Chapter 46: The Night Before at the Mountain's Rear

Song Cheng stared at the person beside him—just like staring at a plate of food—his mind full of questions, unable to fathom how a single outing could land him in such a situation.

From the very start, this fellow had been plotting, and he even deceived his own people.

“Look, you’ve suffered so much at his hands, your sister didn’t stand up for you, but your brother Dao Yi did! Aren’t you touched?” Yu Dao Yi spoke with an air of righteousness, as if everything he did was for Song Cheng’s sake.

Song Cheng could only respond with a silent, helpless expression; to this moment, he still hadn’t figured out what was actually going on.

Yu Yun Fan gazed at his elder brother—a face both familiar and strangely unfamiliar. From the initial scheme to this very moment, witnessing the scene before him, even he couldn’t suppress a chill in his heart.

That night, beneath the dancing shadows of the trees, under a sparse moon and starry sky, many things had already been decided.

“So what exactly happened! What did Lin Tao do, and what did he tell him! Why did the Wang family strike against us! And what did you do!” Song Qiu Ling could no longer bear it; the feeling of being kept in the dark was infuriating. She twisted Yu Dao Yi’s ear, demanding answers.

The Duan siblings looked on with questioning eyes—they had merely been invited to train in the rear mountains, never expecting to encounter such turmoil.

“Ow, ow! Let go, let go, I’ll talk!” Yu Dao Yi cried out.

He pressed his reddened ear and coughed lightly, attempting to display the demeanor of a sage.

“Recently, I observed the heavens at night, calculated with my fingers, and foresaw that our journey would be fraught with turmoil.”

“Speak plainly,” Song Qiu Ling said in a cool, clear voice.

“Oh, alright.” He suddenly wilted.

“It’s a long story, but it all began on the night before we set out—the day I finished refining the Spiritbane Pill at your house.”

“Ah, that day so much happened~” Song Qiu Ling’s face darkened as she recalled the events, anger welling up inside her.

“If you keep dodging the point, I’ll twist your head next!” Her voice, icy yet tinged with barely suppressed fury.

“Ha, haha… That night, after I left your house, I ran into a beggar,” Yu Dao Yi said with a sheepish grin.

A few days earlier.

Yu Manor, night.

Yu Yun Fan watched the approaching figure, his frosty expression tinged with surprise; to stir even the faintest emotion in his perennial ice-cold face spoke to how unexpected this visitor was.

Yu Dao Yi merely smiled at the man in the black robe—it was Lin He.

“You knew I’d come tonight, so you waited here?” Lin He asked, his eyes narrowed in amusement.

“You overestimate me. I was bored and came out for some air. I didn’t expect you to actually show up,” Yu Dao Yi replied, shaking his head as if unconcerned.

Yu Yun Fan, standing nearby, felt disgruntled. In truth, this fellow had been sitting here for ages, dragging him along as well. Who comes out to ‘enjoy the breeze’ in the dead of night? Wouldn’t it be more comfortable in bed?

“You hinted so obviously; how could I not come? Otherwise, I’d be slighting you.” Lin He tossed three copper coins in his hand and continued, “You must have noticed something the day I sent out my spies, right? Though I didn’t bother to hide it.”

“Oh, I just felt bad for the beggar. I’m such a kind soul, watching him toil so fruitlessly—what if he gets chased off one day? My place is small, but it’s quiet at night. Whether it’s him…” Here, Yu Dao Yi gave Lin He a deep look, “…or you, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Hah, but those three coins really are just for the beggar.” Lin He said coolly, tossing the coins again.

“Hey, I’m honest! I can’t just hand out spirit stones, can I? I can’t bear to part with them myself. Besides, getting you here at midnight probably cost me three coins already. I’m just a poor child, born into a pitiful family—a father who’s harsh, cough, wise, understanding, a model among fathers!”

…He was rambling, rambling—the kind of spiel used for bargaining.

Good heavens, nearly slipped up; if he didn’t die elsewhere, he’d die at home from his own words.

“None of that matters. Those spies are nothing, and I made it clear I was looking for you,” Lin He’s narrow eyes looked deeply at Yu Dao Yi. “If you couldn’t see through that, I’d have no reason to seek you out. But you’re smart.”

