239: Chapter 240 Becoming Famous

Ever since Lin Ye's powerful intervention at the Martial Arts Academy that day, his reputation had sprouted wings, spreading throughout the entire Qingfeng County in just a single day.

Many people knew that an incredible young man had arrived at the Demon Suppression Division. From street corners and alleyways to taverns and teahouses, wherever people gathered, they were discussing the scene from that day.

Some speculated that Lin Ye was a Disciple secretly trained by a top Sect, while others guessed he was a scion of a top Family from the capital, joining the Demon Suppression Division just for experience.

Various rumors about Lin Ye's identity became increasingly bizarre. In the end, some even claimed that Lin Ye was an old monster with techniques to maintain a youthful appearance, and that he had come to a small place like Qingfeng County just to travel through the Mortal World.

There was no helping it; the strength Lin Ye had displayed was simply too astonishing.

Without a powerful background, it was impossible to explain how Lin Ye could possess strength sufficient to crush a true Disciple of the Five Tigers Sect at such a young age.

After all, in this world, without sufficient resources, even the strongest Talent would fade into mediocrity.

Lin Ye had heard some of these rumors, but he did not pay them any mind.

Since he had decided to act, he had long been prepared to be discussed by all parties.

That day, just after Lin Ye finished practicing a set of the Broken Army Staff Technique in the courtyard, Zhang He hurried over, clutching a stack of invitations in his hand.

"Brother Lin, these are invitations sent by the various major Families in the inner city. Since they couldn't find you, they sent them to the Demon Suppression Division. Director Liu asked me to bring them to you to hear your thoughts."

Zhang He tossed the invitations onto the table and picked up a teacup to take a sip.

Lin Ye glanced at the stack of invitations; the covers were stamped with the marks of different Families.

"Which Families are they?"

"The Chen Family, Sun Family, Wu Family, Zheng Family... basically all of them sent some. They said they wanted to invite you to their estates for a chat."

Lin Ye casually picked up an invitation and opened it, glanced at it for a moment, and then tossed it aside. "Help me decline them all."

"Huh? Decline them all? Several of these are..."

Zhang He lowered his voice at this point, saying mysteriously, "These Families are all filthy rich. You only need to go and have a meal to make a fortune."

Lin Ye calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip. "No need, I have a salary."

"How much is that, really..." Zhang He looked at him with an expression of frustration at his lack of ambition.

"It's enough." Lin Ye set down the teacup and smiled.

"They are inviting me for two reasons. One is to take the opportunity to probe my background and see which faction is standing behind me. The second is to see if they can recruit me and use my influence to deal with other Families. You also know that I don't want to get involved in this mess."

Zhang He fell silent upon hearing this, then nodded. "That's true. The waters in Qingfeng County are very murky. As people from the Demon Suppression Division, it's best we don't get involved."

After saying this, he stood up and swept the invitations into his arms. "Alright, I understand your meaning. I'll go and decline them all on your behalf."

"Mm, then I'll trouble you, Brother Zhang." Lin Ye stood up and saw Zhang He to the door.

With Zhang He stepping in to help, it certainly saved him a lot of trouble.

However, the matter did not settle down because of Lin Ye's refusal.

Since those people couldn't invite Lin Ye, they turned their attention to the people around him.

Because Old Man Shen and Zhang He were usually close to Lin Ye, they suddenly became the objects of competition for banquets among the major Families.

Both of them were seasoned veterans. They accepted invitations from all parties without refusal, but when it came to information about Lin Ye, they didn't say a word—they were just there for the free meals.

However, Lin Ye also knew that this couldn't go on. Those people were the type who wouldn't release the hawk until they saw the rabbit; sooner or later, they would find his current residence.

By then, his doorstep would probably be worn down by visitors.

Thinking of this, Lin Ye directly announced to the outside world that he needed to go into seclusion to Cultivate and would not be seeing guests for a short time.

Of course, this was only a temporary measure. Lin Ye decided to leave Qingfeng County for a while to avoid the limelight.

It just so happened that he had planned to return to Black Stone Town, so there was no time like the present.

That night, Lin Ye quietly left the county town.

He didn't choose to ride a horse, instead traveling directly using the Lightning Flash Movement, taking the opportunity to grind his proficiency.

The speed of the Lightning Flash Movement was much faster than a carriage. Although the consumption was quite high, with the sundial of time, his recovery was also quite fast.

The journey of over a thousand li was completed by Lin Ye in less than four hours.

As the horizon began to turn a pale white, the outline of Black Stone Town appeared in his field of vision.

Lin Ye did not alert anyone, familiarly hopping over the wall into his master's Family's courtyard, right into his Second Uncle, who had just gotten up and was preparing to wash up.

His Second Uncle initially thought it was a thief, but when he realized it was Lin Ye, he was visibly stunned for a moment.

"Little Ye? Didn't you go to the county town?"

His Second Uncle subconsciously rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he might have gotten up too early and was hallucinating.

"Ahem, good morning, Second Uncle. It's just that I missed you, old man, so I came back to take a look."

Being caught climbing the wall, Lin Ye felt quite awkward.

"You kid..."

His Second Uncle felt quite helpless regarding Lin Ye's habit of not using the door and insisting on climbing over the wall.

The two came to the stone table and sat down, and his Second Uncle poured Lin Ye a cup of water.

"How is it? You didn't cause any trouble in the county town, did you?" his Second Uncle asked with concern.

He suspected that Lin Ye might have offended someone in the county town, which was why he had returned to Black Stone Town.

Lin Ye also heard the implication in his Second Uncle's words, and couldn't help but feel a bit dumbfounded.

"Good heavens, what kind of image do I have in your heart, Second Uncle? Am I the Monkey King wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"

There was no helping it; Lin Ye could only briefly explain his recent situation.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly took out a jade pendant from his void ring and handed it over.

"This is what Auntie Wang Chan asked me to bring to you."

His Second Uncle did not pay attention to how Lin Ye addressed Wang Chan; his attention was entirely focused on that jade pendant at this moment.

The morning sunlight fell onto the jade pendant, casting a layer of warm, gentle light.

His Second Uncle reached out with trembling hands, his fingers hovering over the jade pendant. After pausing for a moment, he finally picked it up gently.

After looking at it for a long while, his Second Uncle finally spoke slowly, his voice much hoarser than usual. "Is she... doing well?"

"Not too well. I heard from Wang Lin that after his aunt returned to the Family, she hasn't been seeing anyone, spending her days in the courtyard washing her face with tears. I only managed to see her with the help of that wooden carving you gave me."

In order to let his Second Uncle rekindle his relationship with Wang Chan, Lin Ye had truly gone to great pains, painting the situation as miserably as possible.

Of course, this wasn't exactly nonsense; at most, it was some artistic embellishment, which was harmless.

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Ye's words, his Second Uncle's eyes instantly moistened, and the hand holding the jade pendant began to tremble slightly.

"It is... it is I who have failed her."

Seeing his Second Uncle like this, Lin Ye felt there was hope, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"By the way, she also asked me to pass a message to you."

"What message?" His Second Uncle raised his head abruptly.