I Can Recognize Everything, But the Information is Wrong-Chapter 212 - 176: Blatant Extortion

He and Tribute Master Li had no grudges or resentments, and thus he could not bring himself to harm others for his own gain.

Tian Lin did not stay there long and once again dived toward the distant sea.

Not long after, a small boat appeared in front of Tian Lin.

As Tian Lin approached the boat, Zhou Shoufan on the boat frowned and glanced at the seawater below.

Under the sea, Tian Lin was slightly startled and held his breath, sinking another ten meters deeper.

At this moment, he could not see Zhou Shoufan, and Zhou Shoufan on the boat could not see Tian Lin either.

It was then that Tian Lin heard the sound of waves above, and vaguely saw another boat appear on the surface.

Following that, a young man's voice came: "Xing Bufan, where is the soul gathering bead you promised?"

"Lord Tong, the soul gathering beads are right here."

After Zhou Shoufan spoke, the young man's voice echoed again, his tone casual yet intriguing:

"You are no less than my thirteenth brother, possessing the Five Elements Dharma Body and reaching mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation;

My thirteenth brother knows to collect Residual Souls, competing for the position of Outer Disciple in Shuiyun Sect, are you, Xing Bufan, content to forever be a Tribute to the Tong Family?"

Listening to Zhou Shoufan's voice:

"The Tong Family prohibits the private trading of Residual Souls, merely because the slots for Outer Disciples in Shuiyun Sect are limited, fearing that the Tong Family cannot compete with outsiders, hence they made this rule to restrict others, but they themselves might not adhere to it.

Realizing this, I understand that I, Huahua Lang, cannot compete with the Tong Family's noble Disciples. Rather than foolishly dreaming of contending for the position of an Outer Disciple, I might as well sell the Residual Souls in the soul gathering beads for some Spirit Stones to make money."

After he finished speaking, the voice of the young lord rang out:

"Good, no wonder you have achieved mid-stage Foundation Establishment at such a young age. In this world, compared to heritage, so-called talent isn't that important.

Here are seventy Mid-grade Spirit Stones, consider it payment for you."

The two had just finished speaking when a sudden sound of a guzheng began to play.

Tian Lin under the sea was startled, then his expression changed immediately.

Although he was submerged a dozen meters below, he clearly saw a painted boat slowly appearing through the mist on the sea surface.

The painted boat was huge, decked with big red lanterns on its two-story structure.

"What the heck is that?"

Just as the young lord's voice sounded, his whole person flew towards the painted boat.

Tian Lin just heard the young lord roar angrily: "Xing Bufan, how dare you use me to shield yourself?"

Then came a swishing sound above Tian Lin's head, as the boat belonging to Zhou Shoufan quickly moved away from the swiftly approaching painted boat.

Meanwhile, a bamboo pole of unknown material, impaling a young man whose eyes were wide open in death, lightly stirred under the sea.

Tian Lin saw the young lord on the bamboo pole, evidently directly killed by 'Sect Master Xun' at the bow of the ship.

At this moment, the young lord with widened eyes slid off the bamboo pole, sinking towards the depths of the Immortal Sinking Pond.

Above Tian Lin's head, the sound of the guzheng and the mournful singing of the courtesan faded into the distance.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Tian Lin dived towards the young lord.

His hands swift like lightning, he directly removed the Storage Bag from the young lord's body and also took the seemingly valuable Jade Pendant from his waist. This time, instead of changing direction, he swam chasing after the direction of the painted boat.

The painted boat, when unencountered by people, moved very slowly.

But once it met someone, its speed would increase drastically, almost instantly approaching them until it killed those who were catching roaming souls on the sea, then it would turn away and slowly depart.

Just in one night, Tian Lin followed this painted boat, directly earning three Storage Bags and several porcelain vials of unknown Elixirs.

As soon as daybreak arrived, the painted boat vanished into the mist, and Tian Lin, exhausted, finally surfaced in a deserted area near the sea, taking out a spare wooden boat from his own Storage Bag to climb aboard.

When Tian Lin reached near the coast, Gao He and his wife had already gone ashore, accompanied by many Foundation Establishment Cultivators that Tian Lin did not recognize.

The Great Elder was also among the crowd; upon seeing Tian Lin appear, he hurried over to ask:

"Was there a painted boat appearing last night, did you happen to encounter it?"

Glancing at Zhou Shoufan behind the Great Elder, Tian Lin only saw Zhou Shoufan's furrowed eyebrows and a somewhat solemn expression.

After thinking, Tian Lin also nodded solemnly and said:

"That painted boat was extremely fearsome. I only encountered it once—poor Jiang Tribute Master, a strong Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was killed in one move by the boatman on the boat."

The Great Elder turned and glanced at Zhou Shoufan, and then heard Zhou Shoufan say:

"The boatman on that painted boat might be at the Night Patrol Deity Realm. If the boatman is already so, the singing courtesan onboard might just be a Day Patrol Deity."

The Great Elder nodded and said to the adjacent Foundation Establishment Cultivators:

"I will discuss this matter with the ancient ancestor. From now on, when you see this painted boat or hear that singing, it is better to flee early.

