41: Chapter 41 A Huge Harvest

Even with the protection of the Lin family, losing so much spirit rice meant that to appease the Sect's anger, Lin Zhentian would never protect a small fry like him; he would only push him out to take the blame.

Lin Hao was also extremely panicked, no longer possessing any of his previous composure or playfulness.

"This... this is impossible..." Lin Hao staggered forward two steps.

He had always been certain that the little thief was trapped within the Great Array and could not escape. Even if some spirit rice was stolen, it was absolutely impossible to empty out all 350,000 catties, and even more impossible to escape under their heavy blockade.

But the scene before his eyes ruthlessly shattered all his certainty.

Fear, like a cold poisonous snake, instantly coiled around Lin Hao's heart, making his whole body run cold.

He wasn't Manager Liu Cheng and didn't need to directly bear the responsibility of oversight, but the theft of 350,000 catties of spirit rice was too massive an amount—it was enough to shake the entire Sect.

Even if his father was Law Enforcement Elder Lin Zhentian, who could cover the sky with one hand within the Sect, he might not be able to suppress this matter.

The Sect would hold people accountable. Even if Lin Zhentian protected him, he would not escape punishment.

At best, he would be confined for bitter cultivation and have his resources docked; at worst, he would be dispatched to the front lines to appease the dissatisfaction of the entire Sect.

Manager Liu Cheng looked at Lin Hao as he walked in, and suspicion immediately arose in his heart.

After all, it was fundamentally impossible for an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator to take away 350,000 catties of spirit rice all at once.

Moreover, they were the first to enter the Great Array and hadn't found any clues at all.

He suspected that Lin Hao had directed and acted out this scene himself.

The purpose was to steal the spirit rice here.

After all, the command medallion had been in Lin Hao's hands these past few days.

And Lin Hao would come here every night late at night.

Only Lin Hao had the time to steal the spirit rice.

"Search! Search it again for me!" Lin Hao suddenly looked up, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. "Search every corner of the secret room and the Great Array! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find the trace of that little thief and find the spirit rice!"

He had already lost his composure at this moment and could only hope that the spirit rice had not yet been transported out of the Great Array, and that the little thief was still hidden somewhere.

Seeing this, his confidants, though full of doubts, did not dare to disobey and immediately dispersed to search carefully within the Great Array.

But in the empty secret room, besides the residual Spiritual Qi, there was nothing else out of the ordinary.

...

Servant Peak, Qin Changsheng's home.

Qin Changsheng's face was covered in smiles.

He also hadn't expected that things would go so smoothly this time.

All of this was thanks to Lin Hao.

If not for Lin Hao leading the way, he wouldn't have obtained so much spirit rice.

Qin Changsheng's mind sank into his Storage Space, his gaze sweeping over the mountains of spirit rice piled within, his eyes full of satisfaction.

The sacks were packed densely and filled to the brim, with 200,000 catties of Sect spirit rice and 140,000 catties of High-Quality Spirit Rice neatly stacked.

"340,000 catties of spirit rice..." Qin Changsheng made a rough estimate. If he sold all this spirit rice, according to the market price, ordinary spirit rice could be exchanged for ten Spirit Sand per catty, and High-Quality Spirit Rice for twenty Spirit Sand per catty. Calculated this way, it could be exchanged for at least 45,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This huge sum of money was enough for him to purchase sufficient main and auxiliary materials for foundation establishment pills, and even have a portion left over to improve the quality of his Magical Artifacts and purchase Talismans and Medicinal Pills, completely solving his predicament of lacking cultivation resources.

And for this heaven-sent harvest, he had only paid the price of one Low-Grade Spirit Stone; the cost-effectiveness was far beyond his expectations.

The Incarnation Hu Nan committing suicide within the Great Array would not leave any clues.

He only needed to consume one Low-Grade Spirit Stone to reshape the Incarnation and restore it to its original state, which would neither damage his original body's Foundation nor be noticed by anyone.

