Chapter 87 – Generals and Earth Immortals; Wealth Reaching the Divine; The Foundation of Noble Families

“As a member of Chu Lingluo’s family, after arriving at the Dao Palace, you didn’t first go to see Chu Lingluo or reunite with Lingluo, nor were you introduced to me by Lingluo. Instead, you stayed in Yan Yunyu’s residence and secretly sought me out for a conversation… This is behavior that does not support Chu Lingluo. Do you not want her to know?”

Though his mind was filled with constant speculation, on the surface, Mu Lin remained very respectful.

“Auntie, hello.”

“Hmm, take a seat.”

“Huiyu, serve tea.”

The cold-faced young woman in palace attire did not immediately give him a hard time. Instead, she offered him a seat and tea.

Mu Lin, however, did not feel pleased by this. The young woman’s aloof attitude was all too apparent.

Her offer of a seat and tea was merely a matter of etiquette, not an indication of any favor toward Mu Lin.

After Mu Lin sat down, the young woman did not beat around the bush. Instead, she said calmly, “It seems you have already guessed my identity. What about my purpose for coming?”

“I have some guesses, but I’m not certain. Is it because I borrowed Ling… Miss Chu’s top-grade artifact?”

The young woman shook her head at this.

“That is of no importance. You are a friend of that child Lingluo, so borrowing a magical artifact is no big deal.”

“Besides, you have already written an IOU, haven’t you?”

“…”

Yes, the IOU. Although Chu Lingluo was willing to give it to him for free, Mu Lin would not take it without compensation. At his insistence, he ultimately wrote an IOU for Chu Lingluo.

Hmm… the amount he wrote on the IOU was quite high, but the repayment date was set for ten years later—though he felt he would be capable of repaying it in two or three years, for safety’s sake, he still set it for ten years later.

What Mu Lin did not know was that it was precisely because of this IOU, which proved he was not freeloading off Chu Lingluo’s generosity, that the young woman before him was now showing him a bit of patience.

…

The fact that Chu Lingluo’s mother did not care at all about the borrowing of the top-grade artifact did not make Mu Lin happy. He knew that the worst-case scenario had still occurred.

The young woman before him had come to prevent the two of them from being together.

Mu Lin was not overly upset by this. He regarded Chu Lingluo as a younger sister, and his feelings of affection were not particularly strong.

Still, having the budding situation hastily snuffed out left Mu Lin feeling somewhat stifled.

Especially since he felt he was on the verge of rising to prominence.

Because of this, Mu Lin asked calmly, “Auntie, do you really have such little faith in me?”

Upon hearing this question, Chu Lingluo’s mother, with her indifferent expression, did not evade the issue. Instead, she spoke frankly:

“You cannot protect Chu Lingluo, nor can you support her.”

This left Mu Lin somewhat embarrassed. At present, he was not only incapable of supporting Chu Lingluo—he was relying on her, living off her generosity.

But precisely because Chu Lingluo treated him so well and he could sense her affection for him, Mu Lin decided to make one more effort for her sake.

“I do have some talent in painting. If nothing goes wrong, by the end of the month, I should be able to paint a True Intent Diagram. That should be quite valuable, right?”

Hearing Mu Lin claim he could paint a True Intent Diagram by the end of the month, Chu Lingluo’s mother did indeed raise an eyebrow slightly.

But soon, she shook her head gently and said calmly, “Your talent is indeed not bad, but your perspective is too narrow. You have no idea of the true depth of a noble family’s foundation.”

At this point, she paused, thinking for a few moments.

Afterwards, perhaps to completely dispel Mu Lin’s thoughts, or perhaps because for people of a certain level, this knowledge was common and not secretive.

Thus, the young woman before him informed Mu Lin about the foundations of the aristocratic families.

“Great families that have been passed down for thousands of years mostly have their own foundations. If Lingluo marries into one, she can share those resources.”

“For example, the Yu Family cultivates deities. They enshrine many divine positions and divine servants. If Lingluo marries into their family, she can occupy a divine position and directly become an Adept at the Mortal Shedding level.”

