In the Skybreak Mountains, Lin Hao was unusually restless. Today was the tenth day—the day Yan'Er had spoken of.
An impulse surged through him: to return to the Lin family and be the first to see Yan'Er when she appeared.
But his reason told him not to.
For now, all he could do was wait...
After noon, Lin Hao excitedly went to the mountain stream to wash up, wanting to be at his best when he saw Yan'Er that evening.
However, he didn't have to wait until evening. Just as Lin Hao finished washing, Yi Mingcheng appeared once more.
"Uncle Cheng, is there news of Yan'Er?"
Ever since Yi Mingcheng had suddenly sworn the Blood Oath the day before, their relationship had changed significantly. For some reason, Lin Hao found Yi Mingcheng much more personable.
Besides, there had never been any real animosity between them. Lin Hao had only resented him before because he thought Yi Mingcheng was making things difficult for Yan'Er. Only later did he learn that within the Lin family, Yi Mingcheng was merely following orders.
Yi Mingcheng hesitated, his words caught in his throat.
Lin Hao's brow furrowed. A bad feeling rose in his heart.
"Did something happen to Yan'Er?!" Lin Hao's fists clenched, and a boundless killing intent erupted from him.
Without Yan'Er's care over the past three years, the Lin Hao of today wouldn't exist. If anything happened to her, he would tear War Dragon City apart!
Yi Mingcheng quickly spoke up, "Young Master, please calm down. There's no news of Miss Yan'Er. It's just that two people came to the estate today."
"Visitors at the estate? Does it have something to do with me?" Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing Yi Mingcheng's expression, he grew puzzled again.
Yi Mingcheng carefully spoke seven words, "They have come from Celestial Jade City."
Celestial Jade City, like War Dragon City and Red Beauty City, was under the jurisdiction of the Southern Border Prefecture. Although not as famous as the other two, it was the prefectural capital.
Lin Hao's eyebrows shot up before his expression turned cold. He said indifferently, "Celestial Jade City... the Lu family?"
When he was a child, Lin Hao had learned from his father that an engagement had been arranged for him. The girl was the daughter of the Southern Border Prefecture's Lord, and her name was Lu Dieyi.
So many years had passed that if Yi Mingcheng hadn't brought it up today, he would have completely forgotten he even had a fiancée.
Now that the Lu family had come to War Dragon City, their purpose was self-evident.
'Annul the engagement?'
After the catastrophe three years ago, Lin Hao's heart only trembled for a moment before becoming as still as water.
"Lu Dieyi is here... to annul the engagement?" The corner of Lin Hao's mouth lifted, a smile spreading across his young face.
Yi Mingcheng suddenly found Lin Hao's smile chillingly wicked.
'Perhaps the Young Master appears unconcerned on the surface,' he thought, 'but he's definitely keeping a record of everything. Once the time is right, he will make every single person who wronged him pay for their actions.'
And he wasn't wrong. Yi Mingcheng had figured out Lin Hao's character almost perfectly.
"I don't know. Maybe not, because she also brought many gifts." Yi Mingcheng himself had no idea what their intentions were.
It was his first time seeing Lu Dieyi. She was around the same age as Lin Hao, a very pretty young girl. But her personality didn't seem to match her appearance. No matter how Lin Tianhao questioned her, she insisted she would only speak after seeing Lin Hao in person.
So, while the Lin family was discussing their strategy, Yi Mingcheng had secretly slipped away.
"I couldn't care less about that. Let the Lin family handle their own mess." Lin Hao said heartlessly, his smile exceptionally bright.
Seeing that Lin Hao's smile seemed genuine and not feigned, Yi Mingcheng was a bit puzzled. He said, "Young Master, that young lady with the surname Lu is quite beautiful, on par with Miss Wenren. You really...?"
Yi Mingcheng abruptly fell silent.
He had originally thought that even though the two had never met, for a man to be dumped by a woman... if word got out, it would be more than just a simple loss of face.
But then, thinking of the handkerchief, he seemed to understand something.
"I've never even met her. Does it matter if she's pretty or not? If she really is my type, I'll just snatch her back later," Lin Hao said nonchalantly.
Yi Mingcheng was stunned for a moment, then realized that while the Young Master might have said it casually, it was probably what he truly thought.
"Oh, right. Young Master, there's something... never mind." Yi Mingcheng had been about to take his leave but couldn't help but add another sentence. Thinking about that matter, he felt it was best not to tell Lin Hao right now.
"Speak!"
"The clansmen who were close to the old Patriarch... they might not be dead." Yi Mingcheng delivered this shocking piece of news.
"What?!" Lin Hao shot to his feet, his expression extremely agitated.
"Today, while they were discussing you, Lin Zheng let it slip. They might have been secretly imprisoned." Yi Mingcheng inwardly regretted his big mouth.
Knowing Lin Hao's character, he could tolerate insults to himself, but if anyone dared to touch his people, that was something he would never endure or allow.
Lin Zheng, one year older than Lin Hao, was Lin Tianhao's son.
What he said was most likely true.
He had originally thought they had all died because of him. Now, suddenly hearing that they might still be alive, how could Lin Hao possibly restrain himself?
"Elder Cheng, return at once and make the arrangements. Send a party up the mountain to search for me—I'm returning to the Lin family! To be safe, go to the Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion and have him dispatch men to assist you. I will be discovered by his men in the end!"
Lin Hao calmed down, made his decision instantly, and issued a series of commands.
Yi Mingcheng couldn't help but look at Lin Hao with new-found respect.
'To remain so calm at a time like this... the Young Master is surely destined for great things.'
'Moreover, he could endure the humiliation of having his engagement annulled, but the moment he heard his clansmen were suffering, he stepped forward without a second thought. Such character is truly extraordinary!'
