「Three days later.」
The shocking upheaval in Guangping County Town had finally come to an end.
The Inspection Bureau in Guangping County Town was re-established. Wang Tiefeng, Head of Escort Leader of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, was appointed as its new Director.
Hao Jingnian remained as Vice Director.
As for the other two original Vice Directors, they had gone to keep Shi Guanyun company.
The remaining Inspectors who weren’t Shi Guanyun’s close confidants managed to keep their lives, but they lost their positions in the Inspection Bureau.
The Four Seas Gang had half its members purged in a bloodbath—truly, rivers of blood.
Moreover, the various prominent families, whether they had sided with the Four Seas Gang or the Inspection Bureau, paid a steep price for their survival, and their lamentations filled the air.
As for Lin Yan, his life remained unaffected. His days were spent in cultivation.
Tedious, yet fulfilling.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
On this day, the steward of the Lin Mansion arrived with a message.
"Young Master Lin, if it is convenient, Madam Lin invites you to the mansion for a talk."
"Alright, I’ll be over in a moment."
’Lin Yan wasn’t sure what Madam Lin wanted with him, but he doubted it was trouble.’
The Lin Mansion had not chosen a side and was one of the few families to escape the recent turmoil unscathed.
He asked the Lin Mansion’s steward to wait a moment while he returned to his room to change his clothes. Then, he followed the steward to the Lin Mansion.
The steward led Lin Yan directly into the main hall and served him some fragrant tea.
"Please wait a moment, Young Master Lin. The madam will be here shortly."
Lin Yan nodded. Just as he lifted his cup for a sip, the sound of light footsteps emerged from behind a nearby screen.
Qin Yin emerged. She wore a pale lotus-pink dress, a warmer shade than her usual plain white. As she moved, the hem of her skirt swayed gently, like a lotus leaf in a light breeze.
"I hope I haven’t disturbed your cultivation, Young Master Lin." Qin Yin offered a curtsy, a faint smile on her lips, and sat down across from him.
"It’s no disturbance at all. May I ask why you’ve summoned me, Madam?"
Qin Yin didn’t answer right away. Instead, she lifted her teacup and took a small sip, seemingly choosing her words with care.
A moment later, she set down her cup and looked Lin Yan straight in the eye.
"With your talent, Young Master Lin, reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing is only a matter of time. I wonder, do you have any plans for your Martial Arts path after that?"
Lin Yan’s eyes narrowed. "Please, Madam, speak plainly."
"The highest-level Martial Arts Techniques in Guangping County Town only allow for cultivation up to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. To continue your cultivation, you must travel to a Prefecture City or some other region. I have a way for you to acquire techniques for the Blood Exchange Realm and even higher Realms, but it would require you to travel to Qing State."
’Qing State?’
Lin Yan had seen a map of Shandong Dao. Qing State was nowhere near Deng State. Even if he traveled day and night without rest, it would take him at least ten days to get there. A normal merchant caravan would take over a month.
"To be perfectly honest, our Lin Family and the Qing State Lin Family originate from the same lineage. Yesterday, I received a message from the Qing State Lin Family. They are inviting all branch families to send their most outstanding young disciples to the main family in Qing State for cultivation."
Seeing Lin Yan’s confusion, Qin Yin elaborated, "The situation in Qing State is different from that in Deng State. Deng State Prefecture is under the sole control of the Profound Celestial Sect, whereas Qing State Prefecture is governed by the Four Great Clans. The Lin Family is one of those Four Great Clans, and they have no shortage of True Gang Realm powerhouses in their ranks."
’A True Gang Realm powerhouse?’
Lin Yan’s pupils shrank. A True Gang Realm powerhouse was an existence on par with an Elder in the Profound Celestial Sect.
"You’ve said all this, Madam, but my family isn’t on the Lin Clan Genealogy," Lin Yan said with a helpless shrug.
’The Qing State Lin Family is looking for members of its branch families, but his own ancestors for the past five generations had been common folk. He had no connection to them.’
Upon hearing this, Qin Yin gave a sly smile. "I’ve already looked into your ancestry, Young Master Lin. It turns out our ancestors really were related. Your great-great-great-great-grandfather and my late husband’s great-great-great-grandfather were paternal cousins. Go back another two generations, and we clearly stem from the same lineage. Speaking in terms of family, you should really be calling me ’Sister-in-law.’"
’...Sister-in-law?’
Lin Yan looked at the gracefully smiling Qin Yin. ’That works?’
"My late husband’s line only falls within the accepted kinship of the Qing State Lin Family if you go back seventeen generations. In terms of blood ties, we’re actually more closely related to your family."
Qin Yin said this with a sigh. If her family’s connection to the Qing State Lin Family were truly close, she wouldn’t have rushed to sponsor Lin Yan when her husband died; she would have simply appealed to the main branch for aid.
If it weren’t for this letter from the main family, she wouldn’t have even known that her ancestors had such a powerful branch of relatives.
The moment Qin Yin said this, Lin Yan understood.
’Stretch the timeline, trace it back far enough...’
’As long as one’s surname was Lin and it hadn’t been changed, if you traced the lineage back far enough, you were bound to find a common ancestor.’
’If one hundred years wasn’t enough, then go back two hundred. If two hundred wasn’t enough, then three hundred. Go back five hundred years, and everyone was surely one big family.’
"Madam, do you know why the Qing State Lin Family is summoning members from its branch families?"
"That, I do not know. The Qing State Lin Family did not mention the reason in their letter. However, since we belong to the same lineage, I believe it is a better opportunity for you than going to Deng State Prefecture later on. The only drawback is its distance from Deng State Prefecture."
Lin Yan fell into thought, not rushing to a decision. "Let me take some time to consider this."
"Fine. But please make your decision quickly, Young Master Lin. The Qing State Lin Family requires all branch members to arrive before the end of the first month of the new year. Taking travel time into account, you only have about ten days to decide."
"Yes, I will give you my answer before the deadline, Madam."
Lin Yan nodded. He then asked a few questions about the Lin Mansion’s businesses. After confirming they hadn’t been impacted, he stood up and took his leave.
"Madam, do you think Young Master Lin will go?"
The Lin Mansion’s steward, having seen Lin Yan out, returned to the main hall and asked with curiosity.
"Given his background, unless he chooses to sell himself to one of the great powers in the Prefecture City, it will be nearly impossible for him to obtain a Blood Exchange Realm Technique. If he doesn’t want to do that, then going to the Qing State Lin Family is his only chance."

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