Aunt Liu seemed a bit anxious. As she pulled her hand back, Lin Yan let the movement guide him to his feet and smiled. "To you, Aunt, I’ll always be just a kid."
"Such a sweet-talker, trying to make me happy."
Aunt Liu instinctively reached out to pat Lin Yan’s shoulder, only to realize as she raised her hand that she could no longer quite reach Yan’er’s shoulder.
"It’s good you’re back."
In the end, Aunt Liu’s hand settled on her nephew’s arm. "Wei Zi just came by and said there was news in town that you’d returned. I’ve already cleaned the family’s ancestral hall. First, go pay your respects to your mother and father, and to the ancestors of our Lin Family."
"Alright."
Lin Yan wasn’t surprised that his aunt wanted him to pay respects to their ancestors.
For all these years, his aunt had cared for him and his little brother. It wasn’t just out of love for them; it was also a duty she felt she owed to the Lin Family ancestors, her own parents-in-law, and his mother and father.
Every time he went to pay his respects, it was his aunt’s way of reporting to the Lin Family ancestors and to his parents.
By the time Lin Yan finished his respects and emerged from the ancestral hall, Zhang Wei and Monkey had also arrived, sparking another round of lively greetings.
In the courtyard, the group sat around, chatting idly.
"Lin Yan, did you come back alone this time?" Zhang Wei asked, curious.
"No."
Aunt Liu, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner, heard this, and her ears perked up.
’Could it be...’
"I ran into Senior Brother Zhao from the Martial Arts Hall on the way, so we came back together."
Aunt Liu’s expression fell. The sharp-eyed Li Min, who was helping her prepare the dishes, noticed and leaned in to comfort her in a low voice. "My dear, Lin Yan is a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse now. He’s an incredible figure. For important people like him, marriage is something to be considered very carefully. Besides, I’ve heard... when you reach that Realm, it’s perfectly normal to marry as late as thirty."
"Thirty..."
Aunt Liu counted on her fingers. For Yan’er to turn thirty... that would be another eight years...
"It’s alright. Life is much better now. Eight years isn’t an impossible wait."
Li Min continued to console her, though she was just making it all up. How would she know when a great powerhouse in the Blood Exchange Realm would take a wife? She just knew that Yan’er’s marriage was what weighed most heavily on Aunt Liu’s mind, so she offered what comfort she could.
As Lin Yan and the others chatted in the courtyard, he raised his eyes and looked toward the gate.
The chatter in the courtyard was lively, but just outside the gate, everything suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Qin Yin’s figure appeared at the entrance to the courtyard.
Today, Qin Yin was dressed in a plain white robe, covered by a moon-white, half-sleeved jacket. A matching silk sash was tied around her waist, cinching it to an exquisite thinness, as if one could wrap a hand fully around it. Her dark hair was casually pinned with a single white Jade Hairpin, a few stray locks framing her ears and making her oval face appear all the more otherworldly.
Two maids followed behind her, carrying gift boxes.
"So, Lin Yan is back, and you didn’t even think to let me know."
Qin Yin stepped through the gate, her smile radiant. Her eyes lingered on Lin Yan for a moment, surprise and delight dancing in their depths. Her voice was perfectly measured, carrying a hint of playful blame that felt less like a complaint and more like a show of intimacy.
"Sister-in-law!"
His younger brother, Lin Mo, suddenly shouted from the side.
That single "sister-in-law" sent a blush creeping up Qin Yin’s cheeks. When Lin Yan wasn’t around, she never thought much of Lin Mo calling her that. But now, with Lin Yan standing right there in the courtyard, hearing him say it made her heart beat a little faster.
"Ahem, Miss Qin, please have a seat."
Lin Yan smacked his little brother on the back of the head, standing up to save Qin Yin from the awkwardness and invite her to sit down.
"What’d you hit me for? It’s not like I said anything wrong."
Lin Mo grumbled indignantly, but his defiance withered into a low mumble under his older brother’s glare.
With Qin Yin’s arrival, pretty much everyone Lin Yan was close to in Guangping County Town was gathered. The mood at the dinner table was warm and cheerful. Even Qin Yin, on a rare occasion, had a few drinks. Her lovely face flushed red and her eyes shimmered like water, and she eventually departed with the help of her maids.
For three straight days, Lin Yan stayed in Guangping County Town. Except for one trip out to visit Mr. Sun and Escort Master Chen Lang, he didn’t leave the house again.
Instead, many influential figures in the county town came to pay their respects, though Lin Yan turned most of them away.
He did, however, meet with Old Xia, with whom he had once worked in Sanshan County.
When Wang Shaojun, the Head of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, came to his door with Chen Lang, Lin Yan agreed to see them.
He agreed to meet Escort Leader Wang not for Escort Master Chen Lang’s sake, but because back when the Zheng Family was taking control of Guangping County Town, Wang Shaojun had done him a favor.
’Even with Junior Brother Zhao around, I wouldn’t have been in any real danger, but I still owe him a favor for it.’
After leaving the Lin Family home, Wang Shaojun heaved a long sigh of relief. Chen Lang, beside him, chuckled. "Young Escort Leader, it wasn’t that intense..."
Chen Lang had been an Escort Master at the agency back when the old Head of Escort Leader was still in charge, so he was used to addressing Wang Shaojun as "Young Escort Leader." Even though the old head had long since retired from managing the agency, the habit stuck.
"Brother Chen, you just didn’t feel it. The pressure from Young Master Lin was immense."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Wang Shaojun nodded very seriously. Chen Lang’s Realm was too low for him to sense it. Wang Shaojun, however, had already undergone the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Just by sitting at the same table as Young Master Lin, he had felt his own Qi Blood become suppressed.
Chen Lang smiled. He truly hadn’t felt any pressure coming from Young Master Lin.
"To think that in just a few short years, Young Master Lin has become a powerhouse of the Blood Exchange Realm... It’s truly incredible."
Hearing Chen Lang’s sigh, Wang Shaojun felt a wave of immense relief. ’Thank goodness I listened to my father back then and did Hall Master Yang that favor.’
’Otherwise, even back then, Zhao Linyuan had just broken through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing and qualified to join the Profound Celestial Sect. The Zheng Family wouldn’t have been able to do anything serious to Lin Yan—he’d have been locked up for a few days at most. But me... and the entire Weiyuan Escort Agency... we would be facing disaster right now.’

Comments

Loading...