Making a Move, Part One

"How are things?" Lin Xin asked Ou Yinghong from atop his horse.

"I found this." Ou Yinghong reached out and handed him something that looked like a small slip of paper.

Lin Xin took it, unfolded it, and saw words written in blood.

'If you want to see them, come alone to Moonlit Gorge. Tomorrow night.'

He merely glanced at it, then clenched and rubbed his palm, crushing the note into powder and scattering it.

"Can you guess what faction they belong to?"

Ou Yinghong shook her head slightly.

"But the most likely culprit is Star Calamity Hall of the demonic path. Ten years ago, they tried to assassinate the Manor Lord, but failed. They are also the only ones who would dare openly offend the sword sect behind him."

Lin Xin nodded in agreement.

"I'll handle this personally. Take your people and continue the previous assignment. Also, Flying Wing Evil has arrived. Tell him to make a trip to the sword sect and report what has happened here."

"Understood." Ou Yinghong nodded.

"Zen Master, while I'm away, I'll have to ask you to temporarily oversee the manor's operations." Lin Xin turned to Zen Master San Yuan.

"Rest assured, Manor Lord." With the vast resources supplied to him, Zen Master San Yuan had now entered the second layer of the Inner Family. That was also his limit. His aptitude was even worse than Lin Xin's; reaching this level was already a miracle.

Once everything had been arranged, Lin Xin and his group returned to the manor, ordered a lockdown, and dispatched a large number of men to investigate.

He told Xiao Lingling, his mother, and the others that he was entering seclusion, then plunged headfirst into the secret chamber. Other than changing into a longer set of clothes, nothing else had changed.

It was not until dusk that he emerged, his face full of exhaustion. Then, without stopping for even a moment, he entered the Alchemy Room. It was only at midnight that he returned to the Inner Courtyard.

As he reached the courtyard gate, the guard on duty came forward.

"Manor Lord, Madam asked after you thirteen times today," he said softly.

Lin Xin nodded. "You may leave first. Have the next shift come over. Go collect one qian in reward money."

The guard respectfully took his leave.

Lin Xin walked into the courtyard and saw Xiao Lingling sitting beneath a tree from afar, holding a brown ancient zither as she stared blankly into space, lost in thoughts unknown.

Lin Xin simply stood at the gate, watching Xiao Lingling in her white robes. One sat while the other stood. Before they knew it, who knew how much time had passed.

"Husband..." Xiao Lingling suddenly spoke. "Did something happen?"

Lin Xin adjusted his mood and expression, making himself as gentle as possible before stepping toward her.

"Don't worry. With me here at the manor, what major trouble could there be?"

He walked behind Xiao Lingling, took off his outer robe, and gently draped it over her.

"The night is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill."

"It's all right." Xiao Lingling smiled, small dimples appearing on her cheeks. "I've realized that I haven't been sick for many years now. I don't know why."

She reached out and held Lin Xin's hand.

"I really want... really want to stay by your side like this forever..." Her tone suddenly turned desolate.

"What are you talking about? Haven't you always been by my side?" Lin Xin tightened his grip on her hand. "We'll be together forever..."

Xiao Lingling only smiled, gently resting her face against the back of Lin Xin's hand.

Her appearance had not changed for a very, very long time. After all these years, time had not left the slightest trace on her face. She was still as bewitching and softly beautiful as she had been in her youth.

Lin Xin gently wrapped his arms around her and crouched down, pulling her into his embrace.

"Husband... I want to go back and rest." Xiao Lingling said in a slightly coquettish voice. "I want you to carry me..."

Lin Xin smiled.

"All right." He picked her up, zither and all, and headed toward the bedroom.

Hiss...

Lin Xin opened his eyes and slowly rose inside the carriage.

He looked at the corpse of the white-robed man seated beside him, and an inexplicable feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

"Brother. Could it be that, like me, you boarded this carriage to collect Demon Talisman Seeds... Then why did you die here...?"

