Chapter 71: Another Windfall

The white dragon did not pause; it pierced through the old man’s body once more. Emerging from his form, the dragon dissolved into Lin Cheng’s silhouette behind him.

Drip.

The old man's garments clung tightly to him; water droplets slid from the hem. He had only just begun to turn when he realized that the vitality within him was rapidly ebbing away. The colors in his eyes dimmed, fading into shadow.

Bang!

His body, unable to support itself, collapsed stiffly at the riverbank.

This—

“Grand Elder…” The young man was appalled beyond measure, his body trembling as he stepped forward. When he sensed the old man’s life had truly flickered out, his mind was left blank.

The Grand Elder was dead. The second greatest expert of the Changsun family in Wen City had fallen to a youth’s hand.

Struggling to control his shaking, the young man’s face was pale as he pleaded, “I am Changsun Qingliu, the young patriarch of the Changsun family in Wen City. I beg you, noble youth, spare my life…”

“I swear, I will never trouble you in the future. I only ask… please let me live…”

Watching the terrified young man, Lin Cheng sighed inwardly.

Ah, why do they always beg for mercy only after losing?

Where were you before?

If I hadn’t had some skill, I would have been chopped down by your sword already.

Isn’t living better?

He shook his head and swept his sword. The young man was slain before he could even resist.

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Skilled, Lin Cheng picked up their storage pouches and took the jade ruler, then turned toward Pang Tong and his companion.

“Young brother, you…” As Lin Cheng approached, the two men could not help but feel fear. They weren’t sure if Lin Cheng would deal with them as well, since it was their trouble that had nearly implicated him.

“Am I so frightening?” Lin Cheng rolled his eyes at their wary expressions.

“You won’t kill us, will you?” Pang Tong probed.

Lin Cheng: ...

“We have no enmity. Why would I kill you…”

At his words, the two finally relaxed.

“Thank you for saving us, young brother. We are deeply grateful…”

Lin Cheng waved them off. “You must be from the Dragon City auction house, yes?”

Pang Tong looked at Lin Cheng in surprise. “How did you know, young brother?”

“Don’t tell me you’re from Dragon City too?”

Lin Cheng replied, “You’re the one who bought the Pan Mountain Manual. I was at the auction house as well, but upstairs in a private room.”

Pang Tong saw the light: “So that’s it.”

Lin Cheng said, “Just call me Lin Cheng. Why were you being hunted?”

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“With the old man’s strength, you shouldn’t have had a chance to escape.” Lin Cheng’s question brought sorrow to their hearts, their eyes misting with tears.

“We didn’t even know them. Earlier, we exchanged a few sharp words with one of their subordinates in front of Taibai Tower. Who would have thought they’d go so far as to ambush us…”

“We brothers were seven in all. To let the two of us escape, they…” Pang Tong could no longer hold back his tears.

Seeing grown men weep, Lin Cheng was moved as well.

Once emotions calmed, the taller man introduced himself: “My name is Pang Tong, and this is my brother Tie Liu…”

“Lin Cheng, your act of saving me today will never be forgotten,” Tie Liu said solemnly.

After some conversation, Lin Cheng learned that Pang Tong was actually Pang Bo’s elder brother.

That surprised him greatly.

He’d heard Pang Bo mention an elder brother, but it had only been in passing, so Lin Cheng hadn’t paid it much mind.

No wonder Pang Tong’s name sounded so familiar—it really was such a coincidence.

When I return, Pang Bo will surely be moved to tears.

With this thought, Lin Cheng’s lips curled into a smile.

“You say you’re a fellow disciple of Xiao Bo?” Pang Tong was suddenly overjoyed.

“Has Xiao Bo joined Qingyang Sect? Is he well?”

“Has he been diligent in his cultivation?”

Pang Tong excitedly asked Lin Cheng several questions in a row.

Uh—

“He’s doing well. We’re good brothers. Before I left the mountain, he was already at the peak of the sixth level of True Qi…” Lin Cheng replied slowly.

