Chapter Four: City Breached

The discussion hall in the backyard of Spring Return Hall.

A very ancient hall, about five zhang wide and twenty zhang deep. A large, dark lacquered table occupied most of the hall's space, with nearly a hundred high-backed chairs neatly arranged around it. The ceiling was made of ebony, and the floor of polished blue bricks. Over two hundred portraits of past hall masters, who were also heads of the Hua Family, hung along the walls. These yellowed portraits gave the hall an even more ancient and solemn atmosphere, filling it with a suffocating pressure.

On the wall at the far end of the hall, centered, hung a massive ink painting, the 'Wei Ji Gathering Herbs Painting'. The painting depicted a gaunt Daoist, smiling as he gathered a 'Three Yang Fruit', a plant with a single stem bearing three flowers and three fruits. Daoist Wei Ji was recognized by all physicians and pharmacists in the world as their ancestor. Legends said he was a divine being capable of flying through the heavens, traversing the earth, and plucking stars from the sky. But legends were just legends; no one knew if such an omnipotent divine being truly existed. However, everyone acknowledged that Wei Ji had passed down the art of medicine.

This was Lin Xiao's first time being allowed into the discussion hall. He sat obediently in the seat closest to the hall entrance at the long table.

All the stewards and doctors of Spring Return Hall had gathered here to discuss how to deal with the trouble Lin Yao had stirred up.

Lin Shan sat upright beneath the Wei Ji Gathering Herbs Painting, a faint green light flickering in his eyes. Anyone who met his gaze couldn't help but shiver and quickly lower their heads. Even Hua Wuniang and the Hua Family elders, usually the most arrogant and overbearing, had lost their usual swagger today, not daring to meet Lin Shan's eyes.

For the first time in their lives, these members of the Hua Family felt a presence from Lin Shan that was no different from that of his master, the previous hall master of Spring Return Hall and the former head of the Hua Family.

Of course, some were not convinced by Lin Shan's sudden display of authority. Several middle-aged Hua Family stewards glared at Lin Shan, puffed up with indignation, projecting an attitude of "I won't give you face, what can you do to me?" In their eyes, Lin Shan, an outsider who had 'usurped' the seat of power in Spring Return Hall due to the previous patriarch's senility on his deathbed, was nothing to be feared.

Lin Yao, his face ashen, sat beside Lin Xiao. His body trembled violently, and Lin Xiao could even hear the chattering of his teeth.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but look at Lin Yao with pity. Hanging out with those disreputable friends, trouble was bound to find him sooner or later. He just hadn't expected the trouble to be something so shameful.

Perhaps Lin Xiao's pitying gaze provoked Lin Yao. Lin Yao suddenly let out a hysterical howl, "You pity me? You pity me? You bastard, what right do you have to pity me?"

Lin Yao lunged, suddenly grabbing Lin Xiao's neck with both hands and squeezing tightly. Lin Xiao had no experience fighting, and being caught off guard by Lin Yao's grip on his throat, he couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted. He even forgot that he possessed martial arts cultivation hundreds of times stronger than Lin Yao's. Like fighting a street kid, he instinctively reached out to claw at Lin Yao's face. The two grappled, falling from their chairs together, rolling on the ground like two mad puppies.

Lin Yao was five or six years older than Lin Xiao and considerably taller, but his body had been hollowed out by wine and women, leaving him with no strength. Lin Xiao, on the other hand, worked at Spring Return Hall every day, keeping his physique in excellent condition. Furthermore, he had cultivated his internal energy since childhood, giving him much greater strength than Lin Yao. After a brief struggle on the ground, Lin Xiao managed to pry Lin Yao's hands off his neck. With a flip, he pinned Lin Yao down, raised his fist, and was about to strike.

Lin Yao's face was crisscrossed with several deep bloody scratches. With blood all over his face, he looked as pathetic as one could be. Seeing Lin Xiao raise his fist, he couldn't help but feel a surge of fear. He shouted loudly, "You dare hit me! You dare hit me? Mother~~~ this bastard is going to beat me to death!"

Hua Wuniang, who had already stood up to watch Lin Yao and Lin Xiao fight, let out an angry shout. She floated gracefully into the air, covering more than ten zhang in a single step. With a seemingly effortless palm strike, she pushed towards Lin Xiao's back.

