Chapter 578: Family Members

“What else do you know?”
Jiang Qianchi stared at Lin Dong warily, feeling a hint of resentment. When he came here, the one who placed spiritual energy on him had clearly stated that only a peak-level warrior could detect such energy.
But obviously, this Lin Dong before him couldn’t possibly possess the strength of a peak-level warrior.
Even the emperor of Qianwei’s guards could be so arrogant.
Jiang Qianchi thought the only thing he could do now was to buy time as much as possible, so that Lin Dong wouldn’t realize his intentions. Then he could pass on the information and let the emperor of Qianwei decide on the next steps.
“I know you’re Jiang Qianchi, the magistrate of Lihuang Prefecture. I know you were sent by the emperor of Qianwei to die. I also know the emperor has evidence of your corruption, forcing you to come here to die,” Lin Dong said calmly.
Jiang Qianchi was stunned, his mind in chaos.
“That’s not right, that’s not right… You…” Liu Fang suddenly frowned at Lin Dong. “You’re not part of Master’s men?”
“That’s right, Liu Fang. How did you end up in the capital?” Jiang Qianchi also suddenly sensed something was wrong and exclaimed in shock.
“This is the capital?” Liu Fang was horrified. “Weren’t Master’s men supposed to inform us that the court had already discovered our corruption and told us to find a place to hide first?”
“Hide?” Jiang Qianchi trembled. “Do you mean everyone came with you?”
Liu Fang nodded, her face pale, staring at Lin Dong as if he were some demon. This place was actually the capital. From Lihuang Prefecture to the capital should normally take half a year—even with fast horses, it would take several months. But she clearly remembered taking a carriage on the way here and then staying in a courtyard, too afraid to go outside.
She had thought they were still in the countryside. Only after leaving the courtyard did she realize they were still in the city. And not just that—she had suddenly ended up in the capital for no apparent reason.
Such a strange situation would have scared her half to death if not for her lingering suspicion that Jiang Qianchi had gone mad and didn’t realize they had returned to Lihuang Prefecture.
“What… what do you want?” Jiang Qianchi looked at Lin Dong with a heart filled with despair, feeling as if the world was collapsing around him.
“I know every move the emperor of Qianwei makes, as well as his detailed plans to deal with me. And I can even rescue your entire family from the guards he sent to Lihuang Prefecture, ensuring the emperor won’t realize for a while that those guards are already under my control,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “What do you think I want?”

“Do you want to plot something?” Jiang Qianchi exclaimed in shock.
Lin Dong shook his head slowly. “These matters have nothing to do with you. All you need to know is that your entire family is in my hands.”
“It’s useless. The power of the empire is unfathomable; not everyone can resist it. No matter where you go, even to the ends of the earth, it’s still imperial territory—running away only leads to death.” Jiang Qianchi shook his head, his face pale. “As long as they’re in your hands, they’re doomed.”
“Not necessarily. In the Great Han Empire, there are many places not under the empire’s control or interference,” Ma Chun said with a smile.
“You mean the sects?” A fierce glint appeared in Jiang Qianchi’s eyes. He suddenly realized that not only could his family be saved, but perhaps he himself could also escape harm.
“That’s right, provided it’s those who haven’t violated the laws of the Great Han Empire,” Lin Dong nodded.
Jiang Qianchi’s expression darkened. Though this increased the likelihood, it also ended his hopes.
“Well? Work with me!” Lin Dong said calmly. “The terms are the same as those offered by Emperor Qianwei—your family will be safe.”
Jiang Qianchi forced a smile. “Do I have a choice to refuse?”
“Talking to smart people saves time!” Lin Dong gave Jiang Qianchi a thumbs up.
“What do you want me to do?” Jiang Qianchi asked.
“It’s simple. Whenever Emperor Qianwei has new plans for you, find a way to pass them on to me. Remember, don’t be too obvious. Emperor Qianwei will send strong guards to watch your every move. Just give Manager Ma a hint—I’ll contact you when those guards are occupied. Once I have the plans, I’ll arrange to buy time; you just need to cooperate,” Lin Dong explained.
“Okay!” Jiang Qianchi nodded firmly. “How do you guarantee you’ll keep your promise, or prove that you indeed have connections with the sects and they’ll take in my family?”
“That’s not hard!”
Lin Dong took out a stack of silver bills from a mobile cabinet and handed them to Jiang Qianchi.
Jiang Qianchi took the bills in confusion, looking up at Lin Dong, waiting for his next words.
“Check them!” Lin Dong instructed.
Jiang Qianchi glanced down and flipped through the bills. There were over a hundred of them, each worth ten thousand taels—meaning the stack was worth nearly a million taels in total.
Under normal circumstances, Jiang Qianchi would have been overjoyed at a million taels. With his status as an official, earning a million taels wasn’t difficult, but it would take at least one term in office. After all these years in government, he had only managed to earn about three million taels in total.

