"Young master, where are we going now?" the servant following behind Lin Zijing asked respectfully.
Young Master Lin quickly pulled his thoughts, which had already wandered far away, back to reality. He cleared his throat and said, "Back to Fugui Pawnshop!"
Don't let the seemingly ordinary name of the Rich Pawnshop fool you; its identity is anything but ordinary! It's one of the businesses of the Dark Night Tower, and also one of the Dark Night Tower's secret outposts in various locations.
Let's go back three years.
Three years ago, after waking up and figuring out the strange phenomena happening to him, Lin Zijing predictably fainted again. Upon waking once more, he resolved to ignore his changed gender and force himself to accept this new body—uh—identity!
So, with great effort, he propelled his ravaged and frail body to the Dark Night Tower's secret outpost in the area—the Wealthy Pawnshop. Presumably due to hunger and injury, he fainted again as soon as he arrived at the pawnshop and presented the Tower Master's token, the Exquisite Stone. Lin Zijing often expressed her gratitude to this magical stone; if it hadn't been for its constant companionship, she didn't know how she, now unrecognizable, would have been able to prove her identity to everyone. She might have been ignored, or even starved to death!
When Lin Zijing woke up, she saw her master, the nameless Taoist, and the four stewards of the Dark Night Tower anxiously waiting by her bedside. Lin Zijing revealed her identity in a hoarse voice, and with the Linglong Stone as proof, everyone had no choice but to believe that such an incredible change had occurred.
After listening to Lin Zijing's halting account of his extraordinary encounter, the nameless Taoist was moved to tears, embracing him tenderly. Then, with the encouragement of the four elders, the nameless Taoist calmed down and slowly recounted the events of the past few days to Lin Zijing. Everyone then marveled at the wondrous beauty of the exquisite stone; the nameless Taoist probably never imagined that a stone he had obtained unintentionally would possess such miraculous power.
A year ago, the nameless Taoist priest observed the celestial phenomena and discovered a great secret. He immediately stopped searching for a way to avert the great calamity for Qingluan and rushed to the capital of the Jun Kingdom. However, upon arrival, he heard the news of Qingluan's death. With the Empress's passing, the entire nation mourned. Jun Yifeng ordered the whole country to wear mourning clothes for the Empress and severely punished Ya Xiurong's family for plotting against her. Hearing this, Lin Zijing secretly admired Jun Yifeng's skill in winning people's hearts. How could anyone not be captivated by such a man of profound affection and willingly submit to his influence?
After news of Qingluan's death spread, the Nameless Taoist didn't rush to the palace but went to the Dark Night Tower first. Learning that all the guards stationed in the palace had disappeared, he knew Qingluan's death was probably not so simple. After Qingluan's burial, he secretly examined the body and discovered that Qingluan had been poisoned by a strange poison. Initially heartbroken, he suddenly remembered the celestial signs indicating that Qingluan's life was not meant to end! Therefore, he stayed at the Dark Night Tower, partly to oversee affairs and manage matters in Qingluan's absence, and partly to await the outcome of the celestial signs. Finally, everyone was greeted by the filthy Lin Zijing!
The great secret discovered by the nameless Taoist priest piqued Lin Zijing's curiosity. The nameless Taoist priest mysteriously dismissed everyone else, only revealing the truth when he left Lin Zijing alone. None of the three older deacons showed any curiosity and silently withdrew. Only Anmei cast a mournful glance at Lin Zijing, sending a chill down her spine.
The big secret is that back then, the nameless Taoist and Tianyuan determined from the celestial phenomena that Jun Yifeng was the Emperor Star and Lin Qingluan was the Auxiliary Star, and that the two of them bore the great responsibility of unification! That's why they worked hard to teach them, hoping that they could complete their mission as soon as possible.
As time passed, a new celestial phenomenon brought new revelations. It turned out that the Azure Phoenix was the Emperor Star, and the Auxiliary Star still originated from the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, but it wasn't Jun Yifeng, but Jun Yilin! Upon hearing this, Lin Zijin, who had been feeling weak all over, jumped up, her eyes wide with disbelief!
Since Qingluan was dead, and her death was suspicious, everyone was a suspect, including Jun Yifeng. The nameless Taoist dared not make a sound, lest he alert the enemy. Therefore, he could only quietly wait for Qingluan to return at the Dark Night Tower.
