This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 85 Black Cicada (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

At midday, the sun was shining brightly.

Lin Yan squatted by a stream. Among the ferns in front of him, several plants with heart-shaped leaves and reddish stems stood out. He carefully dug up the roots with a short hoe, took out the blood ginseng root by root, shook off the soil, and put it into the cloth bag at his waist.

The harvest from these three days in the mountains has been quite good.

Besides the few blood ginseng plants in this ravine, he also found a ten-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, a small patch of Anoectochilus roxburghii, and several Ganoderma lucidum plants of good age.

Including the rare birds and wild game hunted in the mountains these past few days, it's worth about one or two thousand taels of silver.

Including the silver notes from the three fourth-level skin-grinding martial artists who assassinated him, his silver coins had exceeded ten thousand taels, which could be described as being extremely wealthy. However, Lin Yan would not complain about having too little money.

Always think of days when you have nothing, and don't wait until you have nothing to think of days when you have something.

He hadn't forgotten the days when he had to stretch every penny in Guangping County.

Even the thinnest mosquito leg is still meat, and even the smallest copper coin is still money.

Although he no longer worries about a few taels of silver, he could earn over a thousand taels of silver in a single trip into the mountains, something he wouldn't have dared to dream of before.

He was not discouraged even though he couldn't find the precious medicine.

If precious medicines were so easy to find, they wouldn't be called "treasures".

Standing up, Lin Yan looked up at the sun, patted the dirt off his hands, and prepared to find a place to have lunch.

Suddenly, birds in the forest ahead took flight, chirping as they flew overhead.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. The birds were startled and flew around, either because some birds of prey were fighting or because people were fighting.

After glancing at the surrounding terrain, Lin Yan paused and headed towards the hilltop. Once he reached the top, he leaped onto the nearest large tree and disappeared into its canopy.

This tree was the tallest in the vicinity. Standing on its canopy, he could see what was ahead, and the dense branches would also conceal his figure, preventing him from being spotted from a distance.

Looking out into the distance, Lin Yan soon spotted two groups of people facing off in a clearing in a mountain valley several miles away.

Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan?

Although they were far apart, Lin Yan couldn't see their faces clearly, but since they were all fourth-level skin-smoothing martial artists, the silhouettes of two of them gave him a sense of familiarity.

After staring at them carefully for a while, Lin Yan became more and more certain that it was definitely these two.

Aside from Zhao Zixuan and Qian Wanli, the figures of the others gave him a sense of unfamiliarity; they were definitely not the martial artists guarding the entrance.

Lin Yan's expression turned cold. He could turn a blind eye to Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan, the martial artists guarding the mountain range, entering the mountain frequently. But allowing others to enter the mountain would be a violation of the Lin family rules.

If the matter is exposed, you will also be implicated if you fail to keep a close watch.

Originally, Lin Yan did not intend to approach these two groups of people and chose to take a detour, as he was most afraid of getting into trouble.

But now that Zhao Zixuan and Qian Wanli have been identified, there's no longer a choice to take a detour to avoid them.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan climbed down from the treetop and moved closer to that direction.

On the open ground in the mountain valley, the two groups of people were no more than ten feet apart.

Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan looked grim, while the three people behind them gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes warily fixed on the four people opposite them.

The four people opposite were not very old, and the one in the lead had a brown belt around his waist.

In Boshan County, or rather in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, what wearing a brown belt signified was something Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan both knew very well.

They never expected to be so unlucky this time, running into the fourth branch of the Lin family.

The entire Yangtian Mountain Range is jointly guarded by the eldest, third, and fourth branches of the family. Even encountering someone from the eldest branch is better than encountering someone from the fourth branch.

"Gentlemen, we are martial artists from Boshan County responsible for guarding the Yangtian Mountain Range. We don't know why you are blocking our way," Qian Wanli said in a deep voice, suppressing his unease.

"Guardians of the mountain range?"

Lin Chengji sneered, "You say you're a martial artist guarding the mountain range, so you really are?"

"This is my identification token; you may verify it, young master."

Qian Wanli took out a pass token from his pocket. This was specially issued by the Lin family to the martial artists guarding the entrance to the mountain. Its purpose was to prevent them from running into martial artists patrolling other areas while patrolling the mountain, and to prevent them from attacking each other because their identities were unknown.

Lin Chengji gave his companion a look, and the companion stepped forward, took the token, examined it, and nodded: "It is indeed a token from Boshan County."

Hearing that the other party had confirmed their identity tokens, Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Even if there were conflicts between the fourth and third branches of the family, they wouldn't take it out on the martial artists guarding the entrance to the mountain.

