Walking the Dog

Having departed Qifeng City, Yan Yun found herself on a winding path, acutely aware that she needed to divert the intense animosity directed at her. Until the Immortal Alliance and the Lin family’s attention was drawn elsewhere, both the Yan family and she would remain perilously vulnerable.

She first spent three days traveling to Tianbo City, then dedicated another week to reaching Ningyang City, a place even more distant. Ultimately, it took her nearly three weeks to arrive at the border town situated between Jiang Country and Xiang Country.

Deliberately, she left a clear trail, leading the Lin family members and the Immortal Alliance’s attention towards the Jiang Country border.

The Tianchen Continent was not solely comprised of Jiang Country; the Immortal Alliance of Jiang Country held no authority over other nations.

Upon her arrival at the border between Jiang Country and Xiang Country, Yan Yun finally underwent a complete transformation.

Within Mushui City, located near the Jiang Country border with Xiang Country, Yan Yun emerged from a tailor’s shop. She was now clad in a light purple dress and had meticulously styled herself.

From this day forward, Yan Yun’s true identity would remain hidden from the light of day, at least until she acquired absolute power.

In truth, her safest course of action would have been to leave Jiang Country and head for Xiang Country, where no one would concern themselves with her past actions in Jiang Country.

Yet, she found herself unable to simply flee to a distant land, for those she held dearest still resided in Jiang Country.

She had already devised a plan: she intended to find a way to infiltrate the Yunhua Sect, as both Su Muyu and Jiang Yao were there.

Moreover, the dream had revealed to her that, within the entirety of Jiang Country, the Yunhua Sect was likely the only place she could find refuge.

Throughout this period, she had been continuously pondering that dream. It felt less like a dream and more like a collection of genuine experiences, yet she couldn’t explain why her mind held so many vivid memories.

“Ah! I wonder if this truly counts as freedom,” Yan Yun mused, surveying her new attire and appearance before casually touching her cheek, a serene smile gracing her lips.

Just then, numerous cultivators suddenly appeared within the city. Armed with portraits, they questioned everyone they encountered, eventually approaching Yan Yun.

“Young lady, have you seen these two individuals?”

She didn’t need to look; these were undoubtedly Lin family cultivators, tracking Yan Yun’s movements. The portraits depicted Yan Yun’s normal appearance and her appearance after activating her poison cultivation technique, the latter naturally veiled.

‘They’re certainly quick,’ Yan Yun thought, a calm expression masking her inner amusement, ‘but I’ve deliberately left such obvious trails. If they still can’t find me, then they truly are incompetent.’

For the past half month, she had felt as though she were merely leading dogs on a chase.

“Oh, I believe I have,” Yan Yun replied, pointing towards the pass leading to Xiang Country. “She seemed to be heading towards the pass.”

The Lin family cultivators’ expressions immediately shifted, and they promptly signaled others to pursue the trail towards the pass.

Seizing the opportunity, Yan Yun made her way to the city’s carriage rental station.

“Uncle, please take me to Ningyang City. Thank you,” Yan Yun said, smiling at a middle-aged coachman beside a carriage.

With business arriving, the coachman was naturally overjoyed.

“Alright, young lady, please get in. We’ll depart immediately.”

Thus, Yan Yun boarded a return carriage and departed Mushui City once more.

****

As for the Lin family members, they had already reached the pass and were questioning the Jiang Country soldiers stationed at the city gate.

“We are from the Lin family of the Royal Capital. Have you seen these two individuals?”

After glancing at the portraits, the soldiers at the pass quickly recalled a handsome young man who had departed through the pass for Xiang Country not long ago.

“Yes, I have. They left about half an hour ago,” the soldier replied.

The Lin family members’ faces twisted in fury. Staring at the bustling pass, they realized there was nothing more they could do but report back to their family.

After all, the Lin family was a cultivation clan, possessing specialized communication artifacts.

Meanwhile, Lin Jingbo and the others were still in Qifeng City. However, upon receiving the news of Yan Yun’s escape to Xiang Country, both Lin Ao and Lin Jingbo were instantly enraged.

“Useless! All of them are useless!” Lin Jingbo roared, smashing the nearby tea table to splinters with a single palm strike. “They couldn’t even catch a single person! And the Immortal Alliance members, they didn’t even put their hearts into the pursuit, otherwise, how could he have escaped into Xiang Country?”

Beside him, Family Head Zhou and Family Head Song were utterly terrified.

“Escaped?” Lin Ao questioned, his voice thick with resentment. “Fourth Uncle, are we just going to let the vendetta for my son and fourth brother go?”

They had been toiling for nearly two months, only for their efforts to prove utterly futile, like drawing water with a bamboo basket.

“What else can be done?” Lin Jingbo fumed. “Both the Jiang and Yan families have announced they’ve severed ties with Yan Yun and even proactively reported her to the Immortal Alliance. We no longer have any grounds to cause trouble. It’s all your fault for dragging your feet! If you had returned earlier, none of this would have happened. It’s truly infuriating!”

