Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 85 The Realm of Purity

"Celestial Immortal Descending from Heaven — What a name, what a swordsmanship —"

Zhou Jinyuan knelt on the ground, managing to utter a sound with difficulty. Before he could finish speaking, his body collapsed forward, falling onto the rubble and dust, and he fell silent.

Blood slowly seeped from beneath him, appearing particularly glaring in the dark red sunset.

The entire room fell silent.

The Lin family members stared blankly at the corpse lying on the ground, and at the grandmaster kneeling in the ruins, unable to believe their eyes for a moment.

Zhou Jinyuan, one of the seven grandmasters of Qingzhou, known as the Swift Wind Divine Leg, died just like that.

He died by the sword of a twenty-year-old.

At this moment, everyone felt it was absurd that a twenty-year-old martial arts master was so ridiculous!

Liu Su stared blankly at Zhou Jinyuan's corpse, her pupils filled with terror. Her lips trembled a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Then, she turned around abruptly, touched the ground with her toes, and shot off towards the outside of the courtyard like an arrow.

"Trying to run away?"

Lin Yourong was prepared.

Her figure moved almost at the same instant. She used the Lin family's lightness skill, her movements as light as a swallow, and she struck Liu Su's back with a palm.

Liu Su had no choice but to turn around and block.

With a loud thud, Liu Su was thrown back several steps by the impact, while Lin Yourong also used the force to land back on the ground. She looked at her palms in astonishment, her mind filled with doubt.

Liu Su was someone who could fight her grandfather, yet she was sent flying by a single palm strike?

In that instant, a figure swept in from the side, as fast as a shooting star.

It was Gu Guanqi.

The gleam of his Autumn Water Sword flashed in the twilight, and the tip of the sword was already firmly placed against Liu Su's neck.

The sword's edge was close to the skin, just a hair's breadth away from cutting through it.

Liu Su's body stiffened abruptly.

She slowly turned her head, looking at Gu Guanqi standing with his sword in hand. Looking at his young and calm face, a trace of despair flashed in her eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Su sighed. In that instant, she felt a sense of relief, exhaustion, and an indescribable sense of liberation.

"Kill me," she said calmly, "and let me be free."

She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, revealing her fair neck, as if waiting for the final sword strike.

Just then—

A series of hurried and disordered footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, and someone stumbled in.

"Liu Su! Liu Su!"

It is Lin Yuanhu.

He ran very fast, almost tumbling and crawling as he rushed from behind the ruins. His robes were covered in dust, his hair was disheveled, and his face was pale.

He was holding a jade bottle in his hands.

He rushed to Liu Su, holding the jade bottle in both hands, and presented it to her. He was trembling with excitement, his voice hoarse and urgent: "Liu Su, look, look at this! A miracle drug! This is a miracle drug from overseas, specially for curing my illness! Really, believe me, as long as I persist in taking this drug, in a year at most, no, six months, six months I can become a real man! Look, look!"

His voice grew louder and more urgent, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

"Wait for me, please wait for me! Why did you have to go this far? Why couldn't you just wait for me a little longer? I've found a way, I really have! Wait for me, please wait for me—"

As he spoke, Lin Yuanhu seemed to have all his energy drained away, and he slumped to the ground.

"Why—why couldn't you wait for me—" His voice lowered, as if he were asking Liu Su, or perhaps himself, as he murmured to himself.

Liu Su opened her eyes and looked down at Lin Yuanhu, who was slumped on the ground.

Her eyes were complex, filled with pity, guilt, helplessness, and a trace of inexplicable sorrow.

She remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Lin Yuanhu, you need to understand one thing: the reason I've come to this point is never because you're impotent."

Lin Yuanhu lowered his head and remained silent.

Liu Su glanced at Lin Yuanhu and then looked away, saying, "I've come to this point because of hatred. I hate my father. I hate that he treated me like a commodity, selling me to you in order to curry favor with the Lin family."

I hate the Lin family, I hate why your Lin family is so powerful. If the Lin family weren't so wealthy and powerful, my father wouldn't have thought of selling me to you. I hate this world even more, I hate how unfair this world is to me.

Her voice gradually rose, carrying a hysterical outburst that had been suppressed for too long.

"I know I shouldn't hate the Lin family. They didn't force my father; he came to us of his own accord. I know I shouldn't hate you, Lin Yuanhu. But I just can't control myself!"

