Chapter 41
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 41: Killing the Building Foundation Again
“Boom.”
The two young men flew backward, causing the Thousand Coil Formation to collapse.
The middle-aged man was shocked at this sight, but quickly accepted it.
A flying sword slowly appeared in front of him.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, don’t you have anything else to say?”
Shi Tong spoke.
“Taoist Friend Jiang is indeed clever. You guessed it was me.”
“Not many people can mention my old name, only a few. But to know that I am wealthy, only you know it now.”
Lin Jiang said, after changing his name and cutting ties with everything from before, only Duobao Pavilion remained because Lin Jiang couldn’t bear to lose the benefits from there.
The only person who knows his name and knows he is wealthy is the Duobao Pavilion steward, Shi Tong, who received him every time.
Knowing it was him, Lin Jiang sighed. He had been cooperating with Duobao Pavilion for decades, and their reputation was indeed very good.
But he didn’t expect someone like Shi Tong to exist. If this incident were to be exposed, it would destroy Duobao Pavilion’s centuries-old reputation, and Duobao Pavilion would not spare Shi Tong’s entire family.
“Great. If you have anything else to say, you can continue. This is your last chance.”
Lin Jiang’s tone was cold as he waited for Shi Tong’s answer.
“When did you start following me?”
“Green Rock Pill.”
“Did you buy my Green Rock Pill?”
“That’s right. Without the Green Rock Pill, I might not have been able to build a foundation. I am already getting old.”
Shi Tong explained that he bought the Green Rock Pill and gave it to a respected elder. After receiving guidance, he got the opportunity to build a foundation.
“So, it seems I am not the first person you have killed.”
“Hmm, not the first, but not many either.”
Shi Tong said that he had encountered countless customers at Duobao Pavilion. If he killed everyone, he would have died long ago.
He carefully chose his targets, and over the course of several decades, he had only killed seven or eight people, but each one made him a huge profit.
“Is Mo Lin someone you know?”
“That’s right, and the one with him is another disciple of mine. I’ve answered so many of your questions, so now you answer one of mine.”
“Go ahead, tell me.”
“Where did you get the Green Rock Pill, and why don’t you use it yourself?”
“That’s two questions.”
“Hehe.”
“Because I have money, not only do I have the Green Rock Pill, but I’ve also taken the Gu Xi Pill. You know about the Gu Xi Pill, right? Mortals say life is rare at seventy years, but one Gu Xi Pill can extend life by seventy years. So, you’ve known me for almost thirty years, and I still look so young.”
Lin Jiang said to Shi Tong. Lies come effortlessly to him, without a hint of embarrassment.
However, Shi Tong believed it. He had known Lin Jiang for many years, and Lin Jiang always had a youthful appearance.
Either he had taken the Appearance Fixing Pill, or he had consumed a longevity treasure.
But Shi Tong believed Lin Jiang had taken a longevity treasure because he didn’t even want the Green Rock Pill and chose to sell it.
Shi Tong believed that Lin Jiang still had secrets, but he couldn’t extract them, so Shi Tong took action.
A sword aura surged out from Shi Tong’s flying sword and shot towards Lin Jiang.
“Explosive Element Technique.”
Lin Jiang shouted explosively and also unleashed his flying sword.
“Boom.”
The flying sword and sword aura collided, the sword aura dissipated, and Lin Jiang’s flying sword turned into pieces.
“Squeak.”
“Squeak.”
Just at that moment, two crisp sounds rang out. Two bright lights appeared on Lin Jiang’s body and swiftly came in front of Shi Tong.
“Screech.”
Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao appeared. They had woken up just half a month ago and now had reached the initial stage of the second level of power, which is equivalent to the beginning stage of building foundation.
Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao instantly broke through Shi Tong’s defense. Big Shadiao grabbed his shoulder and pulled, ripping off a large piece of flesh and blood. Small Shadiao was even more vicious, pecking a dark hole in his chest with its beak.
“Aurora falcon, you, you…”
After Shi Tong let out a scream, he exclaimed, remembering that Aurora falcon was once well-known in Yunzhong City.
The young master He Yunwei from the He family died because of the cultivator who had two Aurora falcon beast pets. At this moment, Shi Tong understood everything.
“Kill him.”
Lin Jiang said coldly.
He didn’t know if anyone else remembered the incident involving the He family, but Lin Jiang didn’t let the Aurora falcon fly too high, to avoid being seen by others.
“Chirp chirp.”
The two Shadiao birds, one on the left and one on the right, pounced on Shi Tong once again.
Lin Jiang himself also charged forward again, determined to make Shi Tong die in the second round.
“Explosive Element Technique.”
Shi Tong’s face turned pale. The Overlord Scroll was a gift he had given to Lin Jiang, so he naturally knew about the Explosive Element Technique, but he had never practiced it himself.
When he saw Lin Jiang using it now, his heart ached even more. He felt that if he were to die today, it would be his own fault.
Shi Tong was severely wounded. He had already put all his strength into defense.
He summoned two shields to block the attacks of Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, while using his flying sword to intercept Lin Jiang’s attacks.
“Bang.”
The flying sword broke into pieces again.
Magical tools could not compete with spiritual weapons.
