Chapter 90

Yilin knew that the old woman was deaf and mute, but in her desperation, she still shouted, “Mute old woman, please let me go!”

She struggled as she spoke, but the seemingly ordinary mute old woman had an unusually strong grip, and she couldn’t break free even after several attempts.

The mute old woman snorted coldly and said, “Why should we care about them? Let them fight like dogs!”

This not only shocked Yilin, but also made the monk Bujie stop abruptly as if struck by lightning. He turned around abruptly, looking at the old woman with a mixture of surprise and delight.

Yilin’s eyes widened in surprise, and she said in a trembling voice, “You…you…you’re not…you’re not mute anymore? You’re better?”

The old woman said, “I have never been mute.”

Yilin said, “Then…so you weren’t deaf before, you could hear…hear me…what I’m saying?”

She recalled how she had suffered greatly from lovesickness during this time, because the old woman could neither hear nor speak, so she had poured out her heart to her completely.

Now that she knows this person is neither deaf nor mute, and has obviously heard everything she said, the mere thought of it makes her want to crawl into a hole.

The old woman said, “Silly child, what are you afraid of? I heard your heartfelt words, and it breaks my heart!” Her tone was kind and gentle, just like an old mother talking to her beloved daughter.

Upon seeing this, Nie Yun immediately realized that this person was Yi Lin’s biological mother.

The monk Bujie looked at the old woman and said in a trembling voice, “Wife, is it you? I’ve been looking for you so hard! I was wrong, I know I was wrong, will you forgive me?”

The old woman glared at him and shouted, “You stupid thing, you heartless bastard! Have you wasted your life? You can’t even handle such a little kid, and you always talk about how great your martial arts are. Bah!”

Yilin was simple-minded and did not understand what had happened. She was still ashamed that her secret had been discovered.

The old woman turned to look at Nie Yun again, her eyes filled with resentment.

Nie Yun touched his nose and said with a wry smile, “Could this old woman be…?”

Before he could finish speaking, the old woman had already attacked.

No one knew what kind of movement technique she used; she was invisible and silent. If it weren’t for the bright daylight, she would have been like a ghost.

She rushed forward, extended her right index and middle fingers, and stabbed them straight into Nie Yun’s eyes, shouting, “My Lin’er is gentle and kind, a rare find in this world! How dare you hurt her? You’re blind! I’ll cripple your eyes!”

“Damn it!” Nie Yun didn’t expect the old woman to be so vicious, and quickly retreated.

When the old woman missed her first strike, she followed up with a kick to Nie Yun’s groin, while simultaneously striking his temples with both hands.

These moves were swift and unpredictable, each one strange and eccentric, like a country shrew fighting someone. But every move was aimed at the vital points, both insidious and fast. Within a few moves, Nie Yun was forced to retreat repeatedly.

“Damn it! Does it have to be this vicious?” Nie Yun raised his right hand, and a long sword appeared in his hand. He pointed the sword and thrust it towards the old woman’s throat.

The sword struck directly at a vital point, startling the old woman, who quickly ducked to avoid it.

Nie Yun took a breath and was about to speak when he saw the monk Bujie shout, “You little brat, how dare you lay a hand on my wife!” With that, he raised his palms and attacked Nie Yun.

The old woman, forced back by Nie Yun’s sword, became even angrier and joined the attack.

The two moved like the wind, striking with palms, punches, knees, and sweeps, launching seven or eight attacks in an instant.

Nie Yun casually swung his long sword, each strike aimed at the vital points of the two men. Far from being in a predicament as before, he forced the couple to retreat repeatedly.

In the world of Laughing at the World, the limits of martial arts are not high, and once the “Nine Swords of Dugu” is unleashed, it can be said to be invincible.

If Nie Yun wanted to take these two lives, they would already be dead.

However, he deliberately yielded, so whenever the tip of his sword was about to touch the two of them, he would immediately pull back.

After exchanging several more blows, the old woman realized that her and her husband’s martial arts skills were far inferior to Nie Yun’s. She sighed, stopped attacking, and her expression was extremely unpleasant.

The monk Bujie, oblivious to the danger, relentlessly attacked. Seeing his lack of restraint, Nie Yun grew impatient and unleashed a series of deadly moves, forcing him to retreat repeatedly with three swift sword strikes.

The old woman reached out and supported her husband’s lower back, helping him steady himself. The monk Bujie was about to step forward to fight when the old woman said, “Enough, stop making a fool of yourself!”

Monk Bujie quickly turned around and laughed, “Yes, yes, you said you wouldn’t fight, so you won’t!” Then he turned to Nie Yun and said, “Kid, I’ll spare your life today for my wife’s sake!”

