As the deacon of the Lin family's side branch, Lin Shu obtained a lot of information about the Zheng family's direct lineage when he was ordered to lead the team to Taiping Township.
So he recognized the person as soon as he showed his face.
Zheng Jinxiao, the ninth elder of the Zheng family's direct lineage.
He is now the best expert in the Zheng family besides the patriarch, and is expected to seize the position of the next patriarch from the eldest son.
Originally, whether Zheng Jinxiao was strong or weak, it had nothing to do with Lin Shu.
The status and strength of the two sides are too different. Even if Zheng Jinxiao wants to completely break the rules and kill him, he can only wait for death obediently without even having any fear.
But what Zheng Jinxiao said really made Lin Shu nervous.
"Lin Shu, the external steward of the Lin family, greets Senior Zheng Jinxiao."
Lin Shu forced himself to remain calm, and bowed calmly, "To be honest with you, Senior, I don't know who in my Lin family's lineage will be responsible for this matter. The reason why we are staying here temporarily is just to follow orders."
"Really?"
Zheng Jinxiao looked at Lin Shu calmly, "In that case, the Zheng and Lin families have been friends for thousands of years, why don't you invite us in for a chat, Deacon Lin?"
"This... is Lin Shu's negligence."
Lin Shu hesitated for only a moment before he turned sideways and raised his hand to invite them, "Seniors, brothers from the Zheng family, please come in."
“…”
Zheng Jinxiao narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment, and then walked into the courtyard.
In fact, he had already arrived here as soon as Zheng Wu reported to him, but he had been staying high above the sea of ​​clouds and did not show up.
It can be said that he saw the meeting and conversation between Lin Shu and Zheng Wu and others from beginning to end.
This made him even more confused.
These branches of the Lin family arrived in Taiping Township seven days ago.
Zheng Jinxiao arrived three days earlier than them. Having always been keeping an eye on the direct line of the Lin family, he naturally focused his attention on Lin Shu and the others.
But seven days passed and the direct descendant of the Lin family still did not show up.
Of course, Zheng Jinxiao did not gain nothing.
During these seven days, Lin Shu and other members of the Lin family's side branches behaved very naturally.
Normal entry and exit, normal activities.
There are even many people who have never been to Taiping Township. They come to walk around and take a look, tasting the fine wine, delicious food and beautiful women.
If it were in the past, there would definitely be nothing wrong with it.
But what is the situation now?
The battle for the position of Taoist leader is imminent, and the Lin family is clearly one step behind the Zheng family.
Even if Lin Shu and others did not know the seriousness of the matter, they should never act so carefree.
Therefore, Zheng Jinxiao concluded that the Lin family must have prepared some means to be completely fearless of the Zheng family, and even defeat the Zheng family in the competition for the Taoist master.
As for the attacker who suddenly appeared, no matter who was behind it, it was far less important than this incident.
So, as soon as Zheng Jinxiao showed up, he directly directed his attack at the Lin family itself.
But he never expected that Lin Shu would be so frank and actually invite him in...
Could it be that I am overthinking?
With doubts, Zheng Jinxiao forced himself to tour the entire house under the pretext of "visiting", which seemed ridiculous but was actually overbearing.
Nothing was found.
In the huge and luxurious mansion, apart from the Lin family members and some servants, there was nothing special about it.
However, it was precisely because of this that Zheng Jinxiao's mood became even heavier.
Hundreds of young men from the two families followed behind the two men, all with question marks on their heads.
"I didn't expect Senior Zheng to be so refined."
Lin Shu said with a fake smile, and bowed again, "We have been walking around for so long, and I have neglected you for so long, why don't you go to the front hall and sit for a while, so that I can have the honor of making a pot of tea for you."
"There's no need for tea."
Zheng Jinxiao looked at Lin Shu deeply, "Although I don't know where the Lin family's confidence comes from, I know another thing..."
"What?"
Lin Shu's expression changed slightly.
