Could not kill them, so the only option was to win them over.

  Lin Lin invited the two back to the reception room. "Brother Lei, your exceptional skill truly opened my eyes."

  "Not at all, not at all. Sect Leader Lin's sword art is the truly exquisite and unparalleled one."

  After a bit of mutual flattery back and forth, Lin Lin seized the moment to announce, "Come, bring wine and food for our two guests."

  Unexpectedly, their expressions soured. Lei Tongming awkwardly declined. "We are dedicated cultivators and never drink alcohol. Please forgive us, Sect Leader Lin."

  Well, true to their experience, their vigilance was very high.

  High vigilance was fine. Lin Lin's current task was to show his sincerity in recruiting them.

  He instructed a few outer disciples to boil water and brew fresh tea, while he chatted with the two about the Canglong Gang.

  It seemed that although the Canglong Gang was full of experts, it still could not avoid making enemies everywhere.

  This was not really a big deal; in the cultivation world, might made right.

  If you had a fearsome reputation, no one would dare provoke you.

  What really troubled the Canglong Gang was their poor relationship with Baiyue City.

  A bad relationship with Baiyue City meant no access to Foundation Establishment Pills or Dustfall Pills.

  No matter your talent, you would be stuck at your current realm.

  This was a major worry for Lei Tongda.

  As a late Qi Refining cultivator, without a Foundation Establishment Pill, his path to immortality seemed hopeless.

  While they talked, the outer disciples brought the freshly brewed tea.

  Lei Tongming initially wanted to decline, but seeing the tea was as white as jade, thick, mellow, and fragrant, he suddenly became interested.

  "Sect Leader Lin, what kind of tea is this?"

  "Brother Lei, this is called milk tea. It is a mix of brewed tea and cow's milk."

  "This... can this be drunk?"

  The moment he said it, Lei Tongming felt he had lost some face.

  People from the Canglong Gang prided themselves on being well-traveled and knowledgeable. They could not lose face in a situation like this.

  So he signaled Lei Tongda with his eyes to drink it for him and test if it was poisonous.

  Once Lei Tongda started drinking the milk tea, he could not stop. "Delicious, delicious! A bit sweet, but really refreshing."

  "Good, good. I am glad you like it, Brother Lei."

  Most cultivators in this world were cultivation fanatics.

  If it meant breaking through a realm, they would eat cockroaches until they went extinct.

  These cultivators usually ate all kinds of bitter pills as meals; they were used to bitter things.

  A cup of sweet milk tea was enough to awaken their long-suppressed craving for sweetness.

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  Lei Tongda indulged, enjoying the feast of flavors the milk tea brought. After finishing one cup, he asked the outer disciples for another.

  On the other side, Lei Tongming's guard also lowered slightly. "Sect Leader, let me be frank. Our original mission this time was to flatten Qingfeng Sect and install those two kids as leaders. It was only after hitting a hard target like you that we decided to go after the Ma family instead."

  "Oh? Did not Li Rushi want to become the Qingfeng Sect leader himself?"

  Lei Tongming thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Unlikely. We know how poor you are. The reason he helped those kids is that the Li family is Li Rushi's foundation."

  "Haha, Brother Lei, it seems this poor sect leader's poverty has its advantages after all."

  "Do not worry, Sect Leader Lin. Li Rushi has other sources of income. He will not risk a life-and-death fight with Qingfeng Sect. We are just hired hands. We will stay here for a day and then go back to report."

  These Lei brothers were quite straightforward, easily revealing their hand to Lin Lin.

  They never realized that the entire situation was a setup orchestrated by Lin Lin.

  After killing Ma Zhaoyuan, Lin Lin had taken the opportunity to forge a letter in Ma Zhaoyuan's handwriting to the Ma family.

  Along with the letter, he sent the heads of Elders Li and Zhang.

  The letter specifically mentioned that Ma Zhaoyuan had killed the two elders, completely making enemies with the Li family.

  Since they were enemies, the best course was to strike first.

  Seeing the heads of the two elders, the Ma family naturally believed that wiping out the Li family was the best choice.

  Thus, Li Rushi and the Ma family were locked in a death struggle.

  "Let me be direct with you two. Currently, with Qingfeng Sect's leader and elders in seclusion, and the elders' relatives slaughtering each other, the sect needs someone to hold the fort."

  "I see you two are highly skilled. Would you be interested in staying here temporarily as guest elders?"

  The Lei brothers exchanged smiles, uninterested in this gift from heaven. "Thank you for the offer, Sect Leader, but we have other plans."

  "Are you worried we cannot afford the compensation?"

  The brothers exchanged glances again. Finally, Lei Tongming explained earnestly.

  "Sect Leader Lin, you know how it is. Cultivation resources are dwindling while cultivators multiply. These so-called sects are just hollow shells."

  "The Canglong Gang, however, recently stumbled upon an opportunity we cannot miss."

  Speaking of this opportunity, Lei Tongming hesitated again, glancing at the outer disciple who kept refilling the tea.

  Lin Lin understood and dismissed everyone else.

  Lei Tongming continued. "The Canglong Gang recently discovered a treasured location deep in the Thousand Li Ghost Yin Mountains. This place, my god, is incredible."

  "At least five spirit stone mines. Enough spirit stones to buy half of Baiyue City. If the Canglong Gang secures these mines, even Baiyue City will not be able to look down on us."

  "But that damned place is occupied by some unknown wild sect, a group of monks who do not observe any precepts, it seems. They are tough. We could not handle them."

  "The Canglong Gang is now preparing to mobilize all its forces. If we succeed, everyone gets a share."

  Lin Lin lowered his head, analyzing and processing the information about the Canglong Gang.

  He had originally thought most sects under Baiyue City already anticipated the scarcity of cultivation resources.

  Unexpectedly, mercenary groups like the Canglong Gang were still actively searching everywhere for resources.

  With spirit stones becoming increasingly scarce, the Canglong Gang's expansion strategy would attract more and more cultivators.

  What about Baiyue City? What would be their attitude towards this rapidly growing Canglong Gang?

  And who were those monks in the Thousand Li Ghost Yin Mountains who did not follow the rules?

  Having said this, Lei Tongming made his stance clear. "In this day and age, there is only one way to live well: take. Being a honest guest elder holds no interest for us."

  "Ah, to each his own. Hearing you talk, I feel like I am just a human slave raised by the sect leader. Maybe in a couple of years, I will have to flee to the Canglong Gang myself just to get by."

  The three laughed heartily, but the conversation inadvertently turned to cultivation pills.

  And Lin Lin felt it was time to offer the two a bit of "goodwill."

  "Have you two heard the legend of moonlight turning into wine?" Lin Lin revealed an innocent, pure smile.

  "Sect Leader Lin, we really do not drink."

  "This is not wine. It is a powerful spiritual tonic to aid cultivation. And you do not even have to drink it. Just take it with you, a small token from Qingfeng Sect."

  Lin Lin seized the opportunity to promote his secret recipe, Moonlight Wine.

  Speaking with emotion, he hoped that if they found the wine helpful for cultivation, they would introduce it to their colleagues in the Canglong Gang.

  What happened next, none of the sect disciples knew in detail.

  They only knew that the Lei brothers eventually followed Lin Lin into the bamboo grove behind the mountain to search for the Moonlight Wine.

  About a quarter of an hour later, a deafening explosion came from the bamboo grove.

  Then Lin Lin emerged from the grove, covered in mud, with some bloodstains on his clothes. "Hahahaha, seriously? You two were so careful, and you still fell for it. Hahahaha, I am dying of laughter."