"Where are your family? Your friends?" He murmured softly to himself, as though the corpse were still alive.

He drew the Red Flower Sword. A faint red halo gradually appeared along its blade.

Beneath that glow, the corpse's blurry outline was illuminated.

The instant Lin Xin saw the corpse, he was violently startled.

The corpse had actually opened its eyes and was smiling directly at him! The corners of its mouth curled into a strange arc, as though it were still alive.

"You!!"

Lin Xin abruptly stepped back.

He clearly remembered that the corpse had died with its mouth wide open, its face filled with incomparable terror. But now... now...!

Ssh!

Lin Xin stabbed at the corpse with his sword.

Clang.

The corpse's body seemed to be forged from fine steel. The blade could not pierce it in the slightest.

The red glow of the Magma Iron on the sword slowly dimmed.

Lin Xin's heartbeat faintly accelerated. This carriage had already been strange enough; now, the corpse within it was undoubtedly even stranger.

He slowly sheathed his sword.

"Brother, if you died with unfinished grievances, if there is anything you want done, just say it. If I can help, I will do my best."

His words slowly echoed through the carriage, followed by utter silence.

Lin Xin took a deep breath and once again poured Inner Qi into the Red Flower Sword. The Magma Iron slowly began to shine red again.

The carriage interior gradually brightened.

This was the only way to illuminate the carriage. Ordinary mortal flames could not burn here at all.

Sure enough, the corpse had returned to its original state, mouth agape as it stared despairingly straight ahead.

Hoo...

Lin Xin slowly let out a breath.

Hiss...

The carriage door slowly opened. With his sword on his back, he stepped outside.

"Tonight, I'll reach the ninth layer at the fastest possible speed! Then I'll find the sole core artifact for a heartblood sacrifice, achieve Minor Returning Origin as quickly as possible, and step into Qi Refinement!"

He silently made up his mind.

Outside the carriage, all he could see was a sea of pale yellow wild grass.

He stood on a country road fenced on both sides, with rolling pale yellow hills stretching to his left and right.

Baa...

A sheep's bleat caught Lin Xin's attention, and he looked toward the sound.

On the hill to his left was a sparse, sprawling flock of gray-white sheep. The flock moved slowly, lowering their heads to gnaw at the wild grass and bleating from time to time.

A Noodle Person held a whip and slept on the slope with one leg crossed over the other. A straw hat covered his face.

Lin Xin frowned.

"This place is probably sparsely populated... That will be troublesome."

He ignored the shepherd. He was only an ordinary person; killing him would be no different from anything else. Time was tight, so Lin Xin unleashed his lightness art, pushing the Sky Soaring Cloud Traversal Art to its limit as he sped down the road.

His entire body became light and airy, as though he were flying, racing toward the distance.

The wind lashed fiercely against his face.

Before long, a caravan made entirely of Noodle People appeared ahead of him.

One Noodle Person carrying a long saber on his back was speaking with someone in the caravan. Hearing the sound, he turned his head and spotted the rapidly approaching Lin Xin, then immediately leaped down from the cart.

The man examined Lin Xin carefully and pulled out a portrait scroll from his robes, seemingly comparing it against him.

Not long after, greed appeared on his face. He put away the scroll and drew his long saber.

By then, Lin Xin had reached the rear of the caravan.

Without a word, he slashed down with his sword.

Ssh!

Sword Qi shot from the tip, extending the blade as it slashed diagonally toward the Noodle Person.

Enhanced by the Inner Qi of the Innate Eighth Layer, both his strength and speed had surpassed the limits of what ordinary people could react to.

In only a single exchange.

The greed had not yet faded from the Noodle Person swordsman's face when he was sliced into two diagonal pieces.

A stream of warmth flowed into his body, and Lin Xin charged without hesitation toward the other screaming, panicked Noodle People.

One sword stroke per person. Blood splashed in every direction as the huge Noodle People, each far taller than he was, fell one after another, clutching their throats tightly.