Lin Xiao felt a strong gust of wind hit his back, and the whistling sound of the wind filled his ears. Lin Xiao was terrified. Instinctively, he circulated his internal energy throughout his body and struck back with 'Plucking Chrysanthemums by the Eastern Hedge'. His palm made a gentle circle behind him, protecting the vital point on his back.

With a crisp 'crack', Hua Wuniang landed steadily. With one hand, she grabbed the blood-covered Lin Yao from the ground. Lin Xiao, however, was sent tumbling over twenty times on the ground in a most undignified manner, finally stopping when he crashed into the doorframe of the discussion hall. His right arm's shoulder joint had been injured by the palm strike, rendering it immobile.

The Evergreen Art itself had the effect of healing and protecting life. Lin Xiao, limp all over, leaned against the doorframe, channeling his internal energy to continuously impact his swollen and congested shoulder. He gritted his teeth, channeling his energy with sheer force to forcibly break open the meridians that had been compressed by the blow. A faint click was heard from his shoulder. Lin Xiao gritted his teeth and slowly raised his arm, giving it a gentle shake.

Deep down, Lin Xiao refused to bow to Hua Wuniang and her son!

Like a wounded wolf cub, Lin Xiao glared fiercely at Hua Wuniang.

Lin Xiao's gaze sent a chill through Hua Wuniang. A murderous intent also flared up in her heart: "What a wicked brat. I should have poisoned him along with the others back then. No rush, I'll slowly torment you, I won't let you have an easy time." Hua Wuniang suddenly regretted that for the past ten years, she had only focused on tormenting Lin Xiao in terms of living conditions, neglecting the issue of eradicating him completely. This was an unforgivable mistake.

She glared fiercely at Lin Xiao as well, then sneered, "What a cruel and ruthless little brat, to tear his own elder brother apart like this."

Without changing his expression, Lin Xiao turned Lin Yao's body towards the Spring Return Hall executives sitting on both sides of the long table. The Hua Family elders and stewards immediately began to condemn Lin Xiao for being so cruel at such a young age. One middle-aged Hua Family steward even swore, "This child is destined to be a thief! Look at the fierce aura about him. If he doesn't become a great bandit leader in the future, I'll eat my own head!" He proudly adjusted his hair bun, deliberately drawing everyone's attention to the small flower made of tiny rubies he had stuck in it that day.

Lin Shan watched the Hua Family elders and stewards with cold eyes and sighed in his heart, "Master, you were absolutely right. The Hua Family has become so corrupt that it's beyond saving. My master's kindness is immense, and I can only do my best. At least I only need to endure these two years. Once their current seclusion ends, I won't have anything to fear."

"How difficult it is to revitalize the Hua Family!" Lin Shan gave a few bitter laughs, gently tapped the tabletop with his finger, and said coldly, "Enough. There's no need for me to explain how this happened."

The Hua Family members all fell silent. The doctors, pharmacists, and others from Spring Return Hall nodded in agreement. A hot-tempered chief accountant even stood up and loudly declared, "Young Master, it was clearly the eldest young master who attacked first, seizing Young Master Xiao's vital throat."

Hua Wuniang glared fiercely at the chief accountant and suddenly sneered, "Is Young Master Xiao alright? Look at how badly he's been grabbed, my Yao'er!"

Just as the chief accountant was about to retort, Mr. Wei from the accounting department coughed and said calmly, "Alright, the two young masters were fighting. Children are ignorant, why should we adults get involved? Let's first discuss how to deal with the Zhang Family. An apology won't be enough to smooth things over. But whether we should hand over the eldest young master to appease the Zhang Family's rage..."

"Presumptuous!" Hua Wuniang slammed her palm onto the long table. With a muffled 'boom', the entire long table, three zhang wide and fifteen zhang long, was pressed flat against the floor. All the table legs had sunk into the polished blue bricks from her strike. Hua Wuniang shouted sternly, "Whoever dares to hand Yao'er over! Don't blame me, Hua Wuniang, for being impolite!"

"Presumptuous!" Lin Shan also let out a light, cold snort. "Wuniang, according to the family rules, what is the penalty for those who dare to roar in the discussion hall!"

Hua Wuniang's face instantly turned deathly pale. Her complexion was several times whiter than the thick layer of white powder on her face. She looked at the Hua Family elders and stewards in panic, her gaze filled with both a plea for help and a threat: if anything happens to me, you won't fare any better.

