24: Clan meeting begins

“Brother! You... you didn't rob someone's treasury, did you?” Lin Jingxia's voice trembled, filled with disbelief.

After a long while, as if pulled by an invisible thread, she cautiously reached out her finger and, with a near-devout reverence, lightly touched the cold surface of the topmost Spirit Stone.

The real sensation came through; it was real!

“What do these few Spirit Stones matter?” Seeing his sister's shocked expression, a surge of warmth and pride rose in Lin Jingyu's heart as he reached out and gently patted her thin shoulder.

His tone carried an unquestionable certainty: “Do you know who your brother is? In the future, I'll give you hundreds of thousands or even millions of Spirit Stones to spend however you like!”

Though these words were a bit exaggerated, with the Golden Finger's information, as long as he proceeded steadily and made every step count, it was definitely achievable.

Lin Jingxia finally recovered slightly from the massive shock. Like a small beast protecting its food, she spread her arms and swept all the Spirit Stones on the table toward her, hugging them tightly as if embracing the most precious Treasure Trove in the world.

Her small face pressed against the cold Spirit Stones, rubbing against them contentedly, a smile of immense happiness and peace spreading across her lips.

Immediately after, she couldn't wait to start counting them one by one with utmost seriousness. Her slender fingers trembled slightly as they stroked the smooth surface of each Spirit Stone, her mouth mumbling the count.

When she picked up and set down the last Spirit Stone, and the total count settled at exactly fifty, she let out a long, relieved sigh.

The mountain of debt from the Black Wind Stockade, which had been hanging over her heart and making it hard to breathe, was finally crushed by these heavy Spirit Stones!

The immense sense of relief made her almost want to cry. Amidst her excitement, her little head began to spin rapidly, planning a bright future:

She would tend to the half-acre of Spirit Fields at home more diligently, sell all the harvested Spirit Grain for Spirit Stones, and save up to buy the best Medicinal Pills for her brother!

With her brother's intelligence and hard work, he would surely become a powerful Qi Refining Mid-Stage Cultivator soon!

With the heavy stone lifted from her heart, Lin Jingxia became bright and lively. She pushed her brother down onto the creaky old wooden chair without a word, her petite figure busy bustling about.

Her small hands kneaded his slightly stiff shoulders with just the right amount of pressure, her small fists rhythmically pounding his legs, and from time to time, she stood on her tiptoes to massage his temples with her soft fingers.

The moment Lin Jingyu raised his hand, she immediately understood and brought washed wild fruits or fragrant Yao Beast jerky to his mouth.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed his sister's clumsy yet incredibly thoughtful service. His heart was filled with warmth, and the fatigue from days of travel seemed to mostly dissipate. He cherished this rare peace and warmth immensely.

Cultivation and becoming stronger—isn't it all for this kind of excitement!

However, this warmth did not last long. A sudden and loud knocking at the door, like a cold stone thrown into a calm lake, rudely shattered the peace of the small courtyard.

A slightly anxious voice came from outside: “Lin Jingyu, Lin Jingxia! By order of the Elder Council, all clan members are to proceed to the Ancestral Hall immediately for a meeting! Do not delay!” The voice was loud and carried an air of unquestionable authority.

The smiles on the siblings' faces froze instantly. They looked at each other, both seeing doubt and a faint sense of unease in the other's eyes.

Ordinary affairs of the Lin Family were handled by Deacons; to suddenly ring the Ancestral Hall bell and summon the entire clan meant something major must have happened!

The two dared not delay. They quickly tidied their appearance and, carrying a bellyful of doubts, hurriedly locked the courtyard gate and walked quickly toward the solemn Lin Family Ancestral Hall located in the center of the village.

By the time the siblings arrived, the area in front of the heavy black-lacquered wooden doors of the Lin Family Ancestral Hall was already crowded with people.

All the Lin Family Cultivators, regardless of age or gender, as long as they were in the clan and able to move, had nearly all been summoned. At a rough glance, there were as many as seventy or eighty people.

However, few among them had powerful auras. Most of their cultivation levels were stuck at the first or second level of Qi Refining, and the spiritual energy fluctuations they emitted were weak, not much stronger than those of mundane Martial Forest experts.

This highlighted the meager foundation of the Lin Family as a bottom-tier cultivation Family. Inside the Ancestral Hall, the candles were bright and sandalwood incense curled upward, but the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn and oppressive.

Lin Jingyu's gaze swept through the crowd and quickly spotted a familiar tall figure near the front—it was Lin Lingkuang, who had helped handle the Yao Beast Baboon yesterday.

He pulled his sister along and squeezed through, greeting him politely: “Uncle Lingkuang, you're here too.”

Lin Lingkuang turned at the sound and saw it was the Lin Jingyu siblings; a smile appeared on his rugged face. Upon seeing Lin Jingyu's current demeanor and temperament, a clear flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

The youth before him stood tall, his eyes bright and gentle, and his brow exuded a steady confidence. He was like a completely different person from the gloomy, taciturn Lin Family boy in his memory.

“Oh, it's the Jingyu boy and the Jingxia girl! Good lad, haven't seen you for a while, and your spirit is completely different!” Lin Lingkuang spoke in a booming voice and patted Lin Jingyu's shoulder hard, appearing very friendly.

“Uncle Lingkuang, you flatter me.” Lin Jingyu smiled modestly and asked, “Do you know why the Elder Council suddenly summoned the whole clan? Such a commotion is quite rare.”

Hearing this, Lin Lingkuang's thick brows also furrowed, his bell-like eyes full of confusion. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice:

“Hah! I'm wondering too! I didn't hear a peep beforehand. Whatever, we'll deal with it as it comes!”

He then patted his chest, his words carrying the loyalty of a Jianghu renegade: “Jingyu boy, remember my words. In this Lin Family, if you run into any difficult trouble, don't try to handle it all by yourself. Just come find me!”

After observing, he concluded that Lin Jingyu was definitely not an ordinary Cultivator like them at the early stage of Qi Refining.

He must have had his own Opportunity.

Investing now was like providing charcoal in the snow; perhaps it would yield dozens of times the return.

Lin Jingyu felt a slight warmth in his heart and nodded in thanks.

Just as everyone was whispering and discussing among themselves, a steady sound of footsteps came from the side door of the Ancestral Hall.

Led by the white-haired Grand Elder holding a Horned Dragon Wood cane, several core Elders of the Lin Family filed in.

The Grand Elder walking at the front had a hunched figure, his face deeply wrinkled like ravines, and his eyelids drooped as if he might fall asleep while walking, looking like an old man with one foot in the grave.

However, as he walked step by step toward the main seat at the front of the Ancestral Hall, which symbolized the highest authority, an invisible pressure quietly spread out, causing the buzzing discussions in the hall to quickly die down.

The Grand Elder stood before the main seat and slowly raised his head. At the moment he looked up, those originally cloudy old eyes suddenly burst forth with two sharp, substantial beams of light!

It was as if a sleeping lion had suddenly opened its eyes. He lightly tapped the seemingly ordinary Horned Dragon Wood cane in his hand against the ground.

“Thump!”