A Family

"I refuse to accept this!"

As soon as the words fell, Lin Changqiang strode swiftly onto the arena stage, then declared in a clear voice under the stunned gazes of Lin Dong and the others: "I have something to say, please hear me out!"

"The Lin Clan Competition is a major affair, and the rules have always been that defeat is determined by being beaten or knocked off the stage. Today, among the top five of the competition, Lin Dong has won one match, I, unworthy as I am, have not lost a single one, and the rest have each lost one! Therefore, by both reason and logic, Lin Dong should be first, I second, and the rest tied for third!"

"I've said my piece. Who agrees, who opposes?"

For a moment, the entire Training Hall fell into dead silence, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Almost everyone stared at Lin Changqiang, dumbfounded and speechless.

Only Lin Dong helplessly pressed his forehead, guessing that Lin Changqiang was furious and embarrassed because Lin Hong had failed to defeat Qing Tan, thus losing face.

Gradually, some people came to their senses, pondered Lin Changqiang's words, and began whispering to those beside them.

"Doesn't he have a point?"

"Hiss—this kid's got a sharp mind!"

"Just a bystander here, but to be fair, how can falling off the stage count as a win?"

Even Lin Hong was baffled. Though he felt something was off, he couldn't figure out how to refute it.

As the murmurs in the Training Hall grew louder, and it seemed everyone was leaning toward agreeing with Lin Changqiang, Lin Hong panicked. He quickly leaped onto the stage and shouted.

"I object! We haven't fought yet, so what gives you the right to be ranked ahead of me?"

Unfortunately, Lin Changqiang had already taken the chance while speaking to slip his left hand into his pocket, secretly channeling Yuan Power, just waiting for this kid to jump up!

Seeing this, he said nothing more. With a swift step, he closed in on Lin Hong, and before the latter could react or muster his Yuan Power, he swung a heavy Eight Desolations Palm into Lin Hong's chest, sending him flying.

"Now, have we fought or not?"

Lin Changqiang snorted coldly. Dealing with a wicked scoundrel like this, who spent his days lusting after minors—and the object of his lust happened to be his own sister—he wouldn't bother with chivalry (this is not a jab at anyone in particular), though Qing Tan was actually adopted.

The crowd below had just seen Lin Hong rush onto the stage in a frenzy, and in the blink of an eye, his body flew out like a kite with a broken string, landing face-first in the dirt...

The entire Training Hall fell silent once more. No one had expected that Lin Hong, who was supposed to be the first-place winner of this clan competition, would be knocked off so dramatically. Only Lin Mang clenched his fists and took a step forward with his left foot, but upon seeing Lin Zhentian seated before him, he gritted his teeth and returned to his spot.

"Lin Changqiang is also at the Body Tempering Stage Seven!"

Feeling the Yuan Power aura emanating from the other, Lin Xiao froze. A moment later, his body suddenly trembled, and he whipped his head toward Lin Dong, his face instantly flooding with ecstasy.

"If what Changqiang says is true!"

Lin Dong swallowed hard, feeling numb all over under Lin Xiao's blazing gaze. He couldn't say anything, so he silently cursed Lin Changqiang in his heart.

On the ground outside the stage, Lin Hong's face was pale, and his eyes were dazed, clearly not yet recovered from the situation before him.

He never imagined that Lin Changqiang, whom he had never taken seriously, was also at the Body Tempering Stage Seven and had knocked him away with a single move! He simply couldn't accept this result!

"Impossible!"

The gazes around him pricked Lin Hong like needles. He suddenly roared, stomped the ground, and charged back onto the stage, rushing at Lin Changqiang in fury and desperation.

Watching Lin Hong climb back onto the stage and seeing the furious Lin Mang not far away, and recalling Lin Changqiang's temperament, Lin Dong frowned, sensing trouble.

"Dad, if Changqiang strikes at Lin Hong again, Second Uncle might do something to him."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao quickly glanced at Lin Mang, then nodded solemnly.

Lin Changqiang wasn't surprised at all to see Lin Hong charge onto the stage. But he had no intention of attacking Lin Hong again—who knew if Lin Xiao would step in, or if he'd be too late, leaving him at Lin Mang's mercy?

Having made up his mind, Lin Changqiang immediately led Lin Hong toward Lin Ken, who was standing at the edge of the stage, and stopped in front of him, much to Lin Ken's bewildered expression.

