Malicious Intent

"What martial arts practice? What doing it for Lin Yin? She's clearly doing it for herself—she's here to claim a share of the family property! Sob, sob... That's a whole shop..."

"Enough, enough!"

The quarrelling and crying behind them seemed meant for Lin Yin and his mother to hear. Yet at this moment, neither of them cared in the slightest.

Once they left the Lin Mansion courtyard, they walked straight away.

Inside the Lin Mansion.

Compared to the relieved mother and son, the atmosphere in the mansion was exceptionally stifling.

The Lin Family had only three shops in total. Although the times had been turbulent lately and business was somewhat difficult, they still provided the household with some income.

Giving away one shop—it was easy to imagine what kind of changes that would bring to the Lin Family.

"It's good that the First Branch's matter has been dealt with. At least that's one less worry..."

Old Master Lin wore a complicated expression as he stared blankly at the open Main Door of the Lin Mansion, no one knowing what he was thinking.

"Father, then..."

Second Aunt wanted to say more, but her husband beside her stopped her.

"Mother, so what if we give them one shop? Once I enter the sect, what will one shop amount to?"

Lin Lin looked utterly composed.

At this moment, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that he and that weak, dull-witted elder brother already belonged to two different worlds.

Who would have thought the other party would suddenly come to their door and stir up all this trouble?

Fortunately, everything had been resolved.

As long as it did not affect his path of martial arts, how could a few worldly possessions be worth mentioning?

"Lin Lin is right. Sooner or later, we'll leave this troublesome place, Langshi Town. By then, the shops would only be sold off cheaply anyway. Better to give the First Branch a little compensation."

Old Master Lin nodded as well, his expression returning to calm.

As long as his youngest grandson made something of himself, nothing would be a problem.

"That's true... Hmph, the First Branch went too far today. Once Lin Lin has completed his studies, they'd better not come crawling back shamelessly to curry favor with us."

Second Aunt was still fuming when she suddenly thought of something.

"Lin Lin, how could you give the Secret Manual to that good-for-noth—"

Second Aunt glanced at Old Master Lin and swiftly changed her tune.

"That Secret Manual is a superior martial art. Why aren't you practicing it yourself? Why give it to Lin Yin instead?"

This was the part she could not understand.

Who would have expected Lin Lin to smile faintly at those words?

"The Golden Bell Shield is indeed a superior martial art, but it is a Hardening Technique. Even my Master rarely touches this type of martial art."

"The Six-Star Chain Blade already demands no small expense and is difficult to cultivate. A Hardening Technique of the same level is an entirely different matter. Neither its cultivation difficulty nor the resources it requires are something ordinary people can bear."

"Very few people can cultivate this kind of martial art to great mastery..."

At this point, considering his grandpa's feelings, Lin Lin added another sentence.

"My original intention was to make Big Brother retreat in the face of difficulty.

"After all, martial arts practice is no simple matter. The investment is enormous—what if all the returns go down the drain?"

From deliberately making things difficult to supposedly considering his elder brother's sake.

Though Lin Lin was young, his words left no cracks for water to seep through.

Old Master Lin nodded.

"Enough. If they don't appreciate it, then so be it. Let this matter end here. No one is to bring it up again."

As he spoke, Old Master Lin glanced at the silent Third Branch.

Lin De's expression was indifferent, while Lin Ai merely ate quietly from her bowl. Neither seemed to have anything to say.

"Third, visit their home less in the future."

It was only an offhand remark, yet Lin De's expression froze slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh.

He knew that his father intended to completely cut ties with that mother and son.

The moment they returned home, Madam Wang grabbed the water gourd beside her and took a deep gulp, as though wetting her somewhat parched throat.

Following her example, Lin Yin also scooped up a gourdful. The warm-cool stream was refreshing to the heart, as though it had swept away all the pent-up gloom inside him.

"Yin'er, you must be hungry. Mother will go cook for you."

Without mentioning the Lin Family's affairs at all, Madam Wang seemed to become that gentle, loving mother once more. Smiling, she headed straight for the kitchen.

Having obtained Thirty Taels of Silver, she would set aside part of it as capital for opening a shop and use the rest to buy meat. She wanted to make her son a hearty, lavish dinner.

At this, Lin Yin merely smiled and nodded.

His mother did not ask why he did not want the Golden Bell Shield, and naturally, Lin Yin would not bring it up himself.

Of course, he could not possibly tell her that he had directly entered the beginner stage of the Golden Bell Shield.

Seeing his mother head off to light the stove and cook, Lin Yin did not relax in the slightest. He opened the back door, went to the secluded backyard, and began his Martial Arts Practice.

[Heaven rewards diligence, Will achieve something]

[Vajra Stake Technique Beginner Stage (35/100)]

Having learned some basic knowledge about martial arts from Lin Lin, the first thing Lin Yin needed to do now was reach Minor Accomplishment in his stake technique as quickly as possible.

Only upon reaching Minor Accomplishment, when he could transform Qi and Blood into force, would it be time to formally cultivate the Golden Bell Shield.

Whether or not he could join a Martial Arts School, by then, every problem would be solved as easily as splitting bamboo.

Unlike Lin Lin, who needed Great Medicine and even his Master's guidance for Martial Arts Practice, Lin Yin only needed to do one thing: train, and train without stopping!

Heaven rewards diligence; there would surely be gains! So long as he persevered, there was no martial art he could not master!

Dull thuds, like flesh striking flesh, rang out in the courtyard.

Madam Wang, who was bustling about in the kitchen, opened the small wooden window. Watching the figure rise and fall in the darkness, a trace of relief appeared on her face.

What had seemed like a life full of twists and turns now appeared to hold hope once more.

Though she could not tell how well her son was training, she knew that Lin Yin was absolutely not as devoid of Bone structure and talent as Lin Lin had claimed!

Before long, the lavish dinner came to an end.

The days passed one after another.

Mother Wang successfully took over a shop from the Lin Family. It was a small storefront near the outskirts of the Market.

She planned to turn it into a Cloth Shop. She could buy raw materials from the cloth merchants, process them herself, and then sell them.

Compared to previously earning only money for handwork, now that she handled the sales herself, her income would only increase.

Meanwhile, while his mother busied herself preparing the shop, Lin Yin was not idle either.

He practiced his stake technique while training his archery, frequently traveling back and forth to Tiger Head Mountain. Every day, he improved.

Until the seventh day.

From far away, Lin Yin saw a group of burly men in Coarse Cloth and Linen Clothes standing at his doorway.

With a cloth sack tightly wrapping a bow and crossbow slung across his back and the Stone Stake his father had used for Martial Arts Practice in his hand, Lin Yin could hear a man roaring.

His expression changed drastically. He tossed the Stone Stake aside, then sprinted home without stopping.

"Five Taels of Silver... this... where am I supposed to get that much money, gentlemen?"

"Cut the nonsense. Everyone knows you just got a shop from that old man of the Lin Family. It's only Five Taels of Silver. Pay it, and I guarantee your shop will remain unharmed."

"Lord Sihu..."

Seeing that the woman before him was about to say more, Li Sihhu, standing in front of the two burly men, turned cold and directly raised his hand.

However, just as his hand was about to come down, a loud shout rang out from behind him.

"Brother Sihu, wait!"

He frowned and turned around, only to see a youth in linen clothes running over, panting heavily. His face was pale, his chest heaving violently—it was Lin Yin, whom they had not seen for many days.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.