Chapter 52: Breakthrough
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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Bang!
Just as a firework exploded in the sky, Lin Xiu didn’t quite catch what Xue Ninger had said, so he asked, “What did Ninger just say?”
Xue Ninger shook her head, “Nothing.”
Her feelings were complex at this moment.
At first, she had only regarded Lin Xiu as a tool, a tool to help her outdo Zhao Lingjun. But after spending these past few days with him, she began to waver in her initial thoughts.
The happiness and joy she experienced with Lin Xiu were something she had never felt before.
His humor, occasionally mixed with teasing that she didn’t find offensive, his words were always what she wanted to hear, even the gift he gave her was so unique…
If she could be with someone like this, wouldn’t she be happy every day?
It was a pity that even a man who understood her heart so well would ultimately be snatched away by Zhao Lingjun.
This deepened the jealousy in her heart and strengthened her original resolve.
Even if he ended up being Zhao Lingjun’s man, the person Zhao Lingjun got was also the one she discarded first.
Yes, she wanted Lin Xiu to fall in love with her and then, in front of everyone in the capital, reject him.
Xue Ninger silently apologized to Lin Xiu in her heart and, using the excuse that she had other guests to attend to, left his side with a slightly guilty conscience.
Watching Xue Ninger leave, Lin Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from her reaction, he hadn’t chosen the wrong gift, and his efforts hadn’t been in vain.
Lin Xiu had done in-depth research on the female psyche.
If Xue Ninger wasn’t the pearl of the Duke’s mansion, but just a girl from a poor family, then whether it was jewelry or fireworks, neither would be as effective as giving her silver directly.
But with her prominent family background and no lack of valuable gifts, fireworks were naturally better.
Not only romantic.
But also cheap.
This city-wide firework display had only cost Lin Xiu a few dozen taels of silver. Although it still exceeded his budget, it was within an acceptable range.
If he ate a little more, he might even be able to make up for the cost.
For this reason, Lin Xiu hadn’t eaten much during the day. While others were flattering and fawning over Xue Ninger, only Lin Xiu was focused on eating.
An hour later, the night’s banquet finally ended.
Guests gradually left the Xue residence. As Yang Xuan, the son of Marquis Yongping, and his servants were about to leave, a figure approached from behind and stood beside him.
Yang Xuan glanced at Lin Xiu and said, “Lin Xiu’s gift was truly unique. It seems Ninger really liked it.”
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Lin Xiu smiled, turned to Yang Xuan, and lowered his voice, “There’s no one else here. You don’t have to pretend.”
Yang Xuan’s expression faltered slightly, then he laughed and said, “What is Lin Xiu talking about? I don’t understand a word.”
Lin Xiu chuckled, “Don’t pretend. The Tianxiang Restaurant incident, you were behind it. Wang Wei’s challenge to me that day also had your instructions. Oh, and Qin Cong causing trouble for me, was that your doing too?”
Yang Xuan shrugged, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If you don’t know, then forget it.” Lin Xiu shook his head and strode out of the Xue residence. He then turned back to Yang Xuan with a smile and whispered, “Good plan, but the people you chose weren’t very reliable. Keep trying. Actually, I quite enjoy watching you hate me but being unable to do anything about it…”
Watching Lin Xiu’s departing figure, Yang Xuan’s expression remained calm, but his fists clenched within his sleeves, his knuckles cracking.
He looked back and muttered, “How did he know!”
The matter with Qin Cong was clearly a pre-existing grudge between them. He had merely hinted to Qin Cong a few times. The pressure from Tianxiang Restaurant was ostensibly due to the ice-making business. Wang Wei’s ruthless attack during the martial arts class was even more subtle. Every incident had a plausible cause and effect. How did Lin Xiu trace it back to him?
A servant behind him thought for a moment and said, “Although Young Master’s arrangements are always clever, ordinary people wouldn’t easily suspect you. But if someone deliberately investigates, it’s not difficult to uncover the connections between the Qin family, the Wang family, Tianxiang Restaurant, and us. This son of Baron Ping’an might not be as foolish as the intelligence reports suggest…”
“I really underestimated him.” Yang Xuan’s expression calmed down, and he quickly added, “I originally planned to let him enjoy himself for a while longer. Since he’s courting death, I’ll fulfill his wish…”
The servant hesitated, “Young Master, what if we encounter the same situation as last time, and the palace blames us…”
Yang Xuan snorted coldly, “His ability was somewhat useful to the palace before, but I had people investigate. The Imperial Palace hasn’t summoned him for a long time. This time, I’d like to see who can save him!”
The servant asked, “Does Young Master already have a plan?”
Having failed several times against a mere nobody, Yang Xuan originally intended to stop for a while and formulate a detailed plan to ensure a single, decisive strike.
But Lin Xiu’s provocation tonight made him change his mind.
He didn’t want to wait a moment longer, wanting only to quickly resolve this source of anxiety.
He said coldly, “Let the East City magistrate handle it this time. Tell him to make it clean. This time, I want to make sure this person never rises again!”
