A Letter from the Border

After bidding farewell to Li Cheng, Yang Lingrui headed toward the Immortal Patrol Office of Wangyue City.

Yet just as he arrived at the entrance, he ran straight into Gao Hui, who was walking out from within.

"Town Chief Gao?"

"Lingrui! I was just about to look for you!"

Gao Hui stepped forward, looking at Yang Lingrui's condition with pleasant surprise. "Your injuries have already healed?"

"Yes. Young Master Li gave me four Qi-Supplementing Pills. After taking them, I fully recovered."

Yang Lingrui then informed Gao Hui of his intention to leave early.

Gao Hui was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, as the third day was the true highlight of the Dharma Assembly.

However, upon learning that this was Yang Lingqing's instruction, he dismissed any thought of persuading Yang Lingrui to stay.

He admitted to himself that he was no match for Yang Lingqing in terms of foresight and planning. Since she had made the arrangements, there must be a valid reason behind them.

"What did you need me for, Town Chief Gao?"

"Oh! It is a good thing! Excellent news! See for yourself."

As he spoke, Gao Hui handed a Storage Bag to Yang Lingrui.

Yang Lingrui took it and immediately released his Divine Sense to inspect its contents.

Inside the Storage Bag were one hundred Spirit Crystals, a fluorescent purple flower, and a letter sealed with a golden stamp.

This golden stamp was a mark unique to the Wangchao. Guessing what it meant, Yang Lingrui quickly opened it.

"Written by Yang Guanfeng..."

"The border is turbulent, and battles are frequent. I am safe and well, do not worry..."

"Relying on Han Wang's foresight, I have rendered meritorious service in the army. The general rewarded me with one hundred Spirit Crystals and one Purple Dawn Flower, which I send home for family use..."

"Managing the household is not easy. Lingqing, do you find it arduous?"

"The path of cultivation is harsh. Lingrui, do you have any doubts?"

"Affairs are numerous and heavy. Linghu, can you bear the burden?"

"I am not at home. If you have any confusion, you must seek advice from Elder Yu. The current situation everywhere is turbulent. This is a time to be a hidden dragon in the abyss, to lie low and bide your time. Do not be ostentatious, do not show off..."

"After receiving this letter, there is no need to reply. If the fighting ceases, I shall return home."

After reading it through, Yang Lingrui's eyes grew moist.

The old ancestor had summed up the situation at the border in just a few brief words, solely to avoid causing the family anxiety.

But Yang Lingrui knew well that amidst these frequent battles, his ancestor must have experienced countless crises and mortal dangers.

Yet after that brief update, the entire letter was dedicated to the three children and the matters of the Yang family.

From this, it was clear that although Yang Guanfeng was stationed at the distant border, what he held closest to his heart was still the Songshan Yang Family.

Yang Lingrui wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Town Chief Gao, for delivering the letter. Knowing that our old ancestor is safe brings great peace to my heart."

"It is only my duty. I have always held the old family head in high esteem. Receiving this letter, how could I not feel happy as well?" Gao Hui said.

"It is just that I still have some matters to attend to and cannot travel back with you..."

He felt a bit conflicted. Before leaving, he had promised the Yang family that he would look after Yang Lingrui on this trip.

"Town Chief Gao, there is no need to worry. My injuries have recovered now, and I can return home safely on my own."

"Hmm... Then you must be extra careful on the road. Wait for me a moment..."

Gao Hui turned and walked back into the Immortal Patrol Office. After a short while, he emerged carrying a wooden box and handed it to Yang Lingrui.

Yang Lingrui opened it and saw a small, cyan pearl inside.

This pearl was not a lasting Spiritual Treasure, but rather a consumable item similar to Yang Guanfeng's flying knife or the Zhang family's Treasure Jade.

"This item is named the Wind-Assisting Pearl. Place it in your mouth, and you can activate it three times with spiritual energy. Once invoked, it will greatly increase the power of your wind techniques within ten breaths," Gao Hui explained.

Since he could not personally accompany Yang Lingrui back, he gave him this item to grant him an extra measure of self-protection.

"Town Chief Gao, Merit Points from the Wangchao are hard to accumulate. I cannot accept this."

Yang Lingrui waved his hand in refusal.

Since arriving in Wangyue City, he had gained a better understanding of the position of a Wangchao Cultivator.

Although Wangchao Cultivators could not freely break through their cultivation realms at will, they could earn Merit Points by serving the Wangchao.

Merit Points had two main uses: first, after accumulating a certain amount, one could petition the Wangchao for a promotion; second, they could be used to exchange for various cultivation materials from the Wangchao Treasury.

The Wangchao Treasury contained countless rare treasures, many of which were near-impossible for external family clans to obtain.