Presumably seeing that Qingluan's appearance and smell were not very good, the nameless Taoist briefly explained the situation and then urged Qingluan to take a bath.
The bathwater had been prepared in advance, and the clever little maidservant, seeing Young Master Lin's state, kindly prepared a lot!
To my shame, the bath lasted almost the entire night. The bathwater went from being as black as ink at first to crystal clear at the end, requiring four or five water changes. During this time, I also had to order food delivered twice. Young Master Lin devoured a whole chicken, a pork hock, a fish, four bowls of rice, three plates of vegetables, and several snacks. If the servant hadn't mentioned that the nameless Taoist had instructed that a long-starved person shouldn't eat too much, the food would probably have been doubled!
After washing himself, Lin Zijing suddenly felt as light as a feather. How could he not feel light? After washing, he saw that his body was so thin that he was skin and bones, and he even weighed less after washing! After eating and drinking his fill and being frightened, the poor young master Lin slept for three days and three nights before he regained his strength.
He hadn't felt so refreshed in days. The young master Lin reluctantly awoke from his deep sleep, accompanied by the rising sun and the crisp chirping of birds. He got up, put on the light blue robe and dark blue boots prepared for him by the bedside, and habitually sat down in front of the bronze mirror to do his hair. But he found that he didn't need to do anything now; he only needed to tie his hair up with a wooden hairpin.
Gazing intently at her reflection in the bronze mirror, Lin Zijing was examining her current appearance closely for the first time, and felt a surge of excitement. She was fairly good-looking; her skin wasn't very fair, her eyebrows were strikingly handsome, her eyes were bright and piercing, her eyelashes were long like feather fans, her nose was high, her lips were somewhat thin, and she wore a slightly nonchalant, mischievous smile…
He stood up and turned around. His physique was acceptable; aside from being too thin, he was quite handsome. He tried to circulate his internal energy, but there was no reaction. What a waste of all the internal strength he had cultivated over so long! It seemed he would have to start cultivating from scratch!
As she pushed open the door and stepped out of the room, she bumped into a maid who was about to knock and come in. The maid almost fell into Lin Zijing's arms. When the maid looked up and saw that it was Lin Zijing, her face immediately turned as red as a tomato. She stammered, "Young Master is awake. The manager invites you to the front hall for a meeting!" After saying that, she turned and ran, covering her face as she ran.
Lin Zijing hurriedly called out to her, "Hey, wait a minute!"
The little maid didn't even turn her head.
Young Master Lin was quite puzzled. Was he really that frightening? He also wanted to ask her where the front hall was and who the manager was. Sigh, he had no choice but to go and find out for himself.
Strolling leisurely along the corridor, Lin Zijing wandered around for a while without finding the front hall. Just then, a maidservant approached, a few years older than the previous young maid. Lin Zijing quickly stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, sister, could you tell me where the front hall is? The manager has summoned me there."
The maid was noticeably calmer, though her face flushed. She tried to sound composed as she told Lin Zijin the location of the front hall, then turned and ran away.
Young Master Lin was completely speechless. He lowered his head to check his clothes and then touched his face. There was nothing wrong with him. What was wrong with these people?
Having finally reached the front hall, Lin Zijing saw his master, the Nameless Taoist, talking with several stewards. He greeted them and stepped forward. Everyone turned to look at him, and several gasps rang out. Except for his master, the Nameless Taoist, who remained relatively calm, everyone else stared wide-eyed at him. Feeling a little guilty, Lin Zijing bowed to the Nameless Taoist and asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"
These were all seasoned veterans, experienced in the ways of the world, and they realized their surprised expressions were a bit embarrassing, so they quickly recovered and didn't dare answer his question.
The nameless Taoist priest spoke up, "Azure Phoenix!"
“Zijin, Lin Zijin! I’m a man now, I need to change my name!” Lin Zijin quickly interjected.
The nameless Taoist nodded and continued, "Zijin, it's no wonder they're surprised. You're just too handsome. I've never seen anyone more handsome than you in my entire life. Even I was surprised when I saw you!"
Lin Zijing looked at Anxiao and Antao, who nodded silently.
Then she looked at Anwu, who gave her a flirtatious wink and said, "You are more beautiful than me, and you are getting younger and younger. I really don't want to live anymore!"
Lin Zijing suppressed the chill in her heart, then looked at An Mei. An Mei's face was suspiciously red, and she said, "I have something to do, I'm leaving now!" and ran away in a flash.
