Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Lin Family Secrets

Su Bai held the blood Spirit Crystal tightly.

Watching Lin Zhao leave, he absently rubbed the small white beast’s fluffy tail. His voice was soft, melancholy, as if spoken to himself.

“When will she understand? Will she understand? And after she understands… will she still want me?”

The small beast covered its tiny ears in terror.

—

Lin Mang and Yao Yun were waiting.

Seeing Lin Zhao return safely, Lin Mang’s shoulders finally loosened. After Lin Zhao explained everything, Lin Mang studied her face. When he confirmed she truly hadn’t noticed Su Bai’s feelings, he sighed.

“I’ve always thought highly of that child, Su Bai.”

Yao Yun exhaled and cut him off with a look. She patted Lin Zhao’s head. “It’s good you came back safe. We’ll send Su Bai a thank-you gift.”

After her daughter’s engagement had twice gone wrong, Yao Yun had already decided she wouldn’t marry Lin Zhao off at all.

The Lin Family didn’t need to cling to some high branch. Why not bring a husband in instead? At least then no random cats or dogs would dare humiliate her child.

As for Su Bai… his status was now too high. The chance of him marrying in was too small. Yao Yun didn’t support Lin Mang’s faint hope.

Lin Zhao took out the dragon-shaped jade pendant from her Spatial Ring. “This time, I took back the jade pendant my brother left me. Chen Luo Luo had it.”

The moment Yao Yun saw it, her eyes reddened. Even with her cultivation, she couldn’t stop the tears.

“Yu Er left this for you,” Lin Mang said quietly. Mentioning his eldest son filled his eyes with complicated grief.

Lin Zhao asked, “Dad… why did my brothers leave the Lin Family? Where are they now?”

Lin Mang’s imposing figure seemed oddly thin when he spoke of his sons. He guided Lin Zhao to sit beside Yao Yun, then answered in a low voice.

“They were taken away by people from Ancestral Dragon Continent.”

Lin Zhao froze. “Ancestral Dragon Continent?”

Lin Mang nodded. “Do you remember Old Ancestor saying there were five Creator Divine Venerables? One of them was Ancestral Dragon—an existence equal to Ancestral Phoenix. They created the Five Great Planes. Among the planes Ancestral Dragon created, the strongest is Ancestral Dragon Continent. Heavenly Phoenix Continent can’t compare.”

He paused, then added, “Ancestral Phoenix also created the strongest plane among the five—Ancestral Phoenix Continent.”

Lin Zhao’s mind raced. “Why would a powerful plane like that come looking for the Lin Family on Heavenly Phoenix Continent?”

Lin Mang’s lips parted, then closed.

Yao Yun began to cry harder.

Lin Mang took her hand, wiping her tears with a gentleness that looked almost desperate. “Because of sins we committed as parents,” he said softly. “When your mother was carrying your two brothers, we were fighting Demon Clan. We didn’t know she was pregnant. By the time we realized… the fetuses had already been tainted by demonic qi. Even if they were born, they would be demon spawn.”

Yao Yun’s shoulders shook.

“The Righteous Path wouldn’t allow it,” Lin Mang continued. “The Noble Houses wouldn’t accept it.”

Lin Zhao’s chest tightened. She rubbed her mother’s back, steady and patient.

Lin Mang swallowed. “The rest… let Mother tell it. I can’t let you bear everything.”

Yao Yun wiped her tears with shaking hands. Her voice came out through sobs. “Your father and I were first-time parents. We didn’t want to give up hope. We begged other Noble Houses for help and got nothing. We searched everywhere for famous doctors… until we found a Secret Realm.”

Her eyes went distant. “There, we met a man in black. He said he could purify one of our children, but… we had to perform a Sacrificial Rite.”

Lin Zhao went still.

Yao Yun’s fingers tightened as if the memory burned. “He wanted the first child’s essence blood to awaken a soul of Ancestral Dragon buried here.”

Lin Zhao’s breath caught.

“Your father and I knew that method was forbidden,” Yao Yun whispered. “We refused.”

