The Silent Path of the Swordsman

Chapter 4 - The Underground Library

Chapter 4 - The Underground Library

'After Mother returns from her mission, she'll be shocked to find I'm not home,' Luo Yi thought as he walked toward the chair. Once he reached it, he sat down casually, yet his thoughts refused to settle. 'She must be looking for me. I want to go home, but I haven't mastered the Nature Breathing Technique yet.'

His gaze fell upon the table before him—a round wooden table engraved with the image of a coiling dragon.

Not long afterward, Hua Lianyi emerged from the kitchen carrying a wooden tray holding Thousand Root Bamboo Rice and a ceramic jar filled with Peach Blossom Tea.

As she set the tray on the table, Hua Lianyi calmly asked, “What are you thinking about, Yi'er?”

“I'm only worried that my mother is looking for me. But I've already resolved not to return until I've gained strength,” Luo Yi replied as he helped Hua Lianyi arrange the meal she had prepared.

“So you came here without telling your parents?” Hua Lianyi asked calmly.

“Before I came here, I had a dream. In that dream, I heard a bodiless voice say, 'If you seek power, come to Lianhua Forest.' After waking up, I resolved to come here. But because the rumors say that no one has ever returned after entering this forest, I came here in secret without my mother's knowledge, knowing she would never allow me to come.” Luo Yi explained why he had come.

Now seated calmly, Hua Lianyi took a sip of her tea before replying, “Your determination is admirable, Yi'er. But it wasn't right to leave without informing your mother. She must be terribly worried about you.”

Luo Yi lowered his head. “I'm sorry. Then... after this, I'll go home and ask for Mother's permission.”

Hua Lianyi calmly said, “No, Yi'er. If too many people discover that you left this forest alive, countless cultivators will come here to covet the resources of Lianhua Forest. Let the rumors continue so this forest remains safe from greedy cultivators.” After saying that, she took another sip of tea.

“Then... what about my mother?” Luo Yi asked.

“What is your mother's name? I'll inform her on your behalf. I can reach her using the Teleportation Technique, so no one will know I came from this forest,” Hua Lianyi said calmly.

“The Teleportation Technique?” Luo Yi frowned.

“Yes,” Hua Lianyi replied calmly. “And I'll teach that technique to you as well once you've mastered the Nature Breathing Technique. Just tell me your mother's name and where she lives.”

“My mother's name is Luo Yin, and she lives at the Luo Clan in the southeastern part of Ningzou Capital,” Luo Yi answered.

Noticing that Luo Yi still had not touched the food she had prepared, Hua Lianyi calmly asked, “Don't you like my cooking, Yi'er?”

“It isn't that, Master,” Luo Yi replied. “I'm just... still a little uncomfortable. I've only ever eaten Mother's cooking, so I'm not used to eating food prepared by someone else.”

Hua Lianyi smiled warmly before calmly saying, “Then simply think of it as your mother's cooking. Consider this your own home, because I won't allow you to leave this forest until you've mastered everything I intend to teach you.”

After Hua Lianyi said that, Luo Yi finally began eating the Thousand Root Bamboo Rice and drinking the Peach Blossom Tea she had prepared.

After finishing the meal and enjoying the Peach Blossom Tea, Hua Lianyi calmly rose to her feet and said, “Before I go to see your mother, I'd like to show you something.”

“What is it?” Luo Yi asked.

“Follow me.” Hua Lianyi calmly walked toward the corner of the room.

Luo Yi nodded and followed her.

In the corner of the room, Luo Yi watched as his master tapped the wooden floor three times with her finger. A circular section of the floor then slowly slid open, revealing a carefully concealed secret door—an entrance leading to an underground chamber.

“This way,” Hua Lianyi said as she stepped inside.

“Alright.” Luo Yi followed her in, descending a spiral staircase that led them to a hidden chamber beneath the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

When they reached the bottom, they found themselves standing in the center of a circular room measuring roughly ten zhang across.

Inside the chamber, Luo Yi saw towering bookshelves lining the curved walls, reaching almost to the ceiling. The room was anything but dark, for countless crystals suspended overhead illuminated the chamber with a bright, lamp-like glow.

“This is the Underground Library. It houses countless books on alchemy and battle tactics. The knowledge preserved here for centuries will teach you not only martial arts, but also disciplines that remain unknown to most of the world,” Hua Lianyi calmly explained as she introduced her secret library.

Luo Yi looked around the room in awe. He scarcely knew what to say except, “Thank you, Master. I'll read as many books here as I can.”

Hua Lianyi smiled faintly. “Enjoy your reading. I'll be leaving now.”

Before Luo Yi could respond, a gentle radiance swiftly enveloped Hua Lianyi's body. In less than a single breath, his master vanished from before his eyes.

'So this is the technique Master was referring to,' Luo Yi realized as he recalled what he had just witnessed. 'It seems Master used the Teleportation Technique to visit Mother at the Luo Clan.'

---

Elsewhere, far from the tranquil silence of Lianhua Forest, the atmosphere within the Luo Clan was entirely different.

Luo Yin had just returned from her mission and was overcome with worry when she discovered that her only son was nowhere to be found.

“Luo Yi! Where are you, my child?” Luo Yin called anxiously as she searched every room in the house, but she found no trace of him, making her even more distressed.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through the room. A soft radiance appeared in the middle of the small courtyard, and from within the swirling light, the figure of a woman dressed in a light-blue gown gradually emerged.

Luo Yin was startled. She instinctively stepped back and placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. However, seeing that the newcomer showed no hostile aura, she restrained herself.

“Who are you?” Luo Yin asked warily.

The woman smiled serenely. “My name is Hua Lianyi. I haven't come to harm anyone. I've come on Luo Yi's behalf.”

The moment she heard her son's name, Luo Yin's expression changed. “You know where Luo Yi is?”

Hua Lianyi nodded gently. “Your son is somewhere safe. He came to Lianhua Forest in search of strength. I have now accepted him as my disciple.”