Lin Zijing was both amused and exasperated. What was this all about? It was one thing to be beautiful when she was a woman—what woman doesn't love beauty? But now that she was a man, was it something to be proud of for a man to be handsome?
"Am I more beautiful or is Piao Hong more beautiful?" Recalling the breathtakingly beautiful boy, Lin Zijing blurted out a sentence that almost made her die of shame.
Anwu didn't care about Lin Zijin's embarrassed expression and said, "Master, I'm not flattering you. You were beautiful enough before, but then Piaohong came and was even more beautiful than you. Now you've changed your body and you're even more beautiful than him. Where did you find this body?" After saying that, she looked Lin Zijin up and down.
Although she was being stared at by a woman, and a very beautiful one at that, Lin Zijing still felt uneasy. Just as she was about to say something, her master spoke up: "Zijing, now that you're back, I can finally clear up my doubts. How exactly did you die?"
Lin Zijing felt that her master's words were a bit strange, but she still explained the cause of her death.
Upon hearing this, the nameless Taoist frowned and said, "What? It's that beast? Is he afraid that your achievements will overshadow his position?" He paused for a moment, then continued, "Oh no, my junior brother and I lost contact a year ago. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Could it be..."
The nameless Taoist looked up at Lin Zijing, a hint of panic in his eyes.
☆、IV、Admonition
Seeing the panic in her master's eyes, Lin Zijing understood what her master meant. Could it be that her martial uncle had also been murdered? Judging from Jun Yifeng's previous behavior, it wasn't impossible. Her martial uncle was just a minor official in the Imperial Observatory; even if he disappeared, it wouldn't attract attention.
Thinking of this, Lin Zijing instructed Anwu: "Go and check on my martial uncle's whereabouts, and also find out if any officials had their funerals a year ago, and where they were buried?"
Anwu received the order and went out to arrange the manpower. Seeing Lin Zijing's arrangement, the nameless Taoist knew that he thought the same way. He sighed, "Alas, my junior brother is his master, he shouldn't, right?" His tone revealed a lack of confidence.
Yes, if he can poison even his own wife and son, what wouldn't he dare to do?
Lin Zijin remained silent.
After a long silence, Lin Zijing thought of something and asked, "Master, that day you said I was the Emperor Star and Jun Yilin was the Assistant Star. Does that mean he didn't die either?"
The nameless Taoist priest said, "Indeed, the celestial phenomena confirm this!"
"Then why can't we find any trace of him?"
“I have already asked Anmei about your search process. You may have been looking in the wrong direction. This person should still be in the royal palace of Jun Kingdom. I had previously instructed Anmei to search the palace, but the guards are heavily guarded, and the secret guards you arranged before were all eliminated by Jun Yifeng, so there is still no news.”
Thinking of Jun Yilin, who had been missing for so long, Lin Zijing felt a pang of sadness. It was all her fault for dragging him into this mess; otherwise, he wouldn't have…
"Zijin, what are your plans now?" the nameless Taoist asked.
Lin Zijing recalled that man's resolute attitude, and anger surged within him. He was instantly filled with murderous intent, and he gritted his teeth, saying viciously, "He betrayed me for the sake of the world, and I will repay him a hundredfold! Blood debts must be repaid in blood!"
The nameless Taoist looked at Lin Zijing with concern, recalling his long-standing inner conflict, and decided to have a serious talk with her.
Seeing that the old master seemed hesitant to speak, and realizing that he and his apprentice might have something important to say, Anxiao and Antao quickly excused themselves and left.
Only the nameless Taoist and Lin Zijin, master and disciple, remained in the room.
"Zijin, although you were harmed by him, this is also your fate! Do you still remember what your master told you when you were young?" The nameless Taoist said earnestly.
Lin Zijin's resentment hadn't subsided; instead, it had intensified. He said, "I remember Master said that my destiny was incomparably noble, but that I would face a great calamity on my 20th birthday, and all of that has already come true. Since it's fate, I shouldn't have forced it! But Master—did I die in vain? My wet nurse, my sister, Qingxi and Zhi Qiu, and the brothers who protected me with all their might—did they all die in vain? What pains me most isn't my death, but that he was using me all along, that he was always pretending. Who can know my suffering!"
Seeing Lin Zijin's pained expression, the nameless Taoist felt a pang of sadness: "How could I not know the feeling of being betrayed by the person I trust most..."