Learning his younger brother had entered the path of cultivation and become an inner disciple under Master Funiu of Qingyang Sect, Pang Tong threw his head back and laughed with joy.

“Wonderful! After so many years, I thought I’d carve out a future and bring them into the city, but now Xiao Bo has made something of himself…”

“I’ll go back at once…” Pang Tong glanced at Tie Liu.

“I’ll go with big brother…” Tie Liu said.

They looked at Lin Cheng.

“Uh, I won’t return to the sect just yet. I plan to travel for a while,” Lin Cheng said.

“In that case, Lin Cheng, we part ways here… When you return, we’ll share a grand feast…”

With a clasped salute, the two took their leave.

Once they departed, Lin Cheng cast his gaze about and casually used an Exploding Flame technique to incinerate the bodies of the two Changsun family members.

Thus, no trace of them remained in the world.

A streak of light traversed the sky, and Lin Cheng vanished into the heavens.

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The capital city of Zhao, Chang’an.

Night descended quietly.

At this hour, Chang’an was ablaze with lights, the wind gently stirring the flags at the tavern doors.

A fine mist of rain fell, cloaking the carved railings and jade terraces in a sheen of crystalline moisture.

Yet the streets were still alive with laughter and noise as people came and went.

The night’s chill could not dampen the people’s warm spirits; cries of vendors echoed unceasingly.

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Stalls along the street were crowded with people; pleasure boats cruised the clear lake, nearly startling the river lanterns drifting downstream.

Lovely women stood by the lake beneath lotus umbrellas, adding a bright touch to the scenery of Chang’an.

Inside a tavern.

Lin Cheng sat quietly by the window, playing with his wine cup, taking occasional sips.

He admired the capital beneath the misty rain, the beautiful people, the picturesque scenes, and the fragrant aroma of fine wine filling the tavern. All these brought him a sense of serenity.

This was a place he’d never dared dream of visiting, yet it was a destination he’d always intended for his journey.

Who could have imagined that the youth from a remote mountain village would one day sit in a tavern in the capital?

Had he not entered cultivation, his own legs would never have brought him to Chang’an in less than several decades.

Even with a flying treasure, his journey had taken more than a month.

Night deepened, the rain grew heavier.

The streets emptied as people returned home, the lovely women with umbrellas by the lake turned and vanished into the curtain of rain.

Only the bright lights of Chang’an remained, and pleasure boats still glided slowly across the clear lake.

In a superior guest room, Lin Cheng lay on the bed, half drunk.

Who knows what An’an and Yingying are doing now?

Thinking of the two women, his thoughts grew tangled and confused.

He wished he’d brought them along—at least they could warm his bed.

As these images surfaced in his mind, a smile curved his lips.

He admitted he missed them.

Shaking his head, Lin Cheng rolled up and sat.

He’d been busy traveling for some time, and had forgotten to properly check the storage pouches of those two from the Changsun family.

Opening them, Lin Cheng was stunned!

He’d struck it rich—again!

After sorting their belongings, Lin Cheng carefully counted everything, clearly enjoying the task.

Over eighty thousand spirit stones!

Of those, more than a thousand were of the metal attribute.

One top-grade spiritual artifact—the old man’s black jade ruler.

Three mid-grade spiritual artifacts, eight lower-grade ones, though only a few profound artifacts were found.

Many other pills and sundries, even a Broken Spirit Pill and a mysterious, pitch-black pill.

He picked up several manuals and examined them closely, his eyes flashing.

Blood Devouring Force!

So those from the Zhao family must have fallen to them as well. It seemed the Changsun family had done their share of murder and robbery.

Looking at the rest, besides two mid-grade profound manuals, there were three lower-grade ones.

Seeing all this, Lin Cheng couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, he felt those two from the Changsun family weren’t so bad after all—they’d delivered him a timely gift.

How comfortable!

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