The Strongest Family in the Immortal Cultivation World Starts with Investments!

Hearing the voice in his mind, a slight smile curved at the corners of Lin Xuan’s lips.

“Very good. You may leave now,” Lin Xuan said.

The investment matter settled, Lin Xuan didn’t linger with Lin Chen and simply gave the command.

“Yes, Lin Chen takes his leave!” Lin Chen, eager to start cultivating immediately, bowed deeply once more and quickly left the family treasury.

“If you ever need anything, come find me in the backyard,” Lin Xuan called out telepathically just as Lin Chen was about to step through the treasury doors.

After all, Lin Chen was his first investment target, and a purple one at that. Lin Xuan felt it necessary to pay special attention.

Hearing Lin Xuan’s message, Lin Chen’s steps paused, and a warm feeling surged in his heart. Ever since his grandfather had passed away, it had been a long time since someone cared for him like this. At that moment, Lin Chen felt a long-lost sense of concern from Lin Xuan.

“Yes!” Holding back tears, Lin Chen responded in a muffled voice, not daring to linger as he quickly left.

…

“Family Head, that child…” The elder guarding the treasury approached Lin Xuan after Lin Chen left, a complicated expression on his face. If he wasn’t mistaken, that boy had been crying, right? Could that boy be the family head’s illegitimate child?

…

‘Never mind’, the elder thought. Whatever the family head’s affairs were, they were none of his business. He should just focus on fulfilling his duties.

Ignoring the elder’s wild speculations, Lin Xuan continued to review the treasury’s records and inventory with his spiritual sense. The deeper he delved into the records, the more problems he discovered, causing his brow to furrow.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the elder’s curiosity vanished, replaced by fear. He stood motionless, head lowered like a criminal awaiting judgment.

After a long silence, Lin Xuan finished reviewing the last of the records and looked up.

“Speak,” he said, casually gathering the records and fixing his gaze on the elder.

“Family Head, I am guilty!” The elder hesitated, knowing there was no escaping the situation today. He collapsed to his knees, speaking in a low voice.

Lin Xuan’s face remained unchanged, betraying no emotion as he listened. A few moments later, the elder continued.

“It’s all my fault for being blinded by desire, for falling prey to lust. I accept full responsibility for everything. I only ask that you spare the others—they knew nothing and did not participate in my wrongdoings.”

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, his expression tinged with disdain. “Now you’re scared? Do you think by shouldering all the blame, the others can escape punishment? Even if I were to spare them, the family law wouldn’t. The other clan members would drown them in their spit.”

If Lin Xuan hadn’t come out of seclusion, if he hadn’t come to the treasury, if he hadn’t happened to check the records…

Lin Xuan hadn’t expected that simply bringing Lin Chen to the treasury for an investment would reveal such a massive “surprise.”

The records didn’t match the inventory. Around ten percent of the treasury’s resources were missing. Although the elder’s position as the treasury guardian appeared ordinary and without much power, it was clearly lucrative. 

If the elder had only been skimming a little bit here and there, it might have gone unnoticed. But to embezzle ten percent of the resources? That kind of discrepancy couldn’t be overlooked.

“Did Elder Lin Teng know about this? How did regular inspections fail to uncover such a glaring issue?” Lin Xuan asked, his tone sharp as he scrutinized the elder, whose face had turned deathly pale.

While the missing resources were troubling, Lin Xuan was more concerned about the deeper implications. Was there collusion with external forces? Were regular inspections merely for show? And were there other problems lurking within the clan?

“Elder Lin Teng didn’t know. Recently, he’s been preoccupied with handling the Jiang Family’s increasing aggression, so he hasn’t been able to focus on internal affairs…” Knowing he couldn’t avoid punishment, the elder was forthcoming with his answers, trembling as he spoke.

“As for the inspections, they were never too thorough. As long as I offered them a little ‘grease,’ they’d turn a blind eye. Of course, there was never a major issue for them to discover.”

“If it weren’t for the family head’s arrival, it would have been difficult for anyone else to uncover the problem.”

Hearing this, Lin Xuan had a clear picture of the situation. Now, only one question remained.

“Tell me, where did you take all these resources?”

“I spent it all at… Drunken Immortal Tower.”

After a few moments of hesitation, the elder finally confessed the name of a location.

“A tavern? I didn’t expect you to be such a drunkard,” Lin Xuan remarked. His first impression of Drunken Immortal Tower was that it was a place for food and drink, but the elder’s reaction told him otherwise.

As the elder explained, Lin Xuan finally understood what Drunken Immortal Tower really was.

“Lust, gambling, and vice, ruining lives wherever they go,” Lin Xuan sighed inwardly as he considered how to handle the matter.

The elder, it turned out, had succumbed to gambling and, after suffering heavy losses, was unable to repay his debts. With no other options, he began to embezzle resources from the treasury to cover his debts at the notorious Drunken Immortal Tower.

The entire situation was clear, but the underlying issue was both frustrating and absurd. In the world of cultivation, where mighty cultivators pursued immortality, a Foundation Establishment elder had fallen prey to lust and gambling? If this were a story in his previous life, Lin Xuan would have ridiculed the author mercilessly. Yet now, reality had turned out stranger than fiction.

“From this day forward, you are stripped of your elder status, your cultivation is sealed, and you will be imprisoned in the rear courtyard dungeon awaiting further judgment,” Lin Xuan finally declared.

With a flick of his finger, a sliver of his Golden Core essence sealed the elder’s cultivation.

Lin Xuan then had him taken to the dungeon and placed under strict supervision.

“Now that the treasury matter is resolved, it’s time to check the rewards from my investment.”

Turning his attention back to the system, Lin Xuan was ready to claim his prize.

“Open the Investment Gift Pack,” Lin Xuan whispered in his mind.

[Ding! Investment Gift Pack successfully opened!]

[Congratulations, you have received a Three-star Gathering Spirit Formation (Upgradeable!)]

[Congratulations, you have received the Grass and Wood Spirit Scripture (Heaven-tier Top-grade)]

[Congratulations, you have received the Two Elements Flower Grasping Finger Technique (Heaven-tier Low-grade)]