Deterrence or Show-off

Qi Ruming swept over like a gust of wind and, seeing Lin Chen studying the two tokens, immediately spoke.

"Little junior brother, you're worried about your own origins and family background, aren't you?"

Lin Chen nodded, placing the two tokens on the table. "Third senior brother, these two tokens aren't much different. Don't you and Master worry that I might be someone from the Raksha Sect?"

Pfft... hahaha...

Qi Ruming couldn't help but double over with laughter.

Only when Lin Chen's face was covered in black lines did he stop, grabbing both tokens as he explained.

"I just went back and checked. This seized one is definitely a Raksha Sect token, but yours..."

Qi Ruming shook Lin Chen's family heirloom token. "Yours looks similar, but it's a completely different thing entirely.

Actually, before you joined the sect, the sect already investigated your Lin Family, including He Yiliang's household, and even dug deep into the reason your family was wiped out..."

Qi Ruming slowly set down the token, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "In the end, all leads were cut off. Even the investigators died or disappeared for no reason."

Lin Chen took a deep breath. "Then does the Raksha Sect trying to kill me mean they're connected to this matter?"

"I'll report this to the sect. Based on the current situation, the Raksha Sect might be involved, but there's no direct evidence."

Qi Ruming shook his head. "Besides, this force has no fixed abode and is hard to find. Let's set that aside for now and look at the Iron Box."

As he spoke, Qi Ruming took out the Iron Box he had taken away earlier and placed it before Lin Chen.

In front of Lin Chen, he pressed down on the bottom of the box, then pressed on the eyes of the Dragon-Phoenix Pattern on top.

He suddenly let out a loud shout, startling Lin Chen.

Lin Chen saw a surge of powerful blood energy pour into the Iron Box.

Immediately after, the patterns on the Iron Box lit up with a red glow.

Click-clack, click-clack...

Sounds of mechanisms moving came from the Iron Box.

Lin Chen noticed Qi Ruming's face gradually turning pale, with sweat beading on his forehead.

Clearly, the consumption was severe.

But this state only lasted a few minutes before the Iron Box emitted a humming sound.

Then it burst into a dazzling white light.

When the white light faded, what appeared before the two of them was a strange, oddly shaped black object.

"What is this?"

Lin Chen stared for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was.

Qi Ruming wiped his sweat, a look of excited joy on his face.

"Little junior brother, if my guess is right, this should be a component. Where are your other two boxes?"

Lin Chen, seeing the excitement and fervor in Qi Ruming's eyes, immediately took out the other two Iron Boxes.

He activated them in the same way.

Soon, they had three different components.

The more Lin Chen looked, the more confused he became.

But Qi Ruming grew more and more excited. He fiddled with the three items repeatedly, the fervor in his eyes almost spilling over.

"Little junior brother, this is definitely an incredible creation."

He muttered to himself, "This thing should have other components. If it can be fully assembled... Little junior brother."

Qi Ruming suddenly looked up. "Your family's massacre might be because of this."

Lin Chen nodded.

Perhaps finding the other Iron Boxes was the only way to unravel the mystery of the massacre.

So then, what were the Token, the Hairpin, and the Small Mirror?

None of these could be ordinary objects.

"Little junior brother, could I borrow these three components to study? The inner layers haven't been cracked yet. I think there might be new changes..."

Qi Ruming looked a bit embarrassed, rubbing his hands together as he spoke. "I know this is a bit presumptuous, since this is your..."

"Third senior brother, take them. You're helping me unlock this secret and find the truth. I'd be grateful, not offended."

Lin Chen quickly cut him off.

This was his genuine thought.

The Iron Boxes in his hands were just Iron Boxes.

But Qi Ruming was different. He was a forger himself, deeply versed in this craft, and certainly better at it than Lin Chen.

If he could truly unlock the secret, Lin Chen would have to thank him.

"Good! Little junior brother, rest assured. I will definitely unlock what's inside. Maybe it can help you."

The two chatted for a while longer before Qi Ruming left.

From then on, Lin Chen had a new task—searching for other iron boxes.

After a moment, he took out the small mirror.

He spoke to it: "He Yiliang, your corpse has been brought back. How should it be handled?"

He had asked this question before, but He Yiliang inside had never responded.

Today, he decided to try again.

To his surprise, the small mirror actually reacted.

A faint, illusory figure slowly coalesced—it was He Yiliang.

Lin Chen's guess was right: this small mirror could nurture a soul.

"Lin Chen, I need you to do something for me," He Yiliang's ethereal voice emerged.

"As a price, I can give you all my savings."

"That depends on whether your price is enough. I preserved your body and nurtured your soul—I've already done more than my duty." Lin Chen showed no pity for him.

He Yiliang's expression froze for a moment. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to say that.

In his understanding, the two of them were grasshoppers tied to the same rope—they should work together in harmony.

Yet Lin Chen was seizing the chance to demand benefits.

Though displeased inside, he was in no position to refuse, so he had to compromise.

"I have twenty thousand Spirit Stones saved up, stored in the Outer Sect Spirit Origin Pavilion, Room Four, Locker Four, fourth row from the left, fourth storage box down. The mechanism code is four four four four..."

After He Yiliang finished, Lin Chen was dumbfounded.

Just how deadly was that string of numbers?

Would ten lives even be enough to survive it?

At that moment, he actually felt a bit of sympathy for He Yiliang.

This guy had definitely been set up.

"You're an Outer Elite Disciple, and that's all you've saved?" Lin Chen really didn't want to touch this bad luck.

He Yiliang was stunned again. Still not satisfied?

Was this guy too greedy?

You've been a disciple for less than a month—do you even know how much twenty thousand Spirit Stones is?

"Lin Chen, twenty thousand Spirit Stones is enough for an ordinary Outer Disciple to save up for decades. Even an Inner Disciple like you couldn't gather that much in three or four years, right?" He said it with righteous confidence, even a hint of disdain.

Without a word, Lin Chen dumped over fifty thousand Spirit Stones onto the table.

The table couldn't hold them all; they scattered across the floor.

He Yiliang stared wide-eyed, his eyeballs nearly popping out.

Lin Chen gave a cold snort. He wasn't one to show off.

But this guy seemed to look down on him, so he had to demonstrate his strength.

"Having Spirit Stones doesn't mean everything." He Yiliang was still stubborn. "I reached Qi Condensation Ninth Layer in two years as a disciple. You have a Five Elements Root—you'll probably never reach that height in your lifetime..."

Lin Chen released his aura, stirring up a strong gust that swept outward.

A cultivation aura even more intense than Qi Condensation Ninth Layer burst forth, and He Yiliang's eyes went wide again.

Good thing ghosts didn't need to breathe, or he'd really be suffocating.

How was this possible?

In less than a month as a disciple, he'd earned more Spirit Stones than He Yiliang had in three years.

And his cultivation aura far surpassed what He Yiliang had in life.

What was going on?

Had the world changed?

He Yiliang felt the world spin, nearly fuming himself into oblivion.

Seeing this, Lin Chen retracted his aura, put away the Spirit Stones, and said, "You need to understand—you're the one asking me for a favor. Don't act so high and mighty."

Having put He Yiliang in his place, the guy finally faced reality and fell silent.

Lin Chen glanced at the small mirror. "If you want to cooperate, that's fine. But show me your sincerity."