Lin Xiao Tian finally understood the old lady's methods.
The Lin family was powerful and wealthy, possessing enough financial resources to deal with one person easily as long as they were willing to spend.
This was the strength of an ancient family.
Fang Wen Hua had cultivators protecting him, but no matter how powerful these cultivators were, they were only at the Qi Refining stage. They could not withstand firearms, and moreover, too many people wanted Fang Wen Hua dead. They could defend against one wave, but not all of them.
Before long, Lin Xiao Tian received news that Fang Wen Hua had been dealt with.
"They didn't capture him alive?" Lin Xiao Tian was a little confused.
Fang Wen Hua colluded with the Wang family. If they had captured him alive, they could have interrogated him for information.
But the old lady shook her head, "He's better off dead than alive. Even if we knew about his dealings with the Wang family, what could we do?"
"The Lin family and the Wang family cannot completely destroy each other. Without absolute power, everything can only remain hidden in darkness."
Lin Xiao Tian suddenly understood.
The old lady didn't *not* want to know, but after weighing the pros and cons, she did not want to openly clash with the Wang family, hence the decision.
"Xiao Tian, in the future when you inherit the Lin family, if you find that you've been schemed against by other families, remember this: never bring matters into the open," the old lady said, looking at Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"There's also one more thing. If there's an opportunity to suppress and deplete other families, you must do it without hesitation."
The old lady looked at Lin Xiao Tian very seriously.
Lin Xiao Tian took a deep breath and nodded seriously.
After returning from the old lady, Lin Xiao Tian headed back to his room. As he was coming out, he ran into Lin Li Wen.
"Xiao Tian, have you heard anything about the matter I told you about last time?"
Lin Li Wen was referring to Fang Wen Hua. Lin Xiao Tian had promised to help her find him.
Lin Xiao Tian smiled faintly, "Not yet. I don't know where he's gone."
"Alas! He's just too competitive. When you find him, I'll talk to him. He listens to me very well," Lin Li Wen pouted.
"Mm!" Lin Xiao Tian responded calmly.
The moment he turned away, a hint of helplessness flickered across his face.
The promise he made to Lin Li Wen was impossible to keep. Fang Wen Hua was already dead. Lin Xiao Tian couldn't bear to tell her, especially since she was pregnant. It might affect the baby.
Back in his room, Qin Yu Xiang had also returned.
Lin Xiao Tian told Qin Yu Xiang what he had heard from Fang Wen Hua earlier, especially about Qin Yuan's collaboration with Fang Wen Hua.
"Teacher Qin..."
Qin Yu Xiang looked a little dejected.
Even though she knew Qin Yuan had acted against her, Qin Yu Xiang still couldn't bring herself to hate her.
For Qin Yu Xiang, who lacked love, Qin Yuan was the pillar of her entire childhood.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't say much, but he reminded Qin Yu Xiang to be careful.
He couldn't change Qin Yu Xiang's nature. All he could do was remind her and protect her.
In the afternoon, both Lin Xiao Tian and Qin Yu Xiang were practicing their cultivation.
With the help of elixirs, Qin Yu Xiang's progress was very rapid. Coupled with the help of the Shen Nong cultivation technique, she would be able to reach the Qi Refining stage in another week or two.
Lin Xiao Tian was envious of such rapid advancement.
He remembered when he himself broke through to the Qi Refining stage, it was only after entering the Kunlun Valley, and he had encountered so many dangers.
However, seeing Qin Yu Xiang gradually become stronger also put Lin Xiao Tian at ease.
Once she reached the Qi Refining stage, Qin Yu Xiang would have the ability to protect herself, and those underhanded tactics would no longer be able to harm her.
While Qin Yu Xiang was practicing, Lin Xiao Tian opened WeChat and contacted the胖子 (pang zi - fat man) he had met at the Yang family's gathering, the group leader "Leo."
Leo's real name was Wang Xiang. In his youth, he had embarked on the path of cultivation due to a fortunate encounter.
However, like most cultivators, Wang Xiang's path soon came to an end.
The world today was scarce in spiritual energy. The only places with spiritual energy were concentrated in restricted zones.
These restricted zones were controlled by ancient families, and ordinary people who entered them casually were easily targeted.
Moreover, restricted zones were very dangerous. Take the Kunlun Valley, which had relatively dense spiritual energy; entering it was a matter of life and death.
Black Mountain was slightly better, but the miasma was very dense, and cultivators couldn't stay there for long unless they had corresponding elixirs. But where could ordinary people afford to refine such elixirs?
Due to these reasons, Wang Xiang remained at the peak of the first level of Qi Refining, never breaking through.
According to Wang Xiang, his strength was considered upper-tier among cultivators.
Lin Xiao Tian had initially thought he was lying, until he encountered the cultivators accompanying Fang Wen Hua last time. The strongest among them was only at the mid-stage of the first level of Qi Refining, which made Lin Xiao Tian believe Wang Xiang might not have been lying.
"Are you there?" Lin Xiao Tian typed.
"Yes! Young Master Lin, is there something you need?" Wang Xiang replied instantly.
"I want to ask you something."
"Young Master Lin, I cannot tell you anything about the Yang family's affairs."
Wang Xiang belonged to the Yang family, and he had been cultivated to be loyal to them. Even if Lin Xiao Tian had leverage over him, he dared not do anything detrimental to the Yang family.
"Don't worry, I'm not asking about the Yang family."
"That's good. Young Master Lin, what do you want to ask?"
Lin Xiao Tian told Wang Xiang about the group of people who had been with Fang Wen Hua last time.
"Young Master Lin, that group of people is nothing. They are all minor figures who couldn't make a living. Most of them are bodyguards for small families, but they aren't trusted by those families. They helped Fang Wen Hua this time only for the chance to latch onto the Wang family."
Lin Xiao Tian was taken aback. "How do you know they were acting on the Wang family's orders?"
Lin Xiao Tian had only told Wang Xiang that Fang Wen Hua had cultivators protecting him, and nothing else.
"Alas! To be honest, those people approached me before, but I refused. I've already infiltrated the Yang family, why would I get involved in such a mess? If Young Master Lin wants to contact them, I can help you find them."
"Why was the Wang family able to gather so many cultivators?" Lin Xiao Tian was still somewhat puzzled.
This was clearly not a coincidence.
Take the Lin family, for example; Lin Xiao Tian hadn't seen a single cultivator so far.
Did the Wang family know about the existence of cultivators?
"These people were not found by the Wang family. They were recruited by a small family under the Wang family, and that small family was founded by cultivators."
"Which family is that?" Lin Xiao Tian became interested.
If this family could be won over, it would be a good thing for the Lin family.
"The Xu family."
"Does their family have someone named Xu Jiahui?"
"That is the eldest son of the Xu family and their future patriarch."
Lin Xiao Tian remembered what had happened at the Xia family's banquet.
The Aphrodisiac Pill had been supplied by Xu Jiahui, and Xia Qing Ling had almost been defiled by Dong Lin. Fortunately, Lin Xiao Tian had arrived in time.