Seeing that the task count had increased by one, Lin Xiao was overjoyed.
While the promise from the Yuan family head was great, it paled in comparison to completing his mission. He hadn't been expecting much in terms of a reward from the Yuan family, especially since he had used their ancestor as a learning experience.
But to his surprise, this situation had led to successfully establishing a connection with Yuan Bi, the head of the Yuan family. For Lin Xiao, this was a major accomplishment.
If he could complete the mission, his Lingxian Sect would soon have their very own floating island!
Now, only one more connection was needed.
Just one more person!
Lin Xiao knew he had to secure this final connection before returning to the Mortal Realm. Otherwise, it would be a huge missed opportunity.
However, after thinking for a moment, he realized there weren't many convenient people left to befriend. Turning to Yuan Bi, he said:
"Yuan Family Head, I appreciate your kind words. How is your ancestor's condition? If needed, I could come by again tomorrow to assist."
Lin Xiao had been fairly certain that he had removed much of the heart demon, but the exact condition was something only the ancestor himself would know. He decided to set his sights on the Yuan family ancestor as his final connection target.
Yuan Bi was moved by Lin Xiao's offer. Here was someone who had no fear of being taken advantage of, offering to help his ancestor once again. Lin Xiao was capable, courageous, and righteous.
Though Yuan Bi believed Lin Xiao had the ability to protect himself, it was still admirable. He felt that this young man was indeed someone worth befriending.
Unbeknownst to him, Lin Xiao was confident because of the system's judgment—since it counted Yuan Bi as a connection, it meant that Yuan Bi harbored no ill will towards him. But that wasn't important now.
"Thank you for your concern, Lin Daoyou. My ancestor's condition has improved greatly. He can now suppress the heart demon and is fully conscious, but years of wear have left him weakened. He will need some time to fully recover."
Since Lin Xiao had been the one to aid in the healing, Yuan Bi shared the details of the ancestor's condition openly.
"If Lin Daoyou could lend your assistance again, it would be greatly appreciated," Yuan Bi added. Though he hesitated to trouble Lin Xiao further, the thought of fully eradicating the heart demon was too tempting to ignore.
Despite the ancestor's current ability to suppress the demon, Yuan Bi did not want to miss the chance for a complete cure. Lin Xiao represented that opportunity.
After finalizing plans for Lin Xiao's next visit, Yuan Bi was invited to stay for dinner. However, eager to return and inform the ancestor about the next day's visit, he politely declined.
This was also the first time Yuan Bi, as a family head, had been invited to stay for a meal—something that rarely happened in his interactions with other cultivators.
Not long after Yuan Bi's departure, as Lin Xiao and the others finished their meal, Liu Chun received a message from Elder Zhang.
Before leaving for Banxiang City, Liu Chun had given Elder Zhang several transmission talismans infused with his spiritual energy, making it easier for them to communicate.
After receiving the message, Liu Chun smiled and informed Lin Xiao and the group:
"I'll be heading out tomorrow. Not sure when I'll be back."
Lin Xiao immediately understood that this was likely related to Liu Chun's sister. Nodding, he said:
"Be careful, and if anything happens, let us know as soon as possible."
Liu Chun nodded, "I will."
The next morning, Liu Chun departed quickly, while Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu once again disguised themselves and quietly headed to the Yuan family estate.
Thanks to Yuan Bi's habit of personally guarding the ancestor's cave every so often, the Yuan family wasn't suspicious of the family head spending two days straight in seclusion with the ancestor.
Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu arrived at the secluded cave once more, following Yuan Bi into the depths where the ancestor resided.
Inside, the Yuan family ancestor, who had been meditating, opened his eyes and looked at them.
Seeing how young the two visitors were, the ancestor was mildly surprised, but he hid his reaction and greeted them with a weak smile:
"So, these must be Lin Daoyou and Jiang Daoyou. I'm deeply grateful for your assistance."
After battling the heart demon for so long, the Yuan family ancestor's mindset had changed significantly. He had become more open and appreciative of life.
Facing such an elder, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu naturally assumed the posture of juniors, bowing respectfully:
"Junior greets Senior."
Lin Xiao then asked, "Senior Yuan, how are you feeling now?"
Although Yuan Bi had already explained the situation, Lin Xiao preferred to hear it directly from the source.
The Yuan family ancestor, still speaking weakly, replied:
"Thanks to your help, more than half of my heart demon has been eliminated. With your assistance today, I believe I may be able to eradicate it completely. I must thank you in advance."
The prospect of finally ridding himself of the heart demon after so many years filled the ancestor with joy.
Lin Xiao wasn't one for formalities, so he cut to the chase:
"Let's begin, then."
As before, Jiang Youfu accompanied Lin Xiao inside the cave, while Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing stepped outside to stand guard.
Once Lin Xiao sat down cross-legged in front of the ancestor, the Yuan family elder closed his eyes and blocked out his five senses, allowing Lin Xiao to work without interference.
Yuan Bi had already informed the ancestor that Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu preferred to keep their abilities a secret. Though the ancestor would soon be battling the heart demon again and likely wouldn't be paying attention to anything outside, he chose to block his senses out of caution.
The second time around, Lin Xiao was much more skilled with the Purification of the Mind technique.
However, he still pulled out The Doctrine of the Mean and handed it to Jiang Youfu, asking him to read it aloud. Having someone read while he worked made Lin Xiao feel more at ease.
Outside the stone gate, Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing once again heard the sound of reading—something they had listened to the entire night before.
Fortunately, Yuan Bi had prepared for this and had already activated the soundproofing barrier around the cave.
Another night passed in this manner.
This time, Lin Xiao managed to control his energy usage, avoiding the collapse from overexertion that had happened before. However, by the end of the purification, he had still nearly drained all of his spiritual energy.
As the purification came to an end, Lin Xiao stood up, though his steps were a bit unsteady. Jiang Youfu quickly put away the book and rushed to support him.
"Brother Lin, are you alright?" Jiang Youfu asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, just need a moment to recover," Lin Xiao replied, nodding.
Then, Lin Xiao turned to look at the Yuan family ancestor.
At that moment, the ancestor's face, previously marred by ugly black sores and scars, was visibly clearing. The black marks and wounds were fading before their very eyes.