Chapter 234:

Azure Willow City:

The city continued its usual routine, with people bringing in monster carcasses and cultivators entering and leaving with beast cores to have their hunting scores tallied.

However, the routine did not last long. Two groups of cultivators soon arrived and began demanding an explanation.

One group was led by Hao Zhenshan, the patriarch of the Hao Family, while the other was led by Peng Tianqe, the Supreme Elder of the Peng Family.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lin Shuhao demanded as he stood up.

Following the recent changes within the clan, he had been promoted from caravan team leader to temporary elder and assigned to oversee the tallying of hunting records alongside elders from the other families.

As a member of the Lin Family, he stepped forward to address the situation.

“Where is your patriarch? I want him to show himself!” Hao Zhenshan demanded, his voice thick with anger.

Fortunately for Lin Shuhao, Hao Zhenshan regarded him as little more than an insignificant insect, unworthy of his attention. Otherwise, Lin Shuhao might already have lost his life.

Before Lin Shuhao could remind the two visitors to show proper respect toward the Lin Family’s patriarch, a familiar voice interrupted him.

“And what business do you have with me?”

Lin Xuan had just returned with the Xu Family’s children when he heard the commotion.

Hao Zhenshan immediately turned toward the voice, his anger showing no signs of subsiding.

When he saw Lin Xuan, he narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

“Where have you been?” Hao Zhenshan demanded, his voice sharp with accusation.

Lin Xuan glanced at him before casually replying, “I was in the Yew Woods. Is there a problem?”

Hao Zhenshan pointed at him, his anger evident in his voice. “Tell me, Lin Xuan, what happened to Peng Tianyuan?”

Lin Xuan glanced at the pointing finger before shifting his gaze back to Hao Zhenshan. “Are you asking me what happened to Peng Tianyuan? How am I supposed to know?”

“Stop playing dumb!” Hao Zhenshan roared.

His spiritual qi stirred violently, making the surrounding cultivators instinctively retreat.

“You are the Lin Family’s patriarch, and you have already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Do you honestly expect me to believe you had nothing to do with his disappearance?”

“What are you saying?” Lin Xuan’s expression turned cold. “Are you accusing me of a crime I didn’t commit?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his Nascent Soul aura erupted.

An overwhelming pressure descended upon Hao Zhenshan, forcing him to his knees. The ground beneath his feet cracked as his body struggled to withstand the terrifying might of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Do you understand the consequences of making a false accusation against me?”

Just as Lin Xuan finished speaking, he felt a slight ache in his head.

Before he could investigate the strange sensation, a familiar system interface appeared before his eyes.

[ A part of the host’s memory is returning. ]

Lin Xuan barely had time to react before a surge of memories flooded his mind.

The sudden influx left him momentarily distracted, but he quickly regained control of himself and reined in his aura.

By then, Peng Tianqe had rushed forward and was helping Hao Zhenshan, who remained on the ground, struggling beneath the lingering pressure.

“You killed our Peng Family’s patriarch, and now you want to kill the Hao Family’s patriarch as well!” Peng Tianqe shouted furiously. “What justification do you have for your actions?”

Lin Xuan ignored the old man and focused on digesting his newly recovered memories.

This time, however, there was something worthwhile among them.

[ Congratulations, Host! You have recalled a new martial technique. A Glimpse of Cloud. Rank: Low-Grade Red Quality ]

Lin Xuan’s attention sharpened immediately.

The original Lin Xuan actually knew a Red-Quality martial technique?

His curiosity toward the sealed memories suddenly increased. If the original Lin Xuan had possessed techniques of this quality, perhaps there were other valuable things hidden among those forgotten memories.

By the time Lin Xuan finished processing the information and returned his attention to his surroundings, the people Hao Zhenshan and Peng Tianqe brought were already shouting accusations at him.

He had barely managed to catch the beginning of their argument when Hao Zhenshan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

Peng Tianqe’s expression changed dramatically.

“The patriarch has been poisoned!”

He immediately turned toward Lin Xuan and pointed an accusing finger at him.

“You demon! This must be your doing!”

Hao Zhenshan struggled to raise his head, his lips parting as he tried to speak. However, before he could utter a single word, Peng Tianqe quickly supported him and shook his head.

“Patriarch Hao, don’t speak! Conserve your strength and focus on circulating your spiritual qi. Everything will be fine!” Peng Tianqe urged, his voice filled with apparent concern.

Hao Zhenshan frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but another cough interrupted him. More black blood spilled from his mouth, staining his clothes as his complexion grew increasingly pale.

“Don’t worry, Patriarch Hao. I’ll make sure you receive proper treatment,” Peng Tianqe assured him, tightening his grip around the older man’s arm. “Just hold on a little longer.”

Lin Xuan watched the scene unfold without saying a word.

He understood his own strength well enough to know that the aura he had released could not have seriously injured a Golden Core cultivator. He had merely intended to intimidate Hao Zhenshan, not crush him beneath his spiritual pressure.

Besides, even if Hao Zhenshan had struggled to withstand his aura, coughing up black blood was hardly a reasonable consequence.

It seems these two have prepared a trap for me.

Lin Xuan’s gaze shifted briefly between Hao Zhenshan and Peng Tianqe.

The latter was displaying considerable concern for the injured patriarch, yet his eagerness to accuse Lin Xuan had been rather suspicious from the beginning.

There was another possibility.

Perhaps Peng Tianqe had poisoned Hao Zhenshan himself and intended to use the opportunity to frame Lin Xuan.

With the two families already present and tensions running high, such an incident would provide him with a convenient excuse to turn the Hao Family against the Lin Family.

If that really was the case, Lin Xuan could only admire the old man’s determination.

He even almost felt like offering him a few words of praise.

He remained perfectly still, allowing Peng Tianqe to continue his performance while he waited to see what the old man would do next.

Just then, a new voice interrupted the commotion.

“What exactly is going on here?”