### Chapter 9: The Hidden Line Turns Out to Be a Romance Series (16)
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After Little Recipient gulped down the warm buns in a few bites, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of sentiment.
Though he had no idea how far the nearest town was from where they were, a round trip must take at least an hour or two.
Sister Hong Chen had probably set off at three or four in the morning just to bring him a hot bite, allowing them to return so early.
On the surface, it seemed like just two insignificant buns,
but beneath it lay Sister Hong Chen’s silent care and affection for him.
Thinking of this, Little Recipient’s eyes grew slightly misty, a pang of sorrow hitting him as he remembered his mother’s early passing and the love he had missed.
But as soon as he remembered his promise to Sister Hong Chen to never show weakness in front of others, he inhaled deeply, forcing back the tears brought on by the sentiment.
“Are you done eating?”
Lin Nan, turning her back to him, stood in the warm sunlight that poured over the lush treetops, casting large shadows that enveloped them both.
Little Recipient quickly nodded, “I’m done!”
Lin Nan pulled a long sword from her waist and tossed it to him. “This is your weapon.”
He picked up the sword wrapped in its sheath and treated it like a precious treasure.
“Let’s move out.”
After throwing down that stiff sentence, Lin Nan marched into the depths of the woods without looking back.
Having become familiar with Sister Hong Chen’s behavior, Little Recipient followed closely, a slight smile on his face as he trailed behind.
In his memory, of the one hundred and eight martial arts techniques he had practiced in the scripture pavilion, thirty-six were sword techniques.
He had only learned the first level of each sword style and could only perform a few basic moves.
To avoid embarrassing Sister Hong Chen and to adapt to this cold-blooded, cruel world sooner, he needed to grow stronger.
What if they were merely first-level sword techniques? When all thirty-six first-level styles began spinning in his mind, he suddenly had some new insights.
The originally dull journey immediately transformed into a tension-filled adventure.
Little Recipient drew the long sword and, while walking, danced behind her, muttering to himself.
This made Lin Nan raise an eyebrow.
Had this kid been pushed too hard and lost a few screws?
Several times she wanted to stop his monkey-like sword dance but, thinking that she must maintain her cool persona until her favorability hit 100%, she held back her desire to intervene and remained indifferent to Little Recipient’s self-indulging antics.
An hour later, Lin Nan paused in front of a low cliff.
In the distance lay a wide lake, with a stream winding down from the main river and merging into it.
Several boats of varying sizes bobbed across the lake, teeming with life.
Opening her map for confirmation, she declared, “This should be the location of the Giant Wave Gang’s branch.”
Little Recipient momentarily halted his practice, tiptoeing behind Lin Nan to peer over an obstacle into the distance.
At the lakefront dock, aside from the ten or so moored sailboats, there was a wooden building built right by the water, with people constantly coming in and out.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that building probably served as the Giant Wave Gang’s headquarters.
“Crack!”
The cart driver cracked his whip, as a convoy of loaded carts began to approach the dock.
They seemed to be preparing to load goods onto the boats. No wonder the Giant Wave Gang expanded so rapidly; it was likely due to their hefty collection of protection fees from passing merchant ships.
As the convoy drew near the dock, it was naturally halted by several members of the Giant Wave Gang.
The leading merchant, all smiles, began negotiating the cost of the protection fee with them. Even saving a few taels would boost the chance of successfully selling their goods.
Lin Nan and Little Recipient stood atop the hill, concealed by the shrubbery, observing the scene below.
Noticing the Giant Wave Gang members were wearing the same outfits as yesterday, Lin Nan confirmed they hadn’t gone to the wrong place.
Little Recipient had assumed Sister Hong Chen would lead them into the Giant Wave Gang’s camp to confront their bullying behavior,
but to his surprise, she merely cast a glance at the dock and said, “You go.”
Little Recipient froze, “Sister, you mean, I’m going alone?”
Sister Hong Chen wore a serious expression, leaving no room for him to suspect she was joking. “Yes, alone.”
“But…”
He was utterly flabbergasted.
Are you… are you kidding me?
Just from a glance, there were two or three dozen members of the Giant Wave Gang in view,
and she actually expected him to face them alone?! That was just too…
A wave of helpless fear washed over him, and he instinctively took two steps back, trembling all over.
Even his words came out with a slight quiver.
“I… I can’t do it; there are too many of them! What am I supposed to…?”
Lin Nan didn’t turn back.
As the sun’s angle shrank, her silhouette appeared cloaked in a halo, growing increasingly mysterious in Little Recipient’s vision.
Her voice floated like a whisper from the clouds above. For a moment,
Little Recipient thought he was listening to a fairy’s teaching.
“I said… you need to prove your worth.
If you think you can’t, then from this moment on, we have no ties.
You won’t have to struggle with whether you can conquer your fear, right?”
Lin Nan’s voice was as cold and unfeeling as always.
But to Little Recipient, it felt like a whip lashing against him.
Yes, last night he promised firmly, and all along he had been preparing mentally to storm the enemy camp.
But upon hearing Sister Hong Chen say he had to face the enemy alone, his mindset shattered instantly.
Ha, he was still that cowardly little recipient who hoped someone would stand up to protect him.
If he wanted to change completely, he had to confront the fear inside him head-on.
Sister Hong Chen saw right through his weakness, forcing him into a corner in this cruel, indifferent way, pushing him to make a choice.
To step forward and face the enemy,
or to retreat and sever his ties with Sister Hong Chen, returning to his old life, refusing to change.
It was time for a decision.
He glanced once more at Lin Nan’s back.
Suddenly, he realized that since he had called out to Sister Hong Chen for help, she had never given up on him.
Even during the hardest times, when he thought she had left him for good, Sister Hong Chen had likely been quietly observing him, assessing whether his desire to follow her was sincere.
Even though their time together wasn’t long, a whirlwind of memories rushed through his mind,
ultimately solidifying his resolve: I can do it! I will definitely do it!
He stood up, like a warrior ready to face d*ath.
At that moment, he had completely forgotten about Sister Hong Chen, only the vast, rushing lake lay before him.
