Chapter 219 - 33: Abyss
"Pathetic!"
Lin Mingye turned back and threw a single word at Lin Mingzhao.
He wouldn’t fall for such a crude provocation. But since Lin Yan wasn’t receptive, he wouldn’t press the issue.
’I only spoke up because I was worried Lin Yan didn’t understand the situation,’ he thought. ’Now that I’ve explained it clearly, if he still insists on his choice, trying to persuade him further would just make me an unwelcome pest.’
After Lin Mingye walked away, Lin Yan no longer hesitated and activated the mechanism.
The Glazed Light Shield silently faded, revealing the ink-black longsword.
He reached out and grasped the hilt.
Heavy.
Heavier than he had expected.
The blade was only three feet long, yet it was ten times heavier than any longsword he had used before.
Lin Yan didn’t let go. He channeled two streams of Sword Gang from his fingertips on the hilt into the blade.
The moment his Silk Binding Sword Intent and Flowing Cloud Sword Intent converged within the blade, the crushing weight suddenly eased.
The Abyssal Sword had accepted him.
...
After leaving the Spiritual Weapon Vault, Lin Yan returned to his courtyard. Shortly after, a servant from the Third Branch arrived with three Bodhi Pills and the Thunder Armor.
Lin Yan felt it for a moment. The texture was coarse.
But considering the Thunder Armor’s powerful protective abilities, he wasn’t picky. He took off his shirt and put the armor on.
’I’ll focus on cultivating in peace for a while. After that, I’ll see if there are any suitable missions.’
Having broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, Lin Yan wasn’t in a hurry to take on missions. Instead, he decided to spend time mastering the Abyssal Sword.
「Three days later.」
Flashes of black light crisscrossed the courtyard. A closer look would reveal two other streams of light flowing within the black gleam.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
A knock sounded at the gate.
Lin Yan retracted his sword, and the three wooden training posts in the courtyard instantly disintegrated into dust.
"Young Master Lin Yan, the Bai Family has sent an invitation for you to attend a banquet."
He opened the gate and took the invitation from the servant.
The reason for the Bai Family’s invitation was that they had caught a three-tailed mandarin fish at their fishery yesterday and were inviting him to taste it.
When consumed by a Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist, a three-tailed mandarin fish could also regulate Qi Blood and accelerate its Refinement, though its effects were slightly weaker than a Bodhi Pill.
Lin Yan mulled it over and decided to attend the banquet.
’I took ten thousand taels from them. Now they’re inviting me over as a guest. It’s entirely possible the Bai Family knows I’m in the limelight right now and wants to use my name to intimidate other factions, but that’s fair enough.’
’If you take the money, you have to do the job.’
’If I take money and don’t deliver, my reputation will be ruined. Who’s going to send me money then?’
’Besides, since the Bai Family is inviting me this time, they’ll definitely have another gift prepared.’
Apart from these reasons, he also wanted to use the Bai Family to help investigate his uncle’s whereabouts.
Families like the Bai Family, who were affiliated with the Lin Family, inevitably dealt with all sorts of people from the underbelly of Qing State. Having the Bai Family help with the search would be more convenient than doing it himself.
As for not asking Brother Hai for help, it wasn’t that he thought the Lin Family lacked the ability. Lin Yan believed that if the Lin Family mobilized its resources, they would certainly be faster than the Bai Family. The key was that he didn’t currently have the status to use the family’s resources.
...
「The Bai Family Estate.」
Led by a gatekeeper, Lin Yan had just passed through a covered walkway when he saw a beautiful figure appear from around a corner.
It was Miss Bai, Bai Ruo!
Seeing Miss Bai again, Lin Yan was momentarily stunned.
The last time they met in the courtyard, she had worn a tight-fitting black dress, appearing both alluring and poised, her every move graceful and controlled.
Today, however, Miss Bai wore a watery-red ruqun. The hem of the skirt fell to her feet, and a silk ribbon of the same color was tied at her waist, cinching it so tightly it looked as if a single hand could encircle it.
She wore no heavy makeup, only a light touch of rouge on her lips, yet her eyes and brows naturally exuded a flirtatious charm.
It wasn’t a deliberate allure.
It was something innate.
If she had been holding back last time, now she was letting her full charm show.
Bai Ruo lifted her gaze to Lin Yan. Her eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, glistened as if veiled in a thin mist. She performed a slight curtsy, her movements unhurried as the hem of her skirt rippled open and closed like waves on water.
"Young Master Lin."
"Miss Bai."
Lin Yan returned the greeting with a cupped fist salute. ’This scene feels familiar,’ he thought.
’Don’t tell me the Bai Family is thinking of moving too?’