CHAPTER 692: 692, ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE LIN FAMILY?

"Brother Yun Xiao, do you know which trees are not poisonous?"

The simple-minded Lin Xuan Hao did not harbor as many thoughts as Qiao Guinong. From Yun Xiao’s words, he simply deduced the truth in question.

"Of course, just follow me!"

Yun Xiao completely ignored the Lin Family members, especially Qiao Guinong’s predatory gaze. After speaking, he patted Lin Xuan Hao’s shoulder and took the lead, walking toward the depths of the pine forest.

"Yun Xiao, wait a moment!"

Seeing the young man enter the pine forest without hesitation, Lin Zhen Jiang’s figure jolted, and he finally came to his senses, shouting loudly.

"If the Family Head doesn’t trust me, then you might as well take a detour!"

Yun Xiao didn’t have much of a relationship with this Lin Family Head. Right now, his mind was solely on Chi Yan. If the latter really encountered the Tao Family Head from the Seeking Origin Realm, misfortune was more likely than not. Yun Xiao wouldn’t foolishly take a detour and waste too much time.

"I believe in Brother Yun Xiao!"

Just as Lin Zhen Jiang was hesitating, Lin Xuan Hao shouted out, then stepped onto Yun Xiao’s footprint, following closely behind.

At that moment, Lin Xuan Tian exchanged a glance with Qiao Guinong, and a thought suddenly rose in their hearts: If Yun Xiao’s deduction was wrong and the pine needles fell, poisoning both individuals in the forest.

Step, step, step...

Yun Xiao and Lin Xuan Hao had both walked quite a distance, and nothing had happened yet. Although they weren’t sure if it was because no pine needles had fallen, a strange thought emerged in Lin Zhen Jiang and the others’ hearts.

"Follow them!"

Seeing no further movement and that Yun Xiao and Lin Xuan Hao were about to disappear from their sight, Lin Zhen Tian finally stopped hesitating. With a wave of his hand, he stepped into the pine forest following the footprints of the two who had gone before.

This wasn’t just because Lin Zhen Jiang believed Yun Xiao. It was also because his beloved son had followed him. If something happened, he could at least make a move to rescue him if he was nearby.

Since the Family Head had spoken, Qiao Guinong, Lin Xuan Tian, and the Lin Family guards put aside the fear in their hearts and filed into the forest, heading deeper into the pine woods.

A short while later, the pine forest returned to silence, leaving only a few corpses with pitch-black hands and feet, as if to signify the deadly danger of the pine forest to those who came after.

...

Crack!

After about half an hour, one of the Lin Family guards seemed to be distracted and stepped on a dead branch, inadvertently causing a nearby pine tree to shake slightly and drop several pine needles.

Seeing this, the guard was instantly horrified, subconsciously trying to dodge to the side. However, in the dense forest, any random evasion would surely hit another pine tree. This could potentially set off a chain reaction, endangering everyone from the Lin Family in the forest.

"Don’t move!"

At this critical moment, a low shout suddenly came. It was as if the voice had some kind of magical power that made the Lin Family guard freeze in place.

In just a moment’s delay, the pine needles had fallen, and, coincidentally or miraculously, landed on the guard’s face, turning his face deathly pale, feeling as if he had been poisoned and would not live much longer.

"What are you panicking about, there’s no poison!"

As everyone stared dumbfounded at the guard, the familiar voice came again, and then they saw the pine needles slide off the guard’s face, which did not turn the black color they had imagined.

"I’m still alive, haha, I’m actually still alive?"

The Lin Family guard, sensing no abnormalities on his face or body, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. His outburst of emotion would certainly seem bizarre to outsiders, who would definitely laugh.

But at this moment, none of the Lin Family members laughed at him, for they knew that anyone who thought they were as good as dead and then came out unscathed would feel a rush of excitement.

"Keep your voice down, just because that tree isn’t poisonous doesn’t mean the others aren’t!"

Perhaps only one person could remain calm, and naturally, that was Yun Xiao. Seeing the guard getting carried away, he once again shouted lowly, abruptly halting the guard’s laughter.

"This young lad really has some skills!"

After this incident, Lin Zhen Jiang, the Lin Family Head who had somewhat doubted before, gained more confidence in Yun Xiao and also became more curious about the young man’s background.

Compared to the Lin Family Head, Qiao Guinong and Lin Xuantian’s emotions were much more complicated, especially for Qiao Guinong, a Meridian Refining Master of Earth Rank Low Level. Yet on the matter of sensing, to actually be outdone by a teenager of seventeen or eighteen years of age?

Qiao Guinong had no idea how Yun Xiao managed to sense those deadly poisons and successively avoid them. As far as his own sensing was concerned, he hadn’t detected even the slightest anomaly. However, he was well aware that Lu Yuanpei of the Tao Family would surely not have poisoned just one tree at the entrance. That would have been far too easy to neutralize.

