Lin Zhi's thoughts were simple. He felt that his mother, like him, didn't have a problem with men liking men, but rather with a man ruining their relationship. If it had been a woman who ruined the relationship back then, she would have been equally despicable.
Although they hadn't been together for very long, Lin Zhi really wanted to bring this person home to gain his mother's approval, lest she still be unaware of anything and clinging to the hope of marrying him and having children.
He knew that if he confessed everything when he got home, his mother would still be unable to accept Chu Ran for the time being because of what happened back then. But once she understood that he truly loved Chu Ran, she probably wouldn't stop him anymore. Because she had also loved someone so deeply and could understand his feelings.
So when Jiang Chuting asked him, he nodded firmly and then looked expectant: "Of course I'm sure, you... are you willing?"
Although Jiang Chuting hadn't met Lin Xi many times, women are naturally observant and sensitive, and it was inevitable that she would notice who he was. It was obvious without a doubt that Lin Xi would never allow him to be with her son.
At that time, he will not only face Lin Zhi's anger at being deceived, but also Lin Xi's adding fuel to the fire, which is definitely not a good thing.
Jiang Chuting hadn't expected Lin Zhi to suddenly bring this up. A direct refusal wouldn't be appropriate, so after a moment of silence, she asked, "Lin Zhi, does your mother know you like men?"
Lin Zhi appeared very optimistic, "I don't know yet, but she'll know once I tell her. She's always been very good to me, and she won't dislike what I like. As long as I give her some time, she can accept it."
Jiang Chuting sighed inwardly. No matter how much time she was given, Lin Xi would never accept it. But since she was already with Lin Zhi, she would have to face this day sooner or later.
Jiang Chuting didn't agree immediately. "Can I think about it some more?"
Lin Zhi was a little disappointed, but she could understand him and readily nodded, "Of course." She added, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Jiang Chuting smiled slightly, and Lin Zhisong pulled him into her arms and kissed his ear.
Two days later, a new guest arrived in the valley: Qiao Xun.
Qiao Xun greeted them with a smile and said in a gentle voice, "My mother is unwell, and I came to ask the Valley Master for medicine. What a coincidence that you two are here as well."
He was as polite as before, and Lin Zhi smiled and said, "It is a coincidence, but although Master Qiao is smiling, he seems to be here to cause us trouble."
Qiao Xun quickly said, "Brother Lin, you're joking. We have no grudges against each other, so why would I want to cause you trouble? I really just came here to ask for medicine. And you, why are you here?"
What a good actor! He probably hates them to the core inside.
When they took Xie Zhen away, Qiao Xun didn't send anyone to follow them, which he found strange. Two days later, he accidentally discovered that Xie Zhen had Qianlixiang on her body. This kind of fragrance is hard to detect once applied, and Xie Zhen was completely unaware of it. If Lin Zhi hadn't planned to use it before and smelled it a few times, he really wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
The effects of the Thousand Mile Fragrance on Xie Zhen's body were unusually long-lasting, lasting for several days without dissipating, and even taking a bath didn't help. It seemed that a considerable amount had been applied, and Qiao Xun was probably planning to use this method to track her down.
Fortunately, Lin Zhi also had a bottle of Thousand Mile Fragrance. Applying it once and then again would neutralize the fragrance.
He cut off Qiao Xun's shortcut to finding people, yet Qiao Xun remained so amiable; his patience was quite impressive.
Lin Zhi casually replied, "I was just passing by and thought I'd come here for a bit."
"I see." Qiao Xun glanced at Jiang Chuting beside him and sighed, "I really envy you two. You have such a deep relationship and can be together all the time. I can't do that... I wonder where Azhen is now. He's all alone and has no one by his side. He probably can't take good care of himself."
Jiang Chuting looked at him calmly. It seemed he didn't know Xie Zhen already had a child. That was fine.
Lin Zhi said frankly, "Master Qiao, forcing someone will not bring them happiness. I advise you to give up as soon as possible."
