I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

In the council chamber of the comprehensive district, Lin Xuanqi was handling family affairs.

The long table made of rosewood was piled high with account books, jade slips, and various documents, all neatly arranged and categorized.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on his slightly lowered profile and casting a pale golden halo over his already rounded features.

Now, his and Wang Lingsu's roles have been reversed.

Lin Xuanqi took the lead and presided over most of the work, while Wang Lingsu stepped back to the background and helped him fill in the gaps.

After working so hard for so many years, the head steward of the Lin family has finally had some free time and has been focusing on cultivation in recent years.

After all, if we don't work harder, the kids will catch up with us.

Because of their father's arrangements for clan affairs, Lin Xuanjing and the others gradually understood that their father was preparing to let their eldest brother take over his position.

However, this arrangement is appropriate. They asked themselves honestly, and neither of them was cut out to be the head of the household.

In addition, the children had grown up together and helped each other since childhood, so they had a deep bond and were happy with their father's arrangement without feeling any favoritism.

Six years of growth have made Lin Xuanqi appear more mature.

That round face had lost some of the naivety of youth and gained more of the composure of an adult.

He was holding an account book, meticulously checking it, his brows sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, so focused that he didn't even notice the person next to him.

After reading the last entry in the account book, he put down the jade slip, reached for a lotus-shaped pastry from the dish beside him, and was about to put it in his mouth—

Only then did he realize that there was someone else beside him.

He was startled, his hand trembled, and the lotus flower pastry almost fell onto the table.

He turned around and saw that it was his father, and then he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Dad," he patted his chest, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "how come you walk so quietly?"

Lin Che didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a lotus-shaped pastry from the table, took a bite, and said with a smile, "What? Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"

He chewed twice, swallowed, and his gaze fell on his son's face: "Has anything major happened in Chuyang City recently?"

Lin Xuanqi put down the lotus flower pastry, took out a jade slip from the table, and handed it over.

"Here, please take a look yourself. This is all the information that the old... um, the one with the black hair, brought back."

He paused slightly on the word "Zhi Hei," clearly not yet quite used to the name.

Lin Che took the jade slip, sat down, and took another bite of the lotus flower pastry.

The flaky pastry layers melt in your mouth, and the sweet lotus seed paste spreads across your tongue.

"Playing black? What was he thinking?"

Lin Xuanqi couldn't help but complain, "Even calling him 'Chess Player' would be better than this name. It's just so awkward to pronounce."

Lin Che probed the jade slip with his divine sense and replied with a smile, "Next time, you can complain to his face."

"Then let's forget about it." Lin Xuanqi picked up another lotus-shaped pastry and took a bite.

He could already picture the "What nonsense are you talking about?" expression on the fourth brother's cold face.

Lin Che stopped talking and focused his attention on the information in the jade slip.

The Lin family's intelligence network has now gradually spread throughout Chuyang City.

Initially, it was Lin Xuanyu—no, it was "Zhihei" who spent three whole years weaving the framework of this net from scratch.

Today, this network is gradually extending outwards.

The current staff mainly consists of independent practitioners who are paid to do their jobs.

They don't need to know the meaning behind the intelligence; they just need to provide the information and then receive payment.

These types of people are the easiest to control if used properly.

The main intelligence personnel were personally trained by Zhihei.

Most of them were orphans from Chuyang City and even Fen Gu City.

Orphaned and without parents, with no ties or worries.

There are also slaves bought through special channels, who, after being "trained," become more loyal than anyone else.

Currently, the intelligence we can obtain covers most of Chuyang City and even extends to some areas within Burning Bone Pass.

The intelligence from the Black wielder is delivered weekly.

The content is categorized and clearly organized.

There are recent major events in Chuyang City and even Fen Gu Pass, the actions of the City Lord's Mansion, the movements of various cultivation families in Chuyang City, and even some rumors about the major sects within the pass.

It's clear at a glance.

The Lin family can use this information to keep track of the recent activities of each household.

Who is getting too close to whom, who has been purchasing large quantities of spiritual materials recently, whose retainers have suddenly gained a few unfamiliar faces... everything is under control.

Lin Che was watching when he suddenly heard Lin Xuanqi speak.

His voice turned serious, losing its previous ease.

"Father, can we really withstand the beast tide that lasts a hundred years?"

Lin Che raised his eyes and looked at his son.

Lin Xuanqi sat opposite him, his hands clasped on the table, his round face full of seriousness.

His gaze met Lin Che's directly without flinching, and deep in his eyes was a trace of unconcealed worry.

"There are only thirty-six years until the next beast tide. Thirty-six years... Is that really enough for the Lin family?"

When he was a child, his world consisted only of cultivation and delicious food, but the older he got, the more he learned and the clearer his understanding of the situation in the Southern Region became.

The more we learn, the more worried we become about the horror of the beast tide.

That catastrophe is drawing ever closer.

Thirty-six years.

For an ordinary person, that's half a lifetime.

For a cultivator, it's just a fleeting moment.

Is the Lin family truly ready?

Lin Che put down the jade slip and remained silent for a moment.

"It all depends on human effort," he said slowly. "After all, in this Southern Region, there is no place more suitable for our Lin family than Chuyang City."

Lin Xuanqi let out a breath.

This is not true.

Within the Southern Pass, all the good spots are occupied by sects and families.

Those forces that have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years occupy the areas with the richest spiritual veins, and outsiders simply cannot get in.

Finding a place with such auspicious feng shui as Shattered Star Lake within the Great Wall is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Moreover, there's also that secret about the Southern Region and the art of beast taming.

In this Chuyang City, they might not attract the attention of those powerful forces.

But once you step into Guanzhong, you'll be under the watchful eyes of countless people, making it far too easy to be exposed.

For this reason, the father's plan for the Lin family was always "active defense," and he never devised a backup plan of "retreating to the interior if it really couldn't be defended."

But isn't this too much of a gamble?

Lin Che saw through his thoughts and shook his head with a smile.

"Do you think you're the only one who's thought about this?"

He stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements."

"If things become unbearable, I guarantee I can lead you to a safe evacuation from Chuyang City."

Lin Xuanqi was slightly taken aback.

Looking at his father's back, he suddenly realized that his father was the most cautious person in the Lin family.

How could he not have left himself a way out?

I couldn't help but laugh.

That smile contained relief, shame, and a hint of ease, as if a great burden had been lifted.

"Yeah, I was worrying for nothing."

He picked up the lotus-shaped pastry again, took a bite, his cheeks puffed out, and he regained his憨厚 (honest and simple) look.

Just then, he noticed that his father's expression had changed.

Lin Che remained standing by the window, but his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the jade slip in his hand, his brows furrowing gently.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

Lin Xuanqi put down the lotus-shaped pastry, stood up, and walked to his side: "Is there anything noteworthy in the intelligence?"