Chapter 158: Yang Xin's Version of the Soul-Stealing Demonic Sound

"It is nothing more than Lady Wang wishing to elevate her status through her son and seize financial control of the Ning-Rong estates. Of course, it would be even better if she could inherit the title, but unfortunately..."

"Unfortunately what?!" Lin Daiyu asked instinctively.

"People living within walled courtyards only know how to resort to petty cunning and petty tricks, completely unaware that Gosenstein has already seen through everything and is simply watching her perform as if it were a monkey show. Having said that, now that I have come down to Yangzhou and saved your father's life, Lady Jia and Lady Wang will certainly not be reconciled. They will resort to all sorts of intrigues to snatch your dowry and the wealth of the Lin clan. What do you plan to do?"

As brilliantly perceptive as she was, Lin Daiyu had long sensed that many things within the Rongguo Estate were amiss. Once Yang Xin pierced through this layer of window paper, she understood instantly. "Then I will not return to the Rongguo Estate. I will stay by my father's side."

"And what if Lady Jia uses filial piety to pressure your father? Besides, your father is the Emperor's trusted confidant serving as the Salt Control Censor, which is equivalent to driving a wedge right into the sphere of influence of the Retired Emperor. Though old, the Retired Emperor is not yet dead, and his power remains formidable. The saying goes that open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Your father is like a mud bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to save himself—how can he protect you? In the end, you would still be sent to live as a dependent in the Rongguo Estate, falling right into the tiger's mouth."

"Cousin, what should I do then?" Lin Daiyu felt no despair; she knew well that since Yang Xin dared to lay bare his heart and tell her all this about the Rong Estate, he must have a solution.

"Well... hasn't my little sister heard that saying? Relying on heaven and earth is not as good as relying on oneself. When in doubt about what to do, just charge ahead first! In thirty years the river flows east, in thirty years the river flows west, do not bully a young girl for being poor. If you have no backing, become your own backing. Only those who save themselves can be saved..." With a completely straight face and unbothered heart, Yang Xin indoctrinated Lin Daiyu with a certain philosophy, then flicked his right hand in the air, causing a book to appear in his palm.

"Here, little sister, take this. To be saved, one can only save oneself. *The Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra*—you deserve to have it." Yang Xin shoved the pure techniques of the Ancient Tomb Sect from *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, including *The Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra*, *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique*, *The Beauty's Boxing Technique*, and *The Heavenly Net Posture*, directly into Lin Daiyu's hands.

Yang Xin was clearly turning Lin Daiyu, one of the Twelve Beauties of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, into a Little Dragon Maiden. All these martial arts manuals had been generated by the Treasure Dispensing System and further optimized to have a wide range of applicability, an easy entry barrier, and extreme ease of mastery.

"I'll give you a day and a night to first cultivate *The Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra* and generate a sense of vital energy. Otherwise, just wait for your father to die. To put it without exaggeration, across the entire Great Gan Dynasty, who the hell dares to touch Lin Ruhai... No, wait, across the entire Great Gan Dynasty, who besides me can save Lin Ruhai?"

"So, little sister, cheer up! Your father's life and death are in your hands." With that, Yang Xin chased Lin Daiyu away.

Lin Daiyu's mind was completely dazed; she had no idea how she even made it back to her boudoir. Her eyes were glazed, and unconsciously, she began to imagine dramatic scenarios for herself once more, bursting into tears a moment later. After a long while, she wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, opened *The Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra*, and began to read and attempt cultivation.

Perhaps Lin Daiyu possessed the protagonist's halo, or perhaps her innate talent was defyingly formidable; by the time the bright moon hung high in the sky, she had already generated a sense of vital energy, forming true qi within her body. Excitedly, she ran before Yang Xin with an air of proud coquettishness.

Looking out, Yang Xin saw Lin Daiyu running under the moonlight, her vulnerability diminished, replaced by a trace of internalized strength.

Following his usual routine, Yang Xin first shoved a Blood Bodhi into Lin Daiyu's mouth, allowing her to digest it to enhance her internal energy. Then he handed her a sword, instructing her to focus on *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique*, though *The Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra* was not to be neglected either. Going even further in his ruthlessness, Yang Xin generated an Ice-Jade Bed for her to use during her training.

"Cousin, I don't want to practice martial arts~" Lin Daiyu said, a bit more cheerful now, tugging at Yang Xin's sleeve and acting spoiled.

