Chapter 4: The City Falls

  Huisheng Tang's backyard conference hall.

  A very ancient and simple great hall, five zhang wide and about twenty zhang deep, a large black lacquer long table occupies most of the space in the great hall, with nearly a hundred high-backed chairs placed neatly along the edge of the long table. The ceiling is made of ebony wood, the floor is paved with bluestone bricks, and on both sides of the wall hang more than 200 portraits of figures, which are the paintings of the successive masters of Hui Chun Tang, that is, the masters of the Huahua family. The yellowed portraits make the great hall even more ancient and solemn, with a kind of suffocating pressure permeating the great hall.

  At the far end of the hall, on the wall in the center, there is a huge ink painting "Wei Jia picking medicine". On the painting, there is an emaciated Taoist priest with a smile all over his face, who is picking a plant with three flowers and three fruits. Wei Jia Taoist priest is recognized as the ancestor of all doctors and pharmacists in the world. It is said that he can fly in the sky and hide in the earth, pluck stars and hold the moon, but it is just a legend, nobody knows whether such a powerful god really exists in the world. However, Wei Jia passed down the medical skills, which is acknowledged by everyone.

  Lin Xiao was allowed into the conference hall for the first time and sat quietly at the far end of the long table closest to the door.

  All the attendants and doctors of Huichuntang gathered here to discuss how to deal with the trouble caused by Lin Yao.

  Lin Shan sat upright under the painting of Wei Jiao picking herbs, with a hint of green light flickering in his eyes. Anyone who met his gaze couldn't help but shudder and hastily lower their head. Even Hua Wenyu, who was usually so arrogant and domineering, and the several elderly stewards of the Hua family, had all lost their usual swagger today, none of them daring to make eye contact with Lin Shan.

  For the first time, these members of the Huajia felt a kind of awe towards Linshan that was no different from their reverence for his master, the previous head of the Huajia and the former master of the Hui Chun Tang.

  Of course, there were also people who were not convinced by Lin Shan's sudden display of power. Several middle-aged members of the Hua family glared at Lin Shan with puffed up faces, as if to say "I won't give you face, what can you do to me?" In their opinion, Lin Shan, this outsider who had 'usurped' the power seat of Huichuntang due to the previous master's confusion before his death, was not worth fearing.

  Lin Yao's face was as pale as death, and he sat beside Lin Xiao. His body was shaking violently, and Lin Xiao could even hear the sound of his teeth chattering.

  Lin Xiao couldn't help but glance at Lin Yao with a mixture of pity and worry. Hanging out with that group of riffraff, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. He just hadn't expected that when something did go wrong, it would be something so embarrassing that he didn't dare mention it.

  Perhaps it was Lin Xiao's pitiful gaze that stimulated Lin Yao, and Lin Yao suddenly let out a hysterical howl: "You pity me? You pity me? You wild mongrel, what qualifications do you have to pity me?"

  Lin Yao suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Xiao's neck, choking him tightly. Lin Xiao had no experience in hand-to-hand combat and was caught off guard by Lin Yao's sudden attack, unable to catch his breath and almost fainting. He even forgot that he possessed a hundred times more powerful martial arts skills than Lin Yao, and instinctively used his hands to scratch at Lin Yao's face. The two of them tumbled to the ground, rolling around like two mad dogs.

  Lin You was five or six years older than Lin Xiao, and he was also much taller, but he had been drained of his energy by wine and women, where did he have the strength? On the other hand, Lin Xiao worked at Hui Chun Tang every day, his physical fitness was excellent, and he had been practicing a true inner energy since childhood, his strength was much greater than Lin You's. The two men wrestled on the ground for a while, then Lin Xiao easily pulled Lin You's hands off his neck, flipped over and sat on Lin You's body, raised his fist and was about to strike down.

  Lin Yao's face was scratched with several deep blood marks, and he looked as wretched as possible with his face covered in blood. Seeing Lin Xiao raise his fist, he couldn't help but feel a pang of fear, and loudly shouted: "You dare to hit me! You dare to hit me? Mother~~~~~ This wild species wants to beat the child to death!"

  Hua Emei had long since stood up and was gazing out at Lin Yu and Lin Feng's fight. With a furious cry, her body floated lightly into the air, taking a step that spanned over a dozen zhang, and with what seemed like a light and casual push of her palm, she struck Lin Feng in the back.

