Chapter 34: Man Schemes Against the Tiger, the Tiger Also Schemes Against Man

Lin Yan picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, his gaze falling on the old man's greasy face.

"I don't drink with people I'm not familiar with."

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Not familiar? This is the third time we've met." He held up three fingers and waved them in front of Lin Yan. "The first time at the inn, you paid for my meal. The second time in the alley, I told you about the Xiao family. Today is the third time.

"Three times, and you still call us not familiar?!"

"I don't even know your name," Lin Yan said calmly.

The old man froze for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter. The sound echoed through the restaurant, startling several diners at the neighboring tables and causing them to glance over. It wasn't until tears were almost squeezing from his eyes that he finally stopped.

The old man slammed his wine bowl onto the table and sat up straight, his expression turning somewhat serious.

"My surname is Liu, and my given name is Dao. However, those who know me prefer to read my name backward."

Liu Dao.

Dao Liu.

Lin Yan's eyes flickered. He gave a slight nod, maintaining his indifferent demeanor.

Seeing his impervious attitude, Liu Dao didn't feel annoyed. Instead, he asked softly, "And you, little brother? What's your name?"

Lin Yan looked him in the eyes. "You even know such secretive matters about Yang Qinghe, yet you wouldn't know my name?"

Liu Dao's smile stiffened slightly before instantly returning to normal.

"You're quite a bore," he said gruffly. "I do know your name, but I don't know who your master is. Can you tell me?"

Lin Yan's answer was blunt. "I don't have a master."

Liu Dao looked up and narrowed his eyes, studying him for a long while. Then he curled his lips into a disappointed pout. "Forget it if you don't want to tell me. To possess such skills at your age, your master must have a formidable background. If I don't know, then I don't know—it saves me the trouble anyway."

Lin Yan did not explain. He never liked explaining himself. Saying something once was enough; whether the listener chose to believe it or not was their own business.

Besides, Lin Yan had many questions of his own to ask. This time, it was his turn to speak.

"You know many things, yet you still want to know more. Why?"

Liu Dao was just about to drink. Hearing this, his hand paused slightly. A somewhat mysterious smile appeared on his heavily wrinkled face.

"It's not that I want to know; it's someone else who wants to know."

Lin Yan's brows furrowed imperceptibly. "Who?"

Liu Dao didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a piece of mutton with his chopsticks, popped it into his mouth, and chewed with a look of pure enjoyment, as if he were savoring some rare delicacy. After putting on this act for quite a while, he finally said slowly, "The Daqian empire stretches for ten thousand miles. The Divine Capture Bureau monitors the realm for unlawful acts, and their favorite pastime is chasing after secrets."

"So, you're an imperial lapdog?" Lin Yan remarked expressionlessly after a long pause.

This caused Liu Dao, who was mid-drink, to nearly choke. After coughing continuously, he snapped in exasperation, "What do you mean 'lapdog'? This old man eats imperial rations. It's a guaranteed paycheck rain or shine, and I don't even have to pay when I visit the brothels."

"Oh... so you freeload, too?"

"Pah! You rotten brat, not a single decent word comes out of your mouth!"

Liu Dao put on an angry expression, looking as though he didn't want to pay Lin Yan any more attention.

"You didn't finish your sentence earlier," Lin Yan pressed on regardless, acting as if he hadn't seen the other's displeasure at all.

"Hmm?"

"What exactly is Shen Yizhu gambling on?"

Hearing this, Liu Dao scratched his cheek and finally set his wine bowl back on the table.

"Fine. I'm quite satisfied with today's meal, so there's no harm in telling you early. Everyone will know when the time comes anyway."

He didn't speak directly of Shen Yizhu's matter, but instead brought up something else entirely.

"In the Qingzhou Martial World, aside from those sword maniacs of the Celestial Sword Sect, the most famous are those crazy hags from the Divine Water Palace. Not only are they breathtakingly beautiful, but they are also incredibly powerful and notoriously protective of their own."

Lin Yan listened quietly, not interrupting him.

"The Divine Water Palace is extremely strict in recruiting disciples. For ordinary people, let alone officially joining, it's hard enough just becoming a menial servant. And among them, the highest tier of aptitude is the Pure Yin Body."

Liu Dao paused and sighed with a touch of melancholy. "Shen Yizhu set up a trap, dragging in all the different factions. Using Mei Ruoying and his entire family as bargaining chips, he's gambling that the Divine Water Palace won't just stand by and watch."

Lin Yan remained silent for a moment. So it had been a grand play from start to finish.

Shen Yizhu had taken in the second miss of the Meihua Mountain Villa at someone's behest, drawing the wrath of the Yang family. But instead of yielding or compromising, he took advantage of the situation to blow things completely out of proportion.

There was no way the Divine Water Palace wouldn't want an unpolished gem like Mei Ruoying. As long as the Divine Water Palace intervened, the Shen family would not only survive this tribulation but also successfully latch onto a much larger backer. It was just a pity for Shen Yizhu's family, young and old, who were forced to walk this tightrope alongside him.

Lin Yan picked up his teacup, the innocent little face of Shen Qingci's son seemingly flashing before his eyes.

The Jianghu was not such a beautiful place. Schemes and profits were its main melody. Men died for wealth just as birds perished for food—it was both pitiful and lamentable.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Liu Dao assumed Lin Yan was stunned by the news. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "There's one more thing... The one practicing the Pure Yang Skill in the Yang family is actually the previous generation's Patriarch, the Yang family ancestor who is already eighty-three years old."

After saying this, he let out a dark chuckle. "HEH HEH. This old geezer has been a bachelor his whole life. Seeing that he doesn't have long to live, he's been trying all sorts of methods to extend his lifespan. His body full of Pure Yang True Qi is a real treasure."

"Eighty-three?" Lin Yan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"That's right, eighty-three. A withered old man lusting after a young maid—his body may be old, but his heart sure isn't. TSK TSK TSK, that's why I said Yang Qinghe is a pitiful person."

Liu Dao smacked his lips. "Besides, this Shen Yizhu is quite the fool too. In reality, the people of the Divine Water Palace arrived a long time ago. They plan to wait until Yang Qinghe finds her whereabouts before swooping in to snatch the prize. This way, they avoid getting tainted by this stinking pile of dog shit, while also winning over the heart of the Mei family's second miss. You could say it kills multiple birds with one stone."

"Didn't you say they were crazy hags? Why are they so calculating?" Lin Yan could always pinpoint the most exasperating aspects of a conversation.

Liu Dao rolled his eyes, seemingly used to this by now.

"You'll understand once you run into them in the future. Lin the kid, are you really going to interfere in this mess? I advise you to leave as early as possible. The waters here are incredibly deep."

"I have already promised Mei Ruoying to protect her and keep her safe." Lin Yan didn't boast grandiosely. "Since I've made the promise, I should fulfill it."

"Heh, then you'd better be careful. Leaving aside the Yang family, the Divine Water Palace's Cold Ice True Qi specifically breaks Hard Skills. Don't let that tough physique of yours get completely wrung dry when the time comes."

Liu Dao wore an expression of someone waiting to watch a good show.

Lin Yan didn't reply. Instead, he stood up to settle the bill.

During their conversation, Liu Dao had ordered several more expensive dishes. If he didn't leave quickly, he was afraid the silver on him wouldn't be enough to pay for the meal.