796: Zhao Xiongshan just wanted to run away

After finishing the Formation Array for the Huan Yin Sect, Lin Yang called Xia Shuang over and said:

“Xiao Shuang, I originally returned for your wedding, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this. Since there won't be any fighting with the Lan Ye Holy Sect in the short term, and I still have some matters to attend to in Xiwu City, I plan to head over there first to handle them. Do you want to come with me to Xiwu City?”

Although he had set up various Formation Arrays, Lin Yang still felt it would be safer to take Xia Shuang with him.

Xia Shuang hesitated for a moment and said: “Big Brother Lin Yang, I'll stay here. The Lan Ye Holy Sect shouldn't come looking for trouble again easily. I'll just stay in the sect and cultivate without going out.”

Lin Yang smiled: “Are you worried that going to Xiwu City will cause me trouble? After all, you're not familiar with the place.”

Xia Shuang paused and nodded gently.

Seeing this, Lin Yang didn't say anything more and said: “Since you don't want to go, that's fine. You've lived with Elder Wen all this Time and have been in the Huan Yin Sect for so many years; you're used to the environment here. So, just stay here. If anything happens, just send me a message.”

He had left behind some measures anyway, so if Xia Shuang wanted to stay, she could.

He really didn't have a very good place to settle Xia Shuang in Xiwu City anyway.

Once he returned to Xiwu City, he would be in long-term seclusion within the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, and if he left Xia Shuang alone in the Zhao family, she would inevitably feel constrained.

Moreover, everyone there would be a stranger. Although no one would dare to bully Xia Shuang because of him, she would inevitably feel lonely after being alone for a long Time, so staying in the Huan Yin Sect was fine.

“Big Brother Lin Yang, when are you going back to Xiwu City?” Xia Shuang asked softly.

“I plan to go see an old friend first,” Lin Yang said, then asked: “Do you know about the Yuyu Sect? The one that used to be in Jidong Prefecture.”

“Yuyu Sect?” Xia Shuang thought for a moment and said: “I know of them. They evacuated the entire sect the moment that Fierce Ancient Ruins started swallowing cities. They are one of the few surviving sects in Jidong Prefecture.”

“Then do you know where they are now?” Lin Yang asked again.

Back then, when he was in contact with Xia Shuang, he had also sent a message to Li Liping, but Li Liping was in seclusion at the Time and didn't reply in Time.

Later, he did reply to two messages, but they were brief, only saying that he had to be in seclusion often and not mentioning the current state of the Yuyu Sect, which left Lin Yang unaware of where the Yuyu Sect was now.

He wanted to take this opportunity while he was back to go and see Li Liping.

This was one of the few old friends he had left on the Primal Ancient Continent.

Back then, there were four of them: him, Li Liping, Shi Jie, and Xin Hao.

Now, only the two of them were still alive.

Xia Shuang nodded and replied: “I happen to know this. Back then, Jidong Prefecture was adjacent to Zheng Mu Prefecture, and I have been keeping an eye on the situation there. The Yuyu Sect should be in Wusong Prefecture now.”

As she spoke, Xia Shuang's tone paused, and she continued: “The Yuyu Sect has also been downgraded quite a bit. Many sects from the prefectures that evacuated back then were downgraded a lot, and some even disbanded. The situation of the Yuyu Sect should be about the same as the Huan Yin Sect now, but I don't know the specific location.”

“Wusong Prefecture? That's fine, knowing which prefecture is enough.” Lin Yang smiled.

With his current strength, finding a sect within a prefecture was a very easy task.

Following that, Lin Yang took out a jade pendant and handed it to Xia Shuang, saying: “Keep this on you at all Times, don't put it into your spatial ring. This is a life-saving item I temporarily refined. It contains some of my power. Although it's not as good as the life-saving item Mu Tianyang gave Mu Yunhan, it can still save your life at critical moments.”

The life-saving item Mu Tianyang gave Mu Yunhan, which could withstand one of his attacks, required a lot of effort and Time to refine, as well as finding a suitable carrier.

He couldn't find a suitable carrier in a short Time, so the life-saving item he refined for Xia Shuang was slightly inferior, but as long as a Dao Wulou Realm Practitioner didn't make a move personally, she would be safe.

Combined with the Formation Array within the Huan Yin Sect, it was considered a double insurance.

Xia Shuang obediently took it and said softly: “Thank you, Big Brother.”

“No need for formalities. You should work hard on your cultivation. I see your cultivation speed is not slow, and your talent is quite good. It's just a pity that I used up all my resources before I came back this Time, so I can't help you too much with resources for now,” Lin Yang said.

He had used up all his resources to break through to the Dao Wulou Realm.

Just after breaking through, he received the news of Xia Shuang's marriage, so he had almost no resources on him to provide to Xia Shuang now.

He just took out the resources from the dowry he had prepared earlier, put them in a spatial ring, and handed it to Xia Shuang, saying: “This is all I have for now.”