Qiao Xun raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand, and looked back at him with a meaningful smile. His voice softened further: "Brother Lin is right. My regrets are irreparable. I hope you two will take good care of yourselves and continue to stay together. Never give up under any circumstances. After all, true love is rare in this world." He then gently patted Lin Zhi's shoulder, glanced at Jiang Chuting, and led his servants around them. As they passed by, his smile vanished almost instantly, and his eyes turned gloomy.
Lin Zhi turned to look at his departing figure, and suddenly remembered something: Qiao Xun had a relationship with the Valley Master of Miyue Valley, and Fei Ge happened to appear at Changliu Manor after leaving Miyue Valley... Why did things seem a little strange?
That afternoon, Qin Ye surprisingly didn't stay in his room, but instead invited Lin Zhi and Jiang Chuting to visit the medicinal herb garden he personally tended.
Lin Zhi was puzzled. "Isn't it supposed to be a forbidden area? Why do you want me to go with you? Do we have that much influence?"
"Let's go and see first." Jiang Chuting couldn't figure it out either, but one thing was clear: asking them to go was probably not as simple as just visiting.
The two arrived as agreed, and Qin Ye led them inside. The guards at the door all made way for them.
Qin Ye must have just come out of the alchemy room. He was still wearing dusty clothes, his hair was messy, and he smelled strongly of medicine and sweat. It was as if he hadn't taken care of himself since the last time they met.
Despite his lack of attention to detail, he managed to keep the medicinal herb field very well-maintained.
As Qin Ye walked, he introduced the names and properties of various medicinal herbs to them. Although Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi were not skilled in medicine, they knew that he had rare and valuable medicinal herbs that were hard to find elsewhere.
Jiang Chuting glanced around and suddenly stopped. He saw a large patch of something that looked very familiar growing to his right.
Lin Zhiye saw it too: "Isn't that the Immortal Grass?"
Qin Ye's eyes flashed as he looked at them and said, "You recognize it? Yes, that's the Immortal-Gazing Grass, it has many uses."
The three of them walked together along the narrow path. Jiang Chuting stared at the seemingly endless expanse of the Immortal Grass and couldn't help but ask, "It is said that the Immortal Grass requires extremely harsh growing conditions. How did Valley Master Qin manage to grow such a large area of it?"
Before Qin Ye could speak, he had already noticed the difference here. He looked down and saw that the soil was a darker color than the soil outside.
Lin Zhi squatted down and scooped up a small clump of soil with his finger. "This soil..."
Qin Ye chuckled and said, "You can see it now, can't you? This is the secret. In fact, it's all thanks to your grandmother."
Lin Zhi clapped his hands and asked in surprise, "My grandmother?"
Qin Ye's face was dirty, but his eyes shone brightly. "Yes, this is soil from Penglai Immortal Island. Your grandmother personally led a group of people to find Penglai Island, managed to dig up the immortal soil from the island, and brought it back to me after preserving it for thousands of miles. That's how the originally hard-to-find medicinal herbs were able to grow. It was truly a great feat!"
Penglai Island? Lin Xuan actually went to Penglai Island? Jiang Chuting was secretly shocked, and Lin Zhi was also extremely surprised. He had lived in the Lin family for so many years and had never heard of this.
That makes sense, though; his grandmother was always like that, never explaining anything to him in detail.
When Lin Xuan was mentioned, Qin Ye's tone was always full of admiration: "Lin Xuan was truly a woman of courage and determination. It's just a pity that she passed away too early due to health reasons, otherwise she would definitely have achieved great things. What a pity, what a pity..." He then looked at Lin Zhi, "Actually, your Lin family has been providing a lot of financial assistance to our Misty Moon Valley over the years. Many medicinal herbs and pills are sold through the Lin family's channels. It's an inseparable cooperative relationship. After your grandmother passed away, your mother also followed her last wishes and gave me a lot of help over the years."
Lin Zhitong's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Really?"
