Chapter Ninety-Five: Lin Xi and Ling Meng

Seeing Ailiya and Lin Xi approach, Lingmeng raised her right hand and gave a flat, casual “yo” as a greeting. Ailiya was long used to Lingmeng’s manner and only smiled without speaking, but Lin Xi was somewhat displeased by such a cold reaction, her brows knitting faintly.

Still, with Link beside her, Lin Xi did not say anything. She politely greeted Link and Lingmeng, and after these past few days together, Link had already learned to restrain that instinctive displeasure of his. Smiling, he said, “You’ve come at just the right time. Sit down and have some tea with us. We’ve been tired for so many days; taking a proper rest for a while would be nice too.”

“Mm, all right. Sister Xi, come along.” Ailiya smiled and nodded, taking Lin Xi by the hand and leading her forward. Lin Xi had in fact been somewhat worried that Link might resent her, so she stole a glance at him; only after seeing no sign of displeasure did she finally relax.

After the two sat down, Link personally poured each of them a cup of tea, then said with a smile, “Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since we sat together like this and enjoyed a quiet moment. Thinking back on the old days, it’s truly nostalgic.”

“Yes,” Ailiya nodded, sighing softly. “I really miss the times when everyone was still together...”

Listening to them, a look of nostalgia, comfort, emotion, and self-reproach flickered in Lin Xi’s eyes. At last, she held the teacup in her hand for a long while before taking a sip and saying in a low voice, “Ailiya, Neil... I’m sorry...”

Hearing this, neither Link nor Ailiya said anything. After a long silence, Link slowly asked, “Sister Hakuli, why did you leave us eight years ago? Was it to pursue a better life?”

“No!” When Lin Xi heard him call her sister again, a smile immediately rose to her face, but at the question, she cut him off in agitation. “No, Neil, Ailiya, I didn’t leave you to chase after some kind of life.” Pausing, she bit her lower lip and said, “Ever since I was little, Father always told me that I was different, that I carried responsibilities and a destiny others could never bear. When I turned thirteen, he brought in a middle-aged woman and said she was my teacher. From that day on, I was to learn martial arts from her. I didn’t want to leave you, but they insisted I bore a responsibility, and even said that this responsibility concerned the destinies of many people, including yours, so I could only leave with that woman...”

After hearing this, all three listeners, including Lingmeng, looked at Lin Xi in astonishment. So Lin Xi’s sudden departure had in fact been to protect her family? That was rather melodramatic indeed. That last thought was Link’s.

Seeing that neither Link nor Ailiya spoke, Lin Xi lowered her head and looked at the tea with a bitter smile. “Neil, Ailiya, maybe you won’t believe me, but everything I said is true. For the five years after that, I stayed with that woman. She made me change my name to Lin Xi, put me through all kinds of training, and kept telling me that I carried the destiny of serving the true god.” As she spoke, her expression grew complicated. “The true god... at the time, I thought the so-called true god was the Star God, but only later did I learn that it was not. In my fifth year with her, she died. Just like that, she suddenly collapsed for no reason at all, and never stood up again. Before dying, she told me to find the true god and to use my own eyes to confirm whether a god truly existed before deciding whether to serve the god in my heart.

“And for the next three years, I searched for the so-called true god she spoke of. I traveled across the entire continent, only to discover that the so-called true gods were all false things, and I saw many disgraceful sides of the churches as well. Exhausted in body and spirit, I wanted to return and reunite with you. But halfway back, I heard that you, Neil, had founded the Church of the Divine Father. At that time, I thought that if the church you founded was the church I had been searching for all along, that would be wonderful. Even I didn’t really believe such a thought myself, but I still came back with hope. And in the end, I found I was right. The Church of the Divine Father, and the noble Divine Father, are exactly what I had been seeking all this time. It’s just that I seem to have hurt you too deeply, Neil, Ailiya. I’m sorry. For these eight years, I never fulfilled my duty as an older sister.” By the end, only a sorrowful, beautiful smile remained on her face.

This confession, laid bare with such sincerity, completely softened Ailiya’s heart. She immediately held Lin Xi tightly and said, “No, Sister Xi, no, Sister Hakuli, you are a qualified older sister, the very best sister. You didn’t do anything wrong. You only made the choice you believed was right. I’m sorry, sister. I misunderstood you before. Please forgive me.” By the end, her voice was already choked with tears.

Lin Xi froze at the sight of this, then wrapped her arms tightly around Ailiya in return, moved beyond words. “No, no, it’s not like that. I’m the one who should apologize. Thank you, thank you for believing me. Thank you, Ailiya...” By the end, her tears finally began to fall uncontrollably, and Ailiya was the same.

At last, the two troubled sisters set down their burdens, opened their hearts, and welcomed back the family affection of the past. Such a melodramatic yet touching scene made one’s nose sting with emotion. Unfortunately, Link had been tempered by countless soap-opera-like scenes, while Lingmeng was naturally cold and detached; anything that might easily move a woman held no power over her at all, and she had already lost interest after only a few glances.

After a while, the sisters finally finished their tender reunion and looked toward Link, who had remained silent, with hopeful eyes. Ailiya then asked, “Brother Neil, can you forgive Sister Hakuli?”

