novelraw Chapter 18 : Lin Family Intelligence（1 / 2）
Chapter 18 : Lin Family Intelligence（1 / 2）
Chapter 18: Lin Family Intelligence
Immediate death, or a slim chance at survival?
This was a single-choice question.
A trace of hope still lingered in the young man’s heart. He comforted himself—if he revealed useful intelligence, perhaps the other party might truly spare him.
His lips parted slightly, letting out a few muffled sounds as he nodded.
“Very good. This is the smartest choice you’ve made.” Lin Xiaowan placed a hand on his chest, adjusting the effect of the Mirage Qi so he could speak.
Her other hand held a jade bottle, her gaze sweeping over it.
These medicine bottles were of superior material, bearing special markings. The seals were tight, spiritual energy contained within—clearly not something ordinary family disciples could possess.
She had seen similar markings in the original owner’s memories.
“So, someone from the Lin Family pharmacy?”
Lin Xiaowan understood.
Only those in charge of distributing pills—or those with relatives working in the pharmacy—could obtain such items with relative ease.
She put the bottles away and stared at the Lin Family youth, her voice passing through the veil: “Within the Lin Family, are there internal conflicts?”
Internal scheming was common in large families.
This sounded like a meaningless question—but it wasn’t.
What Lin Xiaowan referred to were conflicts so deep that the parties wished for each other’s death.
The youth’s lips trembled as he spoke vaguely, “Yes… Elder Lin Yao of the pharmacy and Elder Lin Yunzhi of the academy…”
“Slap—!”
His words were abruptly cut off.
His head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint appearing on his face.
“You’re courting death!”
Lin Xiaowan withdrew her hand, shaking it slightly from the impact, her voice cold. “Lin Yao and Lin Yunzhi? At odds?”
“If you had named any other elders, I might have believed you. Unfortunately, I happen to know their relationship. Lin Yao has long secluded himself studying alchemy and avoids mundane affairs. The Lin Family pharmacy and academy may appear separate, but they have always been jointly managed under the coordination of those two! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?”
At her words, the youth trembled violently!
He stared at Lin Xiaowan’s veiled face as if he had seen a ghost.
“How could you possibly know?! This matter… aside from a few core elders and their direct bloodlines… outsiders could never know!”
“Hmph.”
Lin Xiaowan straightened up, looking down at him from above. Her voice was calm.
“Because my surname is Lin.”
Five simple words—
Yet they struck the youth like thunder, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints!
Lin?!
This demoness… was from the Lin Family?!
But among the younger generation of the Lin Family, there was no one with both such strength and such ruthless temperament… he searched his memory frantically, yet found no match.
That only made him more terrified.
“Now, can you answer properly?” Lin Xiaowan’s voice returned to calmness. “Stop playing tricks. My patience—and your time—are both limited.”
With his last shred of hope crushed, he no longer dared to conceal anything and began revealing truly valuable information.
“The Patriarch… the Patriarch’s condition is not good.”
“In recent years, the pharmacy has secretly been gathering rare herbs to extend lifespan, refining pills to prolong his life. The discovery of Luoxia Valley is also largely related to this.”
Lin Xiaowan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Calculating the timeline, Lin Ping—that old thing—was indeed nearing the end of his lifespan.
In this world, Qi Refinement had thirteen minor stages, with lifespans generally between 100 and 130 years.
“Lin Ping… that old thing has reached the end. Relying on spiritual medicine to extend life is impossible. When the Five Decays of Heaven and Man arrive, death is inevitable.” Lin Xiaowan shook her head.
Lin Ping’s title as Half-Step Foundation Establishment had long suppressed the Qin and Li Families.
Because of this, in Luoyang City, whether in resource competition or in exchanges of interests, the Lin Family always held the upper hand.
If Lin Ping died, the Qin and Li Families could very well join forces and overturn the Lin Family.
Lin Xiaowan did not know whether other regions were like the Cangmang Mountain region, where spiritual energy was thin.
High-level Qi Refinement cultivators could dominate, but in Luoyang County, Foundation Establishment cultivators existed only in legend.
Thus, the three great cultivation families had no ancient immortal lineage or slumbering ancestors—the current Patriarch was usually the strongest.
If Lin Ping died, the three families would clash until mutual destruction—that was the outcome Lin Xiaowan wanted.