I can't control myself! Every day when I open my eyes and see this house, see the Lin family, see a husband who can't have sex, the hatred in my heart surges up! I can't, I really can't suppress that hatred!

This place was like an infernal hell to me. I wanted to escape, but I couldn't. I didn't have the ability to escape this utter darkness. I was truly desperate. At that moment, Zhou Jinyuan gave me a ray of light.

I know I did wrong, I know I let the Lin family down, but Zhou Jinyuan is my light. He showed me that there is still hope for me to live another life. So, I couldn't refuse his request, even if it meant destroying the Lin family, I agreed without hesitation.

I hate it, I really hate it, I hate everyone who is better off than me!

Her voice echoed in the empty courtyard, carrying a chilling despair.

The Lin family members in the courtyard also fell silent. No one spoke, no one made a sound; only the sound of the night wind blowing through the ruins, rustling as if sighing.

"What about us, Mother?" a voice rang out.

Everyone looked over and saw Lin Youfeng, with Lin Youhui beside her.

Both brother and sister looked ashen-faced.

Liu Su looked at Lin Youhui and Lin Youfeng and said, "I hate you both too!"

Lin Youfeng raised her head, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

Liu Su looked at the two young men in front of her, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. That emotion vanished in an instant, replaced by an undisguised, cold disgust.

"Do you know where you came from?" She sneered, her voice full of sarcasm. "You are my brother's children, given to me by my father. Because Lin Yuanhu is infertile, but in order to protect his reputation, he decided to adopt children. And my father gave you two to Lin Yuanhu."

She paused, took a deep breath, and said, "At that time, I didn't know the truth. I thought it was all because of the Lin family's coercion. I thought I was enduring humiliation to protect the Liu family. I even happily agreed to pretend to be pregnant and then brought you two to the Lin family one after another."

But later, I learned the truth. I knew the Lin family had never pressured the Liu family; I had been sold. From then on, every day I looked at you two, and the hatred in my heart grew stronger. It was as if you two were constantly reminding me that not only had my family sold me, but they were also leeching off me!

Lin Youhui's face turned deathly pale, and he swayed, almost losing his balance. Lin Youfeng's tears finally fell, silently streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground.

"But it doesn't matter anymore." Liu Su turned her head away, no longer looking at them, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself. "That old bastard Liu Xuan, I've already killed him. Before he died, I made him suffer a lot, torturing him little by little. He screamed terribly, begging me to give him a quick death. He was still begging me until his death!"

After saying that, she raised her head slightly and sighed.

At this moment, Lin Huaiyuan asked in a deep voice, "Liu Su, when did you begin colluding with Zhou Jinyuan?"

Liu Su glanced around at everyone, her eyes filled with a nonchalant, "what's the use of trying" attitude.

"Just finding some random man." Her tone was flippant and casual, as if she were talking about something trivial. "Seven years ago, Zhou Jinyuan had just become the seventh Grandmaster in Qingzhou and visited you at the Lin family for the first time. That night, he tried to seduce me. Before long, we were hooking up."

Lin Huaiyuan frowned.

Liu Su continued, "He asked me to steal the manual for the Great Calamity Finger. The Breaking Calamity Finger was also a martial art he commissioned to be created specifically to counter the Great Calamity Finger. He had long coveted the Lin family's foundation, but with you here, he didn't dare to make a move."

Lin Huaiyuan asked in surprise, "You've cultivated the Tribulation-Breaking Finger to such a level in just a few short years? You actually have such martial arts talent?"

Liu Su chuckled lightly, her tone tinged with disdain: "The Tribulation-Breaking Finger is a quick-learning martial art. It doesn't require profound comprehension or a strong foundation of internal energy. It has only one function: to counter the Great Tribulation Finger. Once you understand the flow of true energy in the Great Tribulation Finger, the Tribulation-Breaking Finger will be as easy as a key unlocking a lock."

It's not strong; you only perceive it as strong because it completely counters the Great Calamity Finger and the Great Calamity True Qi. My actual martial arts level isn't high; I've simply absorbed the internal energy of some members of your Lin family and converted it, which has allowed me to achieve some success in internal energy cultivation.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

At this moment, Lin Yourong asked, "Second Aunt, since you can absorb internal energy, and my internal energy is clearly more profound than Youhui's and the others, why didn't you absorb my internal energy back then?"

