Ultimate Path to Heaven

Chapter 38 1. For the Common People, 2. For the Blood Feud

Everything went smoothly after Xiali Village, and the two hundred or so people from Qingxi Village entered the valley safely.

But the key issue is still what Lin Yan said: treating the symptoms but not the root cause. If the more than 1,000 people from Shigang and Nanliu villages are also rescued, the canyon can accommodate them, but food will become a problem.

These three villages are utterly insignificant compared to the entire Divine Land!

Juyi Hall.

Once the villagers were settled in the valley, Lin Yan, the valley master, immediately convened a meeting of all important figures in the Hall of Righteousness, and Xiao Muyu was naturally present.

After some discussion, Lin Yan finally turned to Xiao Muyu, who had remained silent, and asked, "May I ask, Princess, how many of Elder Xiao's former subordinates in the Northern Region still hold military power?"

The Hall of Gathering Righteousness fell silent immediately after Lin Yan asked that question.

Everyone present knew who Elder Xiao was. They also understood perfectly what his former subordinates and military power meant.

For a moment, the entire hall seemed to fall into a deathly silence, with everyone turning to look at Xiao Muyu, who had remained silent.

The princess addressed Xiao Muyu as such without much concern and tacitly agreed, but the sudden mention of her father's former subordinates made her sensitive: "I wonder what Valley Master Lin's intention is?"

"The people in the Southern Region are already suffering from the grain tax, and now the Eighth Prince's massacre of villages has driven them to the brink of despair. This is the perfect opportunity to control the grain supply in the Southern Region." Lin Yan, who usually waved his paper fan lightly, had an unprecedentedly serious expression.

At this moment, Xiao Muyu did not respond to Lin Yan, but instead looked at Xiao Jin beside her with an unreadable expression... In her eyes, which she had never seen before, it seemed that she wanted to get some kind of answer from Xiao Jin.

Whenever she thought of the Xiao family's annihilation, Xiao Muyu's eyes would suddenly narrow—black as the deepest, coldest pool, yet terrifyingly bright, as if scalding stars were about to burst forth at any moment.

But every time she looked at her son Xiao Jin, the hatred that was surging in Xiao Muyu's eyes was forcibly suppressed into the deepest part of her eyes, leaving only a seemingly calm darkness.

This moment was different. The cold star in Xiao Muyu's eyes was like a blade about to be drawn, as if Xiao Jin's response was the key to drawing that blade...

Faced with his mother Xiao Muyu's gaze, Xiao Jin inexplicably felt a certain thought, and this thought made him unconsciously think of the destruction of the Xiao family—was his mother asking for his opinion?

Recalling the original owner's fragmented memories... it seems that besides her only son, her mother Xiao Muyu only had a deep-seated hatred for her!

Since Mother is so fixated on this...

For Xiao Jin, having a mother in another world was far more fortunate than being reborn!

Realizing this instantly, Xiao Jin nodded, his eyes flashing with determination, his gaze so firm that it left no room for wavering.

After receiving her son's response, Xiao Muyu, feeling relieved, turned to Lin Yan and asked, "Valley Master Lin, are you planning to start a rebellion?"

Faced with Xiao Muyu's straightforward response, Lin Yan closed his fan without hesitation and stood up solemnly: "Firstly, for the sake of the people, and secondly, for the sake of our blood feud!" After pausing and scanning the crowd, Lin Yan's gaze returned to Xiao Muyu.

"May I ask the Princess and everyone present, is there any reason why this matter is so unreasonable?" At this moment, Lin Yan's powerful voice resounded throughout the hall!

"Is it coming again...?" Regardless of how others felt, Xiao Jin believed this was the beginning of Lin Yan's show-off.

Following Xiao Jin's thoughts, Gou Erchui suddenly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Yan, and declared, "I, Gou Yaowu, swear to follow the Valley Master to the death!"

One after another, three, four, or five more people joined in, instantly building the atmosphere to its peak!

Leaving aside Xiao Muyu's side, almost everyone in the canyon within the hall harbors hatred towards the "Royal Family".

In this atmosphere, Lin Yan raised his hand and pressed down his fan, signaling everyone to calm down: "I, Lin Yan, need no one to follow me. I only hope to save the people from suffering and, at the same time, kill that traitor Chu to avenge our blood feud!"

"Kill the traitor Chu!"

With a loud shout from Gou Erchui, the battle cries echoed throughout the canyon!

Even Wang Suiyue and Ye Bufan were deeply moved and visibly agitated. One wonders how Li Mian and the other Blood Guards would have felt if they had been there.

Regardless of what happened, Xiao Jin frowned, thinking that Lin Yan had once again successfully shown off.

Outside the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, inside the canyon.

Almost everyone heard the earth-shattering battle cries immediately, and they all put down what they were doing, faced the Hall of Righteousness, and stood solemnly!

Whether commoners or warriors, regardless of their reasons for entering this canyon, they all harbor their own resentment and have been eagerly awaiting this day.

But unlike the others, Lin Miao, the Valley Master's sister, was hidden in the shadows, facing the spirit tablet cave...

"Brother doesn't want me to be hurt in any way... but Miao'er, I already know everything..." Tears silently slid down, condensing into trembling specks of light on Lin Miao's chin.

"Father, Mother! Do you know, even in the afterlife, the loneliness that has gripped Miao'er's heart all these years..."

"Although Miao'er doesn't remember what you look like, Miao'er really, really misses you..."

"If you have spirits in heaven, no matter what the world is like, please let my brother allow me to leave this canyon and see the outside world..."

Since Lin Miao could remember, she had never left this canyon. Even though everyone indulged and pampered her, the loneliness deep in her heart was constantly consuming her.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Lin Miao's eyes, which once seemed brimming with spring water, gradually became two bottomless abysses.

The middle-aged woman, who had been watching Lin Miao from a short distance away, wiped away two lines of tears with emotion and quietly left.

Although they were in a canyon, Lin Miao's movements were being constantly "watched"... which shows that Lin Yan's doting on his younger sister was really a bit excessive...

After the gathering at the Righteous Gathering Hall ended, Lin Yan returned to his residence. The woman who had been "observing" Lin Miao appeared immediately and told Lin Yan everything.

"this......"

Lin Yan, the older brother, knew that his younger sister, Lin Miao, had visited the spirit tablet cave more than once, but he didn't know what she was really thinking... Unwilling to hurt her, he had never had a direct conversation with her...

Lin Yan was completely moved when he heard what the woman said.

"Was I wrong?"

Lin Yan's younger sister, Lin Miao, is his only family in this world. He only wishes for her to live a carefree life, free from any harm... but he never imagined that his obsessive and doting love would hurt Lin Miao...

"Should we let my sister out of this canyon?"

"But right now..."

Lin Yan, who was rebelling against the Chu emperor, was not entirely confident. If he succeeded, all would be well, but if he failed... what would become of his younger sister, Lin Miao...?

This was the first time Lin Yan had thought about such a problem, and for a moment he was at a loss for what to do.

Lost in thought, I lost track of how much time had passed.

"Xiao Jin?"

For some reason, without any clue, Lin Yan inexplicably thought of Xiao Jin.

After a brief hesitation.

"Whether it succeeds or not, if possible, it might be the most ideal ending for my sister..."

As he muttered to himself, the color in Lin Yan's eyes... gradually hardened!