On their wedding night, she had attacked Li Tan for a series of reasons, only to mysteriously faint. When she awoke the next day, she discovered she and Li Tan were lying in the same bed.
This was actually the result of spiritual consciousness-based mind control. At that time, Li Tan couldn’t harm Lin Cui but had to protect himself, so he used this method, for which he paid a certain price. Lin Cui could never know this—it was beyond her understanding, just like Lin Jingwu, who could only suspect poison or similar causes.
But it was impossible for Li Tan to poison her. The next day, she carefully examined herself and found her body completely normal, with no trace of any drugs.
At the time, she didn’t think much of it, attributing it to physical exhaustion from over cultivation. But now, after learning about Lin Jingwu, she couldn’t stay calm. It definitely wasn’t due to her own weakness—Li Tan must have secretly done something to her.
But Li Tan was a half-wasted individual incapable of cultivation. How could he, without anyone noticing, influence her—a late-stage Xiantian cultivator—so subtly and instantaneously?
It was simply unbelievable. If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she would have called the person saying such things an idiot.
Soon, Lin Cui arrived at the Dingyi Pavilion, where the family physician was stationed. Her expression slightly darkened, and she strode inside.
Within the Lin family, news spread quickly. Not long after, Lin Long learned of it through his spies. His reaction mirrored his daughter’s—his perception of Li Tan was completely revised. Eventually, after discussing with Gu Lin, he became more cautious toward Li Tan.
In short, after this incident, Li Tan, who had always been looked down upon, became somewhat mysterious. However, most people, especially young masters and misses like Lin Yuan, became even more wary of him.
Many began to question whether Li Tan was truly unable to cultivate like the rumors claimed, or whether Li Zhen had given him some miraculous treasure for protection.
This news didn’t stop at filling the Lin family compound—it continued to spread elsewhere.
The night had grown deep. When she lifted her head, the sky was pitch-black, with stars and the moon hiding behind clouds, peering down at the earth.
After leaving the dining hall, Li Tan got some food from the steward and returned directly to his residence. He showed no emotional reaction to the commotion he had caused. Defeating Lin Jingwu was a monumental event in others’ eyes, but to Li Tan, it was a trivial matter he underestimated in seriousness.
Of course, if he had known that he had already drawn the attention of many in the Lin family and might even cause a sensation in Linjiang, he probably wouldn’t have been so calm and would have started thinking about possible troubles and countermeasures.
But there was no such thing as “if,” so after returning to his desolate courtyard, Li Tan completely forgot about Lin Jingwu. Instead, standing beside the dry well in the courtyard, he took a keen interest in observing this house.
It was like a child abandoned by its mother, standing alone in a corner of the splendid Lin estate. Around it were untended wastelands where wild grass grew as tall as people.
The courtyard was empty, with only a creepy dry well and a tall parasol tree. The bottom of the well was slightly muddy, recently dried up, emitting a fresh scent of earth. On the parasol tree hung a swing. Many years ago, wouldn’t there have been a lovely girl laughing as she swung high?
A gentle breeze pushed the door open. Jiang Xin’s ancestral tablet remained in its original place, as if it had eyes that always made people feel a chill down their backs when entering.
Of course, Li Tan was not included in that category.
Li Tan crossed the courtyard, stepped over the threshold, and entered the main hall. The temperature dropped slightly, but not significantly.
Inside the hall, Jiang Xin’s ancestral tablet was unusually clean and still placed on the table. Other areas, however, were covered in thick dust due to lack of cleaning.
Li Tan took a few steps forward and stopped before Jiang Xin’s tablet. He casually glanced around. Everything was extremely quiet—eerily so. Combined with the legend of the concubine’s vengeful spirit lingering here, it was actually quite terrifying. Those with weak nerves might even scare themselves into doubting life itself.
But Li Tan clearly belonged to the brave category. Not only was he unafraid, he was even a bit excited. He even hoped to quickly see what the legendary vengeful spirit looked like, which might serve as a whetstone to train the strength of his spiritual consciousness.
However, reality disappointed him. Whether it was because his aura was too strong or for other reasons, nothing happened no matter how long he waited.
He took a few steps and entered the bedroom. As he sat on the bed, his buttocks felt a biting cold, as if the bed were a massive block of ice. Though uncomfortable for sleeping, it was quite refreshing for cultivation—somewhat akin to the Xuanbing Bed that certain stingy sects had refused to lend him.
Sitting on the bed and looking around the four walls, he slightly expanded his spiritual consciousness.
Jiang Xin’s portrait still hung in its original place. In the painting, she had a graceful figure and extraordinary beauty. Especially the faint smile on her lips—it was the finishing touch that brought the entire painting to life. Her eyes were painted entirely with black pigment, giving the painted Jiang Xin an air of coldness.
It was a fine painting, and the artist was likely also a cultivator. But there was one strange thing—although Jiang Xin was beautiful, she was merely a concubine. What virtue or merit allowed her to commission such a skilled painter? Moreover, why had the previous head of the Lin family preserved this house even after so many incidents?
“What an amazing Jiang Xin.”
Li Tan expressed slight admiration, turned around, and prepared to lie down to nourish his spiritual consciousness. However, a small, inconspicuous redwood cabinet caught his attention at the corner of the bed.
He moved closer to the cabinet and gently opened it.
Inside were some old clothes covered in dust. Li Tan swept his spiritual consciousness over them, then reached in and pulled out a bright red dress. Flipping it over by the sleeves, a sealed envelope fell out. The envelope’s cover bore four flowing characters: “For Xin’er’s Eyes Only.”
“A letter for Jiang Xin?”
Li Tan muttered, gently pinching the envelope. He felt something hard inside.
Covering it with his spiritual consciousness, he found no tampering—the hard object inside was likely jade. Tearing open the envelope, he tipped it with his right hand, and half of a jade pendant and a letter fell out.
Li Tan first picked up the pendant and held it against the faint moonlight. His eyes widened in astonishment.
The pendant was made of jade, of excellent quality with almost no impurities, and had an effect that aided cultivation. These were secondary points, however—the craftsmanship of the jade was what truly astonished Li Tan.
“Fake?”
Li Tan turned the jade over under the moonlight, his eyes growing wider and wider. He stared for about half an incense stick’s time before finally putting the pendant down, muttering in confusion: “How could an item from Tiangong Tower end up in a place like this?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage