Hui Clan

Early in the morning, amid the farewells of a crowd, Lin Ming set off on his journey back to the clan.

Ten days later, a Silver-Scaled Magical Beast walked along the main road with a young man seated on its back. Looking at the enormous city before him and its exaggerated flow of people, Lin Ming found that nothing had changed from when he had left half a year ago. He removed the Thousand Fox Mask from his face, revealing his true appearance, and headed toward the city gates. Now that he had come this far, there was no need to conceal his identity any longer. Besides, his status could save him a great deal of trouble.

Upon reaching the city gates, Lin Ming entered the Noble-Only Passage. After displaying his Mite'er Family identity token, he was allowed straight through. This was one of the advantages of having a family. Otherwise, if Lin Ming had to queue with everyone else to enter the city, who knew how long he would have had to wait? Moreover, it was not easy for ordinary people to bring magical beasts into the city. First, they had to prove they could subdue the beast, followed by a whole series of other procedures.

Riding Yin Lin toward the family estate, Lin Ming finally arrived before nightfall. Inside the family compound, Mite'er Tengshan, Grandpa Liu, and Master Toso were all present. Lin Ming was not surprised by this. After all, he had not concealed his appearance, and he had ridden through the city so conspicuously on Yin Lin. If they still did not know that Lin Ming had returned, then the Mite'er Family did not deserve to be called one of the Jia Ma Empire's three Top Factions.

Lin Ming had Yin Lin lie outside and rest while he entered.

"Clan Leader, Grandpa Liu, Master Toso. Xiao Ming has returned from his training." Lin Ming bowed to the three elders in the room.

"You've become a Dou Master!" Mite'er Tengshan was the first to speak.

"Yes, Clan Leader. I broke through to Dou Master about two months ago," Lin Ming replied to Mite'er Tengshan.

"Not bad. Tell us about your experiences over the past few months." Mite'er Tengshan looked at Lin Ming. Apart from concealing the matter of his Five Attributes Dou Qi, Lin Ming roughly recounted his experiences During This Period to the elders. By the time he finished, it was nearly Deep Night.

"Ha ha, not bad! As expected of the Mite'er Family's genius. You were able to kill a Dou Master while still a Nine Star Dou Practitioner. You haven't disgraced your Lin Family's name." Grandpa Liu laughed heartily as he listened to Lin Ming speak of killing a Dou Master at the Nine Star Dou Practitioner stage. The other two also wore satisfied smiles.

"Jia Nan Academy will begin its recruitment in half a month. Xiao Ming, since you want to get acquainted with those top geniuses, you must possess qualifications equal to theirs. Otherwise, you will not be able to enter that circle. So if you need anything from the family, just say so. There is no need for reservations. We old fellows are still waiting for you to bring the family to heights we once never even dared imagine," Mite'er Tengshan said.

"Clan Leader, I was just about to mention that! Once I enter Jia Nan Academy, the Profound Grade Mid-Low Level Dou Technique I am currently practicing will no longer hold much of an advantage, so Xiao Ming would like higher-grade Dou Techniques." Lin Ming scratched his head, speaking somewhat embarrassedly.

"There is no need to feel embarrassed. Xiao Ming, you must understand that the faster you grow, the sooner the family can secure greater benefits. If you need Dou Techniques, go directly to Grandpa Liu. He can make that decision. If you need pill formulas or medicinal pills, go to Master Toso. And if you need anything else that they cannot decide on, come to me. We will do everything in our power to satisfy you," Mite'er Tengshan told Lin Ming. This left Lin Ming somewhat stunned.

"Alright, it is already late. Go back and rest first. You can collect the Dou Techniques you need tomorrow." Seeing Lin Ming still standing there in a daze, Mite'er Tengshan told him to return and rest.

"Then Xiao Ming will take his leave first." Lin Ming bowed again, then called Yin Lin and hurried back to his own home.

When he returned home and saw the Courtyard exactly as it had been before he left, without a speck of dust, Lin Ming smiled knowingly. He knew that Ya Fei had helped clean it. He thought that he should properly keep her company During This Period. By the next time he returned, she would already be a grown young lady.

After letting Yin Lin rest in the Courtyard, Lin Ming washed up and entered his room. He would not cultivate tonight. He was going to sleep.

"Brother Lin Ming! Brother Lin Ming! Ah!" Lin Ming hazily heard someone calling him, followed by a shriek. He instantly sobered up and rushed outside. When he reached the Courtyard, he saw Ya Fei screaming at the entrance while Yin Lin still lay on the ground. It seemed it was not what he had imagined—Yin Lin attacking an unfamiliar intruder—but simply that Ya Fei had been frightened by the sight of such a huge magical beast in the Courtyard.

Lin Ming inwardly sighed in relief, but quickly comforted her. "It's alright, girl! Don't be afraid. It's a magical beast I raised while training. It won't bite you."

Only after hearing Lin Ming did Ya Fei stop screaming. She carefully crept to his side and said, "Brother Lin Ming, it's a magical beast you raised? It's so big. But it's covered in silver scales. It looks so beautiful."

"Ha ha, beautiful, right? Its name is Yin Lin, and it's already a Second-Class Magical Beast," Lin Ming said with a smile.

