155: Inspiring the people of the Lin family

The night was deep and as thick as ink, completely swallowing the dilapidated Lin Family Village.

Everyone in the Lin Family, young and old, male and female, gathered—including Lin Jingxia, who had recovered slightly from her shock but remained silent, and Little Miss, who snuggled beside her with tears still in her eyes.

They all silently gathered before the ancestral hall, which had just been barely repaired after the fire and still gave off a faint scent of char mixed with the smell of fresh timber.

In the gaps between the newly laid stone slabs, dark red bloodstains from the fierce battle a few days ago seemed to remain, unwashed.

Several dim lanterns hung under the eaves, swaying in the night wind, stretching people's shadows long and short, flickering in and out, adding a touch of solemnity.

On the open ground before the hall, several Cultivators with ashen faces, shaking like sieves, were held down firmly by Lin Lingkuang and other sturdy clansmen, forced to kneel on the cold, rough stone slabs.

These were the very clansmen who had remained stubbornly loyal to Grand Elder Lin Chenghai until the final moment.

Lin Jingyu had given them a chance, but unfortunately, they had failed to grasp it.

Lin Xuan leaned alone in the shadow of a thick porch pillar, his eyes closed.

The indomitable determination and ferocity he had shown during the day's desperate situation, driven by hatred and despair as he slashed at Lin Chenghai...

...seemed to have been sucked away by this heavy night. Now, only an exhaustion that seeped into his bones and a massive, unspeakable confusion remained.

The pleasure of slaying his enemy had long since dissipated; living seemed heavier and more bewildering than dying gloriously in despair.

He had originally thought everyone was going to die, so he hadn't thought much further ahead.

But now, everything had started to improve.

Regardless of the circumstances, he had killed someone; as someone without the Lin Family Bloodline, he had slain a direct descendant of the Lin Family.

Even with Lin Jingyu's promise, how should he conduct himself?

How would the other Lin Family members view him? These questions weighed heavily on his heart.

The area before the ancestral hall was crowded, and whispers rose like a low tide.

Some bottom-tier clansmen, who were usually oppressed, had faces filled with the relief of survival and vague hopes for the future as they whispered to one another.

"I always said Young Master Jingyu was no ordinary person, but a star from the heavens descended to earth!

Back when his parents first passed away and the Family couldn't even put food on the table, I secretly slipped his Family two pecks of Spirit Grain! Even then, I felt the boy's eyes were bright and clear, unlike anyone else! See, it's come true!"

"Isn't that the truth! To survive a great disaster is to have great fortune later!

We've been risking our lives these past few days, guarding the Clan Chief's courtyard in day and night shifts, not even daring to blink!

Young Master Jingyu personally promised that the 'treasure' the Clan Chief has, which can increase yields by thirty percent, will be used in our families' spirit fields first! This is a huge benefit! This winter, the kids can eat their fill more often!"

"Hmph! Those lackeys kneeling at the front used to follow that old dog Lin Chenghai, bullying others, skimming off our rations, and beating us at every turn. They deserve what's coming today! Look at how pathetic they are!"

"Sigh, if the ancestral hall is burned, it can be rebuilt, but if people die, they're truly gone... I only hope that in the future, our Lin Family's days can be more stable, and we won't have people blocking our doors and threatening to kill us every other day... Young Master Jingyu... he is our hope..."

The discussions hummed, filled with complex emotions—relief, expectation, satisfaction, worry, confusion... like a portrait of bottom-tier Cultivators struggling to survive.

However, it could be seen from this that the bottom-tier Cultivators of the Lin Family were actually much like common folk; they just wanted to live well.

Until the sound of steady, rhythmic footsteps approached from a distance, breaking the humming whispers.

Lin Jingyu and Lin Lingshan walked side by side, passing through the crowd that automatically parted for them.

Lin Lingshan walked with a powerful stride, his Aura as solid as a mountain.

Lin Jingyu’s steps were steady, and his expression was as calm as water.

All eyes instantly focused on the two of them, especially on Lin Jingyu, who walked slightly ahead and whose frame had not yet fully matured.

The dim, yellow light of the lanterns under the eaves flickered, casting shadows across his young but already resolute face.

His gaze calmly swept over the kneeling traitors, over Lin Xuan who sat exhausted with closed eyes in the shadows, and over the faces filled with expectation, awe, or confusion.

The night wind blew, bringing the scent of the distant mountains and the smell of the ancestral hall's new wood. Lin Jingyu stood before the hall, his shadow lengthened by the lamplight.

At this moment, he no longer seemed like the youth who relied on his Golden Finger and quick wits to survive, but a Clan Chief who was truly beginning to shoulder the fate of a Family's future rise and fall.

Beneath that quiet gaze were turbulent thoughts.

The spirit eye, Spirit Stones, Formations, Alchemy, the Liu Family's mineral vein, the hidden threat of the Black Wind Stockade, the predicament of the Miaoling Pavilion... a thousand threads, like a heavy burden, pressed down on his young shoulders.

A silence fell before the ancestral hall, broken only by the sound of the wind and the crackling of the lanterns.

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how this young "Young Clan Leader," who had just led the Family out of a desperate situation, would judge the aftermath of the day and how he would open a new chapter for the Lin Family.

"After discussions between myself and the Clan Chief, from this day forward, the portion of the spirit field harvest that each household must hand over to the Family will be reduced from fifty percent to twenty percent!"

Lin Jingyu spoke those earth-shattering words directly.

All the spirit fields in the Lin Family belonged to the clan; low-level Cultivators who wanted to plant crops had to hand over half of their harvest.

This was also one of the Family's most important sources of income.

It was equivalent to a land tax.

And Lin Jingyu had directly reduced it from fifty percent to twenty percent.

This immediately reduced the pressure on the bottom-tier Cultivators by more than just a little bit.

The ancestral hall was silent for a few breaths, and then cheers erupted.

"It's been reduced by thirty percent! We'll have so much more to work with now!"

"And that's not all; the Clan Chief has a treasure that can increase yields by thirty percent. Calculating it that way, the Spirit Rice we keep will be more than our entire previous harvest!"

"This is wonderful... sob... unlike that old dog Lin Chenghai, who only thought about increasing the quotas..."

Lin Lingkuang's breathing also grew a bit heavy.

Although he didn't need to plant spirit fields, he knew how beneficial this Family decision was for the elders and neighbors around him.

"The second point is that the Family will establish a Cultivation Academy. All children of the appropriate age can enter to practice, and the Family will provide Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills for free.

The Family will provide Spirit Enlightenment Pills to the outstanding ones!"

Lin Jingyu dropped a second bombshell.

Although the Lin Family Cultivators totaled fewer than a hundred people and there weren't many children, the next generation had to be prioritized.

"Spirit Enlightenment Pills!"

"Spirit Enlightenment Pills worth over a hundred Spirit Stones! My goodness! Only children from Foundation Establishment families are qualified to take those!"

"Great... this is great! If it's like this, my child might build a good foundation and maybe even become a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator!"

The Lin Family Cultivators with children showed joyful expressions, their eyes lighting up.

And those without children were thinking about hurrying up and having one!