Nie Yun smiled slightly, casually twirled his sword and sheathed it, then bowed deeply to the two of them and said respectfully, “Thank you for your mercy, father-in-law and mother-in-law. I am deeply grateful.”

After saying that, he turned around and smiled, “My name is Nie Yun, and I pay my respects to the three nuns.”

Not far away, three elderly nuns were staring at the group in astonishment, with a group of Hengshan disciples behind them, their eyes filled with curiosity and shock.

********************

Inside the main hall of the Hengshan Sect, Abbess Dingxian sat in the main seat, with Dingjing and Dingyi standing to her left and right.

Nie Yun and the monk Bujie and his wife sat at the lower end of the table, while Yilin stood timidly behind her parents, her large, clear eyes like two springs, constantly looking at Nie Yun.

“Sect Leader Nie’s presence at Hengshan is truly an honor for our sect!” Abbess Dingxian greeted Nie Yun with a smile.

Nie Yun raised his hand in return and smiled, “I have come here abruptly without informing you beforehand. Please forgive my rudeness, Master.”

“I am deeply grateful for the great kindness and righteousness shown to my Hengshan Sect by Headmaster Nie.”

This was the first time that Abbess Dingjing had met Nie Yun. She had heard Dingxian and Dingyi speak highly of him before, and seeing him in person today, she immediately felt that his reputation was well-deserved.

Nie Yun smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Master Dingjing, you flatter me. Your resolute resignation as sect leader back then showed your magnanimity, which I truly admire!”

Master Dingjing smiled without saying a word. Back then, she knew that Master Dingxian was more suitable to lead the Hengshan Sect, so she went to great lengths to persuade her master to pass the position of sect leader to Master Dingxian.

Although she had never been proud of this matter, she was still pleased to hear the praise from Nie Yun, a junior.

After exchanging a few polite words, Abbess Dingxian finally turned her attention to Yilin and her family of three.

“Reporting to the Sect Leader, the reason why my mother went into Hengshan incognito was to protect me. I beg the Sect Leader to show leniency. I am willing to bear all the blame.”

Yilin had been troubled ever since she learned about her mother’s strange behavior over the past ten years, and immediately knelt down to beg Master Dingxian for mercy.

“You child, what does this have to do with you? Get up quickly!” Master Dingyi felt sorry for this pure and kind disciple the most, so she hurriedly tried to dissuade him before the sect leader could speak.

“Master, Lin’er knew nothing about my infiltration of Hengshan. If you want to punish me, do it to this old woman, not my daughter!”

The mute old woman knew that this was indeed a taboo, so she didn’t try to argue and got up to admit her mistake.

“Amitabha Buddha, excellent, excellent!”

Master Dingxian first chanted a Buddhist prayer, then said gently, “It is only natural to cherish one’s children. Besides, you have always worked diligently in Hengshan and have never done anything to harm our sect, nor have you ever secretly learned martial arts. How could I blame you? Quickly help Yilin up.”

Even the mute old woman, with her eccentric personality, was moved by Abbess Dingxian’s tolerance. She said sincerely, “Thank you, Abbess. Lin’er has grown up thanks to your careful upbringing. I have no way to repay this kindness. Please accept my bow.”

He then bowed deeply to the three of them.

Hengshan Sanding smiled but did not refuse. Although Dingxian had already let go of the matter of the mute old woman infiltrating the Hengshan Sect, such a trend should not be allowed to continue, so this bow was also a way of apologizing.

Seeing that the matter was over, Nie Yun stepped forward and knelt down, sincerely saying, “Master Dingxian, I have fallen in love with Yilin. Please grant my wish.”

The three nuns had heard Nie Yun refer to the monk Bujie and his wife as his father-in-law and mother-in-law before, so they already had some idea of ​​what was going on. Now that Nie Yun was directly asking for their marriage, they couldn’t help but sigh.

When Yilin saw that Nie Yun had just said it outright, she was extremely embarrassed and stammered, “Brother Nie… what are you saying? I am a nun, how can I… how can I…” She hesitated for a long time and couldn’t finish her sentence. Her beautiful face turned bright red, like a bright rose.

The monk slammed his hand on the table and shouted, “You surnamed Nie, don’t even think about it!” The mute old woman didn’t speak, but her face was also full of anger.

Master Dingyi, Yilin’s master, was rather impatient, so she spoke first, saying, “Sect Leader Nie, Yilin has already dedicated herself to Buddhism, how can she be attached to worldly feelings? Please do not mention this matter again.”

“Master Dingyi is mistaken!”

