A technologically powerful nation: The national treasure is actually myself.

The remaining robbers, Zhao Chen, and the Zhao family were all stunned for a moment.

No one expected that Lin Yang would dare to make a move directly, and that he would suppress a peak Nirvana Realm expert with an almost overwhelming force!
After a brief silence, Zhao Chen was the first to react and immediately followed suit.

He was shocked by Lin Yang's strength, but at this moment, there was no time to think about it further.

Lin Yang had just sent him a telepathic message, instructing him to hold off those two late-stage Nirvana Realm guys.

Seeing that Lin Yang had suppressed the strongest enemy, Zhao Chen rushed forward without saying a word, channeling his Dao power.

At the same time, he also ordered the Zhao family members to meet the enemy!

The remaining Nirvana Realm bandits reacted quickly as well.

Although their leader was being suppressed by Lin Yang, they didn't think about running away immediately.

Instead, they tried to quickly eliminate the Zhao family members to help.

After all, although their leader was temporarily suppressed, the strength of the group was much greater than that of the Zhao family.

Among the Zhao family members, only Zhao Chen is at the late stage of the Nirvana Realm, while the other two are only at the early to mid-stages of the Nirvana Realm.

A fierce battle quickly ensued.

With the help of the warships, the Zhao family was barely able to maintain their position and avoid defeat.

But it was only a matter of time before the protective shield broke.

While dragging along the two late-stage Nirvana Realm bandits, Zhao Chen nervously watched the battle situation on Lin Yang's side, constantly praying in his heart that Lin Yang could win as soon as possible.

Lin Yang, however, was not in a hurry to end the battle.

Although he could easily kill this peak Nirvana Realm bandit in the shortest amount of time, and he had the ability to do so.

But he didn't want to make a big show of it, and he didn't want to kill the other person immediately.

The reason for merely suppressing is to conceal our strength as much as possible.

The fact that the Zhao family was able to rescue him and put him on the ship when he was unconscious after being teleported here shows that they are of good character.

But one should always be wary of others.

Lin Yang still planned to hold back, first engaging the bandit at the peak of Nirvana Realm before killing him.

This was certainly surprising to the Zhao family, but it was still better than killing the guy outright.

He could let the Zhao family know that he was quite capable, but not in a way that was too shocking.

After all, it was already amazing enough that he, with his mid-stage Nirvana Realm cultivation, could deal with the peak Nirvana Realm cultivator. If he were to kill the opponent quickly as well, it would be an excessive and exaggerated feat.

By preserving a little strength, we can avoid being too passive should the Zhao family have any unusual intentions after returning to Xiwu City.

Of course, he wouldn't have intervened if these robbers hadn't been trying to steal all his belongings.

His spatial ring contained all his savings.

It's impossible to hand it over to these robbers.

That's why he revealed his strength and made a move.

Lin Yang controlled the pace, dealing with this peak Nirvana Realm guy little by little.

The Zhao family, on the other hand, is on the verge of collapse.

The protective shield is already on the verge of breaking.

Zhao Chen could hold off two opponents at once.

But the rest of the Zhao family members were no match for the remaining three robbers.

The situation is not looking good.

as predicted.

The protective shield shattered completely.

The Zhao family members faced the robbers' attack head-on and ended up in a sorry state.

Lin Yang watched for a while, and originally wanted to fight a little longer, but after thinking about it, he decided to end the battle.

However, just as he was preparing to completely eliminate the bandit at the peak of the Nirvana Realm in front of him...

A streak of light suddenly appeared and joined the battle, helping the Zhao family deal with the bandits.

"It's him……"

Lin Yang frowned slightly.

He recognized the person who had come.

It was the same young stall owner he had met at the trade fair in the back hall of Zuichunlou, the one who gave him an extra discount so he could buy the goods and even offered him some words of blessing.

Lin Yang was a little taken aback.

I actually met him here again.

Moreover, the stall owner actually helped deal with the robbers.

This surprised Lin Yang.

However, the Zhao family members did not seem too surprised.

With the stall owner's help, the Zhao family's situation immediately improved significantly.

Although the stall owner looked young, he was actually a powerful expert in the late stage of the Nirvana Realm.

This immediately helped stabilize the situation for the Zhao family.

Seeing this, Lin Yang was no longer in a hurry to end the battle immediately.

Instead, they delayed for a while and changed their mind about killing the peak Nirvana Realm bandit directly, instead beating him severely injured.

Now, with the stall owner's help, the Zhao family can deal with the other robbers.

He only needs to seriously injure this guy in front of him, and once the Zhao family and the stall owner work together to deal with the other robbers, this guy in front of him will be no longer a threat.

In this way, they can hide even more of their true strength.

……

The young stall owner was very strong, just like Zhao Chen, at the late stage of Nirvana Realm, but he looked much stronger than Zhao Chen.

