Early the next morning.
Lin Hui arrived at the headquarters of the Black Dragon Gate once again.
Wang Hongshi and Chen Yuan were already waiting for him.
Wang Hongshi was a top-tier genius Song Zhanlong had recruited midway. He was not a local, had no family or support here, and had nowhere else to go.
Furthermore, although his master had treated him well, given Song Zhanlong’s selfish and irascible personality, the kindness wasn't genuine; he was merely being groomed to take the fall for his master in the future.
Wang Hongshi was well aware of all this. Thus, after a night of psychological adjustment, he quickly accepted the sect merger.
Because, just as Lin Hui had said, now that Song Zhanlong had died unexpectedly, the Black Dragon Gate was precarious. If a powerful figure didn't step forward to stabilize the situation, the entire Black Dragon Gate would likely disintegrate and be destroyed within a few days.
From this perspective, he felt that although Sect Master Lin Hui's appetite was a bit unseemly, he was indeed considering his master's legacy, and the merger was truly a good thing for the Black Dragon Gate.
Perhaps, just as the other party said, the Clear Wind Sword Sect was a local, upright martial hall. Although they once had conflicts with the Black Dragon Gate, in a critical moment, the other party wouldn't go so far as to cross the line.
That was Wang Hongshi’s evaluation.
So he came. In his heart, regardless of what intentions his master had harbored for him, he had indeed received his master's grace, and thus had an obligation to stabilize the Black Dragon Gate.
The other person, Chen Yuan, was originally from a distant branch of the Chen family. Like Chen Chong before him, he couldn't run away, so he had no choice but to come.
He was mostly fearful of Lin Hui and was ready to flee at any moment. He wasn't as resolved as Wang Hongshi.
Apart from these two, there was another person whose presence in the headquarters' main hall surprised Lin Hui.
It was his former Second Senior Brother, Zhao Jiang'an.
When Lin Hui entered, this man was standing in the hall, looking a bit dazed, with an expression that said he had no idea what was happening.
He had just slacked off and gone home to rest for a few days, but when he came back, how had the situation turned out like this?
And also, how did his Junior Brother Lin Hui from the Clear Wind Sword Sect suddenly pop up and start leading a major merger with the Black Dragon Gate?
By the way, what the hell is this merger?
When Eldest Senior Brother Wang Hongshi asked him to step forward to ease the atmosphere with Lin Hui, he was completely bewildered.
Because of Chen Zhishen, he had appreciated Lin Hui back then and had even tried to invite him to join his own family, only to be politely refused.
He didn't expect that now...
Zhao Jiang'an stared dumbfoundedly as Lin Hui entered the door with a natural, authoritative bearing and sat down on the Grand Preceptor Chair where Song Zhanlong usually sat.
"Did you bring the items and contracts?" Lin Hui looked at Chen Yuan and Wang Hongshi.
"We brought everything. The Black Dragon Gate holds deeds to a total of thirteen medicine shops and two pill production workshops, which are quite large in scale, as well as four Copper Crimson Deer breeding farms. After consolidation, there are ninety-seven remaining sect members and two hundred and thirty-two employees; the latter are on the register and require monthly wage payments."
Wang Hongshi calmly took out a stack of neat and orderly contracts from his robes; these were all the property deeds of the Black Dragon Gate.
"The entire Black Dragon Gate previously had an average monthly income of about 3.6 million coins. It was as low as two million and as high as five million, but now it's hard to say. After all, many businesses were supported by Master's previous prestige. Now, the market might be eroded and seized by rivals."
Wang Hongshi had obviously done detailed work beforehand and clearly understood the entire structure of the Black Dragon Gate.
"It doesn't matter. Put my name out there. Whoever dares to encroach afterwards, I will visit them personally to handle it. Since we have merged, everyone is now one family," Lin Hui said casually. This was all his money now!
He didn't care how Song Zhanlong had snatched it from others. In these times, which family rose to power had clean hands?
It was all blood money. Now that it was in his hands, no one should even think about taking it away.
"Understood." Wang Hongshi nodded.
