The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 145: 145. The treasure. [3]

Realising that they had been discovered, the two men abandoned all thoughts of running and without exchanging a single word, they simultaneously lunged toward Lin Xuan intending to summon their Martial Spirits.

However, before either of them could complete the manifestation, Lin Xuan released a sliver of his Nascent Soul aura and an overwhelming pressure descended upon the treasury.

The terrifying pressure instantly locked onto the two intruders, freezing them where they stood.

Their bodies became as rigid as statues.

No matter how desperately they struggled, they could not move so much as a finger.

Only then did Lin Xuan casually glance toward the entrance noting that the young woman who had been standing guard outside had already vanished without a trace.

His expression remained calm as he withdrew his gaze and looked back at the two immobilized thieves.

"Are the three of you the only ones who came here?"

The man without the storage pouch struggled against the crushing pressure before finally giving up.

"...Yes."

His voice was strained.

"There were only three of us."

Lin Xuan gave a slight nod but offered no further response.

Instead, his gaze drifted back toward the gray stone resting quietly within the glass display case and a thought slowly surfaced in his mind.

Could the threat from the Qin Family simply be erased... by handing it over?

The instant that thought appeared, a system notification materialized before his eyes.

[Handing over the item will result in the system disappearing.]

Lin Xuan merely glanced at the message before returning his attention to the stone.

The warning alone was not enough to change his mind as the Lin Family was still far too weak.

Yes, he possessed a system. With the system, countless opportunities had come because of it, and it had allowed him to obtain a lot of wealth.

But all of that meant nothing if the Lin Family failed to survive the present.

Before tonight, he had no idea what the Qin Family wanted.

Now he knew that they wanted this stone.

If the Qin Family truly resolved to obtain it, they would not even need to intervene personally.

With a single command, countless forces within the kingdom would gladly act on their behalf.

Such was the influence of a rank 1 family.

The Lin Family, by comparison, was merely a newly promoted Rank 8 family within a single kingdom.

The disparity between the two was immeasurable.

The system warning continued flashing before his eyes.

[Handing over the item will result in the system disappearing.]

Agaib and again.

Yet the more Lin Xuan considered the situation, the more reasonable the idea became.

If surrendering a single stone could remove the Qin Family’s attention from the Lin Family, then perhaps it was a price worth paying.

At the very least, it would buy the Lin Family more time to grow.

Just then, the system message changed.

[In exchange for not handing over the stone, I will reward you with information.]

Lin Xuan’s pupils contracted slightly.

"...I?"

This was the first time since obtaining the system that it had referred to itself as "I."

But... wasn’t the promised reward for keeping the stone already information?

The thought caused Lin Xuan to frown as he looked at the system screen.

For a while, the the screen remained completely still. It was as though the system itself had halted to think.

Meanwhile, the two captured thieves continued struggling beneath the crushing weight of the Nascent Soul aura.

Their bodies trembled violently.

Every muscle in their bodies strained against the invisible pressure.

Even so, the best they could manage was to keep themselves from collapsing face-first onto the ground.

A moment later, the system finally responded.

[In exchange for providing more information, I will take something away from you.]

Lin Xuan frowned at the message but the system wasn’t done as another notification appeared.

[But if this item ends up in the hands of the Qin Family, I will ensure that I provide the Qin Patriarch with enough temptations that he’ll have to personally act and destroy the Lin Family.]

🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ • • • •

Lin Xuan stared blankly at the screen.

For a brief moment, he had the overwhelming urge to scream, What the heck?!

After taking several deep breaths, he finally forced himself to calm down and with a cough, he spoke the words aloud, "Alright, give me the information."

He spoke the words out because the very moment he had wanted to scream out, his concentration had wavered and the Nascent Soul pressure pinning down the two thieves surged had uncontrollably slamming the two men into the stone floor.

Their bodies burst apart on impact, leaving behind nothing but pools of blood.

Lin Xuan merely glanced at the gruesome scene before turning his attention back to the system.

Soon, the system message started appearing.

[The system, as you know it... is merely an artifact.]

[More precisely, I am a Myth Grade artifact, if you desperately need to know.]

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

A Myth Grade artifact?

[The stone before you is a fragment of my existence.]

[I draw my power from that fragment.]

[If you hand it over to the Qin Family, they will gain control of me instead.]

[That will inevitably lead to the downfall of the Lin Family.]

A final message slowly appeared.

[Now, make your choice, choose wisely.]

Lin Xuan clicked his tongue.

Make my choice? Did I even have one?

The situation in his mind was painfully clear.

He was like a man trapped inside a cave.

The path ahead was guarded by a ferocious lion and the path behind was sealed by a massive boulder he had no hope of moving.

Now, the artifact had thrown him a shovel and told him to dig his own way out.

Whether he survived no longer depended solely on his own efforts.

It had become a gamble.

All he could do was pray that the lion would not lose its patience and charge before he managed to dig his way out of the cave.

After a long silence, Lin Xuan finally let out a helpless sigh.

"Fine, I’ll be keeping the stone."

Besides, it was not as though he had a thief within arm’s reach to deliver it to the Qin Family even if he suddenly changed his mind.

The instant his decision was made, another system notification appeared.

[Your Myth Grade Pill Refining Talent has been taken away.]

Lin Xuan’s expression suddenly froze.

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