"You are Lin Zhenshan?" Yin Li's voice was deep and harsh, like a blade scraping through bone.
"That's a despicable person."
Lin Zhenshan quickly replied, "I have already presented Tang San's detailed information to the envoy, and I believe the envoy has already forwarded it to the Protector."
"I saw it."
Yin Li said calmly, "You said that Tang San has the cultivation of Five-Star Dou Emperor. He was seriously injured in his battle with Han Chi last night and is currently recuperating in your elder brother's courtyard."
"Good."
Are you sure?
Yin Li's gaze fell on Lin Zhenshan, as if he wanted to see through his very soul.
"Do you know what the consequences will be if the information you provide is incorrect?"
Lin Zhenshan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said:
"I would never dare to deceive you, Protector. When Tang San returned last night, I saw with my own eyes that he was weak and listless, with no part of his body intact. He even needed help to walk."
The housekeeper delivered medicine twice today, and both times he came back saying that Senior Tang was still meditating and hadn't left his room. With injuries like this, there's absolutely no chance of recovery within three days.
Yin Li stared at him for a few breaths, and finally nodded.
"After dealing with Tang San, are you confident that the Lin Clan will submit to the Yellow Springs Pavilion?"
A Frenzy flashed in Lin Zhenshan's eyes, and he swallowed hard.
"As long as Tang San dies, my elder brother will lose his backer, and the Lin Clan will naturally follow my orders."
"At that time, I will personally hand over all of the Lin Clan's medicinal herb distribution channels. From now on, the Lin Clan will be an appendage of the Yellow Springs Pavilion, and 80% of their annual profits will be paid as tribute."
A Yin Li smile finally appeared on Yin Li's lips.
"Very good. Since you're quite loyal, I can say a few more words to you—after Tang San dies, your elder Lin Zhentian will also disappear."
By then, the Lin Clan will only have one heir in line, which is you.
If anyone in the Lin Clan is dissatisfied, just kill them.
He raised his hand, and a black-robed assassin stepped forward, took out a jet-black token from his robes, and handed it to Lin Zhenshan with both hands.
The token felt cold to the touch, with a blood-red "Huang" character engraved on the front and a skull flower engraved on the back.
"This is the Yellow Springs Token."
Yin Li said, "With this token, you can mobilize all the hidden agents of the Yellow Springs Pavilion within a radius of three hundred miles of Tianbei City. If necessary, you can even send a message to the headquarters to request reinforcements."
Lin Zhenshan took the token, his fingers trembling.
This was something he had always dreamed of.
After so many years, we're finally about to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Thank you, Dharma Protector!" Lin Zhenshan kowtowed again.
No need for such formalities.
Yin Li waved his hand, walked to the long table, and his gaze fell on the map.
"This matter should not be delayed. As long as Tang San is still alive, Chen Yuanzhou or others may find out that we did it. The longer we delay, the more variables there will be."
We'll do it tonight. Mark the exact location of the Qingzhu Pavilion in the Lin Mansion for me.
Lin Zhenshan quickly walked to the long table, located the Lin residence on the map, and pointed to a corner of the backyard with his finger:
" Qingzhu Pavilion is here, at the far east end of the backyard, next to a bamboo grove, and there are no other courtyards connected to it."
After Tang San moved in, apart from my elder brother's steward and my niece Lin Wan'er, no one else entered Qingzhu Pavilion.
He spends most of his days in his room recuperating and healing.
As for the maids... he didn't take any, so Qingzhu Pavilion was free of any idlers, day or night.
Yin Li listened to his detailed report and nodded in satisfaction.
"You're cautious enough. But caution is useless; a heavily injured Five-Star Dou Emperor can't even last three moves against me. What's your older brother doing right now?"
"He went to the city lord's mansion in the afternoon, hoping to ask Chen Yuanzhou to mediate."
Lin Zhenshan, his tone tinged with schadenfreude, "But Chen Yuanzhou wasn't at home today. My elder brother went looking for him but found no one there, and he just returned home."
" Chen Yuanzhou..."
Yin Li pondered for a moment.
"This person is Nine-Star Dou Emperor, which is indeed troublesome. However, we will not alert the City Lord's Mansion when we make our move tonight."
"By the time Chen Yuanzhou discovers Tang San's body tomorrow, he will already be dead. The Yellow Springs Pavilion killed him; even Nine-Star Dou Emperor wouldn't dare to confront them."
He looked at Lin Zhenshan:
"Go back first and continue to monitor Tang San's movements."
