Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

Lin Shi stopped, turned around, and looked at Zhou Yan with a puzzled expression.

"Is there anything else, Fellow Daoist Zhou?"

Zhou Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, "There's something I don't quite understand."

Lin Shi smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please speak."

Zhou Yan glanced at Yu Yan, then at Lin Shi, and slowly said:

"Your brother Lin Jiu is in such a state, insane and unable to recognize people. He's practically a cripple, so he definitely can't compete with you for the position of young clan leader. Why do you still..."

He was interrupted by Yu Yan before he could finish speaking.

Please don't ask such meaningless questions at this time.

But Zhou Yan felt that this question was meaningful.

He took a step forward with a hint of stubbornness, looking directly at Lin Shi.

"Since Lin Jiu has already gone mad, why still try to kill him? He is, after all, your brother; why must you be so ruthless?"

Lin Shi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Zhou Yan to say something so naive.

He looked the man up and down, but found him utterly ridiculous.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou," he spoke slowly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"You, an assassin who took orders from Lin Jiu, don't seem to have the right to ask me why I did this."

He emphasized the word "killer" slightly.

They're all killing people for spirit stones, so why are they pretending to be good people here?

"That's different, I'm doing this for..."

"What's the difference?"

Lin Shi interrupted his explanation.

"Putting aside the fact that he's just my cousin, this matter is not as simple as you think."

Zhou Yan was taken aback.

Lin Shi walked to the edge of the pond, looked at the red-tailed koi in the water, turned his back to the two of them, and slowly spoke.

"Do you think that just because Lin Jiu has gone mad, his supporters will give up?"

Zhou Yan opened his mouth, but this time he learned his lesson and didn't argue. He decided to continue listening.

Lin Shi turned around and looked at him, her smile returning, but her words carried a hint of coldness.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you may not be familiar with the rules of our Lin family. The candidate for the young clan leader is not decided by one person alone. It requires a vote from the clan elders and the support of various forces."

"How long has Lin Jiu been building this up? How many people has he amassed? Do you think his supporters will give up just because he's acting crazy?"

He shook his head and sighed.

No, it won't.

"Whether Lin Jiu is insane or not is irrelevant to them. What matters is that he's alive."

"As long as he lives, he is a banner. Those who support him can continue to fight for power and profit under his banner. Even if he goes mad and can't speak clearly, as long as he is still around, those people will have an excuse."

"Lin Jiu is only temporarily ill. Once he recovers, he will still be a strong candidate for the young clan leader. They will try every means to delay the time and prevent others from taking the position."

He paused, then looked directly at Zhou Yan.

"So, Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you understand?"

Zhou Yan nodded blankly, then shook his head.

He seemed to understand, yet he also seemed to understand nothing at all.

This guy can be incredibly clever at times, but other times he's as dense as a block of wood.

Yu Yan stood aside, listening to every word Lin Shi said.

He understands.

He understood perfectly.

Lin Shi is right. In a large family like the Lin family, power struggles are never a one-person affair. How many people stand behind Lin Jiu? How many resources have they invested? How could they possibly give up just because Lin Jiu has gone mad?

For them, Lin Jiu was their bargaining chip.

A living Lin Jiu is a bargaining chip that can be used indefinitely.

Therefore, Lin Shi must kill Lin Jiu.

Or, disqualify him completely.

Zhou Yan seemed to have finally figured it out, and his expression turned somewhat grim.

Yu Yan didn't have time to pay attention to him. He stepped forward, looked at Lin Shi, and smiled.

"Young Master Lin, if that's the case, I'm afraid we don't have any other choice."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If Young Master Lin Shi ever needs our help, please don't hesitate to ask."

Lin Shi chuckled; he still preferred talking to Yu Yan.

"Fellow Daoist Yu is indeed a clever person."

He walked over and patted Yu Yan on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. Once this matter is settled, you'll all be my friends, Lin Shi. If you need anything on this fourth floor in the future, feel free to come to me."

After saying that, he smiled and turned to leave.

Zhou Yan watched his figure disappear before turning to look at Yu Yan.

His face was full of confusion.

"Old Yu, what do we do now?"

Yu Yan did not answer, but just stared in the direction where Lin Shi disappeared, remaining silent for a moment.

Then he turned around and walked towards his room.

Zhou Yan quickly followed.

The two entered the room and closed the door.

Yu Yan took out a soundproof talisman from his pocket and stuck it on the wall.

Then he looked at Zhou Yan and slowly spoke.

"Brother Zhou, what do you think of Lin Shi?"

Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Ruthless. Too ruthless. They don't even spare their own cousin."

Cousin?

In the eyes of people who prioritize self-interest, even brothers are not good enough, so what does a cousin count for?

However, Yu Yan didn't want to argue about this, so he simply nodded and asked, "Then what do you think of his cousin's way of dealing with people?"

“…………”

Zhou Yan was completely baffled.

"Old Yu, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Yu Yan took out the note that Lin Jiu had given him in the dungeon earlier from his storage bag.

When Zhou Yan saw the note, his eyes widened immediately.

"What...what is this?"

Yu Yan did not answer, but simply unfolded the note in his palm.

The note was only about half the size of a palm, and looked like a scrap of paper torn from somewhere. The paper was yellowish, rough in texture, and looked completely unremarkable.

But the note was covered with runes.

The runes were extremely small, almost invisible to the naked eye, and densely packed together, like a swarm of ants crawling on a piece of paper.

The runes glowed faintly, and faint fluctuations of spiritual energy emanated from them, but those fluctuations were immediately obscured by another layer of runes on the paper.

Dual runes.

One layer is used for communication, and the other is used for concealment.

Zhou Yan leaned closer and stared at the note for a long time, but couldn't make anything out of it. The runes were too small; he couldn't make out what they were at all.

"Lin Jiu gave it to me."

Zhou Yan was stunned.

He recalled that in the dungeon, Lin Jiu suddenly went mad, grabbed Yu Yan's hand, and then retreated in fear.

At the time, he thought Lin Jiu had really gone mad.

But now it seems...

"So, he wasn't crazy back then, he was stuffing something into your mouth?"

Yu Yan nodded.

Zhou Yan gasped.

If this is true, then Lin Jiu's acting skills are just too good!

Judging from Lin Jiu's previous appearance, anyone who saw him would think he was a complete madman, and he even passed the elders' examination.

Who would have thought that it was all an act?