"Just think of it as practicing a dance. Little sister, for your own sake, for your dad's sake, and for my sake, you must keep practicing! Remember, Lin Ruhai's soul possesses you at this moment; you are not alone, you are not alone! Go on, right here under the moon, go practice *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique*."

Lin Daiyu stamped her foot in vexation and began to practice *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique* beneath the moonlight.

When others practice swordplay under the moon, it is a scene of exquisite beauty; when Lin Daiyu practiced swordplay under the moon, it was utterly agonizing to behold. What she was practicing was not *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique* at all, but some chaotic, flailing mess.

"Stop! *The Jade Maiden Sword Technique* is too high-level, stop right there." Yang Xin hurriedly made her halt, tossing her a copy of *The Mount Hua Sword Technique* and telling her to practice that instead, starting with the most basic introductory swordplay.

Cruising down the river while riding a crane to Yangzhou should have been a most delightful affair, but for Lin Daiyu, it was like a journey through hell. Whenever she tried to slack off, Yang Xin's sinister voice would ring in her ears like a soul-summoning demon: "Your dad is going to die, go practice martial arts; your dad is going to die, go practice martial arts..."

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you. I am the abyss, and I will be gazing at you..." Gesturing toward his own eyes, Yang Xin's eerie voice would echo in her ears once more.

Every day when Lin Daiyu woke up and opened her eyes, she was urged by Yang Xin to practice martial arts, practice martial arts, and practice martial arts some more. Even when she was exhausted to the bone and wanted to sleep for a bit, it was out of the question; she had to cultivate her internal energy on the Ice-Jade Bed, replacing rest with meditation. After a whole day of this, let alone indulging in self-pity, she didn't even have the chance to create dramatic inner monologues for herself. Under Yang Xin's urging, it was either eating or practicing.

Lin Daiyu even dreamt of Yang Xin forcing her to practice martial arts while she slept.

What made Lin Daiyu feel most infuriated was that Yang Xin actually remodeled her outfit, styling her hair into two buns and putting something called a "headband" across her forehead. Even more terrifyingly, Yang Xin produced a tight-fitting green bodysuit. Had Lin Daiyu not resisted unto death, she probably... just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine, terrifyingly horrifying.

Even though she resisted unto death, Lin Daiyu ultimately failed to escape the clutches of Yang Xin's devilish grip. Every time she practiced lightweight kung fu, she was forced by Yang Xin's tyrannical might to shout at the top of her lungs: "This is youth!", "Run toward the setting sun, young girl!", "Burn! My small universe!"

Whenever Lin Daiyu showed the slightest bit of resistance, Yang Xin showed no mercy, raining down blows upon her head and face. How could he bear to strike such a delicate and lovely girl? He actually beat her until her face was bruised and battered, and then he would hold her head and cry bitterly, uttering nonsense about how this was youth, and youth did not allow for tears.

What amazed Lin Daiyu even more was that Yang Xin possessed a magical ointment. No matter how severe her injuries were, even if her face was beaten to a pulp, as long as she applied his ointment, by the next day she would instantly look radiant, her skin even better than before. Such miraculous ointment secretly brought great peace to Lin Daiyu's mind, making her all the more confident that Yang Xin truly had the ability to save her father.

Of course, there were times when Lin Daiyu would throw small tantrums, but Yang Xin remained entirely unfazed—he would simply pull out the green tight-fitting bodysuit, and Lin Daiyu would be so frightened that she immediately ran off to cultivate.

Lin Daiyu once tried to refuse her training on the grounds that "practicing like this in front of the servants is beneath my dignity," but Yang Xin simply knocked the servants unconscious and smugly declared, "There, now they can't see it, so your dignity is preserved..."

Apart from the personal maid and two slave girls Lin Daiyu had brought from the Lin household, all the other servants were spies from the Rongguo Estate—either belonging to Lady Jia or Lady Wang. Yang Xin showed them no courtesy whatsoever, expressing zero pressure, and would even whip out the neuralyzer from the *Men in Black* universe to wipe their memories daily, brainwashing them until they doubted the meaning of life.

Lin Daiyu was burning with rage, but she could neither beat him nor out-argue him, and she still had to beg Yang Xin to save her father, leaving her with no choice but to swallow her pride and continue her training.

Happy times are always brief, and Yang Xin's party finally arrived in Yangzhou and reached the Lin Residence.