Mermaids Weep (17)
Lin Xiaowen met Lin Shiyou when he was just a teenager. Lin Shiyou was two years older than him, and at that time, he appeared mature beyond his years, with an air of quiet authority emanating from his brows. From that moment on, Lin Xiaowen was convinced that Lin Shiyou would achieve great things. Sure enough, when he came of age, Lin Shiyou told him that his goal was to revitalize the Lin family, to make it once again the most powerful family in the Secret Sea, and to make all other families bow down to him.
At that time, the Lin family had fallen into decline after losing its family heirloom, and by their generation, they were already on their last legs. Lin Shi had a youthful ambition and lofty aspirations that inevitably moved Lin Xiaowen, who had nowhere to channel his passion. The two hit it off immediately and supported each other within the clan, rising from an unknown collateral branch to a powerful and influential new member, eventually gaining recognition and standing before the old clan leader. Looking at the ailing, frail old clan leader, both of them felt a deep sense of sorrow.
But to their surprise, the dying old patriarch, lying on his bed, said he would give them a secret pouch, a pouch that could influence the future of the Lin family.
"This is the method that made the Lin family prosperous back then. Every generation of the head of the family will pass on this method. As for whether to choose to follow this path, it all depends on your will." With that, the old patriarch told them this ingenious plan.
That very night, the old clan chief passed away. His last breath, which he had been struggling to hold on to for so long, seemed to be for the purpose of passing on this secret, a secret that left Lin Xiaowen and Lin Shiyou with a lingering unease.
Before they knew it, the carriage had arrived at Lin Fang's residence. Since Lin Fang became the third-in-command, Lin Xiaowen had rarely come here, but the steward of the mansion, Qian, had been waiting at the gate for a long time.
"Second Master, it's been a long time." Steward Qian greeted him respectfully, his tone sounding as if he were greeting an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in a long time.
Lin Xiaowen nodded to him, and without much small talk, went straight to the point: "Lead the way."
The reason for the second-in-command's visit today, who had always disdained coming here, was self-evident. Manager Qian bowed slightly and raised an arm to invite Lin Xiaowen into the mansion.
Back to Yao Yao's side, ever since Manager Qian threw her into the dark room, Yao Yao could clearly feel that the morale in the room had dropped again, just like when she first discovered this little house, it was so lifeless.
Yao Yao wanted to say something to boost morale, but after thinking it over, she felt that the words she could think of were too pale. The room remained silent for a long time, so long that the guards outside were replaced, and no one inside spoke.
"Hey—"
Suddenly, Liao Heng let out a deep sigh. Everyone looked over, and he said, "Since I'm going to die anyway, let this be my last words, let's hear a sound."
"At that time, I was traveling to Yanqing Sect in Lizhou with a fellow Daoist. He said he wanted to stop by to visit his parents. How could I refuse his filial piety? My parents died early, and I have always regretted not being able to fulfill my filial duties. So I stayed at an inn with him. He went back to see his parents early the next morning, and I took a short rest at the inn. Who knew that when I opened my eyes again, I would be in this godforsaken place."
It turned out that the Lin family used inns to kidnap rogue cultivators. Yao Yao listened silently, making a mental note of this, intending to tell her seniors about it later.
"Ironically, my fellow Daoist was also captured that day. Logically, I should have died before him, but he took the initiative to defy Lin Fang to protect me..." As he spoke, Liao Heng couldn't help but sob, "Actually, I had long expected that I wouldn't live much longer, but I didn't expect that I would be dying before I could reach Lizhou and realize my ambitions."
“We originally agreed to go to the Yanqing Sect to obtain the Ninety-Nine Beast Tokens, so we could acquire some useful magical artifacts to participate in next year’s Gathering of Heroes. But now…” Liao Heng became more and more heartbroken as he spoke. He thought of his past ambitions and his friends who had died unjustly. Compared to them, he not only failed to avenge his fellow cultivators, but he had also become a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. “Everyone says that in this world, it is difficult for independent cultivators to move an inch. I even once fantasized about emulating that Sword Master senior, living a life of seclusion and refusing to compromise my principles. Now, thinking about it, it is utterly laughable.”
If you can't even save your own life, you'll ultimately just drift along with the tides of life.
But upon hearing this, a rogue cultivator nearby suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, "You also wanted to become a rogue cultivator because of the Sword Master?"
"What? You too..."
"What a coincidence! I also became a rogue cultivator because I admired the Sword Master!"
The room instantly livened up again when the topic of Sword Master came up. Only Yao Yao looked blank and asked, "Who is Sword Master?"
"You don't even know the Sword Master?" The rogue cultivators looked at her like she was an idiot. "The Sword Master of Beiming, Li Zhoubai, is the number one rogue cultivator in the world!"
Seeing that Yao Yao still looked confused, the group got excited and started enthusiastically introducing their idols to her.
"The Sword Master was originally a rogue cultivator without any sect or affiliation, yet he single-handedly carved through the entire Demon Cave with his formidable swordsmanship. When the sect was leaderless, he established the Lingyun Alliance, serving as its guest elder. He also led a group of righteous cultivators against the demonic cultivators, ultimately achieving victory. What a glorious achievement! This is perhaps the highest realm a rogue cultivator can reach..."