"You are just an outer steward who has not yet been promoted to the direct bloodline, but you can act so confident. What does this mean?"
Zheng Jinxiao raised the corner of his mouth, "This shows... you know about it!!!"
boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, a hurricane rose from the ground and the clouds fell vertically.
In an instant, the entire courtyard was completely enveloped by Zheng Jinxiao's power.
The Lin family members had no time to react before they were all trapped in the spot.
The first person to be affected was naturally the external steward of the Lin family's side branch, Lin Shu.
Lin Shu was tied up with cloud chains and hung in the air. He shouted in shock and anger: "Zheng Jinxiao, I respect you as a senior and treat you with courtesy everywhere, but you attacked us because of your mean heart. Aren't you afraid that my Lin family will come to you to ask for an explanation?"
"Ask for an explanation? Even if there is one, that will be a matter for later."
Zheng Jinxiao shook his head indifferently, "Now, my identity and my position force me to do this."
"Oh."
Lin Shu sneered, "Why don't you think about it? Even if you guessed right, such an important matter must be more important than my life. Why would I tell you?"
"You are right."
Zheng Jinxiao looked at Lin Shu like a fool, "But why don't you think about it, as long as you are an insider, as long as I catch you, will the people in the dark of your Lin family just sit there and watch?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Shu's face turned ugly.
Indeed, as long as he knew about it, no matter how loyal he was to the Lin family, there was a possibility of leaking the secret to the Lin family.
In that case...
“That makes sense.”
Lin Shu said lightly.
Make sense?
Zheng Jinxiao was stunned for a moment, and then his face changed drastically.
This is not Lin Shu's voice!
To be precise, this voice did not come from Lin Shu's mouth, but from within Lin Shu's body!
Hiding someone inside?
Is this possible?
Normally it is unlikely, unless...
Cave heaven!
Lin Shu carried the cave with him!
When Zheng Jinxiao thought of this, his mind was shaken greatly, and without thinking, he summoned wind and clouds to rise up from the ground, wanting to get away from this place.
Unfortunately, he was still a step too late.
An old hand stretched out from Lin Shu's chest and then gently grasped it.
"Disperse."
One word.
Just one word, and the clouds in the sky dissipated in an instant.
Including the one who controlled the Lin family, and also the one that Zheng Jinxiao relied on to escape.
Of course, if there is no follow-up, Zheng Jinxiao can easily start a new trend and continue to stay away.
However, the owner of that hand obviously did not intend to let him go.
"ban."
The second word uttered was also a method of the Dharma Realm, but it was not the wind and clouds that were controlled by Zheng Jinxiao.
In the blink of an eye, Zheng Jinxiao suffered the same fate as Lin Shu before, being tied up and hung in the air.
When everything was settled, the hand on Lin Shu's chest disappeared, and a tall and thin old man in a purple robe appeared on the scene.
Zheng Jinxiao looked at the other person's face and understood everything in an instant.
I understand what the Lin family’s real plan is.
"Lin...Yao...Ri!"
Zheng Jinxiao uttered those three words with great difficulty, his mood falling into the abyss.
Lin Yaori is a descendant of the Lin family's Yao generation.
At the same time, he is also the head of the Lin family.
"For a Taoist master position, it actually requires the Lin family head to personally take action..."
Zheng Jinxiao stared at Lin Yaori intently, "What a big move, and such a humble attitude."
"I thought you were very smart, but now it seems that you are nothing special."
Lin Yaori shook his head and said with a tut-tut sound, "What about his status? The Zheng and Lin families have already reached the point where their true colors are exposed, but he can still sit back and send small characters like you to take action, and even has the leisure to win over the Hua and Nan families. He is really stupid."
“…”
Zheng Jinxiao was speechless for a while.
Just as Lin Yaori said, the two families are already incompatible, and they must be prioritized.
In this situation, the best way is of course for the entire clan to come out and strive for the position of Taoist master with the most complete and powerful attitude.