Now, Jiang Qianchi naturally didn’t have the mood for this. No matter how much silver there was, one still needed a life to spend it. If it weren’t for not wanting to see the Jiang family go extinct, he would have found a white silk rope to hang himself. Just thinking about the executioner’s axe severing his head sent chills down his spine—ending his own life was the only way to escape such pain.
“How about it?” Lin Dong asked.
“About a million taels of silver, all genuine,” Jiang Qianchi replied.
Lin Dong wanted the silver notes back, so he took out a lighter and let the flame touch them. The corners of the thick stack of silver notes instantly caught fire.
Jiang Qianchi and Liu Fang hesitated, feeling a pang of sorrow. A million taels of silver burned away like this—it was truly wasteful. Even Jiang Qianchi, who knew his life was in danger and wouldn’t be able to use any more silver, couldn’t help but feel this way.
Lin Dong placed the burning silver notes into the wooden basin that Ma Chun had brought and waited patiently as they slowly burned out.
“Shopkeeper Lin, what are you doing…?” Jiang Qianchi couldn’t understand Lin Dong’s actions.
Lin Dong remained silent, watching the burning silver notes in the basin. Losing a million taels of silver pained him too, but this cost had to be paid.
Soon, the stack of silver notes turned to ashes. Then Lin Dong looked up at Jiang Qianchi and asked, “Does this prove I’ll keep my promise?”
Jiang Qianchi was stunned for a moment before realizing why Lin Dong had burned the silver notes. If he could burn a million taels of silver, he surely wouldn’t deliberately cause trouble without reason. The people of the sect weren’t immortals either; they needed silver sometimes. With a million taels, they could bribe a small sect to take in a few people who hadn’t violated the laws.
Although burning a million taels of silver wasn’t as convincing as seeing one’s family live in the sect firsthand, it was more credible than proving Shopkeeper Lin had connections with the sect.
“Rest assured, Shopkeeper Lin. I will do my utmost to cooperate,” Jiang Qianchi said, bowing to him.
Lin Dong nodded. If forced, Jiang Qianchi would surely try to compromise out of desperation. But knowing he would indeed be helped to take care of his family, Jiang Qianchi would work even harder.
With Tianwei Pavilion now at odds with Lin’s Inn, although they wouldn’t suffer a complete defeat, they would still suffer heavy losses. If they could buy a day, hundreds of their guards could advance a level, reducing their losses in battle. A million taels of silver to get Jiang Qianchi to be more dedicated might allow them to buy more time—its value was far beyond that amount of silver.
“Then we’ll take our leave!”

Lin Dong bowed politely and said, “Have a good journey, Manager Lin!” Jiang Qianchi quickly returned the gesture in greeting. Nearby, Ma Chun looked at Liu Fang and said slowly, “Madam Liu, thank you for your efforts. Please come with me.” “My lord…” Liu Fang stared at Jiang Qianchi, hoping he would speak up to stop her. With her life in someone else’s hands, she felt utterly insecure. Yet she didn’t realize that following Jiang Qianchi would offer her even less protection. “Take good care of Xiaoshan!” Jiang Qianchi suddenly turned around, his body trembling slightly. “If I had known this would happen, why would I have done it in the first place?” Ma Chun snorted. Jiang Qianchi’s actions not only failed to arouse his sympathy but also reminded him that Jiang Qianchi was a corrupt official. “Let’s go. Exit through the back yard,” Lin Dong ordered. Ma Chun nodded, grabbed Liu Fang’s wrist without any trace of mercy, and pulled her out of the room. After leaving the lodging building, Ma Chun grabbed Liu Fang and leaped into the air. Lin Dong returned to his room. It wasn’t until he lay down in the rocking chair and opened an ancient book that the powerful figure disguised as a merchant, leading a caravan, slowly stopped at Lin Ji Inn. That evening, Emperor Qianwei arrived at Lin Ji Inn on a spiritual bird. Upon learning that Jiang Qianchi’s attempt to sacrifice himself had failed, he immediately came up with a new plan. The plan wasn’t complicated: Jiang Qianchi would wear a mask at night and sneak into Lin Dong’s room to steal something. Once caught by Lin Dong, instead of backing down, he would pull out a knife and try to force his way in. According to Emperor Qianwei’s prediction, Lin Dong would surely intervene—whether to take the knife or knock Jiang Qianchi away with a punch. As long as spiritual energy was deployed around Jiang Qianchi, he would surely die at Lin Dong’s hands. The next night, after preparing black clothes, Jiang Qianchi took action. But the room around Lin Dong was surrounded by spiritual arrays; there was no way in through the doors or windows. On the fifth day, Jiang Qianchi tried again, this time with a more complex plan. First, a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy man took a table next to Jiang Qianchi on the second floor of the lobby and asked to see Lin Dong, claiming to have important matters to discuss. When Lin Dong appeared, the middle-aged man took out a spiritual bird that made a very loud noise but was only the size of a palm, claiming it was a lucky bird that could bring fortune and offering to sell it to Lin Dong. Jiang Qianchi mocked its loud noise, leading to an argument and conflict between the two. The middle-aged man pushed Jiang Qianchi, and since Jiang Qianchi’s back was covered in spiritual energy, the slightest touch could be fatal.

As a result, Emperor Qianwei miscalculated once again. There were no surprises during the process, but after an argument between the two, Lin Dong stepped in and forcibly intervened under the pretext of affecting the inn’s business. Fortunately, he didn’t touch Jiang Qianchi’s back even once throughout.