Despite not understanding and even feeling some jealousy, Qiao Guinong ultimately dared not act on his own and could only follow in Yun Xiao’s footsteps. Even he wasn’t completely confident that he would be unscathed after being subjected to such potent poisons.

"Sigh..."

As the Lin family members saw the figure in coarse clothes finally stop walking, and when there were no more pine trees ahead, they all couldn’t help but let out a great sigh of relief, Lin Zhenjiang included.

"We’ve finally made it out!"

Lin Xuanhao looked back at the pine forest, patted his own chest, then turned his head and said, "Father, this time, we really should thank Brother Yun Xiao properly!"

"Of course, Young Brother Yun Xiao’s skills are astonishing, truly a rare talent. I wonder if he would be interested in joining our Lin Family?"

At this moment, Lin Zhenjiang’s face was full of appreciation. After uttering that last sentence, Lin Xuanhao looked forward with anticipation, while the expression on Qiao Guinong and Lin Xuantian by his side became quite unsightly.

Even though under Yun Xiao’s deliberate concealment, Lin Zhenjiang did not know his true cultivation level. But at such a young age, even those famous talents from the Southern Domain of the Tenglong Continent, at most, are only at the early-to-middle stages of the Qi Seeking Realm. If he joined the Lin Family, it would not be beneath him.

Moreover, from what Lin Zhenjiang implied, if Yun Xiao agreed to join the Lin Family, his status was likely not going to be much lower than that of the two young masters, which made the Lin family guards by their side envy.

"Sorry, Lin Family Head, I’m used to going about alone, I can’t stand being constrained!"

Yet, when all the guards thought that Yun Xiao would surely accept the Family Head’s invitation, the young man uttered such words with an unwavering attitude, leaving everyone somewhat stunned.

Though the Lin Family is only a small clan on the Tenglong Continent, at the very least, it is one of the two major families in Yujiang City of the Southern Domain. What right does a youth with an unknown background have to refuse?

But what these people did not know was that even Xuanyin Hall and the Meridian Refining Master Association, top powers of the Tenglong Continent, once extended olive branches to Yun Xiao, and he firmly rejected them all.

How could a mere Yujiang City family compare to Xuanyin Hall and the Meridian Refining Master Association which boasted Heavenly Rank Experts? Yun Xiao’s ambitions were not even on this little Hidden Dragon Continent.

Of course, Yun Xiao would not divulge such matters. And with those words spoken, Lin Zhenjiang knew that his attempt to win him over had failed, while Lin Xuanhao also couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment.

"What an ungrateful kid!"

As for Lin Xuantian and Qiao Guinong, the only thing left in their hearts was a sneer. As long as Yun Xiao didn’t join the Lin Family, it would undoubtedly be much more convenient for them to do things without much concern.

"Let’s hurry up. It wouldn’t be good if the Tao Family got ahead of us!"

Yun Xiao didn’t have so many thoughts. After speaking, he didn’t hesitate and immediately dashed in one direction. He seemed to have already sensed that familiar aura.

"Eh? How does he know it’s that direction? Xuan Hao, did you tell him?"

Seeing the direction Yun Xiao ran off to, Lin Zhenjiang came back to his senses with a trace of confusion, then quickly turned his gaze to his son.

"No!"

Hearing the question, Lin Xuanhao was also somewhat bewildered, but after witnessing Yun Xiao’s prior abilities, such weird occurrences didn’t affect him too much.

"Hmph, maybe that kid was hiding and eavesdropped on our conversation!"

However, Lin Xuantian didn’t think so. For some reason, he just couldn’t bring himself to like Yun Xiao. His words also carried an unmistakable dissatisfaction.

"Big brother, Brother Yun Xiao has just done us a big favor. How can you speak of him like that?"

Lin Xuanhao turned his head puzzledly. He had now realized that his elder brother seemed to have a deep disdain for Yun Xiao, even though the latter had not offended him.

"Young Master Xuan Hao, while it’s said one’s heart should not harbor the intent to harm others, one must also guard against the potential harm from others. You’ve only known that kid for a few days, remember the saying ’You can see a person’s face but not their heart’."

Naturally, Qiao Guinong and Lin Xuantian shared the same view, and this statement was much more reasonable than mere suspicion. In fact, aside from Lin Xuanhao, they knew nothing about Yun Xiao’s origins, and suspicion was within reason.

"You guys..., Father, you come and judge this!"

Lin Xuanhao was a bit exasperated and somewhat at a loss for words, so he could only appeal to his father. However, he then saw his father staring at the back of Yun Xiao, seemingly in a daze, and it was unclear what he was thinking about.

"Let’s just wait and see!"

After some time, Lin Zhenjiang also didn’t make a clear judgment. As the Family Head of the Lin Family, he would not easily come to a conclusion without understanding the truth. Perhaps in their subsequent interactions, he would have a better understanding of this youth in coarse clothing.