Seeing her master's expression, Lin Zijin was somewhat moved. Could it be that her master also had a sad past that no one knew about?
"Master!" Lin Zijin called out softly.
"Zijin, is that all you remember? There's another one, which I told you: if you survive this tribulation, the fate of all living beings will be unpredictable! How can I not worry about you in this state? Is your hatred meant to make the entire world pay the price?" The nameless Taoist, having regained his senses, continued to persuade her, "Zijin, I've taught you to be virtuous since you were little. You are exceptionally talented; if you so desired, you could hold the entire world in your hands. Over the years, I've traveled far and wide, searching for a way for you to overcome this tribulation. I was conflicted, unsure if this would bring calamity to the world. Yet, I persisted, never giving up! Although I didn't find it, you ultimately returned safely, and I am deeply comforted! Seeing you again now, I still love and cherish you as before, and I still hope you will turn to goodness as before. You—"
Seeing her master's genuine emotions, and recalling the love and guidance he had given her when she was young, as well as the hardships he had endured for her all these years, Lin Zijin's heart softened and her anger dissipated.
The nameless Taoist priest choked up and couldn't continue speaking. He could only look at his beloved disciple, his disciple with a tragic fate, with longing in his eyes!
Lin Zijing sighed inwardly, his resolve wavering. He was not a ruthless person to begin with; it was only because of his severe injuries that his inner ferocity was ignited. Now, moved by his master's heartfelt advice, his bloodthirsty thoughts crumbled instantly.
However, although Lin Zijing abandoned the idea of making the entire world pay for Jun Yifeng's death, he did not give up the idea of making Jun Yifeng pay for his blood debt! He said to the nameless Taoist, "Master, I can promise you that I will not disturb this world, but he—must die!"
Having persuaded him to this point, the nameless Taoist knew it was the best possible outcome, so he nodded and asked, "So what are you planning to do next?"
"I want to settle down at Dark Night Tower first, partly to recover my health and resume my internal cultivation, and partly to find out the current situation in the palace so I can make a decision later!" Lin Zijing replied.
"Yes, this arrangement is excellent. If that beast is truly so inhuman that he even killed his own master, you must cleanse the sect and rid the world of this scourge!" the nameless Taoist said sorrowfully.
Lin Zijing was a little confused when she heard this. What did her revenge have to do with eliminating harm for the people?
Seeing Lin Zijing's puzzled look, the nameless Taoist explained, "Since your passing, Jun Yifeng's temperament has drastically changed. Unlike his former benevolence, he has become cruel and ruthless. Any court official who displeases him is either demoted or, more seriously, executed and their property confiscated. Panic grips the court, and everyone is filled with dread. Even the Linghu Hongyu family, who were previously spared death, and the Wei Zhili family, who had retired to their hometown, were mysteriously murdered by thieves, leaving no one alive. Everyone is speculating that Jun Yifeng was responsible, but there's no evidence. They say it was due to the loss of his wife and children, but that seems unlikely now. This is probably his true nature! His previous actions were likely a deliberate attempt to gain our trust and seize power. If so, he is a truly terrifying person; his cunning is astounding!"
After the nameless Taoist finished speaking, he shook his head.
"Sigh!" The two sighed together.
The nameless Taoist sighed, "How could our sect produce such a treacherous and ungrateful beast!" Lin Zijing sighed, "I hope my master's celestial observation this night wasn't wrong again!"
Fortunately, he didn't like celestial phenomena, and his master didn't force him to study them. Otherwise, wouldn't he have been led by the nose by celestial phenomena for the rest of his life, just like his master and uncle? Lin Zijing thought to himself. But he dared not say this to his master. He could only think about it.
And so, Lin Zijing stayed at the Fugui Pawnshop, becoming its second-in-command, while the head manager was An Tao, who was in charge of all the business of the Dark Night Pavilion. On the surface, Lin Zijing assisted the head manager in business, but in reality, he remained the owner of the Dark Night Pavilion, and the head manager still had to listen to him. Gradually, everyone knew from the head manager's attitude that this second-in-command was highly valued. Therefore, everyone in the pawnshop obeyed Lin Zijing, sometimes even treating him better than the head manager. Moreover, Lin Zijing was a handsome man, and everyone in the pawnshop, regardless of age or gender, adored him.
