Chapter 529:
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The Qing State Allied Forces have set up 186 military forts on the southern bank of the Qing River, including 65 water forts, along with several thousand beacon towers, tightly controlling the defense line for thousands of miles along the Qing River.
Among the many military forts, there are three main forts controlled by the Clan Alliance, Immortal Sect, and Wu Sect, overseeing the defense affairs on the southern bank of the Qing River.
Lin Jiang, under Lin Jingzhao’s enthusiastic invitation, arrived at the main fort of the Clan Alliance. Along the way, Lin Jingzhao was introducing Lin Jiang to the glorious history of the Lin family, even mentioning the era of cultivating immortality, though with some errors that Lin Jiang didn’t point out.
"So, the Lin family has used four generations of titles. The current generations are Qi Sheng Xue Hai, Jing Xing Qing Yun, Teng Zhi Guang Hui, and Wan Dai Xing Long, a total of sixteen generations."
Lin Jiang sighed inwardly, as he was the second generation of the Lin family, while Lin Jingzhao was his descendant from around sixty or seventy generations later.
Lin Jiang’s arrival at the fort quickly alerted the senior members of the Lin family, and soon an elder appeared.
"Lin Jingzhao, where is the Martial Saint of the Xia Kingdom?"
The elder’s voice was loud and powerful, reaching before he even appeared.
"Grandpa Haiqing, Senior Zhang is here."
"Is your last name Zhang, from the noble Zhang family in Chu Kingdom?"
Lin Haiqing approached Lin Jiang and asked. Is the Zhang family from Chu Kingdom famous for their martial arts? Do they have a Martial Saint at home?
"No, I’m a hermit from the mountains."
"Is it true that even hermits from the mountains in Xia Kingdom can reach the level of Martial Saint in martial arts?"
"Why can’t hermits from the mountains achieve mastery in martial arts?"
Lin Jiang saw that Lin Haiqing was still skeptical, so he quickly reached out his hand. Lin Haiqing was surprised at first, then burst into laughter and shook hands with Lin Jiang.
In the age of cultivating immortality, one could probe the other’s background using divine sense. But now, it’s through this handshake, not just with one hand but with both hands.
As they held hands, both immediately activated their internal strength. Lin Jiang’s hand emitted a blue light, while Lin Haiqing’s hand glowed red. The two colors intertwined, each trying to overpower the other.
As soon as they started fighting, Lin Haiqing could tell that Lin Jiang had strong martial arts skills. But since they had started, they needed to see who was better. Neither of them showed any intention of stopping.
As the tension rose between them, especially for Lin Haiqing who started sweating soon, things became more intense. On the other hand, Lin Jiang remained calm and composed behind his mask.
"Grandpa Haiqing."
Lin Jingzhao and the others noticed something was wrong. Could their Grandpa Haiqing be losing? That couldn’t be right, as Grandpa Haiqing had become a Martial Saint twenty years ago.
"*sigh*"
After a while, Lin Jiang suddenly pulled back his hand, leaving Lin Haiqing trembling and gasping for air.
"Senior Lin has exceptional martial skills, Zhang Mazi has lost."
"No need, I, Lin Haiqing, can afford to lose. It’s me who lost. Besides, in Qing State, we follow ancient customs and refer to each other as taoist friends."
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Lin Haiqing casually mentioned that he had used all his strength, unsure of how much Lin Jiang had used. He could tell that Lin Jiang hadn’t used his full power.
"Taoist Friend Lin has a broad and understanding mind, Zhang admires him."
Lin Jiang nodded respectfully. He truly admired Lin Haiqing for his open-mindedness and character.
"There’s nothing to admire, practicing martial arts is straightforward. If you are not as good as others, it’s fine. Can you show respect on the battlefield?"
"You’re right."
"Lin Jingzhao, Lin Jingwen, prepare a table for a feast. Today I want to have a drink with Taoist Friend Zhang."
Lin Haiqing signaled Lin Jingzhao to quickly bring strong liquor. He planned to get this guy drunk tonight and possibly finalize a brotherhood or engagement.
Lin Haiqing warmly pulled Lin Jiang to sit down and chat slowly. He asked Lin Jiang some questions about his background, but Lin Jiang evasively covered up. Lin Haiqing didn’t push further, and changed the subject to ask about Lin Jiang’s purpose here.
"I’ve been in seclusion in the mountains for many years. I only recently learned about the Northern Land Demon Humans, so I came to see what they look like in Northern Land."
