Chapter 98

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Chapter 98: Facing the Dark Night

Yunzhong City

These days, Lin Jiang has been in Yunzhong City. Before the Centennial Celebration, major businesses would finalize some auction items and release announcements in advance, so that customers can prepare in advance.

Lin Jiang has been collecting these news, wanting to obtain some treasures. He must prepare in advance, or else he would have to spend a lot of unnecessary money.

The top businesses in Yunzhong City are mainly Duobao Pavilion and Star Gathering Tower. They have the most auctions during each Centennial Celebration, and they have the highest standards. Every Centennial Celebration will have some unexpected treasures appearing.

Next is the medium-sized business alliance led by Four Seas Trading Company. They gather more than ten medium-sized businesses and jointly hold auctions. They may not be as high in quality as Duobao Pavilion, but their impact is no less.

They are also one of Lin Jiang’s main targets. The top-tier auctions like Duobao Pavilion and Star Gathering Tower actually have nothing to do with Lin Jiang. First, he can’t afford them, and second, he may not even have the qualifications.

“Seems like I have to restore Lin Sheng’s identity and borrow Cao Ying’s influence.”

After wandering around for a few days, Lin Jiang realized that his current identity doesn’t hold much weight. Mainly because Lin Jiang used too many identities when buying things before, and many of them were bought from the fake black market in the city. He doesn’t have any points at all, and the businesses won’t pay attention to you if you don’t have enough spirit stones to spend. Without enough spending, you wouldn’t have the qualifications.

“I haven’t seen Cao Ying in over thirty years. If I see her now, I’ll probably get blamed to death.”

Lin Jiang also thought about this problem. He disappeared without a trace for over thirty years. Cao Ying must be furious. If they meet now, it would be so awkward.

“Forget it, forget it. Let’s talk about it later. I’ll figure it out myself first.”

Lin Jiang hesitated for a long time but decided to talk about it later. If he really couldn’t go to the auction he wanted to go to, he would use Lin Sheng’s identity.

Two days later, Lin Jiang was discussing the treasure lists of various major businesses with a few familiar independent cultivators at a restaurant. Suddenly, he felt something strange in his storage bag. Lin Jiang quickly checked and was shocked. It was the control token for the formation in his cave, and it kept jumping.

“Is someone stealing from my home?”

Lin Jiang felt a little anxious and quickly found an excuse to leave, then hurried towards the city gate.

Although Lin Jiang had placed some spirit stones on the formation base of the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation before leaving home to make up for the lack of spiritual energy, it wasn’t much. Moreover, the formation needed someone to control it to reach its maximum effectiveness. Without anyone controlling it, it was just an inanimate object and could easily be discovered and attacked.

Lin Jiang had put a lot of effort into his cave. If someone stole from his home, it would be a big loss.

“Not right, not right, something is wrong.”

Lin Jiang had reached the gate of the city when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Lin Jiang defeated Yusong and his group from Cangying Ridge. The news had already spread. Yusong was at the advanced stage of the Building Foundation Period, and Lin Jiang’s Aurora falcon had been exposed. The attackers were definitely not from Black Water Pool, but from the Golden Core Period or higher.

“Someone from the Golden Core Period has set their eyes on me. Attacking my residence is their way of luring me out. That’s their intention.”

Lin Jiang instantly understood. He didn’t know who was targeting him, but he was certain that if he went out, he would be in mortal danger.

With this in mind, Lin Jiang turned around and headed back to the city. He could abandon the things in his residence. Compared to his life, those belongings meant nothing.

“Taoist friend, please stay.”

Before Lin Jiang had gone far, someone blocked his path. Lin Jiang scanned him with his consciousness, but it disappeared in front of him. He realized this person had achieved the Golden Core level of cultivation.

“Just tell me, who are you and why do you want to lure me out of the city?”

“Taoist Friend Lin held something that belongs to us, hoping Taoist Friend Lin will return it.”

“What thing? Why don’t I know about it?”

“Breaking Array Cone”

“Breaking Array Cone, after so many years, you just remembered? Is that fair?”

Lin Jiang instantly understood who this person was – a member of the Dark Night Organization. But Breaking Array Cone was the assassin who was with Zhou Yunyang when Lin Jiang killed him. It’s been thirty years already, what is this guy thinking?

“I’m too busy and overwhelmed, I hope Taoist Friend Lin can make it easy.”

“What if I don’t?”

“If you don’t, then sorry to say, Taoist Friend Lin will face trouble. The Dark Night Organization will come back and you might be our first target. Taoist Friend Lin, you wouldn’t want to be constantly targeted for assassination, right?”

The person replied that since the battle in Sanjiang Estuary years ago, the Dark Night Organization has been unlucky. They were first suppressed by two major sects and many people died. Later, they failed several missions, especially against assassins at the Building Foundation Period level. There are only a few of them left.

In addition to the continuous pressure from the two major sects, they had to hide and keep quiet. They even moved their main force elsewhere, leaving only a small number of troops near Yunzhong City. It was not until now that their main force was sent back.

“I’m curious, is the Breaking Array Cone really worth all this trouble?”

“This is our business, Taoist Friend Lin just needs to return the things to us.”

