The bright moon hung high.

The clear moonlight spilled over the earth.

On this spring night, the breeze was still somewhat chilly.

The night market was desolate, with few pedestrians on the street.

Lin Zheyu followed the servant to the restaurant, where an elderly man in his sixties and a young man sat together, smiling as they looked over.

At a glance, Lin Zheyu discerned the elder's strength, at the level of Qi Blood First Transformation.

"You've arrived, sit down."

The elder said with a smile, as if he hadn't been the one threatening Lin Zheyu before.

Lin Zheyu didn't stand on ceremony and took a seat opposite the elder.

"I wonder why you invited me over?" Lin Zheyu asked flatly.

Could it be about the three members of the Xing family?

Impossible.

He acted cleanly, leaving no clues. On the surface, his strength seemed only at the Bone Forging Realm level, so the Xing family shouldn't be able to trace it back to him.

"Haha, I heard Mr. Xu recruited an extraordinary talent, so I was curious to see just how talented you are and couldn't resist meeting you."

"Now that I've seen you, you indeed seem quite remarkable."

The elder chuckled.

At his signal, the servant beside him poured Lin Zheyu a cup of wine.

"Just a bit of good fortune, not talent."

"If that's all you invited me here for, then I'll take my leave."

"And, threats should not extend to family and friends, as you are not alone either, right?"

Lin Zheyu said, looking directly at the elder.

The old man had threatened him with Wo Yinghe and Jia Yanrong, which Lin Zheyu found extremely displeasing.

"You're right, my young friend, it was just some tactics to ensure your presence, nothing commendable."

"I wanted to ask if you know Xing Zhiyuan and his sons? Their deaths seem somehow related to you?"

The elder fixed his gaze on Lin Zheyu, speaking with certainty.

He wore a slight smile, as if it wasn't his own family members who had died.

Among the Xing Zhiyuan family, only Xing Jing'an was of note to him, the other two being side branches with no talent, so he didn't care much for their deaths.

"I don't know them, you might be looking for the wrong person."

Lin Zheyu shook his head, his expression unchanged.

When he acted, he left no evidence, so he wasn't worried about being traced back, at most he might be suspected of knowing some clues.

"Is that so? Then I'll have them check again."

The elder smiled as he noted Lin Zheyu's unchanged demeanor.

"I hear you're talented, are you interested in working for the Xing family? Whatever Mr. Xu can offer you, we can too, and what they can't offer, we can."

"How about it?"

The elder asked Lin Zheyu, speaking calmly.

"Not interested, even if I agreed, you wouldn't trust me and I have no desire to take your controlling medicine pill."

Lin Zheyu shook his head.

Back when Xing Jinglong tried to recruit him, coming from a competitor, there had to be a consideration of espionage, with no trust foundation.

The price was to take the pill given by Xing Jinglong. Clearly, the pill was a poison used to control their subordinates.

These powerful factions use such means to control untrusted subordinates.

Lin Zheyu found many such drugs in the Poison Canon.

But if the antidote is found, it's easy to counteract them.

"The medicine is a temporary measure; once you've contributed enough and gained trust, it can be neutralized."

"With war imminent and the country in chaos, within months, Songyi City will also fall; there's no future with the Xu Family."

The elder said calmly.

If the war spread to Songyi City, the best choice for the Xu family would be to move to another city.

But that's easier said than done.

The layout of every city is already mostly established, making it hard for the Xu Family to develop again to its current level.

"You think there's a future with your family?" Lin Zheyu retorted.

"Join the Xing family and I can elevate your strength to the Qi Blood Realm in a short time, giving you some assurance in this chaotic world!"

"Even if your talent is enough, it's not impossible to reach Qi Blood Second Transformation, or even Third Transformation."

The elder said calmly, with a faint smile on his face.

"Not interested."

"Though I'm inexperienced, I understand that there are no shortcuts in martial arts; I just want to progress steadily, step by step."

"I have no intention of joining the Xing family, so please do not disturb or threaten my friends in the future."

"After all, your family has many more people than mine."

Lin Zheyu said calmly, then turned and left abruptly.

He no longer needed to fear the Xing family much.

Having reached the level of Qi Blood Second Transformation, coupled with his mastery of the Golden Swan Skill, even martial artists of Qi Blood Third Transformation, or even Fourth Transformation, wouldn't be able to catch him easily.

"Hmph, this person truly doesn't know the heights of the heavens, daring even to threaten the Xing family."

After Lin Zheyu left, the young man beside the elder snorted coldly.

"What a pity, I didn't want to resort to such crude methods."

The elder shook his head.

If possible, he didn't want to use medicine to damage Lin Zheyu's mind, turning him into a mindless soldier.

He had heard that Lin Zheyu comprehended 'the force' within half a year of practicing martial arts, an astonishing talent.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.