"That way, even if Third Uncle can't act in time, First Uncle can still hold Lin Mang back."

Lin Changqiang took a deep breath, turned around, and clashed with Lin Hong.

Both were at Body Tempering Stage Seven, but one had just fought an exhausting, inconclusive battle and was mentally rattled by the sudden turn of events, while the other was calm, composed, and fully energized.

One launched a rain of fierce attacks, wielding the Eight Desolations Palm with unmatched brutality but lacking finesse, while the other balanced hardness with softness, parrying and countering with ease.

The outcome of this fight was decided before it even began.

In just a few exchanges, Lin Hong was once again sent flying by a palm strike from Lin Changqiang, crashing several meters away.

"Want to keep going?"

Lin Changqiang withdrew his stance, standing as light as a breeze. But it was this very ease that made Lin Hong question his own existence.

"No, no... this can't be!" Lin Hong struggled to push himself up, panting heavily. "Why, why is this? Just a month ago, you and Lin Dong were no match for me!"

"Sorry, I'm a cheater." Lin Changqiang muttered silently in his heart. At that moment, he almost felt a pang of sympathy.

He never thought that just because he had a golden finger to boost his cultivation, he had the right to look down on those who worked hard but were weaker. After all, if he didn't have the system, and Lin Dong didn't have the Ancestral Stone, no matter how hard they trained, they probably wouldn't be a match for Lin Hong right now...

"Give it up. You can't win. On a normal day, you might have a chance against me, but today you've just been through a tough fight, and your condition is too poor. I suppose this is... an unworthy victory."

His voice wasn't loud, just enough for the few people on the stage to hear, but it stirred a ripple in Lin Hong's heart.

"Are you pitying me?" He looked up at Lin Changqiang, who was slowly approaching, and a few glistening tears appeared in his eyes.

"Think whatever you want." Lin Changqiang rolled his eyes in annoyance and extended his right hand toward him. "Get up. Do you need me to help you?"

After all, the kid was just a ten-year-old who hadn't grown up yet, and he was still his cousin. Blood was thicker than water. Sure, he always liked to bully Lin Dong, but a good lesson was enough. In the original story, even Lin Dong himself didn't hold a grudge, so why should he meddle?

Besides... it wasn't like he was the one being bullied back then~

"..." Lin Hong stared blankly at Lin Changqiang. Maybe it was the sunlight shining on him, but he felt a warm, calming aura radiating from Lin Changqiang.

"Tch, are you going to get up or not? Can you at least act like a member of the Lin Family?" Lin Changqiang shook his hand impatiently. "If you're not convinced, stand up and fight me again. If you're convinced, take my hand, get up, wipe your tears, and stop sitting there wallowing in self-pity. What, do you want outsiders to see the Lin Family as a joke?"

"Right, I'm still on the stage!"

His originally fair face flushed bright red. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve, grabbed Lin Changqiang's right hand, and stood up.

"You don't hate me?"

"??? Why would I hate you?"

"...Because I used to bully Lin Dong a lot."

"Tch, how should I put it? If you were an outsider, I'd definitely join Lin Dong in beating you half to death. But since you're family, I'll just treat it as you being clueless and give you a light thrashing."

"So you forgive me? But Lin Dong..."

"Lin Dong's actually easy to get along with. He's like me—always tolerant of family. As long as you sincerely apologize and make amends, I doubt he'll care."

Gotta say, the protagonists in Potato's novels all seem to be like this—a smile wipes away all grudges. Xiao Yan forgave the Xiao Family elders, Lin Dong forgave Lin Hong and Lin Shan. As for Lin Langtian...

Let's not go there.

"...Sorry."

"?" His voice was a bit soft, the wind a bit loud, so Lin Changqiang naturally couldn't hear clearly.

"I mean, thanks."

"Hey, no big deal."

Anyway, even if you wanted to bully Lin Dong now, you couldn't beat him anymore...

"Dong, detected that Lin Hong's favorability toward the host has increased to sixty-nine, surpassing Lin Dong's sixty-eight. The passive—Guerrilla's target has switched to Lin Hong."

"??? You backstabbed me, you bastard!"

Lin Changqiang's eyes widened. He kind of regretted not saying the second half of that sentence out loud.