"Back then, in the war against the demons, how could we have won so quickly without the Sword Master's leadership? If it weren't for the Sword Master's intervention, the world would probably still be dominated by demonic cultivators today."
"He was the most prestigious among them in the battle against the demons. He could have succeeded as the leader of the alliance as a guest elder and led the Lingyun Alliance to rebuild the order of the cultivation world. However, the Sword Master was upright and honest, and he withdrew from the alliance and went into seclusion after the battle against the demons ended."
"I wonder which mountain he's retreated to to cultivate in seclusion. But judging by his merits in this world, he's probably already attained immortality and ascended to heaven."
"It's a pity that there has never been another Sword Master since..."
At this point, everyone sighed with regret. Everyone wanted to be Li Zhoubai, but no one could become Li Zhoubai.
Yao Yao, having grown up in the sea, only had a vague understanding of the Sword Master's achievements, but she still felt quite close to the Lingyun Alliance.
Yao Yao wanted to boost morale further, so she went along with the 'Lingyun Alliance' and said, "My companions outside are also guest elders of the Lingyun Alliance!"
"What?!" Everyone looked up in shock. Yao Yao thought they would be happier, but after glancing around, she found that they were more suspicious than happy.
"When did the Lingyun Alliance get another guest elder?" Liao Heng frowned. "Hasn't the Lingyun Alliance only had one guest elder since its establishment?"
"Yaoyao, you haven't been fooled, have you...?"
"How could that be?! Senior Yun is also very capable!" Yao Yao defended Yun Yanqiu, "He's just a low-key person and doesn't want to make a fuss!"
"The Sword Master is also very low-key! When it comes to being low-key, who can compare to him? At the height of his fame and fortune, he abandoned worldly fame and fortune and went into seclusion in the mountains. Tell me, who else can do that?"
"Are you, Senior Yun, a legitimate guest elder? Why hasn't the Lingyun Alliance publicized this?"
"The Lingyun Alliance has never had a second person serve as a guest elder in all these years. Isn't it because they can't find someone as powerful as the Sword Master? No matter how powerful he is, can he compare to the Sword Master? Or is it that in this world, there are people who dare to mess with the Lingyun Alliance's guest elders?"
"This, this..." Yao Yao was speechless, thinking, what is all this about! She just wanted to use Senior Yun to boost morale, so why are they all starting to question the authenticity of Senior Yun's identity?!
Yao Yao felt like she'd encountered a group of fervent fans; any explanation would be futile in their presence. As they talked, they began arguing about who truly understood Li Zhoubai. Somewhat unexpectedly, the atmosphere became lively. Yao Yao watched quietly, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her face.
The lively atmosphere didn't last long. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a tall, cold-looking man with sharp, venomous eyes that sent chills down one's spine. The man stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Yao Yao.
Yao Yao glared back at him without fear. The steward, who had opened the door, was furious at her behavior and pointed at Yao Yao to the man next to him, complaining, "Second Master, she's the one who stole it!"
Was this a mission to send them to their deaths? Upon hearing that it was the second-in-command of the Lin family, the people inside fell silent instantly, fear surging into their hearts once more.
Lin Xiaowen ignored the butler's shouts, looked down at the bound girl, and seeing no fear in her eyes, sneered disdainfully: "Take her away."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yao Yao was grabbed by two guards carrying knives. She struggled to run away but was no match for their strength. In a panic, she shouted, "Let me go! What are you doing?!"
"You'll find out soon enough." Lin Xiaowen smiled sarcastically. "If you dare to steal from the Lin family, you'll have to pay the price for what you've done."
Yao Yao glared angrily at Lin Xiaowen, her eyes blazing with fury. What price? These were the relics of her compatriots, and these scumbags dared to demand a price from her?!
All she wanted to do now was rush up and tear him to shreds to avenge her compatriots!
Lin Xiaowen completely ignored her anger, turned around and instructed Manager Qian, "I'll take this one away and deal with it today. The others can be taken to the usual place tomorrow morning."
"Understood." Manager Qian bowed and locked the door to the room where the hostages were being held. Then he accompanied the second-in-command to put the damned thief on the carriage. Seeing the ridiculous sight of the girl who was clearly furious but powerless, he felt extremely pleased.
After seeing off the second-in-command, Manager Qian felt relieved and immediately ordered his men to cook two extra good dishes for dinner.
Not far away, the second-in-command's carriage stopped in front of a teahouse. Lin Xiaowen lifted the curtain on the carriage window, pressed Yao Yao's head to the window, and asked her to look out: "Do you recognize this place?"
Yao Yao angrily raised her eyes, but her expression froze instantly when she saw the teahouse signboard. This was the place where she, Senior Yun, and Sister Ying'er had agreed to meet again before they parted. Lin Xiaowen took in the change in her expression, pulled her away from the carriage window, and turned to the guard on the other side, saying, "Go in, find a blind woman, and tell her to come to Wanghai Tower to ransom the people. Remember, only she can come."
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