Lin Zhantian was shocked. He looked into Lin Xuanzhi unfathomable eyes and blurted out, “Is that true?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi laughed and said in an inscrutable manner, “Why would I need to lie?”

　　Lin Zhantian narrowed his eyes.

　　Lin Xuanzhi was not just trying to imply that Third elder is Madam Bai’s backer, but also that these two were secretly having an affair.

　　Honestly, Lin Zhantian had his doubts一 with Third elder’s cultivation level, the moment someone approached the mountain, he would have been able to easily detect their presence. He definitely wouldn’t make this kind of mistake, yet Lin Xuanzhi had solemnly vowed that what he said was the truth.

　　“I will take note of that.” Lin Zhantian was careful with his words, he didn’t dare to say anything that others could end up using against him.

　　Lin Xuanzhi lightly nodded, then said, “The supervisor position is of great importance. Go back and tell Madam Ji that right now, she has no other way out.”

　　Since Madam Ji has already had a taste of the supervisor position, she would definitely become a thorn in Madam Bai’s eyes. Madam Bai is a jealous and aggressive person by nature; since she had lost so much face, she would undoubtedly try to get even with Madam Ji.

　　Lin Xuanzhi knows that this would happen, and Lin Zhantian knows it too.

　　Thus, if they manage to get the dirt on Madam Bai, it would certainly be of great help to Madam Ji.

　　It’s just that, since this matter involved Third elder, Lin Zhantian understood that this was a difficult matter to handle.

　　Lin Zhantian looked at Lin Xuanzhi with a solemn expression and clasped his hands, then said, “I’ll take my leave.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi held a tray of forged stone debris and walked out of his room.

　　When Lin Zhantian pa.s.sed by Yan Tianhen, Lin Xuanzhi asked him to stop.

　　Lin Zhantian thought that Lin Xuanzhi had something important to say so he immediately turned around.

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “These wine cups, do you want to buy a few to try?”

　　Lin Zhantian, “…”

　　No, he refused in his heart.

　　“If I were to bring it to the market to sell, I think it would be sold for at least 20 gold per cup.” Lin Xuanzhi continued.

　　Lin Zhantian’s eyes slowly swept over those three cups.

　　“I actually still have a lot of wine cups at home.” Lin Zhantian declined politely.

　　“10 gold for three cups and I’ll sell them to you.” Lin Xuanzhi said in a straightforward manner.

　　Lin Zhantian was completely speechless, “…….”

　　“Okay then, if you’re willing to go that far, what else can I say?”

　　And thus, Lin Zhantian bought three cups for 10 gold, then hurriedly evacuated this shady place.

　　Yan Tianhen pouted and said unhappily, “Dage, those three cups can obviously be sold for a higher price.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi lightly smiled and said, “We don’t lack that bit of money, so isn’t it better to sell him a favour.”

　　Yan Tianhen pouted as he said, “Anyone can tell that he’s someone who can’t recognise the value of goods.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “After he uses them a few times, he’ll naturally understand their value.”

　　Even if they were only mid-grade magic tools, they still had their benefits.

　　10 gold for three cups is indeed extremely cheap.

　　In the middle of the night, the moon was somber and the winds blew strongly.

　　In the middle of Ma.s.s Grave Ridge1, two guards casually threw a straw-wrapped corpse that was beyond recognition onto a pile of bones.

　　One guard said, “Today, I’ve finally seen what the most torturous way to die is. I didn’t think that our aloof Xuanzhi young master would have times when he could be this brutal.

　　“Yeah, even for someone like me who has worked in the law enforcement hall for so many years, this was really hard to watch.” Another guard said.

　　Steward Zhang had struggled for quite a while — a full three days and three nights — before he drew his last breath.

　　When Steward Zhang died, his face was hideous and filled with agony. His seven orifices were bleeding, and all the meridians in his body had ruptured while his excrement and urine were all over the place. The word ‘wretched’ was far from enough to accurately describe his horrible state.

　　“Forget it, it’s better for us not to guess our master’s thoughts.”

　　We should just obediently shut our mouths up. The less we say, the fewer mistakes we make.

　　The calls of crows sounded, and coupled with the chilly winds that were blowing in Ma.s.s Grave Ridge, this place began to seem even more creepy.

　　The guards rubbed the gooseb.u.mps that had formed all over their bodies, then quickened their pace as they said, “This kind of place has such an evil atmosphere, let’s hurry and return as soon as possible.”

