As evening fell, smoke curled from the chimneys of the mountain-top villa.
Because martial artists like Chen Ben, Chu Yu, and Zhuang Yirong practiced martial arts at night, Dongcang had prepared a very hearty dinner. Tong Yu also helped, as his talent was exceptional and he was a natural sword immortal candidate. He didn't need to spend all his time forging swords and, moreover, Tong Yu liked Sister Dongcang. He felt that Dongcang was too busy working alone and, as the eldest among the younger generation, he should help.
Before long, delicious dishes were laid out on the table in the living room: a roasted venison leg, a bowl of white fish soup, and seven or eight stir-fried dishes, more than enough for everyone. However, even after all the food and wine were served, Lin Zhao had still not returned.
"Young Master has been gone so long," Dongcang said, standing outside, her brow furrowed. "What if something happened..."
"Don't worry, it won't," Zhi replied with a smile. "My lord is skilled in both civil and martial arts; he won't get into trouble so easily."
"Mm."
Just then, a beam of sword light arrived from the south. Lin Zhao had returned. He stumbled as he landed. Being seriously injured not only meant a 50% reduction in all attributes; his agility, balance, and other abilities were also affected. Lin Zhao looked quite pathetic at the moment, with a gaping wound in his chest, his pristine white armor and robes stained red with blood.
"Young Master!" Dongcang's eyes welled up with tears instantly. She lunged forward and supported Lin Zhao's body. "What... what happened to you?"
"It's nothing," Lin Zhao shook his head. "I'm fine, don't worry, I won't die."
Huang Tingyu and Zhi stepped forward side by side. Looking at Lin Zhao's injuries, Zhi said softly, "The lingering sword aura… it must be the work of an eleventh-realm sword cultivator, right? Hmph, for an eleventh-realm sword cultivator to try and kill my lord in the Ghost Realm?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Lin Zhao frowned. "In fact, I didn't even get a good look at the attacker's face before I had to flee back in a sorry state. It's fine, I'm just a bit anemic. I'll be alright after some rest."
He glanced at the living room. "Haven't you eaten dinner yet?"
"We've been waiting for you," Huang Tingyu replied.
"Alright, let's drink!"
"Ah?" Zhi looked taken aback. He was injured like this, and he still wanted to drink?
...
In the living room, Lin Zhao plopped down next to Old Daoist Wang and downed a bottle of health potion. Old Daoist Wang watched with wonder. "Drinking something before drinking wine… is it a hangover cure?"
"Something like that," Lin Zhao grinned. "A fruity vitamin C drink, to refresh the mind!"
"..." Old Daoist Wang didn't understand and didn't bother with the young brat. As for Lin Zhao's injuries, Old Daoist Wang could tell at a glance that he wouldn't die. He had escaped quickly; if he had been a moment slower, it would have been uncertain, and he might have lost a realm even if he survived.
The meal was devoured with the speed of a whirlwind. By the time they finished eating, Lin Zhao's injuries had healed. The thirty-minute duration of his critical condition had ended, and he was once again full of vigor. Just as the old Daoist mentioned going for a walk to aid digestion, Lin Zhao signaled to Zhi, Huang Tingyu, Chu Yu, Mu Ya, and Chen Ben. Zhi then conjured a small domain of a twelfth-realm sword cultivator.
"What is it?" Huang Tingyu asked.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, his expression filled with worry. "Although this trip to the Ghost Realm didn't yield any clues about Miss Lin's whereabouts, it wasn't entirely without gain. Do you remember Tan Xin from the Coffin Bearer lineage?"
"Remember," Zhi nodded. "Those people are evil. Chen Ben almost died from Tan Xin's corpse poison back then." Chen Ben gritted his teeth and looked at Lin Zhao with gratitude. He had already realized after reaching the Tianyuan realm that the God of War Gall he possessed must have been given to him by Lin Zhao. Not only did it resonate with him, but it also resonated with Lin Zhao within the mountain-top villa, implying an intricate connection.
Lin Zhao frowned. "Now, Tan Xin, leading the Coffin Bearer lineage, is growing more powerful step by step in the Ghost Realm. She has successively absorbed two eleventh-realm ghost cultivators, Volcano Flame Duke and Yellow Sand Ghost King. Just recently, Tan Xin broke through to the twelfth realm, becoming one of the few twelfth-realm Coffin Bearers in history. Moreover, she is constantly conquering territories in the Ghost Realm. Judging by her momentum, none of the ghost kings in the Ghost Realm can withstand her. It's only a matter of time before Tan Xin unifies the Ghost Realm."
"We should have killed her at all costs back then," Zhi's delicate brows furrowed. "Now that she's been left alive, she's become such a formidable threat."
"There's no point in discussing that now," Lin Zhao mused. "What I mean is, we in the mountain-top villa, while stationed at Xueyu Tianchi, cannot ignore the threat from the Ghost Realm. Our intelligence capabilities are indeed too weak. The Great Shang Dynasty has the Xiuyi Pavilion, and Zhao Shutong has the Caiyi Pavilion. We should have something similar. How about this, the mountain-top villa should also establish an intelligence agency. Should the most steady and seasoned Old Huang be in charge?"
"Ah?!" Huang Tingyu let out a pig-like shriek. "Why should I, Old Huang, be in charge?"
Lin Zhao smiled. "I trust Old Huang with my work. If it were anyone else, whether it's Zhi or Chu Yu, they're a bit too young. And these two martial artists, Mu Ya and Chen Ben, do they look like leaders of an intelligence agency?"
"Hmph, those two, what good are they at managing spies!" Mu Ya and Chen Ben scratched their heads. Was being straightforward that bad?
