The Xuantian Holy Land.
True Disciple Peak.
Lin Fan had been very unhappy these past few days.
Ever since the last incident, Lin Qingxue had gone back to stay with the Lin Lineage, and he had not seen her for several days.
Although Lin Fan visited the Lin Lineage almost every day and even brought gifts, he still had not managed to see Lin Qingxue once.
Every time he left his gifts, Lin Nantian politely escorted him out.
"Young Lord, these are the gifts prepared for Miss Lin. As you instructed, every one of them is worth a fortune."
An old man appeared soundlessly behind Lin Fan and presented two brocade boxes.
As Lin Fan's Dao Protector, he was responsible not only for his safety, but also for his daily needs and affairs.
He had practically run his legs off preparing gifts these past few days.
And he had racked his brains over choosing them.
Yet even so, Lin Qingxue still seemed dissatisfied.
Even after those gifts were delivered, she had not given Lin Fan so much as a chance to meet her.
Truth be told, even his Dao Protector was already furious.
Had he not known that Lin Qingxue was Lin Fan's fiancée, he would have stormed inside and dragged her out.
You're just a woman. What have you got to be so proud of?
Of course, he could also tell that Lin Fan's feelings for Lin Qingxue were genuine, which was why he had patiently continued helping him prepare gifts.
Even Lin Fan grimaced in pain at the expense when he glanced at the two gifts in the brocade boxes.
In just a few days, buying gifts for Lin Qingxue alone had stripped him of all the savings he had built up over the years.
Yet despite sending her so many gifts, he still had not even seen her face.
After being rebuffed time and again, Lin Fan's patience was wearing thin.
All his fondness for Lin Qingxue had begun to lose its flavor.
"Lin Qingxue, you've got some nerve!"
"No wonder Qin Wuyou couldn't win you over even after pursuing you for three years."
Lin Fan snapped the brocade box shut and said through gritted teeth,
"For the sake of the Supreme Bone, I'll endure this a little longer."
The Lin Lineage.
When he saw Lin Fan enter bearing gifts, Lin Nantian's expression softened somewhat.
The news about Qin Wuyou had left him deeply uneasy.
Although he had paid the Seven Kills Hall a hefty sum, it now seemed that relying on them alone might not be enough to kill Qin Wuyou.
Thus, the moment he saw Lin Fan enter, Lin Nantian's eyes lit up.
"My respects, Uncle Lin. These are the gifts I prepared for you and Qingxue. May I give hers to her in person?"
Lin Fan kept a smile on his face as he asked politely.
Having gone several days without seeing Lin Qingxue, he was also afraid that something might have changed.
"Ah, Xue'er hasn't been in a good mood these past few days. You two had better not meet for now. Once she feels a little better, she should be willing to see you."
Hearing the same old excuse from Lin Nantian, Lin Fan was angry, but he maintained his smile and pleaded again,
"Uncle, is Qingxue feeling any better? I also brought her a hundred-year-old ginseng root. Please accept it and use it to help her recover."
"Mm, that's thoughtful of you."
Lin Nantian merely nodded without even taking it.
I thought this hundred-year-old ginseng would earn me a little goodwill, but this is all I get?
Seeing that Lin Nantian had no intention of accepting it, Lin Fan could only give a dry laugh and carefully place the hundred-year-old ginseng on the table.
"Since Qingxue isn't in a good mood, I'll come back tomorrow."
With that, Lin Fan prepared to leave.
Over the past few days, he had practically grown accustomed to this routine.
The instant he turned around, his smiling face became utterly dark.
Just then, however, Lin Nantian suddenly called out,
"Lin Fan, wait a moment."
Hearing him call, Lin Fan immediately put his smile back on, turned around, and said respectfully, "Uncle."
"Mm."
Lin Nantian nodded and sighed. "Lin Fan, although I have high hopes for you and Xue'er, you also know about our grievances with Qin Wuyou. I've tried everything I could, but I still haven't managed to retrieve the Contract from him. From here on, everything rests on you."
"What do you mean, Uncle?"
"Lin Fan, as long as you resolve this trouble with Qin Wuyou, Xue'er's mood will naturally improve. And once she's in a better mood, she'll naturally be willing to see you."
Lin Nantian chuckled. "You're a clever young man. I'm sure you know what to do, don't you?"
"Rest assured, Uncle. I understand!"
Lin Fan's eyes lit up, and he asked with a trace of excitement and anticipation, "Uncle, may I ask if this is also what Xue'er wants?"