  Lin Xiao only felt a gust of evil wind coming from behind, and the sound of "huffing" echoed in his ears. Lin Xiao was greatly startled, and instinctively mobilized his true energy to defend himself. He counterattacked with a palm strike, using the "Picking Chrysanthemums by the Eastern Fence" technique, lightly slapping his hand on the back of his body to form a circular defense that protected his vital points.

  With a loud "crack", Hua Wenyang steadied herself and grabbed Lin Yao, who was covered in blood, from the ground. Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was beaten to the point of being utterly disheveled, rolling over twenty times before finally stopping after hitting his head against the door frame of the conference hall. His right arm had already been injured by a palm strike, and he couldn't move at all.

  The Longqing Jue itself has the effect of healing wounds and protecting life. Lin Xiao's whole body was limp, leaning against the door frame at an angle, mobilizing a mouthful of true energy to continuously impact his swollen and congested shoulders. He exerted a burst of strength, disregarding everything as he forcibly mobilized his true energy to blast open the meridians that had been closed due to shock. Faintly, a soft crackling sound could be heard from his shoulder, Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, slowly lifting his arm and gently waving it back and forth.

  Deep down, Lin Xiao was unwilling to bow his head to Hua Wenyu and her daughter!

  Like a wounded wolf, Lin Xiao glared fiercely at Hua Wenyang.

  Hua Wuniang felt a chill run down her spine as she was stared at by Lin Xiao's gaze. A murderous intention suddenly emerged in her mind: "This little beast, I should have killed him with the same medicine back then. No rush, I'll take my time to deal with you, and you won't have a good end." Hua Wuniang suddenly hated herself for the past ten years, thinking that she had only been trying to make Lin Xiao's life difficult in terms of living conditions, but had neglected to eradicate him completely, which was an unforgivable mistake.

  She glared at Lin Xiao with the same ferocity, and Hua Wenyang sneered: "What a ruthless little brat, able to tear his own brother apart like this."

  Without moving a muscle, Lin Yao's body was turned towards the high-ranking officials of Hui Chun Tang sitting on both sides of the long table. The elders and executives of the Hua family immediately pointed fingers at Lin Xiao, accusing him of being ruthless and cruel despite his young age. A middle-aged executive of the Hua family even swore, "This child will definitely become a thief in the future! Look at the ferocity emanating from his body, if he doesn't become a great bandit leader, I'll eat my own head!" He proudly adjusted his hair bun, intentionally drawing everyone's attention to the small flower made of tiny red gemstones inserted into his hair today.

  Lin Shan gazed coldly at the elders and stewards of the Huajia, and couldn't help but lament in his heart: "Master, you are absolutely right. The Huajia has already become so corrupt that it is beyond salvation. Master's kindness is heavy, and I can only do my best to repay it. At least I will try to hold on for these two years, and when they emerge from their closed-door meditation, I will no longer fear anything."

  "Wanting to rouse the Huo family, how difficult can it be?" Lin Shan smiled wryly a few times, his fingers lightly tapping on the table, and said in a cold voice: "Enough, there's no need for me to say what happened."

  The people of the Huajia family all shut their mouths, while the doctors and pharmacists from the Hui Chun Tang nodded in agreement. Moreover, a hot-tempered Mr. Zhuo stood up and loudly said: "Master, it's clear that Young Master was the first to make a move and attacked Xiao Shao's vital spot."

  Hua Wuniang glared at the master with a fierce gaze, and suddenly sneered: "Does Master Xiao have something to say? Look at how far Y'rou has been captured!"

  Just as the master of the main post was about to retort, Mr. Wei from the accounting room suddenly coughed and said calmly: "Alright, two young masters fighting, children don't understand things, what do we adults have to intervene? This time let's just discuss how the Zhang family should respond. Apologizing and making amends won't be enough to fool them this time. But, whether or not to hand over the eldest young master to appease the Zhang family's anger...

  "Dare!" Huajie Niang slapped her palm on the long table, and a loud muffled sound was heard. The long table, three zhang wide and fifteen zhang long, was pressed flat against the ground, with all its legs embedded in the water-milled bluestone bricks. Huajie Niang shouted sternly: "Who dares to hand over Yao'er? Don't blame me, Huajie Niang, for being impolite!"

  "How dare you!" Lin Shan also coldly snorted: "Wu Niang, according to the family rules, those who dare to shout in the council hall should be punished for what crime!"

