Chapter 536: Threatening with Death

Cough, cough…
As Old Ding and the Oracle continued to argue, Lin Dong cleared his throat a few times.
Liu Xiu snapped out of his daze and suddenly pulled out a dagger with a cold gleam from his storage spirit ring.
Under the puzzled gazes of Old Ding and the Oracle, Liu Xiu swung his arm violently—the dagger plunged downward with a thud, aiming straight at his chest.
“Stop!”
Old Ding and the Oracle rushed to Liu Xiu’s side at the same time. One reached out to grab his wrist, while the other seized the dagger.
“What are you doing?” they demanded, staring at Liu Xiu.
Blood flowed down from the dagger, instantly turning Liu Xiu’s pants bright red.
Feng Yue and Yun Lan were stunned speechless, but Lin Dong found it amusing. Truly worthy of someone aiming for the throne—his ruthlessness and determination were indeed extraordinary. Knowing Liu Xiu’s character, Lin Dong naturally didn’t believe he truly intended to commit suicide as a last resort.
By stabbing himself, he was forcing Old Ding and the Oracle to intervene and divert their attention. The force must have been carefully controlled; even if they failed to stop him in time, it would surely stop before hitting his heart.
Lin Dong believed that if he were in the same situation with Old Ding and the Oracle, he would use the same method as well—preparing Liu Xiu mentally for bloodshed as a reminder that self-harm could be an option. But if it were him, despite having enough confidence to control the force, it would still be hard to bring himself to stab himself in the heart.
“Master, old man…” Liu Xiu’s body slumped weakly, and the Oracle quickly supported him.
“You brat! I told you it’s none of your business. Why do you interfere?” Old Ding turned and glared fiercely at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong, unwilling to back down, glared back without hesitation.
Old Ding looked annoyed. Young people these days knew nothing about respecting their elders.
“Old man, master, you are both the people Liu Xiu respects and admires the most. A life-or-death struggle between you would be like a thunderbolt to him. Unable to stop it, he has no choice but to threaten with his own death,” Liu Xiu said weakly.
“Threatening with death? Do you think you’re an official?” Old Ding snorted. “Will threatening with death scare them?”
“That’s right! If you want to die, go ahead!” Lin Dong said casually. “Don’t die here! If you die here, it’s obvious you’re just trying to scare people! If you must die, pick a deserted place and write a suicide note—that’s what true self-sacrifice looks like.”
Everyone was speechless, staring at Lin Dong, not knowing what to say.

Lin Dong opened his palm, and a jar of top-quality wine appeared silently. Unsealing the clay cover, a rich, intense aroma wafted out. Even those who weren’t fond of wine would be tempted by its scent. Old Ding, who was addicted to alcohol, hadn’t had a drop in over an hour—how could he resist such temptation? In a flash, he appeared in front of Lin Dong and snatched the jar from his hands.

“See! Your life isn’t even as valuable as a jar of wine. A single jar of good wine can make this old man back off, but your dagger thrust at his heart has no effect at all,” Lin Dong said leisurely.

Pfft…

Old Ding spat out the wine, but Lin Dong easily dodged it.

“Lin, young man, don’t stir up trouble like this.”

Lin Dong ignored him and glanced at Divine Calculator.

“Don’t provoke me. I won’t fall for such tricks as these,” Divine Calculator said calmly.

“Fine, Liu Xiu, go ahead then,” Lin Dong said with a raised eyebrow.

Liu Xiu obediently raised his weak right hand and thrust the dagger at his heart once again. With a snap, Divine Calculator knocked the dagger away, clearly frustrated.

“You still worry about the throne every day. Aren’t you afraid of backfiring?”

“That’s just bad luck on my part,” Liu Xiu replied, knowing that both Divine Calculator and Old Ding knew he was just bluffing. He decided to give up.

“Good. Now get lost!” Divine Calculator snapped.

“Let’s go! I’ll take you to a deserted place to stab you,” Lin Dong said. He rushed behind Liu Xiu, ignoring his bleeding wound, grabbed his shoulder roughly, and threw him forward. Liu Xiu flew toward the Tianpeng Bird, which was over fifty meters high.

“Elder Feng, stop that old man!” Lin Dong shouted.

Feng Yue, not understanding what was going on, quickly rushed to the bottom of the Tianpeng Bird, ready to intervene.

Old Ding and the other were stunned—what kind of drama was this?

If no one came to rescue him, Liu Xiu, already severely injured, would suffer intense shock upon hitting or falling on the Tianpeng Bird’s back, which could easily cause the dagger to pierce his heart. It was truly a life-threatening situation—only the intervention of a deity could save him.

“Get out of the way!”

Old Ding moved first, channeling his spiritual energy through theThe Heavenly Scripture to chase after Liu Xiu. Feng Yue threw a punch, sending a massive wave toward Old Ding. Old Ding gritted his teeth and dodged, breaking theThe Heavenly Scripture, causing Liu Xiu to fall from the sky.

Divine Calculator suddenly leaped up, while Lin Dong and Yun Lan also acted simultaneously—the Green Rainbow Sword shot forward, and the Wishful Stool expanded infinitely.

“Ding Tian, get rid of those who are blocking the way!” Shensuanzi shouted. At such a high altitude, even the strongest warriors found it difficult to gain leverage. With his strength, it wasn’t hard for him to cut through the two people’s combined blockade, but the problem was that due to the recoil, he had to land before he could jump again.

