Father and Daughter Turn Against Each Other

Chapter 13: Father and Daughter Turn Against Each Other

When Song Shanhai heard the news that Lin Le had also failed, he thought he would be calm. After all, since Song Shiyin's coming-of-age ceremony, this kind of test had been conducted hundreds, even thousands of times.

But upon actually hearing of the failure, Song Shanhai's hands trembled uncontrollably, and the atmosphere in the reception hall suddenly became oppressive.

Lin Le and Hou Guang, the two weaker ones, felt as if a large stone was pressing down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

"Old Ma, what number is this?" Song Shanhai asked expressionlessly.

"Counting this time, it should be the hundredth," Old Ma replied in a low voice.

"One hundred times, a full one hundred times!" Song Shanhai lowered his gaze. "Over the years, what kind of young talents haven't I shown her? Tall, short, thin, fat, dark, fair, masculine, feminine, handsome, ugly – which ones haven't I shown her!"

"But every time she told me she wasn't interested, and that was that! Tell me, who do you think she likes?" Song Shanhai raised his hand, pointing at Lin Le.

How would I know? Maybe your daughter likes women? Lin Le thought to himself.

Though he thought it, Lin Le didn't dare say it out loud. Otherwise, this father, currently enraged, might just slap him to death.

He had seen this look on his own parents' faces too many times when he hadn't gotten married by the age of twenty-eight.

"I think she might like someone tall, at least seven feet, because Miss Song herself seems quite tall, around six feet," Lin Le casually offered an answer.

"Seven feet?" Song Shanhai sneered. "Let alone seven feet, I've shown her men who are eight feet tall, and she still said she wasn't interested."

Sitting back down, Song Shanhai let out a long sigh. "I'm a bit tired."

Lin Le felt a sudden bad premonition and quietly tried to hide behind Hou Guang.

"I feel like, as a father, I might have spoiled this daughter too much," Song Shanhai muttered to himself. "Letting her decide everything."

"Let it be this way," Song Shanhai said, lightly tapping the armrest. "Lin Le, is it? I've decided you'll be the son-in-law of my Song family."

Lin Le froze. He hadn't expected Song Shanhai to name him directly. He cupped his hands and said, "Master Song, please reconsider. You are a cultivator, with a long lifespan. Why must you fixate on only Miss Song?"

"Well said, cultivators have long lifespans, but do you know why I only have Song Shiyin as my daughter?" Song Shanhai asked, then answered himself.

"It's because my kidneys were damaged by an opponent, and I can no longer conceive," he revealed.

Lin Le's face stiffened. He hadn't expected to hit such a sore spot for Song Shanhai.

Hou Guang's expression also froze. He had suspected as much, but he didn't expect to hear it directly from the person involved. Such matters concerning a hidden ailment were rarely disclosed to outsiders, except by family members.

"Young Hou, take five hundred taels and go," Song Shanhai waved his hand. "But it's best if you know what to say and what not to say."

"As for your junior brother, he will stay with me for now."

"Yes." Hou Guang cupped his fists, bowed respectfully, and retreated. He thought that as soon as he left the mansion, he would turn around and run, leaving Baishan County forever.

Lin Le stood in place, having no intention of resisting. There was a world of difference between cultivators and martial artists. Even cultivators who followed the Huangting path had greater physical strength than Martial Masters with Blood Qi Like a Dragon.

"Old Ma, please escort Young Master Lin to the side room and take good care of him," Song Shanhai instructed.

"Yes." Old Ma came to Lin Le's side. "Young Master Lin, let's go."

Lin Le ignored him and said to Song Shanhai, "Master Song, a melon forced to ripen isn't sweet."

"But it quenches thirst," Song Shanhai said listlessly. "Oh, right, tell the kitchen to prepare some medicine, just in case the young lady tries to run. My daughter probably won't just wait for arrangements to be made."

"That won't be necessary," a female voice called out. "Let Lin Le go, Father."

Song Shanhai looked up and saw a tall woman wearing a face-fitting mask walking in. Although she wore a mask, he could still recognize her as his daughter, Song Shiyin, at a glance.

Song Shanhai's expression turned grim. "Are you going to defy your father's decision, Nannan?"

"I will not marry a man I do not like, nor who does not like me," Song Shiyin stated.

"Based on that face of yours?" Song Shanhai stood up, his voice cold. "If you weren't my daughter, do you know what would have happened to you, a baby girl born with such an ominous fate? Drowned!"

"That's why I'm grateful to you, Father!" Song Shiyin said. "But regarding marriage, I truly cannot agree. And you wouldn't want your daughter to be perpetually unhappy like her mother, would you?"

Lin Le couldn't help but close his eyes. Why bring that up? he thought.

From that single sentence, Lin Le understood the melodramatic situation: the woman didn't get the man she loved and was forced to marry the man who loved her.

Bringing this up was like reopening a wound for any man.

As Lin Le had predicted, Song Shanhai erupted in fury. "Shut up! Don't mention that slut! What's wrong with me, Song Shanhai? That slut still thinks about her old lover who has nothing!"

"For her, I never even considered remarrying, yet her old lover spends his nights in pleasure houses. Does he have even a shred of regard for her!"

"In terms of devotion, he's inferior to me. In terms of looks, how can someone with a face full of pockmarks compare to me? In terms of money, I am wealthy beyond compare, and he still relies on your mother for financial support!"

Hearing this, Lin Le's mouth fell open. He looked at Song Shanhai with admiration. He can tolerate this? I don't know if Song Shanhai can be called a divine turtle, or a truly good man.

If it were him, he would have kicked her away immediately upon knowing his woman didn't love him.

In this situation, Song Shiyin still stepped forward. "Father, look at yourself. You married a woman who doesn't love you, and you yourself are unhappy. Why must you inflict this unhappiness on your daughter?"

But Song Shanhai, consumed by rage, paid no heed. His face was icy. "That's why I can't be bothered with whether you're happy or not. I just want to pass on the vast Song family lineage!"

Song Shiyin asked, "But what if I refuse?"

"Then I'll force you to comply, just like your mother!" Song Shanhai waved his hand. "Old Ma!"

"Miss, forgive me." Old Ma bowed slightly to Song Shiyin, then thrust out a palm, a claw-shaped energy grasping towards Song Shiyin.

Clang!

A sword's cry rang out. Old Ma retreated, surprise flashing in his eyes, as a healing wound appeared on his palm.

He whispered, "Fourth Layer?"

He was in the Second Layer Realm. Anyone who could break his grasp with a single sword strike had to be at least a Fourth Layer Cultivator.

"No, it's the Seventh Layer!" Song Shiyin said to Song Shanhai. "Father, you should know that with your Ninth Layer cultivation, you won't be able to stop me."

Song Shanhai's expression was complex. He was naturally delighted that his own daughter had reached the Seventh Layer at the age of twenty-four, but he had been completely unaware of this cultivation level.

Moreover, this cultivation was now being used to defy him, her parent.

As his expression shifted, it finally settled into indifference. He said, "How will you know if you don't try?"

Song Shanhai spread his hands. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth converged, forming a giant hand that pressed down on Song Shiyin.

Song Shiyin, however, unleashed a sword strike that shattered the spell. She then tapped her foot and, in the blink of an eye, appeared before Lin Le.

Before Lin Le could react, he felt his body lift into the air, the scenery before his eyes changing rapidly.