Chapter 58
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Chapter 58: Orphaned and Widowed Mother
Yunzhong City, South City
Lin Jiang knocked on a door, and Zhang Ruifang welcomed him inside.
When she saw Lin Jiang’s expression, a sense of sadness washed over her.
“It seems like you already guessed the outcome.”
“Yes. Can you do me a favor?”
“No. I know what you want to do, but if I help, everything we did before will be wasted.”
Lin Jiang understood.
Zhang Ruifang wanted him to collect Cao Yang’s body.
Earlier today, Lin Jiang received news from the big market—Wen Xing, a disciple of Pill King Li Ruoxu, had been attacked in the Yunzhong Mountain Range.
Though injured, Wen Xing managed to kill the assassin.
That assassin was none other than Cao Yang.
A few days ago, Lin Jiang had moved Zhang Ruifang and her daughter to South City.
This way, their connection would seem casual—at most, they would appear to be regular neighbors.
If Lin Jiang helped collect the body, it would only draw more suspicion.
“I can’t bear to let him remain exposed in the wilderness.”
“There’s a dedicated body collection team in the city. I’ll keep an eye on them for you. We can collect his body in a few months. It’s too risky to go now—anyone who tries will die.”
Lin Jiang explained that many people died daily in Yunzhong City.
Outside the city, there was a mass grave where unidentified bodies were left.
Since Cao Yang’s assassination attempt on Wen Xing was a major event, it would be easier to investigate later.
“I understand. Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank me. Cao Yang helped me once—this is my way of repaying him.”
Lin Jiang was certain that Cao Yang had wiped out the entire Liao family.
After Jiang Jingzhong had gone missing for half a month, Lin Jiang broke into their house.
What he found was chaos—bloodstains, signs of a fight—but no bodies.
They must have destroyed the corpses to erase all evidence.
In this matter, Lin Jiang truly owed Cao Yang.
If not for his warning, Lin Jiang would have walked straight into a deadly trap.
If the Liao family had gotten their hands on him, his fate would have been uncertain.
“I still owe you a favor.”
“You can take your time repaying it. I’ve stocked up three months’ worth of supplies for you. Stay home for these three months and don’t go out. If you need anything, send me a Sound Passing Talisman. Let’s wait for this storm to pass.”
“I know. You need to be careful too. You can’t use your beast pet in the city. Watch out for the Dark Night Organization.”
“Your own organization is targeting you too?”
Lin Jiang frowned.
It wasn’t just Wen Xing’s revenge he had to worry about—why would he also need to be wary of the Dark Night Organization?
“I was married to Cao Yang. We were both assassins. After giving birth to our child, I wanted to leave the organization. But they won’t let me go.”
“Every assassin is trained at great expense. We sell our lives to the organization. The only way to leave is through death.”
“The Dark Night Organization won’t spare me. They might even take my child away—if they have a Spiritual Root—to be raised as the next generation of assassins.”
“Why did you join such a heartless organization?”
Lin Jiang shook his head.
The Dark Night Organization was beyond ruthless.
Even capitalists would cry if they saw how it operated.
They spent money training assassins who worked for them until death.
Even their children weren’t spared—raised as the next generation of killers.
No capitalist could compare to this level of exploitation.
It was truly, truly dark.
“Who would willingly join such an organization if they had another choice?”
“After Cao Yang’s mother died, their property was seized. His father died soon after. He had nowhere to go.”
“As for me, after my brother died, I still had a family—but they were like fierce tigers, ready to devour me.”
“In my family, resources are given only to those with strong cultivation talent. For every spirit stone I earned, they took one away. In the end, they even wanted to sell me off—just because I had a Spiritual Root.”
“They wanted me to marry another cultivator so we could have a child with a Spiritual Root.”
“I only wanted to find my brother and give him a proper burial. But they refused. They were afraid I would die and cost them money.”
“When we joined the Dark Night Organization, we already knew the consequences—but we had no other choice.”
Lin Jiang sighed.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? This has nothing to do with you.”
“It just reminded you of painful memories.”
“It’s all in the past. Maybe a few years ago, I would have felt sad and angry. But now, I have a child, and that gives me hope.”
“You’re not a parent, so you wouldn’t understand this feeling.”
Lin Jiang nodded.
“You’re right—I don’t understand. But for the sake of your child, live well. With your abilities, you should leave all this behind. Go somewhere far away from the big cities. You can live a peaceful, worry-free life.”
In Yunzhong City, a Foundation Building cultivator wasn’t considered much.
But in a remote area, like where the Lin family used to be, a Foundation Building cultivator would be a formidable force.
One could easily claim a spiritual mountain, manage it well, and live in wealth.
Maybe not in luxury, but at least without worries.
“First, let’s survive. The Dark Night Organization is very dangerous—they have powerful people backing them.”
“Okay.”
Lin Jiang sighed.
He was feeling increasingly uneasy.
Not only had he heard about Zhang Ruifang’s tragic past, but now he was involved in something much bigger than himself.
He might soon be facing powerful enemies.
That was the last thing he wanted.
