I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

He's a master!

Fortunately, Lin Yi never looked down on these ancient people.

In terms of thought and insight, Lin Yi is confident that he surpasses most of the ancients. This is because he stands on the shoulders of giants and has received higher education. The essence that the ancients experienced in their entire lives can probably be summarized in a few sentences in textbooks.

Having this advantage naturally gives him confidence, but when it comes to wisdom, Lin Yi dares not be arrogant.

Just like now, Wang An has taught him a good lesson.

Although Lin Yi was amazed by the old fox's tenacity, he did not lose his composure. Since the other party asked for advice, he replied, "Now the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Our advance and retreat are entirely determined by the enemy's will. Not only will we waste time and energy, but we are also afraid that the enemy will avoid our strength and attack our weaknesses. Under such circumstances, there is only the possibility of a minor defeat or a major defeat. There is absolutely no way to win."

Wang An nodded, indicating his agreement with Lin Yi's words. Wang Qian then asked, "What constitutes a minor defeat, and what constitutes a major defeat?"

“A minor defeat means that the Pure Heaven Sect only caused a disturbance in the city and then stopped. The people were disturbed and the autumn harvest was delayed. If the governor cannot collect heavy taxes, the court will criticize him. If the governor does collect taxes, many more people will starve to death in winter, and the people will definitely complain about the governor.”

Wang Qian then realized that it was harvest season, and his father was right; people would probably start working again tomorrow or the day after.

Life must go on. Even in danger, the people of Xingsha City cannot go without food and drink; they still need to work and eat.

If thieves were to raid the autumn harvest, the same effect would be achieved.

This is just a minor defeat.

"And what about a crushing defeat?"

"Of course, it will turn out to be real. If a blood sacrifice is really carried out, countless people will die or be injured, and neither you nor I will be spared."

"absurd!"

Wang Qian stood up in a rage and shouted, "A bunch of petty scoundrels, where did you get such skills!"

"Qian'er! Calm down."

Wang An gave Wang Qian a brief reprimand before turning to Lin Yi and saying, "Chief Constable Lin, you must already have a good plan?"

Whether it is a good strategy or not depends on the governor's methods.

After going around in circles, Lin Yi finally managed to shift the blame back to Lin Yi.

This method is called a non-stick pan. I'm just offering suggestions, but whether it's a good method or not depends on whether Wang An can implement it.

If it succeeds, it's because my plan was good; if it fails, it's because you're not good enough.

Wang An still smiled, and Lin Yi continued, "The rumors spread so quickly this time, there must be the Jingtian Sect behind it. Your Majesty should use this as a clue to send people to investigate. Following the clues, you may find something. Then, have the people go out of the city to work, with the county soldiers guarding them to ensure the safety of the grain. Finally, invite the lord of Lushan Mountain for tea and wine to intimidate the bandits and appease the people."

By employing a three-pronged approach, the Pure Heaven Cult will be rendered helpless. After some time, the rumors will dissipate on their own, and the Pure Heaven Cult, knowing our resolve, will no longer attempt a futile endeavor. In this way, a minor victory can be secured.

Wang An still smiled: "What if I want a great victory?"

What constitutes a great victory?

"The bandit leader was executed and the people were unharmed. This has enhanced the prestige of Xingsha and made bandits from all directions dare not insult us."

Wang An had one last thing to say, which was also the most important victory: to spread his reputation as the commander far and wide.

It's not convenient to say these things directly, but I think Lin Yi should be able to understand.

Lin Yi gave Wang An a look; the exchange between them was palpable in their eyes.

"If you wish to achieve a great victory, please allow me to consider this carefully, and I will return tomorrow to give you my answer."

"Then I'll trouble you. It's getting late, Chief Constable Lin, why don't you stay for dinner?"

Wang An extended a warm invitation, but Lin Yi declined, saying, "The Jingye Division is busy with official duties, so I won't bother you."

"Then Qian'er, you see Chief Constable Lin off."

"No need to trouble you, brother, I'll take care of it."

Suddenly, Wang Jinxuan appeared out of nowhere, leaving all three of them speechless. Even Wang An couldn't keep up his smile.