Xia Shuang didn't take it, shook her head, and said: “Big Brother Lin Yang, you have already helped me enough. You absolutely don't need to worry about resources. I can't take this.”

“Accept it. There isn't much in here,” Lin Yang sighed. “There is also a portion inside that I am handing over to you on behalf of your Big Brother Cheng Fu. This was his dying wish to me.”

Mentioning Cheng Fu, Xia Shuang couldn't help but feel sad and whispered: “Big Brother Cheng Fu died in that sudden eruption of the Fierce Ancient Ruins in Baichi City, right?”

“Yes, it was that big eruption. He persisted until the end, but unfortunately, he still couldn't escape.”

Lin Yang sighed:

“Before he died, he and I collected many spatial rings from the corpses, saying that if we could get out alive, we could be rich. And at the moment of his death, he left his share to me, saying that if I could get out alive, I should give it to you.”

Xia Shuang's eyes turned red immediately.

In her mind, she couldn't help but recall the scenes from when she was a child in Baichi City, where Cheng Fu often took her to eat delicious food.

Although so many years had passed, that period was the happiest and most beautiful Time for her. No matter how much Time passed, she would never forget it.

And now, the Big Brother Cheng Fu who used to bring her all kinds of delicious food could never come back.

Memories flooded her heart, and Xia Shuang couldn't help but shed tears.

“Silly girl...” Seeing this, Lin Yang didn't say anything, just patted her shoulder gently.

After Xia Shuang's emotions stabilized, Lin Yang said again:

“I'll head to Wusong Prefecture first, and then return to Xiwu City.”

He was ready to leave.

“Leaving so soon?” Xia Shuang was still a bit reluctant.

“Don't be sad. With my current cultivation, crossing prefectures is not a difficult task. If I have Time, I will come to see you again,” Lin Yang said.

“Okay, then, Big Brother Lin Yang, have a safe trip!” Xia Shuang said softly.

“Cultivate well. If you have any problems, send me a message at any Time. Say goodbye to your master for me!”

Lin Yang exhorted her once more. He didn't even say goodbye to Elder Wen and the others, and just left directly.

Xia Shuang watched Lin Yang leave, standing in place, looking at the spatial ring and the jade slip in her hand, remaining motionless for a long Time.

It wasn't until Elder Wen saw her situation and came over to ask that Xia Shuang withdrew her thoughts and said: “Master, my Big Brother has left. He went to see an old friend. He asked me to say goodbye to you for him.”

Elder Wen nodded, noticing Xia Shuang's reluctance to part, and said: “Senior Lin has a different status now, so he must have many things to attend to. It's normal that he couldn't stay long. Don't take it to heart.”

Xia Shuang nodded: “I understand, Master.”

“Well, you must cultivate well in the future and don't let down Senior Lin's cultivation and expectations for you,” Elder Wen smiled.

“Master, don't worry, I will work hard to cultivate,” Xia Shuang said slowly.

...

Wusong Prefecture.

After Lin Yang left the Huan Yin Sect, it didn't take long for him to arrive here.

Wusong Prefecture was separated from Fuzhou Prefecture by several prefectures and was even larger than Fuzhou Prefecture.

Lin Yang spent some effort before he managed to find some news about the Yuyu Sect.

However, the situation was not very optimistic.

The Yuyu Sect had indeed moved here, but many years ago, they disbanded and merged into another sect.

And the sect they merged into also disbanded later.

As a result, the situation became quite complicated.

It was difficult to find the whereabouts of any of their disciples.

Lin Yang had no choice but to leave another message for Li Liping, asking about his specific situation.

Li Liping still didn't reply quickly; it seemed he was mostly still in seclusion.

“What on earth is this guy cultivating that he has been in deep seclusion for so many years?”

Lin Yang felt helpless. He stopped waiting for Li Liping's reply and started to return to Xiwu City.

Xiwu City.

Zhao family main hall.

“Supreme Elder, this is the account for our current resource settlement cycle. Excluding fixed expenses, plus a portion needed for debt repayment, our balance for this settlement cycle is still negative.”

Zhao Xiongshan, Zhao Huoshan, Zhao Chen, Zhao Hu, and other Zhao family elders were gathered.

Zhao Xiongshan held an account book and reported the situation to Zhao Yuan while speaking.

This was the rule of the Zhao family over these years.

Because Lin Yang had temporarily requested a large batch of resources last Time, it led the entire Zhao family to pool their resources, and they even took on a debt for it.

Then a fixed settlement cycle was formed, where reports were made regularly, and a resource allocation plan for the next settlement cycle was formulated.

However, since the fixed settlement cycle began, there had never been a positive balance.

Unless they could pay off all the debts.

It could be said that the Zhao family had been living frugally all these years, without any of the style that one of the Five Great Families should have.

After Zhao Xiongshan finished his report, he couldn't help but sigh.

