Chen Lin had obtained the Yuming Incense for free, but he felt little joy.
This was tantamount to offending Master Yuan in front of him.
Even if the man's cultivation had not reached the True Realm, he had to be at the peak of the Void Realm. His status was surely extraordinary as well, or he would never have dared engage in such underhanded dealings right beneath the eyes of so many True Realm experts.
The man might not be able to do anything to Xiao Qingmo, but that was hardly guaranteed for a rootless nobody like him.
Besides, this whole business about vanguards was rather baffling.
No matter how he thought about it, Chen Lin could not understand how Xiao Qingmo had determined that he was one of them.
A vanguard's destiny was to explore the Outer Realms during the Cage's transitions. If this mission was compulsory, he feared he would not escape this calamity either.
Once he joined an exploration team, he would have no choice but to choose Xiao Qingmo.
He could decline to go, but accepting her favor and then choosing someone else would be indefensible. She would inevitably hold a grudge against him.
But things had already reached this point, and Chen Lin had no other choice.
He offered Master Yuan no further explanation. Explaining would be useless and would only make the man think he had a guilty conscience.
Maintaining an air of mystery would at least give the man some cause for caution.
Thus, he put away all the treasures he had taken out, then gave the White-Bearded Old Man another cold look.
"Did you take me for someone weak and easily bullied, Master Yuan, to resort to such deception?"
Then he raised his head proudly.
"My Lin Lineage has endured for a