Chapter 234:

Bing State, the residence of the Lin family.

When Lin Jiang entered the hall of the Lin family’s main gate, he saw Lin Batian, who was smiling at him, leaving Lin Jiang puzzled.

"Master, why did you call me here?"

Lin Jiang asked. He had received a message during seclusion and didn’t know what had happened. He had become hardworking now, so if there was an award for outstanding performance in the cultivation world, he felt he deserved it.

"You have made great achievements."

"How have I made great achievements? The master should know that I am an honest person and would never take credit for others’ achievements unless it’s well deserved."

"Haha, those were your words."

Lin Batian was used to Lin Jiang’s unserious attitude. Without much hesitation, he handed Lin Jiang a piece of paper, and Lin Jiang glanced at it and nodded.

Even though Lin Jiang had forgotten who he said this to, he knew it was his own words. Unless there was another person from the cultivation world who had crossed over to the Blue Star.

"You deserve credit for these words."

Lin Batian nodded. He didn’t expect that despite his repeated discussions with Lin Qiwen, he couldn’t convince him. But Lin Dongyang managed to sway Lin Qiwen with just one sentence.

"Master, may I ask what credit this is?"

"This sentence has enabled us to persuade a high-ranking member of the Lin family in Qing State. Our people have successfully infiltrated their ranks."

"A spy?"

"It’s like using a chicken to lay eggs, no, actually the Lin family was already on our side. So you could say it’s a spy."

Lin Batian said. Using a chicken to lay eggs is not the right analogy. After all, the chicken belongs to us. At most, we could call it a spy.

"Amazing! The Lin family is full of outstanding people, which is worth celebrating."

Lin Jiang said. Being undercover is not an easy job. Whenever I think about being undercover, it reminds me of movies like ‘Infernal Affairs’ and ‘The Departed.’ Those characters are all very clever. If I go undercover, I might only survive for three episodes at most, not more than that.

"Indeed, the Lin family has produced many talented individuals in recent years. It helps to alleviate some of my pressure," said Lin.

Lin Die commented. After accumulating for nearly five hundred years, the Lin family has started producing even more exceptional talents. They are not only geniuses in their cultivation.

This time, Lin Dongyang’s bravery and cleverness touched Lin Qiwen. These qualities are very high and not something ordinary people can achieve.

"Xiao Yi, tell me how I can reward you."

"Master, I am indifferent to fame and fortune. Whether I receive a reward or not doesn’t matter. Just give me a few billion spirit stones as a token, or even without the spirit stones, a thousand-year-old elixir would do. If there’s no elixir available, a heavenly-ranked cultivation technique would be fine…"

"Ahem."

Lin Batian almost burst out laughing. This so-called indifference to fame and fortune. The Lin family’s treasure vault should be moved by you, shouldn’t it?

"Does the landlord think these rewards are too few? Well then…"

"Get lost!"

Lin Batian couldn’t help himself, he picked up a bag and threw it at Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang caught it effortlessly, then rolled on the ground and rolled out of the hall.

"Third Brother, who do you think this jerk follows? He’s so shameless!"

"It’s Sixth Brother, remember? Wasn’t Sixth Brother just like that in the past? Lazy to death, not afraid even if you try to drive him away for not practicing hard enough. Shamelessly stubborn."

"Yes, that’s true, but he didn’t inherit any good qualities."

"Does Sixth Brother have anything good on him?"

"Hahaha…"

Lin Batian laughed loudly. It seems the biggest contribution his family’s Sixth Brother made was giving birth to a good son and helping the Lin family a lot.

········

"Wow, that old man is really generous!"

Lin Jiang opened the storage bag that Lin Batian threw to him. Inside, there was only one thing – a robe. Lin Jiang recognized this robe as the Seven-Colored Silkworm Robe, crafted by the Central State Holy Artifact Sect. It was thin as a silkworm’s wing, yet incredibly tough. The best thing about it was that it could change into seven different colors. It wasn’t just a single color; different parts of the robe could freely switch colors.

This kind of robe, both beautiful and extremely practical, was highly sought after by cultivators. Every time the Holy Artifact Sect released one, there would be a frenzy to grab it, pushing the price sky-high.

"There’s a faint scent of blood. It must be a spoils of war from somewhere, but I don’t mind. Hehe."

Lin Jiang smelled the scent of blood, but he didn’t mind. The cultivation world doesn’t care about that. Who doesn’t have something bloody in this world?

Without hesitation, Lin Jiang changed into the robe. There wasn’t even a problem with the fit, as magical-grade robes have the basic function of stretching and contracting freely.

"Oh my goodness, without realizing it, I already have seven pieces of clothing on me."

Lin Jiang glanced at himself and saw that he was indeed wearing seven pieces of clothing. Each one was a regular-looking piece of clothing, but they were all magical-grade robes. Some of the robes were made of incredibly durable materials, so they didn’t need to be maintained with spiritual power. When Lin Jiang entered the Divine Kingdom, he wore this type of robe. Others, however, required spiritual power to be infused in order to exert their effects. These robes couldn’t be layered on top of each other, as the cultivator’s spiritual power also had limitations. It was better to use that power to boost weapons for killing enemies.

