My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

By the time they reached the Guardian Station, Liang Cheng had recovered some of his strength. He gave a detailed account of the night’s events, holding nothing back except for the major advancement in his own cultivation.

After hearing the story, Wu Zhenshan’s smile grew even wider. With a hint of lingering fear, he began to praise Liang Cheng effusively.

"Heaven has blessed our Lin Wu City! If Town Guardian Liang hadn’t foreseen the danger and returned in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. This is a monumental achievement! Steward Zhou, you and I have both witnessed it with our own eyes!"

Zhou Jin’s expression was grave. He clasped his hands in a formal salute. "Town Guardian Liang, you turned the tide against a hopeless situation, saved hundreds of lives, and thwarted the Cult’s blood sacrifice. I am truly impressed. For this, the City Lord’s Mansion will surely reward you handsomely."

Liang Cheng was perfectly calm. "I am the Town Guardian of Dongshan Mine. This was simply my duty, nothing more to be said. It’s just a shame that I didn’t have time to search their bodies before the altar exploded. No evidence was left behind."

Hearing this, Wu Zhenshan felt a little more at ease and immediately picked up the conversation. "Those Cult fanatics are cruel and insane; their deaths are no loss. It’s just a pity about those miners who were deceived, and the members of the Lin Family. If they hadn’t reported to the Guardian Station right away, we would have never known such a major incident was happening down in the mines."

As he spoke, Wu Zhenshan looked at the members of the Lin Family being supported by others. He shook his head and sighed, a pained expression on his face. Lin Chong’s eyes were bloodshot. He stared at his unconscious father and his clansmen, who had suffered heavy casualties, grinding his teeth so hard they creaked.

Zhou Jin walked over to Lin Yue, crouched down, and carefully examined him for a moment. He then stood up and said to Lin Chong, "Young Master Lin, your father’s injuries are extremely severe. His meridians are damaged, and his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi are showing signs of atrophy. Even if he wakes up, I’m afraid his cultivation will be impossible to save."

Lin Chong’s body trembled, his eyes filled with utter despair.

Liang Cheng could only remain silent.

He could save the Lin Family, but he couldn’t save Lin Yue’s crippled cultivation.

After this catastrophe, the Lin Family had lost all its high-level experts. In Dongshan Mine, a place surrounded by tigers and wolves, they likely no longer had the foundation to survive.

Zhou Jin patted Lin Chong’s shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone, "Young Master Lin, this is no longer a safe place, and it’s not suitable for recuperation. In my opinion, you should take your father and your clansmen and temporarily move to Lin Wu City. The City Lord is benevolent and will surely arrange proper accommodations for you."

At this point, Zhou Jin paused. "As for the Lin Family’s shares in the Dongshan Mine..."

"The Lin Family is likely in no position to manage them now. Rather than holding onto them and attracting covetous eyes, it would be better to trade them away. In exchange, you could secure a stable foundation in the city, giving your clansmen a place to live and allowing your father to recuperate in peace."

Lin Chong froze. He understood Zhou Jin’s meaning: the Lin Family was to withdraw from Dongshan Mine, surrender their shares, and in return, receive the protection of the City Lord’s Mansion in Lin Wu City to live out their days in peace.

This was a blatant takeover by the City Lord’s Mansion, but it was also the only path to survival the Lin Family had left.

Refuse?

’With the Lin Family in its current shattered state, how could they possibly protect their assets?’

’It would probably only be a matter of days before they were devoured by other powers.’

His face was deathly pale as he involuntarily looked toward Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng met his gaze but didn’t show any reaction. He understood clearly that Zhou Jin wasn’t just expressing a personal opinion; he was representing the will of the City Lord’s Mansion.

’This was an open conspiracy, and a transaction.’

’The City Lord’s Mansion wanted to increase its control over Dongshan Mine, and this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Lin Family, a local power that had grown too big for its britches.’

’And by giving the Lin Family a way out and some compensation, they could display their benevolence and avoid the infamy of ’killing the hound after the hunt.’"

’Manipulating people’s hearts... it’s always like this.’

Liang Cheng sighed internally.

’With this move, the City Lord’s Mansion gained tangible benefits, preserved its reputation, and even placed the potentially resentful Lin Family right under its nose for supervision.’

’But the Lin Family had no choice but to accept this outcome. Strength is the foundation of everything.’

’The City Lord’s Mansion’s calculations were truly brilliant.’

Liang Cheng even began to suspect that his own appointment as the Town Guardian of Dongshan Mine had been part of their calculations all along.

Seeing that Liang Cheng offered no support, the last shred of resistance in Lin Chong vanished. ’At least my family is still alive,’ he thought. ’That’s a blessing in this misfortune.’

He gave a wretched smile and bowed to Zhou Jin. "We will abide by all of Steward Zhou’s arrangements. I only ask that the City Lord’s Mansion grant my Lin Family a path to survival."

Zhou Jin said gently, "Young Master Lin, rest assured. The Lin Family has shown great understanding of the bigger picture. The City Lord will not treat you unfairly. There is a three-courtyard residence in the west of Lin Wu City. It’s in a quiet and secluded environment, perfect for recuperation."

Wu Zhenshan watched coldly from the side, sneering inwardly. ’Ah, Shen Jun, Shen Jun... you always make your power grabs look so elegant.’

’Still, it’s for the best. With the Lin Family, that potential threat, removed, it saves me some trouble.’

’It’s just that now, the Big Head of Dongshan Mine will be firmly in the hands of the City Lord’s Mansion.’

And so, the dust settled.

Afterward, the soldiers of the Martial Preparation Hall cleaned up the scene. Aside from some slag from the Blood Marrow Jade that survived the explosion, nothing was left.

With such a major incident concluded, Wu Zhenshan and Zhou Jin could not linger. They led a large contingent of men and escorted the remnants of the Lin Family away from the mining area.

Before leaving, Wu Zhenshan earnestly urged Liang Cheng to rest and recover, stating clearly that he would report his great achievements and would absolutely not treat a man of merit unfairly.

Liang Cheng stood at the entrance of the Guardian Station, watching the crowd disappear into the distance.

The Lin Family of Dongshan Mine was no more.

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