  Hua Wuniang's face suddenly turned deathly pale, her complexion even whiter than the thick layer of white powder on her face. She cast a desperate and threatening glance at the elderly members and stewards of the Hua family, her eyes conveying a warning: if anything happens to me, you'll all be in trouble too.

  An elder of the Hua family coughed lightly, looked at Hua Wenyin and slowly spoke: "Master, Wenyin was just careless. Let's put aside this small matter for now and discuss more important things."

  Lin Shan's face sank into a deep smile, and he said lightly: "Big deal? Alright!"

  He stepped on the long table surface on the ground, and with a lift of his foot, he actually used his true energy to suck up the long table again. He pushed the long table forward by half a foot, avoiding the square holes on the ground, and instantly the long table stood steadily on the ground again.

  He moved his chair forward half a foot, and Lin Shan glanced at the elders and stewards of the Hua family before calmly saying, "Mr. Wei will tell you about the Zhang family's power."

  Mr. Wei's two old mouse whiskers twitched, and he slowly stood up, bowed to the elders of the Hua family, especially Hua Wenyu and Lin Yao, before pulling out a dirty and oily folding fan from behind his collar and opening it with a "pop". After fanning himself for a while, Mr. Wei smiled and said: "This is the news I just received. In Guiying City, the Zhang family's old master, who is the father of the current head of the Zhang family, was once the leader of the 'San San Lian Huan Kong' mountain stronghold, the largest waterway in the southern border of the Yuan Dynasty within a radius of 1,000 miles."

  The faces of all the elders and servants in the Huahua family changed, and even Hua Wenyu's face, who was always arrogant, became extremely ugly.

  Especially Lin Yao, with a drop of blood still hanging on the tip of his nose, sat down on the ground with a thud. He wailed: "Not really? Not really? Mom~~~~~Dad!"

  Mr. Wei smiled, folding his fan and shaking it gently, saying: "Now the Zhang family has two thousand soldiers on the surface, this is a remnant of the Thirty-three Linked Ring Fort being destroyed by the Great Yuan State's naval forces thirty years ago, extremely powerful. The Zhang family after all are used to being thieves, thirty years have not died their thieving hearts, they privately keep private soldiers in various manors, around four thousand."

  Four thousand private soldiers, in the northwest counties, have the qualifications for attacking cities and capturing strongholds.

  Mr. Wei let out a gentle sigh, and his whiskers twitched again as he said helplessly: "Of course, these are not worth paying attention to. The Zhang family may be powerful, but would they dare to bring their private army to attack Guihua City?"

  Everyone's expression in the conference hall relaxed a bit. Not bad, Zhang's family actually dared to start a war? However, Guihua City was not that easy to conquer either.

  Shaking his head, Lin Shan coldly said: "Mr. Wei, continue speaking."

  Mr. Wei nodded, his face suddenly turned gloomy: "What I'm worried about is the batch of fierce bandits who followed Old Lady Zhang into seclusion, those who shook the southern waterways of Dayuan 30 years ago. The reputation of San San Lian Huan Kan back then was such that they even dared to rob the grain ships transporting silver for the imperial court. There are probably still around 150 of these fierce bandits who qualify to be listed on the Wulin Blacklist, and they are all ruthless killers."

  Lying on the ground and yelling, Lin Yao was so scared that he urinated, shouting: "They wouldn't go to such great lengths just for a woman, would they?"

  Mr. Wei let out a long sigh and shook his head helplessly, saying: "Old Lady Zhang has nearly a hundred grandsons, but only one granddaughter. She usually treats her like the apple of her eye. If it weren't for the fact that she wants to form an alliance with the Wang family to increase the reputation and influence of the Zhang family, and also to find a powerful ally in these chaotic times, do you think she would be willing to send her own granddaughter over so hastily?"

  Lin Shand said faintly, "Old Lady Zhang's idea is actually not wrong. The marriage between the Zhang and Wang families will only bring benefits, without any drawbacks. However, unexpectedly, Miss Zhang had a short life and encountered you, this scourge."

  Before Huajie Nang could speak, Lin Shan continued: "Now there are only two paths. One is to save Lin Yao's life, then my foundation in Chun Tang will..."

  Mr. Wei pretended not to know and asked: "Well, Master Dong, is there another way?"

  Lin Shan narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Discuss with Old Master Wang to bind these beasts and send them to Old Lady Zhang for judgment. Then I can return to Chun Tang without worry!"