As for this Patriarch, Lin Xiaowan did not know much.
Only that Lin Ping had already become famous a hundred years ago, and the Lin Family’s foundation had been built by his own hands.
He was called Half-Step Foundation Establishment because he had once attempted a breakthrough in his youth.
Though he failed, he had at least touched the threshold.
“Would someone who built the Lin Family accept death so easily?” Lin Xiaowan pondered, then deduced, “So he intends to break through to Foundation Establishment?”
“You’re right. Before I learned of it, the Patriarch had already entered closed-door life-and-death cultivation. At most a year, at least half a year—there will definitely be a result.”
“It must fail.”
Lin Xiaowan sighed.
If the Lin Family gained a Foundation Establishment cultivator, fulfilling the original owner’s obsession would become far more difficult.
While discussing the Lin Family just now, she could clearly feel… that she had become less calm.
Perhaps this was the lingering obsession.
“I thought advancing to Qi Refinement would weaken its influence with stronger spiritual sense… yet it has grown stronger instead?”
“But by merging with her soul, I gained spiritual sense beyond my level. Perhaps this is the exchange.”
Lin Xiaowan reflected.
She was surprisingly open-minded about being influenced.
Since she couldn’t resolve the obsession—then she would resolve the Lin Family.
Seeing her fall silent, the youth panicked and hurriedly added:
“There’s more—about Lin Chan’er! Her rapid progress isn’t purely talent. I… I heard from my grandfather—when she was born, she should have had a three-attribute spiritual root, but later somehow became a dual-attribute root.”
“Spiritual roots can improve? I’ve never heard of such a thing… could it be some method involving slaughtering kin to enhance one’s cultivation?” Lin Xiaowan’s heart tightened.
This information was quite valuable.
The secret likely lay with Lin Yunzhi—after all, Lin Chan’er was his granddaughter.
“I swear it’s true! My grandfather is Lin Yao!”
The youth spoke urgently, afraid she wouldn’t believe him.
Lin Xiaowan processed the information, her fingers tapping lightly against her knee.
The Lin Family’s depths were far greater than she had imagined.
“Anything else?” she asked coldly.
The youth hesitated, then said quietly, “The three families have already reached a secret agreement to once again join forces and completely eliminate the Black Wind Stronghold outside the city. This time, they’ll deploy true elites and even external support—the chances of success are very high.”
Eliminate the Black Wind Stronghold?
Hearing that name again, Lin Xiaowan recalled the night raid when she had first arrived at Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
That self-proclaimed second-in-command—Tu Fei…
So the three families had finally decided to eradicate this major threat?
Naturally, Lin Xiaowan hoped the three families and the Black Wind Stronghold would fight to mutual destruction—not a one-sided crushing.
If she encountered Tu Fei again, perhaps she could inform him.
At this point, the youth had essentially revealed everything he knew.
Lin Xiaowan continued questioning, but when no more useful information came, her gaze grew colder.
“You promised… if I told you Lin Family intelligence, you would spare me…”
The youth trembled violently, tears and snot streaming down his face.
“Yes. I only said… perhaps.”
Lin Xiaowan gently caressed his face, saying nothing more as she circulated the Profound Essence Scripture once again.
This time, she held nothing back.
The remaining Yang essence within the youth was completely extracted and refined, flowing into her Qi Sea.
His body withered visibly, his eyes losing all light as the last trace of life faded within the warmth of Dual Cultivation.
Lin Xiaowan slowly withdrew her technique and stood up.
Her Qi Sea had grown more solid and fuller—she was one step closer to the second layer of Qi Refinement.
At the same time, the Three-Petal Mark on her forehead—unchanged since entering Qi Refinement—suddenly showed a transformation!
“Oh? One petal has lit up? It didn’t change when I absorbed that man earlier… is it due to the quality of Yang essence?”
After some thought, she felt that wasn’t entirely correct.
More likely—it was a quantitative change leading to a qualitative transformation.
This reminded her of when the Three-Petal Mark had bloomed before she formed her Qi Sea—a pure stream of spiritual energy like nectar had descended, helping her open it.
Now that her Qi Sea was formed… what effect would it bring this time?
Thinking of this, Lin Xiaowan couldn’t help but feel a trace of anticipation.