192: Zhong family

Lin Jingyu's expression was icy, his gaze sharp as a knife.

He quickly pushed past the crowd, crouched down, and with a faint flash of spiritual light on his fingertips, he retrieved a “Rejuvenation Pill” from his Storage Pouch, about the size of a longan and radiating a rich medicinal fragrance of vitality.

This Medicinal Pill was a “trophy” obtained from the Liu Family, and its quality was quite good.

He carefully pried open Lin Lingxi's tightly clenched jaw and placed the Medicinal Pill into his mouth.

Immediately, he lightly pressed his palm against his Shanzhong acupoint, slowly channeling pure and gentle Spiritual Qi to help dissolve the medicinal power, protect his Heart Meridian, and nourish his damaged internal organs.

Under the nourishment of his spiritual power and the effect of the Medicinal Pill, a faint trace of color finally returned to Lin Lingxi's pale face.

A sound of extreme pain escaped his throat, his eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he laboriously opened his eyes.

His blurry vision focused, and when he clearly saw Uncle Lingshan and Lin Jingyu before him, his eyes instantly filled with enormous excitement, grievance, and the terror of surviving a catastrophe.

“Clan... Clan Chief... Jingyu, Young Clan Leader...” His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, and speaking every word seemed to exhaust all his strength, pulling at his wounds and making him painfully convulse.

“Speak slowly, don't rush. We are all here.” Lin Jingyu's voice was steady, carrying a strange, calming power.

Lin Lingxi took several deep, ragged breaths, interspersed with painful gasps, and began to recount the events:

“It was... it was people from the Zhong Family... near the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain... near that... that Hidden Medicinal Valley...”

It turned out that Lin Lingxi had gone to the Hidden Medicinal Valley, known only to a few elders of the Lin Family, as usual today to collect auxiliary materials for refining ordinary healing medicine.

Just as he finished collecting the herbs and prepared to return, he suddenly heard a faint cry of distress and a heavy smell of blood coming from the nearby bushes.

He cautiously parted the bushes and was astonished to find a Yao Beast lying in a pool of blood, its entire body covered in dark green scales, a single horn growing from its head, and an exceptionally magnificent appearance!

The Yao Beast had multiple wounds and its aura was weak, but its pair of amber vertical pupils seemed intelligent; upon seeing him, it did not attack but instead showed sorrow and a plea for help.

Lin Lingxi carefully scrutinized it, and his heart leaped—this Yao Beast was clearly extremely similar to the demon horse ridden by Gong Yunyu, the Fourth Leader of Black Wind Stockade, that day! It might even be the very same one!

How could it be heavily injured and stranded here? Could it have been abandoned or separated when Gong Yunyu fled in panic that day?

A thought instantly flooded Lin Lingxi's mind: if he could bring this beast back, whether to tame it as a Family guardian beast, or for its intrinsic value, it would be a considerable fortune for the Lin Family.

His heart burned with excitement, and he cautiously approached. The Yao Beast seemed to sense his goodwill and did not resist.

He used up a considerable amount of the hemostatic powder he carried, barely managing to treat its wounds, and fed it a few Medicinal Pills to restore its strength, attempting to lead it back to the Lin Family.

However, just as he was painstakingly assisting the injured Yao Beast, struggling through the terrain toward a mountain hollow, a sudden change occurred.

Five figures, dressed in unified earth-yellow combat attire embroidered with the 'Zhong' character crest on their chests, flashed out like ghosts from behind the surrounding rocks and tree canopies, instantly surrounding him.

Fear and rage flashed in Lin Lingxi's eyes:

“They... they didn't ask any questions at all! Zhong Peng pointed at me with a fan and arrogantly said... said that this 'Green Scale Colt' was prey that their Zhong Family had been hunting for a long time.

He said that my Lin Family, a bunch of poor, wretched commoners, wasn't fit to touch a Spirit Beast?”

“I... I argued a few words, saying that this beast was ownerless, and I was the one who discovered and treated it first... They... they just burst out laughing...”

Lin Lingxi's voice trembled even more intensely from anger and sharp pain:

“Zhong Peng said... said they were specifically hitting people from our Lin Family!

He said that our Lin Family... somehow got lucky and climbed onto a high branch, daring to disregard the Liu Family and his Zhong Family... and today they would give us a lesson we would never forget!”

“And then... then they attacked!

Five people charged together! Their attacks were extremely vicious! They aimed straight for my vital points!

I... I resisted desperately, relying on my familiarity with the terrain, and after enduring countless blows, I... I managed to break free by sheer luck... The Green Scale Colt... was snatched away by them...”

As he reached the end, Lin Lingxi became emotional and suddenly coughed, a streak of fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with humiliation and lingering fear.

“The Zhong Family! This is going too far! They are utterly lawless!”

Uncle Lingshan suddenly stood up, and the rampant Spiritual Qi around him surged out uncontrollably due to his extreme rage, kicking up dust on the ground.

Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes were bloodshot, and he roared like a thoroughly enraged lion, his voice echoing across the entire Ancestral Hall Plaza:

“Since when did the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain become the private property of their Zhong Family?

They dared to openly attack, steal a Spirit Beast, and gravely injure one of my Lin Family Clansmen! And they spoke such arrogant words! Do they truly think my Lin Family is made of mud? Are we ants that can be trampled upon at will?”

“If we swallow this insult, how can my Lin Family still stand in this Black Mountain area!”

The terrifying pressure of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, mixed with the bloody Evil Qi tempered on the battlefield, caused the faces of the surrounding lower-cultivation clansmen to turn pale.

They subconsciously took a few steps back, but the flames of shared indignation burned in everyone's eyes.

“Revenge! We must have revenge!”

“Attack the Zhong Family! Demand an explanation!”

“We absolutely cannot let this go!”

The clansmen were filled with righteous indignation, their roars rising in waves, as the long-suppressed humiliation and today's blood feud erupted like a volcano.

Lin Jingyu slowly stood up, his face solemn like still water, his eyes as deep as an ancient cold pool, and chilling killing intent condensed in their depths.

He gently pressed down on Uncle Lingshan's arm, which was trembling slightly with rage. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable decisive power, clearly overriding all the noise:

“Uncle Lingshan, calm down.”

His gaze swept over the dying Lin Lingxi on the ground, then over the surrounding faces contorted by anger.

Finally, his gaze fixed on a certain point in the Void Realm, as if piercing through the distance to see the Zhong Family's arrogant faces.

“This incident is absolutely no accident. The Zhong Family people usually never come to this desolate Black Mountain area.

And they mentioned phrases like climbing onto a high branch and disregarding them... This clearly means Liu Chengcai's wicked heart is still beating; he didn't dare act himself, so he instigated his crony, Zhong Peng, the Zhong Family Clan Chief's son, to vent that resentment for him.

They deliberately sought trouble, intending to suppress the momentum my Lin Family has just gained.

That is why they specifically came into Black Mountain to provoke trouble. The Green Scale Colt was likely an accident.”

His analysis was incisive, pointing out the root cause of this calamity.

“What difference does that make?” Uncle Lingshan roared, his chest heaving violently.

“Just because the Liu Family instigated this behind the scenes, must my Lin Family silently endure and allow ourselves to be slaughtered? This blood feud must be repaid with blood! The Zhong Family must pay the price!”