Courtyard House: The Cultivation System Takes Me Flying

The deathly silence outside lasted for a full half minute before it was broken by Jia Zhangshi's intermittent sobs.

Half of her face was swollen like a steamed bun, blood was dripping from the corner of her mouth, and her wrist was dislocated. She lay on the ground, convulsing in pain, but she dared not utter another word of complaint. She just stared at Qin Lindong's closed door with a venomous and fearful gaze, but she didn't even have the courage to raise her head and curse him.

Qin Huairu slumped to the side, her face ashen, her eyes vacant, completely devoid of any sense of direction.

She had never been so afraid in her life. Qin Lindong's cold eyes and the crisp, clean slap were like a nightmare, etched into her heart, leaving her with no thought of resistance whatsoever.

Jia Dongxu struggled to get up from the ground. Looking at the miserable state of his mother and wife, he was both angry and scared. He wanted to rush up and take revenge, but when he thought of the excruciating pain from being kicked away by Qin Lindong, his legs trembled uncontrollably. He could only stand there, angry but unable to speak.

The family of three lay pathetically at the entrance of Qin Lindong's courtyard, becoming the biggest joke in the entire courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai stood in front of the crowd, his face turning pale and then flushed, looking extremely unwell.

As the eldest elder in the courtyard, he always prided himself on fairness and impartiality, and was also the Jia family's patron. Now that the Jia family had been beaten like this, if he didn't stand up, he would completely lose his authority in the courtyard, and no one would listen to him anymore.

Moreover, Jia Dongxu was his designated apprentice to take care of him in his old age, so he had to stand up for the Jia family!

Taking a deep breath, Yi Zhonghai suppressed his fear of Qin Lindong, put on a serious and impartial face, walked to Qin Lindong's door, and knocked heavily on the door.

"Qin Lindong, open the door, I have something to say to you!"

Yi Zhonghai's voice carried a deliberately contrived air of authority, attempting to use his status as an elder to intimidate Qin Lindong.

In his view, no matter how fierce Qin Lindong was, he was just a helpless young man who would never really break ties with him, an old man.

Inside the room, Qin Lindong was sitting cross-legged, practicing physical training. When he heard Yi Zhonghai's voice, his brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Finally couldn't sit still anymore?

He knew long ago that Yi Zhonghai would never stand idly by and watch the Jia family be dealt with; he would definitely step in to smooth things over and side with the Jia family.

Since that's the case, then he'll make things clear from the start, letting Yi Zhonghai know that his authority is worthless in his eyes!

Qin Lindong stood up, opened the door, and looked calmly at Yi Zhonghai, without the slightest respect or fear, only indifference.

"Sir, is something the matter?"

The calm tone of the voice made Yi Zhonghai feel a lump in his throat, and the words he had prepared instantly got stuck in his throat.

Looking into Qin Lindong's cold and sharp eyes, he felt inexplicably flustered, but now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Qin Lindong, look what you've done!" Yi Zhonghai pointed at Jia Zhangshi on the ground, raising his voice, trying to stand on the moral high ground to condemn Qin Lindong, "Jia Zhangshi is an elder, even if she's wrong, you can't hit her! This is disrespectful and unreasonable!"

Typical double standards, typical muddle-headedness!

The text makes no mention of the Jia family's wrongdoings in coming to seize grain, assaulting people, and causing a scene; it only focuses on the fact that Qin Lindong took action, exaggerating it to the extreme, trying to push all the blame onto Qin Lindong.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the neighbors all lowered their heads and dared not speak. They all knew perfectly well that Yi Zhonghai was favoring the Jia family, but no one dared to stand up and refute him.

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly, echoing, "What the old man said is right, Lin Dong. No matter what, it's wrong to hit someone. Quickly apologize to Aunt Zhang, and we'll let this matter go."

Liu Haizhong also adopted an official tone: "Young man, don't act impulsively. Respect your elders and abide by the rules of the compound. You must listen to what this old man says!"

The three of them worked together, trying to force Qin Lindong to admit his mistake.

In their view, as long as they put pressure on him together, Qin Lindong would definitely give in.

But they forgot that the current Qin Lindong is not the same soft persimmon that everyone could bully!

Hearing the three people's distorted and contradictory statements, Qin Lindong was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed, a cold and mocking laugh.

"Apologize?"

Qin Lindong's gaze swept over Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, and Liu Haizhong, and his voice suddenly rose, echoing throughout the courtyard: "Why should I apologize?"

