Lin Zhong led Lin Xun along the winding path at the rear of the mountain, and they came to another forbidden area of the Lin Clan: the treasury.
The five-story treasury originally housed thousands of aeth tools, ranging from the lowest human-grade aeth tools to the top heaven-grade aeth tools.
There used to be a variety of aeth tools such as swords, spears, halberds, axes and hooks, armor, shoulder pads, wrist guards, combat boots and chest plates.
There were even powerful killing weapons such as crossbows, cannons, and battleships.
However, it was now empty…
As Lin Xun stepped out of the treasury, his expression remained unchanged, but terrifying murderous intent emitted from his body.
He almost lost control of it!
It was understandable. The treasures owned by a former top aristocratic clan in the empire should be astonishing, but they had all been looted!
If Lin Xun’s state of mind hadn’t been tempered to a still, rock-like state, he would have exploded with anger. And if the ancestors of the Lin Family saw the state of the treasury, they would turn over in their graves.
Lin Xun was then brought to the Pill Collection Pavilion, Beast Reservoir, and Medicinal Garden, all of which were core forbidden areas of the Lin Family.All valuable treasures in those areas had been looted without exception. They were all empty.
When Lin Xun returned to the Mind Cleansing Hall, he sat down in complete silence. He was as motionless as a statue and seemed to possess no emotions.
Outside the window, the stars shined brightly and the moon hung high in the sky; it was extraordinarily quiet and peaceful.
However, the youngster sitting alone in the hall couldn’t calm down. Waves of emotions were tumbling endlessly in his heart.
He knew that the present Lin Clan was in a state of deterioration, but he had never expected that the tremendous Mind Cleansing Peak would be looted to such an extent.
All that was left were empty buildings and broken pieces of furniture. There was nothing of value.
This was the current situation that Lin Xun was facing!
Lin Zhong stood at the side of the hall, looking at Lin Xun with worry. He was worried that Lin Xun wouldn’t be able to bear the blow and collapse.
It was understandable. The great Mind Cleansing Peak was one of the seventy-two peaks of the Mountains of Aristocratic Clans, but who would have imagined that such a place of supreme glory was nothing but an empty shell?
Thirty minutes passed.
One hour passed.
The time to burn a stick of incense passed
As time passed, Lin Xun was still sitting in silence, making Lin Zhong more and more worried. He even started to regret telling Lin Xun everything.
Young Master is, after all, still a teenager and too young. How can he endure such a cruel blow after knowing that he had to take over such an awful mess?
“Young Master…”
Lin Zhong took a deep breath and wanted to say something to comfort Lin Xun. “The situation isn’t good…Let’s just give up. As long as you are still alive, that’s more important than anything else.”
Lin Xun finally showed some response.
He raised his head and looked at Lin Zhong while an unfathomable smile spread across his lips. “Uncle Zhong, if you give up now, it would be crueler than killing me.”
After a pause, he rose to his feet and gazed at the vast night sky outside the main hall. “When I entered the Forbidden City, someone told me that I could turn the world upside down. At the time, I wondered why they said such a thing but I finally understood. If I don’t stir up a scene, the Lin Family…will have no hope of coming back to life!”
His voice turned icy-cold at the end of the sentence.
Lin Zhong’s heart quivered. Looking at the youngster, he suddenly felt an inexplicable comfort, as if he saw the shadow of his master when he was young…
Wasn’t Master just as determined and resolute when the clansmen opposed his marriage with Lady?
I go forward anyway despite thousands being against me.
……
The Mind Cleansing Hall spanned three stories.
The first floor was the hall where clan meetings were held.
The second floor was a study for the head of the clan to deal with clan affairs.
The third floor consisted of a quiet room for the head of the clan to cultivate.
Not long after that, Lin Xun sat in front of the empty desk and twiddled with the translucent-violet, jade seal in his hand.
The seal was engraved with the word ‘Mind Cleansing.’ Although it was unknown what sort of materials made up the seal, its body exuded a mysterious and cryptic aura.
The Mind Cleansing Seal was the key to controlling Mind Cleansing Peak as it could control the passage to Mind Cleansing Peak.
In other words, Lin Xun could close the passage, and no one could enter the Mind Cleansing Peak unless they broke through!
However, whoever attempted to break through one of the seventy-two mountain peaks of the Mountains of Aristocratic Clans would have to first weigh the consequences.
Lin Zhong had been taking care of the seal, but he had now handed it over to Lin Xun. From then on, Lin Xun had the final say on whoever entered and left Mind Cleansing Peak.
However, in Lin Xun’s view, the seal had little use in helping him solve the internal problems. The most important thing is to grow stronger!
Lin Xun put away the jade seal and took out a simple silver hairpin.
Chief Instructor Xu Sanqi gave Lin Xun the hairpin when he left Blood Kill Camp and told him to bring it to a place called the Spirit Vulture Residence if he encountered trouble in the Forbidden City. He reassured him that the owner of Spirit Vulture Residence would help him if he presented the silver hairpin.
