"What?!"
Lin Chuan was greatly alarmed, "Captain Zhao is dead?"
He just died like that?
He had just been thinking of sparring with Captain Zhao, and now the other party was dead?
Recalling the demons and monsters that Captain Zhao and his sister had discussed a few days ago, could it be the work of demons? Had it reached the Lin family?
"Let's go, take me there."
Lin Chuan dared not delay, rushing out the door.
Before long, he arrived at the entrance of You Shui County's yamen.
Zhao Si's body was laid out on the street outside the yamen, his death extremely gruesome, his body shriveled, not a drop of Qi and blood left.
There were seven or eight others with the same death as Zhao Si, all of them skilled guards from the Lin.
Lin Yangyang stood at the front of the crowd, her expression sorrowful.
"Sister, what happened?"
Lin Chuan's mood was inevitably downcast; since the day he was born, Captain Zhao had been a guard of the Lin family, risking his life for them.
With his parents having passed away early, Captain Zhao was the closest person to him besides his sister.
"It's confirmed to be the work of a demon, without a doubt."
Lin Yangyang sighed, "The yamen constables have already examined the body; Captain Zhao had no external injuries, and there were no signs of struggle at the scene."
"Aside from a demon's doing, no one in the entire You Shui County could have killed Captain Zhao without him having any ability to resist."
Having traveled north and south for many years, Lin Yangyang had seen many strange people and events, but when it came to demons, she felt a wave of powerlessness.
They were simply not something Mortals could contend with.
"Why do these demons specifically target merchant firms?" Lin Chuan asked.
"Demons have myriad habits, each different; unlike humans, most demons are not bound by morals or rules."
"Demons act more according to their nature."
"Some demons are bloodthirsty, some like to eat children, some are inherently kind and helpful, and naturally, there are also demons who like treasures."
Lin Yangyang clearly had some understanding of demons.
Lin Chuan understood; it seemed the merchant firms near You Shui County were being targeted by a demon who loved wealth.
"Sister, let's stop the merchant firm's business with other counties for now."
Lin Chuan had only just begun to Cultivate; he dared not rashly vow to avenge Zhao Si. It would not be too late to seek revenge once he reached a certain Realm of Cultivation.
"I'm afraid we can't stop."
Lin Yangyang shook her head.
Lin Chuan was puzzled, "Why?"
Lin Yangyang smiled bitterly, "Chuan'er, when one is in the Jianghu, one is not one's own master. When you stand in a certain position, some things are no longer up to you."
"The people from the county yamen want the Lin to be bait?"
Lin Chuan wasn't foolish; he guessed it immediately.
"That's right."
Lin Yangyang nodded, "The Lin's ability to establish itself and monopolize many large businesses in You Shui County is inseparable from the government's support."
"We've enjoyed so many benefits, so we should also bear the corresponding responsibilities."
"But you don't need to worry too much; with demon exterminators present, nothing major will happen."
The last sentence was more for comfort.
Even if the demon exterminators could eventually slay demons, Lin Yangyang, as bait, would likely not have a good outcome when facing the demon.
"I understand."
Lin Chuan knew his sister's temperament; persuasion would be useless.
Moreover, they currently lacked the qualifications to contend with the government, unless he used the power reflected by the Reincarnation dream.
After asking his sister for the specific time of action, Lin Chuan returned to the Lin residence.
The appearance of demons and the tragic death of Captain Zhao gave Lin Chuan a new goal; he yearned to become stronger, no longer wanting to be as powerless as he was today.
"I need to gain more power from the Reincarnation dream; I don't seek to be invincible in the world, but at least to protect my loved ones' safety."
From the dream of the Perfect Demonic Lady, he obtained 100,000 points.
Enough for him to purchase new tags to start a brand new Reincarnation dream.
"Ordinary Reincarnation dreams shouldn't have the qualification to reflect rewards into reality, at least it should be a low-level Xuanhuan type?"