A Hua Family elder coughed lightly, glanced at Hua Wuniang, and slowly said, "Hall Master, Wuniang spoke without thinking. Let's set aside these minor matters for now and discuss the important ones, the important ones."

Lin Shan smiled grimly and said lightly, "Important matters? Very well!"

He stepped onto the surface of the long table on the floor. Lifting his foot, he actually used his internal energy to lift the table back up. He pushed the table forward half a foot, avoiding the holes on the floor, and the table instantly stood firmly on the ground again.

He moved his chair forward half a foot and scanned the Hua Family elders and stewards. He said calmly, "Mr. Wei will tell everyone about the Zhang Family's influence."

Mr. Wei's two rat whiskers twitched. He slowly stood up, cupped his fists towards the Hua Family elders and stewards, especially Hua Wuniang and Lin Yao, and then pulled out a dirty, oily folding fan from behind his collar. With a 'snap', he stylishly unfolded it. Fanning himself, Mr. Wei said with a smile, "This is the news I just received. The Zhang Family of Guiying City, their old patriarch, the father of the current Zhang Family head, was the grand leader of the largest water bandit stronghold within a thousand li of the 'Fierce Dragon River' in the southern region of the Great Yuan Dynasty thirty years ago, the 'Three-Three Linked Docks'."

The faces of the Hua Family elders and stewards all changed. Even the usually arrogant Hua Wuniang's expression became extremely unsightly.

Especially Lin Yao, with a drop of blood still on his nose, plopped down onto the ground and wailed, "No way? No way? Mother~~~ Father!"

Mr. Wei pursed his lips and smiled, fanning his folding fan again. He said softly, "Currently, the Zhang Family has two thousand registered family soldiers. This is a small remnant from thirty years ago when the Three-Three Linked Docks were wiped out by the Great Yuan Dynasty's navy. Their strength is extremely formidable. After all, the Zhang Family has a history of being bandits. Their bandit hearts have not died in thirty years. The private soldiers they keep in their various estates number around four thousand."

Four thousand private troops were enough to conquer cities and fortresses in the northwestern prefectures.

Letting out a soft breath, Mr. Wei's rat whiskers twitched again. He sighed with a hint of helplessness, "Of course, none of this needs to be a concern. No matter how powerful the Zhang Family is, do they really dare to bring their private troops to attack Guihua City?"

The expressions of everyone in the discussion hall relaxed. That's right, did the Zhang Family really dare to raise an army? Guihua City was not so easily taken.

Shaking his head, Lin Shan coldly commanded, "Mr. Wei, continue."

Mr. Wei nodded, his expression instantly turning grim. "What I'm worried about are those fierce bandits and vicious criminals who followed the Zhang Family's old patriarch into seclusion. Thirty years ago, they were renowned throughout the southern waterways of the Great Yuan Dynasty. The reputation of the Three-Three Linked Docks back then, hmph, they even dared to rob the Great Yuan Dynasty's treasury ships carrying silver. This group of fierce bandits, whose skills are enough to qualify for the Black List of the martial arts world, number around one hundred and fifty. They are all people who kill without batting an eye."

Lin Yao, still wailing on the ground, was so scared that he wet himself. He screamed, "They wouldn't go to such extremes for just a woman, would they?"

Mr. Wei sighed deeply and shook his head helplessly. "The Zhang Family's old patriarch has nearly a hundred grandsons, but only one granddaughter. He doted on her like his own eyeball. If it weren't for the marriage alliance with the Wang Family to increase his Zhang Family's prestige and influence, and also to find a strong ally for mutual support in these chaotic times, do you think he would have so readily sent his granddaughter away?"

Lin Shan said lightly, "The Zhang Family's old patriarch's idea isn't actually wrong. The marriage between the Zhang Family and the Wang Family only brings benefits, with no disadvantages at all. It's just that the Zhang Family's young lady had a thin fate and encountered you scoundrels."

Before Hua Wuniang could speak, Lin Shan continued, "Now there are only two paths. One is to save Lin Yao's life, but then the foundation of our Spring Return Hall will be..."

Mr. Wei pretended ignorance and asked, "Then, Young Master, what is the other path?"