At most, it's just like this, a little bit of humiliation.

"The identity is correct, hmm, that's fine then."

Lin Chengji nodded, his tone indifferent. Qian Wanli was about to bow and take his leave when suddenly—

Three streaks of dark light shot out from the sky, heading straight for him.

Without any warning, without even a glance, the three men behind Lin Chengji pounced out like tigers released from their sheaths.

These three beams of dark light were shot out by one of them.

The man flipped his hands, revealing three jet-black iron lotus seeds in each palm. With a flick of his wrist, six beams of dark light shot out, emitting a sharp whooshing sound, heading not only towards Qian Wanli but also towards Zhao Zixuan.

At the same time, two other men drew their long swords and flanked the forest from the left and right, their figures moving so fast that they left two afterimages.

Caught off guard, Qian Wanli managed to lean back sharply at the last moment, but it was too late.

Three iron lotus seeds struck his face, penetrating three inches into his flesh, instantly causing blood and flesh to splatter everywhere.

Zhao Zixuan's pupils shrank sharply; he never expected the other party to suddenly launch a deadly attack.

Unlike Qian Wanli, he didn't bow down. His gaze remained fixed on the other man, so his reaction was a beat faster than Qian Wanli's. He dodged two iron lotus seeds by sidestepping, but was hit in the shoulder by the third one. The excruciating pain of his broken scapula made him groan, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The three people behind Zhao Zixuan were not ambushed by the Iron Lotus Seed. At first, they were not at a disadvantage when they clashed with the other two with swords and spears, but as the man who shot the Iron Lotus Seed joined the battle, they were instantly at a disadvantage.

Amidst the flashing of swords and the screams of agony, a series of cries rang out.

Within moments, the three of them collapsed to the ground, their breathing becoming weak.

"Young master, aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the Third Master Yuan for attacking us?"

Although he knew that mentioning the third branch in front of the fourth branch would only anger the fourth branch, Zhao Zixuan had no other choice at the moment.

Qian Wanli is dead, and I am crippled. The three people behind me are no match for the three people opposite. Most importantly, the strongest member of the fourth branch has not yet made a move.

Lin Chengji raised his hand, and his three subordinates stopped attacking and retreated several feet, but still maintained their encirclement.

The three who had fallen to the ground managed to stand up and gather around Zhao Zixuan, their faces pale, their breathing disordered, and their bodies covered in injuries.

Zhao Zixuan glanced at the three of them, his expression extremely unpleasant.

One of the five was killed in the first encounter, and the remaining three were all seriously injured, including themselves, whose strength had been greatly reduced.

"The third branch of the family, a distant relative?"

Lin Chengji chuckled, took two steps forward, and looked down at Zhao Zixuan: "Do you really think I don't know that the three people behind you aren't the martial artists guarding the entrance to the mountain?"

Zhao Zixuan's face darkened; he hadn't expected the other party to know.

"We'll let you die knowing why. Ever since Young Master Yu died, our fourth branch has been keeping a close eye on you. We discovered you let people into the mountains without permission last time, but we hadn't planned it out yet, which is why you were able to leave Yangtian Mountain Range alive. But this time it won't be the same."

They received the news as early as when Zhao Zixuan led his men into the mountains.

Brother Chuan immediately dispatched several teams into the mountains to search for Zhao Zixuan and his group and capture them.

"As the guardian, you should know the consequences of letting people into the Yangtian Mountains without permission. Even if I kill you, or even if I slaughter your entire Zhao family, the third branch will have no choice but to accept it. Not to mention that you failed to supervise properly, the Yuanye you mentioned has already been punished by the clan."

Zhao Zixuan's face turned pale, not only because of his injuries, but also because of the fear instilled in him by the other party's words.

He was only in his early twenties; he didn't want to die, he had to save himself.

Revolt?

With his current injuries, he couldn't even defeat one of the opponent's henchmen.

Zhao Zixuan's eyes flashed rapidly, and thoughts raced through his mind like lightning.

His gaze gradually turned cold.

call out!

Without any warning, Zhao Zixuan suddenly drew his longsword, the sword light as sharp as a venomous snake's tongue, and swung it back at his three seriously injured companions beside him.

The three men never expected that Zhao Zixuan would attack their own people at this moment.

They were struggling to keep their bodies upright, their eyes still fixed on Lin Chengji and the others in front of them. None of them expected that Zhao Zixuan, their companion, would attack them.

The sword flashed across his throat, one, two, three, clean and swift, without any hesitation.

Before the three could even let out a complete scream, three soft hissing sounds were heard, blood appeared on their throats, and then blood gushed out.