The Perfect Demonic Lady was the first Xuanhuan dream Lin Chuan experienced.
Purchasing tags before and after cost more than 100,000 points, and he almost got trapped in the Reincarnation dream, unable to get out.
He didn't want to go through that again; some tags had to be used cautiously.
The virtual panel appeared.
Lin Chuan began to select new tags; first was 【Low-level Xuanhuan World】, which was a mandatory tag, costing 50,000 points.
Next was character shaping.
Having suffered too much in the Perfect Demonic Lady's dream last time, Lin Chuan was smarter this time and purchased a 【Xiao Qingmei】 tag.
The additional tags were 【Secret Love】, 【Never Leave Nor Forsake】, 【Genius Girl】, focusing on a 'cool story' template.
Then he created a second supporting character.
In the Perfect Demonic Lady's dream, fighting alone was too tiring; this time, he needed to find a 【Close Friend】 for help.
The additional tag was 【Sworn Brothers】.
Lin Chuan's own tag was 【Noble Scion】.
At this point, all 100,000 points were spent.
Other elements would be randomly generated in the dream.
Lin Chuan lay on the bed and soon fell asleep, vaguely entering another world.
【Reincarnation Dream Activated.】
【In the tenth year of Chang'an, you were born. Your father, Lin Wuji, was the renowned Prince of Zhennan of the Great Liang Imperial Dynasty. Your mother, Bai Susu, was the only female Sword God in the world.】
【As the only son of the Prince of Zhennan's manor, you were greatly beloved.】
【You have a Xiao Qingmei. She is the daughter of your Prince of Zhennan Army's chief strategist. Everyone says you two are a match made in heaven.】
【You are the Prince of Zhennan's heir, and she has long been designated as the heir's consort.】
【In your youth, you were unwilling to marry early and had no interest in leading armies; you only wanted to be a carefree person who roamed the world.】
【In the twentieth year of Chang'an, your mother, Bai Susu, died.】
【The fall of the world's greatest female Sword God shocked the world.】
【Everyone knew that the current emperor, fearing the Prince of Zhennan, had conspired to kill your mother.】
【You cried out, urging your father, the Prince of Zhennan, to send troops north, to let his 300,000 cavalry from the Southern Border flatten the dog emperor's palace and avenge your mother.】
【War and turmoil bring suffering to the common people, and with foreign enemies lurking, the Prince of Zhennan was unwilling to rebel.】
【You cried, saying, "I want to learn martial arts! I want to personally avenge my mother!"】
【That day, your Xiao Qingmei saw you crying and felt heartbroken. From then on, she began to diligently study strategies.】
【All the techniques of the Hundred Schools were learned by your Xiao Qingmei.】
【But your martial arts Aptitude was ordinary. Fortunately, the Prince of Zhennan's influence was great, and he had various masters assist you, transforming you.】
【In the twenty-eighth year of Chang'an, you came of age and decided to emulate your mother in her youth, traveling the Jianghu for three years.】
【On the day you left, Xiao Qingmei personally saw you off.】
【She said, "When you return, I will give you the best gift."】
【You said, "Thank you."】
【Looking at the red-eyed Xiao Qingmei, you, who were usually unrestrained, felt a pang of heartache for the first time.】
【During your travels in the Jianghu, you experienced many things you had never experienced before and saw another world under the shining sun.】
【You saw the suffering of the common people, saw displaced refugees, saw old soldiers with broken legs and arms from war, and saw wives and widows left uncared for.】
【In an instant, you understood your father.】
【He was not only your father and a husband, but also a king respected by countless common people.】
【Understanding was one thing, but your desire to avenge your mother never diminished in the slightest.】
【You secretly vowed in your heart that you would kill that dog emperor sooner or later!】
【That day, by the lake, you met a young man who was also cursing the dog emperor. He was blind and carried a wooden sword on his back.】
...
Yun Zhiyi · Xiao Qingmei