The Return of Luo Yingkong

Pushing the door open, Lin Tian stepped inside to find his entire family gathered in the courtyard. They started, their faces instantly etched with vigilance.

Lin Tian, his face obscured, observed their wary expressions with confusion.

“Who are you? Did Hundred Herbs Hall send you?! How dare you trespass here!” Without a moment’s hesitation, his eldest brother snatched up an iron spear and charged toward him.

He thrust the spear in a direct jab, which Lin Tian easily evaded. Then, with swift movements, the brother lifted, swept, and parried—yet not a single strike touched Lin Tian.

His eldest brother inwardly marveled at the intruder’s skill. Just as he was about to launch a serious attack, Lin Tian seized the spear, gripping it as if it were fused to his hand. No matter how much force the brother applied, the spear remained utterly immobile!

“Big brother! I’m coming to help you!” His second brother rushed forward, brandishing a long sword.

Lin Tian did not reveal himself yet, instead exchanging several more blows with them until they were all forced to retreat, defeated. As they stood in stunned surprise, Lin Tian flipped the hood of his cloak back.

“Big brother, second brother, it’s been a while.”

“Yingkong!”

“Miss!”

Both brothers looked bewildered. Was this young woman truly their sister? The last time they had seen her, she was a mere child, yet now, even their combined efforts couldn’t best her!

The family’s expressions softened, quickly giving way to delighted surprise. “You’re back! Why didn’t you tell us in advance? Your fourth brother visited not long ago. Didn’t you come back with him this time?”

At the mention of his fourth brother, Lin Tian’s eyes dimmed. His eldest brother, noticing the sudden change in his demeanor, quickly interjected.

“Ah, never mind that boy. Yingkong, come tell us about yourself! It’s only been a few years, and your martial arts have become so formidable!”

His eldest and second brothers had joined the army long ago, only returning after the war concluded. They were utterly astonished by how powerful the little girl they once knew had become.

“By the way, who is this child? Don’t tell me he’s yours…” His second brother teased.

“Second brother, what are you saying? Yingkong has only been on the mountain for just over a year. How could she have such a big child?” Luo Bo retorted on her behalf.

“Uh… his name is Jiaofeng. I found him and brought him back,” Lin Tian replied.

After offering a convenient excuse, Lin Tian inquired, “Earlier, you mentioned Hundred Herbs Hall…”

“It’s nothing, nothing at all. Don’t trouble yourself with such matters. Our daughter is home! We must prepare a grand feast!” His father hurried into the kitchen, calling out to the maidservants.

His three elder brothers clustered around him, plying him with questions. However, he continually steered the conversation back to the Hundred Herbs Hall they had mentioned earlier, making it difficult for the discussion to progress.

“Yingkong, you must be tired from your journey. Go rest in your room for now. We’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

****

Stepping into his familiar bedroom, Lin Tian found it reasonably clean, as the maidservants faithfully tidied it every day.

“Hey! You little brat, what are you doing in there!” His third brother grabbed Jiaofeng, lifting him by the scruff.

“It’s fine. Let him come in,” Lin Tian said without turning his head.

“Nah nah nah~” Jiaofeng stuck out his tongue at them, making a silly face before scampering into the room.

“You!”

Behind the bookshelf was a secret room, known to the family, who had even helped dig it out. However, Lin Tian had never permitted anyone to enter.

Lighting an oil lamp, he descended the stone steps. Jiaofeng followed behind, his gaze darting around the pitch-black space below.

Lin Tian retrieved a bottle of gasoline and poured it into a generator. Soon after, the electric lights above them flickered to life.

“Master! What kind of magical artifact is this? It’s so bright!”

Without offering an explanation, Lin Tian walked to a series of boxes and opened them one by one. The contents made Jiaofeng’s fur stand on end: one box of grenades and another filled with bullets!

He didn’t recognize the other items, but he knew they were certainly not ordinary. Lin Tian inspected everything, then, with a wave of his hand, collected it all into his storage pouch.

He had left these items here previously because he couldn’t carry them. Now, with the storage pouch, it was much more convenient. Many half-finished experimental items on the table were also stored away. Finally, even the generator and electric lights were collected, leaving the room completely empty except for the tables and chairs.

Returning to his room, Lin Tian immediately lay down and fell asleep. Although practicing Qi Gathering Arts prevented drowsiness, his mind was weary and still required rest.

Seeing this, Jiaofeng padded over to the bed. Before he could make any move, Lin Tian collected him into his spirit beast pouch.