Lin Xun originally didn’t intend to accept the hairpin, but one sentence from Xu Sanqi made him change his mind—Xiaoke will also be there, don’t you want to see your instructor again?
As Lin Xun twiddled with the silver hairpin in his hand, he couldn’t help but think of the elegant but cold Xiaoke.
……
The next morning.
Lin Xun left Mind Cleansing Hall early in the morning as he hadn’t slept all night.
The morning sun peeped through the clouds, and the dreamy rays of dawn bathed Mind Cleansing Peak in a sacred golden glow and illuminated the sea of clouds.
From above, the golden morning rays and the violet clouds and mist blended perfectly. The magnificent spectacle lifted Lin Xun’s spirit.
That was Mind Cleansing Peak, one of the seventy-two peaks of the Mountains of Aristocratic Clans. It stood thousands of feet above the Forbidden City, the capital of the empire!
Only the most powerful aristocratic clans in the empire could occupy one of the peaks and overlook the towering mountains and rivers!
“Young Master, do you not need me to accompany you?”
“No need, Uncle Zhong. Can you please compile the list of all the treasures that were looted back then and put it in the study for when I return?”
“Of course, Young Master.”
Lin Xun said goodbye to Lin Zhong and headed down Mind Cleansing Peak alone.
There should have been many carriages pulled by snow bristled deer on the path to the bottom of the peak, but even those deer had been taken away after the bloody tragedy.
Lin Xun felt an indescribable hatred every time he thought about the looting.
At the bottom of the mountain, an invisible door emerged as the rune array was activated, and a white jade staircase spread across the sky and connected with the ground like a rainbow.
When Lin Xun stepped through the door he came to a stop.
This was because people were waiting for him on the ground!
It was a group of young people, men and women, and all were dressed in luxurious clothes. From one glance, it was obvious they weren’t ordinary youngsters.
They seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time as they all looked irritated and impatient and were cursing out loud.
However, they instantly perked up when they saw Lin Xun appear. They simultaneously swept a glance over Lin Xun, and some people cried out in disdain when they saw that Lin Xun was only in his teens.
“Lin Wenxiu, that kid is the ruthless man you spoke of?”
“Tsk tsk, I can’t believe he defeated you.”
“Yujiao, don’t be angry, Regardless of who he is, your big brother will sever one of his arms for hitting you!”
Lin Xun noticed a few youngsters he saw last night among the group. They were all glaring at him resentfully.
Did they come for revenge?
When this thought came to Lin Xun’s mind, he quickly rejected it because he noticed that not one of the youngsters dared to act despite them yelling and cursing.
This wasn’t because they were afraid of him. Instead, the yellow-robed man in front of them was controlling the situation.
The man was tall with bold, fierce brows and sharp, lightning-like eyes. Even just standing there, he gave off a threatening aura.
Heaven Dipper Stage!
Instantly, Lin Xun determined the cultivation level of the opponent from his aura. He knew that the yellow-robed man was an outstanding descendant of a side branch of the Lin Family.
“Yujiao, that person is Lin Xun?”
The yellow-robed man locked his lightning-like eyes on Lin Xun. His voice was calm but his manner was aggressive.
“Cousin Yingzhen, that’s him.”
Lin Yujiao gritted her teeth, and her eyes were filled with hatred. Her pretty face was still swollen and bruised that even a piece of gauze couldn’t fully conceal the redness.
“I understand. Move aside.”
The yellow-robed man issued an order and strode forward towards the white jade stairs. He raised his head and looked directly at Lin Xun at the other end of the stairs. “I’m Lin Yingzhen from the West Creek Lin Clan. I heard that you threatened to occupy the Mind Cleansing Peak?”
Lin Yingzhen!
West Creek Lin Clan!
Lin Xun remembered what Lin Zhong said to him last night. After the four major branches of the Lin Family moved out of the Mind Cleansing Peak, they were divided into the West Creek Lin Clan, Cloud Weight Lin Clan, Flying Peak Lin Clan and the North Light Lin Clan.
They resided in different areas of the Forbidden City, like four independent Lin Clans. They had complicated relationships with one another, cycling between hatred and cooperation.
Everything was a result of the infighting within the clan after the bloody tragedy.
Lin Yingzhen was from the West Creek Lin Family and was a descendant of Lin Xun’s second grandfather, Lin Xixi.
However, Lin Xun was in no mood to reunite with his family nor did he want to be polite to them since they came looking for trouble.
“You’re wrong.” Lin Xun smiled slightly.
“It wasn’t a threat but a fact. From now on, no one, including random stray dogs and cats, can enter and leave Mind Cleansing Peak as they please.”
Random stray dogs and cats?
Many people’s faces darkened and some started to curse and yell, “That guy is so arrogant! He has a death wish.”
Lin Yingzhen’s face also darkened. He stopped the cursing and yelling with a wave of his hand and pinned a glare at Lin Xun. “You are arrogant. I wonder where you got the confidence to speak like that from. But I still have to advise you to not make a mistake. Mind Cleansing Peak is not something you are qualified to touch!”