"Honored envoy, may I ask what important business brings you to the Lin Household in Qiao Town?"
"Whatever my Lin Household can do, we are willing to go through fire and water for you and the Zhao Household!"
Facing the Zhao Household cultivator, whose imposing presence soared to the heavens as he rode a giant ferocious tiger, Lin Changge was tense and uneasy inside. Yet his words remained smooth and unassailable, leaving not a drop to leak.
Having risen to the position of household head, Lin Changge possessed shrewdness and ability far beyond those of ordinary people.
He knew full well that the greater the crisis, the more he had to keep his composure.
Naturally, he was also well aware of the Zhao Household's ambitions.
He had deliberately asked those questions and humbled himself to deny the Zhao Household an excuse to strike outright, then continue maneuvering with them for as long as possible.
Even in a desperate situation, as long as he could maneuver one step at a time and buy time... there was a chance of finding a thread of hope.
But the Zhao Household cultivator was clearly no easy opponent either.
Though he looked no older than twenty or so, that was because he had stumbled upon and swallowed a Youth-Preserving Pill in his early years. His true age was already close to a hundred.
Otherwise, the Zhao Household would never have entrusted him with such an important task and sent him to Qiao Town...
As soon as Lin Changge finished speaking, the Zhao Household cultivator gave no reply. Instead, he exchanged a glance with the attendant beside him.
The attendant had followed the Zhao Household cultivator for many years and immediately understood. Putting on an arrogant, overbearing manner, he spoke in a tone deliberately meant to pick a fight.
"How dare you! You mortals of the Lin Household dare to stand before the Zhao Household's third elder without kneeling... Does your Lin Household want to be wiped out?"
As soon as the attendant finished speaking, the many elders of the Lin Household showed no reaction, but the hot-blooded young juniors, long sheltered by the household, were all furious.
The Lin Household was, after all, a renowned great household within a hundred miles of Qiao Town! When had they ever suffered such humiliation?
Seeing this, Lin Changge frowned and thought that things were going badly.
He knew the Zhao Household's resources and power. If they came to blows with the Zhao Household today, an overwhelming disaster would surely await the Lin Household.
In terms of territory, the Zhao Household directly controlled five of the seven towns within a thousand miles of Zichuan City.
In terms of armored guards, the Lin Household of Qiao Town had a mere four hundred in total, while the Zhao Household had at least ten thousand.
In terms of cultivators, the Lin Household had only one, while the Zhao Household had dozens.
If they met the Zhao Household head-on, the Lin Household's chances of victory were almost zero.
"Our household has never been a vassal of the Zhao Household, and you expect us to kneel and bow... How ridiculous!"
"Household head, the Zhao Household has gone too far! They clearly don't take our Lin Household seriously at all..."
A young Lin Household junior spoke with a face full of anger. As soon as he finished, the other youths of the Lin Household were all seething with rage.
When these thirteen- and fourteen-year-old juniors walked through Qiao Town, who did not treat them with the utmost respect?
They had no idea how powerful the Zhao Household was.
Although some elders had told them about the various powers surrounding the Lin Household,
most of them had treated those accounts as stories and never taken them to heart.
"You bunch of bastards, shut up!"
An elderly man of the Lin Household, leaning on a cane, sharply rebuked the young juniors into silence.
But in the Zhao Household's party, the attendant following the third elder seemed to have seized upon an excuse. He looked coldly at Lin Changge and spoke, his voice laden with murderous intent.
"Your Lin Household... truly knows no manners! It's bad enough that you refuse to kneel before our third elder, but you even deliberately let a bunch of little bastards spout arrogant nonsense."
"Defy the Zhao Household, and you deserve death!"
As he spoke, the armored guards from the Zhao Household drew their sabers and swords.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiye had finished cultivating and was walking out of the secret chamber, one step at a time.
Everything happening outside Qiao Town had been under his observation...
From what he had just seen, Lin Xiye had formed a basic assessment of the Lin Household's current internal situation.
As household head, Lin Changge was reasonably competent. If conditions allowed... he could be further cultivated in the future.
As for the elders of the Lin Household, they were fairly united and understood the bigger picture.
The young juniors of the Lin Household... had received a rather mediocre education. Although they had not become spoiled scions, if they were not taught and corrected soon, and made to understand the cruelty of this world, they would probably find it difficult to become the pillars of the household in the future.
And the Lin Household's fighting strength... was honestly rather poor.
Of its more than four hundred armored guards, probably only twenty or so were martial artists. Though the rest were reasonably well equipped, they were all ordinary mortals, and they clearly saw little regular training.
Their actual fighting strength was probably only slightly better than that of roaming bandits and mountain brigands.
By contrast, virtually everyone in the Zhao Household's party was an elite! If a fight broke out, they could probably slaughter the entire Lin Household without the Zhao Household's third elder even lifting a hand.
"The dignity of the Zhao Household cannot be challenged."
"I'll give your Lin Household a choice... Submit to the Zhao Household, and we will leave you one-tenth of Qiao Town's holdings so that your household can carry on."
"Otherwise... the Lin Household will be wiped out!"
Just as conflict was about to erupt, the Zhao Household's third elder suddenly spoke from atop the giant ferocious tiger.
His tone brooked no doubt. He was not discussing terms with the Lin Household, but threatening them outright.
He had come to Qiao Town this time to conquer new territory and expand the Zhao Household's sphere of influence.
When Lin Xiye left the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect and lost his status as an outer disciple, the Zhao Household had already received word and begun making plans!
He did not take the Lin Household seriously at all.
His cultivation was at Blood Refining Perfection.
And according to the household's intelligence, Lin Xiye was only at Mid-stage Blood Refining...
Back then, if Lin Xiye had not used an Immortal Ascension Token to successfully join the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect, the Zhao Household would have taken Qiao Town long ago.
Faced with the Zhao Household third elder's threat, Lin Changge's expression turned grim. Even the elders of the Lin Household could no longer remain calm.
Submit to the Zhao Household and hand over nine-tenths of Qiao Town's holdings... The terms were far too harsh.
If they lost nine-tenths of their holdings, the Lin Household's income and expenses would collapse, and the household would fall apart completely within two months at most...
But if they resisted to the bitter end, the Zhao Household's overwhelming strength would see the Lin Household wiped out on the spot!!
"Honored envoy, my Lin Household is willing to submit, but these terms..."
Bitter at heart, Lin Changge still wanted to bargain for better terms.
The Zhao Household's third elder ignored him outright. He merely raised three fingers and spoke calmly.
"Three breaths!"
"I'll give your Lin Household three breaths to consider."
"Three, two..."
Just as the Zhao Household's third elder was about to say "one," Lin Xiye walked leisurely out of the thick fog, his hands clasped behind his back.
A gray robe billowed around Lin Xiye, and moonlight shone on his long, silver-white hair, giving it a mysterious luster...
Lin Xiye wore an aloof expression. His deep eyes turned toward the Zhao Household's third elder, and the presence of an Early-stage Bone Refining cultivator suddenly erupted from him!
"Qiao Town belongs to my Lin Household!"
"Zhao junior, you've crossed the line..."