Chapter 207: Infiltration
Chapter 207: Infiltration
Fuwei Escort Agency.
This was the largest escort agency in the northwest, belonging to the martial Lin Family. Legend told their ancestor once became a Fighting Saint who dominated the entire northwest, hailed as the region’s strongest individual. After the ancestor’s death, he left behind a cultivation method called Exorcising Fighting Energy – a supreme technique capable of reaching the Fighting Saint realm. Sadly, later Lin descendants failed to grasp its essence. Now the family lacked even a Fighting Emperor guardian, their strongest member being the current family head Lin Zhenbei, merely a Fighting King.
Inside Lin residence.
An old man in apothecary robes exited a room, shaking his head at the waiting crowd.
“This old man is powerless.”
Half a month earlier, family head Lin Zhenbei had attempted to break through to the Fighting Emperor realm. The failed attempt damaged his meridians, and subsequent enemy ambushes left him unconscious for over ten days. Without their patriarch, the Lin Family descended into chaos. Greedy wolves eyed their wealth, while young master Lin Dong proved too weak to suppress enemies. Even internal branches grew restless, leaving the great family plagued by internal and external crises.
“Apothecary, please try again.”
Lin Dong wrung his hands. Only now did he understand past respect stemmed entirely from his father’s power. Without that protection, he couldn’t even safeguard his own life. Though he’d practiced the Exorcising Fighting Energy, his cultivation remained pitifully shallow – still a mere fighter, not even a master.
“Prepare the funeral.”
The apothecary departed without ceremony.
These words ignited hidden ambitions. The butler feigned grief while calculation gleamed in his eyes. Lin Zhenbei’s nephew Lin Kuan barely concealed his excitement – the main family’s fall meant opportunities for branch families. Even the patriarch’s concubines harbored secret schemes.
Night.
Lin Zhenbei awoke in a daze, his sudden clarity feeling like death’s final mercy.
“Water.”
His raspy voice barely carried.
“Attendants!”
No response came. Rage flickered through him – once he’d have executed such negligent servants, but now even shouting exhausted him.
“I’m not dead yet!”
Violent coughs racked his body.
The commotion stirred two dozing maids.
“Master?” one tentatively called.
“Water.”
His throat burned. These maids clearly hadn’t tended him properly. Why would they? The apothecary had declared him doomed. With the household in chaos, everyone sought escape routes. Even his son Lin Dong only visited briefly before rushing off to find solutions.
“He’s actually awake.”
Instead of fetching water, the maids exchanged meaningful glances. Cold dread gripped Lin Zhenbei – he suddenly remembered these servants were gifts from his “filial” nephew Lin Kuan.
“Fetch water now!”
He vowed to kill these traitors if he recovered.
“Master,” said Dongmei, his once-favorite maid whom he’d considered making his concubine. Her former sweetness had curdled into contempt. “Why struggle? Accept your fate peacefully.”
“Dongmei, let’s leave.”
The maids departed, abandoning him to the darkness.
“Remember to close the door? Don’t let outsiders disturb the master’s rest.”
The other maid acted more decisively, pulling Dongmei out of the room. They would never dirty their hands with murder—this world had countless powerful individuals, and there might be hidden methods to uncover clues. The safest plan was to let Lin Zhenbei die naturally. His death would clear all obstacles for Lin Kuan’s rise to power. As for that useless young master, no one in Lin Manor took him seriously. He was truly worthless.
“Wretched wenches!!”
The door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Lin Zhenbei lay on his sickbed, gazing at the blackened ceiling. He felt his life force draining away. Unless miracles happened, he’d be dead by dawn.
Riiip!
A soft tearing sound pierced the silent darkness. Normally inaudible, it now echoed sharply through the still night. The air itself seemed to warp—darkness twisting like cloth beneath invisible fingers, stretching until it tore open. A black-robed silhouette emerged from the Black Mist.
“Death’s messenger?”
Lin Zhenbei remembered hearing such folktales in his youth, never imagining he’d meet one at life’s end.
“Want to live?”
The shadow lifted its head, revealing a young woman’s face.
“Who are you?”
Despite his weakened state, the Fighting King’s instincts kicked in. This was no spirit, but flesh and blood.
“Call me A Qing. An Immortal Cultivator.”
She stood revealed—part of Ye Chen’s plan to infiltrate the Divine Dynasty using third stage powers, with Fuwei Escort Agency being mere collateral.
“Immortal Cultivator?”
Lin Zhenbei frowned at the unfamiliar title, recalling her dramatic entrance but holding his tongue.
“I can save you.”
No pleasantries, straight to business.
“Why trust you? I’ve seen Fighting Emperors—even master alchemists—fail. What can some Little Girl do?”
The dying man scoffed. Weakness hadn’t dulled his mind.
“Swallow this. Live.”
A Qing produced a faintly glowing insect from her sleeve.
“This energy…”
Lin Zhenbei’s eyes bulged. Merely the insect’s presence slowed his life’s rapid bleeding.
“Not a pill. Not fighting energy.”
“This is the Way of the Immortals.”
A Qing mimicked Ye Chen’s persuasive tone perfectly.