The Prodigies War

Chapter 331 Raising an Army

In the study on the second floor of Mind Cleansing Hall.  

Lin Xun fell into deep contemplation about the huge change in his identity. 

As Xiaoke looked at the handsome teenager, her face scrunched up in worry. She couldn’t help but turn to look at Spirit Vulture. 

However, she saw Spirit Vulture shake his head, as though he was saying that if Lin Xun wanted to wear the crown, he had to bear its weight. He had to adapt to his new identity.  

In the past, Lin Xun had been alone and had no responsibilities or burdens, but now that he wanted to take charge of Mind Cleansing Peak, he had to make changes! 

After a long moment of silence, Lin Xun drew a deep breath and his dark eyes resumed their usual calmness. “Thank you for your reminder.”

Spirit Vulture smiled slightly. 

But Xiaoke was taken aback. She seemed to vaguely feel that Lin Xun had changed, but she couldn’t identify in what ways he had changed. 

“At present, I have two things I need to do,” said Lin Xun after a thought.  

“The first is to recruit troops and raise a large army, and I don’t mean to recruit servants and attendants but to recruit true talents.”  

“The second is that I need specific information about the four branches of the Lin Family. I need it to assess their attitude towards my return.”

After he finished speaking, he shifted his gaze to Spirit Vulture. 

Spirit Vulture thought for a moment, and then there was a twinkle of wisdom in his clear eyes. He said calmly, “The second matter is relatively easy. You can have Xiaoke handle it.”

Xiaoke nodded. “It’s just gathering intelligence. Leave it to me.”

Spirit Vulture continued, “As for recruiting troops...that is more complicated. There are many kinds of talents. I wonder which kind of talent you are seeking?”

Lin Xun said unhesitatingly. “It doesn’t matter if they are powerful or not as long as they are loyal and trustworthy.”

Spirit Vulture nodded. “Okay, but before that, you still need to have one thing.”

Lin Xun looked confused. “What?” 

“Money.”    

Lin Xun slapped his forehead. He had forgotten that Mind Cleansing Peak was completely empty. How could they recruit troops and raise an army without any money?

“Leave it to me.” Lin Xun got to his feet.

He planned to make a trip to Stone Cauldron Alms in the Forbidden City. 

“A lot of money is needed to recruit trustworthy people. You will need at least fifty thousand gold coins for that. Then, once they join the Mind Cleansing Peak, you will need to pay for their food and salary,” Spirit Vulture reminded him. 

“Wait and see. I won’t let you down.” Lin Xun smiled. 

“Then I look forward to it.” Spirit Vulture gave a slight smile. He was very curious as to how Lin Xun would acquire such a huge amount of money. 

……

After Lin Xun left the study, he walked down the mountainous path toward the bottom of the peak. But Lin Zhong suddenly uttered hesitantly, “Young Master, there’s a matter that I don’t know whether I should tell you.”

“Uncle Zhong, what’s the matter?” 

Lin Xun halted and turned to look at Lin Zhong. 

”If I’m not mistaken, Spirit Vulture might have a special identity,” whispered Lin Zhong.  

“In what way?”

Lin Zhong hesitated for a long moment before he let out a deep sigh. “Young Master, I am not certain but I sense that he has been afflicted with a poison called the Demon Tribulation Poison.”

“Demon Tribulation Poison?” Lin Xun frowned. 

”Yes, it is a mysterious, forbidden poison, but it is rumored to be circulating in the Darkness Kingdom. If a cultivator below the Life Death Stage is afflicted with it, their body would suffer a demonic tribulation. If they are lucky, only their cultivation base would be imprisoned and they are no longer able to cultivate in their life. But in the most severe cases, their mind and body would be incinerated and they would perish.”

Lin Zhong explained in a whisper, “Based on my observation, Spirit Vulture must have been afflicted by that poison.”

Lin Xun’s expression changed. He had never thought that Lin Zhong could identify the secret that Xiaoke had been avoiding. 

“Is there a way to counter the poison?” asked Lin Xun. 

Lin Zhong shook his head. “In the entire empire, no one had found a sage doctor able to get rid of the poison from a person’s body because the poison is too domineering. It is a forbidden substance even in the Darkness Kingdom. Spirit Vulture has to have a very special identity to have been afflicted with such a poison.”  

Lin Xun couldn’t calm his emotions when he heard that. He suddenly asked, “Uncle Zhong, why do you know so much about the poison?” 

Lin Zhong vaguely explained, “I just heard about it.”

Lin Xun took a deep look at Lin Zhong but didn’t question him further. 

Just when he was about to leave Mind Cleansing Peak, he suddenly turned around and asked, “Uncle Zhong, are you the White Cassanova Shen Jinglun who appeared sixty years ago?”

Caught off guard, Lin Zhong’s body went stiff. 

Lin Xun smiled and waved his hand. “Okay, you don’t need to answer. When there’s a chance in the future, you can tell me then.” 

Lin Zhong watched Lin Xun leave with a complex expression. In the end, he sighed, closed the passage that led to the outside world, turned his thin body around, and left.

……

The Stone Cauldron Alms in the Forbidden City was very easy to find as it was right in the center of the city.  