Her voice cracked. “But we never expected… we were no match for him at all.”

Lin Mang’s jaw tightened. “He took the first child’s essence blood anyway.”

Lin Zhao stared. “Then… my brothers—?”

“When the children were born,” Lin Mang said, voice rough, “both survived.”

Lin Zhao’s confusion sharpened into dread. “So Eldest Brother wasn’t affected?”

Lin Mang went silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his words were heavy. “No matter what… your mother and I still treated Yu Er as our child.”

Lin Zhao felt as if lightning split through her skull. “So the people from Ancestral Dragon Continent came for Eldest Brother?”

Lin Mang nodded once.

“Your eldest brother,” Lin Mang said, “should be the incarnation of that Ancestral Dragon soul.”

Yao Yun’s sob broke free again.

Lin Mang continued, the confession unfolding like a wound. “We feared the forces from Ancestral Dragon Continent had ill intent. If the Ancestral Dragon soul fell into evil hands, the Cultivation World would face endless catastrophe. So we hid which child carried the Ancestral Dragon soul.”

He looked away. “But after that… Old Ancestor was severely wounded by an unknown cultivator. Our combat power on the Demon Clan battlefield was deliberately targeted. Two Spirit Transformation members of the Lin Family even fell.”

His voice dropped. “We could only withdraw from the lands of the Noble Houses and move beside the You Lan Empire.”

Lin Zhao clasped her mother’s hand. “Mother, don’t cry. Zhao Zhao will bring them back.”

Yao Yun squeezed her fingers hard, as if trying to anchor herself to her daughter’s warmth. “There’s one more thing you have to know.”

Lin Zhao’s gaze sharpened. “They’re still watching?”

Yao Yun nodded. “That force from Ancestral Dragon Continent is still watching the Lin Family… and Heavenly Phoenix Continent.”

Lin Zhao thought of Lin Yuan, the Nether Python soul, the lingering rot. “Nether Python Lingering Soul.”

“That’s right.” Lin Mang’s voice turned grim. “A Spirit Beast like Nether Python, with Dragon Clan blood, is almost extinct on Heavenly Phoenix Continent. Yu Er and Yi Er were affected by Nether Python Lingering Soul. Their aura leaked in battle, and Ancestral Dragon Continent sensed them.”

Lin Zhao’s blood ran cold.

“And your dad suspects their goal isn’t only the Ancestral Dragon soul,” Yao Yun whispered. “It might be you as well.”

Lin Zhao stared. “Me? I have nothing to do with Ancestral Dragon. How could they be watching me?”

“I hope I’m imagining it,” Lin Mang said, but his eyes were dark. “I asked where Lin Yuan got Nether Python Lingering Soul. They said they bought it from that man in black.”

He exhaled hard. “That means they’re still coveting something from the Lin Family. But what could we have now that would make them want it?”

Lin Zhao’s brows knitted slowly.

Lin Mang’s voice softened, regret seeping through. “Thinking back, we really failed as parents. We couldn’t keep your brothers with us… and you suffered so much too.”

Lin Zhao’s expression eased. “Dad, don’t say that. What the Lin Family has lost… we can take it back, little by little.”

The old Lin Zhao would never have dared speak so boldly.

Now, with Granny by her side, with Phoenix Fortune returning, with the South Sea Academy ahead, she couldn’t believe the Lin Family had sunk to the bottom forever.

Lin Mang looked into her eyes and nodded once.

“Your future is far broader than mine or your mother’s,” he said. “And that means the burden on you will only grow heavier. You don’t need to worry about the Lin Family right now. We no longer have anything for them to covet.”

He hesitated, pain flickering. “But as the Phoenix Maiden… honestly, Dad wishes you were ordinary. I’d rather you stayed safe by our side and lived as a carefree little princess.”

“Clumsy with words,” Yao Yun said, wiping her tears and shooting Lin Mang a glare. Then she turned to Lin Zhao, her voice firm with love. “What we mean is: as long as you’re safe, that’s enough. No matter what you do, we will believe in you. Our daughter—we know who you are.”