Nie Yun knelt upright, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. “Yilin entered the Buddhist order only because her birth mother deliberately left her on Mount Heng, where you raised her. From a young age, she listened to Buddhist scriptures and chants, and saw Buddhist statues and temples, so she felt that becoming a nun was a matter of course. If she were to experience the secular world, who knows if she wouldn’t choose to marry? Moreover, her parents are both alive now, and it is the time for her to enjoy family life again. Your Highness is compassionate; how could you bear to let her spend such a young age with only the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp?”

“This…” Master Dingyi was speechless for a moment, and her gaze towards Yilin showed a hint of hesitation.

“Hey Nie, don’t try to sweet-talk me! My daughter will be taken care of by us in the future; you don’t need to pretend to care!”

Monk Bujie’s impression of Nie Yun was always that he was a heartless man who had caused Yilin heartache, so he was unwilling to let his daughter shed tears for this scoundrel again.

Nie Yun ignored the scoundrel and instead looked steadily at Yi Lin, saying gently, “Junior Sister Yi Lin, since we parted, I have thought of you day and night, never forgetting you for a single moment. I want to marry you, to love and cherish you for the rest of my life. Are you willing?”

“I…I…” Yilin’s eyes were filled with tears, her delicate body trembled slightly, and the words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them.

Nie Yun smiled slightly and turned to the monk and his wife, saying, “Father-in-law and mother-in-law, you have both seen how my junior sister has been these past few days, and I believe you already know the situation. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have sent the Six Immortals of Peach Valley to Mount Hua to find me. If you insist on separating us, I will not give up, but my junior sister will have to suffer the pain of longing for me for a few more days.”

Both the monk Bujie and the mute old woman felt a pang of pain in their hearts upon hearing this. They had been heartbroken to see their daughter grow more and more haggard each day over the past few months.

Yilin has clearly fallen deeply in love with Nie Yun. If they are not allowed to be together, her daughter may truly be left alone for the rest of her life.

Nie Yun then said to Abbess Dingxian, “Abbess, I am deeply in love with Yilin, and this will never change in this lifetime.”

He paused, then continued, “Now that I have married Yilin, the Huashan Sect and the Hengshan Sect will be in-laws, and we can help each other in the future to fight against powerful enemies.”

Master Dingxian’s eyes lit up, and Dingjing and Dingyi were also slightly moved. The three of them exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

Master Dingxian smiled kindly at Yilin and said, “Yilin, what Headmaster Nie said makes some sense. Back then, we thought you were an orphan, so your master took you in as a disciple and arranged for you to become a nun. Now that your parents are both alive, and Headmaster Nie has feelings for you, since you still have worldly ties and romantic feelings, rather than forcing you to stay in the nunnery as a nun, it would be better to let you return to secular life and go down the mountain.”

Yilin felt uneasy. She glanced at Dingyi and murmured, “Master…”

Master Dingjing smiled and said, “You don’t need to worry about your master. Even if you return to secular life, you will still be a lay disciple of the Hengshan Sect. As long as you have Buddha in your heart, you can still cultivate even after returning to secular life.”

Master Dingyi looked at Yilin with reluctance and sighed, “Perhaps it is the karma of your past life that destined you to take this journey in the mortal world in this life. And since you have already been moved, why force yourself to stay here? Buddha does not save those who are not destined, Yilin, your master only wishes you a peaceful life from now on.”

As she spoke, the hot-tempered nun’s voice choked up.

Yilin’s eyes were filled with tears, her heart in turmoil.

She has always followed her master’s arrangements since childhood and has almost never made her own decisions.

Nie Yun rescued her that day and treated her gently along the way, causing her to unknowingly entrust her heart to him.

Nie Yun then created a story to plant a seed in her heart, breaking through her devout faith in Buddhism.

During this time, she missed Nie Yun day and night. Although she had never experienced unrequited love before, she knew that she had fallen in love with him.

Seeing Nie Yun today filled her with joy and surprise, making her realize her true feelings.

However, knowing this is one thing, taking that step is incredibly difficult.

Yilin’s beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, her face filled with struggle. She dared not look at Nie Yun any longer, rose and knelt in the center of the hall, clasped her hands together, and said in a trembling voice, “Reporting to the Sect Leader, this disciple…this disciple…”

Nie Yun crawled to her side, turned to her and said, “I wish to find one true love, to stay together until our hair turns white. Junior sister, do you still remember what Supreme Treasure said before he put on the golden headband?”

Yi Lin’s heart skipped a beat. She turned to look into Nie Yun’s deep eyes and murmured, “Senior brother, I…I remember.”

Seeing this, Abbess Dingxian smiled and said, “Well said, well said, Yilin, after you return to secular life, you should do more good deeds. If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, remember to return to Hengshan.”