"It's all because Zhou Zhiyao is blinded by lust. Their family's Qingfeng Force can neutralize my foreign true energy," Liu Su said. "He wants to use the opportunity of neutralizing your true energy to have physical contact with you, and then marry you legitimately. Later, he'll find an opportunity for me to absorb your energy, making you a complete cripple, controlled by him, and his kept woman!"

"Disgusting!" Lin Yourong cursed.

At this moment, Gu Guanqi asked, "Did you know that Zhou Jinyuan is a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

Liu Su glanced at him and nodded: "I know. The Tribulation-Breaking Finger wasn't created by Zhou Jinyuan himself; it was created by a master from the Heavenly Demon Sect. Zhou Jinyuan doesn't have that ability."

She paused, her gaze falling on Gu Guanqi's face, and said, "Your doubts are simply that Zhou Jinyuan went to such great lengths, using that old scoundrel Liu Xuan's identity, yet still used the Seven Absolute Whirlwind Kick—it's nothing but self-deception and burying your head in the sand!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "It's easy to explain to the martial arts world. Just kill all the Lin family members present. Anyway, on the surface, it's Liu Xuan who's at the Lin family today, so we can fool him."

But if the Six Doors hire professionals to investigate, they'll always be able to find traces of the Seven Deadly Whirlwind Kick. Furthermore, he might not even be able to kill all the members of the Lin family. He'll definitely expose that he's a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, so why isn't he worried at all?

Liu Su said, "Because putting aside the identity of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Lin family's matter today is at most a martial arts dispute in the eyes of the Six Doors. As long as they can be given a way out, no one will investigate it further. Martial arts matters should be settled in the martial arts world. As long as it does not involve ordinary people, the Six Doors will not interfere."

As for his identity as a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Zhou Jinyuan wasn't afraid of being exposed. Because after tomorrow, the Heavenly Demon Sect would cease to exist; only the Guanyin Sect would remain. Zhou Jinyuan was a member of the Guanyin Sect, not the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Huaiyuan said, "How is that possible? The Heavenly Demon Sect is a demonic sect; they can't possibly evade capture just by changing their name—"

Liu Su chuckled and said, "Lin Huaiyuan, you've spent your whole life in the martial world, yet you still don't understand the true nature of the so-called righteous path and the demonic path. The reason why the demonic path in the martial world is called the demonic path is because it can't defeat the righteous path."

Whether it's righteous or demonic, that's just a definition used by the martial arts world. When has the imperial court ever cared about the righteous and demonic paths of the martial arts world? In the eyes of the imperial court, they are all martial arts forces, with only martial arts sects that obey the imperial court's orders and rebels that do not.

Therefore, of the six demonic sects, only the Heavenly Demon Sect is wanted by the imperial court. This is not because the Heavenly Demon Sect is demonic, but because it colluded with remnants of the previous dynasty and plotted a rebellion. That is why the Heavenly Demon Sect is wanted by the imperial court.

Now, a coup has occurred within the Heavenly Demon Sect. Wen Qiuchi, the sect's vice-leader, known in the martial arts world as the Blood Guanyin, has announced that her lineage is separating from the Heavenly Demon Sect and changing its name to the Guanyin Sect.

After saying that, Liu Su chuckled lightly, his laughter tinged with mockery, and said, "Wen Qiuchi has always been loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty and has been enduring humiliation and hardship. Now she has killed Chu Shukuang, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and captured the former false emperor supported by the Heavenly Demon Sect and handed him over to the court."

From this day forward, the Heavenly Demon Sect is the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Guanyin Sect is the Guanyin Sect; they must not be confused!

These words shocked everyone present.

Lin Huaiyuan's expression changed drastically, and Lin Yuanshan, Lin Yourong and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

Gu Guanqi was also taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "That's true. In the imperial court, there's no such thing as righteous or demonic paths." He then asked, "Then, what's the situation with Yue Xiaotian?"

Liu Su said, "They are from the same sect. Zhou Jinyuan and Yue Xiaotian are both members of the Heavenly Demon Sect. According to Zhou Jinyuan, they are also Wen Qiuchi's senior brothers, and their master specially arranged a way out for them."

If Wen Qiuchi hadn't led her faction to clean up their act, the two of them might never have revealed their identities. But now, Wen Qiuchi has established the Guanyin Sect, and Qingzhou is the place she has chosen to establish it.

Zhou Jinyuan and Yue Xiaotian conspired to seize the Lin family's business. Besides the Zhou family's current financial difficulties, another reason was their desire to gain significant merit by providing substantial funds when Wen Qiuchi first established his sect.

