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

After setting up the magic array for the Illusionary Sound Sect, Lin Yang called Xia Shuang to his side and said:
"Xiao Shuang, I originally came back for your wedding, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this. There's no way we can fight Lan Ye Holy Sect anytime soon. I still have some things to do in Xiwu City, so I'm going to go there to deal with Xia first. Would you like to come with me to Xiwu City?"

Although various magic arrays have been set up, Lin Yang still felt it would be safer to bring Xia Shuang there.

Xia Shuang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Lin Yang, I'll stay here. The Lan Ye Holy Sect shouldn't come looking for trouble again so easily. I'll stay in the sect and cultivate without going out."

Lin Yang smiled and said, "Are you worried that going to Xiwu City will cause me trouble? After all, I'm unfamiliar with the place there."

Xia Shuang paused for a moment, then nodded gently.

Seeing this, Lin Yang didn't say anything more and said, "Since you don't want to go, that's fine too. You've been living with Elder Wen for so many years in the Illusionary Sound Sect and you're used to the environment here, so just stay here. Just send me a message if anything comes up."

Anyway, he has his own methods. If Xia Shuang wants to stay here, then let her stay.

Indeed, he didn't have a good place to settle Xia Shuang in Xiwu City.

Once he returns to Xiwu City, he will be in seclusion in the Cave Heaven Secret Realm for a long time. If he leaves Xia Shuang alone at the Zhao family, she will inevitably feel constrained.

In addition, everyone there would be strangers. Although no one would dare to bully Xia Shuang because of him, it would be lonely to stay alone for a long time. It would be better to stay in the Huan Yin Sect.

"Brother Lin Yang, when are you going back to Xiwu City?" Xia Shuang asked softly.

"I'm planning to visit an old friend again," Lin Yang said, then asked, "Do you know the Jade Universe Sect? The Jade Universe Sect from the former Far East Prefecture."

“Yuyu Sect?” Xia Shuang thought for a moment and said, “I know them. They withdrew from the entire sect as soon as that ancient, ominous ruin began to annex the city. They are one of the few surviving sects in the Far East Prefecture.”

"Do you know where they are now?" Lin Yang asked again.

Back then, while he was in contact with Xia Shuang, he also sent a message to Li Liping, but Li Liping was in seclusion at the time and did not reply in time.

He did reply to his messages twice later, but both times the messages were brief, only mentioning that he would be in seclusion frequently, without discussing the current situation of the Jade Universe Sect, which left Lin Yang unaware of the sect's whereabouts.

He wanted to take advantage of this trip back to visit Li Liping.

These were some of his few old friends from the ancient continent of the Primordial Era.

Back then, he was with Li Liping, Shi Jie, and Xin Hao.

Now only the two of them are still alive.

Xia Shuang nodded and replied, "I happen to know that. Back then, the Far East Prefecture and the Zhengmu Prefecture were next to each other, and I have been keeping an eye on their situation. The Jade Universe Sect should be in the Wusong Prefecture now."

As she spoke, Xia Shuang paused for a moment, then continued, "The Jade Universe Sect has also been downgraded quite a bit. Many sects that withdrew from the prefectures back then have been downgraded significantly, and some have even disbanded. The Jade Universe Sect's situation should be similar to that of the Illusionary Sound Sect now, but I don't know its exact location."

"Wusong Prefecture? It's alright, as long as you know which prefecture it's in," Lin Yang smiled.

With his current strength, finding a sect within a prefecture would be a very easy task.

Then, Lin Yang took out a jade pendant and handed it to Xia Shuang, saying, "Keep this on your person and don't put it in your spatial ring. This is a life-saving item that I temporarily made. It contains some of my power. Although it is not as good as the life-saving item that Mu Tianyang gave to Mu Yunhan, it can still save your life in critical moments."

The life-saving item that Mu Tianyang gave to Mu Yunhan, which could withstand one of his attacks, required a lot of effort and time to refine, and a suitable vessel also needed to be found.

He couldn't find a suitable vessel for it in the short term, so the life-saving item he made for Xia Shuang was a bit inferior, but as long as Dao Wulou didn't personally take action, she would be safe.

With the addition of the magic array within the Illusionary Sound Sect, it's a double layer of protection.

Xia Shuang obediently accepted it and said softly, "Thank you, big brother."

"Don't mention it. Keep up the good work with your cultivation. I see your cultivation speed is quite fast, and your talent is also very good. It's just a pity that I used up all the resources before I came back this time, so I can't help you much with resources for the time being," Lin Yang said.

He exhausted all his resources to break through to the point of perfect enlightenment.

He had just broken through to the next level when he learned that Xia Shuang was getting married, so he now had almost no resources left to offer Xia Shuang.

