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

Deli paused, startled.

Yu Yan stood up, walked to the door, pushed it open, and glanced outside.

The corridor was empty; there was no one there.

He walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

There were already pedestrians on the street, but even during the day there weren't many, and no one noticed this area.

Yu Yan withdrew his gaze, took out a soundproofing talisman from his pocket, and stuck it on the door.

He took out another card and stuck it on the window.

Another one, pasted on the wall.

Five soundproofing sheets were pasted up in a row, completely covering the entire room.

Deli watched his actions, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This person is... way too cautious, isn't he?

Yu Yan checked everything and, after confirming that nothing was missing, walked back to Deli's side and nodded.

"That's fine."

After all that trouble, Deli's earlier tension had completely dissipated. He took a deep breath to ease the pain in his wound and handed over the jade slip.

He forgot that the acupoints on his body were still locked, and forcibly breaking through them would only damage his meridians. Since he had already agreed to cooperate, there was no need to do so.

Yu Yan took the jade slip; it felt slightly cool and heavy to the touch.

He glanced at Deli to make sure there was no unusual movement from the other party before slowly channeling his spiritual power into the jade slip.

The runes on the jade slip lit up instantly, projecting a beam of light.

The light condensed in the air, gradually forming a clear picture.

This is a study.

The room was elegantly furnished, with the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) on the desk and several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

The camera angle is unique—it was shot through a crack in the door. The carved patterns on the wooden door are visible at the edge of the frame, indicating that the person recording was hiding outside the door, secretly recording through the crack.

Yu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.

In the picture, two people are sitting facing each other.

Sitting behind a desk, wearing a light blue robe, with his signature smile on his face—it was Lin Shi.

The other person sitting opposite him was a young man with a cold and stern face, and an air of arrogance between his brows. Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he was of high status.

This must be Lin Xiao.

The eldest son of the Lin family's first elder.

Lin Shi picked up the teacup, took a small sip, put it down, and then slowly spoke.

"Lin Xiao, I need you to do something for me."

Lin Xiao looked at him without saying a word.

Lin Shi smiled and continued.

"You should know that the clan is currently selecting a candidate for the junior clan leader."

Lin Xiao nodded.

Lin Shi sighed, a hint of helplessness on his face.

"My third brother, Lin Jiu, is really riding high lately. He's won over a lot of people and gained a lot of support. If this momentum continues, the position of young clan leader will probably fall into his hands."

Lin Xiao remained silent, simply watching him quietly.

Lin Shi met his gaze and spoke, word by word.

"I'm not reconciled."

"In terms of talent and character, in what way am I inferior to him? Just because he's a few years older and has been in the business for a few more years, should I hand over the position to him?"

His voice gradually became lower.

"Lin Xiao, I need your help."

Lin Xiao finally spoke, his voice cold.

"What kind of help?"

Lin Shi looked at him and slowly uttered a few words.

"Go kill someone."

"Who?"

"Lin Jiu".

In the scene, Lin Xiao's body paused slightly.

He stared at Lin Shi, his gaze sharpening.

"Lin Shi, do you know what you're saying?"

Lin Shi met his gaze without flinching.

"Of course I know."

"Assassinating a member of one's own clansman is a capital offense."

"so what?"

Lin Shi smiled, picked up a dagger from the desk, and pushed it in front of Lin Xiao.

These people from cultivation families have such vivid imaginations! Assassinating someone doesn't necessarily require a dagger; wouldn't poison be better?

What if you accidentally give someone leverage over you by stabbing them in the hand?

Lin Shi's voice continued to come through.

"Once it's done, this dagger is yours. In addition, I will give you ten thousand spirit stones, plus a second-grade high-quality magic weapon."

"and--"

He paused, then his smile deepened.

"Once I become the young clan leader, you will be my right-hand man. In the future, you will be second only to the clan leader in the Lin family."

Lin Xiao stared at the dagger, remaining silent for a long time.

Then he looked up at Lin Shi.

"Lin Jiu is dead. Will I be next?"

Lin Shi paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Lin Xiao, you're overthinking it. You're the First Elder's son; I wouldn't dare touch you, no matter who I'm dealing with."

Lin Xiao stared at him for a long time.

Then he reached out and picked up the dagger.

"Okay. I promise you."

The scene ends abruptly here.

The light faded, and the jade slip returned to its ordinary appearance, lying quietly in Yu Yan's palm.

Silence fell over the room.

Yu Yan looked down at the jade slip in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

Deli watched him nervously from the side, barely daring to breathe.

After a long while, Yu Yan raised his head and looked at Deli.

"The two of them were talking here, surely surrounded by guards, so how could they not have noticed you? How did you manage to record it?"

Deli shook his head.

"I didn't record it."

Yu Yan was taken aback.

Deli explained, "This was recorded by Lin Xiao himself."

"Lin Xiao?"

"Yes." Deli nodded. "Before Lin Xiao went to assassinate Lin Jiu, he was careful. He placed a recording stone in the study beforehand and recorded everything Lin Shi and he said to each other."

"After the assassination failed, Lin Shi turned his back on him, not only refusing to keep his promise but also trying to kill him to silence him. After Lin Xiao escaped, he gave me this jade slip containing his image, wanting me to pass it on to Lin Jiu."

Yu Yan looked at him, his gaze sharp.

"He wants you to hand it over to Lin Jiu, so that Lin Jiu can use this evidence to bring down Lin Shi?"

Deli nodded.

"Then why didn't you give it to me?"

Deli lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"Because by then, I had already given up on Lin Jiu."

His voice was hoarse, with a hint of bitterness.

"I served him as his slave for ten years, loyal and hardworking. When the ten years were up, I thought he would keep his promise and give me my freedom."

"But what did he say? 'Once a slave, always a slave.'"

"At that moment, I understood that in his eyes, I would always be just a slave. No matter how much I did, he would never treat me like a human being."

Deli raised her head and looked at Yu Yan, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"So when Lin Xiao gave me this jade slip, I didn't give it to Lin Jiu. I thought... I wanted Lin Shi and Lin Jiu to fight to the death, so that they would both be severely injured."

"I just didn't expect that Lin Shi would turn around and accuse Lin Jiu of murdering his clansmen, which led to the current situation."

Silence fell in the room once again.

After a long while, Yu Yan finally spoke slowly.

"Can the Lin family verify the authenticity of this jade slip containing photographic evidence?"

Deli paused for a moment, then nodded.

"able."

"How do I verify it?"

"The Lin family has a special authentication stone that can verify the authenticity of the photographic stone. If it's fake, the authentication stone will change color. If it's real, it won't."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, counterfeiting a photo stone is very difficult and expensive, so generally no one would bother to do it."

This involves some of Yu Yan's blind spots in knowledge.

However, as long as the authenticity can be verified, that's fine.