Several Noodle People who looked like guards rushed out with sabers in hand, their faces savage as they shouted and chopped at him.

Swish!

It was only a single half-circle stroke. A white arc formed from Sword Qi suddenly flashed into existence and swept across several Noodle People.

Those people, along with their sabers, were all cleaved in two at once. Blood and organs sprayed outward.

A speck of blood stained Lin Xin's cheek. He casually wiped it away, then expressionlessly flicked the blood from his blade.

He looked at the more than ten Noodle People still fleeing in all directions.

He raised the Red Flower Sword levelly.

"Yin Manto."

Red light flashed from the blade.

Ssh, ssh, ssh!

Suddenly, more than ten thick black vines streaked with silver patterns burst from the ground. Like tentacles, they fiercely bound each Noodle Person who had not yet escaped.

Countless sharp little thorns continuously grew from the vines' surfaces and plunged viciously into the Noodle People's bodies. Before long, every one of them had been sucked dry by the thorns until only empty skins remained, which were tossed onto the ground.

Holding the Red Flower Sword, Lin Xin slowly walked through the roots of the vines until he reached the large crates being escorted by the caravan.

The crates were covered with black cloth, and faint sounds seemed to be coming from within.

He lifted the black cloth with his sword.

Inside were naked men and women! All of them were ordinary humans, just like normal people!

"Save... save us...!" One woman who still retained some awareness wept and sniffled continuously. The moment she saw Lin Xin before her, she immediately pleaded.

Lin Xin glanced at her pupils and knew that she had been drugged beyond saving. It was a stimulant-like drug that could brutally unleash all of a person's potential in a short period of time.

He saw the collars around their necks, marks that signified slaves.

Every one of them had already lost their senses and become dull-witted. Only that woman barely retained a trace of awareness, but she too was beyond saving. Becoming an idiot was only a matter of time.

"A slave transport caravan..." Lin Xin sighed softly. Looking at the people in the crates as though they were chickens and ducks, pity flashed in his eyes.

"Living is also suffering for you. Let me help you find release..."

He raised his hand and sent out a streak of Sword Qi.

A white flash passed by, and the entire crate was severed in one stroke, becoming two halves.

The human slaves inside were all cut into short halves by that single sword strike. Blood and organs spilled across the ground.

Yin Manto's roots greedily gathered around and began feeding on the bloody flesh.

Lin Xin sat down cross-legged and swallowed a Qi Transformation Pill to replenish the consumption from summoning Yin Manto.

When he rose, the roots had nearly finished disposing of the corpses. He withdrew the summon, searched the area, found a Demon Talisman Seed, and continued forward at high speed.

Very soon, another Noodle Person caravan appeared before him.

Lin Xin shot into its midst, summoned Yin Manto through his sword, and personally dealt with the Noodle People one after another with swift sword strikes.

There was no mercy, only slaughter.

The roots whipped about at high speed, binding and feeding on every Noodle Person who tried to flee.

Great streams of warmth flowed endlessly into Lin Xin's body. He could clearly feel his cultivation rising at a rapid pace.

Soon, a swollen fullness arose within him. He quickly activated the ninth layer formula of the Minor Returning Origin Art.

With a ssh, it was as though a balloon within him had been punctured. He broke through the shackles in an instant, bringing new meridians into his Inner Qi circulation system. Yet as Yin Manto continued slaughtering, more streams of warmth kept pouring endlessly into his body.

A pleasure like drug intoxication kept flooding into his mind along with that warmth.

Rise! Rise! Rise without end!

Was this... really all right?

A trace of vigilance suddenly flashed through his heart. The white-robed corpse that had died so miserably inside the carriage flickered before his eyes.

But beneath the endless influx of warmth, he tossed the thought to the back of his mind in an instant.

Before long, everyone in the entire caravan had been slaughtered.

Lin Xin stood amid a pool of blood, his entire body slowly glowing white. Countless strands of Innate Qi circled and danced around him, almost boiling out from within his body.