Seeing his father's face darken, Wang Jinxuan quickly went over and waved his hands, pleading, "Daddy, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was just a little curious!"

Wang An knew exactly what Wang Jinxuan was thinking. He had never seen her eavesdropping on anything before, but as soon as Lin Yi arrived today, she came immediately. Now she was even going to see Lin Yi off. Sending him off was just a pretense; her real intention was to spend more time with her lover.

He couldn't openly object, as he knew his daughter's personality best. She was playful and willful, and the more he tried to stop her, the more she would act up. If he went along with her wishes, she might get bored after a while.

"Alright, I happen to have something to tell your brother. You can give it to him if you want, but don't do anything impolite or people will laugh at you."

"Know it!"

Wang Jinxuan opened the door for Lin Yi with a grin and stood at the door, urging Lin Yi to hurry up and come on.

Wang Qian opened his mouth to try to persuade them, but under Wang An's threatening gaze, he had no choice but to remain silent. Only after Lin Yi and Wang Jinxuan had walked away did he close the door and ask in a low voice, "Father, don't you know that Lin Yi is already married? Jinxuan is so close to him, wouldn't that ruin her reputation if word got out?"

Wang An glanced at him sideways and admonished, "How many times have I told you that you must think things through calmly before making a decision, and never lose your composure. You know Jin Xuan's personality. If she really cares about Lin Yi, and you dare to break them up, she'll dare to run away from home. Will that make things look dignified?"

Lin Yi is a smart man; he'll know how to handle things appropriately.

After being reminded like this, Wang Qian finally realized what was going on, but he was somewhat unconvinced when his father said that Lin Yi was smart.

"I admit he's alert, but I wouldn't call him smart. The strategies he proposed were simple, mediocre, and unremarkable."

Upon hearing this, Wang An laughed and said, "Qian'er, although you are very smart, you still have a long way to go. Do you really think Lin Yi came here today to offer advice and suggestions?"

“Isn’t that right? I heard that the Pure Heaven Sect attacked him before. I suppose he’s in a hurry to protect himself now, so he can only come to us.”

Wang An shook his head and said, "Qian'er, bamboo shoots emerge from the soil, their roots are a hundred inches deep; ancient wells are calm, but their depths are profound. Whether you are looking at people or things, you must always look deep and dig to the root."

If Lin Yi is just an ordinary ninth-grade Qi cultivator, where does he get the courage to speak to me like this?

Besides, judging from his speech, he must be an educated man; why would he lower himself to become a minor official?

Wang Qian fell into deep thought. Upon careful consideration, he realized that Lin Yi's demeanor was indeed impressive. However, he had previously thought that Wang Jinxuan was only attracted to his face and had focused too much on his appearance, thus overlooking his unique charisma.

"Does Father mean that he has a powerful background?"

"They might be from some impoverished family, and may not necessarily have a distinguished background."

Wang An said dismissively, "His offer of advice today was a pretense, a test to see what would happen. The world is about to descend into chaos, and we need to recruit talented people. Since he is willing to serve us, why not give him a chance?"

Wang Qian: "???"

He was there the whole time, so when did he stop keeping up?

Wait a minute, the world is about to fall into chaos, and we're recruiting talented people everywhere. My god, what are you planning?

Chapter 71 A Life-Saving Grace Should Be Repaid with One's Body

"Are you thinking of going to live with my father?"

Not far from the study, Wang Jinxuan cautiously asked Lin Yi.

Lin Yi remained noncommittal, instead asking, "Guess?"

"I bet you're just trying to fool my dad. Can't you tell he's a wolf in sheep's clothing?"

Wang Jinxuan firmly believed that Lin Yi was a big shot, but her father was actually quite capable as well. It was possible that Lin Yi hadn't seen through her. However, her flattery served to both warn Lin Yi to be careful and to curry favor with him. This was the art of words.

Lin Yi couldn't help but chuckle and said, "How can you talk about your own father like that?"

That's incredibly filial!

