Chapter 242:
The residence of Bing State and the Lin family
As Lin Jiang looked at the unfamiliar crowd, he suddenly felt confused. Where were the people? Where were Lin Batian, Lin Die, Lin Ying, and the Lin family?
Could something have happened?
Lin Jiang quickly asked the unfamiliar people, but they didn’t know where the previous owner was. When they arrived here, it was already empty. They were just a group of independent farmers who took over the land when they saw it was ownerless.
"It should be fine. They probably left. If the four major families found out, there would have been a fierce battle."
Lin Jiang reassured himself and then headed to Yucheng City, which was under the Pure Jade Sect. When Lin Jiang left Yucheng City, he brought some Lin family descendants to help him manage his properties.
But when Lin Jiang returned to Yucheng City, his spiritual jade business was gone. Lin Jiang didn’t know what to say anymore.
"I’ve only been gone for over twenty years. How can it feel like it’s been two hundred years? Everything has changed so much!"
Lin Jiang almost burst out swearing. Twenty years may be a long time for ordinary people, but the people he dealt with now were either at the golden core stage or the nascent soul stage. Is twenty years really that long?
Lin Jiang didn’t give up and kept searching. Fortunately, his few restaurants were still there. They had even become a well-known old establishment in Yucheng City.
"Uncle Xiao, is that you?"
"Are you from the Lin family?"
"It’s really my uncle, I am Lin Gongyun, a junior of the Gong family."
"Where are the people from before?"
Lin Jiang asked, he remembered that the people who came before were not from the Gong family, but from the Ding and Dong families.
"The previous elders have all gone back."
"Let’s find a quiet place to talk."
"Yes, Uncle Xiao, come this way."
Lin Gongyun led Lin Jiang into a private room, and Lin Jiang asked about the Lin family’s situation.
"The family has moved again, it’s been about seven or eight years. We haven’t been able to contact Uncle Xiao, so the Third Ancestor asked me to stay here and wait for my uncle to return."
"Why did you move? Where did you move to?"
"I don’t know why either, it was a sudden notice. As for where we will be moving to, I’ll have someone come pick up Uncle Zhu."
"You don’t know either?"
"Yes, I don’t know. When I came to Yucheng City, the family hadn’t moved yet. Later, I received news that the family had already moved away."
"So what will happen to the profits of these shops over the years?"
"Every year, someone will come and take them away."
"What about the spiritual jade business?"
"It’s gone, someone occupied it."
"Tell me more about it."
About ten years ago, Senior Yi Zhibai was in seclusion trying to make a breakthrough in Soul Changing, but he failed and got seriously injured. He had only a breath left. Later, while he was in recovery, there was an incident at his gambling jade den. Their people weren’t vigilant and a master appeared, buying their raw stones at a low price and cutting out many exquisite gemstones. The den suffered huge losses, and afterwards his fellow disciples turned against him, demanding compensation. Senior Yi Zhibai couldn’t afford it, so he had to use his properties to offset the debt. Even ours got occupied by someone else.
Later, the head of the family took action and managed to recover some losses. After that, we started our own new business, but without connections, we couldn’t make it. We had to close in less than two years. Only a few restaurants were left, which didn’t make much money. It was just a way to stay in Yucheng City.
"I saw him building tall buildings, I saw him hosting guests, I saw his building collapse."
After Lin Jiang finished listening, he sighed. He knew from the beginning that what Yi Zhibai was doing was very risky, but he didn’t expect things to go wrong so quickly. It had only been less than twenty years.
"Yes, things change."
"Where’s Yi Zhibai?"
"I don’t know. After Yi Zhibai got into trouble, I haven’t received any news from him. Some say he died, some say he left. I don’t really know the specifics."
"Got it. You contact someone from the Lin family, I’ll go elsewhere to take a look."
Lin Jiang nodded and left shortly after.
Lin Jiang went to Pure Jade Sect to find out information about Yi Zhibai. The people from Pure Jade Sect told Lin Jiang that Yi Zhibai had been traveling for many years and no one knew where he was, not even his descendants.
"Will we be returning to the Divine Kingdom?"
Lin Jiang secretly guessed that for Yi Zhibai, the Divine Kingdom was definitely a very important moment in his life, as he was a young talent who had achieved the breakthrough to Nascent Soul at a young age. However, he had spent many years wandering in the Divine Kingdom, wasting his youth.
But Lin Jiang didn’t have time to find Yi Zhibai anymore. As an adult, he had to walk through every stage of life on his own. He couldn’t blame others. All Lin Jiang could do was silently pray for Yi Zhibai in his heart.
After staying in Yucheng City for half a month, the Lin family sent someone to visit. The person who came was Lin Die.
"Where have you been all these years?"
"I’ve been hanging around in the central region."
"That’s outrageous!"
"Yes, Third Auntie was right to scold me."
Lin Jiang honestly accepted the scolding. He didn’t expect so many things to happen during this time away.
"Auntie Three, what happened to the Lin family? Why did they move again?"
"My dad acted too quickly, and some of the Lin family children were caught. To keep them safe, we had to move again."
"How bad was the damage?"
"It wasn’t too bad for us, but the four major clans suffered a great loss. They don’t have much power left, so they’ll have to rely on themselves in the future."
"Oh no, how did it come to this?"
"The enemy is strong and we are weak, that’s just how it is. Our future is uncertain."
Lin Die said. The Lin family has already been very fierce. They’ve struggled for so many years and still haven’t been wiped out. If it were an ordinary enemy, they would have been defeated long ago.
"I’ll go back with Auntie Three and take a look."
"That’s a good idea. Go back and see. Your master has been looking for you many times, wondering how to explain things to you."
"Ahem"
"What’s wrong, are you scared?"