Lin Ao, too, was baffled by the turn of events. They had been mere half a day away from seizing the initiative.

“Then,” Lin Ao sputtered, his frustration boiling over, “even if we can’t capture Yan Yun, can’t we retaliate against the Yan family and Su Muyu of the Yunhua Sect? If our Lin family seizes them, uses them as leverage, and then spreads the news to force Yan Yun’s return, wouldn’t that solve everything?”

Lin Jingbo, enraged to the point of laughter, let out a harsh chuckle.

“Ha-ha,” Lin Jingbo scoffed, “do you think our Lin family is the Yunhua Sect? The Great King completely disapproves of our Lin family in this matter. Both privately and publicly, our Lin family holds no moral high ground. If we want to deal with them, we can only do so in the shadows. To act openly would not only offend the Royal Family but also the Immortal Alliance and the Yunhua Sect.”

Indeed, Yan Yun’s move was quite ruthless. The Lin family had no legitimate cause to begin with, and bringing such private matters into the open would never garner support or recognition.

“Ah, this is outrageous!” Lin Ao roared in a fit of pique.

The other members of the Lin family were equally helpless, sighing with resignation, their spirits plummeting.

“Alright, Lin Ao,” Lin Jingbo instructed, a sinister glint in his eyes. “Before we leave, go deliver a grand gift to the Yan family. Return their ancestral coffins and gravestones; these items are no longer of any value.”

Observing the malevolent expression on Lin Jingbo’s face, Lin Ao immediately understood his meaning.

“Alas! I understand.”

With that, Lin Ao strode out of the Zhou family’s residence.

****

Moments later, two coffins and a gravestone descended from the sky, landing squarely within the Yan family compound.

Such a significant commotion naturally drew Yan Long and the others to the scene.

Upon their arrival, their expressions immediately tensed as they gazed at the coffins and gravestone before them.

Lin Ao, too, descended from the sky, landing atop the gravestone.

“Daoist Lin Ao, what is the meaning of this?” Yan Hua demanded.

Lin Ao sneered.

“Our Lin family is about to return to the Royal Capital,” he declared. “Before we depart, we wanted to present your Yan family with a grand gift.”

The Yan family members were utterly bewildered. Presenting someone with coffins and gravestones was clearly not an act of mourning; everyone understood this was a blatant threat.

“What is this?” Yan Hua questioned, a tremor in his voice.

Lin Ao let out a hearty laugh.

“These two coffins were discovered by our Lin family within Wuxia Mountain,” Lin Ao announced, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “Coincidentally, the gravestone bears the name of your Yan family’s progenitor, Yan Chongxiao, and also that of the infamous Heavenly Poison Maiden, Yan Lingyun, who terrorized a thousand years ago.”

“What a pity,” Lin Ao continued, his voice dripping with menace. “If I had returned earlier and informed the Immortal Alliance of this matter, just based on your Yan family’s connection to that demonic woman and your son cultivating her poison technique, what consequences do you think would have ensued?”

Upon hearing this, Yan Hua and the others paled drastically, none more so than Yan Long.

“It seems Third Sister’s prediction was correct,” Yan Long exclaimed, his face etched with profound relief. “I originally thought she was overthinking, but I never expected the Lin family to actually find such damning evidence. Fortunately, oh, fortunately!”

“You?” Yan Hua and the others seethed, their tempers flaring. “Your Lin family has gone too far! You actually dug up our Yan family’s ancestral grave?”

Lin Ao burst into uproarious laughter.

“Rest assured,” Lin Ao declared, his voice chillingly calm amidst his laughter, “digging up the ancestral grave is merely the beginning. Do not assume that because your Yan family has evaded this crisis, you will repeatedly turn danger into safety. You had better be careful in the future; do not give my Lin family any reason, or else I will make your entire Yan family accompany my son and brother in death. We have plenty of time ahead of us.”

After delivering this chilling pronouncement, Lin Ao ascended into the sky and departed.

After his departure, Yan Hua and the others immediately approached the gravestone. Upon seeing their progenitor’s name inscribed upon it, they all knelt down without hesitation.

“We, your unworthy descendants, have disturbed our ancestors’ eternal slumber and disgraced their names even after death,” they chanted in unison, their voices filled with anguish. “Please forgive us, Ancestors, please forgive us!”

For any family, having their ancestral grave unearthed was an unparalleled disgrace.

After this incident concluded, the main contingent of the Lin family withdrew entirely from Qifeng City, returning to the Royal Capital.

But afterward, the Yan family was frequently visited by various sects from the cultivation world, either to ‘greet’ them or to cause trouble.

Each time they came, they would thoroughly search the Yan family’s library pavilion, determined to ascertain whether the legacy of the Heavenly Poison Maiden still remained within the family.

During this period, the Yan family knew little peace, yet they had at least averted a crisis of annihilation.