My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Lin Hongjia looked up at Lin Ran and said hesitantly, "You really want to hear this? It's not good news. It's probably just gossip from the lower ranks, which the kids overheard and then copied."

"Go ahead and tell me. I know about the Lin family's situation back then. There were plenty of people who didn't respect me, so I won't get angry. Just tell me!" Lin Ran patted Lin Hongjia's head, making him let go of her hand. She then poured two cups of tea and sat down on the recliner opposite Lin Hongjia.

Seeing Lin Ran's calm demeanor, Lin Hongjia stammered for a while, covering her face, her cheeks burning, and whispered, "They...they said you're impotent, and in order to inherit the position of clan leader, you went outside and brought back two bastards. Others said you were ruined during your training trip, so you came back in disgrace with a child to prove you're not impotent. And then there were the other things..."

Lin Ran:......

He decided to take back what he had said earlier. He also wanted to be a time policeman to see who was the one who was spreading such rumors and saying such insulting things. It wouldn't be too much to send the person to see the King of Hell, would it?

Peeking through his fingers, Lin Hongjia saw Lin Ran's dark expression and cautiously asked, "Really?"

Upon hearing Lin Hongjia's words, Lin Ran nearly fainted from anger. She quickly drank some water to suppress her rage and pointed at Lin Hongjia, unable to speak for a long time.

Seeing Lin Ran's expression, Lin Hongjia instinctively assumed it was true. She stood up in a panic, forgetting her embarrassment, and said worriedly, "Why didn't you say you had this hidden ailment? We have very skilled practitioners in our clan..."

Before Lin Hongjia could speak, Lin Ran angrily gave the stupid girl a flick on the forehead and said in a rage, "What kind of nonsense is in your little head? You believe everything those gossipy women say."

It's highly likely that many people were unhappy when the clan leader passed the position to me, and then they were even more envious when a lot of resources were allocated to you.

"It just so happens that I hadn't officially married yet, and suddenly you two appeared. Because your identities are unclear, yet you enjoy the privileges of the chieftain's children, they've all tried to frame me. At that time, I hadn't demonstrated any significant strength, so naturally, people gossiped about me, understand?"

Lin Hongjia covered his forehead, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Lin Ran had originally wanted to reminisce about the past, but this whole mess ruined his mood. He was thinking about whether to become a time policeman and arrest those gossiping people, but then he decided against it. So many years had passed, and it hadn't caused a huge uproar back then. If everyone really knew about it, he would have to make an example of them.

Jia'er suddenly left his study and ran back. Lin Ran didn't think much of it. He still had things to do, so he stayed in the study to finish them.

……

A few days later, in the evening, Lin Ran was meditating in her room when a gentle knock sounded on the door. She used her spiritual power to see who it was and said, "Come in!"

He got out of bed and looked at Lin Hongjia, who was crouching down and sneaking into his room. He couldn't help but say, "Why are you in my room so late at night instead of sleeping?"

As Lin Hongjia approached, Lin Ran noticed that Lin Hongjia was dressed with extra care tonight, wearing the light blue brocade dress embroidered with lotus patterns that he had given Lin Hongjia before.

He knew Jia'er well. Ever since he gave her this dress, which he had put a lot of effort into sewing, she had hardly ever worn it. She had worn it when she went shopping with him, though. But tonight's sudden turn of events made Lin Ran's mood a little heavier.

Lin Hongjia did not answer Lin Ran's words, but instead began to dance on the spot. Her light-colored silk skirt was adorned with silver, and her long black hair cascaded down to her waist. With a smile in her eyes, she twirled gracefully, her sleeves fluttering, her steps light and delicate, her clothes fluttering. Her eyes were captivating.

After a while, Lin Hongjia slowly stopped and said with a charming smile, "How is it? Does it look good?"

"How can 'beautiful' be enough to describe a fairy performing for me? She's as beautiful as an angel!" Lin Ran joked.

Lin Hongjia rolled her eyes at Lin Ran and said coquettishly, "You've probably said those kinds of things to quite a few women before, haven't you?"