After an unknown period of sleep, a chorus of curses from outside the house stirred him awake. The voices belonged to his three elder brothers, mingled with the angry shouts of several middle-aged women.

“You tell me about your medicine! My child became like this after taking it! You must pay me!” A stout woman, cradling a child, yelled loudly at their doorstep.

“How can you be so unreasonable? We checked the ledger, and you only bought a cooling medicine for fever. Even if someone healthy took it, nothing adverse would happen,” his third brother retorted.

“I don’t care! My child only had a slight cold before, and now they’re burning up like this! If you don’t give me ten taels of silver, I’ll report you and spread the word that you sell fake medicine!”

His father, exasperated, prepared to take out a silver note to send her away.

“Father, how many times has this happened? If we keep giving in, we’ll become a bank!”

“We can only manage like this for now. Once the caravan arrives, we’ll move.”

As they spoke, Lin Tian emerged from the house, having heard everything that transpired.

“Yingkong, why are you out here? We brothers can handle this; you don’t need to get involved.”

Lin Tian walked directly to the woman and glanced at the child in her arms. “Unrelenting high fever, blackened lips. What did you give this child to eat?”

Seeing the money she was about to receive interrupted by Lin Tian, the woman’s shouts grew even louder.

“It was your medicine, of course! Hurry up and pay me! Otherwise, don’t even think about keeping your shop open!”

“Yingkong, don’t bother with her. This person is just looking for trouble!”

Lin Tian waved his hand, then pulled out a piece of scraps of silver and handed it to the woman. The woman quickly snatched it, shot them a glance, and walked away with her child.

“I’ve given you the money, but as a kindness, I’ll tell you this: your child has been poisoned. They will surely die within three days.”

The woman froze in shock, stopping in her tracks. After a moment of hesitation, she ran off into the distance.

****

“Yingkong, you knew they were poisoned just by looking at them?”

“Of course not. But I poisoned them myself, and only I have the antidote,” Lin Tian replied.

“Poisoned them? When did you do that?” The others exchanged bewildered glances.

“You don’t need to concern yourselves with that. There have been many troublemakers, haven’t there? If I’m not mistaken, is it the new pharmacy that’s behind this?”

“Yingkong is truly clever. It seems nothing can be hidden from you. This new pharmacy’s business isn’t doing well, and they want to drive us out, so they’ve been resorting to all sorts of mischief.” They all entered the living room, recounting the full story.

Their pharmacy was an old establishment in Sifang Town, enjoying excellent business with many loyal customers. A new pharmacy, lacking reputation and credibility, naturally couldn’t compete with an old, trusted business.

“We’re considering moving out of Sifang Town. The other party is a boss from a major city; our financial resources simply can’t compare,” his father sighed.

“Hundred Herbs Hall is truly outrageous. Not only do they trick common folk into making false claims, but they even sent people to smash up our shop! If big brother and second brother hadn’t returned, they would have completely demolished the place!”

Each person voiced their complaints, while Lin Tian listened in silence. At dinner, the entire family sat around the table, except for Luo Tao. Several times, he tried to reveal the truth of his fourth brother’s death, but he was always interrupted and brushed off.

“Master, that woman is back!” The maidservant returned to announce, and everyone went to the front door.

The woman, now wearing a distraught expression, knelt on the ground and pleaded, “I’ll return the money to you, please save my child! I beg you!”

Seeing the woman in such a state, everyone felt a great sense of relief. His second brother, arms crossed, retorted, “What did you say earlier? You said we sold fake medicine. How can fake medicine cure illnesses?”

“Please, I beg you, save my child! I’ve run to every pharmacy in Sifang Town, but none of them can cure them…”

Of course, they couldn’t. This was a poison concocted by Lin Tian; even an immortal would struggle to survive it. He had merely pricked the child with a fine needle, administering only a small dose of the poison.

“I can treat them, but you must tell us who put you up to this,” Lin Tian said, looking down.

“It was… it was Hundred Herbs Hall that made me do it. They said taking that medicine would cause a fever for a day, but how could it be poison…”

“I can give you the antidote, but you must spread the word that Hundred Herbs Hall sells poison.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll agree to anything you ask.”

The woman took the bottle of antidote and quickly administered it to her child. The child’s complexion immediately improved significantly. She profusely thanked them, returning the silver to Lin Tian.

“Keep the money. After you spread the word, I’ll give you another ten taels of silver.”