Chapter 24

The Next Day

As the morning sun began to rise, a thin veil of mist enveloped the world, casting a serene and peaceful atmosphere over the Lin family estate. A faint light broke through the horizon, illuminating the surroundings.

“Cousin Lin Xuan, I, your younger cousin Lin Yan, have an urgent matter to discuss.”

A sudden voice shattered the tranquility.

“It’s cousin Lin Yan! Please, come in.”

A cool voice echoed from within the courtyard.

Upon hearing the source of the voice, Lin Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Lin Xuan, noting to himself, “Cousin Lin Xuan truly is diligent, starting his training this early.”

As Lin Yan entered the courtyard, he spotted a young man seated on a rock formation, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Dressed in white, the boy was strikingly handsome, his features chiseled as if carved from white jade. The morning sunlight filtered through the mist, giving him an ethereal quality, as if he were a celestial being untouched by the mortal realm.

“Indeed, he is worthy of being my cousin Lin Xuan,” Lin Yan thought, a hint of admiration on his youthful face. “Such an aura is a goal I aspire to achieve in my life!”

If he could emulate even a fraction of Lin Xuan’s charm, wouldn’t he have to worry about being single?

“Cousin Lin Yan, is there something urgent that brings you here so early?”

Lin Xuan leaped down from the rock formation and approached Lin Yan, speaking in a calm tone, though his words came slowly.

He understood his cousin wouldn’t disturb him unless there was something pressing.

“Cousin Lin Xuan, you truly are perceptive,” Lin Yan replied, subtly flattering him. He then grew serious and said, “As you guessed, I do have something significant I wish to collaborate with you on. This matter concerns the survival of the Lin family, so please trust me!”

After saying this, Lin Yan nervously looked at the young man. Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing that the matter involved the family’s survival.

“The survival of the Lin family?”

Lin Xuan’s expression turned serious. If this were coming from anyone else, he might not believe it, but since it was his cousin, who was suspected to be a child of fate, it could very well indicate a genuine crisis.

The Lin family was where he had spent over a decade of his life, and it housed his two closest relatives. If someone aimed to harm them, he wouldn’t stand idly by.

“Cousin Lin Yan, what has happened?”

“Who wants to harm the Lin family?”

Lin Xuan questioned, knowing that if Lin Yan came to him, the target must possess significant strength. Though he trusted Lin Yan wouldn’t joke about such matters, he needed to understand the situation thoroughly to avoid being caught in a trap laid by the forces behind Lin Yan.

To be precise, Lin Xuan was somewhat wary of Lin Yan’s mysterious master. A being that had lived for countless years could be formidable. While Lin Yan might enjoy special attention due to his supposed fate, that didn’t guarantee respect from the mysterious entity behind him.

However, Lin Yan didn’t realize that he was unaware of how much Lin Xuan trusted him. The words he had rehearsed with his master the entire night caught in his throat. This trust warmed Lin Yan’s heart.

Lin Yan was certain that if he shared this with the family’s elders or even his father, they would probably not believe him and assume he was joking.

“Master, I told you Cousin Lin Xuan would definitely believe me!”

The boy’s innocent heart felt recognized at that moment, and he happily shared his joy with the voice of his master in his mind.

“Understood, understood, Little Yan, stop spacing out. You’re drifting off!”

The elderly voice in Lin Yan’s mind sounded somewhat helpless, but he sensed a hint of… envy!

Prompted by his master’s reminder, Lin Yan realized he had been zoning out. He awkwardly smiled before becoming serious again. “Cousin Lin Xuan, I’ve discovered that the Chu family is colluding with Black Tiger Mountain, planning to strike our Lin family on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony.”

Lin Xuan’s expression showed surprise. “The Chu family and Black Tiger Mountain collaborating?”

“How dare they? Even if those two families unite, the City Lord’s Mansion wouldn’t stand by idly. Is there something else going on?”

Lin Xuan had heard of Black Tiger Mountain, which only had one expert in the middle stage of the True Essence Realm and two in the initial stage. Even united with the Chu family, they posed no threat to the Lin family. Moreover, the City Lord’s Mansion wouldn’t allow foreign enemies to invade Taian City—a grave taboo.

Lin Yan nodded seriously and said, “The head of Black Tiger Mountain, Black Tiger, has seized an opportunity and has now broken through to the pinnacle of the True Essence Realm, just one step away from the Qi Sea Realm. The intel I gathered indicates that there is a fourth-grade spiritual material, thousand-year stone milk, in Black Tiger’s cultivation area. It is precisely because of this that Black Tiger has been able to grow to this point under the radar.”

“Thousand-year stone milk?” Lin Xuan’s face showed mild surprise. Thousand-year stone milk is an invaluable resource among fourth-grade materials, capable of replacing the primary medicinal ingredients needed for most elixirs.

He hadn’t expected Black Tiger Mountain to possess such a fortunate opportunity.

After a brief hesitation, Lin Yan spoke, “Cousin Lin Xuan, I’m here to seek your cooperation. If you can create a disturbance in Black Tiger Mountain, I will have a way to enter and steal the thousand-year stone milk.”

“As long as we take away the thousand-year stone milk, Black Tiger will be unable to break through, and thus he won’t be able to target our Lin family!”

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment. He could certainly hold off Black Tiger Mountain, but he still didn’t understand the motive behind the alliance between Black Tiger Mountain and the Chu family.

“Cousin Lin Yan, can you tell me the motive behind the alliance between Black Tiger Mountain and the Chu family?”

Lin Yan forced a bitter smile and said, “Recently, the legitimate son of King Chu Ling arrived in Taian City. You must be aware of this, Cousin Lin Xuan.”

Lin Xuan nodded, knowing it all too well; he had lost one hundred fifty thousand low-grade essence stones because of it.

“It’s all orchestrated by that little prince of the King Chu Ling’s mansion. He intends for Black Tiger Mountain to raid our Lin family first, and then he plans to swoop in as a hero to save the day. This beast has set his sights on my cousin Yanran!”

Lin Yan’s face was filled with anger and frustration. The Chu Ling royal mansion was a colossal force for the Lin family—a king of supernatural powers could easily wipe them out with a mere flick of his finger.

Lin Xuan’s expression hardened, silver flames flickering in his pupils. The temperature of the surrounding air suddenly dropped, and the fog coalesced into icy shards that fell.

“Lin Yan, let’s go.” Lin Xuan said coldly, striding toward the courtyard exit.

“Uh?” Lin Yan looked bewildered.

“We’re going to kill.”

“What?”

Ding! Detected the host’s intent to kill. Primary task issued.

Task: Destroy Black Tiger Mountain and eliminate the three heads of Black Tiger Mountain. Reward: One chance for a basic inheritance lottery.