  Mr. Wei smiled and asked in a feigned surprise: "Then, will Old Master Wang agree?"

  Lin Shandao said calmly, "Why didn't the old master of the Wang family agree? He has many sons. Losing one Wang Er and marrying one of his daughters to the Wang family as a daughter-in-law would have resolved the matter. In the future, the Zhang family will still be the best ally of the Wang family, do you think the old master of the Wang family would not mind sacrificing the life of one son?"

  "You... Lin Shan... are you willing to sacrifice your own son's life?" Hua Wuniang shrieked, jumping up and down on the spot as she bellowed: "You just want Yiao'er to die!"

  "If he didn't do such a thing, who could make him die?" Lin Shan narrowed his eyes and looked at Hua Wuniang, coldly saying: "If you seek death yourself, I have no way to stop it. If Yáo'er doesn't hand over the goods, and the Zhang family insists on taking revenge on Huichun Hall, then which one is more important, Huichun Hall or Yáo'er?"

  The foundation of Huichuntang and Lin Yao's life, which one is more important?

  Everyone looked at Hua Wuniang.

  Hua Wuniang stood stupidly in place for half a day, then suddenly hugged Lin Yao tightly. She cried out loudly: "I don't care, I don't care! Whether it's Huichuntang or Ya'er, I won't give up either of them! Whoever dares to touch a single hair on his head will be sorry! No one is allowed to change my mind about Huichuntang!"

  Lin Yao wailed and cried, hugging Hua Wenyu's thigh tightly, shouting loudly: "Mother~~~~~ You must save your child~~~~~ Your child doesn't want to die~~~~~"

  Hua Wuniang hugged Lin Yao's body and patted his shoulders hard, shouting loudly: "Yao'er don't worry, mother won't let you suffer!"

  Suddenly, Hua Wuniang stood up fiercely, she forcefully wiped away the white powder and tears on her face, and glared at Lin Shan with a fierce gaze.

  Lin Shan gazed at Hua Wuniang and asked coldly, "What are you going to do again? You can protect him for a while, but can you protect him for his whole life?"

  "How do you know I won't be able to protect Rou'er for her whole life?" Hua Wuniang laughed strangely and continuously as she looked at Lin Shan, twisting her waist and laughing complacently: "Don't think that some things only the master of Huichuntang knows! Some things, I also know!"

  Lin Shan's face twitched and he suddenly stood up, angrily saying: "What do you know? What can you possibly know?"

  Hua Wuniang took a deep breath and said viciously: "Give me the key, I want to open the secret vault!"

  "How dare you! You're so presumptuous!" Lin Shan's face suddenly turned purple, with bulging veins popping out of his forehead. He slammed his palm heavily on the long table, and amidst the loud whooshing sound, a faint blue flame covered the table, reducing the centuries-old conference table in the Hui Chun Hall to ashes in the blink of an eye.

  One move and it's out, the whole hall is shocked.

  Large drops of sweat seeped out from the foreheads of the elderly and stewards of the Huajia, flowing down their cheeks and gathering into shiny water droplets on their chins, slowly dripping down. They looked at Lin Shan in horror, never expecting that this outsider, who was almost like a son-in-law marrying into the Huajia family, would possess such an unimaginable divine skill.

  There are countless divine techniques in the world, but being able to strike out flames with bare hands, and those flames can instantly burn 'Steel Wood' from Mount Xuebei, which is three times harder than refined iron, into flying ash. This is something that martial arts cannot achieve. Perhaps only the legendary Three Flavors True Fire cultivated by gods who can fly and escape through the earth have such divine power?

  "Three Flavors True Fire!" It wasn't just one person who thought of this question, several main post gentlemen almost simultaneously groaned out these words.

  Lin Shan's body seemed to become extremely tall and majestic in that instant, as if he alone filled the entire hall. His aura intimidated everyone in the hall, no one dared to speak.

  Lin Xiao stood stupidly at the door, staring at Lin Shan who seemed to have changed into a different person in an instant. He couldn't help but wonder: Is this still his own father, who was warm and gentle, and never dared to say a harsh word to Hua Wenyang? Is this still his own father, who after the mysterious death of his beloved wife, would only secretly cry at night while holding her ashes?

  A fleeting illusion flashed before his eyes, and Lin Xiao seemed to see again the night of his mother's death, holding his mother's ashes, kneeling in the corner of the backyard of the Huahua Mansion, crying out blood and tears.

