“No need to say more, I’ll leave,” Lin Yun said.
“No, Lin Yun, you can’t go now, we saved you, we should see it through, with your injuries, bandits would kill you out there,” Bailu insisted.
“Bailu, keeping him here, are you defying me?” Bailian’s face darkened, Bailu rarely dared contradict her.
Bailu bit her lip, mustering courage, “Cousin Bailian, he’s staying with me, you… you’ve no right to interfere, unless the family steps in to kick him out.”
“What did you say? No right?” Bailian’s anger flared.
“Bailu, for some stray man you picked up, you dare talk back to me! You’ve got some nerve! With his injuries, his meridians are shattered, even if he stays, he’s just a cripple, we’ll see about this, don’t let me catch you slipping!”
With that, Bailian stormed off, fuming.
After she left.
“Miss Bailu, crossing Miss Bailian, I’m afraid… it might not bode well for you,” the maid fretted.
Clearly, Bailian held a higher standing in the family.
“Miss Bailu, I’d better go, I’d feel guilty dragging you into family strife,” Lin Yun said.
“Big brother Lin Yun, don’t overthink it, stay and heal, your injuries are too severe, Bailian’s used to throwing her weight around, even without this, she’d still hassle me, I’m used to it,” Bailu said, a hint of grievance surfacing.
Evidently, Bailian often bullied her.
Hearing this, Lin Yun resolved to stay.
Kind hearts shouldn’t be trampled!
“Alright, I’ll stay to recover, I won’t cause you trouble, Miss Bailu,” he said earnestly.
He knew he needed to heal first, unable to wield inner energy or even fly, and Bailu had mentioned the long, bandit-ridden trek to the county city—he couldn’t walk it.
“That’s the spirit, you’re badly hurt, you need proper rest,” Bailu beamed, pure and bright.
“By the way, I’m no expert on healing, I asked my uncle what pills you’d need, he said your wounds were hopeless, not worth wasting herbs on, the broth you’ve had these days was a tonic I got from the family physician, if you need specific herbs, just tell me,” Bailu offered.
Lin Yun knew the pills and herbs his injuries demanded were costly—her uncle wouldn’t waste them on a stranger.
“I need a Meridian Condensing Pill, or similar herbs, if you can get one, Miss Bailu, I’ll pay double,” Lin Yun said.
A Meridian Condensing Pill wasn’t the best—he hesitated to ask for pricier options—but it could mend his meridians somewhat.
“Alright, I’ll find a way,” Bailu’s face lit up with a springtime smile.
“Thank you, Miss Bailu,” Lin Yun clasped his fists.
“Saving someone means seeing it through,” she laughed.
“Our Miss Bailu’s got a heart of gold,” the maid chimed in.
After basking in the sun for a bit, Lin Yun returned to his room.
While outside, he’d asked Bailu and the maid about the Bai family.
They were a prominent clan in Dongyuan Prefecture.
Dongyuan Prefecture was an administrative region of the Fire Cloud Empire.
From his Taifeng intel, Fire Cloud’s system differed from Xingwu’s—no kingdoms, but eighteen prefectures, each with counties and towns beneath.
Dongyuan was one such prefecture, directly ruled by the empire, its prefect appointed by the emperor himself.
Fire Cloud dwarfed Xingwu in size, Xingwu had 36 kingdoms, Fire Cloud just 16 prefectures, each roughly two-and-a-half to three Xingwu kingdoms in area.
Prefects answered straight to the emperor.
Each prefect was a regional powerhouse, wielding immense authority!
Baijia Fort, the Bai clan’s stronghold, sat in Taifeng County under Dongyuan Prefecture, housing tens of millions.
In his room.
“Since I can’t channel energy from spirit crystals directly, I’ll soak in them,” Lin Yun decided.
He dissolved crystals in water, soaking in a tub.
“It’s working!” A spark of joy crossed his face.
The crystal energy seeped into him, slowly mending his wounds and purging residual lightning, though the effect was gradual, it worked.
The next day, post-soak, he sunbathed in the courtyard.
The maid, Xiao Huan, chatted warmly with him while sweeping.
Then Bailu entered.
“Lin Yun, look what I’ve got for you!”
She held out a pill.
“A… Meridian Condensing Pill,” Lin Yun’s eyes flared with hope.
Restoring his meridians was priority—only then could he wield energy and regain strength.
Without that, what else mattered?
“I got it special for you,” Bailu grinned.
“It’s worth 15,000 spirit crystals, double’s 30,000,” Lin Yun flipped his hand, offering crystals.
“No need, we get family resource quotas, I traded mine for this, no cost,” Bailu waved it off.
“This… alright, I’ll owe you this favor, words can’t repay it!”
Lin Yun didn’t press, pocketing the crystals and taking the pill.
Holding it, hope ignited—consuming it should mend his meridians decently.
“Outrageous!” a sharp female voice snapped.
Lin Yun turned, spotting Bailian, her face cold with fury.
“You’ve got guts, stealing Bai family goods! Who gave you the nerve?” she screeched.
“Bailu gave it to me,” Lin Yun said.
Bailu rushed to clarify, “Yes, Cousin Bailian, I gifted it to Lin Yun, I bought it with my own resources from the family.”
Bailian glared at Lin Yun, “If you hadn’t sweet-talked her, would she give you anything? She’s just a naive fool, easy prey for men like you, she doesn’t get it, I’ll handle it!”
“Hand it over, now!” she demanded, palm out, impatience sharp.
