You can't pacify Dingzhou.

After landing on the deck, Lin Xiao sheathed his blade and glanced indifferently at the approaching old man.

"Is this how the Yin Family treats its guests?"

"I just wanted to hitch a ride, why act like we have some deep-seated feud? It's not very friendly."

The more nonchalant Lin Xiao acted, the more Yin Ke Ren's face turned ashen with anger, feeling utterly humiliated.

But Lin Xiao had no intention of playing around any longer. He was going to use his full strength, the thirteenth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

ROAR!!!

A dragon and elephant's roar echoed, deafening everyone present.

Lin Xiao struck upwards, slamming out a palm.

The positions of the two sides had now been reversed.

Previously, Yin Ke Ren and the old man had been below, ready to fight. Now, it was Lin Xiao's turn.

With the thirteenth level of Dragon Elephant power unleashed, the surrounding air began to distort.

This was the manifestation of power reaching its peak.

Bang!!!

The merchant ship sank further into the lake by a third, with water erupting high on both sides of the hull.

The palms collided.

The old man cultivated the Iron Sand Palm, having already mastered this technique. His hands were as hard as iron, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Innate Realm.

An ordinary Innate Realm martial artist would be severely injured, if not killed, by a single palm strike from the old man. Among those of the same realm, very few dared to meet him palm to palm.

But today, Lin Xiao met his palm.

The result shocked everyone.

The old man screamed, the bones of his hand exposed, his arm twisting unnaturally, completely ruined.

Bang!!!

The old man's body fell weakly onto the deck, blood gushing from his mouth.

A flash of blood-red light appeared, and the Embroidered Spring Blade was already pressed against Yin Ke Ren's neck.

"This official just wanted to hitch a ride, why be so stingy?"

Slap!!!

The Embroidered Spring Blade slapped Yin Ke Ren's face.

Yin Ke Ren was knocked to the ground, Lin Xiao's foot stomping on his head.

"Now this official asks you, can I hitch a ride?"

"Boy, how dare you!"

The old man struggled to his feet, glaring at Lin Xiao with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Do you know who he is?"

Lin Xiao smiled playfully, "Oh? I'm all ears."

"He is the young master of the Yin Family, a prominent family in Ding Province. If anything happens to the young master, you will face the wrath of our entire Yin Family. No matter who you are, you will be hunted to your death."

The old man spoke with an air of superiority.

Lin Xiao looked down at Yin Ke Ren, "So you're quite the figure, but the Yin Family is nothing in this official's eyes."

"Don't think that just because you're the young master of the Yin Family, you're untouchable. Even if you were the head of the Yin Family, this official would kill you if I wanted to."

"Boy, aren't you afraid of your tongue slipping with such big talk?"

"Seeing you refer to yourself as 'this official' so often, dare you reveal your name?"

The old man asked with a sneer.

Lin Xiao nodded, "Why wouldn't I? You'll all know me sooner or later anyway."

"This official is called Lin Xiao, Lin as in forest, Xiao as in brave."

"By His Majesty's decree, I have come to Ding Province to take up a post. My current official position is Xiaoqi of the Jinyiwei."

"Xiao... Xiaoqi?"

The old man and Yin Ke Ren were sure they hadn't misheard.

Were they out of touch, or had the court reformed its official system?

Xiaoqi seemed like a very ordinary position in the Jinyiwei, right?

When did it start to feel so grand?

"Boy, are you sure you're just a Xiaoqi?"

The old man asked again, uncertain.

Lin Xiao nodded, "That's right, I am currently a Xiaoqi."

"Pu!!!"

Haha...

Even Yin Ke Ren, pinned under Lin Xiao's foot, burst out laughing.

"I thought you were some big shot, but you're just a Xiaoqi."

"I really don't know where you get off with such a superior attitude, talking about a Jinyiwei Xiaoqi like he's a Regional Commander."

"Here in Ding Province, don't even mention a Xiaoqi, even a Centurion doesn't amount to much."

"I advise you to be smart and quickly release this young master, then obediently kowtow and admit your mistake. Maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll spare your life."

Lin Xiao smiled faintly, "Is that so?"

"What if I add a Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade bestowed by the Emperor?"

As soon as he said that, Lin Xiao tore off the long robe he was wearing, revealing the Flying Fish Uniform underneath.

Four-clawed flying fish pattern, embroidered with gold thread, noble and luxurious.

When they saw Lin Xiao's imperial Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade, Yin Ke Ren and the old man both fell silent.

They weren't very familiar with the Jinyiwei, but they had heard of the imperial Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade.

It was said that only Jinyiwei trusted by the Emperor would be rewarded with the Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade.

No one in the entire Jinyiwei system in Ding Province had this honor.

Even the Flying Fish Uniform of the Ding Province Jinyiwei Regional Commander was just an official uniform, not one bestowed by the Emperor.

This young man was just a Jinyiwei Xiaoqi, yet he had already been rewarded with a Flying Fish Uniform by the Emperor. It seemed that he was a key figure being cultivated by the Emperor.

In terms of status, their Yin Family Head didn't even amount to a fart compared to him.

You should know, if you offend a favorite minister of the Emperor, will you have a good time?

But for the moment, they still had to find a way to save the young master.

"This lord, even if you are a close minister of the Emperor, this place is far from the capital, and the depths of Ding Province are beyond your imagination."

"If something happens to you here, even the Emperor will have a hard time finding the culprit, right?"

Lin Xiao smiled faintly, "Are you threatening me?"

"Let's not even talk about whether you have the strength to kill me."

"Just say that after I die, your entire Ding Province martial arts forces will be slaughtered clean."

"The reason why His Majesty has always turned a blind eye to your Ding Province is simply because it's not necessary."

"Ding Province can only be considered at the bottom of the nineteen provinces of Wu Kingdom. It has no resources, and it's a strategic buffer zone. Even if it's managed well, it's useless."

"Once Wu Kingdom goes to war with Northern Qi, Ding Province will be the primary target. Spending too much energy on management will only benefit others during the war, so it's better to let it go."

"Am I right?"

Hearing Lin Xiao's words, the old man and Yin Ke Ren were silent.

"However, now that I've been sent down to Ding Province, it's possible that the Emperor already has plans to deal with Ding Province. Now, the forces in your Ding Province need to make a choice."

"Either submit to the imperial court, or continue to be enemies with the imperial court. The path is chosen by yourselves. Once you choose the wrong one, there's no turning back. New life and destruction are both in a single thought."

"Now the opportunity is in front of you. There's a world of difference between the first to join the imperial court and the last to join the imperial court."

After speaking, Lin Xiao lifted his foot from Yin Ke Ren's face and said with a smile, "Are you willing to let me hitch a ride on your boat now?"

Yin Ke Ren stood up and gave Lin Xiao a cold look.

"Even if the Emperor wants to solve the problem of Ding Province, it's not something you alone can settle."

Lin Xiao shrugged his shoulders, "That's not for sure. No one can stop what I, Lin Xiao, want to do. If I want this Ding Province to live, it will live. If I want it to die, it will die."