Elder Ding pushed Feng Yue back with a palm strike. Spiritual energy surged, causing Yunlan’s Green Rainbow Sword to stop abruptly, while the infinitely expanding Ruyi Stool also toppled to the side.

Light as a swallow, Shensuanzi flew past the moment the Green Rainbow Sword and Ruyi Stool were controlled and caught Liu Xiu in his arms.

After landing, Shensuanzi glared fiercely at Lin Dong but didn’t know what to say.

Elder Ding also glared fiercely at Feng Yue for daring to block him, unsure of what to say as well.

“Good food and wine are all ready. How about the two of you eat and drink first, then fight later?” Lin Dong said with a cheerful smile.

The two were even more speechless.

But Lin Dong had completely relaxed. He believed that their feud must have diminished considerably by the time they cooperated to save Liu Xiu. With Liu Xiu in between, it would now be extremely difficult for them to fight to the death.

“Elder, Liu Xiu is seriously injured. If we don’t save him now, he might die from blood depletion. How about you take him back to the royal mansion for treatment?” Seeing that neither of them was willing to give in out of pride, Lin Dong immediately thought of separating them.

“Why should I be the one to take him?” Although Elder Ding wasn’t very diligent, he didn’t mind making this trip. But he couldn’t understand why Lin Dong, instead of directing an enemy, would ask him to do it.

“Well… I think you care more about Liu Xiu,” Lin Dong said, finding an excuse out of guilt. Of course, he cared more about Elder Ding in a life-or-death struggle. Right now, Shensuanzi held a much higher place in his heart—because Shensuanzi was related to the upgrade quest, while Elder Ding, not being in the inn, could even save some good wine for it.

“That’s better!” Elder Ding nodded, grabbed Liu Xiu, and flew away in a flash.

“Elder Shensuanzi!” Lin Dong bowed to him with admiration, saying, “Your skills are truly extraordinary. I’ve long admired you. I’ve prepared some simple dishes—would you be so kind as to accept them?”

“Manager Lin, your attitude changes really fast. Not long ago, it seemed you wanted to join forces to kill me,” Shensuanzi said indifferently, glancing at Feng Yue. “Do you want to invite me alone?”

“Why not?” Lin Dong laughed. He didn’t believe Shensuanzi would attack him again. Besides, he was now at the eighth level of the Heart Reversal stage. Although Shensuanzi was strong, it was impossible for him to kill Lin Dong instantly. With the inn system activated, he had plenty of time to kick Shensuanzi out of the inn.

“Let’s go!” the Divine Calculator said casually.
“Please, senior!” Lin Dong called out. After the Tianpeng Bird landed with its wings spread, he politely invited the Divine Calculator to the pavilion.
“I never expected Ding Tian to provide you with a Tianpeng Bird as a mount.”
The Divine Calculator glanced at the Tianpeng Bird, then at Lin Dong, feeling a hint of envy. Although Lin Dong called Old Ding “old master,” he believed it was merely because Old Ding refused to admit it—after all, the Truth-Controlling Art remained unchanged. Like Old Ding, he had never truly taken a disciple in his life. Liu Xiu was merely nominally his disciple; he had no successor to pass on his knowledge. In his view, since Old Ding could find a disciple who reached the eighth level of the Heart Reversal Stage before the age of thirty, he was willing to do whatever it took to secure a ninth-tier spirit bird as a mount for his disciple.
Lin Dong smiled and suddenly said with a chuckle, “Senior, would you like to stay at our Lin’s Inn for a few days?”
“You’re revealing your intentions so quickly?” The Divine Calculator looked at Lin Dong in surprise.
“If you’re willing to stay at Lin’s Inn for a few days, I promise to value you more than my own master,” Lin Dong said cheerfully. “I’ll bring you tea, check on you, and be at your service anytime.”
Just as the Divine Calculator was about to protest, an idea struck him.
“Really?”
“As long as you stay for a few days, it’s absolutely true. If I fail to keep my word, who can stop you?” Lin Dong nodded.
“If you can really do it, don’t dawdle for a few days. As long as you can ensure Ding Tian doesn’t get angry and leave, and if you can keep your promise, I’ll stay for three years, five years, even fifty years!”
The Divine Calculator burst into laughter. Lin Dong’s promise felt as refreshing as drinking ice water on a hot day.
What did a disciple matter? When faced with another powerful peak expert, unless they lost their temper and left, they still had to step aside. Just thinking about a group sitting around a table, with Lin Dong bringing him tea while ignoring Old Ding, even the Divine Calculator, despite his composure as a peak expert, couldn’t help but feel an indescribable joy.
Lin Dong knew the Divine Calculator mistook him for trying to win him over, but he didn’t clarify. It was better if there was a misunderstanding—this way, nothing unexpected would happen in the next three days.

As for three days later… Lin Dong hadn’t even thought about trying to control the operator. Having spent so much time with Old Ding, how could he not know Old Ding’s temper? It was impossible for him to get along peacefully with the Divine Operator; they would always clash upon meeting. He could suppress Old Ding’s temper for a few days, but over time, not only would he be unable to control it, and even if he could, Lin Dong had no intention of letting Old Ding grumble all day just for a peak-level powerhouse. Lin Dong clearly understood what was more important.