Chapter 17: Aftermath

"City Lord Xiao?" Lin Che was somewhat surprised.

"Hahaha, Lin Gongzi, no need to be surprised. Congratulations on earning your place in the Dao Cang Academy. I've come specifically to offer my congratulations."

Xiao Feng appeared quite amiable. "What, won't you invite me in to sit?"

Hearing this, Lin Che made a gesture to invite him in.

Xiao Feng did not hesitate, entering the room and sitting down. He then said, "I've long heard that Lin Gongzi is the most talented of the younger generation in Canglan City. But this is the first time we've sat face to face and talked, which is somewhat regrettable. I missed the chance to connect with a young talent like you earlier."

Lin Che smiled, "Given my junior status, the City Lord had no need to seek me out."

Catching the meaning behind Lin Che's words, Xiao Feng's expression remained unchanged. "Hehe… I'm the Lord of Canglan City, representing the government. The Cangfeng Dynasty has a rule that government forces are not to be entangled with local families, so my hands are tied."

This was indeed true. Even for Canglan City, the most powerful family, the Murong clan, had never had any interaction with the City Lord's mansion.

Although Lin Che was surprised by Xiao Feng's visit, he now understood Xiao Feng's intention: to establish a connection. Being accepted into Dao Cang Academy demonstrated immense potential.

Before, although Lin Che was exceptionally talented, in the eyes of the City Lord of Canglan City, he was merely a talented junior from a local family. However, becoming a disciple of Dao Cang Academy signified infinite potential for growth, warranting respect and perhaps even admiration from City Lord Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng's overtures, though pragmatic, did not bother Lin Che. At the very least, this City Lord of Canglan had never been hostile to him.

Moreover, today's events had made Lin Che realize that a warrior cannot rely solely on himself; sometimes, the strength of certain forces must also be utilized.

"Lin Gongzi, as for what happened today, although Ji Zong was overbearing and tyrannical, I had my reasons for remaining silent and not intervening. I hope Lin Gongzi can understand." Xiao Feng spoke plainly about the day's events, without any excuses.

"I understand…" Lin Che responded casually.

Though Xiao Feng represented the government, as a mere city lord facing the might of the Dao Cang Academy, he naturally had many concerns.

Therefore, Lin Che held no grudge for Xiao Feng not stepping in at that time.

Seeing Lin Che's expression, Xiao Feng smiled with relief. A youth with such composure was indeed worth befriending.

Xiao Feng understood, too, that his visit now was fundamentally different in Lin Che's mind from providing assistance during the trial.

But since he was here to establish a connection, Xiao Feng knew he couldn't expect this young man to repay him in the future—such thinking would be overly presumptuous. It was merely about forming a good relationship, nothing more.

City Lord Xiao did not stay long. Shortly after, he left Lin Che's residence. However, before leaving, he left behind a sword.

In this world, there is a highly revered profession known as the path of the weapon smith. This profession can forge all kinds of divine weapons, and for a warrior, the enhancement provided by a divine weapon can significantly boost their strength, like adding wings to a tiger.

The weapons forged by smiths are categorized according to the corresponding level of martial arts: common-grade, spirit-grade, profound-grade, dao-grade, and heaven-grade. The sword left by Xiao Feng was a top-grade spirit weapon—the Ling Han Sword.

"Shuah!"

Lin Che drew the sword from its sheath, and in an instant, the room seemed to be coated with a layer of frost.

"What a good sword! As expected of a top-grade spirit weapon. With this sword, my strength will increase by at least thirty percent!"

Feeling the spiritual energy pulsing through the sword, Lin Che was a bit excited.

"A top-grade spirit weapon like this must be worth at least 300,000 gold coins. I didn't expect the City Lord to be so generous…" Lin Che marveled.

Three hundred thousand gold coins—if the entire Lin family didn't eat or drink, it would still take a year to gather that amount. This alone shows the immense value of a spirit weapon.

"It's just a spirit weapon, and look at how amazed you are…"

Suddenly, the disdainful voice of Tian Nu (Heavenly Maiden) came from nowhere. "When you truly grow stronger, you'll find that the world is full of temptations… beautiful women, divine weapons, wealth, power… Even if you don't want them, people will constantly send them your way."

Hearing this, Lin Che asked curiously, "Tian Nu Senior, you must have been incredibly powerful in the past. Did many strong forces fear or try to curry favor with you? Did they ever send you handsome men?"

Handsome men?

Tian Nu's voice turned icy, "Do you want to know what death feels like?"

Lin Che shivered all over, recalling the terrifying scenes from the past year of training with this mysterious woman. He immediately lost all curiosity.

"…No, I don't. I'm sorry."

Over the past two days, after hearing that Lin Che had won the sect selection competition and become a disciple of Dao Cang Academy, Xiao Yao had been overjoyed for two whole days.