　　The voices of the two men gradually softened until they completely disappeared.

　　An incomparably dark figure suddenly appeared like a ghost in the darkness at the Ma.s.s Grave Ridge that was ten miles away from the city.

　　He stretched his right hand out and formed a strange magic seal while he uttered a few verses. After a moment, he reversed his hand and lightly clenched his fist. The Steward Zhang who had been lying on top of ae pile of bones looked like his body was being lifted up by an invisible string as his stiff body actually began to stand up.

　　“Look at all that resentment of yours spilling out, you really are suited to be a corpse general.” The man chuckled softly for awhile, then took out a red pill bottle and poured out one medicinal pill. With one flick of his finger, he shot the medicinal pill into Steward Zhang’s open mouth.

　　Within the time taken to drink one cup of tea2, Steward Zhang suddenly opened in his eyes. Under the moonlight, the inside of his eyes — from his pupils to the whites of his eyes — was completely covered with the colour of blood!

　　“Hrreuurrgghhh一” Steward Zhang made sounds that didn’t sound like that of a human. He lifted both his arms and opened up his legs, then began to walk forward in a stiff manner.

　　The man cruelly laughed, then said with a sombre voice, “Lin Xuanzhi ah Lin Xuanzhi, did you really think that after you had awakened your craftsman soulfire you would be free of worries? Just wait, I’ll definitely let you die without a place to bury your corpse!”

　　Lin family, in a certain sky-level room.

　　Even though it was bright out, there was an erotic atmosphere in the room. One man and one woman were shaking the bed so hard it looked like it was about to fall apart.

　　After all kinds of sounds that would make one blush were made, a slender hand stretched out to draw the bed curtains and hung them on its hooks.

　　A naked Madam Bai gasped coquettishly as she drew circles on Third elder’s chest with one hand, then said, “I heard that yesterday morning, that c.u.n.t went to report to Fifth elder and said that he needed to leave for a month.”

　　Third elder’s hand rubbed all over Madam Bai’s body as he said, “Yeah, and Fifth elder even dispatched a few Foundation Stage servants to act as his personal bodyguards.” At this point, he sneered, “Looks like Fifth elder really likes this Xuan grandson of his.”

　　“Who doesn’t know that?” Madam Bai’s eyes flashed with deep hatred as she said, “While I, Bai Ling, had worked so hard for the Lin family the moment I stepped foot into this place. Which of the Lin family’s magic treasures weren’t made by me? Even if I don’t get any credit, at least I’ve put in the effort. Yet, that day in front of so many Lin family members, Fifth elder actually gave me so little face just for that Lin Xuanzhi who had just started cultivating the path of the craftsman, and even tortured me for a whole seven days. I really wish that he could just go die right now!”

　　Third elder’s heart had also ached considerably. He and Madam Bai had been fooling around with one another since a long time ago, and even though he was a vicious and merciless person, he truly liked this lovable, tender and very capable woman in his arms. Hence, when he had personally seen Madam Bai get hit by Fifth elder’s palm which made the Qi in her rage about uncontrollably, a strong sense of hatred naturally arose in his heart.

　　Third elder coldly narrowed his eyes, then said, “Don’t worry, once I succeed in making a corpse general, Fifth elder — and even Second elder — wouldn’t be able to do anything to us.”

　　Madam Bai immediately got up and stared at Third elder, “Didn’t you say that the requirements for a corpse general are very demanding? You would need someone that had been tortured for at least three days and three nights, and have an intact body before you can turn them into a corpse general right?”

　　Third elder laughed and said, “You can think of it as Lin Xuanzhi suffering the consequences of his own actions. Thanks to him, I’ve already found my candidate for a corpse general.”

　　Madam Bai’s eyes widened as she asked, “Who?”

　　Third elder said, “Who else but that steward that you brought over from your family.”

　　Madam Bai was stunned, then furrowed her brows and said, “How could it be Steward Zhang? Based on his cultivation level and the amount of Five Yuan rice he was fed, he should have lasted for at most one day and one night before he died.”

　　The elder revealed a triumphant smile and said, “Lin Xuanzhi is allowed to kill, but others aren’t allowed to save?”

　　Madam Bai paused, then immediately understood what he meant.

　　“I went to look for Steward Zhang a few times, and right before he was about to die, I would use some means to make him live for a few more hours. Originally he only needed 12 hours to die, but I let him live for a whole three days more.” Third elder said.

