Chapter 75: Returning Home in Glory?

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Chapter 75: Returning Home in Glory?

Even if Husky Lin You racked his brains until his head cracked open, he never would have imagined that while he was happily out shopping, his blind master would find some utterly unremarkable Daoist who was considered practically ignorant and incompetent by the Cultivation Realm and have him spill nearly everything about Lin You’s background.

Although Sun Zhengqi’s conversation with Mu Yanxiao hadn’t immediately exposed him, after hearing everything Sun Zhengqi had said, Young Master Mu had already formed every suspicion there was to form. All that remained was for him to personally investigate the Qinling Mountains and find someone who fit those suspicions.

At this rate, I’m going to be exposed any minute!!

Young Master Lin You stared out from his lethally adorable husky face, doing his absolute best to look serious as he vowed internally that no matter what happened, he could not let his blind master go to the Qinling Mountains.

He was certain that even if Mu Yanxiao and the others walked themselves to death, they would never make it through the barriers set up by the Lin Family. At most, they would wander around the outskirts of the Qinling Mountains without learning anything useful.  But the problem was—Lin You could stop them from getting in , but he couldn’t stop the people inside from coming out !!

Heaven knew whether all those collateral-branch brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, disciples, grand-disciples, and assorted relatives would hear that he’d returned and come pouring out of the ancestral residence to make trouble for him. Sure, none of them would actually do anything too terrible to him—they were family, after all, and he belonged to the direct line.

But Lin You had suffered far too many painful lessons from having this bunch as his so-called friends and relatives. He could guarantee that not a single one of them would offer help in a crisis. Every last one would eagerly kick him while he was down, watch the spectacle from a safe distance, and revel in his misfortune.

If that happened, not only would his blind master probably get dragged into the mess, but even with a shard of glass lodged in his brain, Mu Yanxiao would still be able to tell that something was seriously wrong.

Woof woof woof woof!!

“Young Master Lin doesn’t want to go to the Qinling Mountains! What would we even go there for?! It’s summer right now, you know? Summer means lots of rain, and the Qinling Mountains are especially prone to landslides. What if we go there and get buried alive? Or we run into a huge storm and get struck by lightning? It’s way too dangerous! Let’s wait until spring, when the weather’s warm and the flowers are blooming!”

Hearing the obvious anxiety and unease in his pet’s voice, Mu Yanxiao’s lips slowly curved upward. “Precisely because it’s summer, the Qinling Mountains are perfect for escaping the heat. As for storms and landslides, we simply won’t go into the mountains when it’s raining. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Husky Lin furrowed his bean-shaped eyebrows and was about to whine a few more objections, but Mu Yanxiao cut him off directly. “Didn’t you say that place was your hometown? You’ve been away for so long. I’m sure your family must be worried about you. Even if we can’t get into your spirits’ lair, I can wait at the foot of the mountain while you go in by yourself.”

The moment Mu Yanxiao said this, Lin You’s firm resolve not to return to the Qinling Mountains immediately began to waver. It had been almost three months since his accident. No matter how carefree he normally was, and no matter how certain he felt that his parents knew about his current situation, he still couldn’t help worrying. How were they doing? Did seeing his body make them sad? Had they been eating properly lately? Were they thinking about him?

Once the floodgates of longing opened, there was no holding it back. After agonizing over the decision for a long time, Lin You finally lost to his longing for his family and decided to return to his hometown in the Qinling Mountains with his blind master.

Young Master Lin You reassured himself. Just as Mu Yanxiao had said, when the time came, Lin You could simply go home by himself while his blind master and the others found some little villa at the foot of the mountain and rested there. And even in the worst-case scenario, if someone from the Mu Family followed him up the mountain, it wouldn’t matter. They could walk the exact same path, but while Lin You could enter, an ordinary person would simply end up trapped by a ghost wall.

Mm. No matter how he looked at it, this should be perfectly safe. There definitely wouldn’t be any problems going home this time!

