"Hmm..."
Looking at the many clansmen and the Lin Household's armored guards, Lin Xiye nodded slightly, then continued,
"There's no need to panic."
"I will deal with the Zhao Household myself!!"
"Once this matter is settled, our Qiao Town Lin Household will formally establish itself in Zichuan City. From then on, we will rule everything within a thousand li!"
Lin Xiye held his hands behind his back, his aged voice carrying a domineering edge.
As his words fell, the many Lin Household clansmen felt considerably more at ease.
As he spoke, Lin Xiye swept his gaze over the crowd, finally settling on Lin Changge, and continued with his instructions,
"Changge..."
"You needn't concern yourself too much with the Purple River City Zhao Household. Starting now, mobilize the clan's resources and do your best to find children under ten and infants for me..."
"Especially those homeless children. You can bring them all back to the Lineage!!"
"If they have Spirit Roots, I will teach them how to cultivate... If they don't, they can still be taught martial arts and serve our Lin Household!"
"Our Lin Household has occupied Qiao Town for too long. It's time we went beyond Qiao Town, and even beyond the thousand li surrounding Zichuan City..."
Lin Xiye's voice was calm, but to Lin Changge and the many clansmen, it was like a thunderclap booming in their ears.
Lin Xiye's words held ambition and concealed grand designs.
Replacing the Purple River City Zhao Household, and even extending the Lin Household's influence beyond the thousand li surrounding Zichuan City altogether! The very thought made their blood boil.
Many of the Lin Household's younger generation were flushed with excitement! Young hearts were always restless and unrestrained, always yearning to take up a three-foot sword and fight their way to glory and renown!
"Yes, Ancestor..."
Lin Changge, too, yearned for the future Lin Xiye had laid out.
As the patriarch, he also wanted to strengthen the Lineage and leave its name to future generations...
As for the Lin Household's older generation, their passion and ambition had long since been worn away by the years... They sought stability and feared expansion.
But Lin Xiye had spoken, and they did not dare stop him.
After all, in terms of seniority, Lin Xiye was the Lin Household's ancestor, both its longest-lived and most ancient member.
In terms of status, no one in the clan could shake Lin Xiye's position!!
In terms of strength, Lin Xiye was an immortal cultivator!
"One more thing: our Lin Household's population is still too small."
"Tell the clansmen to work hard at having children!"
"Those who have children will be richly rewarded by the Lineage! If they have a child with a Spirit Root... I will personally give them a generous reward!"
"Also, any descendant of our Lin Household who possesses a Spirit Root may follow me in cultivation!"
As soon as Lin Xiye finished speaking, a fervent light appeared in the eyes of many Lin Household clansmen.
Having children? What could be simpler?
Leaving aside the Lineage's reward, anyone who had a child with a Spirit Root would not only receive a generous reward from the ancestor, but their child would also be able to follow the ancestor in cultivation and become an exalted immortal cultivator.
These words from Lin Xiye sent the many Lin Household clansmen into a frenzy.
Only Lin Changge felt pressure as heavy as a mountain.
The Lin Household's holdings and sphere of influence were limited. Over the years, he had used all manner of regulations to strictly control the growth of the Lineage's population.
Otherwise, the Lin Household's population would have long since exceeded twenty thousand...
Having children was easy, but supporting a large population required resources.
Lin Xiye was naturally well aware of all this.
But he had already made his plans.
If Qiao Town's resources and sphere of influence weren't enough... wouldn't it suffice to take the ancient towns and villages within a thousand li of Zichuan City?
Within the Jin Kingdom, the techniques used for growing, transporting, managing, and storing food were clearly somewhat backward.
Once he had dealt with the Purple River City Zhao Household, Lin Xiye planned to use knowledge from his previous life to personally compile an encyclopedia.
Then he would build roads throughout Zichuan City, connecting all the ancient towns and villages...
Within a thousand li of Zichuan City, there were rivers and plains... If managed well, the population could be increased at least tens or even hundreds of times over.
With a large enough population, the chances of babies being born with Spirit Roots would also increase.
To build a flourishing Lineage, managing its affairs in the mortal world would always be indispensable.
But developing Zichuan City was only the first step in Lin Xiye's plan...
With the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror in hand, Lin Xiye sought not only the supreme immortal Dao, but also to create a glorious and undying supreme immortal clan.
After the many Lin Household clansmen left, Lin Xiye glanced around, then turned into an afterimage and swiftly departed Qiao Town.
Lin Xiye was headed for the cultivation market two hundred li from Qiao Town.
Once the Zhao Household's second elder returned to his clan, he would certainly report everything.
When that happened, whether for profit or to uphold the Lineage's prestige, the Purple River City Zhao Household would launch a full-scale attack on Qiao Town.
Lin Xiye did not have much time left.
Within three or four days at most, the Zhao Household would surely make its move.
In the meantime, Lin Xiye had to make thorough preparations.
Even so, Lin Xiye was not overly concerned.
As long as he could lay his plans in advance and trap and kill the Zhao Household's Organ Refining Realm ancestor and those Bone Refining Realm cultivators, the Zhao Household... would be fish on the chopping block!
Whoosh!!
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, Lin Xiye traveled at the utmost speed.
The cultivation market was a place where dragons and snakes mingled, so he had not ridden his giant ferocious tiger there.
When ordinary Rogue Cultivators went to the cultivation market to trade, the lower their profile, the safer they were...
The cultivation market two hundred li from Qiao Town was the only power within a thousand li of Zichuan City capable of contending with the Zhao Household!
The owner behind the cultivation market was also an Organ Refining Realm cultivator, though he had always been mysterious and rarely showed himself.
Since the market's founding... that Organ Refining Realm cultivator had shown no intention of expanding his territory, so he and the Zhao Household had largely kept out of each other's way.
In the Jin Kingdom, where mountains and rivers barred the way and roads were rugged, two hundred li was neither a great distance nor a short one.
Traveling at full speed, Lin Xiye finally reached the cultivation market just as the first rays of the morning sun fell.
An illusion formation shrouded the outside of the cultivation market. If a mortal looked at it, they would only see a sheer cliff ahead and would not dare approach.
Yet when Lin Xiye took a step forward, not only did he not fall off the cliff, but his body gradually "disappeared"!
After he entered the illusion formation, a collection of buildings resembling a mortal marketplace slowly appeared before Lin Xiye's eyes.
But there was not a single mortal in this market. Whether they were stallholders, hawkers, or passersby, all were immortal cultivators.
And the goods these people traded were all manner of materials, pills, and cultivation manuals...
"Come take a look! Body Tempering Pills refined by a Spirit Nourishing cultivator, three for just one Spirit Stone fragment."
"Refined iron chain mail!! It can withstand a tremendous force of a million jin. With this on, you can easily block even attacks from Bone Refining cultivators! Fixed price: ten Spirit Stone fragments."
"Ten-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass! Freshly matured ten-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass, five Spirit Stone fragments a stalk. Come one, come all, don't miss out..."
"..."
A constant stream of immortal cultivators passed through the cultivation market!
Some immortal cultivators had set up stalls on the ground, while others haggled over prices... The place was bustling and noisy.