One of them turned his head with difficulty, staring at Zhao Zixuan in disbelief. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but as blood gushed out, he finally collapsed in anger.

Zhao Zixuan didn't even glance at the three men, letting the blood from his longsword drip onto the withered leaves.

He raised his head and looked directly at Lin Chengji, his eyes showing no remorse, only a naked desire to survive.

"We came into the mountains to find the black cicada. We've already discovered its hiding place and laid bait, just waiting for it to appear. If you let me go, I'll tell you where it's hiding."

Lin Chengji's eyes narrowed.

He didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Zhao Zixuan, at the three still convulsing corpses on the ground, and at the blood still gushing from their throats.

This Zhao Zixuan is ruthless.

Killing your own comrade is easy to say but a different story to do.

He never intended to kill Zhao Zixuan. The reason he killed one of the other party earlier was only to intimidate him and make Zhao Zixuan obediently become a witness.

Unexpectedly, there was an even more pleasant surprise.

Black Cicada!

A glint of light flashed in Lin Chengji's eyes.

There were some fools who were lucky enough to discover the Black Cicada, but thought that the Black Cicada only enhanced perception and did not improve strength much, so they sold it off.

Those fools had no idea how terrifying the perception enhanced by the Black Cicada was. Any martial artist who consumed the Black Cicada Heart would be extremely difficult to ambush for the rest of their lives; their enhanced perception would even proactively warn of impending danger.

Just now, when Zhao Zixuan killed his companion, he was a little shocked. He thought that Zhao Zixuan did not want to implicate the third branch of the family and the Zhao family. He killed his companion first and then committed suicide. Without any survivors, as long as Lin Mingyuan did not admit it, Brother Chuan's plan could not be achieved.

In retrospect, Zhao Zixuan's companion was indeed there to silence him, but only to keep the secret of the Black Cicada in his hands as a bargaining chip for his own survival.

Lin Chengji's lips slowly curved into a smile: "If you want to live, it's not impossible. Tell me where Black Cicada is. Besides, if you were forced to bring people into the mountains on your own, my fourth branch can intercede for you. There's a chance you might survive."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Zhao Zixuan was taken aback for a moment, but then he suddenly realized that he finally understood the other person's "Hai".

How could I be so stupid? Not to mention him, even the entire Zhao family wouldn't be taken seriously by the Fourth Branch. The Fourth Branch was meticulously watching them and even sent people in to intercept them. The real Hai Biao was the Third Branch, or more accurately, Master Yuan.

The fourth branch of the family wanted to frame Yuanye themselves.

"That's impossible. If I were to frame Master Yuan, the third branch of the family would not let me off the hook."

Zhao Zixuan shook his head, but Lin Chengji already knew Zhao Zixuan's character and understood the meaning behind Zhao Zixuan's words.

It's not that I'm unwilling to cooperate, it's just that I'm afraid I won't survive.

However, someone who is so afraid of death will not give up as long as there is even a glimmer of hope.

"Since you don't want to, you can go and keep your companions company."

Lin Chengji drew his sword, slowly raising it, his face filled with murderous intent as he stared directly at Zhao Zixuan.

Zhao Zixuan's forehead was instantly covered with fine beads of sweat. His opponent was a level four skin-smoothing martial artist. Even if he wasn't injured, it wouldn't be a loss for him.

This stab could very well cost him his life.

Even if the other party is just bluffing and won't actually kill him, if he is seriously injured, his path in martial arts will be ruined. He and his companion Jing Sheng did not want to become a cripple.

"I'm willing to cooperate with you!"

One breath, two breaths, three breaths —

Just as Lin Chengji's blade was about to flip, Zhao Zixuan finally couldn't hold on any longer and gasped for breath.

Seeing that Zhao Zixuan finally gave in, Lin Chengji's lips curled up, and there was no surprise in his eyes. He had already seen through Zhao Zixuan's cowardly nature. Not to mention framing Lin Mingyuan, even framing the entire Zhao family, Zhao Zixuan would do it to save his life.

"Let's go, take me to find Black Cicada."

Lin Chengji was in a good mood. Brother Chuan sent several teams into the mountains, but he ended up running into Zhao Zixuan and his group. He was going to receive a reward from Brother Chuan, and now he was unexpectedly able to obtain the Black Cicada.

Zhao Zixuan had clearly resigned himself to his fate and did not resist. He simply led the way, and the group passed through a dense forest and arrived at a valley.

The valley is small, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one narrow entrance. The valley is lush with trees, with babbling brooks, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the tree canopy, spreading a mottled golden hue on the ground.