　　Madam Bai smiled and pecked Third elder’s face, then said, “You really are a man that’s beyond Nujia’s expectations. So basically, not long after, the whole Lin family wouldn’t matter to us anymore?”

　　“Not just the whole Lin family, I would be able to easily take control of the entire Qing city by then.” Third elder smiled smugly. Madam Bai also laughed and said, “Then Nujia will wait for you to replace the Duan family’s First elder and become our Qing city’s new master!”

　　Third elder pinched Madam Bai’s tender cheeks, then said, “Don’t worry, if all goes well in creating that corpse general, we’ll be able to see its preliminary results in about three months. In half a year we’ll see some success, in one year we’ll see huge results and in three years it’ll become a true weapon of ma.s.s destruction. We would at most need another three years, it’s not a lot of time to us. But, I’ll still need Madam’s help in creating the corpse general.”

　　“Of course. I’m one with you, so naturally I’ll do my best to help you.”

　　“We’ll eliminate Lao Er and Lao Wu3 first, then we’ll find a way to get rid of the Lao Si who only returns to the family a few times per year. Then, the Lin family would be mine.” Third elder revealed an ambitious and sinister smile.

　　Madam Bai furrowed her brows, “Don’t forget, there’s still First elder.”

　　“He’s even less of a worry for us.” Third elder’s lips curved up, then he smiled with a profound look.

　　“What do you mean?”

　　“First elder’s most favourite two people are Lin Zhan and Lin Xuanzhi. But when they had encountered trouble, First elder continued to remain in seclusion — that’s definitely not normal.” Third elder said, “It’s already been close to ten years since First elder first went into seclusion. He still had some activity at first, but for the past few years, there have been no signs of activity from his side at all. Such a big incident had occurred in our clan and yet he didn’t make a move, so I’m afraid First elder is no longer in this world.”

　　Madam Bai was shocked. Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared, “First elder, is no longer around? Then Lin family…wouldn’t the Lin family become a mess?”

　　“The Lin family should go on as per normal. This news must not be known by outsiders at this critical juncture.” Third elder scoffed, “I’m sure Lao Wu knows the truth, it’s just that he didn’t say a single word about it. But for him to abandon his time in seclusion to come back and preside over the Lin family already implies that he’s afraid that the Lin family would suffer from internal strife at this moment, when no one else but him could suppress it.”

　　Madam Bai nodded, but her heart was still hammering away non-stop.

　　First elder is the Lin family’s only Profound-level cultivator and could be said to play a very important role in the Lin family. If the Lin family were to lose his backing, then very soon, it wouldn’t even be considered a third-cla.s.s family. It wouldn’t even be impossible for their enemies to seize this opportunity to ma.s.sacre the entire Lin family.

　　This matter was of great importance, leaking this news out would be disastrous.

　　But this matter wasn’t something Madam Bai could meddle in.

　　Madam Bai calmed down, then thought of a safe question and asked, “Jing Ge, did you put Steward Zhang’s corpse in a safe place? He definitely can’t be noticed by others, or else all your efforts would go to waste and you would have to bear other people’s suspicions for no good reason.”

　　Third elder narrowed his eyes, and a calculating gleam flashed through his eyes, then said, “Don’t worry, I’ve already placed that corpse in the safest place at the back mountains. Even if someone managed to find him, they would think that Lin Xuanzhi was the one who placed him there.”

　　Madam Bai suddenly realised something, then nodded and said, “That’s right, only Lin Xuanzhi had lived in that kind of place before.”

　　If it wasn’t because a corpse that met the requirements for making a corpse general was extremely rare to find, Madam Bai really wanted to use Steward Zhang’s corpse to frame Lin Xuanzhi for creating a corpse general. Meddling with corpses is often seen as the devil’s practice. If people from the righteous sects saw someone controlling a corpse, they would definitely pursue him relentlessly and completely wipe both the corpse-controller and corpse general from the face of the earth.

　　1. 乱葬岗, luan4 zang4 gang3; a Ma.s.s Grave Ridge is just a place with a lot of corpses thrown into it↩

　　2. 15 minutes, 10 mins in winter↩

　　3. Er = 2, Wu = 5, Si = 4; calling someone Lao Er/Lao Wu is akin to calling them like they’re your siblings/bros↩

　　T/N: Imagining Madam Bai and Third elder’s bed scene gave me chills……………