Chapter Twenty-Two: Deputy Commander Yu Da

After all, Wei Da had only recently been promoted to Deputy Commander—barely ten days ago, just when he had returned to the Lin family from the Sky-reaching Sect. Moreover, he had been transferred from elsewhere, rumored to have pulled some strings for the position. Since it was his first arrival, the Lin family had prepared a modest gift as a formality; that was when he first met Wei Da, and this marked only the second encounter.

Now, the Lin family was powerful and hardly cared about a few presents. Besides, as the preeminent family of North Xiao City, they too had access to the City Lord—though it would be improper to seek him out for every minor issue. Day-to-day security in the surrounding areas was the responsibility of this Deputy Commander; if the Lin family ran into trouble, such as someone causing disturbances at their shops, it was always Wei Da they had to approach.

With these thoughts, Lin Xiong put on a smile and said to Wei Da, “Deputy Commander Wei, it’s true the Lin family was somewhat inconsiderate this time. I hope you’ll forgive us. Here, I have a small token for you and your men—just something for you all to enjoy a drink together.”

As he spoke, Lin Xiong drew out a stack of banknotes from his storage ring—at least twenty or thirty of them—and handed them to Wei Da.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t have. I didn’t come here today to ask for silver,” Wei Da replied, his eyes lighting up as he spoke modestly, though his hand had already taken the banknotes. When he saw that each note was for a thousand taels, his eyes nearly crinkled into laughter.

“It’s only a small gesture. No need to take it to heart, Deputy Commander Wei. By the way, if you have time, perhaps you could help me pass along a question to the City Lord. He once said that if my father recovered his Meridian-Opening cultivation, he’d be happy to spar with him. My father has now recovered. I wonder when this exchange might take place?”

Seeing the smiling Wei Da, Lin Xiong kept a polite but stiff smile, casually mentioning this matter. It was no fabrication; years ago, when the Lin family first settled in North Xiao City, the City Lord was not the current one. Later, when the City Lord changed decades ago, and learned that Lin Xiong’s father was also at the Meridian-Opening stage, he invited him to a friendly duel. However, Lin Xiong’s father was seriously injured at the time, and the duel never happened.

“Meridian-Opening stage—!” Wei Da’s smile froze for a moment, and he thought to himself, “Isn’t that the same realm as the Commander? The Lin family is stronger than I realized; I’d better not try to extort them but keep things friendly instead.”

He had only been in North Xiao City for eight or nine days and thought the Lin family was weak, their strongest barely at the mid-phase of the Qi-Pulse stage. Although, a few days after his arrival, the Lin family had suddenly wiped out the three major families, he assumed their strongest had simply advanced to the late Qi-Pulse stage—his own level—and perhaps brought in some outside help. It had never occurred to him that the Lin family might have a Meridian-Opening expert.

After all, with someone at the Meridian-Opening stage, why would they bother with such a small place as North Xiao City? So, after the Lin family devoured the three families, taking a large share of power, Wei Da felt confident—after all, he had the backing of the Great Commander at the Meridian-Opening stage, the City Lord at the same level, and even the General at the peak of Meridian-Opening. He himself was a late Qi-Pulse expert. Even if the Lin family’s strongest had broken through, at most they were his equal, so he dared to request some “tribute money.”

But now, upon hearing Lin Xiong’s words, his courage faltered. The Lin family’s strongest was not only at the Meridian-Opening stage but also acquainted with the City Lord. If word reached the City Lord that he was collecting tribute, the punishment might be severe.

Although he was part of the Garrison, his unit had been split off—a mere ten thousand men, essentially a Security Force under the City Lord’s command.

Wei Da considered his options, then smiled at Lin Xiong, saying, “For a mere drink with me and my men, five notes would suffice; the rest is too much.”

He took out five banknotes and pocketed them, returning the rest. He didn’t want the City Lord to hear of this, but didn’t want to leave empty-handed either, so he took only five notes. To his mind, this wasn’t excessive; the Lin family, as the grandest in North Xiao City, could spare five thousand taels for the sake of camaraderie—a drop in the ocean.

