Chapter 15 - Guiding Lin Chen and the Gains from the Jiang Family’s Fall
Although Lin Chen had received an investment from Lin Xuan, he did not leave the medical pavilion. Instead, he continued to study diligently there.
Since starting his cultivation journey, Lin Chen felt his learning speed had significantly increased.
He could easily memorize the properties and effects of various medicinal herbs after just a single glance and even draw inferences from them. This newfound capability made learning much easier.
Coincidentally, Lin Xuan had set up a Spirit Gathering Formation the day before, allowing the Wood Spirit Pearl to absorb a considerable amount of spiritual energy and generate Wood Essence.
After consuming some of the essence, Lin Chen felt an indescribable sense of comfort spread throughout his body.
With his current knowledge of medicine, Lin Chen was confident that the Wood Essence could heal the elder lying in the sickroom.
Although Lin Chen’s current cultivation was still weak and he could not make a significant contribution to the family, he wished to do whatever he could to help.
Now, by offering a small amount of Wood Essence, he could heal the elder who had once guarded the treasure vault. Even though he had only met this elder once, Lin Chen remembered him well.
However, Lin Chen was troubled by how to explain himself.
Lin Xuan had instructed him to keep the existence of his mystical treasure a secret from others. If he were to produce the Wood Essence now, it would inevitably raise questions about its origin.
Just then, a flash of light filled the medical pavilion as Lin Xuan appeared.
“Hmm.” Lin Xuan, hands behind his back, nodded slightly and glanced at Lin Chen. “Come with me,” he said, heading directly into the sickroom.
Lin Chen, being relatively young and inexperienced, still had a simple mindset.
Wanting to help the family was commendable, but recklessly putting oneself in a vulnerable position was unwise.
If Lin Xuan had not arrived when he did, Lin Chen would have inevitably faced some form of opposition or difficulty.
“Do you understand where you went wrong?”
Lin Xuan asked Lin Chen, looking at the weakened Lin Song lying on the bed.
“Clan leader, I…” Lin Chen hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Seeing Lin Chen’s unease, Lin Xuan sighed inwardly. ‘After all, he’s still just a young boy. How could he have anticipated all the potential consequences?’ he thought.
With a gentler tone, Lin Xuan spoke to Lin Chen.
“In the future, focus on your cultivation within the clan. As for other matters, don’t try to take on too much. When the time comes, I will seek you out.”
Lin Chen’s special constitution had yet to fully awaken, and although his cultivation speed wasn’t slow, it was still only at the Qi Refining stage—far too low to shoulder significant responsibilities.
Since the clan had only recently discovered a few promising young talents, Lin Xuan was determined to nurture them carefully. After all, whether he, as the clan leader, could one day relax and rely on his family depended on their potential.
Finally, Lin Xuan allowed Lin Chen to administer the Wood Essence to Lin Song.
Having gone through such a near-death experience, Lin Song would likely become an even more useful asset to the family.
Meanwhile, in White Cloud City, the Jiang family was in disarray.
Against the powerful onslaught of the Lin family cultivators, the remaining members of the Jiang family had no means to resist.
In just a quarter of an hour, every last member of the Jiang family was eliminated.
“Clean up the battlefield and carefully inventory the resources!”
Following the instructions of the Lin family elders, the younger members promptly sprang into action.
The Jiang family had operated in White Cloud City for many years, and in addition to their shops and properties, they had accumulated a considerable amount of resources.
Techniques, spells, pills, magical artifacts—anything that could be carried away was promptly seized and brought back to the Lin family.
Fixed assets like houses, medicinal fields, and marketplaces would be taken over by the Lin family in the following days.
The other two families in White Cloud City, Lu and Feng, were understandably envious of the wealth amassed during this event.
While they had initially intended to take advantage of the situation, fear of becoming the next Jiang family made them hesitate.
In the end, they had no choice but to turn a blind eye to the events and prepare a generous gift for the Lin family as a congratulatory gesture.
With a Golden Core cultivator overseeing the Lin family, neither the Lu nor Feng families dared to provoke them.
The day after the Jiang family’s annihilation, the Lin family’s council convened in the meeting hall.
The elders had gathered to report on the gains from the operation against the Jiang family.
Among the familiar faces were some new ones, while a few of the older faces were missing.
Since Lin Xuan’s implementation of new regulations and the establishment of the Spirit Gathering Formation, the Lin family had been growing stronger day by day.
Although no one had yet broken through to the Golden Core stage, there had been numerous breakthroughs, from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and from mid-stage to late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Lin Xuan had introduced a new rule: to become an elder, one had to not only meet the cultivation requirements but also possess a sufficient contribution score.
As a result, many who had reached Foundation Establishment were not made elders due to their lack of contributions.
Only a select few who had consistently served the family or possessed enough resources to trade for contribution points managed to attain elder status.
“Clan leader, the gains from the Jiang family’s fall have been fully tallied and added to the inventory. Here is the list.”
“Elder Lin Ji has already sent people to take over the Jiang family’s properties, shops, and lands.”
Lin Xuan took the list and scanned the numbers, his brow furrowing slightly.
“How could the Jiang family’s resources be so little?”
Having reviewed the Lin family’s treasury records, Lin Xuan knew the quantity of their resources well.
The Jiang family had possessed a far larger share, yet the resources on this list amounted to less than a quarter of the Lin family’s.
“Please forgive us, clan leader,” one of the elders who had investigated the matter explained, standing up.
“The reason the Jiang family’s resources are so limited is that Jiang Tianyang had poured everything into his son, Jiang Haoyun. In an effort to gain favor with a Golden Core elder in the Sand Sea Sect, he exhausted the family’s wealth. When that wasn’t enough, he set his sights on our Lin family, which led to the subsequent events.”
Lin Xuan couldn’t help but be at a loss for words.
Jiang Tianyang was indeed quite the character.
If not for Lin Xuan’s intervention, he might have actually succeeded in his ambitions.
Initially, Lin Xuan had wondered why Sha Shaoxiong had come to the Jiang family. Now he understood—he was there to act as a bodyguard and reap the rewards.
As for why Sha Shaoxiong thought he could speak on the Jiang family’s behalf, it was likely due to his reliance on the backing of the Sand Sea Sect.
He could never have imagined that Lin Xuan would completely disregard his proposition and go so far as to kill him.
[Ding! Clan leader Lin Xuan has led the effort to annihilate the Jiang family, boosting the clan’s fortune and increasing the confidence of its members.]
Hearing the notification in his mind, Lin Xuan activated his Insightful Eye to observe the elders present.
The prosperity of the clan was closely linked to the fortune of its members; their fates were intertwined.
When the clan’s fortune was strong, it could uplift its members, enhancing their aptitude, fortune, and comprehension.
Conversely, the more powerful the members, the stronger the clan’s fortune became. The more outstanding individuals the clan produced, the greater its prosperity would grow.