Lin Shan narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Discuss with Old Master Wang and tie up these beasts, sending them all to the Zhang Family's old patriarch for judgment. Then our Spring Return Hall will be safe!"

Mr. Wei smiled and asked with feigned surprise, "Then, will the old master of the Wang family agree?"

Lin Shan said calmly, "Why wouldn't the old master of the Wang family agree? He has quite a few sons. If he loses Wang Er and marries off one of his daughters to the Wang family as a bride, this matter will be glossed over. In the future, the Zhang family will still be the Wang family's best ally. Do you think the old master of the Wang family would be reluctant to part with a son's life?"

"You~~~ Lin Shan~~~ you're willing to part with your own son's life?" Hua Wuniang shrieked. She stomped her feet in place and roared, "You just want Yao'er to die!"

"If he hadn't done such a thing, who would make him die?" Lin Shan narrowed his eyes and looked at Hua Wuniang, sneering, "He brought this upon himself, there's nothing I can do. If Yao'er isn't handed over, and the Zhang family insists on retaliating against my Spring Return Hall, which is more important, Spring Return Hall or Yao'er?"

Which was more important, the foundation of Spring Return Hall or Lin Yao's life?

Everyone looked at Hua Wuniang.

Hua Wuniang stood there stunned for a long time, then suddenly hugged Lin Yao. She cried out loudly, "I don't care, I don't care! Spring Return Hall and Yao'er, I can't bear to lose either! Wuwu, Yao'er is Spring Return Hall, and Spring Return Hall will be Yao'er's in the future. No one is allowed to touch a single hair on him! No one can even think about laying a hand on my Spring Return Hall!"

Lin Yao, tears streaming down his face, hugged Hua Wuniang's leg and wailed, "Mother~~~ you must save your child~~~ your child doesn't want to die~~~"

Hua Wuniang embraced Lin Yao, patting his shoulders forcefully, and cried out, "Don't worry, Yao'er, Mother won't let you be wronged!"

Suddenly, Hua Wuniang stood up abruptly. She wiped away the powder and tears from her face with force and looked at Lin Shan fiercely.

Lin Shan looked at Hua Wuniang and asked coldly, "What are you going to do now? You can protect him for a while, but can you protect him for a lifetime?"

"How do you know I can't protect Yao'er for a lifetime?" Hua Wuniang looked at Lin Shan with a series of strange laughs. She twisted her waist and laughed triumphantly, "Don't think you're the only one who knows certain things, you master of Spring Return Hall! I know them just as well!"

Lin Shan's face twitched. He stood up abruptly and roared, "What do you know? What could you possibly know?"

Hua Wuniang took a deep breath and said fiercely, "Give me the key, I need to open the secret vault!"

"Audacious! Insolent! You!" Lin Shan's face turned purple. Veins bulged on his forehead. He slammed his palm onto the long table. With a 'whoosh' sound, a faint, pale green flame enveloped the long table. The conference table, used by Spring Return Hall for nearly a thousand years, turned into a pile of flying ash in the blink of an eye.

The entire hall was shocked by that single palm strike.

Large beads of sweat broke out on the foreheads of the elders and deacons of the Hua family, flowing down their cheeks and gathering into glistening droplets at their chins before slowly dripping off. They looked at Lin Shan in terror, never expecting that this outsider, this contemporary head of the Hua family who was practically a live-in son-in-law, possessed such incredible divine power.

There were countless divine skills and secret techniques in the world, but to be able to conjure flames with bare hands, flames that could instantly turn "steel wood"—a specialty of the 'Extreme North Hengshan' mountain, which was three parts stronger than fine iron—into flying ash, this was beyond the realm of martial arts. Perhaps only the Samadhi True Fire, cultivated by the divine beings who could fly and burrow through the earth in legends, possessed such might.

"Samadhi True Fire!" It wasn't just one person who thought of this; several senior scholars groaned the word almost simultaneously.

Lin Shan's body seemed to grow immensely tall in that instant. He seemed to fill the entire hall by himself. His aura intimidated everyone in the hall; no one dared to speak.

Lin Xiao stood dumbfounded at the doorway, looking at Lin Shan, who had suddenly transformed, and couldn't help but wonder: was this still his gentle, kind father who wouldn't dare to speak a harsh word to Hua Wuniang? Was this still the father who, after his most beloved woman inexplicably died of illness, could only hold her ashes and weep secretly at night?