Leaving the Xue residence, Lin Xiu soon returned home.
The Lin family’s new residence was in the most prosperous area of the eastern city, not far from the Imperial Palace and also close to the Xue residence.
The residences of these powerful families in the capital were clustered together. This area was heavily guarded, with guards stationed every few steps, making it the safest place in the capital besides the Imperial Palace.
Here, one could even go out at night without guards.
Except for that assassin whose ability was concealment, almost no assassin would choose to strike here.
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It was precisely for this reason that Lin Xiu hadn’t brought Sun Dali along, instead having him arrange tonight’s fireworks display.
Not long after Lin Xiu returned home, Sun Dali also arrived. As soon as he entered, he asked, “Young Master, how did I do? Did I mess up?”
Lin Xiu nodded, “Not bad. How about the other thing I asked you to do?”
Sun Dali handed a jade box to Lin Xiu, “Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ve bought them.”
Lin Xiu opened the jade box. Inside were ten translucent, diamond-shaped crystals. These crystals were much smaller than the one he saw at the Xue residence tonight, but slightly larger than the ones he used in the Imperial Palace.
The Yuan Crystals provided by the Imperial Palace for Lin Xiu to restore his Yuanli came from Rank 1 mystical beasts. The one Xue Ninger received was a Rank 5 mystical beast Yuan Crystal. The ones in front of Lin Xiu belonged to Rank 2 mystical beasts.
Rank 1 mystical beast Yuan Crystals cost about ten taels of silver each. The price increased tenfold with each rank. A Rank 5 mystical beast Yuan Crystal cost a staggering one hundred thousand taels and was extremely rare. The actual transaction price was probably over one hundred and fifty thousand taels.
The young master from the Duke’s mansion had spared no expense in pursuing Xue Ninger.
Lin Xiu had asked Sun Dali to buy these ten Rank 2 mystical beast Yuan Crystals, spending a total of one thousand taels, which pained him considerably.
But for his plan, Lin Xiu had to awaken again in a short time, so he couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
During his month in the Imperial Palace, Lin Xiu had absorbed over two hundred Yuan Crystals, equivalent to over two hundred days of normal cultivation. Coupled with Lingyin’s extreme training recently, his two months here were probably equivalent to a year of cultivation.
However, the growth of his Yuanli had become extremely slow, almost stagnant, indicating that he had encountered a bottleneck.
A bottleneck was a precursor to another awakening.
At this point, Rank 1 mystical beast Yuan Crystals were no longer effective for his cultivation.
He needed higher-level Yuan Crystals.
Relying on his own Yuanli to break through the barrier was possible, but it would take time, and Lin Xiu no longer had time to wait.
He returned to his room alone, closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, took out a Yuan Crystal, held it in his palm, and gently applied pressure.
The next moment, a surge of Yuanli, ten times greater than what he had felt before, poured into his body from his palm.
Lin Xiu groaned, his body swaying uncontrollably, but he managed to stabilize himself.
His body was far superior to ordinary people, and having been pushed to his limits by Lingyin so many times, he could endure this level of pain.
After fifteen minutes, Lin Xiu slowly opened his eyes, exhaled softly, and said with some regret, “Failed…”
High-rank mystical beast Yuan Crystals could increase the chances of a breakthrough, but it wasn’t a guarantee. The success rate was only ten percent. Lin Xiu still had nine more chances. Statistically, as long as his luck wasn’t too bad, he should succeed within the remaining attempts.
Lin Xiu took out another Yuan Crystal and held it in his hand.
…
Late at night.
Lin Xiu was still awake.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at the last Yuan Crystal in his hand, speechless. Wasn’t it supposed to be a ten percent chance? This is too dark!
He had only one Yuan Crystal left. If he didn’t break through after using it, he would have to ask Sun Dali to buy more tomorrow. Rank 2 mystical beast Yuan Crystals were relatively common; as long as he had the silver, he could still get a few more.
After a moment, Lin Xiu held the last Yuan Crystal, filled with hope, and closed his eyes again.
The night passed quietly.
Early morning, after a few clear rooster crows, Da Huang in his kennel slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the large bone beside him, Da Huang swallowed. Although many days had passed, every time he thought about his recent experiences, he still felt like he was living in a dream.
Since birth, he had been a stray on the streets, enduring wind and rain, never knowing where his next meal would come from. Eating one meal and then starving for three days was commonplace.
Back then, he never imagined that one day he would have his own kennel, with endless meat and bones to gnaw on. He felt like he had reached the peak of dog life.
Just then, a voice reached his ears.
“Da Huang, come here.”
Da Huang abruptly raised his head, his ears perked up, his expression extremely alert.
Had he heard wrong? He seemed to have heard a dog talking.
Could there be a second dog in this courtyard?
He turned around, but couldn’t find any other dog in the courtyard, only his master standing there. Lin Xiu looked at Da Huang, his lips unmoving, but a voice sounded directly in Da Huang’s mind.
“Don’t look, I’m here.”
Da Huang finally realized something. He looked up at Lin Xiu, his eyes widening in astonishment.
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