In fact, he did make this suggestion to the head of the family, Zheng Jinlong, but unfortunately it was rejected.
As for the reason ...
"How can a mere Ji Qingzhi be qualified to judge me?"
Yes, that's the reason.
What the two families were really fighting for was not the position of Taoist master, but the Baicao Garden Cave.
Due to the characteristics of the cave heaven, if one wants to obtain the Baicao Garden, one must honestly participate in the competition, win the victory in front of the entire Taiping Township with fair means, and finally gain the recognition of Ji Qingzhi, the master of the cave heaven, and be granted the cave heaven hub of the Baicao Garden.
Zheng Jinlong could not accept this, and he believed that Lin Yaori, who was also the head of the ancient clan, could not accept this either.
But now...
"Oh."
Zheng Jinxiao laughed at himself and sighed, "Once this news leaks out, the head of the family will definitely rush here regardless of everything... So, there is no way for us to survive, right?"
"Don't come on, you want to scare me into killing you?"
Lin Yaori sneered, "Do you think this patriarch doesn't know about the existence of a life lamp or something?"
Zheng Jinxiao was completely silent.
Having said this, he no longer had any thoughts.
If anyone is to blame, it can only be blamed on the head of the family for being too careless, losing the big picture because of a small mistake, and dragging down the entire Zheng family...
However, just as Zheng Jinxiao was feeling resentful, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"You plan to imprison them until after the fight and then kill them? Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are so cruel."
A dramatic scene just happened.
It was almost exactly the same as what happened just now. A hand reached out from the chest of a member of the Zheng family's branch and gently squeezed it.
The ban on Zheng Jinxiao and others was lifted, and a short and fat old man appeared on the scene.
“…Zheng Jinlong!”
Lin Yaori gritted his teeth, his face looking very grim.
The person who came was the head of the Zheng family, Zheng Jinlong.
And the way Zheng Jinlong appeared also shows that the other party, including Dongtian, had also come out with his entire clan.
"Didn't expect that?"
Zheng Jinlong smiled complacently, "Although I, Zheng Jinlong, despise Ji Qingzhi, I have never looked down on you... Now that you and I are both here, we can just trade it off the field. There's no need to go on the field and be treated like a monkey. Tsk tsk tsk, the head of this family is here to kill two birds with one stone."
“…”
Lin Yaori didn't know what to say.
There are some differences between the Lin and Zheng families and the Fang family. Not only is the cave not hidden so tightly, the rules of the cave cannot apply to the entire cultivation process. A lot of the time, they need to practice outside the cave in order to be more efficient.
Therefore, there are more conflicts between the two families.
For example, he and Zheng Jinlong know each other very well.
Therefore, Lin Yaori was very clear-headed and knew that there was nothing wrong with the idea of ​​exchanging pieces off the field.
But the problem is...
The Lin family's plan failed, and the advantage once again returned to the Zheng family.
etc!
Advantages?
"Good, good, good! Good for you, Zheng Jinlong!"
Lin Yaori narrowed his eyes and laughed angrily, "But don't be complacent, it's still unknown who will win in the end!"
"Oh, yes, yes, your Lin family..."
Zheng Jinlong raised his chin and fought back without showing any weakness.
Before he could finish his words, a blinding light pierced the sky.
Crazy snake dance!
Countless lightning bolts, carrying destructive power, fell straight down and fiercely covered everyone in the Zheng family.
In response, Zheng Jinlong's expression changed, but he was not panicked.
As they were both at the eighth level of Dharmakāya, even if he was half a step behind, he was still confident that he could stop Lin Shu's attack.
"Disperse!"
Zheng Jinlong's momentum rose, his robes fluttered, and he fought with Lin Yaori for control of the lightning while cursing: "No, are you still in your head? What's the point of doing this?"
“Of course it makes sense.”
Lin Yaori attacked with all his strength, his eyes gleaming with brilliance.
"Um?"
Hearing this, Zheng Jinlong's heart instinctively tightened.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to provoke her, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure walking around behind him.