"Alright! I'll see to it at once!" Thinking of his connection to the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, Yi Mingcheng felt a surge of heroic spirit. He had a feeling that the Young Master's return would trigger a complete transformation of the Lin family.
Yi Mingcheng departed swiftly, and Lin Hao took a sudden, deep breath.
"I didn't fight before because there was no reason for me to fight over a place as small as War Dragon City! But now, I will fight for the Lin family of War Dragon City, and I will go to the Lin family in Imperial City! Lin Wu, three years ago, you stole my bloodline. Now, I'll show you with my actions that I, Lin Hao, have returned!"
Lin Hao gazed toward Imperial City, his fighting spirit soaring, a battle-lust raging in his eyes.
...
Yi Mingcheng was indeed efficient. An hour later, a team sent by the Treasure Hunting Pavilion found Lin Hao, the reeking young master of the Lin family, in a gutter in War Dragon City.
He was then quickly escorted back to the Lin family estate.
「Inside the Lin family's assembly hall.」
The Lin family Patriarch, Lin Tianhao; the Lin family's Young Master, Lin Zheng; a crowd of the Lin family's upper echelon; and even Lu Dieyi, who had traveled from afar, were all present.
"Hao'Er, we've finally found you! Your Second Uncle was worried sick." Dressed in fine brocade, Lin Tianhao's eyes streamed with tears the moment he saw Lin Hao. He ignored the foul stench clinging to Lin Hao and threw his arms around him in an embrace.
Lin Tianhao's act only disgusted Lin Hao, though he had to give the man some credit. The old Lin Tianhao was brutal and unrestrained; he never would have guessed that becoming Patriarch had turned him into such a skilled actor.
'You want to put on a show? I'll play along!'
Lin Hao sneered inwardly, but a foolish grin spread across his face.
"Heheheh, Unca... Sec'nd Unca..." Lin Hao mumbled indistinctly, simultaneously patting Lin Tianhao's cheeks with both hands. The two crisp slaps sounded suspiciously like he was smacking his face.
Then, he began to knead his face messily.
The filth on Lin Hao's body hadn't been cleaned off yet, and with this kneading, Lin Tianhao's face was instantly smeared into a colorful mess.
In the assembly hall, every member of the Lin family was petrified.
Yi Mingcheng stood at the very edge of the room, his face flushed crimson as he struggled to contain himself. It was a bizarre sight.
Among everyone present, he was the only one who knew the inside story. He had never imagined that the Young Master's first act upon returning to the family would be to slap the Patriarch's face.
While it filled him with a sense of vindictive pleasure, it also made him admire Lin Hao's performance to the extreme.
Honestly, if he didn't know Lin Hao's true state, he too would have mistaken him for a fool.
"Insolence!"
Seeing Lin Hao's actions, a member of the Lin family began to shout.
Lin Hao's actions were grossly disrespectful, and with outsiders present, he had brought utter disgrace upon the Lin family.
"It's alright, it's alright." A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Lin Tianhao's eyes, but he just smiled and waved his hand.
Then, he released Lin Hao with an excited expression and said in pleasant surprise, "Hao'Er, you can speak now?"
As Lin Wei's son, Lin Tianhao knew exactly what had happened to Lin Hao. He never expected that upon his return, Lin Hao would suddenly be able to speak. Before, he had been little more than a living corpse.
"Lin Tianhao, my young miss has no time to watch your family reunion! Since Lin Hao has been found, let's talk about the marriage between him and my young miss."
A sharp voice rang out, addressing Lin Tianhao directly by name, showing no regard for the Lin family's Patriarch.
A flash of anger crossed Lin Tianhao's eyes, but he quickly plastered on a smile and chuckled, "Nanny Lu is absolutely right."
Lin Hao followed the voice and saw an old crone with a long scar stretching diagonally across her entire face. She was glaring at him viciously.
"A ghost..." Lin Hao shrieked, quickly hiding behind Lin Tianhao. His voice was no longer stuttering. "Second Uncle, there's a ghost, a ghost!"
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Tianhao's eyes. He finally understood why Lin Hao could speak.
'He must have seen that female ghost in the Skybreak Mountains a few days ago. The shock to his brain must have caused him to recover a fair bit.'
'If the seal is broken, the consequences will be severe.'
Lin Tianhao said hurriedly, "Nanny, Hao'Er suffered a catastrophe three years ago that damaged his mind. He can't handle being startled, I ask that you please..."
"How dare you!" Wasn't this just a blatant way of calling her ugly? The old crone flew into a rage. With a furious roar, a murderous aura flooded the assembly hall.
"Nanny Lu, my constant tolerance does not mean that I, Lin Tianhao, am afraid of you! The date of the marriage alliance between the Lu and Lin families is not far off. As Wu'Er's own uncle, I have already given you more than enough face!" Nanny Lu's arrogant behavior had finally angered Lin Tianhao.
Nanny Lu trembled with rage, hissing, "What a fine Lin family! Good, you're all so very good!"
They weren't the only ones who were furious. Listening to this exchange, Lin Hao was enraged as well.
Now he finally understood why Lu Dieyi and her entourage had come to the Lin family.
Lin Wu. So it was all related to Lin Wu.
Lin Hao never imagined that even after three years, after stealing his bloodline and traveling far away to the national capital, Lin Wu still wouldn't pass up a single opportunity to crush him.
Three years ago, he stole his bloodline. Now, three years later, he wanted to steal his fiancée too?!
A tragedy occurred three years ago. Three years later, Lin Hao would absolutely not compromise!
Now, the most crucial factor was Lu Dieyi's attitude.
Her attitude would decide her fate!
Though rage stormed in his heart, Lin Hao's face remained that of a simpleton as he turned to look at Lu Dieyi.