A blur flashed before his eyes, and Lin Xiao seemed to see again the night his mother died, Lin Shan kneeling in a corner of the Hua family's backyard, holding his mother's ashes, and crying tears of blood.

He was so powerful, so why had he always indulged Hua Wuniang so much?

If Lin Shan had willed it, Spring Return Hall would have been his alone years ago. Why would he still keep these Hua family elders and deacons, who were as stupid as pigs and utterly incapable?

Lin Xiao's heart was filled with confusion. He looked at Lin Shan, utterly bewildered. Why was it like this? Given the power of that palm strike, Lin Shan could have become a top martial arts grandmaster, revered by all, not just a resident doctor with the title of divine physician.

The atmosphere in the hall was as heavy as an iron curtain. Lin Shan panted heavily. After a long, long time, he slowly reined in the immense aura he had released.

In an instant, Lin Shan reverted to his usual refined, thin, kind, and peace-loving, almost cowardly old man.

However, the way others looked at him had completely changed.

Lin Shan looked at Hua Wuniang with a hint of weariness, his voice suddenly becoming extremely hoarse, and asked in a low voice, "Wuniang, what else do you know?"

Hua Wuniang smiled coldly and said gloomily, "Before Father died, he was delirious for a while, but I heard everything he said."

"What did Master say in his delirium?" Lin Shan looked at Hua Wuniang kindly.

"What Father said, I thought it was just a fairy tale back then," Hua Wuniang said, looking at the small pile of black ash on the ground and laughing strangely. "I didn't expect it to be true. Hmph, since these things are true, what's wrong with me protecting Yao'er for a lifetime?"

"Heh heh, heh heh, heh heh heh!" Lin Shan suddenly burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. As he laughed, he pointed at Hua Wuniang and angrily said, "Do you think Yao'er, in his current state, will be favored by them?"

Hua Wuniang was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, she shrieked, "Whether they favor him or not, give me the key to the secret vault!"

"What do you want to do?" Lin Shan roared. "What exactly do you want to do?"

Hua Wuniang said coldly, "There are spiritual medicines in the secret vault, and also poisons. What do you think I want to do?"

Lin Shan's face turned ashen. He roared, "You're crazy!"

Hua Wuniang laughed strangely, "For Yao'er, what's wrong with me going mad? Lin Shan, are you going to give me the key or not?"

Lin Shan's expression changed. His right hand instinctively retracted into his sleeve.

Hua Wuniang sneered, "What did Father say to you before he died? And you dare not listen to me now? Are you worthy of Father, who treated you like his own son?"

Lin Shan remained silent. The elders and deacons of the Hua family were silent. Everyone in the council hall was silent.

A hint of a triumphant smile gradually appeared on Hua Wuniang's face. Of the nearly a hundred people in the hall, only Lin Shan and she knew how terrifying the power of some items in the secret vault was. With those things, why would they fear a mere Zhang family?

She slowly extended her hand towards Lin Shan and said with a cold smile, "The key, give it to me!"

Lin Shan took a deep breath, his teeth clenched. He looked at Hua Wuniang, his body trembling slightly.

Hua Wuniang chuckled lightly, "Don't forget Father's last words! Don't forget how Father actually died! With Father's cultivation, if he hadn't been trying to save you from your qi deviation, he would have lived for at least another fifty years! Everything you have today is thanks to Father!"

Lin Shan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a sound came out.

Suddenly, several violent thunderclaps echoed from the sky. The thunder was so loud that the rolling thunder caused the tiles on the council hall to clatter noisily.

'Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack,' the roof of the council hall was suddenly ripped off by a gust of strong wind, and the ground trembled a few times.

From a distance, there came the clamor of human voices.

Not long after, several guards from Spring Return Hall stumbled in, shouting from afar, "Master, Madam, run! The city has fallen! The city has fallen! The Black Blade Bandits have broken in!"

Everyone in the hall was stunned. How could the city have fallen so quickly?

Lin Shan's face turned as white as paper. He glanced sharply at Lin Xiao, suddenly flashed to his side, grabbed him with one hand, and turned to flee towards the back door of the council hall.

Hua Wuniang shrieked, "Lin Shan, what are you doing?"

Lin Shan, however, seemed not to hear Hua Wuniang's voice and directly grabbed Lin Xiao and ran out. (To be continued)