Chapter 85: Jiang Xin’s Matter

He turned his back to Li Tan, his voice carrying a tinge of helplessness and mostly the weariness of age as he spoke.

“Tan’er, you’ve finally grown up. There’s not much more I can do for you anymore.”

Li Tan was instantly stunned, memories flooding back, a sense of sorrow rising in his chest.

Back then, unable to cultivate, he had given up on himself, acting out like a stubborn, misguided youth, always getting into trouble. And every time, he was scolded and punished by Li Zhen, it was Li Yang who always stepped in to plead for him. Back then, Li Yang’s cultivation and reputation were extremely high, not only in the Li family but throughout Linjiang. Yet now, his body was crippled, barely able to take care of himself, let alone anything else.

“Second Uncle,” Li Tan looked at Li Yang’s no-longer-broad shoulders, a slight sting in his eyes, a tightness in his chest, as though he couldn’t exhale properly.

“Goodbye, Brother Li Tan.”

Li Yang took another step forward, while Li Jiaying waved at Li Tan, her reluctant expression incredibly endearing.

“Yeah, big brother will come find you to play soon.”

“Really? Jiaying is so happy!”

“Uncle’s leaving now, Tan’er. Take care of yourself. Oh, and no need to see us off.”

“I understand, Second Uncle.”

Not long after Li Yang started walking, Li Tan secretly followed them from behind, only returning to the Lin residence once he was sure they had reached safely.

Upon entering the main hall of the house, Tang Leyin was still patiently waiting. Li Tan greeted her and sat down.

“Let me tell you about what happened on my end.”

After omitting the secret of the desolate tower, Li Tan briefly recounted the events, naturally attributing the rusty iron sword to a gift from a mysterious master.

After listening, Tang Leyin lowered her head in thought before speaking.

“The black-robed man your young master encountered must be the strongest among them now. If we can capture him, everything should be resolved.”

“Easier said than done. If captured, he’d likely commit suicide. Let’s set that aside for now. First, we must find a way to defeat them. But like a cunning hare with three burrows, after this confrontation, they’ll become even more cautious.”

“It’s indeed difficult to locate them directly, but we might try other approaches. Didn’t your young master mention that they’ve made arrangements within the Lin, Li, and Liu families, as well as the City Lord’s Mansion?

If we can eliminate their setups in these places, they won’t be able to sit idly by.”

“Hmm,” Li Tan pondered the feasibility of this plan.

He had already cleared out the Lin family. What remained were the City Lord’s Mansion, the Li family, and the Liu family.

The black-clothed group’s setup in the City Lord’s Mansion was mostly clear—General Chen Yuanxun. The likely culprit in the Li family was probably the head elder who had poisoned him. The only uncertainty lay in the Liu family, which was also the most important.

Therefore, the key to breaking through lay in the Liu family, yet it was also the most difficult.

Still, Li Tan wasn’t overly worried at this moment. He nodded at Tang Leyin, agreeing with the plan and adding his own suggestions.

Here’s the plan: Tang girl, you go assist Mingde in handling Chen Yuanxun. I’ll return to the Li family to confront the head elder. After that, we’ll proceed to the Liu family together to force them into the open. However, be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Those black-robed individuals might summon cultivators whose strength surpasses the Xiantian level as reinforcements.

Upon hearing this, Tang Leyin smiled lightly.

“If it’s a Grandmaster, I can still handle it. No worries.”

The Xiantian level was the first stage beyond the initial cultivation stages, while the Grandmaster level allowed one’s true qi to extend beyond the body—a qualitative leap, meaning one could begin to employ a wide variety of martial techniques.

“In that case, all is well. Then let’s get started on our respective tasks now.”

Li Tan confirmed Tang Leyin’s current cultivation level, finally feeling reassured. Compared to memory alone, a direct assurance from the person involved was far more comforting.

“But Leyin, there’s something else I’d like to ask.”

Tang Leyin suddenly said this.

“What is it?”

Li Tan asked curiously.

Tang Leyin pointed at the spirit tablet of Jiang Xin in the center of the main hall.

“In such a large Lin family, why did your young master specifically choose this room as your residence?

Isn’t it somewhat inappropriate?”

Li Tan hesitated, torn for a moment before retrieving the soul jade from the desolate tower and summoning Jiang Xin’s soul.

Seeing the floating Jiang Xin, Tang Leyin exclaimed in surprise.

“A Yuan Shen (soul essence)! No, wait—there’s no sign of powerful spiritual energy fluctuations. It can’t possibly be the Yuan Shen of a powerful expert. What exactly is going on here?”

Li Tan explained slowly.

“This is the former owner of this house. Before his death, he had contact with a powerful expert. When the expert left, he gave him several things. One was this soul jade that caused her current state, another was a martial art technique, and the third is related to the unusually low temperature in this room, which I haven’t located yet. Her death must be closely tied to the previous head of the Lin family. The martial art technique has already been taken by the Lin family. I want to restore her consciousness so she can settle this matter on behalf of that expert.”

It was fine to tell Tang Leyin about this.

Li Tan thought to himself before asking again.

“By the way, Tang girl, do you happen to have any medicinal herbs that can enhance spiritual energy?

If possible, I’d like to borrow a little.”

Tang Leyin checked her storage ring and nodded without hesitation.

“Coincidentally, I have just the pill you need. Take it. No need to return it.”

“Then I’m very grateful, Miss.”

Li Tan accepted it without the slightest hesitation, not even feeling surprised. It would be strange if Tang Leyin didn’t help. This little girl had always been overly kind-hearted.

After receiving the pill from Tang Leyin, Li Tan crushed it and refined it into liquid form, just as before, splashing it onto Jiang Xin’s ethereal soul.

Sizzling! Instantly, the liquid that touched Jiang Xin’s soul seemed to hit a red-hot iron, evaporating into mist.

Both Tang Leyin and Li Tan watched intently. Soon enough, Jiang Xin’s somewhat transparent soul fully transformed into a solid form. If not for the floating, she could be mistaken for a living person.

“It worked,” Li Tan sat up slightly, a mix of anticipation and tension in his chest.

The pill Tang Leyin gave was a rare second-grade pill. While it had little effect on the Yuan Shen of powerful experts, Jiang Xin was just an ordinary person. The medicinal effect should be excellent, far surpassing the herbs Li Tan had used previously.

“This pill has never been given to the soul of an ordinary person before. I wonder what effect it will have?”

Tang Leyin muttered.

“It seems promising. Oh, right!”

Li Tan said as he carried the old zither from the storeroom into the main hall.

“Why did you bring the zither, young master?”

Tang Leyin tilted her head in confusion.

Li Tan sat down, propped the zither on the tables on both sides, and smiled.

“You see, this zither was a gift from the expert who took care of Jiang Xin. It will greatly aid in her recovery.”

With that, Li Tan began to play the tune that Cui Hao loved. As the melodious zither notes rose and fell in the quiet night, Jiang Xin’s lifeless eyes gradually regained their luster. A tear formed at the corner of her eye, and then, for the first time, her red lips trembled.

“Hao…”