"Is that true?" Lin Ran suddenly thought about this question. He seemed to have said a lot of cheesy love words to that little woman, Mu Qiqin, before.

"You're really seriously thinking about whether you have it or not!" Lin Hongjia shouted angrily, raising his voice several decibels.

Startled, Lin Ran quickly cast a soundproofing spell and checked on Lin Chong's side. Seeing that there was no movement, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lin Hongjia, saying, "Aren't you afraid that Xiao Chong will hear you shouting so loudly?"

"Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow. So what if they find out? It'll just be hard for you to explain later!" Lin Hongjia said with a sly glint in his eyes.

Seeing the little witch so smug, Lin Ran smiled and shook her head, but in the end, the smile turned into a bitter one. She took a sip of tea, trying to ease the bitterness in her mouth, and said, "You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yes, tomorrow!"

Lin Hongjia sat down next to Lin Ran, tilted his head slightly to rest on Lin Ran's shoulder, and said calmly, "So I want to stay with you before that. I have so many things I want to say to you, and so many things I want to give you!"

Lin Hongjia turned his right hand, and a beautiful and sturdy wooden box appeared. He placed it on the table and gently opened it. Inside was a jade pendant. The jade pendant was long and narrow, transparent and amber in color, and carved with dragon and phoenix patterns.

What's most exquisite is that this jade pendant seems to be composed of two jade pendants connected by mortise and tenon joints, with a dragon on the left and a phoenix on the right, a symbol of auspiciousness.

“Cut a gash in your hand and let your blood soak into this jade pendant!” Lin Hongjia said.

Although Lin Ran found it a bit strange, she did as instructed, casually condensing a sword aura and cutting a gash in her palm. Crimson blood slowly dripped onto the jade pendant.

As his blood dripped onto the jade pendant, the dragon carved on the left side of the pendant seemed to come alive, radiating golden light and even faintly emitting a dragon's roar. His blood continuously merged into the jade pendant, and the left side of the pendant gradually turned golden-red.

This scene surprised Lin Ran greatly. Although she didn't know what the purpose of this treasure was, it was clearly no ordinary item!

……

Chapter 43 The Visitor's Intentions Are Not Good (Please Read Further)

"Okay, okay, that's good enough!"

When Lin Hongjia saw that the jade pendant on the left had turned completely golden red, he quickly stopped Lin Ran from bleeding any further. He took the hand and applied the ointment he had prepared beforehand. The cut healed at a rapid pace, returning to its previous smooth and fair appearance in half a minute.

"It's just a small wound, you don't need such a good ointment!" Lin Ran said with a smile. With his strength at the Spirit Core Realm, although he didn't specialize in physical cultivation, he could still heal such a small wound quickly with his spiritual power.

"Anyway, there's plenty of ointment, applying a little won't hurt!" After seeing that Lin Ran's wound was fine, Lin Hongjia stretched out his hand, cut a gash in his palm, and let the blood slowly drip from his palm onto the jade pendant.

Unlike Lin Ran's blood, Lin Hongjia's blood had a faint golden hue. When the blood merged into the jade pendant, the same scene as Lin Ran's occurred, except that Lin Hongjia's blood produced the sound of a phoenix's cry.

After the jade pendant turned golden red, Lin Hongjia was about to stop when Lin Ran pulled him over. Watching Lin Ran carefully treat the wound, Lin Hongjia smiled and just stared blankly.

After treating her wound, Lin Ran looked up and saw Lin Hongjia's smiling gaze. Pointing to the jade pendant that had changed so much, she couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to tell me what this is?"

Lin Hongjia picked up the jade pendant and explained, "This is amazing! It's a treasure of our Celestial Clan, the Dragon and Phoenix Heart-to-Heart Jade. We were just activating this pendant, and then we could separate..."

With a little effort, Lin Hongjia easily separated the jade pendant into two halves. She handed the phoenix side to Lin Ran and kept the dragon side for herself, saying, "You hold the phoenix, and I'll hold the dragon. That way, we can each use this jade pendant to sense each other's distance and life or death."