"Of course, don't bother me with every little thing. Troubles not involving the Internal Force Realm, handle them yourselves. The resources the Black Dragon Gate spends on you every month aren't small, are they?" Lin Hui asked. The image he projected to the outside world was that of someone capable of fighting above his level without Internal Force.
"Yes. The top ten disciples collectively consume about one million coins, mainly used for purchasing various training medicines and injury remedies." Wang Hongshi nodded.
"How is the money stored?"
"Most of it is placed in the Tuyue Gold Bank account under Master's name. A small portion is converted into various supplies and stored in the warehouse. Actually, there were a lot of savings before, but Master used them all on repairing the Song Manor and his own cultivation. So the account only holds the profits deposited last month," Wang Hongshi answered.
"Tuyue Gold Bank, is it..." Lin Hui knew of this chain bank headquartered in the Inner City; it was essentially the bank he was familiar with from his previous life.
The name was different here, but the nature of the thing was the same.
Much of his father's funds were now traded through the Tuyue Gold Bank. So he was somewhat familiar with it.
Sitting in the Grand Preceptor Chair, Lin Hui was very clear about the current situation. Although the merger seemed successful, whether he could hold onto the Black Dragon Gate's assets depended on whether his martial power was strong enough.
Song Zhanlong was dead, and there were not a few forces who wanted to snatch this piece of fat meat. It was likely that someone would come knocking soon.
But it didn't matter.
Lin Hui's expression suddenly shifted. At that moment, the threads of Internal Force within his body abruptly surged into the blood vessels of his legs in massive quantities, like countless sharp thorns, thoroughly penetrating the meridians of both legs.
Internal Force Realm — First Layer, achieved!
"Among the stock in the warehouse, are there any precious medicines that increase human energy?" Lin Hui kept his composure and asked aloud.
"I'm not sure. We haven't taken inventory yet." Wang Hongshi shook his head.
"I know about this," Chen Yuan hurriedly spoke up from the side to show his worth. "There are two stalks of Spirit-Enriching Reishi that were just delivered to the warehouse. They are high-quality goods Master bought from the Medicine Men in the mist zone! One stalk is worth over a hundred thousand, and there is a market price but no supply."
"Spirit-Enriching Reishi!?" Lin Hui stood up instantly. "Go, take me to see it!"
He was currently taking All-Essence Powder daily. Although it had already sped up the evolution speed of the Wild Wind Sword Technique considerably, there was still nearly a two-year wait.
If there were better medicines to enhance energy, perhaps the evolution could be completed even faster.
Immediately, led by Chen Yuan, the group quickly arrived at a pavilion on the right side of the headquarters.
In the underground pharmacy on the first floor of the building, Lin Hui obtained the Spirit-Enriching Reishi worth a hundred thousand.
"This is the item? It can drastically increase energy?" He carefully put on silk gloves and picked up a stalk of Spirit-Enriching Reishi to examine it.
It was a palm-sized white reishi mushroom. Its surface was warm and smooth like jade; it looked as if it were carved from jade stone, looking somewhat fake.
But leaning in close, one could smell a subtle reishi fragrance.
It was a faint scent similar to wood.
"Yes. Grinding this into powder and combining it with auxiliary medicines... it was the item Master Song liked best for enhancing endurance previously. He could handle ten women in one night..." Chen Yuan lowered his voice for the last sentence, revealing a knowing smile.
Lin Hui was left speechless. He had wondered why medicines that improved energy were so hard to find—it turned out people were using them as aphrodisiacs!
No wonder it was hard to find a single dose on the market.
"Then, if I want to simply enhance energy, how should I use it?" he asked directly.
"This... just consuming it directly will do. Generally, slicing it and soaking it in water is better. It's mild and refreshing," Chen Yuan answered.
Then he watched as Lin Hui took the Spirit-Enriching Reishi, gently bit off a few crumbs, and swallowed them.
At this moment, Lin Hui was staring intently at the Blood Seal text at the bottom of his field of vision.
