Lin Jie only felt a flash before his eyes, and then a panel appeared in his mind. On the panel was written [Patriarch Intelligence System V0 Version].
There were twelve raised buttons on the panel. The first three had words engraved on them: [Daily Intelligence], [Random Draw], and [Family Contribution Value]. The next nine were bare and had nothing written on them.
Three buttons.
Only [Daily Intelligence] was lit.
"This is..."
Lin Jie's eyes lit up.
Having awakened the wisdom of his previous life on Earth, he was most familiar with this thing.
Immediately, he focused his attention on the [Daily Intelligence] panel.
Buzz!
The panel vibrated.
A large amount of yellow light surged.
Then lines of text appeared:
[1: Your clan's land, Yunling Mountain, has been completely looted by the western marauders and independent cultivators. Even the half-cooked red marrow rice has been harvested without a single seed left.]
[2: The Zhao family, which is closest to your Lin family, wants to annex your family land and is planning to wipe out the four of you brothers and sisters.
Zhao Changfeng is lying in ambush in a paulownia tree in the Tianzhu Mountains, which is the only way for you to pass through. If you pass by this place in an hour, you will be killed by his earth-thorn technique.
When Zhao Changfeng was planning to bury the body in the back mountain, Xuan Hongyu was found seriously injured and unconscious.
Xuan Hongyu was rescued and brought back home. As a result, the Zhao family and the Xuan family became friends, and the Zhao family rose to prominence. Ten years later, the Zhao family was canonized as a ninth-rank family.
Note: From now on, [Daily Intelligence] will need to be exchanged with [Family Contribution Value]. Your current contribution value is zero.
When the contribution value reaches fifty, you can choose [Random Draw] once.
Lin Jie stared at the information on the panel. If it were true, it would undoubtedly be a blessing from heaven. However, when his eyes locked on the second piece of information, he grew calmer.
The Zhao family and the Lin family had lived next to each other with constant friction, their feud generations deep. It was no surprise the Zhao family sought annexation.
They likely anticipated he'd seek help from the Xuan family, and the Tianzhu Mountains were the only route there:
"What should I do?"
Zhao Changfeng was at the middle stage of Qi Training—far beyond Lin Jie's second-stage cultivation. Yet the second half of the intelligence offered hope:
Xuan Hongyu's father was a Foundation Building Elder of the Xuan family. Rescuing her could dodge the ambush and secure reinforcements to defend Yunling Mountain—a perfect two-birds-one-stone gambit:
"I pray the panel's truth holds."
Lin Jie stepped onto the ferry.
After disembarking at the Songling River, he darted into the Tianzhu Mountains.
Lush sycamores blanketed the slopes. His figure vanished into the foliage as he avoided the midway grove, crouching low to scale a sycamore tree thick enough for four men to embrace.
He scanned the area.
No sign of Xuan Hongyu—or even wild beasts:
"Is the panel's intelligence false?"
Yet the first claim had been true.
"Has she not arrived yet?"
The report stated Xuan Hongyu would be discovered by Zhao Changfeng after his murder attempt. To outpace fate, Lin Jie had rushed the ferry and detoured to the back mountain. Only half an hour had passed since departure:
"Wait a little longer."
If she didn't appear soon, he'd flee.
Zhao Changfeng might hunt him if he missed the ambush. Survival came first.
The wait agonized.
Half an hour later, the back mountain remained still:
"Let's go!"
Lin Jie acted decisively.
He slid down the tree's crown—but halfway, yellow light erupted below. A crimson figure tumbled to the ground. As the glow faded, a bloodied woman lay motionless, her jade pendant etched with the Xuan family's emblem:
"Xuan Hongyu!"
The panel's intelligence was real. With this system, the Lin clan's revival was assured!
Trembling with exhilaration, Lin Jie scrambled down, checked her pulse, and hoisted her onto his back. He activated his last speed talisman, vanishing into the woods like lightning.
Daxi Village, Baihe County
In a humble fenced courtyard, Xuan Hongyu groaned, the unnatural flush of Ying's love poison fading from her cheeks.
Lin Jie exhaled sharply. For hours, her poisoned thrashing had tested his resolve, but he'd held firm:
"The antidote worked. Now, negotiations."
Her phoenix eyes fluttered open, locking onto him. "Your name?"
Her voice, contrary to rumors of tyranny, was honeyed and calm.
Lin Jie introduced himself, omitting the system, and explained his plea to save Yunling Mountain. He kowtowed deeply:
"Lady Xuan, my clan is on the brinks of annihilation. I beg you to summon your family's aid—spare our ancestral foundation!"
Xuan Hongyu recalled his restraint during her delirium. Satisfied, she retrieved a jade talisman and murmured:
"Father, my mission is complete. I'm in Daxi Village, gravely wounded. Send the Formation Hall's enforcers. Details at home."
The talisman dimmed. She forced a frail smile before collapsing again.
Lin Jie checked her pulse—stable—then meditated nearby.
Suddenly, the system's voice chimed:
"Ding—
You secured reinforcements for your clan, resolving its crisis. Reward: 10 Family Contribution Points."
The panel updated:
[Family Contribution Value: 10/100]