and said, "Cousin, long time no see. I heard you've also awakened your Divine Martial Mark?"
When they were very young, Lin Ningshan and Zhang Ruochen had been good playmates—childhood sweethearts, one might say. But later, after Lin Ningshan awakened her Divine Martial Mark, she spent most of her time on cultivation and grew increasingly distant from Zhang Ruochen.
After the incident three years ago, she had never again visited the Cloud Wu Royal Palace. Although Zhang Ruochen was often ill, he still frequently went to the Lin family to see her. Even just catching a glimpse of her would make him very happy.
But the opportunities to see her grew fewer and fewer, and in the past six months, he hadn't seen her at all. She would always send a maidservant out to send him away.
"So she's my cousin."
For the current Zhang Ruochen, this was his first time meeting Lin Ningshan. He felt nothing special toward her, so he remained very calm and humbly said, "I have indeed awakened my Divine Martial Mark, but the Queen Consort said it's a mark without any rank. Naturally, it can't compare with yours, Cousin."
Lin Ningshan nodded, lifting her snow-white chin proudly like a white swan. "You're already sixteen. Being able to awaken your Divine Martial Mark is a gift from heaven. You must work hard on your cultivation from now on. Although you can't become a martial arts expert, at least you can strengthen your body and not have to lie sick in bed all year round. For you... at least you can live like a normal person."
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly but nodded. "I will definitely work hard on my cultivation and strive to catch up with your level, Cousin."
Lin Ningshan naturally knew that Zhang Ruochen liked her. Hearing his words, she thought he still hadn't given up and wanted to continue pursuing her.
"Sigh, Cousin, my cultivation has already reached the middle stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, just one step away from the great extreme stage. With your talent, you probably won't be able to reach the middle stage in your entire life. What you should do now is cultivate steadily and not blindly pursue things you shouldn't pursue. One shouldn't aim too high, or it will backfire," Lin Ningshan said with double meaning.
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed even deeper.
Lin Ningshan looked at Zhang Ruochen with some sympathy and said, "Cousin, there's something else I need to tell you. I hope you won't be too sad. Three months from now, after the Prince emerges from seclusion, the Seventh Prince and I should be getting engaged."
"The show is about to begin! Heh heh!"
The young martial artists of the Lin family were all delighted, turning their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen, eager to see his reaction.
(WeChat follow: 5 Sina Weibo follow: Feiyu's Weibo)
;