"I'd like to ask you, sir, yesterday when that Jia Zhangshi barged into my room, stole my last half-bag of cornmeal, pushed me down and slammed me against the corner of the table, almost beating me to death, why didn't you say she had no respect for her elders?"

"Today she came to my door again to steal my things, raised her hand to hit me, and threw a tantrum, acting like a scoundrel. Why didn't you say she was being unreasonable then?"

"If I don't fight back, am I supposed to just stand there and let them beat me to death for it to be considered reasonable and respectful of elders?"

The three questions were sharp and insightful, leaving Yi Zhonghai speechless. His face flushed red and then turned pale, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong also froze on the spot, their faces extremely embarrassed, and dared not say another word.

They are in the wrong, completely in the wrong!

All the mistakes were started by the Jia family. Qin Lindong's actions from beginning to end were all in self-defense!

Yi Zhonghai was speechless after being confronted, and could only resort to sophistry: "Well... she is, after all, an elder. It's wrong of you to hit her! If this matter goes to the neighborhood committee, you won't be in the right!"

"Take this to the neighborhood committee?" Qin Lindong sneered, his eyes sharpening. "Perfect, I also want the comrades from the neighborhood committee to judge this matter and see how this old man in your courtyard is biased towards the wicked and bullies a helpless orphan!"

"I'll see who's in the wrong and who's embarrassed then!"

In one sentence, he directly hit Yi Zhonghai's weak spot!

What he cares about most is his reputation and face. If it really escalates to the neighborhood committee, everyone will know that he favors the Jia family and bullies the orphans. Then this old man will be finished, and he will never be able to hold his head up again!

Yi Zhonghai's face turned deathly pale instantly. He took a step back and dared not mention the matter of taking it to the neighborhood committee again.

Seeing this, Qin Lindong pressed closer, his gaze icy as he stared at Yi Zhonghai: "Uncle, as the elder of this courtyard, you should be fair and impartial, mediating neighborhood disputes. But you've turned black into white, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and blindly favoring the Jia family. Do you deserve to be called an elder?"

"I..." Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. His face burned as if he had been slapped hard.

The neighbors around Yi Zhonghai looked at him with strange eyes, and they all knew that Yi Zhonghai was in the wrong and had been rendered speechless by Qin Lindong's rebuttal.

Standing not far away, He Yuzhu watched as Qin Lindong confronted Yi Zhonghai head-on, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He couldn't help but shout, "Brother Lindong is right! Uncle Yi, this is entirely the Jia family's fault; you can't side with them!"

With He Yuzhu taking the lead, several neighbors who had been bullied by the Jia family in the past couldn't help but whisper in agreement.

"Yes, it was Jia Zhangshi who started by taking the things..."

"Lin Dong was forced into this situation..."

Although the whispers were not loud, they felt like needles pricking Yi Zhonghai's heart, making him feel utterly ashamed.

He had never been so humiliated in his entire life!

Looking at Yi Zhonghai's disheveled appearance, Qin Lindong showed no pity whatsoever. He coldly said, "Uncle, I'm telling you this one last time: I, Qin Lindong, don't offend others unless they offend me. If the Jia family provokes me again, I won't be polite. At that time, no one can protect them!"

"If you dare to favor them again and distort the truth, don't blame me for holding you accountable too!"

The chilling warning sent a shiver down Yi Zhonghai's spine. He dared not utter another word in rebuttal, and could only lower his head and turn away in a disheveled state.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were so frightened that they slunk away, no longer daring to meddle in other people's business.

The three members of the Jia family on the ground watched as Yi Zhonghai was driven away, and their last hope was shattered. They could only scramble back into their house and dare not go out again.

Outside, all was quiet again.

[Ding! The host confronted Yi Zhonghai head-on, breaking his authority and shocking the entire hospital!]

[Reward: Progress to Body Tempering Realm Level 1 +25%, current progress 70%!]

[Reward: 150 points, current points: 330!]

[Reward: Slight improvement in physical fitness, Stamina +2, current Stamina 21!]

Hearing the system notification, Qin Lindong's lips curled into a cold smile.

Yi Zhonghai, the Jia family—this is just the beginning.

To gain a foothold in this courtyard, he must trample all the monsters and demons under his feet!

He closed the door and continued to cultivate diligently, his cultivation level constantly improving. His era was just beginning!