  He is so powerful, why has he always been so indulgent to Hua Wenyu?

  If Lin Shan were willing, these years would have been his own world in Hui Chun Tang long ago. Why bother keeping those foolish and incompetent elders and executives who are as stupid as pigs?

  Lin Xiao's heart was filled with doubts, and he looked at Lin Shan in confusion. Why was it like this? Judging from the power of that one palm strike, Lin Shan could have become a top-notch martial arts master revered by all under heaven, rather than just being a renowned doctor with a prestigious title.

  The atmosphere in the hall was as heavy as an iron curtain, Lin Shan's breathing was labored, and it took him a long, long time to slowly retract the massive breath he had let out.

  For a moment, Lin Shan became that gentle, thin, and weak old man who was in harmony with the world and had no conflicts.

  However, other people's gaze towards him has completely changed.

  Lin Shan looked at Hua Wuniang with a somewhat weak gaze, his voice suddenly becoming extremely hoarse as he asked in a low tone: "Wuniang, what else do you know?"

  Hua Wuniang's face was icy cold as she smiled, and in a gloomy tone, she said: "Before Father passed away, he had a spell of delirious ramblings, but I heard every word."

  "What did Master En say?" Lin Shan looked at Hua Wuniang with a gentle smile.

  "What Father said back then, I thought was just a myth at the time." Hua Wuniang looked at the small amount of black ash on the ground and laughed in an eerie tone: "I didn't expect it to be true. Heh heh, since these things are real, why can't Mother protect Yao'er for her whole life?"

  "Haha, haha, hahaha!" Lin Shan suddenly burst out laughing, holding his belly, and while laughing, he pointed at Hua Wenyu and said angrily: "Do you think that with Yaoke's current appearance, they would take a liking to her?"

  Hua Wuniang was speechless for a moment, and after a long time, she suddenly shouted: "Don't care about what they think, give me the key to the secret library!"

  "What do you want to do?" Lin Shan angrily said: "What exactly do you want to do?"

  "Hua Wuniang said coldly: 'The secret library has spiritual medicine, naturally there is also poisonous medicine, what do you think I want to do?'"

  Lin Shan's face changed drastically, and he angrily said: "Are you crazy?!"

  Hua Wuniang laughed strangely: "For Yaoer, I go crazy, what's the big deal? Lin Shan, are you going to give me the key or not?"

  Lin Shan's face changed color, and his right hand involuntarily withdrew into his sleeve.

  "Hua Wuniang coldly smiled and said: 'What did Father say to you before he died? You dare not listen to me now? Can you be worthy of the father who regarded you as his own child?'"

  Lin Shan was silent, the elder of the flower family was silent, the servant was silent, and everyone in the conference hall was silent.

  Hua Wuniang's face gradually floated up with a victorious smile. Nearly a hundred people in the hall, only Lin Shan and she knew that some things in the secret library had such terrifying power. With those things, would they still be afraid of just one Zhang family?

  She slowly stretched out her hand towards Lin Shan and coldly said: "Key, give it to me!"

  Lin Shan took a deep breath, his teeth clenched as he stared at Hua Wuniang, his body trembling slightly.

  "Hua Wuniang smiled lightly and said, 'Don't forget Father's last words! Don't forget how Father actually died! With Father's cultivation, if not for saving you from walking into the devil's path, Father would have lived at least another fifty years! Everything you have today is given to you by Father!'"

  Lin Shan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't make a sound.

  Suddenly, several loud thunderclaps came from the sky, and the sound was so great that the rolling thunder shook the tiles on the roof of the conference hall, making a loud "rattling" noise.

  "Bang bang bang", the roof of the conference hall was suddenly blown away by a strong gust of wind, and the ground shook violently for a few seconds.

  A distant place transmitted the sound of people clamoring.

  Not long after, several Taoist priests from the Hui Chun Tang rushed over in a flurry, shouting loudly from a distance: "Master, madam, hurry and escape! The city has been breached! The Black Knife bandits have broken in!"

  Everyone in the hall was stunned, how could the city be broken in just a few moments?

  Lin Shan's face suddenly turned pale as paper. He took a fierce glance at Lin Xiao, abruptly flashed to his side, grabbed him with one hand, and rushed towards the back door of the council hall.

  "Lin Shan, what are you doing?"

  Lin Shan seemed to have not heard Hua Wuniang's voice and directly grabbed Lin Xiao and ran out.