I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

The morning sunlight shone on the red banknotes scattered all over the yard, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Dozens of sacks were emptied, and a million yuan in cash was piled up into a mountain of money half a person high.

Lin Fu stood beside Qian Shan, holding a thick red roster in his hands. He picked up a megaphone, cleared his throat, and loudly read out the names.

"The eldest son's family, Lin Dayou's family! Six people, dividends per person, 60,000 yuan! For their contribution in building the market, the head of the charitable organization will receive an extra 10,000 yuan! A total of 70,000 yuan!"

Lin Dayou squeezed out of the crowd shirtless. His hands were covered in calluses, and he rubbed them vigorously on his trouser legs, afraid of getting the money dirty.

Reaching the pile of money, Lin Fei counted out seven bundles of 100-yuan bills bound in kraft paper and stuffed them into Lin Dayou's arms.

Lin Dayou was holding 70,000 yuan in cash, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold it.

He turned around, facing Lin Ting who was sitting in the armchair, bent his knees, and knelt down on the bluestone slab with a "thump," kowtowing three times heavily.

"Thank you, Grandfather, for the meal!" Lin Dayou shouted at the top of his lungs.

Lin Ting picked up his purple clay teacup and drank the tea without saying a word.

Lin Fu continued reading.

"Second wife, Lin Shouzhen's family! Ten people, 100,000 yuan!"

The second uncle leaned on a yellowed bamboo cane, and his son stepped forward, carrying ten bundles of cash in his clothes, before retreating back into the crowd.

My second great-uncle wiped away his tears with his sleeve, repeatedly muttering, "May our ancestors bless us."

"Three houses, Lin Facai's family! Four people, forty thousand yuan!"

Lin Facai, with his beer belly protruding, ran out and accepted the money with a big smile on his face.

He had been afraid of trouble before and wanted the Lin family to back down, but now that he was holding a heavy stack of cash, he wanted to slap himself twice.

Lin Facai knelt on the ground and loudly declared, "Grandpa, from now on, if anyone dares to say a bad word about you, I, Lin Facai, will be the first to chop them down with a knife!"

Lin Fu turned to a page of the roster.

"Fourth house, Lin Jianguo's house! The old man is an elderly person living alone, without children or relatives, so according to the rules, it's double, twenty thousand yuan!"

Lin Jianguo walked out leaning on his cane, tears and snot streaming down his face.

He stuffed 20,000 yuan into his pocket, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to Lin Ting.

"Grandpa, as long as I live, I'll sweep the ancestral hall every single day!"

Lin Fu continued shouting through the loudspeaker.

"Five rooms, Lin Xiaowei's family! Three people. Xiaowei suffered a work injury at the sand quarry, so that's double the amount, totaling 60,000 yuan!"

Xiaowei's mother, dressed in faded coarse cloth clothes, stumbled and ran ahead.

She looked at the 60,000 yuan in front of her, tears streaming down her face. She didn't take the money; she just collapsed to the ground.

"Great kindness from my great-grandfather! Xiaowei's finger was broken, and Lin Daqiang didn't give us a single penny. He even kicked us out of the factory."

"After my great-grandfather took over, he paid for Xiaowei's medical expenses and now he's even giving us double the dividends. Our family has a way to survive!" Xiaowei's mother cried and kowtowed.

Lin Ting put down his teacup.

"Lin Fei, put the money in the old lady's pocket," Lin Ting said.

Lin Fei stepped forward, stuffed 60,000 yuan into Xiao Wei's mother's tattered cloth bag, and helped her up.

Lin Fu closed the first roster and picked up another one.

"Zhongtang, the fifty brothers who raided the waterways and smashed the Hongfa Market! Each of them will receive an extra 20,000 yuan bonus!"

The young man with the crew cut led forty-nine men in black vests forward. They bore scars from the water battle. They lined up and each took two bundles of cash.

Lin Ting stood up.

"The Lin family's rules are fair. They reward the bravest men who shed blood. Whoever dares to fight and protect the clan will be rewarded with a life of luxury!" Lin Ting's voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

After millions of dollars in cash were distributed, the men and women in the courtyard who received the money all knelt on the ground.

No one left.

The Lin family had been poor for many years. In the past, they could barely make any money from farming all year round, and they even had to borrow money for weddings and funerals.

Now, less than half a year after taking office, the old man has opened up waterways, built markets, and cultivated golden fruits, earning real money in his hands.

Lin Ting looked at the people kneeling all over the courtyard.

In my mind, the system's mechanical voice began to refresh at a high frequency.

[Ding! Lin Dayou, a member of the Lin clan in Tazhai Town, has increased his loyalty to 100 (die-hard loyalist).]

[Ding! Lin Facai, a member of the Lin clan in Tazhai Town, has increased his loyalty to 100 (die-hard loyalist).]

[Ding! Lin Fei, a member of the Lin clan in Tazhai Town, has increased his loyalty to 100 (die-hard loyalist).]

The notification sounds kept coming one after another, and it just wouldn't stop.

Of the 100,000 registered members of the Lin clan, those who received the money were all utterly loyal. This unwavering loyalty meant that with just a word from Lin Ting, these 100,000 people would die for the Lin family without ever looking back.

[Family Prosperity +1000]

[Family Prosperity +2000]

[Family Prosperity +5000]

Lin Ting brought up the system panel. The numbers in the Prosperity section were jumping wildly. They soared from 1,000 points all the way up, directly breaking through the 10,000 mark, and were still rising, finally stopping at 32,000 points.

[Ding! Upgrade requirements met.]

The Eternal First Clan System has been upgraded to Level 2 (Provincial Giant Stage).

[Unlocked Level 2 Shop Access.]

Lin Ting sat in the armchair and opened the Level 2 Shop.

The exchange limit for the [Beginner Human Limit Physical Enhancement Agent Recipe] has been removed. Previously, brewing a pot of medicinal soup required 1,000 prosperity points, and fifty brothers who drank it could withstand hundreds of thugs.

Now that the cost has been reduced, a pot can be cooked with just 100 points. Lin Ting has 32,000 prosperity points, enough to turn all the thousands of young men in the Lin family into tireless beasts.

[Basic Business Intelligence Database] Unlocked. Allows access to confidential documents, fund flows, and damaging information on competitors from all city and county-level enterprises. Anyone who dares to set a business trap for the Lin family will be exposed by Lin Ting.

[Level 2 Black Technology Blueprint Library] Unlocked. It contains blueprints for large-scale cold chain storage centers, high-precision pharmaceutical plants, and special security equipment production lines.

Lin Ting leaned back in his chair, fiddling with the walnuts in his hands.

Upgraded.

At level 1, he could only stay in the small town of Tazhai. Now that he's at level 2, the Lin family can extend their influence further.

The sales of golden fruit are so good that the plates in Tazhai Town can't hold it all.

Foreign building materials companies are still targeting the Lin family's other businesses, and the remaining forces of the Zhao Group are still stirring.

Lin Ting opened his eyes and his gaze swept over the thousands of men in the courtyard.

"Get up, all of you," Lin Ting said.

The clansmen in the courtyard all stood up in unison.

"With money in hand, you must stand tall. From now on, in Tazhai and the county, if others show the Lin family an inch of respect, the Lin family will return a mile. Anyone who dares to touch the Lin family's livelihood, the entire clan will unite to punish them!" Lin Ting said.

"We will obey your orders, Grandfather!" the three thousand men roared in unison.

After the money was distributed, each household took their money and went home.