Night Raid on the Lin Family

"Wait here!"

After getting an affirmative answer, Gao Fei quickly returned to his room and shut the door.

He poured out a pill and swallowed it.

System: The Purple-Viscera Organ-Tempering Art used twenty Merit Points.

In the first year, you sensed the Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pill tempering your internal organs and discovered that its effects covered the entire body, making it utterly incompatible with your cultivation art. Only the spiritual energy within it was useful.

His five viscera and six bowels were noticeably strengthened by the medicinal effect.

In the eighteenth year, you used the spiritual energy within the pill to temper your heart. Specks of metallic luster shone from its surface, and the Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pill's spiritual energy was exhausted.

Over the years, as you used vital blood to temper your internal organs, you were injured several times before realizing this was delicate work that could not be rushed.

After waking, he looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand and shook his head.

One pill had not even been enough to temper his heart successfully.

He opened the door, walked out, and tossed the porcelain bottle in his hand.

"Second Uncle, do you know where to find Beast Cores? One pill for four!"

Gao Linyue raised his hand halfway, then lowered it again.

"Beast Cores are good things, but they seep spiritual energy too slowly and only work over the long term. You don't refine pills, so what do you need something that expensive for?"

"None of your business!" Seeing even the county magistrate collecting these things, Gao Fei knew they could not be cheap.

"For poor folk like us, Beast Cores are chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, a pity to throw away. I can't bear to buy one. Only great lineages like the Lin Family and Zhang Family might have them."

"Then let's pay the Lin Family a visit!"

Gao Linyue thought for a while, then looked at the porcelain bottle in Gao Fei's hand.

"No. Let's check the apothecary first. At worst, I'll throw my old face away and buy it for you on credit."

After saying that, he walked to the entrance. "You're not coming?"

"No."

Gao Fei shook his head. His uncle was going to run up a debt; what was he going along for?

Half an hour later.

Gao Linyue returned looking dejected.

"Let's go take a look at the Lin Family after all. Who told them to collude with monsters?"

At the third watch of the night.

South of Yueyang County stood a manor spanning ten mu.

Within its walls were artificial hills and flowing water, little bridges and pavilions—everything one could wish for.

From time to time, a squad of five saber-bearing guards patrolled past the walls.

A lantern-lit carriage entered through the main gate, passed straight through the greenery, and arrived at the front hall.

"Doctor, please take a look at my family's Second Young Master. Why does he keep coughing...?"

At that moment, Gao Fei and his uncle, dressed in black nightwear with their faces covered, had just scaled the wall and entered.

"Second Uncle, where did you get nightwear?"

"Never mind that. The Lin Family brat was injured—is that your doing?"

"No! Don't falsely accuse me!"

"You've been here before. Do you know any places where they might keep treasures?"

Gao Fei had no memories of it, so how could he know? Besides, he had only been a lackey before. He probably never had the chance to learn where the treasury was.

"Forget it. Let's follow him. Maybe Lin Shaokun has a Beast Core on him."

Having a target was better than searching the Lin residence blindly.

After passing through several corridors, Gao Linyue could not help sighing.

"How great would it be to live in a house this big?"

"Stop daydreaming. You couldn't even afford to hire people to clean it. Are you trying to work Second Aunt to death?"

Hearing Gao Fei's words, he actually pondered it as he hurried after him.

"My pay really doesn't seem enough..."

Following the doctor and avoiding two patrols, they arrived beside a side room in the rear courtyard.

By the time Gao Fei approached, the doctor had already begun examining the patient.

Standing beneath the window, he heard—

"Second Young Master, your internal organs have been injured. Luckily, it was discovered early. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

The window was covered with thick rice paper, and they could only make out three silhouettes by the lamplight.

Lin Shaokun's voice came from inside.

"Cough! Cough! Apart from today, I haven't fought recently. And the force of today's blow shouldn't have been enough to injure my internal organs."

"Could Zhang Mingfei of the Zhang Family have played dirty when we sparred seven days ago?"

The doctor spoke again, interrupting Lin Shaokun's muttering.

"I have already written the prescription. Drink it continuously for a month, and you will recover completely."

"Cough, cough, cough! See the doctor out. Brew the medicine and bring it over today. Don't come bother me at other times."

A woman answered, and two figures emerged from the room.

They watched until the pair had gone far away.

Gao Fei could not help sighing inwardly. He had still underestimated this world.

Just as the two were about to break through the window and enter—

A middle-aged man's voice sounded from inside again.

"Lin Shaokun, your condition won't affect the next stage of the plan, will it?"

"No. Everything was arranged long ago. But are you sure that if Yueyang County falls into chaos and the people lose faith in the Great Wu Kingdom, the county magistrate's cultivation will truly decline?"

"Rest assured. My daughter has returned after studying at the Azure Hill Fox Ruins. The workings of Great Wu's faith and fate are no secret in Azure Hill's eyes."

"Cough! Cough, cough! Fine. Keep grain prices steady for two days first. Once the Zhang Family has sold all its grain, raise them again. Then I want those people unable to buy a single grain of rice even with one tael of silver."

"Fine. Once it is done, you may take all your possessions and leave. I guarantee the other two Demon Race factions will not trouble you."

"I should be thanking you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to be injured."

"You're too polite."

As the two said their farewells, Gao Fei and Gao Linyue exchanged a glance. They made a gesture to strike, drew their Tang Sabers, and lay in ambush on either side of the door.

The door opened.

A six-foot-tall creature emerged, with fox ears, the face of a middle-aged man, a slender build, and two fox tails swaying gently behind it.

The conversation had gone pleasantly. It had also taken the route through the Lin Family's inner courtyard and moved the guards away. It never expected to be ambushed.

To preserve the element of surprise, Gao Linyue did not use Bright Force. His long saber swept horizontally toward the Fox Demon's neck.

By the time the Fox Demon noticed, the blade was already before its eyes. With no room to dodge, it could only tense its neck, turn, and take the blow head-on.

Clang!

Its head naturally jerked downward when struck, clamping the Tang Saber in place as crimson blood began to flow.

Just as it raised a hand, spiritual power swirling around it, it heard from behind—

A low, humming vibration.

Gao Fei had not attacked at first. He held his saber in his left hand and clenched his right into a fist, deliberately letting his Second Uncle draw the attention.

When the Fox Demon turned, he gathered his strength and punched the spot between its chest and back. Dark Force surged forth.

This time, he did not hold back. It was a full-force strike.

The spiritual power around the Fox Demon's raised hand rapidly dispersed. Its hand fell limply as it turned, trying to see the person who had ambushed it.

But it only turned halfway before collapsing to the ground.

System prompt: You have slain a great demon at the early Spirit-Absorption Realm. Merit Points +42.

Even as it fell, Gao Linyue slashed it twice more, each strike landing on the vital point of its neck.

Only after confirming it had stopped breathing did he sheath his saber.

"That gave me a fright. It was actually a Spirit-Absorption Realm monster. How did you kill it with one punch?"

"I don't think this is the time to talk about that."

As he spoke, Gao Fei had already walked inside.

Lin Shaokun held a sword in his hand, trying his best not to cough aloud. At that moment, he regretted it bitterly. If I had known, I wouldn't have sent the guards away.

"Cough! Hero, let's talk things over. Don't get worked up. Just name the amount of silver you want."

Seeing Gao Fei enter with his saber, Gao Linyue hurriedly said, "Don't kill Lin Shaokun. The Lin Family head is Yueyang County's chief clerk..."