And so, under the soothing effects of Husky Lin You’s self-reassurance, Young Master Mu’s proposed ten-day tour of the Qinling Mountains was happily settled. That very afternoon, Young Master Mu headed for the hospital helipad with the numbered Mus carrying bags of every size and a slightly excited Young Master Lin You tucked in his arms, ready to fly directly to Qinling. Their efficiency could hardly be called low.

Before they left, however, Young Master Mu received one final warning from the hospital director. Wearing a specially tailored white coat, Ouyang Ming crossed his arms and threatened him with a dark expression. “I’ve never seen a patient as troublesome as you! I’m too tired to repeat your condition again, so just remember one thing: no matter what you’re going to Qinling for, behave yourself. Don’t think about anything too exciting, and don’t do anything too strenuous. Even if you’re only going there to recuperate, make especially sure you don’t hire a prostitute! Your body may be fine, but your brain isn’t. I would really rather not hear that you died in bed because that shard of glass in your head got jostled.”

Young Master Mu’s face darkened. “…Hehe.” Doctors really were the single most detestable species on the planet. Once he recovered, he was definitely demolishing the First Hospital and rebuilding it as a water park. Hehe. Ouyang Ming could go die somewhere as far away as possible.

“Hehe, my ass! You only have ten days! You’d better be back here the moment those ten days are up! Otherwise, I’ll call the old master and have him personally drag you back here and keep watch over you himself!”

“Tsk.” A trace of frustration appeared on Young Master Mu’s face. Clicking his tongue, he turned and reached out to feel for the helicopter door handle. So damn annoying. Better get out of here as quickly as possible.

Ten minutes later, the helicopter sped smoothly through the air toward the Qinling Mountains. Although Young Master Lin You had flown before, this was his first time riding in a helicopter. The Lin Family genuinely didn’t own extravagant private toys like this.

Little Uncle’s collection of antiques, gold, silver, magical artifacts, and spirit stones might be valuable enough to rival his blind master’s wealth, but unfortunately, Little Uncle was an oddball. Forget owning a private helicopter—he couldn’t even be bothered to buy himself a decent car. For transportation, he relied entirely on spells that shrank vast distances beneath his feet and let him travel thousands of miles on foot.

Tsk. Thinking about it now, Young Master Lin You felt slightly depressed. He really should have learned at least a few Daoist arts. Sure, the stuff was tedious, troublesome, and murder on the brain cells, but plenty of little spells were extremely practical. Take Shrinking the Earth into an Inch, for example. Used during rush hour, it wouldn’t just save time—with enough use, it could save a seriously impressive amount of money on transportation too!

“…Sure enough, keeping an open mind and embracing everything is the best approach. Prejudice gets you nowhere!” Lin You sighed toward the window, earning several bewildered looks from the others in the helicopter. Young Master Lin turned his doggy head away without concern. Mere mortals could never understand his inner conflict! Hmph!

Holy shit—!!

The helicopter suddenly shook violently. Mu Three, who was piloting it, quickly reassured everyone that they’d merely hit some turbulence and there was no need to panic. But as Lin You stared out the window at a certain Golden-Winged Peng who had shrunk himself down to the size of a large eagle, he desperately wanted to fling a packet of powder outside and make every last feather fall out.

[Yo! Heading back home, are you? And you brought that mortal master of yours with you? Seriously, how can you bring a mortal to the Qinling Mountains? All the spirits, demons, ghosts, and monsters there will gang up on him and bully him to death!]

Husky Lin impatiently scratched at his ear with one paw. What an annoying spiritual-sense voice transmission.

[I’m not taking him deep into the mountains. I’ll just have him stay around the outskirts.]

[Aha~ Really? Doesn’t look that way to me. Just compare yourself now to that cold, aloof attitude you had back in Qinling. Forget letting anyone hold you—even if someone accidentally touched one of your fingers, you’d shake your hand several times in disgust. You did whatever you wanted according to your own whims and never gave a damn how anyone else felt. The person you were back then and the way you’re acting now are worlds apart. If your soul didn’t still smell the same, I’d never believe you were the person who picked me up back then! Ha! Although you’re not even a person anymore! You’re a husky!]

