Volume Two: Bandits of This Place - Chapter 115: The Story of Lin Cheng

"Coming from the west?" The rider vaulted from his horse, pulled his sleeves tight, and seized Lin Changtian by the collar, his expression turning peculiar. "So, you are of the same clan as Lin Yuan?"

"As for that..." Lin Changtian blinked, feigning mystery. "Have you heard of Lin Peiyou? He and I are brothers in arms."

Cheng Yu rubbed his chin, a memory stirred by the name.

*Lin Peiyou? That crybaby who once wet himself all over me when we were children? Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that brat... Does he still enjoy playing his little tricks?*

"I know Lin Peiyou; he is the heir to the Lord of the Western Border. Oh, then I suppose you are a junior to Lin Yuan?" Cheng Yu feigned ignorance, slouching his posture, and the look he cast at Lin Changtian seemed to soften considerably.

Lin Changtian rejoiced inwardly, believing the man was intimidated by the prestige he had invoked. "To tell you the truth, that great lord... is my very own father!"

*This fellow has always had a knack for claiming fathers,* Xu Yong thought to himself, casting a resentful glance at Lin Changtian, as if annoyed that after knowing each other for so long, he still refused to call him "Father."

A raven cawed in the woods, the noise leaving Cheng Yu with a furrowed brow. He suppressed his irritation and spoke: "Lin Yuan has three sons. The first two suffered ill fates and perished in Mount Luoyou. The only one remaining is Peiyou. The Northern Territory is only so large... when was a fourth born? I have never heard of such a thing!"

"We’re an old, married couple; affection grew over time, and... things just got out of hand," Lin Changtian blinked, earnestly explaining for his fabricated father.

Cheng Yu curled his lip, wanting to tease him further. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I have met the Lord of the Western Border. You look nothing like him."

*Damn it, is there truly no one in this vast Northern Territory as handsome as me?* Lin Changtian cursed silently, but braced himself to reply.

"Eh, do I not look like Lord Lin Yuan? Take a closer look, sir. This expression, this appearance—especially the heroic spirit between the brows—it is Lin Yuan himself!" the habitual "father-claimer" insisted, stroking his face, seemingly quite satisfied with his own looks.

Cheng Yu stood stunned for a long moment. He scrutinized Lin Changtian; the shamelessness on this fellow’s face really did bear a passing resemblance to Lin Yuan. It wasn't that they were unrelated; one might say they were identical in spirit.

He pondered for a long while before speaking slowly: "If you are the fourth son of Lin Yuan, why do you look so aged? If one were to calculate, your elder brother Lin Peiyou is still but a youth who has just reached his majority."

"This... this is a private family matter."

"What private matter in your family could be hidden from me? Did that scoundrel Lin Yuan marry again!" Cheng Yu suddenly flared with anger, glaring at Lin Changtian as if he might devour him alive.

Lin Changtian felt a chill, quickly forcing a smile. "How could that be? In truth, I was originally the third son. Unfortunately, it was during the time of the Central Plains’ family planning policy; there was no help for it, so they had to hide me away. Even after the winds died down and Lin Peiyou was born, it remained a secret."

"To spread such irresponsible rumors about the Lord of the Western Border—are you not afraid of losing your life here?"

Lin Changtian felt aggrieved. He was indignant; to keep his lie consistent, he had put in a lot of effort, after all.

"Hero, why say such things? Whether you believe me or not is your own affair, but to sow discord between a father and his son is not right of you."

Cheng Yu was amused to the point of laughter. He retorted coldly: "The policies of the Central Plains reach the Northern Territory? Besides, do you know who I am?"

Lin Changtian was not one to back down. In the territory he originally hailed from, further north, the folk customs were rugged, and there was a forbidden saying: "What are you staring at?" To assert their dominance, the person asked would often reply: "Staring at you, so what?"