Although Fugui Pawnshop is a secret stronghold of Dark Night Tower, not all the employees there are from Dark Night Tower. Many of them are hired purely for business purposes. Therefore, apart from An Tao and a few people from Dark Night Tower who know Lin Zijing's identity, everyone else in Fugui Pawnshop just thinks of him as the second-in-command hired by the shopkeeper, a resourceful and talented man.
Overwhelmed with grief, the nameless Taoist returned to the mountain. Before leaving, he instructed Lin Zijing to remember their words from that day, to find Uncle Tianyuan and Jun Yilin, and then rid the world of this scourge.
Over the past three years, with the help of the Linglong Stone, Lin Zijing has fully recovered her lost internal energy. Since this was her second time cultivating from scratch, some previously unclear blockages suddenly cleared up, causing her internal energy to advance by leaps and bounds, becoming more than three times stronger than before. Besides the rapid improvement in her internal energy and lightness skills, Lin Zijing also learned skills such as commerce, weaponry, assassination, intelligence gathering, hidden weapons, and poison under the tutelage of various stewards of the Dark Night Tower. In An Mei's words, Lin Zijing's current body is exceptionally gifted; she's practically perfect material for doing bad things—uh—big things!
In short, Lin Zijin is stronger than before, both in terms of her inner strength and her external skills.
Lin Zijing has not only retained his original exceptional intelligence, but he is also a master of martial arts. If there were a martial arts ranking, he would easily be in the top three! However, the other two in the top three would probably have to avoid him, because he doesn't follow the rules of the martial world when fighting; he only cares about efficiency. Hidden weapons, poison needles, and powders can easily fall out of his pockets, and whoever gets hit is simply unlucky!
☆、V、Rescue
For three years, Lin Zijing has been constantly learning and making himself stronger. Because he not only has to protect himself, but also the people around him. He doesn't want the people he cares about to leave him one by one like before, and he is powerless to do anything about it.
After countless hardships, news finally arrived regarding the whereabouts of Uncle-Master Tianyuan and Jun Yilin. Just as Lin Zijing and the nameless Taoist had predicted, on the same day Qingluan passed away, Uncle-Master Tianyuan also fell victim to Jun Yifeng's poison, succumbing to the same poison as Qingluan. That day, Jun Yifeng used an excuse to summon Tianyuan to the palace, and while he was off guard, poisoned his teacup. Tianyuan never imagined that his carefully taught and wholeheartedly cared-for disciple would betray him; he died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. After Tianyuan's death, Jun Yifeng used the excuse of him contracting the plague to have him buried that very day. Although Tianyuan was Jun Yifeng's master, outsiders were unaware of this relationship, believing him to be an ordinary minor official. The death of an ordinary minor official naturally wouldn't attract attention, which is why the news of Tianyuan's passing was concealed for so long, until Dark Night Tower inquired and learned of it.
As expected, Jun Yilin was indeed in the Jun Kingdom's palace, imprisoned in a secret chamber by Jun Yifeng. A few years prior, Jun Yilin had disappeared while rescuing Qingluan. Jun Yifeng outwardly sent people to search for him, but in reality, he had sent assassins. However, it's unclear why he wasn't killed but imprisoned. Because Jun Yilin had been imprisoned in the palace, Dark Night Tower searched the entire country without any success, proving, as the nameless Taoist had said, that they had been searching in the wrong direction.
After three years of effort, Dark Night Tower has finally re-established a tight intelligence network within the palace, encompassing both the imperial court and the harem. However, due to time constraints and the current lack of convenience, the intelligence network is still far less effective than before.
Since Lin Zijing's return, the four stewards have clearly noticed a change in him. He is no longer as soft-hearted and indecisive as before. Now, he is not so much ruthless as decisive. He shows no leniency towards those who make mistakes, and he is generous in rewarding those who have rendered meritorious service. Lin Zijing has excellent judgment; those he personally selected and promoted in the building have indeed lived up to expectations and made great contributions.
Everyone sincerely admires this poster; he is not only wise and insightful but also fair in rewarding and punishing. Although he looks only 17 years old, he is already the respected core of the Dark Night Tower.
There's only one downside: the host is incredibly beautiful. The men are fine, but none of the women in the building can meet her alone, or they'll faint from the overwhelming excitement! Therefore, even when giving a woman a top-secret mission, someone must accompany her. That person is the only woman among the stewards, and the only one who can breathe normally and remain calm when she sees the host—Anwu. Because in Anwu's heart, Lin Zijing is still the same stunningly beautiful woman!