Chapter 35

Returning to his stone room on the first floor of the market, Lin Haoming finally let out a long sigh of relief.

This operation was actually very risky; if he were discovered, the disaster that would follow would be difficult even for Xie Ruolan to handle.

Of course, there were no unexpected incidents. Holding the talisman-imbued axe in his hand, Lin Haoming felt as if he could already see himself receiving the sect's reward.

With this trump card, Lin Haoming took a brief two-day rest before leaving the first floor market again.

This time, he did not go to the lower two floors but returned directly to the Futo Cave.

At the entrance to the Futo Cave, two disciples at the Qi Condensation stage were guarding the entrance.

These two also knew Lin Haoming, as his slaying of two managers was a significant event in the Futo Cave, especially since he managed to survive and even became the owner of a shop in the market, making his story even more legendary.

Ordinary people were not allowed to enter the Futo Cave, as it was where the sect processed materials. However, the token in Lin Haoming's hand had great power, and he only needed to show it to the two guards to pass without any hindrance.

Returning to a familiar place, Lin Haoming's mood was completely different.

Now, even if Zhou Zhiye and Situ Ping appeared before him, he felt no fear at all.

Having followed Xie Ruolan for so long, he had even eliminated inner sect disciples who were much stronger than them, so his mindset had completely changed.

The Futo Cave was still the same Futo Cave, unchanged in appearance. Arriving at his former residence, many scenes from when he first arrived here came to mind.

Walking along, he reached the familiar slaughterhouse. Even before entering, Lin Haoming could smell the familiar scent of blood.

Every day, dozens of mountain armadillos were still being slaughtered here.

It had been more than a year since he left. Upon entering, Lin Haoming found that more than half of the people who were there when he left were still around, but some had left, and new faces had joined.

"Shopkeeper Lin!"

"Manager Lin!"

When Lin Haoming entered, some people recognized him and immediately greeted him.

These people's eyes carried a mix of awe and envy. After all, many had witnessed how Lin Haoming had risen step by step. To them, Lin Haoming was now a high-ranking figure.

Lin Haoming looked at everyone with a seemingly friendly smile, but his gaze finally fell on Li Shunian.

After he left, Bao Wenliang had fallen out of favor, but Li Shunian remained in his position. Although his cultivation was low, he was still the second manager here. Even when Lin Haoming entered, he saw Li Shunian sitting alone on a large stone, watching others work.

"Senior Brother Lin!"

Seeing Lin Haoming, Li Shunian immediately ran over, his face full of respect, but the fear in his eyes did not escape Lin Haoming's notice.

"Junior Brother Li, why didn't you come to see me all this time?" Lin Haoming deliberately asked, knowing that after he disappeared, Li Shunian had become one of Situ Ping's people and had even insulted him in front of others, as Bao Wenliang had told him. Now, he was surely afraid of Lin Haoming's revenge.

"Isn't it because I was afraid, Senior Brother? You are now a high-ranking figure, and I feared I wouldn't be worthy of your attention!" Li Shunian forced a smile, but it was somewhat awkward.

Seeing his smile, Lin Haoming knew that Li Shunian was definitely afraid. He was afraid that Lin Haoming had come back to settle scores. Since Bao Wenliang had worked under him, everyone here probably knew that Li Shunian had spoken ill of him in public. Now that the main person had come, there would be no good outcome for him.

Lin Haoming looked at his fearful expression and smiled, "Hehe, Junior Brother Li, do you think I am such a person? I have always thought of you. Since I am temporarily leaving the sect and going to your former country, I thought I would take you along to see your family!"

"Th-this..."

Li Shunian wanted to refuse, but noticing Lin Haoming's eyes fixed on him, the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak.

Li Shunian didn't know why, but after this short time apart, Lin Haoming gave him such a strong sense of pressure. Even when he faced Situ Ping before, he hadn't felt such a sense of oppression.

Scanning Lin Haoming with his divine sense, he was shocked to find that in such a short time, Lin Haoming's cultivation had soared to the ninth level of the Qi Condensation stage. When he had recently broken through to the seventh level, he had been quite pleased, but now compared to Lin Haoming, he was nothing.

"Are you afraid that Situ Ping won't let you go? Don't worry, if I want to take you, he won't dare to stop me!" Lin Haoming saw that he couldn't speak and deliberately said this.

Hearing Lin Haoming's words, Li Shunian understood that Lin Haoming had come for him and had no intention of letting him off.

"I will follow Senior Brother Lin's instructions!" Li Shunian said with a hint of resignation, knowing that once he spoke, his life would be in the other's hands.

Seeing that he didn't refuse, Lin Haoming knew that this boy was a smart one and understood that even if he refused, it would be useless.

Such a person could sometimes be very convenient, at least when they knew they were no match for him, they would behave well.

Lin Haoming took him away, just informing Manager Ma, who immediately crossed his name off the list, and he was taken away. As for Situ Ping, he didn't even show up.

Following Lin Haoming, when they walked out of the Futo Cave, Li Shunian suddenly "thud" and knelt on the ground.

Seeing him kneel, Lin Haoming's eyes flashed with surprise and he deliberately put on a surprised expression, "Junior Brother Li, what do you mean by this?"

"Senior Brother Lin, these years I have been enduring in the Futo Cave, even saying things against my will to save my life. I hope Senior Brother will not hold a grudge against a small person. I have always hoped to follow Senior Brother. Now that I have left the Futo Cave, I am willing to swear a blood oath and obey you from now on!" Li Shunian said with apparent sincerity.

Lin Haoming hadn't expected that this boy would be willing to swear a blood oath to save his life.

A blood oath was not something to be taken lightly. For a Qi Condensation stage disciple, to swear a blood oath required a strong belief, or it could easily result in an accident during the process.

In other words, for a Qi Condensation stage disciple with low cultivation, to actually swear a blood oath, they must have a firm belief, or they might suffer a backlash before the oath was completed.

Lin Haoming could see that Li Shunian had made a great decision to do this. Perhaps he thought that being taken out by Lin Haoming would not end well for him, so he hoped to use this method to save his life.

In fact, a blood oath was a good way to control someone. Seeing that he was willing to swear a blood oath, Lin Haoming was also willing to see it happen.

Seeing that Lin Haoming didn't speak and just looked at him, Li Shunian's eyes flashed with determination. He bit his lip and spat out a stream of essence blood, then loudly declared, "I, Li Shunian, swear a blood oath to follow Senior Brother Lin Haoming. If I have a second heart, may I be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"