"Is it that amazing?" Lin Ran looked at the jade pendant in her palm. It felt very smooth and warm to the touch, and it was also slightly warm. It was quite magical.

"This jade pendant has other wonderful uses, I'll tell you about them later. I also have something else for you!" After putting away his half of the jade pendant and the box on the table, Lin Hongjia took out another box.

Lin Hongjia smiled and pointed to the box, saying, "You open it this time and see what's inside!"

When Lin Ran opened the box, a silver ring lay quietly inside, faintly emitting a golden light, as if profound runes were engraved on it.

The ring's surface also had intricate patterns, and on the inside of the ring, Lin Ran saw his name engraved, a single character "Ran".

Seeing such an ingeniously designed ring, Lin Ran couldn't help but smile, ruffling Lin Hongjia's hair and saying with a laugh, "It must have taken a lot of thought, right?"

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it, I'll put it on for you!" Lin Hongjia picked up the ring and put it directly on Lin Ran's right ring finger. She remembered that Lin Ran had said before that there were meanings to wearing a ring in different positions on the hand, and wearing it here seemed to represent being in love.

After putting on the ring, Lin Hongjia explained its function: "This is a ring that can teleport. I set the teleportation point in my room."

No matter where you are or what danger you encounter, as long as the space there is not completely sealed off, you can use this ring to teleport back to the teleportation point set up in my room.

However, it can only be used three times. After that, the ring and teleportation point must be replenished with space spirit stones.

When Lin Ran heard that Lin Hongjia had actually given him such a ring, he couldn't help but secretly marvel. He thought to himself, "No wonder it's the Celestial Clan. Only the Celestial Clan has such a profound foundation."

Back then, a spatial scroll like Meng Qing's was already a treasure, but it was still a trap. Not only was the teleportation location random, but it also didn't mean that you would be teleported very far. You could very well be teleported to an even more dangerous place. You would just get out of one trap and fall into another.

In comparison, this teleportation ring is quite powerful. As long as the teleportation point is set in advance, no matter where you go, as long as all escape routes are not blocked, you can directly escape back to the teleportation point. It is indeed a life-saving tool.

Lin Ran reached out and patted Lin Hongjia's head, smiling, "This life-saving treasure will indeed come in handy for my future training trips. Thanks, girl!"

"That's it? And then? Nothing more?" Lin Hongjia said irritably. She thought Lin Ran would be very happy to see the gift and would excitedly want to kiss her, but all she got was a thank you? Huh?

"Hey, I do have something for you, wait a minute!" Lin Ran stood up and, under Lin Hongjia's strange gaze, rummaged through drawers and cabinets for a while before finally dragging out a sturdy mahogany box. She placed it in front of Lin Hongjia and said, "Open it and take a look!"

When Lin Hongjia opened the box, it was filled with colorful dresses of various styles.

Seeing Lin Hongjia's surprised expression, Lin Ran smiled and explained, "I designed and sewed these dresses myself. I know you like to wear simple and elegant dresses, so the color combinations are mostly light and subtle."

“This topmost set…” Lin Ran pointed to the set of white and gold embroidered with golden phoenixes placed at the very top center of the dresses and said, “This is a set I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I was planning to give it to you before your coming-of-age ceremony so you could wear it and have a beautiful and wonderful memory. But you’re leaving tomorrow, so I’ll give you these dresses today.”

Lin Hongjia stared intently at the clothes in the box, her delicate hands caressing the soft, comfortable fabric. A faint blush rose to her pretty face. Suddenly, she looked up at Lin Ran and said, "Shall I change into this outfit for you? Consider it my coming-of-age ceremony today!"

Lin Ran was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, the girl had already taken the dress and gone to his bedroom to change.

A moment later, a beautiful figure emerged from the bedroom, her graceful steps leading to Lin Ran. Her skirt swayed gently, and she wore no extra jewelry, only a dress embroidered with golden phoenixes, making her look like a princess from royalty, exuding an elegant and dignified air.

"It looks great, doesn't it?" Lin Hongjia looked at the dazed Lin Ran, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes. Being able to captivate the man she likes is the happiest thing for a woman.