At this point, Liu Su chuckled and said, "Gu Guanqi, you're in big trouble. Nangong Yin was Wen Qiuchi's personal disciple, and you killed her. Now you've killed Zhou Jinyuan and Yue Xiaotian too. Wen Qiuchi will definitely settle scores with you."

Gu Guanqi didn't pay attention and asked again, "I have another question. Since you wanted to take revenge on the Lin family, and you even absorbed Lin Youhui and the others' internal energy, why didn't you just kill them? Was it just to create the illusion of dissolving their internal energy?"

Liu Su pondered for a moment and said, "At first I wanted to kill them, but when I was about to do it, I softened. After all, they were all children I watched grow up."

Gu Guanqi sighed and didn't ask any more questions.

He turned to Lin Huaiyuan and said, "Old Master Lin, Liu Su is, after all, your daughter-in-law. I won't overstep my bounds and leave it to you to handle!"

He then withdrew the Autumn Water Sword from Liu Su's neck.

The sword returned to its sheath, emitting a clear and melodious ringing sound.

Lin Huaiyuan took a deep breath and asked, "Liu Su, now that things have come to this, is there anything else you want to say?"

"There's nothing more to say," Liu Su said. "It's just a pity that Zhao Ziqi exposed himself too early. If I had waited to absorb more internal energy, perhaps things would be different today—but it's pointless to say all this now!"

As she spoke, Liu Su lowered her head, her gaze falling on Lin Yuanhu, who was slumped on the ground.

Lin Yuanhu's eyes were empty and blank, like a shell whose soul had been hollowed out.

Liu Su looked at Lin Yuanhu and said, "Lin Yuanhu, you're a good person. I'm the one who's wronged you. I'm a wicked woman who didn't uphold traditional virtues, but—"

She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with disgust, and said, "But I can't stand it. Every day I'm with you makes me feel nauseous. Even now, I still don't regret it. I can't bear the thought of sleeping with a eunuch. Even if you find your so-called overseas miracle drug, even if one day you really can be sexually successful, just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted!"

Lin Yuanhu lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.

"Lin Yuanhu, in your next life, be a normal man!"

After saying this, Liu Su quickly pressed his acupoint at the center of his chest.

Her internal energy suddenly reversed and rushed into her heart meridian.

"puff"

A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth, her body stiffened abruptly, then slowly slumped down, leaning limply against a broken wall in the ruins.

Her head drooped slightly, a trace of blood lingered at the corner of her mouth, but her face was unusually calm, as if she had finally put down something heavy.

Lin Yuanhu stared blankly at her, at the trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, at her calm, almost serene face.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He reached out, wanting to touch her, but his hand froze in mid-air. His hand hovered there, trembling slightly.

After a while, Lin Yuanhu stood up, turned around and left.

"Second Uncle—" Lin Yourong called out.

Lin Yuanhu waved his hand, hunched over, and left quickly without saying a word.

A gentle breeze blew across the ruins, ruffling the stray hairs at Liu Su's temples.

Lin Youfeng hugged Lin Youhui's arm, buried her face in his shoulder, and sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

Lin Youhui stood motionless, his gaze fixed blankly on the corpse leaning against the broken wall. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were bloodshot.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

After a long while, Lin Huaiyuan slowly turned around and faced Gu Guanqi.

He took a deep breath, then clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

"Master Gu".

His voice was hoarse but solemn as he spoke each word clearly: "If it weren't for Hero Gu's righteous intervention today, my Lin family would have suffered countless casualties and fallen into ruin. Hero Gu has given the Lin family a second chance at life. The Lin family will never forget such a great kindness."

As Lin Huaiyuan bowed, Lin Yuanshan, Lin Yourong, and all the members of the Lin family in the courtyard clasped their hands and bowed deeply.

Gu Guanqi quickly stepped forward and reached out to support Lin Huaiyuan, saying, "Grandpa, there's no need for this." As he spoke, Gu Guanqi looked at Lin Huaiyuan's arm and said, "Grandpa, your meridians are broken. Let me take a look at you first."

Lin Huaiyuan glanced down at his limp left arm, shook his head, and said calmly, "The injury isn't urgent. I have something more important to do, and if I don't do it now, it might be too late!"

Having said that, he turned his head, letting the light fall on Lin Yourong, and said, "Yourong, come with me. I have something to tell you."