At this point, it was usually time for each to summon their "big brother." Lin Changtian stiffened his neck, raised an eyebrow, and sneered, "And what if you are Cheng Yu, the Lord of the Eastern Border? I, Lin, have a spine of steel—do you think I fear you?"

"You actually guessed correctly." Cheng Yu kept a straight face, waved a hand behind him, and retrieved a banner—a thing that caused the people of the Northern Territory to tremble in fear.

*The Cheng family’s iron cavalry, though fewer than ten thousand, are invincible once they muster their strength.*

Lin Changtian naturally recognized the flag. He licked his lips, his body acting with true honesty as he leaned toward Cheng Yu and laughed: "You should have said so earlier! This little one was blind and offended you. How about I knock my head a few times to liven things up? Consider it an apology!"

Cheng Yu looked at Lin Changtian, his eyes playful, as if curious to see how skilled the fellow was at kneeling and kowtowing.

"I do not enjoy humiliating a man of backbone. Do not rejoice too soon; I will give you one chance to state your true origins. If it pleases me, you may live. Otherwise..."

"This... don't keep me in suspense and scare me!" Lin Changtian’s face fell, much to the amusement of Xu Yong, who was watching from the side. Xu Yong licked his lips, thinking how elegant and satisfying it would be to have some melon seeds to crack at a moment like this.

Cheng Yu said flatly: "If you continue to spout lies, I will... kill your companion! Then I will let you go, so that you may live the rest of your life in pain and torment!"

Xu Yong, who was watching the show, blinked: "???"

"Changtian, save me!" He froze, staring longingly at Lin Changtian, no longer thinking about melon seeds.

Lin Changtian tilted his head and glanced at Cheng Yu. He curled his lip, sneering inwardly: *Such clumsy threats won't make me yield!*

"Then you had best kill this fellow, release me, and let me spend the rest of my life in pain and torment!" He looked resolute, speaking righteously: "We of Sishan have always had iron spines. Old Xu, when you go down, don’t tarnish the reputation of Sishan!"

Xu Yong’s face was cold. He remained silent, deciding no longer to indulge Lin Changtian’s nonsense. With a mere shake of his body, the sturdy ropes snapped in two. He gripped an icicle in his hand and took the opportunity to press it against Cheng Yu’s neck.

"To tell you the truth, you are the Lord of the Eastern Border, and we two are from Sishan. Usually, we mind our own business. Besides, didn't we help you deal with Chu Ji in the great victory at Weinan Pass?"

Cheng Yu ignored him, turned to Lin Changtian, and laughed: "I knew it was you, Lin Changtian, the Lord of Sishan. You concocted such an absurd story—do you even know what my relationship is with Lin Yuan?"

Lin Changtian narrowed his eyes, broke free from the ropes, and pointed at Cheng Yu in sudden realization: "No wonder you saw through my carefully laid trap... so you are Lin Yuan’s fourth son!"

A hint of awkwardness hung in the air. Xu Yong’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the icicle to the ground.

Cheng Yu twisted his neck, not even glancing at Xu Yong, as if he had never taken the threat seriously from the start. "To be honest, Chu Ji handed me a crushing defeat at the Beidang River. Even though he dismantled ten thousand of my men, I don't hate him; after all, my skills were inferior—he deserved to win. But today, I cannot find any goodwill for you. You are too slippery, it’s meaningless. Be off with you."

"But you haven't told me your relationship with Lin Yuan."

"You still want to hear it?"

Lin Changtian nodded, saying quite seriously: "Gossip is more important than life and death. I have always wanted to hear it."

"I am Lin Yuan’s brother-in-law. Lin Peiyou’s mother is my own sister. There, I’ve said it. Now get out. Follow this path north, and you can go straight to Weinan Pass," Cheng Yu said irritably, casting a look of disgust at Lin Changtian.

"Lin Peiyou is studying at Sishan; I am his teacher. The boy is quite good."

