Originally, Lin Yun had planned to visit the imperial treasury to exchange for some Tribulation Pills after meeting Master Tu Fan.
Now, it seemed a fool was willing to foot the bill.
“Apologise to you? You… you’re being a bit too harsh, aren’t you?” Ji Yuan’s eye twitched.
“Who told you to speak so recklessly? You said if you lost, I could do whatever I wanted. I didn’t demand a million Tribulation Pills or make you crawl out of here, that’s already the height of mercy!” Lin Yun said, each word sharp and forceful.
Lin Yun knew that, despite the agreement allowing him to demand anything if Ji Yuan lost, asking for hundreds of thousands or a million Tribulation Pills would be refused outright.
“Here are one hundred thousand Tribulation Pills.”
Ji Yuan waved his hand, producing the pills.
“As for an apology, that’s absolutely impossible! Giving you one hundred thousand Tribulation Pills is my limit,” Ji Yuan said, his gaze venomous.
Lin Yun promptly collected the pills.
“Prince Ji Yuan, remember, don’t underestimate a cripple,” Lin Yun said with a cold smile.
“Lin Yun, even if you still have some brute strength, you only have decades left to live. Decades from now, I’ll still have a long life ahead, while you’ll be buried in the ground. That’s reality!” Ji Yuan sneered viciously.
“Prince Ji Yuan, if you think that way, you might be in for another disappointment. Let’s wait and see, I’ll surprise you soon enough.”
“Kexin, let’s go!”
With that, Lin Yun led his daughter Lin Kexin out.
Though he couldn’t force Ji Yuan to apologise, defeating him in one move had already shattered his arrogance, which was more satisfying than an apology!
The real show was yet to come!
In the hall.
Ji Yuan was deep in thought.
Lin Yun’s parting words still echoed in his mind.
What did he mean by another disappointment? What did he mean by surprising him soon?
“Hmph, just the ravings of someone refusing to face reality. A cripple poisoned by Soul-Breaking Toxin with only decades to live, thinking he can surprise me?” Ji Yuan’s eyes glinted with coldness.
He didn’t dwell on it further. After all, Lin Yun was a dying man, not worth the attention of a prince like him.
Master Tu Fan, seated at the front of the reception hall, still looked somewhat shocked.
“This guy is truly remarkable, but it’s a pity he’s afflicted with Soul-Breaking Toxin and won’t live long. If he weren’t poisoned, he’d be someone worth befriending,” Tu Fan sighed.
Tu Fan knew how astonishing it was for Lin Yun to repel Ji Yuan with sheer physical strength.
But he also knew it didn’t matter, as Lin Yun would perish in a few decades.
Thus, Lin Yun held no value.
…
After leaving Tu’s residence.
Lin Yun and Lin Kexin boarded a carriage heading to the Lin residence.
Inside the carriage.
“Daddy, you’re amazing! Without using inner strength, you still pushed back Prince Ji Yuan! If you weren’t poisoned, you’d surely be invincible in your realm!” Lin Kexin looked at Lin Yun, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
As a cultivator herself, Lin Kexin knew how extraordinary it was for Lin Yun to defeat Ji Yuan with raw strength.
This reaffirmed her father’s strength.
“Kexin, everyone calls your dad a cripple. You don’t look down on me, do you?” Lin Yun asked with a smile, looking at her.
“How could I? Daddy is the hero in my heart!” Lin Kexin said firmly.
Then, her smile faded, replaced by sadness and pain.
“Daddy, is it true… that you only have decades left?” Tears welled in Lin Kexin’s eyes, sliding down her cheeks.
When she was young, Lin Yun had hidden this truth, only letting her know he was poisoned and couldn’t use inner strength, not that his life was limited.
Even when the Soul-Breaking Toxin flared, tormenting him, Lin Yun hid it from her.
But Lin Kexin was grown now, and it was hard to keep such things from her. She must have heard others say her father had only decades left.
This was the first time she had asked Lin Yun directly.
“No, Daddy will live a long, long time,” Lin Yun said, smiling as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Before detoxifying, Lin Yun wouldn’t have known how to answer such a question.
“Everyone outside says you only have decades left. I can’t bear to lose you, Daddy. You’re not lying to me, are you? I’m not a child anymore,” Lin Kexin sobbed.
“Kexin, when have I ever lied to you?” Lin Yun smiled.
“Then I believe you,” Kexin said, her tears turning to a smile as she rested her forehead on Lin Yun’s shoulder.
“Kexin, regarding apprenticing under Master Tu Fan, all I can do is secure you a chance to be tested. Whether you succeed depends on your own efforts,” Lin Yun said.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I want to become a genius who shakes the continent, like you once were. I won’t disgrace you,” Lin Kexin said, her youthful face resolute.
…
Back at the residence.
“Kexin, tell everyone to gather in the meeting hall. I have something very important to announce,” Lin Yun said.
Lin Yun had planned to reveal his detoxification by achieving immortality.
This would prevent him from being targeted before reaching that stage and keep the demon clan from scheming to disrupt him during his Nine Tribulations breakthrough.
During the Nine Tribulations, any attack could ruin his efforts.
Hiding his detoxification was wise, and his cripple status was a perfect shield.
But after today, Lin Yun decided to first share the news of his successful detoxification with his closest kin to ease their worries.
…
In the meeting hall.
Lin Yun waited.
Yun Shang’s graceful figure entered first.
Seeing Lin Yun, a smile bloomed on her face, though she quickly suppressed it.
“Lin Yun, Kexin said you wanted to see us. I didn’t expect you back. You’ve been gone half a year—do you know how worried we’ve been?” Palace Master Yun Shang said coldly.