When Lin Xuan was alive, she controlled everything in the Lin family. When she was too weak to rest, she would entrust the affairs to a few trusted confidants, not Lin Xi or Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi, as the young master of the Lin family, only had some business experience; he knew nothing else, and Lin Xuan wouldn't let him know either. As for Lin Xi, her favorite thing to do used to be staring blankly at Yun Zique's portrait and crying. Since taking over the Lin family, she hasn't changed much, remaining immersed in her own world. She delegates many tasks to people left behind by Lin Xuan. Although she has real power, she's essentially just holding the title of family head.
Lin Zhi was quite surprised by Qin Ye's words. He had only assumed that his grandmother had sought medicine from Misty Moon Valley before, and was unaware of any prior cooperation between the two. He had also never heard his mother mention it.
Jiang Chuting pondered for a moment, then smiled and asked, "So, does that mean that only Valley Master Qin can keep these rare medicinal herbs alive?"
Qin Ye nodded: "It's not that I'm arrogant, it's true. To grow these medicinal herbs, you not only need good soil, but you also need the ability to take care of them. Otherwise, even if you keep an eye on them all the time, it won't work."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi exchanged a knowing glance.
When Lin Zhi was a child, he was chased with a knife after accidentally wandering into a medicinal herb garden. He had previously said that there were many Wangxian herbs in the garden, and Jiang Chuting thought he had misremembered.
But now it seems that Lin Zhi was not wrong; it really did exist.
It's possible that it's directly related to Misty Moon Valley and the Lin family. It's just that the guards at the time didn't recognize this young master Lin Zhi, which is why they chased after him. Later, the herb garden was disposed of and became wasteland.
Moreover, Jiang Chuting thought of something else: the pill that Lin Xuan forced him to swallow contained the ingredients of Wangxian Grass. Since the Lin family had always been in contact with Miyue Valley, it was highly likely that the pill came from Qin Ye.
He now strongly suspects that Qin Ye and Lin Xuan's cooperation is not just a simple collaboration; they are planning something else, and this is being carried on through Lin Xi.
Could it be... that Lin Xuan was the one who was actually testing the drugs on people? This kind of disregard for human life, especially men's lives, is definitely her style.
When he started his investigation, he learned that the victim had fallen ill four months earlier, so he naturally excluded Lin Xuan, who had already passed away. He never thought that even if she was dead, she could still continue to do things according to her will through the Lin family and harm the world.
Moreover, based on what he knows so far, he has every reason to believe that Lin Xuan didn't kill him back then because he wanted to use him as a test subject for medicine. He and the other male prostitutes probably took similar pills, but everyone's body is different, and their reactions are different. He was lucky enough not to have developed symptoms.
If these speculations are true, then what is the purpose of Lin Xuan's willingness to spare no effort, even at the cost of his life, to continue cooperating with Qin Ye and having people test the drug?
As Jiang Chuting's thoughts raced, she looked up and found Qin Ye staring meaningfully at Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi paused for a moment, then stiffly looked away.
Jiang Chuting's premonition grew increasingly ominous.
That evening, Lin Zhi was preoccupied and sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought for a long time. He wouldn't have come back to his senses if Jiang Chuting hadn't called him. But afterwards, things were just like usual. She pulled him to sit beside her and they chatted and laughed.
The next day, Qin Ye finally made a move. At the crack of dawn, he led his men away from Misty Moon Valley and went to the small town where they had previously stayed.
The people of Misty Moon Valley were not strong in martial arts. Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi followed them all the way, and the people seemed to be in a hurry and did not notice them.
They eventually entered a secluded courtyard. Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi climbed over the wall and entered, their figures hidden at the gate.
Not long after, Qin Ye was heard saying from inside, "They caught so many again. Sigh, Junior Sister, you've really done something terrible. Divide the medicine among them, one pill for each of them, and let them leave as soon as they recover."
As expected, everything started with the deceased junior sister of Valley Master Qin, and Valley Master Qin became the one trying to win her back.