She simply took out the resources from the dowry she had prepared earlier, put them in a spatial ring, and handed them to Xia Shuang, saying, "That's all for now."

Xia Shuang didn't accept it, shaking her head and saying, "Brother Lin Yang, you've already helped me enough. You don't need to worry about the resources. I can't accept this."

"Take it, there's not much here." Lin Yang sighed. "There's also a portion that I'm giving to you on behalf of your brother Cheng Fu. It was his dying wish to pass it on to me."

Mentioning Cheng Fu, Xia Shuang couldn't help but feel sad. She whispered, "Brother Cheng Fu died in the sudden eruption of that ominous ancient ruin in Bai Chi City, right?"

"Yes, it was that major outbreak. He held on until the very end, but unfortunately, he still couldn't escape it."

Lin Yang sighed:

"Before he died, he and I collected a lot of spatial rings from the corpses, saying that if we could come out alive, we could become rich. On his deathbed, he left his share to me, saying that if I could come out alive, I would give it to you."

Xia Shuang's eyes immediately reddened.

Scenes from her childhood in Baichi City, where Cheng Fu often took her out to eat delicious food, involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Although so many years have passed, that time was the happiest and most beautiful time of her life, and she will never forget it, no matter how much time has passed.

But now, Brother Cheng Fu, who used to bring her all sorts of delicious food, will never come back.

Memories flooded her mind, and Xia Shuang couldn't help but shed tears.

"Silly girl..." Lin Yang didn't say anything when he saw this, but just patted her shoulder gently.

After Xia Shuang calmed down, Lin Yang continued:
"I'll go to Wusong Prefecture first, and then I'll return to Xiwu City."

He was preparing to leave.

"Are you leaving so soon?" Xia Shuang was still a little reluctant to see them go.

"Don't be sad. With my current cultivation level, crossing the entire prefecture is not difficult. If I have time, I will come to see you again," Lin Yang said.

"Alright, then, Brother Lin Yang, have a safe journey!" Xia Shuang said softly.

"Cultivate diligently, and if you encounter any problems, send me a message immediately. Please say goodbye to your master for me!"

Lin Yang gave one last instruction, then left without saying goodbye to Wen Qingsu and the others.

Xia Shuang watched Lin Yang leave, then stood there staring at the spatial ring and jade slip in her hand, remaining motionless for a long time.

It wasn't until Wen Qingsu noticed her situation and came over to inquire that Xia Shuang regained her composure and said, "Master, my elder brother has left to visit an old friend. He asked me to say goodbye to you on his behalf."

Wen Qingsu nodded, noticing Xia Shuang's reluctance, and said, "Senior Lin's status is different now, and he must have many things to do, so it's normal that he can't stay long. Don't worry too much."

Xia Shuang nodded: "I understand, Master."

"Yes, you must cultivate diligently in the future and not let down Senior Lin's cultivation and expectations for you," Wen Qingsu said with a smile.

"Master, rest assured, I will cultivate diligently," Xia Shuang said slowly.

.........

Wusong Mansion.

After leaving the Illusionary Sound Sect, Lin Yang arrived here in no time.

Wusong Prefecture is several prefectures away from Fuzhou Prefecture, and it is larger than Fuzhou Prefecture.

Lin Yang spent some more time and effort to find out some information about the Jade Universe Sect.

However, the situation is not very optimistic.

The Jade Universe Sect did indeed move here before, but it disbanded many years ago and merged into another sect. And that other sect also disbanded later.

This makes the situation more complicated.

It is difficult to find out the whereabouts of any of the disciples.

Lin Yang had no choice but to send another message to Li Liping, asking about his current situation.

Li Liping did not reply quickly, and it seems that he is still in seclusion.

"What exactly is this guy cultivating? He's been in deep seclusion for so many years!"

Helpless, Lin Yang stopped waiting for Li Liping's reply and began to return to Xiwu City.

Xiwu City.

The main hall of the Zhao family.

"Elder, this is our account for this resource settlement cycle. After deducting fixed expenses and adding the amount needed to repay debts, our balance for this settlement cycle is still negative."

Zhao Xiongshan, Zhao Huoshan, Zhao Chen, Zhao Hu, and other elders of the Zhao family gathered together.

Zhao Xiongshan held up an account book and explained the situation to Zhao Yuan.

This has been the Zhao family's rule for many years.

Because Lin Yang requested a large amount of resources last time, the Zhao family had to prepare for it and even incurred a debt.

This led to a fixed settlement cycle, with regular reporting and the development of resource allocation plans for the next settlement cycle.

However, since the fixed settlement cycle began, there has never been a positive balance.

Unless you can pay off all your debts.

It can be said that the Zhao family has lived frugally all these years, and has not at all the airs that the five great families should have.