He swiftly and decisively dealt with two mid-stage Nirvana Realm bandits and injured another mid-stage Nirvana Realm bandit. He then handed the injured bandit over to the other members of the Zhao family to deal with, and turned to help Zhao Chen deal with the two late-stage Nirvana Realm bandits.

Zhao Chen could handle two opponents alone, and now with the stall owner's help, the pressure has been greatly reduced.

With the help of the stall owner, they quickly managed to injure the two bandits who were at the late Nirvana stage.

The situation was completely reversed in an instant.

Furthermore, Lin Yang had also injured their leader. Seeing that the situation was not good, the two late-stage Nirvana Realm guys suddenly turned around and fled, no longer fighting with Zhao Chen and the stall owner.

At the same moment, the guy at the peak of Nirvana Realm in front of Lin Yang also suddenly retreated and fled for his life at top speed.

Zhao Chen instinctively wanted to give chase, but ultimately did not.

Lin Yang had no intention of pursuing them and pretended to be exhausted as he returned to the warship.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, are you alright?" Zhao Chen immediately asked with concern.

Zhao Hu opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to speak, but ultimately did not say anything.

He and Lin Yang previously addressed each other as "brother".

But now that he had witnessed Lin Yang severely injuring a peak Nirvana Realm expert, Zhao Hu was hesitant to address him as he had before.

The other Zhao family disciples looked at Lin Yang with even greater awe.

The stall owner's gaze was also filled with surprise, but he remained relatively calm.

Lin Yang waved his hand and said to Zhao Chen, "I'm fine, I'm not injured, just a little exhausted."

"Then Fellow Daoist Lin should rest well first, and we'll talk again later."

Zhao Chen immediately had two Zhao family disciples escort Lin Yang back to his room, and then thanked the stall owner:

"It's all thanks to your help, fellow Daoist. May I ask how I should address you?"

“Yu Qing,” the stall owner said, uttering a name. “My Zhao family will remember Fellow Daoist Yu’s assistance. After returning to Xiwu City, we hope that Fellow Daoist Yu will do us the honor of having a chat,” Zhao Chen said solemnly.

Yu Qing smiled slightly: "No need to be polite. When bandits are encountered on the trade route, everyone should help each other. I was just doing my part. It just so happened that we encountered them. Besides, you could have handled it without me."

"That being said, please do not refuse, Fellow Daoist Yu," Zhao Chen added.

"Let's talk about it when we get back to the city. I'm going back now." Yu Qing didn't agree immediately, but instead went back to her warship.

Seeing this, Zhao Chen quickly said, "If Fellow Daoist Yu doesn't mind, would it be alright if we traveled together?"

Yu Qing frowned slightly, glanced at the direction of Lin Yang's room, and then said, "That's fine, let's travel side by side, so that if we encounter robbers again, we can look out for each other."

"Fellow Daoist Yu is absolutely right," Zhao Chen said with a smile.

……

a few days later.

Lin Yang has finished his "rest".

He stepped out of the room and immediately spotted the warship sailing alongside him in the distance.

“It’s that stall owner’s warship,” Lin Yang recognized it.

"Lin..." Zhao Hu was outside Lin Yang's room. When he saw Lin Yang come out, he was a little unsure how to address him.

Lin Yang saw Zhao Hu's dilemma, smiled, and said, "Brother Zhao Hu, there's no need for us to stand on ceremony. If we become distant, it means you don't consider me a friend."

Zhao Hu paused for a moment, then his brows relaxed and he laughed, saying, "Brother Lin Yang is right. I was just being pretentious."

Lin Yang didn't dwell on the topic. He pointed to the stall owner's warship and asked, "Why is he traveling alongside us?"

Zhao Hu knew that Lin Yang was unaware of some of the details here, so he immediately began to explain:

"Brother Lin Yang, the trade routes between Xiwu City and Bixia City are relatively fixed, so there are quite a few bandits."

"Although both cities frequently suppress bandits, they simply cannot withstand the sheer number of robbers."

"Therefore, when encountering robbers, if there are other caravans nearby, they will usually help each other."

"After all, no one can predict when their own family will encounter bandits, and it's impossible to mobilize the entire clan to escort them every time they go to trade. Helping others is also helping yourself."

"So this is basically one of the default rules."

"That's why Fellow Daoist Yu Qing offered his help earlier."

"Now that we're working together, it's convenient for us to look out for each other."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yang understood: "So that's how it is. No wonder he made a move earlier."

Zhao Hu laughed heartily: "We were lucky, but this time we mainly have to thank Brother Lin Yang. If you hadn't injured that guy at the peak of the Nirvana Realm, we would have made a wasted trip."

Lin Yang smiled and said, "He wants to take my things, so naturally I can't let him succeed."

"Haha, it's their own fault for being so blind as to snatch it from Brother Lin Yang." Zhao Hu laughed again.

Lin Yang then said, "We let those robbers escape earlier. They probably won't target your Zhao family's trade caravans specifically to retaliate, right?"