I think each of you should prepare a set of Soul Needles. With the Soul Needles, you can be mentally prepared before the painted boat appears."

Everyone, upon hearing this, simultaneously agreed.

After the Great Elder left, the crowd turned to their own casual conversations.

Gao He, with Cai Shu in tow, walked over to Tian Lin with a smile and asked:

"Yesterday when Elder Jiang died, you were next to him, Tian. So, what about Elder Jiang's belongings?"

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Aware of some people's gaze turning toward him, Tian Lin straightforwardly responded:

"Elder Jiang's belongings are indeed with me, but they were obtained at the risk of my life from the painter's 'hands.' Surely you don't expect me to return these 'belongings' to the Jiang family?"

Gao He quickly replied, "Tian, you misunderstand, we are not such people."

Ignoring Gao He's explanation and under the envious glances of some, Tian Lin clasped his hands and walked toward Yu'er in the distance.

He could have outright denied possessing Elder Jiang's belongings.

However, considering the substantial gains this time and the difficulty in concealing them, it seemed better to dispose of all three Foundation Establishment cultivators' belongings under the guise of 'Elder Jiang's belongings.'

As Tian Lin approached Yu'er, she rose from her stall.

Besides selling items Tian Lin had given her, she had also gathered items herself to resell.

At that moment, Tian Lin handed a Storage Bag to Yu'er, when he saw a richly dressed young man approaching him.

Tian Lin looked at the young man in puzzlement, and Yu'er softly reminded him at his side, "This is the seventh young master of the Tong Family."

As soon as Yu'er finished speaking, that seventh young master walked up to Tian Lin and asked:

"I heard you are a corpse retriever."

The remark showed no respect, but now Tian Lin was a Tribute of the Tong Family, and this young man was from the Tong Family as well—

Tian Lin couldn't just walk away, nor could he yell out something like 'Thirty years on the east bank and thirty years on the west bank' like Zhou Qing.

"I indeed have retrieved bodies before. May I know what seventh young master seeks from me?"

Tian Lin suspected the other party came to blackmail him.

But even as a disciple of the Tong Family, how could Tian Lin simply surrender his interests?

The seventh young master said, "I heard that you retrieved Elder Jiang's belongings yesterday? So, the Spirit Bead that Elder Jiang had collected over this period is in your hands now?"

Tian Lin then recalled that Gao He had also asked about Elder Jiang's belongings.

Initially thinking that he coveted Elder Jiang's treasures, he now realized that Gao He was probably after the Spirit Bead as well.

"I will hand over the Spirit Bead to the Great Elder. If the seventh young master wants the bead, please ask the Great Elder for it later."

Having understood the situation, Tian Lin made his decision without hesitation.

The seventh young master's face darkened upon hearing this. Before he could speak, his servant girl stepped forward and scolded:

"Do your eyes see only the Great Elder and not our seventh young master?"

Tian Lin found it strange, how could this twelfth-tier Qi Refining woman speak so boldly to him, a cultivator of Foundation Establishment?

Moreover, why should he regard their seventh young master in any special way?

As the servant girl drew her flying sword, Yu'er also drew her sword and stood in front of Tian Lin to face the girl.

Both women were sword holders. Although they were born of the same Tong Family, they now served different masters.

But Tian Lin knew that Yu'er, with only the sixth tier of Qi Refinement, would not stand a chance in a sword fight against this seventh young master's sword holder.

He wasn't concerned about losing face if Yu'er lost in a sword duel, but he didn't want to unnecessarily escalate the conflict.

Tian Lin stepped in front of Yu'er and stared coldly at the seventh young master:

"Tian is a Tribute of the Tong Family, not a slave of the Tong Family. By pressing me this way, does the seventh young master simply think I am easy to bully, or does he think all Tributes of the Tong family must be looked down upon?"

Tian Lin's question was poignant because whichever option the seventh young master acknowledged, it affirmed the notion of bullying by power.

The seventh young master frowned and knew that escalating the issue would not be beneficial for him as he noticed some Foundation Establishment cultivators and other Tributes of the Tong Family watching this interaction.

He cooly glanced at Tian Lin and spoke, "I originally wanted to befriend Tribute Tian. Since you look down on me, we shall meet again later."

With that, he turned around, leading his sword holder away.

At that moment, another Tribute walked over to Tian Lin to console him:

"Tribute Tian, no need to worry. Although we are Tributes for the Tong Family, we are also cultivators of Foundation Establishment. If every Tong Family member could order us around, what would be the point of being a Tribute?

Rest assured, if someone from above inquires, we will speak on your behalf."

Tian Lin responded with a smile, "I appreciate your kindness, and please witness that all of Elder Jiang's Spirit Beads are in this Storage Bag.

None of these beads will I keep; they will all be handed over to the Great Elder."

He knew if he had given the Spirit Beads to the seventh young master, these Tributes would probably hold a grudge against him.

Because in their eyes, the seventh young master was also a competitor.

And his refusal to give the beads to the seventh young master not only avoided attracting hatred but also prevented other young members of the Tong Family from coming to demand the Spirit Beads in the future.

The harder he refuted the seventh young master this time, the others would avoid losing face similarly and would not blatantly come to extort like the seventh young master had tried.