Hearing all this today must have been part of their plan. Jiang Chuting remained silent for a moment, then looked at Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi lowered her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Moreover, he seemed to be a little distracted, and his foot moved, stepping on something and making a strange noise.
"Who's there!"
Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi could have left if they wanted to, but Lin Zhi stood there motionless, so Jiang Chuting had no choice but to stay with him.
Qin Ye quickly led his men out, and upon seeing the two of them, he looked slightly surprised. "What are you two doing here?"
Lin Zhi took a step closer, his dark eyes looking directly at him, and said, "I saw that Valley Master was in a hurry early this morning, so I came over to see if there was anything I could help with. Who was Valley Master Qin about to feed medicine to?"
Qin Ye said, "They're just some patients, what's wrong?"
"Patients?" Lin Zhi walked inside on his own initiative. He was stopped by others, but they couldn't. He said, "I heard the Valley Master lamenting the sins committed by your junior sister. So, are these patients related to your junior sister?"
Qin Ye: "This..."
As Lin Zhi spoke, he had already entered the courtyard and, ignoring any attempts to stop him, pushed open the door to the house. Inside were six or seven blindfolded young men. Although their faces were not fully visible, it was clear that they were quite good-looking. Some were sitting, some were lying down, and when they heard someone enter, they all turned their heads uneasily in the direction of the sound, as if the air itself had instantly become tense.
Lin Zhi chuckled and turned to Qin Ye, whose expression was complicated, pressing him aggressively, "Valley Master Qin, are they really patients? Should I ask them one by one why they were invited here?"
Jiang Chuting looked at Lin Zhi like this, her lips moved but she didn't interrupt. Given Lin Zhi's impulsive temper, this reaction was understandable, but it was also strange in a way.
Qin Ye looked at Lin Zhi and then at Jiang Chuting, and after a while he sighed as if resigned to his fate, and said, "They are indeed not patients. They came here for some unavoidable reasons... Please come with me, and I will tell you what happened."
Lin Zhi seemed to be suppressing something, staring intently at him. She stood there for a while before grabbing Jiang Chuting's hand and leaving first.
Upon arriving at the outer courtyard, Qin Ye stood face to face with them, sighed softly, and began to speak: "Actually, these people are all male prostitutes from different places. They contracted a strange illness because someone had drugged their food. This story begins with one of my junior sisters. Back then, she..."
What followed was almost exactly the same as Lin Zhi's analysis at the time.
Lin Zhi was not pleased with himself; instead, his expression turned grim. He said, "So, the person who started this mess is no longer alive? We've been investigating this matter all the way to Misty Moon Valley. Is there any truth to what Valley Master Qin said?"
Qin Ye said, "So you've been investigating all along? Sigh, it was indeed my junior sister's fault. She made a terrible mistake while acting crazy, but the deceased is gone, and there's no point in pursuing it any further. Don't worry, I will do my best to treat and clean up the mess for those she harmed, and I will definitely give everyone an explanation."
It seems they were right after all. Fei Ge orchestrated this whole thing to stop their investigation. Jiang Chuting remained silent; he knew there was no need for him to speak now.
Lin Zhi pursed his lips before saying to Qin Ye, "That's good. I'll send people to keep an eye on this place. If Valley Master Qin goes back on his word, then I will definitely make this public."
Qin Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled, "Don't worry, don't worry, definitely. Oh, by the way, if you encounter anyone with unusual abdominal pain in the future, please let us know, and I will arrange for someone to handle it."
Lin Zhi said no more, as if he couldn't bear to stay any longer, and left with Jiang Chuting.
After Qin Ye watched them leave with narrowed eyes, Qiao Xun walked over from another direction and stood beside him with a forced smile. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Valley Master Qin. Just because he's a boy from the Lin family, you have to put on an act."