To this pure-hearted girl, Lin Che was like her sky. Lin Che's brilliant achievements naturally made her genuinely happy.

However, during this time, Lin Che noticed that the little girl seemed to be writing a letter.

So, one day, Lin Che couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "Who are you writing to?"

"My brother…" Xiao Yao never hid anything from Lin Che.

Brother?

Lin Che was stunned for a moment. As far as he could remember, this girl had always grown up in the Lin family, and he had never heard her mention any relatives.

"You have a brother?"

"Yes, and my brother is in Dao Cang Academy. Now that you've become a disciple there, I think we'll meet soon…"

"Your brother is a disciple of Dao Cang Academy?"

"Yes," Xiao Yao nodded upon hearing this.

Lin Che was taken aback.

A disciple of Dao Cang Academy—a genius in Yangzhou. Xiao Yao's brother was a disciple of Dao Cang Academy, so why would he let his sister join the Lin family as a maid?

Seeing Lin Che's astonished look, Xiao Yao quickly explained, "Young master, don't misunderstand. Although my brother is a disciple of Dao Cang Academy, he was just a servant disciple for ten years before slowly working his way up. Even within the academy, he's among the lowest ranks… completely different from a genius like you who entered the academy based on talent and strength."

So that's how it is.

Hearing this, Lin Che finally understood.

Even the most elite forces need servant disciples. If a servant disciple has some talent, it's not unusual for them to be promoted to a full disciple after ten years or so.

But even if they're promoted, their future prospects are still very limited, remaining at the bottom of the hierarchy.

So it made sense that Xiao Yao, with such a brother, would still serve as a maid in the Lin family.

However, Lin Che still felt a bit puzzled. "You have a brother? I think this is the first time I've heard of it."

Xiao Yao smiled at this. "Dao Cang Academy is very far from here. In the past, I could only see my brother once a year at the end of the year… Besides, young master, you were the heir to the Lin family back then, always busy with external matters, so you naturally didn't have much time to notice a lowly servant like me."

Hearing this, Lin Che fell silent for a moment.

After all these years in the Lin family, all he had felt was the coldness of human nature. From beginning to end, only this little girl had stayed by his side.

With this in mind, Lin Che spoke seriously, "Xiao Yao, I'll treat you better from now on."

A flash of panic crossed Xiao Yao's face. "Young master, what are you saying? I'm just a servant. You've already been very good to me."

"Then I'll be even better…"

…

Canglan City.

Although the sect selection competition had ended, the aftermath had not yet settled.

Overnight, shocking news spread throughout the city.

All of the Lin family's assets in Canglan City—shops, taverns, pawnshops, and more—had been seized by the government.

The City Lord's mansion had always maintained a detached attitude towards Canglan City. As long as there was no unrest, this force remained mysterious, seemingly never revealing itself to the public. But no one dared to underestimate its terrifying power.

All the families in Canglan City relied on martial power, and their businesses often had a gray side. If the government wanted to investigate, no business could escape scrutiny.

This time, the City Lord's mansion acted swiftly and decisively, and the intention was clear to everyone.

The City Lord's mansion was siding with Lin Che.

"Did you hear? The Lin family's great elder, disheartened by what happened to his only son, has left the family with his son."

"That's not all… Everyone can see that the City Lord's mansion is targeting the Lin family, and now the entire family is in panic, with many members choosing to flee."

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. A family facing such a disaster

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Faced with a great calamity, the entire family chose to flee, showing just how laughable their unity truly is."

"The Lin family is likely to become the biggest joke in Canglan City..."

Canglan City was abuzz with gossip, and the Lin family had become the talk of the town overnight.

Lin Family Ancestral Hall.

Lin Xionghai stood before the portraits of his ancestors, his expression extremely solemn. His once-black hair had turned white, as if he had aged decades in a single night.

Unlike the usual prosperous scene, the entire Lin family was now eerily quiet.

With trembling hands, Lin Xionghai offered incense to his ancestors and then knelt down, letting out a sorrowful cry: "Xionghai... has failed the ancestors!"

Gone was the authority and ambition that once defined him; now, he resembled more of an elderly man in the twilight of his life, his face filled with regret and guilt.

If he hadn't made that decision back then, the Lin family's situation would be entirely different now.

Lin Che, the genius who could have changed the family's future, was driven away by him, the head of the family.

And now, in the face of disaster, the clan members had all fled, revealing to Lin Xionghai just how much he had failed as the family head.

A family that never provided a sense of belonging—what right did it have to expect its members to unite and face hardship together?

"I was wrong, I was truly wrong..." Lin Xionghai was filled with deep remorse, his face utterly despondent.

But what could he do?

There is no remedy for regret. Everything pointed to the fact that the Lin family of Canglan City had already stepped into an abyss from which there was no return, with no hope of ever rising again.