“The Ge Family worships weapons. After becoming a Weapon Master, Lingluo would at least be an Adept.”

“The royal family controls spirit veins and territories, allowing one to become an Earth Immortal. If Lingluo becomes a Madam of a prince, within a province, she would become a True Person, a rank higher than an Adept.”

“The Yan Family also counts. Wealth can move gods. With enough money, they can ‘buy’ the Adept realm.”

“…”

These words left Mu Lin completely silent.

Daoist Novice, Feathered Scholar, Spell Master, Adept, True Person… each cultivation realm was harder to achieve than the last.

Although the Dao Palace Academy enrolled students every year, among a decade’s worth of students (from humble backgrounds) in one Dao Palace, it was not certain that even one would become an Adept.

Now, as long as Chu Lingluo married into such a family, she would be guaranteed to become at least an Adept. How could he possibly compare to that?

Of course, Mu Lin was not entirely without opportunity.

If he revealed his Proficiency Panel, he might be able to change the young woman’s mind.

However, Mu Lin was not foolish, nor was he set on marrying only Chu Lingluo. There was no way he would reveal his secret.

Moreover, being focused on cultivation, he actually had little inclination toward romance.

The reason he had tried earlier was that he thought Chu Lingluo was good, and if they were together, she would be a great teammate and could also improve his cultivation speed. That was why he had spoken up.

Now, knowing he could not change Chu Lingluo’s mother’s mind, he no longer persisted. Instead, he said straightforwardly:

“Thank you, Madam, for broadening my horizons. As for your purpose, I already understand.”

“You are right. As I am now, I cannot support Miss Chu. When I return, I will cut off contact with Miss Chu and no longer speak with her. I will also return her magical artifact. However, the spirit stones used to purchase the Moonlight Jade Dew will be repaid in ten years as agreed.”

“Of course, if I earn money earlier, I will repay it sooner.”

Being so decisive and not clinging at all made Chu Lingluo’s mother view Mu Lin more highly, yet also left her somewhat uncomfortable.

—Ending things so cleanly made her daughter seem somewhat lacking in charm.

At the same time, she did not let Mu Lin leave.

“Don’t rush.”

Stopping Mu Lin was not because she had changed her mind or because she felt uncomfortable and wanted to embarrass him, but rather:

“Cutting off contact without any warning would be too obvious. Lingluo would notice something was wrong, and I don’t want any rift between us.”

Mu Lin: “…”

Although he very much wanted to say that this had nothing to do with him, even though he had no romantic feelings for Chu Lingluo, he regarded her as a younger sister. If possible, he did not want this kind-hearted girl to fall out with her family.

More importantly, as he was now, he was in no position to refuse the Chu Family’s instructions.

Refusal also required strength.

Thus, he calmly said, “Is there anything you need me to do?”

“There is indeed a performance I need you to act out. Leaving without reason would make Lingluo suspicious. Fortunately, Lingluo is somewhat naive.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin raised an eyebrow.

“You want me to shift my affections elsewhere?”

To Mu Lin’s surprise, Chu Lingluo’s mother shook her head at this. “My Lingluo won’t lose to anyone, and she can’t have such a reputation spread about her.”

“What you need to do next is play the role of a fickle man, constantly attracting bees and butterflies, making Lingluo disappointed in you so she’ll leave you on her own.”

This request was something Mu Lin hadn’t expected, and he was about to refuse.

It wasn’t that he cared about his own reputation, but doing so would waste a lot of time and energy. He still needed to cultivate and had no mind to busy himself with such matters.

However, before Mu Lin could refuse, the young woman before him spoke again, and her words made him hesitate.

“I won’t make you do this for nothing. You’re in great need of resources, aren’t you? If you can perfectly complete my task, I’ll take it upon myself to lend you that Top-Grade Artifact for three years.”

“Also, your talent is actually quite good. Although Lingluo can’t marry you, our Chu Family has other girls. I can help arrange introductions for you…”

(End of Chapter)