stjorthotic Chapter 62 Hiding
Chapter 62 Hiding
Inside the west courtyard residence, the aroma of tea wafted through the air as the servant Huang Lan carefully served the tea.
Lin Lu sat on the opposite side of the stone table, and Chen Luo simply waited for him to speak. He had never heard of Lin Zhou having a younger brother before, and originally thought that it would be Lin Zhou's father, Lin Duhai, who came, but he did not expect that it was Lin Zhou's younger brother who came.
They've come knocking on our door, and the first thing they mentioned was Linzhou, so they obviously know something about it.
Chen Luo had no idea what the man was up to, but since he was already there and had suggested a private conversation, Chen Luo agreed. He wasn't afraid of danger anyway; judging by the man's age, he couldn't possibly be an Inner Realm cultivator. As long as he wasn't an Inner Realm cultivator, with his current strength and the Vertical Pupil, he had nothing to fear.
He also thought to himself, "Indeed, only with sufficient strength can one calmly deal with anything."
"Please enjoy your meal, both of you."
Soon, after the tea was boiled and poured, Huang Lan quietly withdrew.
After Huang Lan left, Lin Lu looked directly at Chen Luo and got straight to the point: "Brother Chen, since you're here, I won't beat around the bush. I suppose my elder brother, Lin Zhou, died at your hands?"
Chen Luo did not answer, but simply looked at him calmly.
"Brother Chen, there's no need to deny it. Actually, I should have come earlier, but I was afraid of wrongly accusing someone, so I did some more research before coming here to find you."
Lin Lu's tone remained calm. "To be honest, I admire him too. It was Brother Chen's outstanding performance during the monster tide that allowed us to locate him; otherwise, it might have taken much longer. Brother Chen risked exposure to protect the people of Qingshan County, which I admire and respect."
As he spoke, he gave a slight bow.
Chen Luo remained noncommittal. Back then, Lin Zhou had been just as gentle and refined in front of him. Who knew if Lin Lu was two-faced? After all, family traditions are something you learn from a young age.
So he simply smiled and said, "You didn't come here today just to pay your respects to me, did you?"
"Of course not."
Lin Lu's gentle tone gradually faded. "My brother was a good-for-nothing. Actually, even if Brother Chen didn't say it, I could guess the reason why he killed him, so I can understand it. Of course, it's not just me who thinks this way. My father is also a reasonable person. He also understands that the fault probably doesn't lie with Brother Chen."
"However," he changed the subject, staring at Chen Luo with a gradually cold look in his eyes, "even if my elder brother is a good-for-nothing, even if the fault doesn't lie with you, Brother Chen, Lin Zhou is still my father's son and my elder brother. So even if my Lin family is in the wrong, Brother Chen still needs to pay some price for it."
Chen Luo knew that this was the real point of the conversation, and he calmly asked, "What price do you want me to pay?"
"You killed my brother. My Lin family knows you have your reasons, but there's no need for you to pay with your life," Lin Zhou said calmly. "All you need to do is come to my Lin family as a guest elder for ten years."
Chen Luo looked at him. "A guest advisor for ten years?"
"That's good." Lin Lu said slowly, "My Lin family won't harm you in these ten years. You can still enjoy the wealth and honor you deserve. You only need to follow my Lin family's instructions to assist and guide some of my Lin family's younger generation in martial arts. After ten years, you will regain your freedom and can go wherever you want. You are still young now, and you will only be in your thirties in ten years. If you have mastered the Nine Yang Strength by then, you can still enter the Qingyun Martial Arts Academy to cultivate."
"Young Master Lin, please return." With that, Chen Luo chuckled, clearly understanding Lin Lu's true intentions.
Large clans like theirs place great importance on the training of their younger generation. They simply value his aptitude and strength and want to recruit him as a family henchman, such as a martial arts instructor.
But let alone ten years, he would never agree to even stay for a single day.
The reason is simple: he killed Linzhou because Linzhou deserved to die; if he hadn't killed Linzhou that day, he himself would have died.
In other words, he has never owed the Lin family anything, so why should he pay any price?
Seeing his refusal, Lin Lu's eyes turned colder. "The opportunity has been given, Brother Chen, don't be ungrateful."
Chen Luo said nothing more, but just like when he invited him in before, he raised his hand again towards the courtyard gate and made a gesture of invitation.
That's all I have to say. Take care, Brother Chen.
Lin Lu's expression turned completely cold, finally losing its previous gentleness. A hint of murderous intent even flashed across his face. After finishing his words, he turned and left.
Chen Luo didn't care much about his harsh words. Anyway, Lin Lu couldn't kill him, and Lin Duhai had no chance of coming to Licheng Martial Arts Academy to kill him.
Because he had already learned beforehand that, just as the law protected students in his previous life, the Martial Selection Division was extremely strict in managing the safety of disciples in martial arts schools and academies under its jurisdiction, possibly for the purpose of protecting younger generations of martial artists. No one was allowed to engage in private fights in the school without cause.
Therefore, if Lin Duhai dares to attack him at the martial arts academy, he will be breaking a major taboo of the Martial Selection Division. Moreover, Lin Duhai himself is a teacher at the Qingyun Martial Arts Academy, and he would not dare to test the law. Furthermore, given the potential he has shown and the importance he has received, Lin Duhai cannot even do something like a midnight attack and then deny it afterward, because if the Martial Selection Division were to investigate, he would definitely not escape death.
Therefore, he is safe as long as he stays in Licheng Martial Arts Academy and doesn't go out.
Chen Luo even suspected that the reason Lin Lu came here today instead of Lin Duhai was because he had been staying at Licheng Martial Arts Academy these days, keeping to himself and not going out much, so Lin Duhai's arrival would be useless.
This further strengthened his resolve to survive.
That's right, he already had a meticulous plan for what to do next.
He would stay at the Licheng Martial Arts Academy and practice martial arts until he mastered the Nine Yang Strength. He would never step out of the house, no matter what.
Once he has mastered the Nine Yang Strength, he will have Master Huang escort him to the Qingyun Martial Arts School, where he will continue to lie low until he reaches the Inner Realm.
Once the interior is complete, there will naturally be no fear of Lin Duhai.
It wasn't just Lin Duhai; he used the same method to deal with Luo Sheng as well.
He didn't care why Luo Sheng was probing him, or what good or bad intentions he might have. He just followed his plan and made his way from Licheng Martial Arts Academy to Qingyun Martial Arts School.
"A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm." Chen Luo took a sip of tea, got up and closed the courtyard gate, and resumed practicing the Nine Yang Force in the courtyard.
【Nine Yang Strength (Minor Success): 193/300】
His Nine Yang Force had reached the peak of the fifth level. From the perspective of seeing the big picture from the small details, each level of force had transformed from its original light gray to dark gray, and even appeared to have a somewhat liquid and viscous texture as it flowed.
Deep and heavy like mercury, viscous and solid, it is the manifestation of the energy shrinking and stagnating to the extreme. When the flow of this energy completely turns into a liquid state, it means that his Nine Yang Energy will be perfected.
After a few days, he successfully broke through to the sixth level of strength, just one step away from mastering the Nine Yang Strength.