After Zhao Xiongshan finished his report, he couldn't help but sigh.

Although everyone agreed to pool the clan's resources to gather that massive amount of resources for Lin Yang back then, their lives have not been easy since then.

Living a life where you have to worry about paying off debts all the time is truly unbearable.

Every resource must be used with careful calculation.

Zhao Yuan glanced at the accounts but didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiongshan continued, "Elder, based on our current overall resource income and necessary expenses, it will take at least tens of thousands of years to pay off the debt, and we cannot afford any mistakes during this period."

After saying this, he glanced at Zhao Yuan's face, and seeing that he had no reaction, he continued:

"The Western Border Merchant Guild has started demanding payment. They want us to use some of our assets to pay off their debts. What do you think we should do about this?"

Zhao Yuan waved his hand dismissively: "Ignore them for now."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan couldn't help but ask, "Elder, are you really not worried at all?"

"Why the rush?" Zhao Yuan asked instead of answering.

Zhao Xiongshan was silent for a moment, then said:

"Elder, more than eight hundred years ago, there was a power upheaval in the secret realm. Afterwards, all the major families conducted an investigation, and since then, everyone knows that Guest Elder Lin is no longer in seclusion there, and he has also disappeared from Xiwu City."

"Many people say that Lin Keqing left a long time ago, and that we kept the news from him."

“Now the other four major families and the merchants who borrowed our resources are constantly testing us. If things go wrong, we may not be able to escape even if we want to. How can we not be anxious?”

"Didn't I say that Guest Elder Lin would return within a thousand years? What's the rush?" Zhao Yuan remained calm.

Zhao Xiongshan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "But the time is almost up, Elder, please give us a heads-up. If Guest Elder Lin really isn't coming back, we can make plans early and run away as soon as possible."

Zhao Yuan glared at Zhao Xiongshan: "As the head of a clan, you're always thinking about running away. Don't you have any backbone?"

"...Elder, this isn't a matter of being successful or not; it's a matter of life and death for our entire clan!" Zhao Xiongshan said with a bitter face.

Zhao Chen, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say:

"Elder, I think the patriarch is right. The main problem is that Guest Elder Lin didn't tell us when he left, he only told you. We really don't know what to do."

"You won't tell us where Guest Elder Lin went or why he left, and you won't let us prepare a backup plan. How can we feel at ease?"

Zhao Yuan smiled faintly: "I told you, you can rest assured. As for others testing us, let them test us. Anyway, once Elder Lin returns, they will all regret it."

As he spoke, he sneered, "Those guys are really laughable. They're far too impatient. It's only been a few hundred years since Elder Lin left, and they're already getting restless. It's simply ridiculous."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan and Zhao Chen exchanged a glance, then said with a wry smile:
"Elder, we now occupy a large number of excellent resource-rich territories. Not to mention anything else, the resource treasures of the cave heavens and secret realms alone are enough to make others envious. Naturally, they are eager to divide them up!"

"That's true," Zhao Yuan muttered.

"Elder, are you sure we shouldn't start preparing to flee now?" Zhao Xiongshan asked again.

"Why are you running away? I told you, Guest Elder Lin will be back soon, what's the rush?" Zhao Yuan said irritably.

"This..." Zhao Xiongshan was speechless for a moment.

Zhao Yuan scoffed, "Besides, everyone's watching us now. If we run away, wouldn't that confirm that Guest Elder Lin isn't coming back? Do you think we'll still be able to escape then?"

Zhao Xiongshan's expression changed slightly.

"Alright, stop making that long face and go do what you're supposed to do." Zhao Yuan waved his hand.

"Sigh..." Zhao Xiongshan sighed helplessly, and was about to turn around to get busy when the steward rushed in to report:

"Master, the people from the Western Border Merchant Guild have sent an invitation, saying they want you to attend a banquet to discuss business."

"An invitation? To a banquet?" Zhao Xiongshan's expression darkened further.

Sending him to a banquet at this time is clearly a trap!
The business negotiations were a pretense; the real purpose was to probe further. If things go wrong, he might not be able to come back.

He turned to look at Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan was about to speak.

Suddenly a voice rang out:
"Fellow Daoist Zhao Yuan, Patriarch Zhao, and all the elders, you are all here. That's perfect. I brought you some specialties from the Inner Palace. Please have a taste."

As the sound rang out, a figure appeared gracefully.

It was Lin Yang who returned.

He smiled as he looked at everyone in the room and handed them some special products from the Imperial Palace that he had specially bought when he returned from Wusong Prefecture.

As his gaze swept over Zhao Xiongshan, he couldn't help but ask, "Patriarch Zhao, why do you look so pale? Is something the matter?" (End of Chapter)