"I see, well, your mother doesn’t understand these things. Your mother just hopes for your safety and peace. Our family doesn’t seek great wealth. Your mother hopes you and Liang’Er can be safe and sound."
Mrs. Lin was unaware that Xing Huaifeng’s visit to Linhu Village was specifically targeting Lin Chen. Hearing her son’s explanation, she believed it.
A high-ranking official like that, if he didn’t value her son, how could he have personally co to Linhu Village?
Thinking like this, her worries slightly lessened.
After comforting his mother with a few words, Lin Chen then left the Lin Family. At the village entrance, Gu Fei was already waiting there holding a horse.
"Chen, the village chief knew you were going to the city today, so I rented a horse from the town’s stable during the day."
Looking at the horse Gu Fei was holding, Lin Chen thought for a mont: "Fei, go and discuss with the village chief to see if our village can raise a few horses."
The village has no horses, if they need to go to the city, they can row a boat, but going anywhere else would be inconvenient.
Raising a few horses might prove useful in urgent matters.
"Raising horses?"
Gu Fei’s eyes lit up: "That’s a good suggestion. I’ll go and tell the village chief later. It’s not a big deal for our village to raise a few horses now, we have the money."
"The village has money?"
"Hehe, I don’t know who spread the word, saying that our village has good feng shui. So big families want to move their ancestral graves here. The back of the mountain is certainly not for outsiders, but isn’t there a small hill past the back of the mountain? The village chief sold that to those big families, not the whole hill, just graves. Ten taels of silver per grave, and he has sold ten graves already. The village chief slapped his thigh and said they bought it cheap!"
Uh...
Lin Chen couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. The old village chief indeed had a head for business, even knowing to sell by the grave.
"The village chief said he kept this money for you."
"No need to give it to , give it to the youngsters in the village who are learning martial arts. You can set a reward system, giving so silver coin rewards for achieving certain results in the Martial Hall."
Lin Chen didn’t intend for the village chief to provide financial support to the impoverished youngsters in the village learning martial arts. It’s not that he was cold-hearted. At the current stage, Linhu Village isn’t really wealthy, and practicing martial arts requires a lot of expenses. Counting on the village’s little financial support is far from enough.
Helping in a ti of need is a nice story, but it also requires acting within one’s capacity. What Linhu Village can do at this stage is just add a bit of help.
"Okay, I will tell the village chief."
Lin Chen mounted the horse and then thought of sothing, saying from the horseback: "Oh, tell the village chief not to sell everything, reserve so of the hilltops."
"Reserve the hilltops? Chen, do you want them?"
"Why would I want them?" Lin Chen rolled his eyes: "Reserve them for a future price increase."
Gu Fei doesn’t understand what "waiting to sell at a higher price" ans. The old village chief might understand a bit, but not much.
As long as Lin Chen continues to make progress in the Martial Path, the rumors of Linhu Village having good feng shui will only spread further. By then, a grave plot might sell not just for thirty taels but even as much as one hundred taels.
Those big families don’t lack that bit of money. Their ancestral graves are nurous. Moving one grave among many and trying it out won’t result in any loss.
...
...
Poyang County.
By the ti Lin Chen arrived, the city gate was already closed.
But when Lin Chen spoke, the guards recognized him and imdiately let him pass.
Upon entering the city, Lin Chen headed straight for the Martial Affairs Office.
"Lord Su is already waiting for you in the backyard, co with ."
Su Lingchuan’s trusted aide led Lin Chen to the backyard. Lin Chen wasn’t surprised that Lord Su anticipated his visit today.
Lord Su surely knew about his return, and once Lin Chen returned to the village, he would inevitably co to the Martial Affairs Office to seek answers from Lord Su.
In the backyard, Su Lingchuan wasn’t eting with Lin Chen in the courtyard this ti, but in the study.
Su Lingchuan was writing at the desk, and he didn’t look up when Lin Chen entered. Only after finishing his writing did he put down the pen and speak: "I know you have many questions. Before I answer them, I would like to ask you one thing."
"Please ask, my lord."
"If soone intentionally targets you, and their power is overwhelming, crushing you like an ant, what would you do?"
Su Lingchuan stared intently at Lin Chen. Lin Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. The implication in Lord Su’s words was different from what he had deduced.
After learning about the situation from the old village chief yesterday, he deduced that he might have been caught in a vortex of conflict between notable figures.
He had considered whether a particular influential figure was specifically targeting him, but he thought it unlikely.
He didn’t seem to have offended any powerful force. The only ones he had offended were the Shao Family and Lian Family, one had moved their entire family away, and the other was wiped out—there were no other forces with a grudge against him.
His remarkable performance in martial arts tournants might have offended soone, potentially overshadowing a disciple of so family.
But that alone wouldn’t warrant such full-scale targeting, mobilizing even the Director of the Military Affairs Departnt against him.
Considering these thoughts, coupled with Lord Qiu’s reassignnt and Lord Xing taking up the position, Lin Chen felt he had been caught between the battles of two successive Directors, suffering a needless disaster.
But now Lord Su was telling him that the opposition was directed at him specifically, not rely him getting caught in the vortex of notable figures’ conflicts.
"I would choose to go far away and return only when my strength is sufficient to contend against them."
Upon hearing Lin Chen’s answer, Su Lingchuan smiled. Young people are headstrong and unwilling to suffer grievances. He feared Lin Chen might confront the Huo family head-on, or even beco entangled with another family possibly behind them.
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