At midnight tonight, I will lead men to scale the back wall of the Lin residence and head straight for the Qingzhu Pavilion.
"Yes." Lin Zhenshan bowed again, turned around and strode out of the underground hall.
Yin Li watched Lin Zhenshan leave, and after the iron gate closed, the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
"What do you think?" he asked the four Dou Wang behind him.
One of the older Dou Wang stepped forward:
"My lord, I have a feeling that Lin Zhenshan is not very reliable. Since he could betray his own brother, there's no guarantee he won't betray us at a crucial moment."
"Good."
Yin Li said coldly, "Therefore, this man's usefulness ends tonight. Once Tang San dies, he and Lin Zhentian cannot be allowed to live."
He paused, "But before that, the information he provided should be true. Tang San killed Han Chi last night, so he must be seriously injured. Tonight is the best time to strike while he's weakened."
"But..." another Dou Wang hesitated, " Tang San was able to kill Lord Han Chi, so his strength is indeed comparable to Three-Star Dou Emperor. Even if he was injured, shouldn't we bring more men with us?"
That's enough.
Yin Li raised his hand to interrupt him, a cold smile appearing on his face:
"A wounded Three-Star Dou Emperor doesn't require any additional manpower. You two, come with me into the Lin residence and head straight for the Qingzhu Pavilion."
"You, take men and guard the back wall of the Lin residence, blocking all escape routes. Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" the four replied in unison.
"Start at midnight."
Yin Li turned and walked out of the hall. A Blood Hand Seal silently appeared on his right palm, gleaming with a nauseating luster under the dim green light.
Lin Zhenshan returned home humming a little tune.
It was completely dark, and there were few pedestrians on the street. He slipped in through the back door, changed his clothes, and went to the main hall for dinner as usual.
In the main hall, Lin Zhentian and Lin Wan'er were sitting at the dining table waiting for him.
"Second brother, are you in a good mood today?" Lin Zhentian glanced at him.
Lin Zhenshan's smile faltered slightly, then widened even further:
"Brother, you're too kind. It's just that the shop's accounts were good today; we made a profit, and I'm happy."
"Oh?" Lin Zhentian asked casually, "Which shop?"
"A merchant from out of town came to the pharmacy in the north of the city today and bought a large quantity of medicinal herbs at a high price," Lin Zhenshan lied without batting an eye as he sat down opposite Lin Wan'er.
Lin Wan'er ladled a bowl of soup for him. Lin Zhenshan took it, took a sip, and praised, " Wan'er's soup is getting better and better."
Lin Wan'er smiled faintly but remained silent.
The family ate their meal quietly. Lin Zhentian frowned slightly, clearly still worried about Chen Yuanzhou's absence.
Lin Wan'er lowered her head and counted the grains of rice, lost in thought. Only Lin Zhenshan had a hearty appetite and ate three bowls of rice.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasure.
The two people in front of him were his good older brother, who had been his shadow for half his life, and his only niece.
After tonight, my brother will be a dead man.
What about his niece? If she's obedient, he wouldn't mind sparing her life; she could be used for a marriage alliance later. If she's disobedient, she can go and join her father.
And then there's Tang San.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhenshan paused slightly in his hand, which was holding a chopstick.
However, now that Yin Li has brought so many people, Tang San has no chance of escaping even if he had wings.
A severely injured Dou Emperor is nothing more than a slightly larger ant in front of Yin Li.
Lin Zhenshan put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.
Once Tang San is dead, Lin Zhentian will lose his last trump card. At that point, the Lin Clan will be his for the taking.
The price to pay was nothing more than a reputation for "colluding with the Yellow Springs Pavilion ".
What's the value of reputation? Becoming the head of the family is what truly matters.
"Second brother ate quite a lot tonight." Lin Zhentian looked at him, his face expressionless.
Are you happy today?
Lin Zhenshan stood up and let out a burp.
"Brother, Wan'er, please enjoy your meal. I'm going back to rest now. I'm exhausted from running around collecting medicinal herbs lately, and I want to get some sleep."
"Go ahead." Lin Zhentian nodded.
Lin Zhenshan turned and walked out of the main hall with light steps.
He certainly wasn't really going to rest.
It was still three quarters before 9 PM, so he needed to go back to his room to prepare—pack up all his valuables and hide the land deeds and banknotes close to his body.
If we make our move tonight, the Lin family will inevitably be thrown into chaos. We can't let these things fall into the wrong hands.
Once the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) had passed, he quietly slipped out of his room and walked along the corridor toward the Qingzhu Pavilion.