Zhao Hu shook his head: "No, actually the mortality rate of these bandits is even higher. Some of them just do one heist and run away, because if they're unlucky, they can easily be wiped out by the bandit suppression teams of Xiwu City and Bixia City."

"Therefore, many robbery gangs are formed temporarily and are highly mobile, so they don't have to worry about being targeted and retaliated against."

Lin Yang understood again: "So that's how it is. It seems that Xiwu City and Bixia City have put a lot of effort into suppressing bandits."

"It is very high, otherwise trade would be too dangerous and neither side would make money. However, there are always some risk-takers who are not afraid of death."

Zhao Hu said:

"This is why, in most cases, a caravan can conduct trade if it is led by a late-stage Nirvana Realm expert."

"It just so happened that we ran into those robbers this time."

Lin Yang nodded and didn't ask anything more.

At the peak of the Nirvana Realm, whether in Bixia City or Xiwu City, one is considered a high-end force. Earning wealth is not difficult for them, and there are not many who engage in banditry.

One wrong move and we could be wiped out.

This time, we were indeed a bit unlucky.

Zhao Chen also walked over at this moment, first expressing his gratitude to Lin Yang, and then asking:

"Fellow Daoist Lin, what are your plans once you arrive in Xiwu City?"

Lin Yang looked at him and said slowly, "I don't know yet. Let's go to Xiwu City and see what the situation is like. After all, it's our first time there and we're not familiar with the place."

Zhao Chen nodded slightly and said, "When we return to Xiwu City, if Fellow Daoist Lin needs anything, please let me know. Although our Zhao family is not a major power, we still have some influence in Xiwu City."

"Then I thank you in advance." Lin Yang cupped his hands in thanks.

Zhao Chen couldn't help but smile: "Fellow Daoist Lin, you're too kind."

After saying that, Zhao Chen hesitated for a moment before adding, "If Fellow Daoist Lin doesn't mind, you can stay at my Zhao family's place when you return to Xiwu City."

This is tantamount to trying to recruit Lin Yang.

Being able to deal with a peak Nirvana Realm cultivator at the mid-stage of the Nirvana Realm speaks volumes about their strength, and their potential is even greater.

Zhao Chen had the idea of ​​recruiting him.

Knowing that Lin Yang's background was legitimate and that he wasn't deliberately arranged by the Zhao family's enemies, they were even more determined not to miss out on such a talented individual.

Lin Yang naturally understood the deeper meaning in Zhao Chen's words and immediately said, "Thank you for your kindness, Second Elder. I am indeed unfamiliar with Xiwu City. If you don't mind, then I will trouble you."

He wasn't actually opposed to Zhao Chen's recruitment.

As mentioned before, the Zhao family members all seem to be doing quite well.

He was indeed unfamiliar with this place, so staying at the Zhao family's place for now was a good option.

Zhao Chen was visibly pleased upon hearing this, and said repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist Lin, you're too kind. We're more than happy to welcome you."

After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Hu and said, "Then I won't disturb Fellow Daoist Lin's rest any longer. Call me anytime if you need anything, or you can also find Zhao Hu."

He winked at Zhao Hu and whispered, "Zhao Hu, right now you and Fellow Daoist Lin Yang are the closest. You get along well with him, so find an opportunity to get closer to him and try to win him over."

Zhao Hu shrugged and replied telepathically, "Second Elder, Brother Lin Yang and I get along quite well, but precisely because of that, I will respect his choice. Of course, it would be best if he could stay in our Zhao family, but if he doesn't want to, I won't force him."

Zhao Chen sighed: "You rascal, I can't do anything with you. Do whatever you want."

He didn't press Zhao Hu any further and went straight back to the cabin at the bow of the ship to take control of the warship.

……

Time flies, and another two or three decades have passed.

The outline of Xiwu City finally appeared on the horizon.

Lin Yang looked at it from afar and saw that it was indeed similar to Bixia City, both being magnificent, large, and majestic.

Clearly, as a border city between two ethnic groups, both groups place great importance on face.

Both Xiwu City and Bixia City, these two border cities, were built to be magnificent.

The warships quickly approached Xiwu City.

Finally, it landed in front of the city gate.

"Finally, we're almost home."

Some ordinary members of the Zhao family expressed their joy and gratitude.

This encounter with robbers gave them a feeling of surviving a close call.

Even Zhao Hu and Zhao Chen showed obvious signs of relaxation.

Zhao Chen smiled at Lin Yang, but instead of entering the city immediately, he said to Yu Qing, the stall owner who was traveling with him, "Fellow Daoist Yu Qing, please make sure to visit my Zhao family!"

Yu Qing said calmly, "There will be an opportunity, I'll take my leave now."

He didn't say much, just gave Zhao Chen a perfunctory reply, and quickly entered the city and left.

"He's quite aloof," Lin Yang thought to himself.

I feel this guy is different from the one I met at the Drunken Spring Pavilion. (End of Chapter)