Lin Mu's concerns were valid and the others had similar doubts too.
"We don't know how she would afford this either." Daoist Chu shook his head. "We had originally thought that she might be using her background to pay for it all, but then again the cost needed for it would be way too high to hire diviners of that level." He explained.
"Not to mention, it would leave tracks that could be traced by the Temple. All that flow of funds would be suspicious. And I don't think the Holy Topaz Empire or the sword sect would want to openly show that they are interfering with the Tournament." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated.
"But if she can't use her background then does it mean she's paying for all of it on her own?" Lin Mu wondered.
"Not necessarily. I wouldn't put it past that bitch to trick the diviners too." Crown Princess Shang replied.
"How so? I mean, the diviners aren't really the right people to trick." Lin Mu stated. "Won't tricks be useless if they can simply see if they are correct or not?" he asked.
"Not if they are veiled in truth." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied. "Diviners are hard to trick, but it doesn't mean it's impossible. She could have also tempted them somehow." He added.
"Hmm… if temptation worked, then they wouldn't necessarily need payment upfront either." Lin Mu considered another scenario.
In Lin Mu's mind, a few different ideas flew. He couldn't help but wonder if Yao Changying knew about something that could tempt the diviners to work for free.
"Whatever it might be, we need to be alert about it." Crown Prince Feng Shun finally said. "As such, we'll inform you if anything happens."
"I understand." Lin Mu replied.
"Though… I have to praise Daoist Mu Lin on his performance so far." Crown Prince Feng Shun suddenly said. "We heard about your acts… there are plenty of nobles that have inquired about you." He added.
"Is that so… I hope it wasn't troublesome for the Crown Prince." Lin Mu replied calmly.
"Of course not." The man shook his head. "This much was expected. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep you hidden for too long."
"As long as it doesn't affect the original task, it won't matter." Lin Mu stated.
"Indeed." Crown Prince Feng Shun nodded his head.
"Though in the case of Yao Changying, I've been finding something strange." Lin Mu said, his expression turning a bit serious.
"What?" Crown Prince Feng Shun asked.
"Her skills… they seem far too 'orthodox' for her to have done something bad." Lin Mu answered. "I saw her fight. Her Sword Intent is genuine and was obtained through practice." He presented his doubts.
"She might have sword intent, but she's also good at hiding her other skills. There is no doubt she has more nefarious skills hidden." Crown Princess Shang replied. "When you use the tools I gave you, the truth will come out."
"Very well…" Lin Mu still had doubts about it, but he reckoned he could still wait and watch.
"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Crown Prince Feng Shun asked.
"That is all." Lin Mu denied. "I shall leave you for now then. I reckon you still have a lot of work to do." Lin Mu said as he stood up.
"You are always welcome to meet me." Crown Prince Feng Shun said. "Besides, I hope you can also join me in this endeavor in the future." He added.
"I'm afraid I'll have to answer you at a later time." Lin Mu didn't give a confirmation.
"Of course. It is up to you." The Crown Prince was fine with this answer for now. "And I assure you, the rewards will be worth it."
"I'll keep that in mind." Lin Mu said before saying good bye. "Let's go Little Shrubby." He called for the beast.
~shua~
Little Shrubby jumped off the Crown princess' lap and onto Lin Mu's shoulder. The two quickly left the hall, leaving the Crown Prince and his companions alone.
"What do you think Commander Dui?" Crown Prince Feng Shun suddenly asked.
"About Daoist Mu Lin?" Commander Dui responded. "He's certainly different than others. I could tell from his demeanor he is not a person to be swayed easily."
"Indeed… And let me tell you that wasn't even half of what he's capable of." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated.
"Really?" The Commander was surprised.
"He showed a bit of it during the banquet." Daoist Chu replied.
"And from what I can tell, he's already improved from back then." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated. "In just a couple months' time, he's reached the Second Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm while also improving his body cultivation." He revealed.
"He's a dual body and qi cultivator?" The Commander asked.
"You couldn't tell, could you?" Crown Prince Feng Shun chuckled.
"I only felt his Qi fluctuations…" Commander Dui replied.
"Our Daoist Mu Lin has gotten better at hiding too." Crown Princess Shang laughed. "And what did you think, Monk Hushu?" she turned to the silent man.
"Same as before… I had to restrain the beads quite a bit." Monk Hushu finally spoke. "I'm tempted to tell abbot about him." He added with some hesitation.
"You can do that… just not now." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied. "I don't want Daoist Mu Lin to be snatched away this quickly. Besides, it won't be doing justice to his value. If he is to be offered something, it should be done when everyone knows about him. Only then will there be proper competition." The man said with a smile.
"But before that, you'll be taking his advantage, won't you?" Daoist Chu raised a brow.
"Of course… I'll consider that as a little payment for his promotion later on. I'm sure the Immortal Court will have eyes on him after this too, if not the Temple will." Crown Prince Feng Shun answered. "Especially since Grand Uncle has already taken an interest in him. If he recommends him, Daoist Mu Lin might even join the Immortal court and be our junior."
"Hmm… that does seem likely." Daoist Chu nodded his head. "While he has a lower cultivation base than us, his talent seems to be shining."
"The cultivation base is just a part of his strength." Monk Hushu said. "Not to mention, he's also younger than all of us. So he has a lot of time. We are simply ahead of him due to starting early." He added.
"Speaking of that… how old do you think is he?" Crown Princess Shang asked, feeling curious. "He didn't have any reaction upon seeing me and was rather staunch. Not many can do that."
"He has an innate affinity to the Buddhist path, so not having temptations like that is evident." Monk Hushu said in a calm tone.
"Oh, forget that! You know what I'm talking about. Mu Lin isn't even initiated into the Buddhist path, nor was he guided in it. Do you think just anyone would be able to resist like that?" Crown Princess Shang said.
"I think he's at least a couple thousand years old." Daoist Chu guessed. "If we ignore his talent for a bit, the demeanor and the experience he has seems to be decent. It cannot be obtained without having seen a lot of things." He presented his thoughts.
"Hmm… he certainly has a lot of knowledge. He was able to read the Shamanic Script of the Demons." Crown Prince Feng Shun nodded his head.
"We can always have his bone age checked." Commander Dui suggested.
"No… forget it." Crown Prince Feng Shun shook his head. "There's no need for it now. We'll just let things progress as it is."
"Yeah, even if he is ten thousand years old somehow, his appearance would mean that he broke through at a young age. Thus, his talent is still good." Daoist Chu laughed.
"Who knows? Maybe he's less than a thousand years old." Monk Hushu spoke.
"Haha! Monk Hushu is learning how to joke. Why don't you say that he's just a hundred years old?" Crown Princess Shang joked.
The Crown Prince and his companions talked for a bit, unaware that their estimates were way too high.
It never even crossed their mind that Lin Mu hadn't even reached thirty years of age yet.
To the cultivators staying in seclusion for a long time was a normal thing. Some might stay in secluded cultivation for decades to centuries.
This would lead to the number of things they would experience to greatly fall.
If one considered a commoner who had worked in the fields for fifty years, versus a cultivator who was over a thousand years old and focused on cultivation, there was a chance that the life experiences both had would be of the same level.
The thousand year old cultivator could have very well stayed in the seclusion for hundreds of years, limiting the number of things he saw.
But Lin Mu was someone who had not only cultivated but also seen a lot of things as well as having learned about them.
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