Thus, he had both respected the Lin family and taken care of his men—a win-win situation.

But just as he handed them back, Lin Xiong pushed the notes back to him, saying, “I can’t promise we’ll invite your men for a drink every month, so let them drink their fill this time. Besides, there will be many matters in the future that will require your men’s assistance, Deputy Commander Wei.”

Some things are best left unspoken, and Wei Da, understanding, tucked all the notes into his breast pocket.

He then cupped his fists to Lin Xiong with a smile and said, “In that case, I gratefully accept. Should you ever need anything, just say the word—the Security Force will always be at the Lin family’s service!”

“Much appreciated!” Lin Xiong replied in kind. As they exchanged pleasantries, Lin Hu strode into the assembly hall and announced, “Master, a few well-dressed youths are outside asking for Third Young Master, claiming to be his friends. However, the Third Young Master has already gone out and isn’t home.”

“Oh? Friends of Fan’er? Invite them in at once, and send someone to fetch Fan’er home quickly!” Lin Xiong’s eyes lit up at this.

Since childhood, Lin Fan had been somewhat withdrawn due to his lack of talent in cultivation and had never had many friends. Hearing now that some friends had come, and that Lin Hu noted their fine attire, Lin Xiong sensed these visitors were not ordinary.

He was curious to see what sort of friends his son had made.

“Yes, I will bring the guests in at once,” Lin Hu replied, bowing and departing the assembly hall.

“Since your esteemed son’s friends have arrived, I won’t intrude any longer. If you ever need anything, just let me know—the Security Force will always support the Lin family,” Wei Da said with a cupped fist, taking his leave upon hearing of the visitors for the Third Young Master.

“Ha, then I’ll have to trouble you in the future, Deputy Commander Wei,” Lin Xiong replied, returning the gesture without urging him to stay.

He knew that the twenty thousand taels given today were enough to satisfy Wei Da, while the mention of the old master’s strength had made it clear that the Lin family was not to be trifled with.

“Deputy Commander Wei? That must be that oaf Wei Da!” Suddenly, a clear, youthful voice rang out nearby, as if having overheard their conversation. The tone was utterly dismissive of Wei Da, as if addressing a mere servant.

Hearing this, Lin Xiong’s expression changed. Though Wei Da was only a Deputy Commander, he wielded real power in North Xiao City and was himself a late Qi-Pulse stage expert. If not for the Lin family’s old master, Lin Xiong would have felt uneasy facing Wei Da.

For a youth to speak so wildly, disregarding Wei Da—what was his background?

In fact, the moment the youth spoke, Lin Xiong sensed that Lin Hu was approaching the assembly hall with six young men.

This was also why he hadn’t pressed Wei Da to stay—entertaining his son’s friends with an outsider present would have been awkward.

But he hadn’t expected one of these youths to speak so brazenly. If their backing was strong enough, it would not matter; but if they were merely from a family only slightly stronger than the Lin family, they were in for trouble today.

After all, a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local serpent. Even if other families from different cities were more powerful, as outsiders, if they provoked the Deputy Commander here, and their families were only marginally stronger than the newly dominant Lin family, they would suffer setbacks in Wei Da’s territory.

Lin Xiong’s mind raced as he weighed the possibilities. If these youths were from other families, they would either have to be so powerful that Wei Da dared not act, or at the very least, stronger than the Lin family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared speak of Wei Da so lightly.

If they were only slightly stronger than the Lin family, Wei Da would certainly not let his dignity be slighted and would respond with a measured show of force. As Lin Fan’s friends, Lin Xiong would likely have to intervene and deflect any punishment.

“When did Fan’er make such friends? Judging by their demeanor, their families must be even more influential than ours!” Lin Xiong thought, surprised at his son’s connections. Still, he looked up at Wei Da to see if the man would take offense.

Thoughts flashed through Lin Xiong’s mind with lightning speed; in less than a heartbeat, he had considered all the possibilities.