Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Special Treatment

Lin Mang’s laugh held no warmth. “That cowardly grandson of yours—who got eliminated in the first round—is worth you scheming against my precious daughter in the second-round draw?!”

The host disciple and the old steward clung to their lie like drowning men gripping driftwood. No matter how furious Lin Mang was, he couldn’t drag Seventh Elder and Lin Yuan into the fire with a single confession.

But he also wasn’t about to let anyone walk away unscathed.

Lin Mang fell silent for a moment. Then his voice turned knife-cold.

“Lin Fang, the host disciple. You damaged equipment on the day of the tournament and violated clan rules. You are expelled from the Lin Family. Your household is stripped of the Lin surname and reduced to house slaves.”

Gasps broke out.

Lin Mang didn’t pause. “Steward Chen. With a vicious mind, you schemed against the Young Lord. Your spiritual roots will be removed. You will be exiled to the Mortal Domain. Your family is expelled from the Lin Family.”

The severity of it made faces go pale across the arena.

Even Third Elder, who usually floated above everything, couldn’t help glancing at Lin Mang. But when his eyes met the rage in Lin Mang’s, he said nothing.

Seventh Elder opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue.

Lin Mang met his gaze without blinking. “I, Lin Mang, have three children. But only one daughter. Whoever dares lay a hand on my daughter, I’ll fight them to the death. Even if I stop being Family Head, I won’t let the bastard who bullies my daughter walk free.”

The sheer feral force behind those words snapped something in the air. Seventh Elder’s throat bobbed. He shut his mouth.

In the end, he could only comfort himself: two servants were two servants. Losing them was losing them.

Lin Zhao watched without speaking, a complicated heat pressing behind her ribs. She understood her father’s fury—and also the calculation beneath it. After today, Seventh Elder would bleed support. Lin Mang looked rough, even crude at times, but he didn’t swing blindly.

“The remaining arrangements as supervisor will trouble Senior Elder,” Lin Mang said, cupping his hands toward Lin Su.

With a single sentence, he stripped the elders’ council of supervisory authority over the tournament and placed it in Lin Su’s hands.

And the elders’ council didn’t dare utter a word.

Lin Su’s eyes lit up so bright they nearly gleamed. Before, he’d only handled registration—small work, busy work. Overseeing the entire tournament was power. If he did it well, his standing would rise to a level just beneath the elders.

People had always called him Senior Elder out of politeness. From today onward, that title would have weight.

He bowed deeply. “Many thanks, Family Head. This old man will do what he should.”

With Lin Su supervising, the other elders—and Lin Mang—looked far more at ease.

Only Seventh Elder was livid. His glare burned into Lin Yuan’s back.

Even if grandfather and grandson hadn’t been dragged fully into the mud, their losses today were real.

Lin Yuan kept his head down as he followed Seventh Elder away, his disgrace visible in every stiff step.

On the walk back, Lin Mang’s mood noticeably lightened. He spoke to Lin Zhao like he was trying to smooth a wrinkle from her heart.

“Among the seven great elders, he’s the one who lives for schemes. Plants people everywhere. Before, I never had a clean chance to strike. If I handle this well, I can claw back a good chunk of power.”

Lin Zhao understood the comfort underneath it, but worry still rose. “Dad… was it bad to clash with Seventh Elder like this?”

The elders’ council and the Family Head stood as equals. If Lin Mang pushed too hard, it could sour the council against him.

“What’s bad about it?” Lin Mang snorted. “I’ve been sick of that old bastard for years. If he hadn’t been so shameless this time, I’d have dragged him and his precious grandson into the ground to avenge you.”

He patted Lin Zhao’s shoulder, the motion steady despite the anger still sitting in his bones.

“Dad only has you as a daughter. Your Phoenix Fortune being stolen is something your mother and I will regret for our whole lives. After that, I swore with your mother—our precious daughter would never swallow another grievance.”

Something stung behind Lin Zhao’s eyes.

