After Zuo Lengchan and his Xuanjian Sect goons left, the moonlight over the gazebo in Tianmen Fort's back courtyard flowed like water.
"Jiayin, look how beautiful the moonlight is. Why don't we..." Lin Che wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. His voice carried that familiar roguish tone as his hands began their mischievous wandering again, fingertips brushing across her flat abdomen.
"Get lost!" Luo Jiayin slapped his rogue hands away, glaring at him with flushed cheeks. "I'm still sore from walking! Can't you keep your hands to yourself, you pervert?!"
She leaned against the gazebo pillar, her posture still awkward, eyebrows raised in challenge: "Be serious. What trump card are you hiding? How dare you gamble this big against Xuanjian Sect? If we lose, we're all dead! Don't think that System of yours makes you invincible."
Lin Che smiled mysteriously and pinched her smooth cheek. "A wise man keeps his cards close. For now, we rest and conserve our energy. Trust me, okay?"
[System: Host is using the "trust me" combo x3. Success rate: 17.3%. Suggest target initiate violent interrogation. P.S. Host's face thickness has reached Foundation Establishment level.]
Luo Jiayin snorted coldly and ignored him completely.
The next afternoon, Lin Che lay on Luo Jiayin's plump thigh, eyes closed in peaceful rest. Suddenly his divine sense jolted like he'd been stabbed with a needle. He shot upright, eyes blazing with sharp light.
"Got a bite." A proud smile curved his lips, eyes gleaming with confidence.
Zuo Lengchan had crushed the jade token.
[System: Fish on the line! Suggest host reel in immediately—don't let the cooked duck fly away! P.S. Host is drooling on target's thigh. Please wipe promptly or suffer -10 Favorability.]
Lin Che wiped his mouth and immediately summoned all of Tianmen Fort's brothers to the assembly hall.
In the main hall, everyone gathered. Lin Che sat at the head of the table, fingers drumming lightly. "Scholar Wen, you'll take fifty brothers and hold down Tianmen Fort."
"Second Fort Master, rest assured!" Scholar Wen bowed solemnly. "With this old man here, Tianmen Fort will be impregnable! But this journey will be dangerous—please be careful. Xuanjian Sect's foundation runs deep. Don't underestimate them."
Shi Jin thumped his chest, his booming voice echoing. "Brother Lin, I'm coming with you! I've been itching to teach those Xuanjian bastards a lesson! Scum like them deserve to be exterminated!"
Lin Ying bounced up, hand raised high, her youthful voice ringing out. "Me too! My beast army is bursting to go! Little Flame, Little Green, Big Black—they're all dying for some action!"
[System: Detecting underage beast tamer authorization request. Suggest host prepare pet management protocols to prevent new home demolition.]
"Everyone's going, everyone's going." Lin Che grinned, his gaze sweeping the room. "This time, the God Killing Pavilion will make our name known throughout Canglan Realm!"
That evening, Lin Che led Luo Jiayin, Lin Ying, Shi Jin, and one hundred core brothers to the teleportation array. The array pattern flared, light shooting skyward. After a dizzying spin, they all safely returned to Canglan Realm.
[System: Detecting spatial displacement side effects. Suggest host find a target before vomiting to avoid environmental contamination. Friendly reminder: Target Luo Jiayin's white dress is expensive.]
"Ugh..." Lin Che dry-heaved twice, face pale. He waved it off. "I'm fine. Let's go."
Before them stretched a scene of devastation, even bleaker under the moonlight.
The former Xuantian Sect—now the God Killing Pavilion headquarters—lay in ruins. The Sect Master's Hall had only half a roof left. Massive stone pillars lay shattered on the ground, bearing three-inch-deep sword marks that gleamed like mirrors, testament to the attacker's terrifying cultivation. The inner courtyard's training grounds were spiderwebbed with cracks, weeds growing waist-high from the crevices, rustling in the wind.
The faint scent of blood still hung in the air. Even after all this time, the brutality of the massacre seemed frozen into the earth. Wind whistled through broken windows like the mournful cries of lingering souls, whispering of past glory and tragedy.
"So this is Xuantian Sect..." Luo Jiayin murmured, awe and sorrow in her eyes. "Once the supreme sect of Canglan Realm, reduced to this."
"Mm. Now it's the God Killing Pavilion." Lin Che squeezed her hand, voice low. "But soon, it will rise again. Those blood debts will be repaid in blood."
[System: Host's showing-off index rising. Suggest staying grounded to avoid overreaching. P.S. Target Luo Jiayin's empathy is peaking—optimal moment to display masculine charm!]
Lin Che quickly organized the restoration. "Shi Jin, take your team and clear the east wing guest rooms. I want ten usable rooms by tomorrow. Lin Ying, have your beasts help transport materials—don't damage the structures. Everyone else, patch roofs and fix walls! Move!"
The brothers took their assignments and threw themselves into the work with gusto. Shi Jin's shouts, Lin Ying's crisp orders to her beasts, and the brothers' work songs echoed through the silent ruins, breathing life back into this desolate place.
"Gather at the Sect Master's Hall ruins tomorrow morning," Lin Che called out as they left.
"Yes, Chief!" The men dispersed.