Lin Yourong was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Then, Lin Yourong helped Lin Huaiyuan leave, and they soon arrived at a courtyard.

Lin Yourong quickly asked, "Grandpa, what's the rush? You haven't even treated your injuries?"

Lin Huaiyuan said, "I won't die from this injury for now, but I was just hit by the Breaking Calamity Finger and had my true energy drained. At the same time, I was also kicked by Zhou Jinyuan, which has shaken my martial arts foundation. My true energy is about to dissipate. I must immediately use the Enlightenment Technique, otherwise, I won't have another chance!"

"grandfather----"

Lin Yourong was shocked, but didn't know what to say.

Lin Huaiyuan said, "Your seventh uncle is already crippled. You are the only one in the Lin family who meets the conditions to receive the enlightenment. However, before you receive the inheritance, I must first explain the mysteries within to you."

After the enlightenment, you will directly reach the pure state of the ninth level of the Great Tribulation Finger. However, this state is a false perfection, a forced growth, and it is not that you have truly reached this state. You still need to cultivate diligently because this pure state can only be maintained for a limited time, at most ten years.

After ten years, your cultivation level will decline. However, with the pseudo-pure realm, your cultivation will be twice as effective. As long as you can raise your true cultivation to the ninth level of the Pure Realm within ten years, your cultivation level will be completely stable and you will reach a higher level. If you cannot cultivate to the ninth level, your cultivation level will revert to your original level, but by then, you will at least have the eighth level of cultivation, no weaker than your seventh uncle, and barely able to protect the Lin family.

Lin Yourong nodded and said, "I understand, Grandpa. I will cultivate diligently. From now on, my focus will shift from managing the family to cultivation."

"Wait a minute, let me finish," Lin Huaiyuan said. "While enlightenment is a shortcut to heaven, it is not without its price. The Pure Realm, as the name suggests, is a state of purity and non-action."

If one has cultivated this state to this extent, it is a return to simplicity and transcendence of worldly affairs. However, the pseudo-pure state attained through enlightenment is merely a castle in the air. If one's state of mind is unstable, the slightest carelessness can lead to the loss of all previous efforts.

Therefore, to maintain a state of pseudo-purity, one needs to enter a state of tranquility and detachment, and actively cultivate another method of mental purification to maintain this state over a long period. Simply put, one must control desires until one cultivates to a state of true purity. If, during the cultivation process, one cannot restrain desires, the pseudo-purity will crumble and vanish.

After saying this, Lin Huaiyuan looked at Lin Yourong and said, "Yourong, you need to think this through. You're already twenty-five years old this year. Even if you cultivate very quickly, it will take at least five years to reach the True Purity Realm, and it's even possible that you won't reach it at all. You might have to wait ten years before you can act like a normal person without consciously suppressing your emotions and desires. But by then, you'll be thirty-five years old, the best years of a woman's life will have passed, and you'll miss out on Gu Guanqi, a good match for you!"

Lin Yourong chuckled softly and said, "Grandpa, actually I didn't have a choice. I can't gamble the future of the Lin family with humanity."

I do want to marry Gu Guanqi, but matters between men and women, the source of desire, are unavoidable. Therefore, I naturally cannot maintain a facade of purity. The Lin family will then have to rely entirely on Gu Guanqi to deal with external enemies.

His character is excellent, no doubt about it. But human nature is another matter entirely. Who can tolerate marrying a wife only to have her constantly running around fighting for her family against external enemies? That's just a disguised way of sucking his blood.

This goes against my original intention. What I originally wanted was simply for the Lin family to have a grandmaster son-in-law so I could leverage his influence, nothing more. I didn't want to use marriage to force him to be a slave to the Lin family.

Furthermore, human nature is flawed. Perhaps at first, the Lin family will be grateful to him, but as time goes on, they will take it for granted. Later on, some might even think that because I married him, I gave up the opportunity to become a Grandmaster, so he owes the Lin family!

If it comes to that, not only would he be unable to tolerate it, but even I wouldn't be able to. But that's human nature; it's unavoidable, and the only possible outcome is a complete break.

Lin Huaiyuan sighed and said, "If only Gu Guanqi were a little more ordinary!"

Lin Yourong chuckled and said, "That's not right. If he were ordinary, the Lin family would already be doomed today! And I'm quite ordinary too; what I like about him is his extraordinary nature."

Lin Huaiyuan nodded and said in a deep voice, "I won't say any more. Just think it through!"