[Wild Wind Sword Technique — A sword technique evolved from the Clear Wind Sword Technique. It can whip up wild winds when used.]
Following that was a pile of introductory content he had seen before, quite cumbersome.
If only it could be simplified. This thought flashed through Lin Hui's mind.
Chi.
In an instant, the text in his vision blurred rapidly, then re-emerged, clear and distinct.
[Wild Wind Sword Technique — Next stage evolution of Clear Wind Sword. Evolution remaining: 1 year 322 days.]
This is much clearer.
This was actually a good thing.
At this moment, he stared carefully at the remaining time.
One minute, two minutes...
Suddenly, the time in his vision jumped abruptly. 1 year 322 days directly reduced by three days, becoming 1 year 319 days.
It works! Truly good medicine! Lin Hui was overjoyed.
Immediately, he carefully placed the Spirit-Enriching Reishi back into the wooden box. Picking it up along with another box of stock, he prepared to take them home for consumption.
"Remember to keep an eye out for more energy-enhancing medicines for me." After giving instructions to Chen Yuan, Wang Hongshi, and the others, Lin Hui left the headquarters impatiently, heading back towards his home.
He needed to convert these two stalks of medicine into progress as soon as possible, to avoid wasting medicinal potency.
Returning home, he had just entered the door and placed the medicine in his attic when he saw his father, Lin Shunhe, slowly walking outside the attic.
His father now had a bearing that had been nurtured by his environment; his walking posture carried an imposing air different from ordinary people.
His belly had bulged, his face had rounded out, and his eyes were piercing and spirited. Those with slightly less confidence wouldn't even dare to meet his gaze.
At this moment, Lin Shunhe was wearing a black squire's robe with gold coin patterns. A string of jade talismans, keys, and the like jingled at his side from a verdant belt, and a strong, low-browed black-clothed old man followed behind him.
"Ah Hui. Have time to chat?" Lin Shunhe entered slowly and knocked on the door panel to ask.
"Dad? Of course I have time." Lin Hui had prepared to take the medicine immediately, but it was rare for his father to actively seek him out for a chat. It was likely something important, so he paused temporarily, placed the medicine box on the table, and stood up to welcome him.
The father and son closed the door. The old man waited outside, clearly a bodyguard or similar role.
Lin Shunhe first glanced at the medicine box on the table without asking about it. Then his gaze shifted, landing on his son's determined face.
"The matter with the Black Dragon Gate, you did it?" he asked directly.
"Dad, you already know?" Lin Hui was slightly astonished. The matter had only just spread, and his father already knew; clearly, he was keeping an eye on the situation on his side at all times.
"Although the Black Dragon Gate isn't as large as the Hundred Flowers Sect or other major martial halls, it is still of medium scale. For such a big event to happen, it naturally caused quite a stir." Lin Shunhe shook his head.
He paused, looking at his son.
"Next, what do you plan to do?"
Annexing the Black Dragon Gate —if this were the work of some other strongman, he could naturally accept it.
But hearing from his subordinates that this was done by his son alone, who, upon encountering the Black Dragon Gate Master's accidental death, actually went ahead and swallowed the entire Black Dragon Gate whole...
This greatly shocked him.
In his heart, he had always thought his son Lin Hui was a good child who buried his head in sword practice and only focused on the things he liked.
If one said his son was a dull gourd, he could accept it. If one said he was a good child who valued kindness and righteousness, he could also accept it.
But... suddenly jumping from a child to the master of a sect? And a Clear Wind Sword Sect Master with a trace of a formidable expert's aura at that.
This...
"I merely followed the current." Lin Hui smiled. "Since the Black Dragon Gate's Song Zhanlong is dead, his grievances with my Clear Wind Temple are written off. Now that the Black Dragon Gate is precarious, if others can seize its assets, why can't my Clear Wind Sword Sect?"
"..." Lin Shunhe fell silent, staring fixedly at his calm and confident son. A strange illusion washed over him: it felt as if he were only truly getting to know his son now.
Perhaps his son had quietly grown up while he wasn’t paying attention...