"Why be scared? The descendants of the Lin family are strong and reliable."
"Don’t come looking for me for help later."
"Haha, Third Auntie, my good Third Auntie, that, um..."
"Go away, tone down your arrogance."
Lin Die glanced over, surprised that the kid dared to leave without saying anything. This time, he must face some consequences.
Lin Jiang sighed bitterly, feeling helpless. He didn’t expect so many things to happen after leaving this time, and he knew he was going to get scolded.
As Lin Die and Lin Jiang left, the Lin family’s residence had already been relocated to a mountainous area on the outskirts of Zhongzhou. It was a remote area with weak spiritual veins, surrounded by cultivators at the Qi Refining and Building Foundation stages.
"Third Auntie, is it just a few people left in the Lin family?"
Lin Jiang looked at the Lin family’s residence. How did they have only around a hundred people left with so many casualties?
"Of course not. This area is considered undesirable by the Central Province Sect. If there were too many people, it would draw too much attention. So only a few people were assigned here, and the others have their own arrangements."
"Continuously causing trouble won’t allow for the cultivation of high-level cultivators. We must stabilize."
"What’s the point of saying that now when there’s no way out?"
Lin Die replied. Lin Batian is completely focused on revenge. He keeps on assassinating and provoking the four major clans. The four major clans keep sending people to find them, so they can only keep changing places.
"It’s my fault. Otherwise, Yucheng City could have been a base for the Lin family."
"It’s not entirely your fault either. After you left Yucheng City, something big happened there. With your strength, it would have been difficult to survive at that time. Running away was actually the right choice."
"Money can move people’s hearts, but Yi Zhibai didn’t listen to my advice. It’s a pity."
"There is no right or wrong in this matter. Yi Zhibai has been wandering in the Divine Kingdom for many years, wasting his lifespan. He doesn’t need to use such means to perform Soul Changing. He should have passed away by now. He has just failed, that’s all. If he succeeded, he would have become the esteemed Soul Changing Ancestor of the Pure Jade Sect."
"That’s right, forget it. I’ll go and see the head of the family first. What should come will come. I’m not afraid."
Lin Jiang said. Now that Yi Zhibai’s matter has come to an end, I won’t bother with it anymore.
"Greetings to the head of the family."
Lin Batian stayed at home and didn’t wander around. Lin Jiang went to pay his respects.
"This kid can really run, it’s been twenty or thirty years since he last ran."
"He’s fine. He just has quick feet, that’s all."
"Do you really think I’m praising you?"
"I was wrong, I realize my mistake now."
"You troublemaker who doesn’t listen to reason, I really want to teach you a lesson."
Lin Batian shook his head. Although Lin Jiang was a descendant of the Lin family, Lin Batian didn’t feel indebted to them and didn’t want to get involved. If it were someone who was actually raised by the Lin family, it would be fair to punish them like this.
"I admit defeat, both in my heart and in words."
"Stop pretending, I won’t do anything to you."
"You’re too biased towards the Xie family."
"Go away, don’t bother me."
"Yes."
Lin Jiang obediently left, not daring to say anything else.
"My dad will come over in a few days, I won’t say anything unnecessary."
Zhang Shuhua was still working as an envoy at the Lin family. When he saw Lin Jiang, he didn’t want to say much.
"Have I become despised by people and hated like a dog?"
"Don’t think too much, at most it’s just a punishment, nothing serious."
"How has Senior Brother been these past years?"
"Pretty good, I have time to cultivate."
Zhang Shuhua said. Since he became an envoy for the Lin family, he hasn’t had anything else to do. Instead, he has had time to practice in secret. He is already in the mid-stage of the Golden Core
"How has the sect been in these years?"
"It’s all been good, thriving and prosperous. I haven’t been back for many years, so I don’t know the specifics. But I guess your friends are probably doing well by now."
"Life and death are predetermined."
Lin Jiang nodded, Yue Qing and Yue Lin couldn’t break through the golden core. They tried but failed. Thinking of time, Yue Lin is already over two hundred years old, and Yue Qing is also around two hundred. Even if they have money and bought longevity treasures, it’s almost the end.
"Dad, help me!"
Lin Jiang was about to say something, when Small Shadiao rushed in, calling out "Dad," followed by Big Shadiao Lin Yu.
"Brother!"
When Big Shadiao saw Lin Jiang, he smiled happily.
"Lin Yu, why are you bullying your little brother again?"
"Little brother is not behaving, so he needs a beating."
"Dad, help me! If you don’t save me, I’ll be beaten to death, and you’ll have no son!"
"Um, Small Shadiao, when we’re at the Lin family’s place, you don’t need to call me dad. Don’t look at me like that, I told him to call me dad to deceive others."
Lin Jiang saw that the expressions of everyone were not right and quickly explained.
"You guys are really good at playing."
Zhang Shuhua couldn’t bear to look directly at his junior brother, it’s unbelievable.
"Brother, if my younger brother calls you dad, then I will call you dad too, dad."
"Lin Yu, don’t join in the fun."
"Dad..."
"Shut up."
Lin Ying, who came along, also had a puzzled expression. She had been with Big Shadiao all these years, and they referred to each other as sisters. Now that Big Shadiao called their father, what should she call him? Isn’t this a mess?
"Um, Lin Yu, remember to call me brother, Small Shadiao, in front of these people. If you call me dad again, I’ll castrate you and make you unable to find a female bird."
Lin Jiang kindly said to Big Shadiao, then turned around and angrily said to Small Shadiao. Small Shadiao held onto his precious belongings, his face full of fear, and quickly ran away. Life became boring for the birds. They were tricked by their owner when they were outside, and beaten by their sister at home. These were tough times for them.

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