For example, the bottle of Sun-Seeking Water that Gao Hui had given the Yang family earlier had been obtained using these very merits.

This Wind-Assisting Pearl was also obtained through the same channel.

Yang Lingrui understood that for a Wangchao Cultivator of Gao Hui's level, there was no efficient way to obtain such Merit Points. They could only be accumulated slowly over years of service, which was an arduous endeavor.

Gao Hui pressed down his hand, firmly pushing the Wind-Assisting Pearl into Yang Lingrui's grasp.

"Nearly half of the merits I hold now were rewarded for the reconstruction of Baishi. Your family contributed the most to that effort. Consider this a return gift."

Hearing this, Yang Lingrui no longer pushed back. He accepted it, saying, "Then I thank Town Chief Gao for bestowing this treasure. When you return to Baishi, I will definitely visit you in person."

After parting with Gao Hui, Yang Lingrui immediately set off, embarking on his journey home under the cover of night.

But shortly after he left Wangyue City, three figures followed him out from the eastern high platform.

All three were dressed in black with masked faces, their features obscured. However, one of them looked somewhat familiar. Upon closer inspection, it was the female cultivator from Yellow Flower Valley who had bought the Divine Movement Talismans at the Yang family's stall on the first day.

"Is the information reliable? Does this kid really have a spiritual plant and a Spiritual Treasure on him?" one asked.

"How could intelligence from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion be wrong? We pooled two hundred Spirit Crystals just to buy this news,"

another replied. "This kid made a fortune selling talismans, then bought two Spiritual Treasures. Someone from his family was transferred to the eastern border to suppress a rebellion. Word is they rendered meritorious service, and the Wangchao rewarded them with a spiritual plant."

"I see. If that is the case, robbing him would indeed yield a massive profit. But if we kill him, won't it cause trouble?"

The three tracked the direction Yang Lingrui had taken, conversing in low tones.

The female cultivator from Yellow Flower Valley spoke up: "Rest assured. I have inquired carefully. This Songshan Yang Family is just a small clan that has recently risen. They have no foundation or backing-mere upstarts. As soon as we leave the territory of Wangyue City, we can act without any hesitation."

"Beside, even if someone finds out later, so what? By then, the three of us will have already returned. The desert is vast. Can they dig us out from thousands of miles of yellow sand?"

As the saying goes, a horse grows fat on midnight grass, and a man grows rich on windfall wealth.

After this brief calculation, they dispelled their doubts, entirely determined to carry out the deed of killing to seize treasures.

Both male cultivators were at the fourth level of Qi Gathering.

The female cultivator from Yellow Flower Valley was even at the fifth level of Qi Gathering.

Even without the aid of Spiritual Treasures, the three of them joining forces to ambush a fourth-level Qi Gathering cultivator like Yang Lingrui should be more than enough.

The territory under Wangyue City's jurisdiction was vast. Yang Lingrui crossed the Fish Ridge River on the first day and only fully left Wangyue City's bounds on the second day.

Arriving here, he also began to ponder a question.

"Do I possess some sort of constitution that makes people target me the moment I set out for home?"

On the first morning after leaving Wangyue City, Yang Lingrui discovered he was being followed.

The method he used to detect them was the Hiding Wind in Qi technique he had observed during the demonstration.

Every so often along the path, he would blend a few harmless, minute blades of wind into the flow of natural Spiritual Qi.

These fine wind blades were incredibly fragile, dissipating upon encountering even a slight fluctuation in spiritual energy.

But the advantage was that the moment they were broken, it allowed the caster to perceive an anomaly from a distance well beyond the normal range of their Divine Sense.

Since these small currents were being continuously dispersed, it meant someone was tracking him, and they were not far behind.

Just as his foot stepped out of Wangyue City's administrative area, the speed of the three pursuers behind him instantly surged. Within less than fifteen minutes, they had closed the gap.

The female cultivator from Yellow Flower Valley distributed the inferior Divine Movement Talismans she had bought from the Yang family's stall to the other two, rapidly closing in on their target.

In truth, Yang Lingrui had a high-quality Divine Movement Talisman on his person. If he wished to flee, there was still time.

But he had no such intention.

Unlike his previous trip to the ancient tomb, he now possessed numerous trump cards and lethal methods.

"You wish to swallow me whole? And I, in turn, wouldn't mind devouring this fat meat that has delivered itself right to my door."

Murderous intent churned in Yang Lingrui's chest.

Suffering a setback at the hands of the Su family was because they were an elite hereditary clan he could not afford to provoke, forcing him to endure in silence.

But now, what stray cats and mangy dogs were these three, to dare covet the treasures of his Yang family?

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