Lin Zhao took out a heavy pouch from his embrace, containing 3,000 golden silkworm coins. He handed it directly to Old Huang. "This is 3,000 golden silkworm coins from the villa's inventory. Old Huang, you can use this for recruiting spies or for various intelligence gathering expenses. In short, my sole objective is that since the mountain-top villa is located in the northern region, we cannot be deaf and blind. You understand what I mean, right?"
"Understood," Old Huang stuffed the money bag into his embrace. "Can I take some to drink?"
Lin Zhao gave him a look. Old Huang mumbled sheepishly, "Understood. I'll just kill more demons. It's the same to get money for wine by searching demon cultivators."
...
Late at night.
Lin Zhao stood in a martial arts stance in a pavilion by the lotus pond, practicing his punches. His martial intent flowed with each repetition. Although he was merely a second-realm martial artist, he already possessed the demeanor of a martial arts grandmaster. However, his martial artist advancement progress bar remained only one-third complete. It was difficult to advance through such painstaking effort. Yet, Lin Zhao didn't want to face the agony of breaking through by "questioning his heart" like he did when he went south to Furong Prefecture.
Dongcang brought some late-night food: a plate of pig trotters, a roasted chicken, and two stir-fried dishes. The aroma filled the air. Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. After Dongcang left, he sat down to eat his late-night snack. Just then, a figure staggered in, drawn by the smell. It was Old Daoist Wang, his nose leading the way. Lin Zhao snorted, thinking, was this old Daoist a dog?
"Want to have a drink together?" the old Daoist asked with a smile.
Lin Zhao nodded. "Sure, let's have a drink."
So, he took out some Dongting Green Bamboo wine, and he and the old Daoist drank together in the pavilion. Cup after cup went down, and the烦闷 (fánmèn - vexation/melancholy) in his heart gradually dissipated. However, Lin Wanhua's disappearance remained like a heavy stone pressing on his heart.
"Lin Zhao," Old Daoist Wang narrowed his eyes and smiled. "In your heart, you still think of me as a charlatan, don't you?"
"Yes," Lin Zhao didn't deny it. "At least half of me thinks you're a charlatan, senior. But it's fine, I'm betting on the other half. You have the nerve to come to the mountain-top villa to eat and drink for free. What's wrong with me playing the fool for once? But if you're not, then there's something to discuss."
"Oh?" the old Daoist smiled and asked, "What's to discuss?"
"I can't quite explain it, maybe it's just an intuition." Lin Zhao looked at the old Daoist and smiled. "I feel that your every action seems to be planning something, but there are too few clues revealed. I really can't figure it out. Since you don't want to say, I won't press you. If you need someone to drink with, I'll drink with you. It doesn't matter, I'm feeling vexed anyway and need someone to drink with too."
"Then let's just drink." Old Daoist Wang downed a cup of wine in one go, still not satisfied. He took another large gulp from the tiger's mouth of the wine pot and laughed, "Satisfying, satisfying! Lin Zhao, there are many rumors in the jianghu that you are the reincarnation of Lin Baiyi of Xueyu Tianchi. Is that true?"
"Does it matter if I am Lin Baiyi or not?" Lin Zhao glanced at him and smiled. "A gentleman judges the heart, not the deeds; a scoundrel judges the deeds, not the heart. Even if I am a scoundrel who deceives the world and steals fame, not the true Lin Baiyi, can what I have done at the mountain-top villa be measured by the standard of judging deeds, not the heart? Therefore, Lin Zhao asks you back, senior, does it matter if I am Lin Baiyi?"
"Hahahaha~~~" Old Daoist Wang burst into laughter. "Good rebuttal, eloquent speaker! A disciple of Qin Suihan is indeed extraordinary. With your magnanimity, I, this old man, must have another drink with you!"
"If senior wants another drink, just say so. The mountain-top villa has plenty of good wine."
"Hahahaha, hearty, hearty~~~" Old Daoist Wang downed several more cups of wine and said, "Lin Zhao, do you think I, this old man, am a good person? Measure me with your standards of judging the heart, not the deeds, and judging the deeds, not the heart?"
Lin Zhao replied quickly. "Senior hides things and acts evasively everywhere, which doesn't seem like the behavior of a good person. But if your evasiveness is for a better outcome, then you are enduring humiliation and are an excellent good person."
The old Daoist froze in place, sighing, "You understand me, Lin Zhao! Alas, you are much better than that foolish little girl!"
The old Daoist's sleeve twitched. If Lin Zhao's cultivation were higher, he might have seen streaks of sword light raging within the sleeve, causing the old Daoist great suffering.
Fueled by wine, the floodgates of conversation opened. Lin Zhao spoke of many things, mentioning his teachers, senior brothers, and senior sisters. He also talked about his friends in the jianghu. When he mentioned Furong Prefecture, he spoke of Long Dongjun, Xie Yiying, and Chen Mengjun.
"Eh?!" Old Daoist Wang heard the end and narrowed his eyes, smiling. "This Chen Mengjun... do you like her?"
"How could that be?" Lin Zhao was startled. "Chen Mengjun is just a friend of mine in the jianghu; she's a very good person."
"Nonsense!" The old Daoist pointed at his nose. "If one day, Chen Mengjun were in danger right in front of you, would you save her or not?"
"Of course, I would save her," Lin Zhao frowned. "Based on the chivalrous code of the jianghu, I should offer assistance."
"Then you do like her," Old Daoist Wang said with realization. "I understand."
"..." Lin Zhao slammed the table. "When it comes to matters of the heart, what do you, senior, know! Looking at you, you might not even have a dao companion on the mountain."
The old Daoist puffed out his beard and glared, his anger rising like a raging inferno. He was utterly speechless.
...
In fact, some arguments could be made, but they were too painful to recall, better left unspoken.