"Hmm, it's even prettier than I imagined!" Lin Ran nodded. He felt that if the color scheme were changed and the dress were improved, it might become a wedding dress.

"There's still one more step to the coming-of-age ceremony!" Lin Hongjia moved closer to Lin Ran, gazing at the man who was so close to her and captivated her. She knew he definitely wouldn't take the initiative, so this time she would do it herself.

Lin Hongjia tiptoed slightly and offered her moist lips, just a light touch, before shyly hiding in Lin Ran's arms, refusing to lift her head no matter what.

Looking at Jia'er in his arms, Lin Ran understood that the brief two or three seconds of soft contact just now was a huge breakthrough for this girl. He didn't expect that the coming-of-age ceremony she mentioned would be this. In a sense, it could be considered one!

The two embraced each other until dawn...

Mornings are always beautiful, but today is destined to be a less than beautiful morning.

On the back mountain of the Lin family, Lin Ran accompanied Lin Hongjia to stand on the edge of the cliff, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Celestial Clan.

Standing next to Lin Ran, Lin Hongjia was still wearing the white and gold dress she had changed into the night before. She secretly glanced at Lin Ran a few times and whispered, "Are you scared when you see those people later?"

"I'm quite scared!" Lin Ran smiled. He wasn't joking; he was genuinely quite scared. He hoped the person coming wasn't Jia'er's father, otherwise he was afraid he'd be exposed.

Just as Lin Hongjia was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed, and he whispered, "They're here!"

Suddenly, a golden light gate appeared in the space in front of them. A dozen young soldiers wearing light armor walked out of the light gate and lined up on both sides. The last one to walk out was a man wearing a silver robe.

He didn't look very old, probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but he had a very strange appearance. Strange silver patterns flashed across his face, which made him look even more eerie.

The man in the silver robe, who appeared to be the leader, respectfully approached Lin Hongjia, knelt on one knee, and said, "I am He Sheng, the deputy commander of the Silver Armor Army. I have been ordered by the Elders to invite Miss to return to her clan!"

"Why didn't it be Elder Wang this time, but instead sent this whole group of you!" Lin Hongjia didn't seem very happy. His face was cold, and even his words carried a hint of iciness. Usually, it was Elder Wang who handled things, but this time it was this group of people who came.

“Please forgive me, Miss, but Old Master Wang… has something to attend to, so our Silver Armor Army has taken over!” The man named He Sheng said slowly after glancing at Lin Ran.

Lin Hongjia sensed something was amiss and said calmly, "Since Elder Wang has something to attend to, let's go!"

"Oh, Miss, there's no rush. We have another mission on this trip. The elders instructed us that if we encounter Patriarch Lin Ran, we should ask her if the Lin family still has any things from long ago, such as a stone?"

At this point, He Sheng turned his gaze to Lin Ran and said, "I wonder if Clan Chief Lin Ran is aware of this?"

Lin Ran remained calm and did not answer the other party's question. The other party must have seen his portrait or something, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to recognize him as the current head of the Lin family on their first meeting. Asking if there was anything held back was a nice way of putting it, but with so many people with them, they probably meant to just take it by force if they said yes!

The leader is at the Spirit Core Realm, and the rest are no less capable, all at the Spirit Transformation Realm. They could easily slaughter the entire Linshan City.

Lin Hongjia, who was standing to the side, also became nervous. He immediately stepped in front of Lin Ran and looked at He Sheng coldly, saying, "Who gave you permission to do this? I will definitely report this to the clan leader when I get back!"

"Miss, please calm down. I'm just following orders!" He Sheng made a gesture, and several soldiers at the Spirit Transformation Realm formed a circle around Lin Hongjia, protecting her within it.

Lin Hongjia's current strength is far inferior to these people, so he could only watch helplessly as Lin Ran was surrounded by He Sheng's group, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry.

He Sheng suddenly unleashed a powerful aura, looked at Lin Ran with a fake smile, and said, "I've heard that Clan Chief Lin Ran was a renowned genius back in the day. I wonder what her strength is like? Today, I, He Sheng, will come and learn from her!"

……