"Mm, what I want is what Xue'er wants. Once you've settled this matter, your marriage will follow as naturally as water flowing into a channel."
Lin Nantian's words made Lin Fan's eyes brighten again. He cupped his hands excitedly and said, "Rest assured, Uncle. I'll settle it as soon as possible!"
"Then Xue'er and I will await your good news."
Lin Nantian chuckled and lifted his teacup.
Raising his tea was a signal to see his guest out.
Lin Fan took the hint and rose to bid him farewell.
After Lin Fan left, Lin Nantian clapped his hands.
The maid Yue'er quietly entered. Seeing the hundred-year-old ginseng on the table, she asked softly,
"Patriarch, should I make soup with this hundred-year-old ginseng for the young lady?"
"Feed it to the dogs! Is trash like this worthy of being given to my Xue'er? Lin Fan really doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is."
Lin Nantian did not even bother to glance at them as he said casually, "Lin Fan is the Young Lord of a Heaven-Rank Family, after all, so how is he even stingier than that useless Qin Wuyou? None of the ginseng Qin Wuyou used to send was less than a thousand years old. A hundred-year-old root? I really don't know how Lin Fan had the nerve to offer it."
After leaving the Lin Lineage, Lin Fan summoned his Dao Protector again.
"Young Lord, that old fellow Lin Nantian is clearly leaving you out in the cold on purpose. He merely wants to use our Lin Lineage's power to deal with Qin Wuyou."
The Dao Protector said grimly, "And just after you left, he even ordered someone to feed the hundred-year-old ginseng you gave Lin Qingxue to the dogs."
Ever since Lin Qingxue refused to see him, Lin Fan had ordered his Dao Protector to monitor the Lin Lineage after he left.
Thus, he knew perfectly well about all the complaints Lin Nantian had made about him over these past few days.
Whenever he left after delivering gifts, Lin Nantian invariably compared him with Qin Wuyou and then cursed him for being stingy.
Lin Fan had put up with all that.
But when he heard that Lin Nantian had actually fed the ginseng he brought to the dogs, he nearly lost control.
"Damn that old bastard! If you weren't Qingxue's father, I'd have chopped you up and fed you to the dogs long ago!"
Lin Fan clenched his fists and cursed viciously.
He was not Qin Wuyou.
Qin Wuyou could grovel at Lin Qingxue's feet for three years, but he could not.
If driven to ruthlessness, he would even dare to kill Lin Qingxue, let alone Lin Nantian, who was of no use to him whatsoever.
"Young Lord, Lin Nantian is truly despicable. Shall I teach him a lesson?"
The Dao Protector also felt indignant on Lin Fan's behalf.
The dignified Young Lord of a Heaven-Rank Family had gone to such lengths to please a small first-tier lineage, only to be spurned by them.
Had this happened within their Lin Lineage's territory, he would have razed that ungrateful lineage to the ground without even waiting for Lin Fan's orders.
"Forget it."
Lin Fan waved his hand and sneered viciously. "Lin Qingxue still has some use, so leave them alone for now. But if that father and daughter continue to reject my goodwill, they can't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"Putting on airs in front of me, are they? Fine... I'll play a nice little game with the two of them!"
Seeing that Lin Fan had not lost his head over love, the Dao Protector felt a flicker of relief. His Young Lord truly had his eyes open to the world.
If Lin Fan had been like Qin Wuyou, willingly becoming a lapdog for a woman, he might have knocked him unconscious and taken him back to the lineage.
As things stood, Lin Fan's actions showed that he still had a mind of his own.
"By the way, settle the matter with Qin Wuyou as soon as possible."
After walking a few steps forward, Lin Fan suddenly stopped and told his Dao Protector, "But don't kill him. I want Qin Wuyou alive! If I can obtain his Supreme Bone, then take the eighth-grade dantian inside Lin Qingxue, my aptitude will rise to another level!"
"Does that old bastard Lin Nantian think he can control me with Lin Qingxue alone? Ridiculous! She's just a woman. Does he really think his daughter is some precious treasure? They hammered Qin Wuyou's bones and sucked out his marrow, and now they want to do the same to me. They think far too highly of her charms."
"Once I get Qin Wuyou's Supreme Bone and his daughter's eighth-grade dantian, I'll show him the consequences of humiliating me!"
Upon hearing Lin Fan's true intentions, the Dao Protector's eyes filled with delight and excitement, and he could not help remarking with deep feeling,
"Young Lord, you've truly grown!"
How many men in this world could avoid being bewitched by beauty?
In that regard, his Young Lord left Qin Wuyou ten streets behind!
Before you continue