Zhao Zixuan pointed to a tree in the valley and said in a low voice, "The people who came into the mountains with me this time have smeared the tree with the Breeze Dew that the Black Cicada loves the most. According to their calculations, the Black Cicada will definitely appear within an hour."

One hour.

Lin Chengji nodded. When he first spotted Zhao Zixuan and his group, he had already sent someone to inform Brother Chuan. Waiting an hour wouldn't delay Brother Chuan's plans.

"Everyone, step back a little."

Black Cicada was very alert. Lin Chengji gestured for the bow to step back, but Zhao Zixuan suddenly slowed down, turned his body slightly to the side, and showed a flattering smile on his face.

"Young Master Chengji, every time I lead people into the mountains, I keep an account book. I know it's hidden in the secret room. If we can retrieve that account book, it would be best to put it in Lin Mingyuan's residence. No matter how Lin Mingyuan tries to explain, it won't work. Otherwise, even if I testify, I'm afraid we might not be able to do anything to Lin Mingyuan."

"You're quick to betray."

Lin Chengji gave Zhao Zixuan a deep look. Zhao Zixuan smiled sullenly, then his eyes showed a hint of flattery and ruthlessness: "Young Master Chengji, now that I've come this far, there's no turning back. I'm my father's only son. I'm confident I can write home. As long as the fourth branch agrees to spare my life, my father can persuade my second branch to cooperate with me in framing Lin Mingyuan."

"I don't need you to teach me what to do. Just be prepared to be a witness."

Lin Chengji didn't care about Zhao Zixuan's defection. He didn't need Zhao Tieshan to testify on Chuan Ge's side. He only needed to find out that Lin Mingyuan was guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to supervise him properly.

Zhao Zixuan's framing will cause Lin Mingyuan to suffer more severe punishment from the clan, but there is a limit, and even with the entire Zhao family involved, the punishment will not increase much.

Judging by the time, in a few hours, Brother Chuan will appear at Eagle Beak Gorge with the elders of the clan's law enforcement hall. As long as he shows up with Zhao Zixuan and those corpses, Lin Mingyuan will have no grounds for protest.

"Yes, yes, I will listen to Young Master Chengji."

Zhao Zixuan lowered his head and didn't dare to say anything more. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

Time passed little by little.

Suddenly, a very faint buzzing sound came from the depths of the valley, like the plucking of a zither string, or the lingering sound of bells and chimes from distant mountains.

Immediately afterwards, a dark shadow flew from the depths of the valley toward the tree that had been coated with the Dew of the Breeze.

When the shadow fell on the tree, everyone could see clearly that it was a cicada.

Its entire body was jet black, yet it gleamed with a jade-like luster. It was twice the size of a typical cicada and was currently frantically sucking up the dew that had been smeared on the tree.

The black cicada has appeared!

Lin Chengji's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pushed off with all his might, his body leaping out like a cheetah.

However, he was fast, but a sword light was even faster.

A sword light appeared from another part of the dense forest, slicing through Lin Chengji's body.

Snapped!

Lin Chengji's body fell from mid-air, and the noise seemed to startle the cicada in the tree. The cicada's thin wings had just opened when a long and powerful wing precisely pressed down on its body.

The cicada emitted a sharp squeaking sound and struggled desperately, but it could not break free from the bow's grip.

And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

From the moment Hei Chan appeared, to Lin Chengji's sudden attack, to the flash of sword light, and then to Hei Chan's capture, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The scene was deathly silent.

Lin Chengji's three men froze on the spot, their weapons still in a defensive posture, but their expressions were all frozen in the same horror.

Brother Cheng—is he dead?

Brother Cheng is a four-time skin-smoothing warrior and the backbone of this operation.

But now, Brother Cheng's body lies there, his waist slashed open by a sword, blood flowing out and staining the ground.

The man who killed Brother Garlic was falling from the tree trunk, a black cicada held in a bow, his gaze sweeping coldly over them.

"Lin—Lin Yan!"

Zhao Zixuan was the first to react. His voice trembled so badly it was almost incoherent, and all the color drained from his face, as if he had seen a ghost.

He instinctively took two steps back, his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

"Lin Yan, you dared to cheat Brother Cheng, which violates the Lin family rules. According to the rules, your entire branch of the family will be implicated."

Zhao Zixuan listened to the words of Lin Chengji and the other two, his eyes filled with sarcasm. Even at this point, they were still using clan rules to threaten Lin Yan.

If Lin Yan were afraid, he wouldn't have killed Lin Chengji with a single sword strike.