He only wished to cultivate quietly and avoid unnecessary trouble.
“Is anyone there?”
At Lin Jiang’s residence in West City, someone knocked on the door.
Coincidentally, Lin Jiang had just returned from the big market.
Opening the door, he was momentarily stunned.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Mr. Wen.”
Wen Xing stood at the doorstep, trying hard to smile.
“Do you live here?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know who lives next door?”
“Yes, a family of three.”
“Do you know where they are now?”
“I don’t know. I’m not very familiar with them—just nodding acquaintances. We only meet once every three to five days.”
“May I ask if there’s something you need, sir?”
Wen Xing’s expression darkened.
“Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?”
He didn’t believe in coincidences.
The spiritual talisman vendor he had met at the market just happened to live next to the assassin who had tried to kill him?
That was too much of a coincidence.
Lin Jiang remained calm.
“Senior, we have no grievances or disputes. Why would I deceive you? There’s no benefit in doing so.”
Wen Xing narrowed his eyes.
“That’s true. So, tell me—what do they usually do?”
“How would I know? We only come across each other every few days. All I know is that the woman next door often goes to the market to buy groceries. She’s married, so I can’t just start a conversation with her.”
“Really?”
Wen Xing felt a bit annoyed.
Why did he get the feeling that this person was mocking him?
He used to enjoy doing that sort of thing himself.
“Senior, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back first. I’m hungry and need to cook.”
Lin Jiang gestured with the things in his hand.
He had helped Zhang Ruifang with shopping, and if he didn’t bring something back home, it would seem strange.
Wen Xing glanced over and was about to let Lin Jiang go when suddenly, he heard Li Ruoxu’s voice in his ear.
“Be careful, my disciple. This person has disguised themselves.”
“Wait!”
Upon hearing that, Wen Xing immediately shouted.
“Senior, is there something else?”
“Why don’t you dare to show your true identity?”
“Senior, what do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“You’re still pretending to be ignorant? Just because you disguised yourself doesn’t mean I can’t tell. You’re an assassin too, aren’t you?”
“What does my disguise have to do with anything? Are you saying I’m an assassin just because you suspect me? Do you have any evidence?”
“Hmph! What evidence do I need?”
Wen Xing’s voice was filled with anger.
During the incident in the Yunzhong Mountain Range, he had been nearly killed.
He had been stabbed, and if not for Li Ruoxu giving him a protective treasure, he would have died.
There was no way he would let this matter go.
Even if it meant offending someone, what did it matter?
It was just an independent cultivator.
“You…”
Lin Jiang felt extremely unhappy seeing Wen Xing act so domineering.
He stared at him coldly.
If Wen Xing wanted to make a move, Lin Jiang was ready to fight back.
Even without Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, he could still protect himself against someone in the Foundation Building Period.
“Little brother, it’s me, Li Ruoxu. How about giving me some face?”
At this moment, Li Ruoxu’s voice rang in their ears.
Lin Jiang instantly felt a powerful spiritual sense locking onto him.
A wave of terror swept over him.
Just from that spiritual sense alone, Lin Jiang felt overwhelmed.
“Senior Pill King, may I ask for your guidance?”
Lin Jiang held back the urge to kneel and worship.
Even though the other party was a Pill King, he didn’t want to submit.
“Let my disciple take a look at your true identity to avoid unnecessary conflict. If you fight, you might suffer.”
Li Ruoxu’s tone was calm.
He wasn’t present in person, but he was guiding Wen Xing on how to handle things.
In Yunzhong City, being too stubborn wasn’t wise—you had to be strategic.
“Okay.”
Lin Jiang agreed.
Afterward, he used magic to restore his original appearance.
He wasn’t afraid of Wen Xing recognizing him.
When they first met, Lin Jiang had used the name “Lin Yu” and had already altered his appearance.
Now, he had merely changed back to looking like Lin Jiang.
If Zhang Ruifang were here, she would immediately recognize him.
“You’re so young. No wonder you needed to change your appearance.”
Wen Xing examined Lin Jiang carefully.
Lin Jiang still looked like a seventeen-year-old—youthful and fresh-faced.
With his cultivation level at the ninth stage of Qi Refining, it made sense that he might have wanted to disguise himself.
“I offended someone outside and had to change my appearance. I can’t show my true face to people. I hope you understand, senior.”
“Let him go. He’s not from the Dark Night.”
Li Ruoxu’s voice came again.
In just a moment, he had already analyzed Lin Jiang’s appearance.
He was accompanied by high-ranking figures in Yunzhong City, who confirmed that Lin Jiang had no ties to the Dark Night Organization.
“You can go now.”
“Thank you, senior.”
Lin Jiang bowed, then turned and walked into his house.
He shut the door behind him and activated the protective barrier.
His expression was dark and brooding.
“Pill King Li Ruoxu, Wen Xing… I will remember this debt.”
Being stopped in the street and forced to reveal his true identity—this was the greatest humiliation.
For most people, it would be an unbearable shame.
For Lin Jiang, it was unacceptable.
He might not be their match now…
But a hundred or a thousand years later—he would stand before their graves and dance.