"Unusual things must have demons. Those who look different from us are naturally Demon Humans. Taoist Friend Zhang, don’t go see them. Join me on the battlefield. Let’s fight side by side and kill the Demon Humans together."
"Taoist Friend Lin, is the Demon Human causing trouble at the border?"
"Yes, we have found out that it’s tough for Demon Humans to have babies. The death rate for female Demon Humans giving birth is very high. Sometimes it’s one life for another. So, Demon Humans kidnap women from our tribe to have children with them. For their offspring, they go crazy and constantly attack our defenses. We ended up abandoning the defenses north of the Qing River and used the river as a natural barrier. They couldn’t launch large-scale attacks anymore, but small groups of Demon Humans keep sneaking in."
"What happens to the women from our tribe after giving birth to Demon Human offspring?"
"Of course, they die. Imagine, some Demon Humans have animal bodies. It’s a big deal; they burst out of their bellies. It would be strange if they didn’t die. And the first thing those Demon Human babies do after being born is to eat the women who gave birth to them."
"Hateful."
"Indeed, hateful. They are not like us, their intentions are different. These Demon Humans are a big problem for our tribe. Some families have long wanted to team up with Xia Kingdom to eradicate Demon Humans together, but Xia Kingdom is not willing to assist, busy with internal conflicts."
Lin Haiqing complained about Xia Kingdom right away. Lin Jiang imagined the scene Lin Haiqing described, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. These Demon Humans really need to be taken down.
"Taoist Friend Lin, do you know where the Demon Humans come from?"
"An ancestor of the Lin family mentioned that Demon Humans originated from the era of immortals. They are beings born from the union of humans and demons back then. In the immortal era, they were considered worthless creatures, sold by cultivators as pets. Nowadays, unable to practice immortality, they have grown in power. By the way, Taoist Friend Zhang, do you know who cultivators are?"
"I don’t know."
"Hi, since you don’t know about this, let me share about my Lin family history. Do you know how my Lin family originated..."
Lin Haiqing immediately got excited, thinking, "I will make this country bumpkin tremble by telling him about Lin family’s history."
Lin Haiqing’s explanation was similar to Lin Jingzhao’s earlier explanation. It meant that Lin family has a long history dating back to the era of cultivating immortality. They were believed to possess extraordinary abilities like flying, cutting rivers with a sword, and smashing mountains with a palm.
People from Qing State were skeptical, even some members of the Lin family themselves didn’t believe it. Since they had never seen such abilities, it was hard for them to imagine. However, since it was passed down by their ancestors, they continued the tradition, considering it a bragging right.
Lin Haiqing’s behavior reminded Lin Jiang of his former classmates. Some claimed their ancestors were from the Ming royal family, some said they were descendants of the Tang dynasty Li family, while others traced their lineage back to the Han dynasty Emperor Liu Bang. When asked for evidence, they only referred to their family records and what they were told at home. In the end, it seemed like every family had some legendary ancestors to boast about.
Lin Jingzhao quickly brought out food and especially fine wine, rolling in several hand carts filled with large jars of fifty pounds each, totaling over ten jars.
"Are we planning to have a feast and bathe in fine wine?"
Lin Jiang chuckled because he knew Lin Haiqing’s intentions very well. He found it amusing how transparent Lin Haiqing’s thoughts were.
Lin Jingzhao invited some skilled and strong drinkers to accompany him. People who practice martial arts know that internal strength can control the effects of alcohol. The amount of control depends on the depth of internal strength. To make the Martial Arts Master drunk, they had to prepare plenty of alcohol and engage in a drinking contest until the opponent’s internal strength was depleted.
There were eight members of the Lin family, each finding different excuses to drink with Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang welcomed everyone and drank one bowl after another. Before long, each person’s head was covered in white mist, a sign of using internal strength to resist the effects of alcohol, making it seem like they were immortals.
The drinking session escalated quickly, and after an hour, two people were carried away, but Lin Jiang remained sober.
Two hours later, there were only four people left at the table.
Six hours later, only Lin Haiqing remained at the table, even needing the alcohol to be refilled twice.
Ten hours later, Lin Haiqing’s eyes were glazed over. He kept calling Lin Jiang his brother and even mentioned marrying his granddaughter to Lin Jiang, which startled Lin Jiang.
You call me brother to my face but want to be my grandfather behind my back?
Lin Jiang promptly threw Lin Haiqing out and then cheerfully went fishing at Qing River in front of Lin Jingzhao and the others. After spending several days as a fisherman, seeing such a great river without casting a few lines was not acceptable.

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