Qin Changsheng raised his hand, took out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, and slowly recited an incantation.

The next instant, Hu Nan's figure appeared not far away.

"Greetings, Master!" Hu Nan respectfully bowed to Qin Changsheng.

"Go to the Outer Sect!" Qin Changsheng waved his hand.

Hu Nan's figure moved, quickly running towards the Outer Sect.

...

Law Enforcement Hall.

Inside the main hall of the manor, the lights were bright but the atmosphere was oppressive. Lin Zhentian sat in the main seat.

At this moment, Lin Zhentian's eyes were filled with rage.

He completely didn't understand how Lin Hao could have caused such a huge mess.

350,000 catties of spirit rice—the amount was so huge that it was enough to alarm the Council of Elders and even the Sect Master.

As the Law Enforcement Elder and the father of Lin Hao, who was involved in this matter, he bore immense pressure from the entire Sect, and the fire of anger in his heart was naturally difficult to suppress.

"Thud—thud—thud—" Urgent footsteps came from outside the hall, and Lin Hao and Manager Liu Cheng rushed in, looking disheveled.

Lin Hao knew this matter couldn't be hidden, so he could only brace himself to see his father, praying that Lin Zhentian could find a way to cover for him.

"Father..." Before Lin Hao could finish speaking, he was frightened into silence by the killing intent in Lin Zhentian's eyes, subconsciously retreating half a step, his legs actually feeling a bit weak.

He had never seen his father in such a violent rage; that look seemed as if it wanted to swallow him alive.

"You rebellious son!" Lin Zhentian suddenly slammed his hand down and stood up. The solid wood desk was instantly shattered into pieces by his palm, wood chips flying everywhere.

His figure flickered, appearing before Lin Hao like a ghost. Before Lin Hao could react, a slap containing surging Spiritual Qi slammed heavily onto Lin Hao's face.

"Slap!" The crisp and loud sound of the slap echoed in the main hall, carrying a bone-chilling force.

Lin Hao only felt a burst of sharp pain in his cheek, his whole body as if hit by a heavy hammer, flying backward uncontrollably and crashing heavily against a stone pillar in the hall. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell miserably to the ground, half his cheek instantly swollen and bruised, and two teeth were knocked out.

Lin Hao hurriedly scrambled up and knelt on the ground, not daring to look at Lin Zhentian at all.

Manager Liu Cheng's legs trembled slightly, his heart full of apprehension.

"Liu Cheng..." Lin Zhentian turned his gaze toward Manager Liu Cheng.

"Elder..." Manager Liu Cheng's eyes were filled with fear.

Lin Zhentian He glanced at him， road：“ The thief who stole the spirit rice couldn't possibly have moved so much of it in such a short time.！”

"He is hidden on Servant Peak. I will mobilize all available manpower from Servant Peak for you to search house by house. You must drag that little thief out!"

Hearing this, a flash of wild joy instantly crossed Manager Liu Cheng's eyes.

He hurriedly kowtowed and replied, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Manager Liu Cheng also knew this was his only chance.

If he could find the spirit rice, then he wouldn't be punished, let alone be in life-threatening danger.

Watching Manager Liu Cheng's hurried departure, a cold glint flashed in Lin Zhentian's eyes.

After a long silence, Lin Zhentian suddenly spoke, "Tell the truth, were those 350,000 catties of spirit rice stolen by you while you were supposed to be guarding them?"

These words were like a thunderclap, making Lin Hao tremble all over as he repeatedly shook his head in defense, "Father! It wasn't me! Even if I had the heavens' worth of courage, I wouldn't dare steal over 300,000 catties of spirit rice!"

His voice carried a tremble, his tone urgent, fearing he would be misunderstood by his father.

Lin Zhentian only took one look at Lin Hao and believed his words.

He knew Lin Hao's character; although he was very greedy and arrogant,

He wasn't bold enough to steal the Sect's spirit rice.

Lin Zhentian sat back in his chair and remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Do you know that this time, you have committed four fatal mistakes!"