The city center was the most prosperous area in the Forbidden City. Only businesses and stores with a solid foundation could establish a foothold there.  

For example, Penglai Restaurant was the most popular drinking and gathering place in the empire, and Taiyi Battlefield was the oldest arena in the empire. 

In addition, the Precious Laughter House, an expensive establishment that countless cultivators craved to visit, was also located there. 

There was also Stone Cauldron Alms, which had the reputation of gathering all the rare treasures of the four seas and the world!

At noon, a carriage steered along the street and stopped in front of the entrance to Stone Cauldron Alms. 

As Lin Xun got off the carriage, the magnificent and grand building immediately caught his attention. His pupils shrank uncontrollably. 

The building spanned several acres and stood hundreds of feet tall. Its surface glistened like polished crystals and exuded an illusory and mysterious glow under the sunlight.  

From above, the entire Stone Cauldron Alms resembled a crystal place relocated from the bottom of the sea. 

Beautiful!    

Luxurious! 

Majestic! 

Dreamy!    

The building was the headquarters of Stone Cauldron Alms and was the strongest chamber of commerce in the empire.

When Lin Xun arrived, the entrance to Stone Cauldron Alms was already extremely busy and lively. There was an endless stream of wealthy and respectable cultivators in luxurious robes entering and exiting the building. 

Lin Xun had seen a lot of things in the past two years as he traveled the empire, but he still couldn’t help but marvel as he stood in front of the headquarters of Stone Cauldron Alms.  

This is Stone Cauldron Alms. I wonder when Golden Jade Hall would be able to have such a remarkable achievement.  

Lin Xun stepped inside.

The inside of Stone Cauldron Alms was like its own world. It was incredibly spacious, like a beautiful palace. There was an array of magnificent medicinal herbs, pills, rare treasures, and aeth tools on display everywhere. Thousands of cultivators hovered back and forth between the displays, and it didn’t seem crowded at all. 

Although Lin Xun was dressed in ordinary clothes, he exuded a calm but extraordinary demeanor. His appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding, he still wasn’t neglected and disrespected. 

A beautiful attendant quickly came over to serve Lin Xun. 

“I want to see Shi Yu,” Lin Xun clearly stated his intention. 

“Huh? Who?” 

“The third young master of your Stone Cauldron Alms,” Lin Xun explained. 

The beautiful servant frowned imperceptibly and said in a neither humble nor haughty manner, “Apologies, Young Master, your request is a bit difficult. There are hundreds of customers who want to pay respect to the Third Young Master every day. If you don’t have a referral, I’m afraid…”

Before she finished, Lin Xun brought out a token and handed it to the servant. 

The beautiful servant glanced at it and her pupils immediately shrank. She exclaimed, “This seems to be...the First Young Master’s personal token?”

Lin Xun said, “Yes, but I want to see your Third Young Master Shi Yu and not the First Young Master Shi Xuan.”

The beautiful servant’s gaze towards Lin Xun dramatically changed. It became filled with enthusiasm and respect. “Young Master, please wait a moment. This is a very important matter so I need to ask for instructions first.”

Lin Xun nodded. 

The beautiful servant hurried off and she soon returned with a middle-aged man who looked like a manager. 

“I am Lu Chuan. I pay my respects to you, Young Master. May I ask for your name?”  the middle-aged man asked with a smile as he bowed respectfully. 

“Lin Xun.”

“Young Master Lin Xun, please come this way.”

Lu Chuan personally led the way for Lin Xun. 

Soon, he brought Lin Xun to the door of a quaint and elegant room.

Lu Chuan explained, “Young Master Lin, you might not know but our Third Young Master is currently handling some affairs. I will personally go and report to him about your arrival. Can I ask you to wait in the private room for a moment?”

Lin Xun nodded. “Sorry to trouble you.”

Lu Chuan hurried off while Lin Xun pushed open the door and walked into the private room.

He was surprised to see many figures already waiting inside, all of whom were cultivators. 

The cultivators all simultaneously turned to the door, but they couldn’t help but retract their gazes when they saw that Lin Xun was just a teenager in ordinary clothes. 

“Another person has come to visit Third Young Master.” 

“Ahh, I’ve been coming here every day for an entire month. I’ve always only waited here and never been summoned by the Third Young Master. I don’t know what to do if this continues.”

“You’ve only been waiting for one month. I’ve been coming here for the past six months, but Third Young Master still hasn’t graced me with his presence!” 

“There’s no point complaining. Who is Third Young Master? He is one of the three sons of Fortune God Shi. Fortune God Shi favors him greatly and he is a young noble figure. How could anyone see him? 

The cultivators broke into discussions: some sighed, some complained, and some sneered. 

Only then did Lin Xun realize that the cultivators in the room came with the same purpose as him.

He couldn’t help but frown as the situation wasn’t what he expected. It seems that it’s not that easy to see Shi Yu. 

Never mind. Since I’m here already. I’ll just wait a while. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll try another business. Lin Xun thought to himself and sat down somewhere. 

His purpose was to dispose of the stolen goods! He planned to sell all the spoils he gathered in his previous battles in preparation for recruiting troops and raising an army.