Two lifetimes of swallowing injustice on Yun Ding Peak rose like a bitter tide. She pressed it down hard, forcing her voice steady. “In this tournament, I’ll take first place. I won’t let you down.”

Lin Mang’s face cracked into a grin. “That’s what I like to hear. Seventh Elder struts around bragging that his grandson reached peak Foundation Establishment at nineteen. Good. Let him see this—my daughter reached it at sixteen. And she’ll beat his precious grandson until he’s crawling.”

A voice snapped in from the side before Lin Mang could finish basking in his own words.

“Beat who into crawling?” Yao Yun’s tone dripped with disdain. “You old man, teaching Zhao Zhao to be crude again.”

Lin Mang turned—and instantly hissed as his ear was seized and twisted. “Madam! Madam! Easy—easy. Zhao Zhao’s right here. Save me some face!”

Yao Yun snorted and let go. Her gaze softened as it landed on Lin Zhao. “I heard what happened today. Your father has no backbone, letting those two shameless people off that lightly.”

Lin Mang opened his mouth, clearly offended on principle, and then shut it again the moment Yao Yun’s eyes narrowed.

Yao Yun continued, voice gentle now. “But I remembered something odd about Seventh Elder’s spending lately. I’ll report it to the council and the clan. We’ll investigate properly.”

Yao Yun oversaw the Lin Family’s finances. Normally, she could ignore an elder’s indulgence. But if Seventh Elder dared target her daughter, she would dig the knife in and twist.

At a high position, whose hands were truly clean? It was never about whether dirt existed. It was about when and how you chose to use it.

Before marriage, Yao Yun had been the eldest princess of the Yong Hui Empire, one of the four great empires. She’d handled this kind of thing more times than she could count.

Lin Mang immediately changed faces and flattered, “Madam is the best. Your husband is ashamed of himself.”

The fawning expression was so shameless Lin Zhao laughed before she could stop herself.

Lin Mang shot her a glare.

Yao Yun’s foot came down on his. “You still dare glare at Zhao Zhao? Itching for a beating?”

Lin Mang grimaced, eyes watering. “My eye twitched. It twitched.”

Yao Yun waved a hand. “Come. Food’s ready. We eat first.”

Lin Zhao followed behind her parents. Watching their backs, she rubbed her nose and suddenly felt like crying.

Being protected like this—pampered without condition, defended without hesitation—was a warmth she hadn’t felt in years.

The filthy plot that had controlled her life had stolen too much. It had even stolen her parents from her, until she died without seeing them again.

She didn’t know how broken they’d been when they learned of her death.

During the meal, Yao Yun spoke quietly, but every word carried weight. “Seventh Elder won’t let this go. Your father removed his people, so he’ll strike back. He won’t easily target me or your father, so Lin Yuan will probably come for you in the tournament.”

Yao Yun’s worry showed despite her attempts to hide it. Even if she’d been shocked by Lin Zhao’s leap from mid-stage Foundation Establishment to peak completion in a month…

Lin Zhao had only just stepped into peak Foundation Establishment. Lin Yuan had been at the twelfth layer for a full year.

“With Seventh Elder’s nature, he’ll give Lin Yuan tricks,” Lin Mang said, stroking his chin stubble. Then he glanced at Lin Zhao. “I have an upper-grade Spirit Artifact and some defensive mid-grade Spirit Artifacts. You want to take them?”

Yao Yun added, “And I have upper-grade pills I’ve saved over the years.”

Beyond being the Family Head’s wife and managing the finances, Yao Yun was also a Fifth Grade pill refiner. Even the clan’s chief pill refiner was only Fifth Grade. That alone forced respect.

Seeing both parents leaning in like they were ready to wrap her in armor and feed her medicine until she couldn’t breathe, Lin Zhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Maybe one day I really will trouble you both,” Lin Zhao said softly. “But Lin Yuan isn’t worth making you worry. Zhao Zhao can handle him.”

With her foundation and the spirit techniques she held, even if her spiritual energy quality was slightly inferior, she had complete confidence.

Within Foundation Establishment, she did not believe she could be beaten.