"Lin Fan, stop talking!"
Already in a foul mood, Lin Qingxue became so furious at hearing Lin Fan repeat those embarrassing incidents from the Xuantian Holy Land that she turned and walked away.
Seeing Lin Qingxue leave in anger, Lin Nantian hurriedly instructed the maid, "Yue'er, go keep the young lady company. And tell the kitchen to prepare some ginseng soup for her."
Once Lin Qingxue and her maid Yue'er withdrew, only Lin Nantian and Lin Fan remained in the main hall.
"Lin Fan, sit down and tell me everything that happened at the Xuantian Holy Land."
Lin Nantian drew Lin Fan over, offered him a seat, and gestured for him to drink some tea.
Lin Fan raised his cup and took a token sip, then recounted all the news about Lin Qingxue that had circulated through the Xuantian Holy Land over the past few days.
Lin Nantian had originally assumed Lin Qingxue was angry only because Qin Wuyou had humiliated her. After learning what she had endured, he was so furious he nearly spat blood!
"Despicable! Damn them! What kind of people are they? These are the disciples of your Xuantian Holy Land? Instead of cultivating properly, all they do is wag their tongues? My Xue'er is as pure as ice and jade, yet they humiliate her like this! Does spreading rumors really cost them nothing?"
Lin Nantian slammed the table and sprang to his feet, roaring, "Lin Fan, don't hold me back! I'm going to the Xuantian Holy Land to demand an explanation from your Holy Lord! If he won't give our Xue'er justice, I'll... I'll smash my head open and die right there in your Xuantian Holy Land!"
Watching Lin Nantian stand there for ages without taking a single step, Lin Fan looked deeply embarrassed.
But he was clever enough to hastily rise and grab Lin Nantian, urging him,
"Uncle, those people aren't worth getting angry over. They're just jealous of Qingxue, nothing more. Besides, with this sort of thing, the more you try to paint it clean, the blacker it gets. I think Qingxue is handling it very well right now. As long as we ignore it, all the fuss will naturally die down after a while."
"Arguing with those ignorant idiots will only make us look even more idiotic. I understand how worried you are about Qingxue, Uncle. If she saw that you were willing to risk your life going to the Xuantian Holy Land to demand justice for her, she'd surely shed tears of gratitude."
Lin Nantian, who had just been so fiercely determined to smash his head open at the Xuantian Holy Land, immediately sat back down after those few words from Lin Fan.
"Ah, this is all Qin Wuyou's fault! If not for that bastard, how could my Xue'er have suffered such unjust accusations? I'd better not catch sight of that little beast, or I'll split him apart with my own hands!"
Lin Nantian instantly turned his spearhead toward Qin Wuyou. Taking Lin Fan's hand, he said earnestly,
"Lin Fan, I can see that you and Xue'er truly love each other. Put in a little more effort during this time and cheer her up. After all, Xue'er is my only precious daughter. I don't want her to suffer even the slightest grievance."
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll make sure Xue'er is happy."
After making that promise, Lin Fan changed his tone and sighed. "It's just that, because of this business with Qin Wuyou, Xue'er hasn't been willing to see me lately. Even if I want to cheer her up, she won't give me the chance."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Nantian narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled. "Xue'er is doing the right thing. Just as you said, the two of you should see less of each other for now. Once this matter has cooled down, I'm sure she'll see you again. Of course, as a man, you shouldn't be so inflexible. If you can't see her openly, can't you cheer her up behind the scenes?"
"Lin Fan, as someone who's been through it all, I really must teach you a few surefire tricks for winning a girl's heart. You can never go wrong with gifts. Have you heard the saying? When choosing gifts for a girl, don't pick what's right, only what's expensive!"
"Of course, that approach works very well on materialistic women. My Xue'er isn't that sort of woman, but if you could give her a little surprise every day, I'm sure she'd still be delighted. Don't you agree?"
After hearing all of Lin Nantian's earnest advice, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth twitched.
Don't give what's right, only what's expensive?
Could you be any more fucking blatant?
You're really the first elder I've ever met who could demand gifts so shamelessly!
Though far from willing, Lin Fan caught on at once and presented his gifts, setting them on the table as he said cautiously,
"You're right, Uncle. Thank you for your guidance. If you hadn't reminded me, I'd have almost forgotten what mattered. These are the gifts I prepared for you and Xue'er. Please accept them."
Glancing at the gifts Lin Fan had placed on the table, Lin Nantian nodded expressionlessly and continued, "Lin Fan, Xue'er told me yours is a heaven-tier lineage. That's quite an impressive background. Our Lin Lineage may not be a great lineage, but we've barely managed to enter the ranks of the first-rate ones. Have you spoken to your elders about your marriage?"
Lin Fan was about to answer, but Lin Nantian spoke first. "If you haven't, you'd better not tell your elders yet."
Hearing what clearly sounded like a rejection, Lin Fan's expression changed drastically. Alarmed, he asked, "Uncle, have I done something wrong? Please tell me. I'll correct any mistakes I've made."
"Lin Fan, you've misunderstood. I'm very pleased with you."
Lin Nantian chuckled, then sighed before continuing, "But you know about the Marriage Pact between Qin Wuyou and Xue'er. If we don't resolve that problem, and he really comes to our door in a month demanding that we honor the agreement, we won't be able to afford the compensation. We'll have no choice but to make Xue'er suffer and marry him."
The instant he heard that Lin Qingxue might marry Qin Wuyou, Lin Fan felt as though his head had exploded. He sprang to his feet and roared.
"What? Xue'er, marry Qin Wuyou? How could that be allowed? Absolutely not!"
Seeing Lin Fan's anger, Lin Nantian feigned helplessness and sighed. "Lin Fan, there's nothing I can do."
By now, Lin Fan was completely carried away. He followed right along and said, "Don't worry, Uncle. I'll ask my lineage to send someone to act immediately! Once Qin Wuyou is dead, none of these problems will be problems anymore!"
After all his circling around, this was exactly the result Lin Nantian had wanted.
Hearing Lin Fan finally say those words, Lin Nantian smiled at last, rose, and said,
"Lin Fan, if you really can kill Qin Wuyou, I'll agree to your marriage with Xue'er! But I certainly hope you're not an unreliable man who can only make grand boasts. For the sake of Xue'er's lifelong happiness, the two of you should see less of each other until this matter is resolved."
"Someone, see our guest out!"
Still swept up in the heat of the moment, Lin Fan was ushered out of the Lin Lineage residence in a daze.
Looking at the closed gates behind him, Lin Fan finally came to his senses. Clenching his fists, he said,
"Qingxue, just wait! I'll deal with Qin Wuyou and sweep away every obstacle between us!"
"I'll come back to marry you!"
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