Lin You rolled his eyes and simply turned his head away, refusing to look at the Golden-Winged Peng outside anymore. [What business is it of yours how Young Master Lin acts? Go deliver your packages! I even asked the Golden Diviner to calculate your fate before. Besides your Transformation Tribulation, you still have a Demon Tribulation and a Love Tribulation left to overcome. Hehe. You’d better hug Little Uncle’s golden statue and pray every day! Try not to die too horribly.]

The Golden-Winged Peng immediately became depressed upon hearing this. Just one year ago, he’d still been an upstanding young materialist. Forget ghosts and gods—he hadn’t even believed in fortune-telling. Reality, however, had slapped him hard across the face and taught him that sometimes it was better to submit to fate. Now, thinking about how “fate” had already dug two more pits and was waiting for him to jump into them, his mood became particularly foul. He stopped paying attention to Lin You, beat his wings hard, and flew toward his next delivery destination.

The helicopter shook violently once again. Lin You was gathered into his blind master’s arms and soothed, but his heart sank. A trace of extreme detachment appeared in those glass-blue eyes.

“Linlin?”

Mu Yanxiao suddenly felt an inexplicable surge of unease and lowered his head to gently rub his pet.

The detached look in Lin You’s eyes was swiftly replaced by conflict and annoyance. He raised his head. “It’s nothing. We’re almost there! When we arrive, I’ll show you just how beautiful and awesome my hometown is!”

After more than two hours in the air, the helicopter arrived near Mount Taibai in the central Qinling Mountains.

Mount Taibai was a famous tourist destination, blessed with beautiful scenery and perpetually wreathed in mist. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, it appeared majestic and imposing; looking outward from its summit, layer upon layer of peaks stretched into the distance, lending the landscape the secluded mystery of a hidden realm.

A small town sat at the foot of Mount Taibai and had prospered enormously with the growth of tourism. It had everything a visitor could need, from food and lodging to transportation, along with farm-stays, mountain villas, and hot spring resorts. Fortunately, it wasn’t peak tourist season; otherwise, the town would have been packed.

“Boss, the Chen Family owns a hot spring resort here. Shall we go straight there?” Mu Three asked as he circled above Mount Taibai.

Mu Yanxiao thought for a moment, then lowered his head and asked his pet, “That hot spring resort is called Clear Pond. Is it far from your home?”

Husky Lin pawed at the floor while thinking, It doesn’t matter where you stay. Once you’re in the Qinling Mountains, you’re on Young Master Lin’s turf. I can casually walk over to a mount service station from just about anywhere. Getting home couldn’t be easier. Outwardly, however, he simply shook his head. “It’s fine. Not far.”

And so, the group headed for Clear Pond Hot Spring Resort. The instant Lin You entered Mount Taibai in the Qinling Mountains, a certain jade chime in the Lin Family’s ancestral residence rang softly. The moment the sound echoed out, everyone throughout the ancestral residence froze for an instant.

A moment later, the entire place erupted into an uproar.

“Holy crap! I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?! Was that Young Master’s jade chime?!”

“Wasn’t Little Lin killed in that accident? How is he alive and back?! Sure enough, a freak really is a freak! He can’t even manage to stay dead!!”

“I’ve got a feeling nothing good is going to come from that guy returning… Tsk, forget it. I’d better go hide somewhere. That moody bastard might take a dislike to me for no reason and throw a handful of poison powder in my face!”

“Hey, hey! Listen, everyone! I think I heard Aunt say that Young Master went out to undergo his tribulation this time, and supposedly it’s even a double tribulation. Do you think he might bring his wife home with him? After all, if they’re each other’s tribulation and helping each other overcome it, that’s one hell of a fated connection!”

Everyone froze for a moment before simultaneously arriving at the same realization.

“That makes sense! Could he be bringing his wife home to meet the parents?!”

Oh my! In that case, they absolutely had to go take a look—even if it meant risking a face full of poison powder!!

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