Nie Yun was overjoyed and quickly said, “Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will definitely protect Junior Sister Yilin well from now on and make sure she has a happy and peaceful life!”

After saying that, he turned to look at Yilin, gently took her small hand, and held it tightly in his palm.

Yilin turned her head as well, and at that moment, it seemed that they only had eyes for each other. If this were a shoujo manga, pink bubbles would probably be floating around them.

The three nuns looked embarrassed, murmured “Amitabha” in a low voice, and then got up and left.

The monk Bujie scoffed, “What Supreme Treasure? That’s utter nonsense!”

The mute old woman looked pleased, then turned and shouted, “You heartless, lecherous scoundrel! I’m only meeting you today for my daughter’s sake. Do you think I’ve forgiven you?!” With that, she turned and left.

“Wife, don’t go!” Monk Bujie hurriedly tried to grab her, but her movements were strange, like a ghost, and he couldn’t catch her at all!

At this moment, Nie Yun called out, “Mother-in-law, please wait. Your son-in-law has something to say that concerns Yilin’s happiness for the rest of her life.”

The mute old woman swayed and came to Nie Yun’s side, asking, “What is it?”

Nie Yun whispered, “It’s just…” Before he could finish speaking, he had already pressed her pressure points with both hands.

Upon seeing this, the monk Bujie was greatly alarmed and struck Nie Yun with a palm.

Nie Yun stepped aside and teased, “Father-in-law, don’t you want to keep your mother-in-law by your side?”

Upon hearing this, the monk Bujie abruptly stopped and asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Nie Yun chuckled and whispered a few words in the ear of the monk Bujie, which made him beam with joy. Bujie patted Nie Yun’s shoulder and laughed, “Good son-in-law, you are indeed clever.”

After saying this, he went to the mute old woman’s side, picked her up around the waist, and ran out the door down the mountain.

Nie Yun smiled and shook her head, but when she turned around, she saw Yi Lin standing behind her, looking at her. Her beautiful face was as delicate as jade, and she looked like a fairy descending to earth or an elf descending to earth.

Nie Yun could no longer suppress his impulse and pulled Yi Lin into his arms.

Yilin leaned her head against his chest, her petite body trembling slightly.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Nie Yun felt a pang of guilt and pity as he held the body in his arms, which had become noticeably thinner.

Yilin gently shook her head, seemingly comforting Nie Yun that there was no need to apologize, but her tears quickly soaked the front of Nie Yun’s clothes.

Nie Yun reached out and touched Yi Lin’s bald head, feeling the girl shudder. He chuckled to himself, “Could this be a sensitive spot?”

********************

“It’s just changing clothes, why is it taking so long?” Nie Yun paced back and forth outside Baiyun Temple, glancing back at the tightly closed gate every now and then.

Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl with a shaved head, dressed in a commoner’s dress, standing timidly at the door. Her slender waist was so small that it could be encircled with one hand, which made her figure even more graceful and charming.

The bright sunlight shone on her pretty face, giving her an ethereal and otherworldly charm.

Nie Yun was overjoyed and strode towards her, grabbing her small hand and exclaiming happily, “Yilin, you…you are so beautiful!”

Yilin’s face flushed red, both shy and timid, yet her eyes shone with a captivating light. She wanted to pull her hand away, but was too embarrassed to struggle too much, so she could only whisper, “Senior Brother Nie, someone’s here!”

The young girl’s soft murmur conveyed a thousand tender feelings and ten thousand emotions, making one feel intoxicated by her voice.

Nie Yun then noticed the Hengshan San Ding and his disciples behind Yi Lin. He chuckled and bowed to them, saying, “Please rest assured, three abbesses and fellow disciples, I, Nie Yun, swear to the heavens that I will never betray Yi Lin’s true heart in this life. If I break this vow, may I be struck by lightning and my bones be utterly destroyed!”

The ancients took oaths very seriously, so when they heard him make such a solemn vow, the three Hengshan disciples were both shocked and gratified, and many of their disciples were extremely envious of Yilin.

The monk Bujie and the mute old woman stood beside the two men, and the tense atmosphere of the previous day had long since dissipated.

The mute old woman sighed, “I’d heard before that this man was a womanizer and even said he wanted to kill all his wives. Now it seems he truly loved Lin’er. He got off easy!”

The morning sun shone on a couple in front of the temple gate. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful and lovely. They stood hand in hand, their affection for each other was palpable. Everyone who saw them thought they were a perfect match made in heaven.

“Junior sister, let’s go back to Mount Hua.” Nie Yun’s face lit up with a bright smile, making the anxious girl feel as if she had found a support.

She felt the warmth from her hands and nodded gently, saying, “Okay.”

Holding your hand, we will grow old together.