Lin Yun walked away casually, a faint smile playing on his lips. Seeing Lu Xiong so furious he looked ready to keel over had been incredibly satisfying. Finally, he'd managed to vent all that pent-up frustration.
Humming a little tune, Lin Yun returned home in high spirits. The moment he stepped into the main hall, he was surprised to see Zhang Jingxiang was still there. "Mom, why are you still here?" he asked.
"Cut the chatter. Come sit down," Zhang Jingxiang said bluntly.
At her words, Lin Yun went and sat in the chair beside her. Zhang Jingxiang was looking at him with a smile, a smile that made his skin crawl.
"Yun'Er, I want to discuss something with you."
"What is it?" Lin Yun replied.
"Let me ask you, what do you think of that girl, Lu Bingning?"
"Lu Bingning? She's alright, I guess. Why?"
"So that means you don't dislike her, right?" At this, a cunning look crept onto Zhang Jingxiang's face. 'Something's off about Mom tonight,' Lin Yun thought, and he promptly asked her outright.
"Mom, just say what's on your mind."
"Oh, Yun'Er, what I mean is, you're not a boy anymore. It's about time you found someone to take good care of you. I think that Lu Bingning is a great choice. If you were to bring her home as a wife—"
Zhang Jingxiang was just getting into her speech, but she was only halfway through when Lin Yun bolted from the main hall without a second glance.
"You little brat, get back here!" Zhang Jingxiang shouted at his retreating back.
"Mom, you don't need to worry about me! A Martial Artist must prioritize cultivation and not ruin his future over women!" Leaving only these words behind, Lin Yun was already long gone.
Running all the way back to his room, Lin Yun mentally wiped his brow. 'My mom is really something else, always coming up with these crazy ideas. If I hadn't been so quick to escape, who knows what she would've said next.'
Still, the thought of Lu Bingning brought a small smile to his face. 'She's a nice girl… quite likable, actually.' But the Lin Yun of today had no interest in romance. His strength was still too low. On the Celestial Spirit Continent, strength was everything. Because of that, he had never given any thought to matters of the heart.
The night passed uneventfully. As usual, Lin Yun hurried home early in the morning from the low mountains outside the city, then made his way to the dining hall to have breakfast with Lin Xiaotian and Zhang Jingxiang.
They were only halfway through their meal when a guard rushed in and said to Lin Xiaotian, "General, General Lu is outside. He's demanding to see you, saying he wants to call you to account in person."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaotian furrowed his brow slightly. 'Why would Lu Xiong come all the way to my house?'
He couldn't figure it out. Only Lin Yun, standing to the side, knew what was going on. 'It has to be about last night. Lu Xiong probably stewed on it all night, getting angrier and angrier, and that's why he's here first thing in the morning to raise hell.'
"Bring him to the main hall." A visitor was still a guest, so Lin Xiaotian didn't turn him away. After instructing the guard, he rose and headed for the main hall himself.
In the main hall, a seething Lu Xiong immediately began to curse the moment he saw Lin Xiaotian. "You've got some nerve, Lin Xiaotian! Can't beat me fair and square, so you resort to dirty tricks, is that it? Tell me, what did your son, Lin Yun, do to my daughter?"
Lu Xiong was genuinely furious. If not for his own formidable strength, he probably would have coughed up blood from sheer rage the previous night.
The previous night, after Lin Yun had left, Lu Xiong had returned home and questioned Lu Bingning in detail. But she refused to say a single word about Lin Yun, instead just sitting there with a silly grin on her face.
He couldn't get anything out of her, but from the look on his daughter's face, he could guess she'd developed a liking for Lin Yun. This infuriated Lu Xiong even more. If not for the last shred of his sanity, he likely would have stormed the Lin Family's residence that very night.
Being yelled at by Lu Xiong, Lin Xiaotian, who had no idea what this was about, also flew into a rage. He had been kind enough to invite the man into his home, only to be immediately cursed out upon meeting.
How could the naturally short-tempered Lin Xiaotian possibly endure this? "Lu Xiong, have you lost your mind? Coming here to my Lin Family's home to raise a ruckus first thing in the morning! You better believe I'll skin you alive today!"
"Bah! Lin Xiaotian, you fail to discipline your son, your family's conduct is disgraceful, and you let that boy of yours run wild! Do you have any idea what he did to my daughter?"
"Did what?" Lin Xiaotian asked.
"He… he…" Faced with Lin Xiaotian's direct question, Lu Xiong was suddenly at a loss. 'I can't just come out and say 'Your son slept with my daughter,' can I? Besides, I'm not even sure of that myself. The only thing I can be certain of is that Lin Yun has well and truly stolen Bingning's heart.'
Seeing Lu Xiong look like he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed, Lin Xiaotian started to get the picture. 'It must be about Lin Yun and Lu Bingning.' Recalling that Lu Bingning had come over for dinner the day before, he was able to piece together the whole story.
Having figured out the general situation, Lin Xiaotian decided to have some fun with Lu Xiong. His expression changed in a flash; the furious scowl on his face was instantly replaced by a brilliant smile.
He strode over to Lu Xiong's side in a few quick steps, enthusiastically grabbing his hand and pulling him further into the hall. As they walked, he said, "Ah, old friend Lu, I know you're upset, but we can't meddle in our children's affairs. Yun'Er and Bingning are in love with each other. I say we shouldn't stand in their way, what do you think…?"
Lin Xiaotian rambled on, but Lu Xiong violently shook his hand away. Already furious, he now felt his anger become utterly uncontrollable.
"Lin Xiaotian, you're full of shit! My daughter, marrying into your Lin Family? Bah! I'm telling you, Lin Xiaotian, as long as I, Lu Xiong, am alive, I will never approve this marriage!"
"Old Lu, listen to yourself. The two children are in love. Can you really be so heartless as to tear them apart? As the old saying goes, it's better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a single marriage."
Lin Xiaotian's shamelessness was every bit as developed as his son's, if not more so. At this moment, he wasn't the least bit flustered, and his tone was perfectly measured, sounding utterly grief-stricken.
"Old Lu, our families don't truly have any deep-seated grudge. We're just on opposing sides. If Yun'Er and Bingning could truly be together, don't you think our two families could bury the hatchet? Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"
"Come now, Old Lu, be more open-minded. Come inside with me, we can discuss picking an auspicious day to settle things for the children." Saying this, Lin Xiaotian once again grabbed Lu Xiong's hand, only to be violently thrown off before he could even take two steps.
"Lin Xiaotian, I'm telling you, I, Lu Xiong, do not approve! I will never approve! Give up on that idea! I…" he roared furiously, but halfway through his sentence, Lu Xiong sprayed a mouthful of blood and fainted dead away, overcome with rage from Lin Xiaotian's words.
Seeing Lu Xiong collapse, Lin Xiaotian called over some servants to carry him away to rest. Then, laughing heartily, he turned and strode back into the main hall.
"Haha! Lu Xiong, you finally got what's coming to you! Haha!" Lin Xiaotian's booming laughter echoed all around, a clear sign of just how incredibly pleased he was.