"I'm telling the truth, but my dad is actually a pretty good person, just a bit cunning and treacherous. He's still very good to me. Look at how much trouble my second brother and I had, it was always him and my eldest brother who settled things in the end."

"Also, although he wasn't completely incorruptible, he didn't profit from the people either. I heard that the taxes in the neighboring Lingling County were 30% higher than here, and the extra taxes were all embezzled by the Lingling County governor. So, you could say my father was, by all accounts, a good official."

Wang Jinxuan spoke candidly about many confidential matters, completely unaware that his secret was leaking.

Lin Yi listened with a smile, without offering any further comment.

Wang Jinxuan seems like a fan of mine, but time will tell. For now, I should listen more and say less to avoid making things worse.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Wang Jinxuan continued, "Next time you have something fun to do, can you take me with you? I'm really well-behaved, you should have noticed, right?"

Lin Yi thought about it and realized that although this young lady was annoying, she didn't cause any trouble. She seemed silly, but sometimes she would suddenly become very smart. Her IQ curve was like a sine function, fluctuating repeatedly.

"I'll take you along for the fun things, but let's skip the dangerous ones! You should enjoy the comfortable life of a young lady. The outside world is exciting, but it's often accompanied by danger. If you experience too much, I'm afraid you'll start to doubt your life."

"But if one is always confined to one's boudoir, seeing only a small patch of the sky, even if one lives a long life, it will be very meaningless to have lived a life in this world."

Wang Jinxuan confided in Lin Yi, who simply nodded without offering any comment.

The two remained silent for a while. Soon, the gates of the prefectural governor's mansion came into view, and Wang Jinxuan said, "Don't you think I'm unconventional?"

"As long as you don't harm others, I think everyone has the right to choose their own way of life."

After saying that, Lin Yi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for seeing me off, Miss Wang. This is enough."

Wang Jinxuan watched Lin Yi leave, his mind still replaying what Lin Yi had just said.

"He is indeed extraordinary."

Wang Jinxuan's eyes were shining; she was almost evolving from a little fangirl into a die-hard fan.

Lin Yi was just saying something nice; in social situations, isn't it all about saying what the other person likes?

If Wang An were to ask, his answer would certainly be different.

None of that matters.

As the sun set and dusk approached, Lin Yi went back to find Xiao Cao and He Dong, had dinner together, and then left the city under the cover of darkness. He traveled all the way to the Xiang River, jumped into the water, and swam to the bottom. He saw that the gates of the Crystal Palace were open again, and there were still many fierce ghosts inside.

When these vengeful ghosts saw Lin Yi, they were so frightened that they scattered and fled. It's true that ghosts are afraid of evil people.

Lin Yi ignored them and went straight to the Dragon King's Palace.

This time, he knocked on the door.

The Dragon King's Palace was exceptionally bright tonight. After Lin Yi knocked, the door opened naturally.

Lin Yi wasn't a stranger to this place, so he knew the way well and went straight in. He saw a small cauldron in the hall, with purple flames burning beneath it. The ignition source wasn't wood, but a kind of red stone, which looked quite mysterious.

"You've arrived."

Jiang Linglong spoke softly as she put on the golden mask again. Although she had dressed up a lot to meet Lin Yi, she worried that Lin Yi would laugh at her for doing so, so she put the mask back on as the meeting approached.

Lin Yi didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to sit down next to Jiang Linglong. The two were only a few inches apart, which made Jiang Linglong nervous again.

Although they had been more intimate with each other, it hadn't been while they were sober. Now that Lin Yi was getting so close, she couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Where did you go last night?

Lin Yi cut to the chase, pretending not to know everything, using this as an excuse to start a conversation with Jiang Linglong. Jiang Linglong was a little shy, and then, remembering the person she had killed, she bowed slightly and said, "I went to your house last night and saw a woman lying on your bed. I thought she was your wife, but judging from her blood and qi, she was clearly impure."

I didn't want you to be deceived by a bad woman, so I wanted to kill her. Unexpectedly, she summoned a powerful figure, who was sinister and clearly not on your side. I guessed they were definitely trying to harm you, so I killed them.