Qin Ye chuckled and said, "It is indeed quite troublesome, a waste of my time. Of all people to investigate, they have to investigate their own family. The only way to stop him from investigating without letting him know the truth is to give him this kind of reminder."
Qiao Xun sneered, "After Lin Xuan, the Lin family has no one left. Lin Xi is obsessed with love and has accomplished nothing. Lin Zhi is just a young master who doesn't care about family affairs. I think the Lin family is going to decline."
"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how bad the Lin family is, they're still enough for us to rely on. Of course, that's on the condition that the Lin kid doesn't try to push his family into a fire pit again. Otherwise, not only the Lin family, but you, me, and that other person... will all have to give up." Qin Ye thought for a moment and then said, "I think Lin Zhi must have guessed that the matter might be related to his own family, so he wants to end this matter as soon as possible. He's not entirely shrewd. That's good, I don't have to put in any more effort. But this kid is just like his father, he likes men too. Isn't he afraid of driving Lin Xi crazy? Haha."
Qiao Xun chuckled coldly: "If he likes men, Lin Xi will be furious, and Yun Zique will probably be so angry he'll come back to life."
Qin Ye was puzzled. "Oh? What do you mean?"
Qiao Xun made a startling statement: "Because Lin Zhi and his father both like the same man."
Lin Zhi didn't pay attention to what Qiao Xun said this summer, but he did hear it.
Actually, he didn't pay much attention at the time. It was only after they took Xie Zhen away that he was filled with hatred and his anger surged. He was determined to cause them some trouble, and that's when he suddenly remembered that sentence.
Disguise, ninefold...
Actually, if you think about it a little, you can easily figure out its deeper meaning.
"Nine Heavens" should refer to the Nine Heavens. "Disguise" is exactly what it sounds like; his swordsmanship was superb that day, defeating Qin Yushu, so he couldn't possibly be an unknown nobody. Taking all these factors into account, the candidate who fits the description becomes clear.
—Who else could it be but someone from the Ninth Heaven, with superb swordsmanship, who is reluctant to show their true face, and who might have come into contact with Lin Zhi?
The key point is that Qiao Xun discovered Lin Zhi was likely unaware of the situation. That's quite interesting.
Qiao Xun's eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on his hands behind his back, his knuckles cracking softly. He sneered through gritted teeth, "These two ruined my plans, so don't blame me for giving them a taste of their own medicine."
After walking for a long time, Lin Zhi let out a long sigh of relief. The two stood under a tree, and Lin Zhi smiled at Jiang Chuting, revealing his sharp canine teeth. "No matter what, the matter is resolved. It has finally put your mind at ease."
Jiang Chuting paused for a moment before calmly asking, "Lin Zhi, do you really think it's resolved?"
Lin Zhi nodded seriously, "It's exactly what I guessed before. It would be best if Valley Master Qin could handle the aftermath. We've spent so much time and done everything we could, so let's just call it a day." Seeing his silence, Lin Zhi asked nervously, "Chu Ran, do you think there's still something to be suspicious about?"
Hearing his question, Jiang Chuting choked for a moment before smiling and saying, "Well... no. It's just that the investigation started when we reunited and things have suddenly become clear, which feels a bit unreal."
Jiang Chuting knew perfectly well that Lin Zhi had started behaving strangely ever since visiting the herb garden. He roughly knew the reason, but he felt sorry for Lin Zhi, who was secretly hiding his unease, so he didn't say anything.
“We’ve been exhausted for so long, let’s just let this go for good, okay? Once it’s resolved, let’s stop having doubts.” Lin Zhi didn’t wait for his reply before quickly changing the subject. “Chu Ran, have you thought about what I told you before?” She tugged at his sleeve and shook it, her tone very gentle as she pleaded, “Come home with me, I really want to go back. Come with me, come with me.”
Jiang Chuting stared at his face, her heart filled with turbulent emotions. Her throat tightened, and after a long silence, she said, "Okay, I'll go back with you."
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Only 59 left to reach 2000! Making a note of this to encourage myself.
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