“But based on what I know about you, even if I return the things, you won’t let me off.”

Lin Jiang shook his head. The Breaking Array Cone posed a great threat to him. He relied on formations to protect himself in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. If the Dark Night Organization had the Breaking Array Cone, it could easily break through his defensive formations. Moreover, he had possessed it for decades. It was too good to be true for Dark Night to ask him to return it.

“Don’t deceive yourself, Taoist Friend Lin. Sometimes, a dispute of pride can cost you your life.”

“Can you consider yourself a threat to me now?”

“So what if you can?”

“Help! There are Dark Night Organization assassins here. He wants to kill me.”

Suddenly, Lin Jiang shouted loudly, and the pedestrians around were first stunned, then focused their gaze on the two of them.

“·····”

The people from the Dark Night Organization’s faces stiffened. They were really angry. You, Sixth Brother, unexpectedly used sneaky tricks without playing fair.

“Remember this.”

The person left a sentence and quickly displayed their agility to escape, as they had already seen a patrol team coming this way.

“Where is the assassin, where is the assassin?”

The patrol team quickly appeared. The two major sects have always maintained a high-pressure policy towards the assassin organization. In their eyes, the assassin organization is equivalent to a terrorist organization in the cultivation world.

Lin Jiang honestly confessed and even described the appearance of that person. Although it might have been a disguise, it would still give them some trouble.

Of course, there couldn’t be an immediate response to such a matter. Those patrol teams simply recorded the incident and let Lin Jiang go.

Lin Jiang also didn’t expect them to do anything, he had already made a decision, he wouldn’t leave Yunzhong City until the Centennial Celebration was over, he would hide in Yunzhong City for a while before deciding.

········

“Friend Taoist Lin, where have you been all these years?”

When Lin Jiang appeared again as Lin Sheng at the Star Gathering Tower, the shopkeeper immediately expressed his grievances towards Lin Jiang.

“Steward Zhang has become the shopkeeper Zhang, congratulations!”

Lin Jiang smiled, more than thirty years had passed, the former shopkeeper had disappeared, and the previous steward had been promoted.

“Taoist Friend Lin····”

“Shopkeeper Zhang, I was just traveling around, no need to exaggerate like that.”

“Friend Taoist Lin, do you know that Cao Ying has been desperately looking for you all these years? For three years, Cao Ying worked at the Star Gathering Tower just to wait for you.”

“Is it like this?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang felt guilty in his heart. He didn’t expect Cao Ying to do these things.

“I can’t deceive you anymore. Cao Ying not only worked in this position for three years, waiting specifically for you, but she was also tricked. Someone said they saw you south of Yuntuo River, so she went to look for you. Unexpectedly, she fell into an ambush. If it wasn’t for the timely rescue by the sect, she might have died.”

“How is Cao Ying?”

Lin Jiang instantly lost his composure and couldn’t bear to hear any more. He anxiously asked.

“She’s fine. You wait here, I will inform Cao Ying.”

“Okay.”

“She’ll be here soon, at most two hours.”

“I’ll wait.”

Lin Jiang nodded, feeling deep regret. He never expected Cao Ying to do all these things for him, and he almost got fooled because of it. It’s really a shame.

“Bang!”

Two hours quickly passed. The door was forcefully pushed open, and Cao Ying appeared at the doorway, staring blankly at Lin Jiang.

“Little Ying···”

Lin Jiang called out, but Cao Ying didn’t respond. She just looked at him and slowly walked towards him, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. I can’t stand seeing women cry.”

Lin Jiang appeared a bit flustered, wanting to wipe away Cao Ying’s tears like he used to when she was younger, but he realized that Cao Ying was now a grown girl, so it wouldn’t be appropriate.

Sigh, hasn’t anyone invented tissues in this world?

“Uncle…”

“Oh, I am here.”

“I’m hungry, I want to eat the food you make.”

“Okay, okay, I will make it for you right away, I will make it for you now.”

Lin Jiang quickly agreed, but found out that there were no pots, bowls, or utensils. Couldn’t make anything.

In the end, they borrowed the place where the Star Gathering Tower guys lived in to cook. Lin Jiang worked hard for two hours and made more than ten dishes that Cao Ying liked.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m too scared to eat.”

“Why, afraid that uncle will poison you?”

Lin Jiang decided to tell a corny joke, and ended up successfully killing the mood. It was quite awkward.

“Haha, just kidding, just kidding.”

“I’m afraid that if I finish eating, you’ll run away again, and not show up for decades, uncle, do you not want Little Ying anymore?”

“How could that be, I’m back now, aren’t I?”

“Then you’re not allowed to run away again.”

“I won’t run, I won’t run.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I won’t lie to you.”

“Really, you can’t lie to me. I’m in the Golden Core Period now. If you dare to lie to me, I will bring you back to the Zhonghang Sect, I, I…”

“What is this? I’m already in the Golden Core Period?”

Lin Jiang heard the news and his food suddenly lost its taste. They hadn’t seen each other in thirty years, and now he was already in the Golden Core Period. How was it possible?

Oh no, his young niece was about to surpass him and become a senior. He would be the shorter one when they met.