You fourth branch have been scheming against the third branch. Qiu Ben doesn't care about clan rules, do you think Lin Yan would care?

Three idiots!

"Young Master Lin Yan, save me! They captured me and want to torture me because they know I'm Master Yuan's man."

Zhao Zixuan cried for help, and at the same time, Heng Pang and the other two ran to one side. At this moment, Lin Chengji's three subordinates were also awakened by Zhao Zixuan's shameless words. Lin Yan clearly did not care about the clan rules. If they wanted to live, they could only fight Lin Yan.

As for exposing Zhao Zixuan's lie, the three of them tacitly chose to remain silent and not expose it.

If they survive, they can deal with Zhao Zixuan. If they don't, keeping such a despicable and shameless person like Zhao Zixuan around is a potential threat to Lin Mingyuan.

"Attack together!"

One of the three let out a low growl, their eyes met, and they pounced almost simultaneously.

The long sword pierced the air, and three beams of light slashed towards Lin Yan from three directions.

This strike was the result of the three of them giving their all, holding nothing back. If Suan didn't kill Lin Yan, they would die.

Faced with the three's attack, Lin Yan's expression remained unchanged. He still held the Black Cicada sword, and with a light tap of his toes, his figure, like smoke and mist, passed through the gap between the three blades.

The three men's swords struck empty air almost simultaneously, failing to even touch the hem of his clothes.

"Is someone on the bend?"

Confusion was evident in the eyes of all three. Lin Yan had broken through their blockade and disappeared right before their eyes.

"Small----"

The man on the right, Hai Guang, looked at his companion and seemed to have seen something horrifying. His expression turned to horror, and just as his companion was about to turn around, his head had already hit the ground.

call out!

Three sword lights flashed in succession, and the three figures fell to the ground one after the other.

Three breaths later, all three were killed.

Zhao Zixuan stood not far away, staring in disbelief.

He knew Lin Yan was strong, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

Previously, Lin Yan's sword strike that killed Garlic Lin Chengji had an element of sneak attack and trickery, but this time it was a head-on battle.

These three martial artists, who had undergone three rounds of skin-sharpening, were as fragile as paper in front of Lin Yan, unable to withstand even a single move.

Even his own second uncle and his own father probably couldn't have killed these three so quickly.

A shiver ran through him, and Zhao Zixuan snapped out of his daze, a grateful smile spreading across his face: "Young Master Lin, thank goodness you arrived in time, I—"

Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, he seemed to realize something, clutched his neck tightly, bulged his eyes, and stared intently at Lin Yan.

"Your death will save your entire Zhao family. No need to thank me."

Lin Yan sheathed his sword, not even glancing at Zhao Zixuan again, and walked towards Lin Chengji's corpse.

He didn't arrive just now; he caught up with Zhao Zixuan when he was being taken away. He heard clearly what Zhao Zixuan said when he offered advice to save his life.

However, even if Zhao Zixuan stood firm and did not choose to frame Master Yuan, he would not let Zhao Zixuan go back alive.

Letting people into the mountains without permission is a serious crime.

If Zhao Zixuan doesn't die, he will be held accountable by the clan.

Now, there's just one more reason to kill Zhao Zixuan.

In fact, if Zhao Zixuan hadn't been such a selfish person, his death could have been a happy ending for everyone.

If Zhao Zixuan had killed Lin Chengji, the matter wouldn't have been exposed, and the Zhao family would have been able to survive.

However, given Zhao Zixuan's character, he is probably unwilling to sacrifice for his family and would rather risk the destruction of the entire clan to save his own life.

In this light, the ancestors of the Zhao family should thank themselves, for they saved the Zhao family from being wiped out in Manya.

Search for and dispose of the body.

This time, Lin Yan was more cautious than before. He found a cave, set it on fire, and burned the remains. As for the unburned corpses, he threw them all into a pool of water.

Last time, he hid the remains of Lin Mingyu and the others in an extremely secluded mountain stream. The Yangtian Mountain Range is so vast that it should be extremely difficult to find them, which made him have to be more cautious.

After doing all this, Lin Yan looked at the black cicada on the bow, a smile playing on his lips.

Black cicadas are definitely a good thing.

If he had taken the Black Cicada Heart before those three four-times-skin-sharpening warriors ambushed him last time, he would never have waited until they appeared to discover it.

The value of this item lies not in enhancing strength, but in preventing danger.

In Lin Yan's opinion, its value was even greater than any precious medicine he had previously taken.

A martial artist can only unleash their power if they are alive.

No matter how strong a martial artist is, a dead warrior is nothing more than a handful of dust.

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