Nevertheless, Lin Jiang was unconcerned and drew another flying sword.
He didn’t even think about using a silver needle, since he had purchased it from Duobao Pavilion, and Shi Tong would certainly be prepared for it. Lin Jiang intended to confront Shi Tong directly.
“Ying…”
Suddenly, the cries of Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao changed drastically.
Their voices turned mournful and piercing.
Upon hearing this, Shi Tong’s consciousness wavered for a brief moment.
Though it was fleeting, it made him feel a deep sense of despair.
In the next instant, he felt a chilling sensation on his neck.
“Plop.”
The flying sword severed Shi Tong’s neck.
As Shi Tong’s headless body stood there, he could still sense a strong feeling of resentment. Eventually, all consciousness faded.
“Come in quickly.”
Lin Jiang gestured for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao to enter the Spirit Beast Bag.
The final blow to Shi Tong came from Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao’s awakened divine skill.
Their cries were able to impact the soul of the target, causing a brief lapse in focus.
The Aurora falcon was already incredibly swift, capable of striking down prey in an instant.
However, this time, Lin Jiang was one step ahead.
They searched the storage bags of the three individuals and took everything they possessed.
The bodies of the three were thrown into Yuntuo River, where countless fish of all sizes swarmed.
Within a day, they would be devoured entirely, leaving no trace behind.
“Such a waste of that fishing rod.”
Lin Jiang sighed.
That fishing rod, worth several thousand spirit stones, was now lost.
“Taoist Friend Lin.”
After a while, members of the Trident Fish Gang appeared, led by Liu Jie.
“Taoist friend Liu.”
“Taoist Friend Lin, what’s going on here? Why was there a disturbance in the Building Foundation Period’s battle?”
“Someone I didn’t know was fighting nearby, but they’ve already left. I just rushed out and even lost my fishing rod.”
Lin Jiang’s acting skills were on full display as he put on a scared expression and said, “There are few rules here at Yuntuo River. Countless fights occur here every day. Liu Jie and his group have already felt the spiritual energy disturbance, but it was only at the Building Foundation Period level. They would be foolish to intervene. They only come to check when the disturbance ends.”
Liu Jie glanced at the ground, then at the river.
He realized that Lin Jiang might not be telling the whole truth, but he kept his suspicions to himself.
Low-level cultivators often honed their survival skills. If you wanted to avoid an early demise, saying less was often wiser.
“Taoist Friend Lin, losing your fishing rod isn’t a big issue. Let me help you retrieve it.”
Liu Jie said, before instructing several of his followers skilled in water techniques to search in the river.
The Trident Fish Gang made their living along the river and employed numerous practitioners of water techniques. Some of them were even fierce enough to fight water demons with their bare hands in Yuntuo River.
They were specialists, highly skilled at their craft.
Translation request:
It took about two hours, and three followers with the Qi Refining Period retrieved Lin Jiang’s fishing rod. They also brought back the fish, and Liu Jie was shocked to discover just how expensive Lin Jiang’s fishing rod was.
Lin Jiang wanted to return the rod and gave them the demon fish as a gift. He also offered a hundred spirit stones as a token of thanks and invited them for drinks before heading back to Yunzhong City.
After erasing the mark on Shi Tong’s storage bag, Lin Jiang opened his own. Inside, he found many items, including over thirty thousand spirit stones. Among them were around ten medium-grade spirit stones, worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones each. The total value amounted to at least fifty to sixty thousand spirit stones, making Lin Jiang quite wealthy for someone at the Building Foundation Period.
The other two’s storage bags were much less valuable, likely not worth more than five thousand spirit stones, but it was still a good haul. They made a significant profit from this battle.
“Shi Tong had the habit of keeping a diary. After all, he wasn’t a serious person.”
In Shi Tong’s storage bag, Lin Jiang found a diary. It wasn’t inscribed on jade slips but on regular paper. Lin Jiang flipped through it and read about Shi Tong’s life.
Shi Tong was an ordinary person. When he was twelve, Cloud Sword Sect visited his village to test the children’s Spiritual Roots. He was found to have Three Spiritual Roots talents and was accepted as a disciple, though only as an outer disciple.
The first ten years of Shi Tong’s cultivation were difficult. He was often bullied, mostly due to his character. One day, after another round of bullying, he had a sudden realization and started learning how to flatter and win people over. Eventually, he got the position of guarding the Duobao Pavilion in Yunzhong City.
Life was easier at Duobao Pavilion. However, the income from the pavilion was still too low, which is why he came up with the idea of robbing customers.
But Shi Tong was cautious, setting strict criteria for his targets: wealth, low profile, and no powerful backing. He would only act when these conditions were met. He could spend years planning and rarely failed.
The only time he failed was with Mo Lin. Mo Lin was his confidant and fellow villager. However, Mo Lin had poor aptitude and was rejected by Cloud Sword Sect, ending up as an independent cultivator.
“It was the Green Rock Pill that made Shi Tong target me. Looks like I’ll have to abandon my position at Duobao Pavilion.”
After reading Shi Tong’s diary, Lin Jiang understood the root of the issue.
He had made the decision to completely abandon the Jiang Lin identity. Even if Duobao Pavilion offered more, he no longer cared. Stability had become his top priority.