"Seven robes, add a layer of armor when fighting, and even the Nascent Soul cannot kill me with one sword."

Lin Jiang felt very happy. The ancient heavy infantry of Blue Star wore three layers of armor and could dominate the battlefield. He had eight layers of protection in his golden core. Who could still kill him?

Changing one robe with just a sentence made Lin Jiang feel happy all day long. He even stopped exploiting Small Shadiao and generously gave him a day off.

Of course, when Big Shadiao came back, he would still have to be disciplined by Big Shadiao. This guy never knows his place and always wants to switch masters. Does he think he can just come back after consuming so many resources for hundreds of years without giving back tenfold or even a hundredfold? Does this capitalist have a conscience?

Another year flew by in the blink of an eye. On this day, Lin Jiang received the usual message from the Five Elements Sect. After reading it, he quietly left the Lin family’s residence and headed south, almost leaving Bing State, until he reached a hilltop.

"Master, you finally came to see me!"

Lin Jiang saw Zhang Wanjing and opened his arms for a bear hug, but Zhang Wanjing avoided it with a disgusted look.

"Master, do you dislike me?"

"Hmm."

"Love disappears, right?"

"Yeah."

"Your senior brother has taken all your love, right?"

"You talk too much; I’ll chop you with my sword!"

Zhang Wanjing couldn’t help it, he really wanted to chop this rebel down.

"Haha, just kidding, it’s not easy to smile often."

"Be serious, I have something to tell you."

"Ahem, please speak, Master."

Lin Jiang coughed, immediately sat upright with a serious expression on his face.

"The news you brought back recently is somewhat incorrect."

"What’s incorrect?"

"The remnants of the four major sects of Qing State have launched a counterattack against the four major clans. They have killed many people and used techniques from Yun State. The four major clans have sent reinforcements from Yun State and are currently investigating. If we’re not mistaken, it was done by the members of the Dark Night organization."

"The Dark Night Assassin Organization?"

"Yes."

"Hasn’t the Dark Night Assassin Organization been missing for many years?"

Lin Jiang said. The Dark Night Assassin Organization used to be active in the Yunzhong City area. However, they were suppressed by the Zhonghang Sect and the Cloud Sword Sect and became low-key afterwards. They hardly appeared anymore.

"That’s right, but their disappearance doesn’t mean they don’t exist. They have just been lying low."

"Then, what is the purpose of our master’s visit…"

"Investigating the relationship between Li Ruoxu and Lin Batian, a secret mission."

"Wait, isn’t it the Dark Night Organization? Why investigate Li Ruoxu?"

"You don’t know the relationship between the Dark Night Organization and Li Ruoxu?"

"Ah!"

"Really don’t know?"

"I am just a person with a golden core, how would I know so many secrets?"

Li Ruoxu is the most famous independent cultivator in Yun State. Being independent doesn’t mean he has no mentor. Li Ruoxu’s master was once a Nascent Soul independent cultivator in Yun State. This person had three disciples in total. The eldest disciple passed away early, leaving two. Li Ruoxu has unparalleled talent in alchemy, that’s undeniable. However, no matter how good the talent is, it requires a large amount of alchemy materials to gain experience. How can an independent cultivator afford them?

After Li Ruoxu became famous, the Dark Night Organization also grew stronger. They have a large number of golden core assassins. The three sects in Yun State that cultivate the Golden Core stage are well known. Although there is a possibility of treasures appearing from other states, it is definitely not a lot. Besides Li Ruoxu, who else can support them?

After that, the Dark Night Organization went into hiding, and now they are resurfacing. If they don’t have strong financial support, why would those assassins listen to the organization?

"So, why didn’t the Three Sects attack Li Ruoxu?"

"The assassin organization is not relevant to us, at least not a real threat. And the Three Sects need Li Ruoxu’s Alchemy. So, we turn a blind eye. But now that the Dark Night Organization is involved with the Qing State, we have to be cautious."

"That makes sense. What do we need to investigate then?"

"Why does Li Ruoxu listen to Lin Batian? What is their relationship?"

"Master, I am a descendant of the Lin family."

Lin Jiang said thoughtfully. Does this mean they want him to be a spy? Can he survive for three episodes?

"I’m not asking you to do anything harmful to the Lin family. We just need to know some inside information and make an assessment to prevent this matter from involving the sect. Do you understand?"

"I…"

"Take your time to consider. You have done a lot over the years, and the sect has noticed. This is the sect’s reward to you. It includes the techniques of the Unity Art and the Hunyuan Treasure Book. These two techniques, along with the Five Spirit Manual, lead to the same path in advanced cultivation. They will greatly benefit your practice. Here are also insights on cultivating during the Golden Core Period from the Five Spirit Manual, recorded by past disciples of the Five Elements Sect."

Zhang Wanjing took out a bag and handed it to Lin Jiang, and Lin Jiang felt the reward from the sect for the first time, which was also quite difficult to handle.