Cheng Yu’s brow furrowed. He pursed his lips but spoke anyway: "That brat... is he doing well? Does he still spend his days shouting things he himself finds ridiculous and shallow?"

"Lin Yuan never skimps on tuition, so I naturally take good care of his offspring. However, Lin Peiyou’s words are not ridiculous, let alone shallow. It is you who are too ignorant, never truly understanding him." Lin Changtian stood with his hands behind his back, his smile fading. Xu Yong curled his lip; he knew this fellow was about to start preaching again.

It was a pity there was no background music, otherwise, every brag Lin Changtian made would be met with praise for his audacity.

"Then I’d like to hear these wretched words of yours. If they aren't good, I won't let you leave."

Lin Changtian tucked his sleeves, picked up the rope from the ground, tied a knot around his own neck, and handed the other end to Cheng Yu. "Young people have their own paths to walk. To say something perhaps improper, you all drive him to do too much. With such pressure, he cannot take his own steps."

"A thousand years ago, there was a place called Handan where someone went to learn how to walk. He imitated others step by step until, in the end, he forgot how he originally walked. Some said he was too stupid, unable to walk in his own way, but everyone forgot that he originally had an ugly gait, which is why he went to Handan to learn." Cheng Yu did not take up Lin Changtian’s point but instead asked: "Do you know what principle lies here?"

Lin Changtian was stumped. He shook his head to indicate he did not know.

"Because no one taught him, he learned blindly, mimicking like a cat drawing a tiger. If the stride is too wide, it’s easy to pull a muscle," Cheng Yu said to himself. He looked at Lin Changtian, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking smile.

"That is a distorted logic, misinterpreting the original meaning. It doesn't count." Lin Changtian waved a hand; he loved to argue over such details.

Cheng Yu pointed to the horizon and sneered: "This is the Northern Territory, not under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains. Principles change meaning when they cross from that side to this side; otherwise, they don’t work."

"Then according to you, when this generation grows into the next, they must also change their way of living in advance, or they won't be able to survive in this world." Lin Changtian smiled calmly. He felt a bit helpless inwardly; the person before him likely didn't know that his skill in spinning crooked logic was unmatched on Sishan.

Cheng Yu was indeed troubled. He looked at Lin Changtian, unsure how to respond, yet unwilling to admit defeat, stiffening his neck.

"Look, when I speak seriously, you resort to crooked paths. When I find a loophole, you refuse to acknowledge it. What is the point of this? Why not let me speak and you listen? If it doesn't please you, it’s not too late to flip the table then."

"Speak," Cheng Yu grunted, inwardly resolving that no matter what the youth said, he would not show a shred of agreement.

The weather was wonderful. Lin Changtian looked up at the sun, thinking this, and began to speak slowly.

"In the Central Plains before the Awakening, I don't know when it started, but they became arrogant. Cities were always colorful, traffic flowing day after day. People there lamented the fleeting time, and in their idle moments, would occasionally complain about the impact of development on the environment. But in the blink of an eye, when the tides of the economy rose, people were under the illusion that this world could no longer destroy civilization, and that it didn't even have the qualifications to hurt them..."

Cheng Yu frowned and interrupted: "The affairs of the Central Plains have nothing to do with the Northern Territory. I have said that many times."

He was impatient; those who spent years fighting across the land despised Confucian-style preaching.

"You are all human. You haven't shed your mortal coils, nor are you reincarnated gods. What is the difference? A principle is a principle; you can use your mouth to 'reverse black and white' anywhere. When Ma Hui was defeated at Weinan Pass, no one thought Sishan could win that battle."

"A coincidence, that’s all. Ma Hui’s ambitions were unfulfilled, an old warhorse exhausted. Letting a Du Zhaolin take over such vast territory, coupled with Chu Ji’s recklessness and rash advance, led to the defeat. It is nothing strange."

Lin Changtian blinked; he felt Cheng Yu was being unreasonable, like a child throwing a tantrum. "Then let us make a bet, shall we?"