Forest technique?
That branch of the Lin family?
Such a weak existence, could it be that he wants to launch a sneak attack on me... No!
Zheng Jinlong's pupils suddenly shrank into the size of needles.
It’s a cave!
With Lin Shu's strength, he certainly could not pose a threat to him.
But what if Lin Yaori did not do the same as him and took back the cave after appearing, but still left the cave on Lin Shu?
There are more than just Lin Yaori who is at the third level of the Dao in the direct lineage of the Lin family!
Thinking of this, Zheng Jinlong's hair stood on end and he instinctively wanted to use his strength to protect himself.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Indeed, a figure flashed out from Lin Shu's body, proving that the cave was on Lin Shu's body.
But the target of this figure was not him!
Rather, it is the real bargaining chip left for the Zheng family after the Zheng and Lin families exchanged their chips!
——Nan Ruyi!
"die!"
The attacker obviously understood Lin Yaori's intention and had known Nan Ruyi for a long time. As soon as he appeared, he rushed towards the target with extremely violent power.
Finished!
Zheng Jinlong recognized the person who attacked.
The second strongest man in the Lin family, Lin Yaozong, who has reached the seventh level of the Golden Body.
Although Nan Ruyi is a Yangshen Sixth Transformation, he has the ability to warn of crises.
But with such a close distance and such a sudden attack, even if the crisis warning was effective, Nan Ruyi would not be able to react at all.
As for the fact that Yang Shen can be immune to a certain degree of damage...
There's more than an entire realm between them, so how can you be exempted?
that's all.
In a flash, Zheng Jinlong had analyzed the outcome, and his original pride turned into depression.
In contrast, Lin Yaori, who was still fighting Zheng Jinlong with all his might on the other side, suddenly felt relieved.
Without this damn Nan family, the saying "who will win is still unknown" is completely true.
However, just as Lin Yaozong was about to hit Nan Ruyi, a third hand appeared .
Bang!
The two palms collided, causing a dull sound.
Lin Yaozong stood still.
Zheng Jinlong: “…”
Lin Yaori: “…”
They were completely confused.
The Nan family also has a cave?
Oh my goodness, the Nan family is just a small family, how is it possible for them to own a cave?
Is it that the world has changed, or that I have become narrow-minded?
Under the gazes of the two patriarchs Zheng and Lin, as well as everyone else, the owner of the third palm slowly revealed himself.
Different from their sudden appearance, this person's appearance was filled in bit by bit, from his palm to his arm to his shoulder and then to his body, which looked extremely weird.
In addition, the young face that appeared out of nowhere, completely contrary to everyone's imagination, added to the weirdness.
Who else could it be but Xu Chong?
Xu Chong looked indifferent with a smile on his lips.
"My original intention was to fish out a few direct descendants, and then follow the clues to find your lair. I never expected that I would fish out your lair as well... Tsk tsk tsk, what a pleasant surprise."
This is the truth.
From the moment he decided to target the Zheng and Lin families, Xu Chong did not think it would be an easy task.
After all, the two families' nests are both within the cave, and no matter how big the cave is, it is just a drop in the ocean compared to the endless sea.
Not to mention that it is impossible to find it. Even if it is found, a wilted Spring and Autumn Tomb will definitely not be able to break into the cave.
Unless he finds the two caves of Zheng and Lin's families at the same time, and these two families do not interfere and allow him to use a cave to break another cave.
Therefore, the only feasible solution Xu Chong could think of was to use the same old trick again - sneak in.
Of course, with his current means, there is no need to go through as much trouble as before.
As long as the battle for the Taoist leader can attract the direct lineage members of the two families, with the two side skills of splitting light into shadows and breaking the sky with one hand, the rest of the things will be easy.
The only difficulty lies in whether the direct descendants of the two families will take the bait...
To be honest, Xu Chong did not expect that those who took the bait were not just the direct line members, but the entire direct line of the two ancient clans.
The so-called human heart is so ridiculous and pathetic.