Lin Feng saw the Third Elder standing in front of him. He clasped his hand over his fist and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Third Uncle, for your assistance. If not for Third Uncle's interference, the child would have fallen into the hands of those wicked people," he said gratefully.
"Good! Good! Xiao Feng, it's good that you're okay," Lin Mu replied softly with a relieved tone.
He then patted Lin Feng on the shoulder.
"You kid, you really made your Third Uncle worry."
Lin Feng smiled, his heart filled with warmth at Lin Mu's concern.
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. The child has troubled you all this time, but aren't you afraid of the Grand Elder?" he asked with concern.
"HUMPH! I am not afraid of that old ghost Lin Hai. He can't do anything to me; otherwise, he would have already. But you need to be careful of that Lin Tian. He is narrow-minded and will take revenge for every little grievance."
Lin Feng nodded, his eyes narrowing solemnly.
'Indeed, I need to be more careful. I almost fell into his trap,' he thought.
"Enough about that, Xiao Feng. How are you? Feifei came running to me, saying you lost your memory and then started screaming in pain. Are you alright?"
"Yes, Young Master, are you fine?" Ye Feifei hurriedly said and came to him, looking him up and down, side to side, from all angles as if trying to find any traces of injuries on him.
Lin Feng chuckled softly at her antics.
"I'm fine, Uncle. That was just my old injuries acting up."
"Is that so... Sigh," Lin Mu said, then sighed.
Lin Feng then turned to Ye Feifei.
"I'm sorry I couldn't recognize you before. I had just woken up and was muddle-headed for a while," he said apologetically.
"Really? Young Master didn't forget about Feifei? You won't abandon Feifei?" Ye Feifei looked up at him nervously.
"Of course I didn't forget about you. Our family's Feifei is so cute—how can I bear to abandon her?"
Lin Feng laughed and rubbed her head with his hand. She lowered her head, her face bright red like an apple, her heart racing like a thousand horses were galloping through it.
'Ahh, the Young Master said I'm cute. He's so handsome,' her mind wandered off.
'Ye Feifei, what are you thinking about? How dare you have such dirty thoughts about the Young Master?' she admonished herself inwardly.
Watching her face turn red, Lin Feng's smile widened, wondering what this silly little girl was thinking about.
"Hahaha!" The Third Elder's laugh sounded behind them, reminding them he was still there.
Ye Feifei's face turned even redder as it sounded.
Lin Mu put both hands on Lin Feng's shoulders.
"I'm glad to see that you're alright. I thought that when you woke up and realized your roots were destroyed, you wouldn't be able to recover and would lose yourself in depravity. I'm glad to see I was worried for nothing. With this mentality, you are worthy of being Second Brother's son." He squeezed Lin Feng's shoulders while speaking, then turned around and looked into the distance.
"And don't worry about cultivation. I will find a solution. Even if I can't, don't worry—with your uncle here, no one can bully you," he said with resolve.
Lin Feng's heart was filled with warmth. Hearing the concern and resolve in his tone, he clenched his hand against his chest.
'So this is what it feels like to have familial affection and care. I must work hard and protect them,' he strengthened his determination and decided to reveal the truth—at least some of it.
"Third Uncle, actually, my injuries are healed. I can even cultivate, although much slower than before."
"WHAT!!"
Both he and Ye Feifei turned to look at Lin Feng in disbelief.
"How is that possible, Xiao Feng? Are you kidding me?"
"Yes, Young Master. A crippled spirit and destroyed meridians don't just heal overnight."
"Uncle, Feifei, I'm not kidding." He nodded his head, affirming the statement.
"Uncle, you can check if you don't believe me." Lin Feng stretched his hand out.
"Alright, let me see." Lin Mu took his hand to feel it with his energy.
'System,' Lin Feng called in his mind.
[DING!]
[YES, HOST!]
Can you help me hide my cultivation?
[YES, HOST! THE SYSTEM IS OMNIPOTENT. SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS HIDING CULTIVATION IS SIMPLE FOR THE SYSTEM!]
Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
'Help me hide it. Make it 1st layer of Martial Apprentice.'
[DING!
DONE. HOST'S CULTIVATION IS NOW HIDDEN AND CAN'T BE VIEWED EVEN BY MARTIAL EMPERORS!]
All this happened as Lin Mu inserted a wisp of energy into Lin Feng's body to investigate. Ye Feifei waited nervously.
"UNBELIEVABLE! It actually healed! This... This..." he said disbelievingly.
"Yay! I knew Young Master would be fine! Humph, all those idiots mocking the Young Master—I can't wait for you to shut them up!" Feifei jumped excitedly.
Lin Mu took a deep breath, then looked at Lin Feng solemnly.
"Xiao Feng, can you tell me what happened when you were five years old?" he asked while looking at him with narrowed eyes, as if trying to see through him.
Lin Feng shivered at his question and gaze.
'Does he suspect me?'
He quickly composed himself so as not to act suspicious, then flipped through the memories in his head to find the specific one. He quickly found it.
"Well, then I stole my father's smoking pipe he loved so much. He said it was inherited from Grandpa. When he found out, he whipped me and almost beat me to death," he chuckled softly at the memory.
"Good! Good! Good! It's really you, Xiao Feng. It seems the heavens did not abandon you and gave you a second chance!" Lin Mu laughed wildly in joy.
Feifei looked at the elder in confusion at the question.
He didn't bother to explain to her. He turned to Lin Feng.
"Do you know why I asked that question?"
Lin Feng shook his head, puzzled.
"Well, there are records in the ancients that powerful masters who die or want to start cultivating again would abandon their bodies and snatch someone else's to occupy. But they can only inherit recent memories and not older ones. That's why I asked a question about events ten years ago. If your body was snatched, you wouldn't have known that."
Ye Feifei put her hands over her mouth and gasped at the terrifying possibility of the elder's words.
Lin Feng was shaken to his core, his back covered in sweat.
'Damn it, I almost died twice on the first day. I need to be extra cautious.'
"Don't worry, Uncle. Xiao Feng is still himself."
"Yes, it is me who was worrying for nothing," he smiled heartily.
Lin Feng recalled something and hurriedly asked,
"Third Uncle, what is this that Lin Tian was talking about—Feifei being engaged?"