After hearing this, Link glanced at Lin Xi, who was full of expectation, and did not let this melodramatic scene drag on any further. He smiled and nodded. “I believe that someone willing to be a devout believer of the Divine Father would not deceive her own family. Sister Hakuli, welcome home.”

Those words represented Link’s forgiveness of Lin Xi. At once, both Lin Xi and Ailiya broke into delighted smiles, as radiant as two beautiful lilies in full bloom.

As for why they were called lilies—did you think I would tell you that Link, like many men, harbored a wicked lily complex?

Setting aside Link’s slightly unsavory thoughts, after the melodrama of family reconciliation ended, everyone once again settled into the leisurely pleasure of drinking tea and enjoying the scenery. Time passed without them noticing. During this time, Lin Xi mentioned once more that everyone could simply call her by her current name. It seemed this name held some special meaning for her, and seeing that, Link and Ailiya agreed, deciding they would use Lin Xi’s name from then on.

Not long after, Lin Xi and Lingmeng finished their tea at nearly the same time and instinctively reached for the teapot. Their hands happened to touch.

It was only a trivial incident, yet an abrupt change suddenly occurred. The moment the two women’s hands met, they became inseparable, as though magnetized, while the power within both of them immediately resonated. Their mouths parted slightly, and both wore blank, stunned expressions.

Then the yin-yang orb within Lingmeng’s body appeared of its own accord, floating into the air, from which a seven-colored energy poured forth, enveloping Lingmeng and Lin Xi.

Seeing this, Link and Ailiya were greatly shocked. Link immediately reached out, intending to pull them apart, only to find a powerful rebounding force attached to them that sent him flying back at once.

One must know that after several months of steady cultivation, Link now possessed late-fourth-tier combat strength, yet he had still been blasted away by that mysterious force. Just how powerful did that make it? At the very least, it had to be sixth-tier. What on earth was going on? Why would sixth-tier power erupt from the two women?

“Brother Neil!” Seeing Link knocked away, Ailiya hurriedly ran forward at once and helped him up. “Are you all right?”

Link shook his head and said in a grave voice, “I’m fine. Ailiya, go and bring the three cardinals here immediately. They may know what’s happening. I’ll keep watch over these two here. Hurry.”

“Oh? All right, I understand.” Ailiya answered in a panic and hurried off to find reinforcements.

Link then walked back to the two dazed women. Frowning deeply, he looked at them. It was strange enough that the two should have no connection at all, yet such a resonance of power had actually appeared between them. Could it be that Lin Xi’s teacher had some connection with the Heaven Spirit Church after all?

Lost in thought, Link circled around the two women. Seeing that neither showed pain or discomfort, he did not act rashly, lest he make matters worse.

After waiting a while, the three cardinals arrived. Upon seeing Lin Xi and Lingmeng’s condition, they were all startled and hurried to ask Link what had happened. After hearing the explanation, they exchanged glances, and each revealed an expression suggesting they suspected some possibility.

Looking at Lin Xi, Lingfeng said thoughtfully, “Could this child be... never mind, we’ll speak of it later. First, use a secret art to stop the resonance. Given these two children’s current condition, if this keeps on, something will go wrong sooner or later. Second Sister, Third Sister, let’s begin!”

With that, the three formed a triangular formation around Lingmeng and Lin Xi. Next, they began silently chanting incantations while drawing strange magical arrays with both hands. Finally, all three pointed at the yin-yang orb at the same time and cried out the word “Release” in unison. Magic power erupted at once and surged into the orb. Its power collapsed, and Lingmeng and Lin Xi gave startled cries as they fell apart. The yin-yang orb also returned to Lingmeng’s body at once.

The two women seemed to remember nothing of what had just happened. Both looked bewildered as they rubbed their heads and got up from the ground. Lingmeng asked in confusion, “What happened? Did something occur?”

Everyone looked at one another, none knowing where to begin. It was Lingfeng who stepped forward immediately and said to Lin Xi, “Your name is Lin Xi, is that right?”

Seeing that it was Lingfeng who had come, Lin Xi immediately stood straight and said respectfully, “Yes, Cardinal Lingfeng. I am Miss Ailiya’s personal guard, Lin Xi.”

In front of believers who were not family, Lin Xi used formal forms of address, and that was also Ailiya’s request.

Lingfeng stared at Lin Xi for a long while, then said, “What is the name of the martial art you use?”

“The name?” Lin Xi froze, but did not hide it. “Replying to Cardinal Lingfeng, the martial art I use is called Dream Mirage Spirit Martial Art.”

“Dream Mirage Spirit Martial Art? Not the Heaven Spirit Divine Fist? Then why did it resonate with Lingmeng?” Lingfeng looked puzzled, and Lin Xi did not know how to answer. She had never even heard of the Heaven Spirit Divine Fist. After a moment, Lingfeng asked again, “Miss Lin Xi, could you demonstrate your martial art for us? You needn’t use any finishing moves or secret techniques—just show it roughly.”

At these words, Lin Xi hesitated and could not help glancing at Link. Link was also curious, so he nodded and said, “Sister Xi, just demonstrate it once.”