Although everyone agreed back then to use the power of the entire family to scrape together that massive amount of resources for Lin Yang, their life had not been easy since then.

Living every day worrying about repaying debts was truly uncomfortable.

Every resource had to be calculated carefully before use.

Zhao Yuan just glanced at the accounts and didn't speak.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiongshan continued: “Supreme Elder, according to our current overall resource income, plus necessary expenses, it will take at least tens of thousands of years to pay off the remaining debts, and we cannot have any mistakes during this period.”

After saying this, he looked at Zhao Yuan's expression, and seeing no reaction, he added:

“The West Border Chamber of Commerce has already started dunning for debts. They hope we can offer a portion of our assets to pay off the debts. What do you think we should do about this?”

Zhao Yuan waved his hand directly: “Ignore them for now.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan couldn't help saying: “Supreme Elder, are you really not worried at all?”

“Why should I be worried?” Zhao Yuan asked instead of answering.

Zhao Xiongshan was speechless for a while, then said:

“Supreme Elder, more than eight hundred years ago, there was a power riot in the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. Afterwards, the various families conducted investigations. Since then, everyone has known that Guest Elder Lin is no longer in seclusion inside, and there is no trace of him in Xiwu City.”

“Many people say that Guest Elder Lin left a long Time ago, and we are hiding the news.”

“Now the other Four Great Families and the chambers of commerce that lent us resources are constantly probing. If something goes wrong, I'm afraid we won't even be able to run away. How can we not be worried?”

“Didn't I say? Guest Elder Lin will return within a thousand years. What are you worried about?” Zhao Yuan remained calm.

Zhao Xiongshan couldn't help but smile bitterly: “But the Time is almost up. Supreme Elder, give us the bottom line. If Guest Elder Lin really isn't coming back, we should make plans early and run away as soon as possible.”

Zhao Yuan glared at Zhao Xiongshan directly: “As the head of a family, you are always thinking about running away. Do you have any backbone at all?”

“...Supreme Elder, this is not a question of backbone, but a major matter concerning the lives of our entire family!” Zhao Xiongshan said with a bitter face.

Zhao Chen, who was on the side, couldn't help but say:

“Supreme Elder, I think the Family Head is right. The main thing is that Guest Elder Lin didn't tell us when he left; he only told you, so we really have no bottom in our hearts.”

“You refuse to tell us where Guest Elder Lin went, or why he left, and you don't let us prepare a backup plan. How can we be at ease?”

Zhao Yuan smiled faintly: “I said, you can just rest assured. As for others probing, let them probe. Anyway, when Guest Elder Lin returns, they will all regret it.”

As he spoke, he even sneered: “Those guys are really funny. They are too impatient. Guest Elder Lin has only been gone for a few hundred years, and they are starting to lose their composure. It's simply ridiculous.”

“...”

Hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan and Zhao Chen couldn't help but look at each other, then said with a wry smile:

“Supreme Elder, we are currently occupying a large number of high-quality resource territories. Not to mention anything else, just the resource treasure land of the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm is enough to make people jealous. Naturally, they are eager to divide it up!”

“That's true.” Zhao Yuan muttered.

“Supreme Elder, are you sure we shouldn't start preparing to run away now?” Zhao Xiongshan asked again.

“Run away? Run where? I said, Guest Elder Lin will return soon, what are you worried about?” Zhao Yuan said angrily.

“This...” Zhao Xiongshan was speechless for a moment.

Zhao Yuan hummed lightly: “Also, everyone is watching us now. If we run away, wouldn't that just confirm that Guest Elder Lin is not coming back? At that Time, do you think we will be able to get away?”

Zhao Xiongshan's face changed slightly.

“Alright, stop making such bitter faces. Go do what you need to do.” Zhao Yuan waved his hand.

“Sigh...” Zhao Xiongshan sighed helplessly. Just as he was about to turn around to get busy, he saw the steward rush in to report:

“Family Head, the people from the West Border Chamber of Commerce sent an invitation, saying they want to invite you to a banquet to discuss business.”

“An invitation? A banquet?” Zhao Xiongshan's face looked even worse.

Asking him to go to a banquet at this Time was clearly a trap!

Discussing business was fake, further probing was real. If something went wrong, he probably wouldn't be able to come back.

He turned to look at Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan was about to speak.

But suddenly, a voice sounded:

“Fellow Daoist Zhao Yuan, and Family Head Zhao, and all the elders, you are all here. That's perfect, I brought you some specialties from the Inner Prefecture. Taste them.”

As the voice sounded, a figure floated in.

It was Lin Yang who had returned.

He looked at the crowd in the room with a smile and took out the Inner Prefecture specialties he had specially bought when returning from Wusong Prefecture and handed them to everyone.

When his gaze swept over Zhao Xiongshan, he couldn't help but say: “Family Head Zhao, why is your face so ugly? Is something the matter?” (End of chapter)