"A Second-Class Magical Beast? Doesn't that make it the same rank as a Dou Master? Brother Lin Ming, are you a Dou Master now?" Ya Fei's voice rose higher with every question.

"Yes! Your Brother Lin Ming is already a Dou Master. From now on, I'll protect you, Ya Fei. You can do whatever you want." Lin Ming reached out and stroked Ya Fei's silky hair.

At that moment, Ya Fei's face turned bright red. Her two index fingers circled each other as she remained silent for a long while. Seeing her like this, Lin Ming smiled happily, then called to Yin Lin, "Yin Lin, come here."

Hearing its master's call, Yin Lin rose and came to Lin Ming's side, affectionately nudging him with its head. Lin Ming stroked Yin Lin's head and said, "Remember her. From now on, she is your master too. When I am not around, you must listen to her." Then he said to Ya Fei, "Girl, after I leave for Jia Nan Academy, Yin Lin will be entrusted to your care. Get familiar with it now. Don't be afraid. Yin Lin won't bite you."

After hearing Lin Ming's words, Ya Fei began greeting Yin Lin. Seeing that she was still somewhat afraid, Lin Ming directly picked her up and placed her on Yin Lin's back. Ya Fei had not expected him to do that and froze for a moment. Once she found herself on Yin Lin's back, she still clung tightly to Lin Ming's clothes with both hands, refusing to let go.

"See? It's fine. Yin Lin is very well-behaved," Lin Ming told Ya Fei, who was still clutching his clothes.

Only after confirming that nothing was wrong did Ya Fei turn around and release Lin Ming's clothes, her entire face flushed red. Looking at Ya Fei riding on Yin Lin's back, Lin Ming said, "Girl, play with Yin Lin here for a while. I'll go in to wash up and change clothes. Then I'll take you out for a stroll." After saying that, Lin Ming also told Yin Lin not to hurt Ya Fei before entering the house to wash up.

A short while later, on the street, a young man walked alongside a Silver-Scaled Magical Beast, with a young girl riding on its back. The young man asked, "Girl, where do you want to go?"

Without even thinking, the girl replied, "I want to eat those Candied Hawthorn Skewers from that shop again."

"Alright, let's go!" The young man led the magical beast onward.

Naturally, the young man and girl were Lin Ming and Ya Fei. After washing up, Lin Ming had taken Ya Fei and Yin Lin outside. After buying Candied Hawthorn Skewers, Lin Ming brought Ya Fei and Yin Lin into a restaurant they often visited. Thus, even though they saw Lin Ming bring a magical beast inside, no one came forward to stop him or say that magical beasts were not allowed in.

After Ya Fei ordered some of the dishes they used to eat often, Lin Ming added a roasted lamb and a roasted pig. Seeing this, Ya Fei said, "Brother Lin Ming, we can't finish so much food."

Lin Ming looked at Ya Fei and smiled. "Well, isn't there a big fellow with us? Yin Lin has become spoiled by me and only eats cooked food now. When you take care of it later, you'll have to feed it cooked food too." Ya Fei nodded after hearing him. Fortunately, the Mite'er Family was a Great Family, so raising a magical beast was not difficult. If it were some small family, raising one could bankrupt them.

Next came the time to feast. Once the roasted lamb and roasted pig were served, Lin Ming tore off one leg for himself, while everything else went into Yin Lin's stomach.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lin Ming took Ya Fei on another round of shopping and strolling. Since he had time now, he should keep this girl company more. Once he went to Jia Nan Academy, he would be gone for four years and would not have time to accompany her. Moreover, Lin Ming knew Ya Fei well. She was also a strong-willed girl. Although, with his arrival, no one would mention marrying her off in an alliance anymore, once she completed her Coming of Age Ceremony at sixteen, she would still head to the Mite'er Family branch Auction House in another city for training. Things would not be so carefree then.

Happy times always passed especially quickly. The entire day slipped by as he accompanied Ya Fei shopping, and Lin Ming had not relaxed this thoroughly in a long time.

That night, Lin Ming sat cross-legged in meditation, slowly circulating his Cultivation Method. At a certain moment, sensing something unusual, he immersed his mind and examined the feeling. Was this a sign of advancement? Without time to think further, Lin Ming hastened to circulate his Cultivation Method. Finally, after more than an hour, a new drop of transparent liquid condensed within his Dantian and merged into it. At this moment, twenty drops of transparent liquid rested quietly beneath the gold-and-green Two Colors Dou Qi Vortex in Lin Ming's Dantian.

"Phew!" Lin Ming exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi and slowly ceased his cultivation.

"Ha ha, a Two-Star Dou Master! It seems that relaxing once in a while really does have its benefits. This time, I broke through one stage in the Dou Master realm in less than two months, more than ten days earlier than I expected." Lin Ming spoke to himself. This early breakthrough brought him a small surprise.

Looking at the sky, Lin Ming saw that dawn would arrive before long. He did not continue cultivating. Since he had already broken through, he might as well sleep. Once he woke up, he would go to the Scripture Pavilion and ask Grandpa Liu for some High-Grade Dou Techniques. With that thought, he soon began snoring.