“Thanks for the compliment. So, can you tell me now—what do you want from me? This blatant approach doesn’t fit your impression of me,” Yu Dao Yi said, curious.

“It’s thanks to him—he sought me out to probe the three families, so I didn’t have to sneak around,” Lin He replied.

“And since I’m here, I won’t conceal anything. If that guy hadn’t tightened his investigations lately, I wouldn’t be here over three coins. I feared he’d suddenly spot something, so here I am.”

“So it’s just chance you showed up tonight—otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen you,” Yu Dao Yi teased, lowering his gaze. “So, you’re looking to cooperate?”

“Not cooperation, just mutual benefit. Your Yu family has always looked down on the other three, I know that much. I dare not call it cooperation,” Lin He said with a faint smile.

“Yet you come to me?” Yu Dao Yi scoffed at his comment about disdain for the other families; at least he maintained a good friendship with the Song family’s young sister.

“Yu Manor is Yu Manor; you are you. You’re different. I’m surprised you saw through my disguise, but I think I can find an opening with you,” Lin He said seriously.

“An opening?” Yu Dao Yi frowned.

“A chance to topple the Lin family. I won’t let that guy live any longer; he’s no fool—a constant threat,” Lin He said with gravity.

“I feel like you’re hiding a lot from me.”

“I can tell you this: if nothing changes, you’ll die on your trip to the rear mountains.”

“My life isn’t so easily taken by just anyone.” Yu Dao Yi smiled lightly—after all, he was the protagonist of a transmigration story.

“That guy set a trap. I don’t know all the details, since I must hide my own tracks. But I know they hired people from the Dawn Moon Pavilion.”

“The first assassin organization in Tianyu, Dawn Moon Pavilion?” Yu Dao Yi lowered his head, frowning.

“Yes. You don’t need to know how I found out, but trust me, the information is reliable. That’s my sincerity,” Lin He declared.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Yu Dao Yi redirected the conversation.

“Simple: turn his scheme against him, help me kill him. I’ll support you from the shadows,” Lin He spoke as if it were the simplest task.

“But what’s in it for me?”

“If he lives, he’ll stop at nothing to remove you.” Lin He glanced into the depths of Yu Manor, his eyes deep and unreadable. “Or, you might survive, but do you really think the Song siblings are flawless?”

“So, he’s included the Song family in his plans?” Yu Dao Yi’s gaze turned icy.

“I told you—his ambition is vast,” Lin He nodded.

“But why? We should have no conflict; at most, I’ve only met him a few times.”

“From the moment he first saw you, he targeted you.”

“What do you mean?”

“He won’t allow any uncertain element in Greenhill Town. Especially…”

“Especially what?”

“The rear mountains.”

“The rear mountains? What’s special there?”

“A hidden inheritance site discovered by the Lin family!” Lin He abruptly looked up.

“Honestly, your family works behind the scenes more than I realized,” Yu Dao Yi said, exasperated.

“Lin Tao pursues perfection. The inheritance is about to open, and he wants no interference. This inheritance is vital to him, and you are the extra variables,” Lin He looked deeply at Yu Dao Yi and Yu Yun Fan.

“Why?” Yu Dao Yi felt frustrated—this half-spoken answers were torturous.

“Because the inheritance only restricts high-level cultivators; the only ones allowed in are those at the Qi Refinement stage. All famous and unknown Qi Refiners from the other three families are his targets. Your brother is a rare genius.”

“So, my brother and I might just die there without even realizing it,” Yu Dao Yi said with bitter self-mockery.

“Not necessarily. I doubt your elders would allow that, and my presence here is only possible because they permitted it. If not for your sake, my trespass would have ended in my annihilation,” Lin He gazed into the manor, his eyes profound.

“As expected, the Lin family is full of fools, but you’re different—very different. I sense your hatred for them. I’m curious: what happened to you?” Yu Dao Yi asked.

“Just some trivial stories. If you kill Lin Tao and wish to know, I’ll tell you,” Lin He replied, as calm as ever—so calm it was unsettling. This was nothing like his usual outward facade; perhaps this was his true self, unchanged and original.