Chapter 90: Burial

“Of course nature knows, but—” “But what?

“This is an opportunity to strengthen our family. If we miss it, there may never be another. You should remember your identity, shouldn’t you, Head of the Family!”

The elder’s words pierced Lin Juncai’s heart like a needle, making him suddenly realize that he was no longer the passionate young man he once was—he had already passed forty and was now the head of the Lin family.

From childhood, he had been taught that family interests are paramount. Now, it felt like a giant hand tightly gripping his heart, pulling him toward darkness.

“That woman is merely the daughter of a small merchant. I’ve already investigated thoroughly. It seems she saved a young man not long ago. Hehe, undoubtedly, this martial art was a gift from that young man.”

“What does the elder plan to do?”

“Marry her. You like her, right? Haha, isn’t it common for men to have multiple wives and concubines?”

“What if she refuses?”

“She has no choice. Parents’ decree and matchmaker’s word are final.” Eventually, Lin Juncai gave in.

Two days later, dozens of carriages loaded with wedding gifts arrived at the young woman’s home.

Three days later, the young woman donned her red wedding attire and was brought into the Lin family as the official wife, despite objections from others.

The wedding night.

Lin Juncai lifted the red veil gently, offering warm greetings.

But the young woman ignored him, staring blankly at the main entrance.

The wedding wine remained untouched.

The next day, the newlywed bride was secretly taken away by the Grand Elder. The following day, the Lin family gained a powerful hidden martial art, soon granting the Grand Elder strength rivaling that of the major families. The young woman was placed in a remote courtyard, constantly guarded. Lin Juncai wished to get closer, but was helpless to act.

Soon, the young woman made her first request since marriage—to transplant a parasol tree to her residence. Lin Juncai complied, and no one opposed it.

A month later, the young woman committed suicide beneath the tree.

A year later, the Grand Elder rebelled but was suppressed by Lin Juncai and imprisoned for life in the courtyard where Jiang Xin resided. He later committed suicide.

Ten years later, Lin Juncai, wielding the martial art from the young woman, defeated countless enemies, bringing great prosperity to the Lin family and expanding their strength to become the third most powerful family, second only to the two major families.

Five more years passed, and the Lin family’s status was firmly established. At the height of his prime, Lin Juncai mysteriously passed away and left instructions to be buried alongside the young woman.

“That’s all I know.”

Lin Long finished recounting the story, his gaze inadvertently falling on Jiang Xin’s coffin, a flash of hatred in his eyes.

His mother had been neglected because of this woman, dying in sorrow and regret, and in the end, she didn’t even qualify to be buried in the family cemetery—it was only after he fought for it that she was accepted.

“If that’s the case, then it makes sense,” Li Tan mused thoughtfully.

Tang Leyin chimed in, “Lin Juncai loved Jiang Xin, but Jiang Xin had no feelings for him.”

Li Tan nodded, “Exactly. If Jiang Xin had also accepted Lin Juncai, she wouldn’t have chosen to end her life. Jiang Xin and Brother Cui were deeply in love, yet in the end, it was still a tragedy.”

“Yes,” Tang Leyin sighed regretfully.

“I’ve told you everything I know. Now, won’t you explain how you know about Jiang Xin? Aside from me, there shouldn’t be any other living person who knows about that incident.”

Lin Long asked coldly.

Li Tan hesitated for a moment, thinking it didn’t matter to reveal something, so he replied, “There should be a provision in Lin Juncai’s will forbidding the destruction of Jiang Xin’s former residence. Because of your mother, you hardly ever approached that place, right?”

“That’s true, but what does that have to do with my question?”

“It has a lot to do with it. You simply don’t know that Jiang Xin also left behind something detailing her entire experience.”

“Jiang Xin has no relation to you, so why would you go to such lengths for someone who’s been dead for decades?”

As soon as the question came out, Tang Leyin also looked curious. Going to such lengths for a stranger was indeed hard to believe.

Li Tan naturally couldn’t reveal the truth, so he carefully crafted his words and finally said, “It’s quite coincidental. I happen to know someone who was acquainted with the one who gifted Jiang Xin the martial art. Since I came across this matter, I naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.”

“Nonsense! Thirty years ago, you weren’t even born yet.”

“Hehe, does it necessarily have to be thirty years ago?”

“You couldn’t possibly know such a powerful expert!”

“Hehe, naturally I don’t know him personally, but I have acquaintances who could introduce me. Through a series of coincidences, I learned about Jiang Xin’s story. And now I’ve encountered it here with you. Isn’t that quite a coincidence?”

Lin Long’s expression turned grim. He asked gravely, “So what exactly do you want?”

“Of course, I want you to pay the price you deserve and return the Panlong Fist to its rightful owner.”

As Li Tan spoke, his gaze shifted to Tang Leyin. Lin Long’s fists clenched tightly within his sleeves.

“But forget it.”

Lin Long was taken aback.

“Forget it? What do you mean?”

Li Tan impatiently explained, “Do whatever you want. The Panlong Fist remains yours, and you don’t have to pay any price. Got it?

“Miss Tang, let’s go.”

With that, Li Tan took the lead and walked out of the tomb chamber.

“As I mentioned earlier, Jiang Xin’s remains will be taken away for reburial elsewhere. Uncle Lin should have no objection, right?”

“No,” Lin Long replied helplessly, feeling powerless. Tang Leyin smiled at him and carefully picked up Jiang Xin’s remains, placing them into a storage ring.

“Li Tan, what exactly did you say to my father?”

As soon as they exited the passage, Lin Cui confronted them aggressively.

Li Tan glanced at her and calmly said, “If you want to know, ask Lin Long yourself.”

With those words, he walked away directly.

“Sorry to have disturbed you.”

Tang Leyin instinctively bowed to Gu Lin and followed after him.

“Wait! Mom, why are you pulling me away?”

“Go find your father first. We’ll talk about other things later.”

“Fine,” Lin Cui reluctantly followed Gu Lin into the passage.

At dusk, in the riverside area upstream of the city of Linjiang, where few people lived, a man and a woman stood together.

It was Li Tan and Tang Leyin.

Li Tan dug a large pit beside a big rock, retrieved the parasol tree from the courtyard in the second layer of the wasteland pagoda, placed it inside, and performed a simple transplantation.

Then Tang Leyin took Jiang Xin’s remains from the storage ring and carefully buried them beneath the shade of the parasol tree.

“All right, let’s prepare for the soul release ceremony.”

Li Tan took out the soul jade, and immediately Jiang Xin appeared, standing on the ground like a living person, almost indistinguishable.

“Sister, are you really sure about this?

It’s not too late to regret.”

Tang Leyin asked with concern.

“Yes, I’m sure. I won’t regret. I’ll trouble you, Master Li.”

Jiang Xin smiled gently.

Li Tan sighed inwardly, then injected his spiritual power into the soul jade. Using an ancient ritual passed down through generations and cross-referenced with texts from the wasteland pagoda’s library, he began the soul release ceremony.