Heroes Return

"Who knows? Anyway, we'll have plenty of time to chat with him these next few days! I'm so happy! I've finally met my brother. It seems he's doing quite well in the Lin family, so we can go back with peace of mind."

“That’s right,” Lin Wan said with a smile. “However, you and your second brother are clearly twins, but why do you look so different? It’s like one of you is in heaven and the other is on earth.”

"Are you kidding? We look exactly alike, don't we?" Lin Jie said. "We're both so handsome and dashing."

In contrast to the joy of Lin Jie and his sister seeing their long-lost brother, Lin Ying seemed quite unhappy.

He had originally intended to give Lin Jie a hard time, but he hadn't expected that he wouldn't achieve the same result. Instead, he was outmaneuvered by that bastard Lin Jie.

It was themselves who were given a rude awakening.

In fact, Lin Jie's situation is a typical problem often made by people from the ancient clans and large families in Zone C: overthinking. They have to consider everything repeatedly, but they often overlook a simple thing when thinking: emotions. They don't believe in family ties themselves, nor do they believe that others care about family ties.

Not long after, Lin Yingnan appeared in Lin Shunren's room.

"Yingnan, are you injured?" Lin Shunren asked, looking at Lin Yingnan's face.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine after a short rest," Lin Yingnan said with an unfriendly expression.

"What happened?" Lin Shunren asked.

"We all underestimated Lin Jie!" Lin Yingnan said. "Our intelligence was wrong!"

Then Lin Yingnan recounted to Lin Shunren what he had seen at Lin Jie's place, including his own speculations.

"What did you say? You said Ying Shuai and the other two betrayed you? And conspired with Lin Jie to plot against you?" Lin Shunren said in surprise, "No wonder I haven't heard from them at all lately! So that's what happened! But why did they betray us?"

"Profits!" Lin Yingnan said coldly, "What else could it be but greater profits?"

"What benefits can that kid named Lin Jie offer to make the three of them willing to betray me?" Lin Shunren pondered for a moment before saying, "It seems that your third uncle, that old fox, has tricked us all. He brought Lin Jie back simply to replace you! That way, he can deal with us more effectively."

"I wonder how much about our plans they revealed to Lin Jie?" Lin Yingnan asked, his face grim.

"Don't worry, those three have no idea about our plan," Lin Shunren said. "By the way, how's Lin Qian's physical recovery going? Was the experiment successful?"

"According to Evolution Company, it was a great success," Lin Yingnan said. "I personally tested Lin Qian's strength, and frankly, it's definitely a powerful trump card."

"Then I'm relieved," Lin Shunren said. "But it's a pity about Lin Qian. With her constitution, she should be the most suitable person to become your husband, but unfortunately, her constitution is also suitable for this experiment."

"It's nothing. An absolutely powerful weapon is far better than a fiancée who can only be used to bear children," Lin Yingnan said. "Besides, I have already found a woman who is more suitable to be my wife."

As Lin Yingnan spoke, he recalled Zhu Xian'er's stunningly beautiful appearance.

Just as Lin Yingnan was focused on killing Lin Jie and then [beep] the sword, Lin Shunren said to Lin Yingnan, who was deep in thought, "Don't let anyone see through Lin Qian's plan. Especially don't let Lin Bai see it."

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements for this matter. Lin Qian will act as usual and will try her best to avoid contact with Lin Bai," Lin Yingnan said.

"By the way, what are your plans regarding Lin Jie?" Lin Shunren asked.

"Tonight happens to be the banquet for the Ancestor's emergence from seclusion. I'll take this opportunity to cripple Lin Jie," Lin Yingnan said coldly. "Since he's not behaving himself, don't blame me for being ruthless towards him. I'll go and meditate now."

"Take this." Lin Shunren nodded and tossed a medicine bottle to Lin Yingnan.

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Chapter Fourteen

Of course, Lin Jie had no idea what Lin Yingnan was thinking.

It was afternoon by then, and under Lin Bai's guidance, Lin Jie, Lin Wan, and the others headed toward the venue for the family banquet.

"Speaking of which, Lin Bai, why is there no character in the middle of your name?" Lin Jie asked Lin Bai, bored on the way. "All the fighters I've seen who fight like you are named Lin Ying something."

“I’m not even in the family’s seniority,” Lin Bai said. “I was adopted and trained by the Lin family when I was a child, so I have no right to use the middle character.”

"So you don't have the Lin family bloodline anymore?" Lin Jie asked.

“Yes,” Lin Bai said, “In ancient terms, it would be equivalent to a servant.”

"Does Xin Zai still retain such an ancient custom?" Lin Wan said somewhat displeased. "Now it's a world where everyone is equal."

"True equality for all is simply impossible, isn't it?" Lin Bai said with a smile.

"Sister, what is a servant?" Mu Mu asked Zhu Xian'er, who was walking with her, with a puzzled look.

"I know that. I remember it was a profession where you could just hack and slash at will," Zhu Xian'er said. "I really miss those days!"

"Just how many people have you killed?!" Lin Jie said unhappily.

"Do you remember how many grains of rice you usually eat?" Zhu Xian'er replied directly to Lin Jie.

The group walked for a while. Then a spacious building came into view. Looking through the main entrance, they saw a large crowd gathering inside.

After everyone entered the banquet hall, Lin Jie and his companions found a corner to sit down. The reason for choosing a corner was simple: it wouldn't interfere with Lin Jie's enjoyment of his meal.

As the exquisite dishes were served, the entire hall suddenly fell silent. Then, a man appeared before everyone. The man looked to be in his forties, but had a full head of silver hair.

The moment the man entered, the entire room fell silent. Immediately, the group at the table led by Lin Changping stood up, bowed to the man, and said, "Congratulations on your emergence from seclusion, Ancestor!"

After they finished speaking, all the members of the Lin family stood up, and several hundred people said to the man at the same time, "Congratulations on the completion of your seclusion, Ancestor!"

"Sit down and eat, everyone. Don't be so formal." Patriarch Lin Jie waved his hand at everyone, then sat down in the main seat and said, "This banquet is just to let me get to know the faces of my Lin family descendants. Any formalities can be used at the clan gathering tomorrow!"

After the patriarch finished speaking, everyone sat down.

The banquet then began, but there weren't any special programs. It was mostly just chatting and drinking.

"Changping, it's been years, how come you've aged so much?" the Lin family patriarch asked. "It seems your martial arts haven't improved much in the past few years."

"Ancestor, to my shame, the family affairs have become increasingly numerous, so I have somewhat neglected my cultivation," Lin Changping said. "However, the younger generation in the family is still very promising."

"Is that so?" The patriarch said, scanning the crowd in front of him. "Not bad, you have all made a lot of progress over the years. Especially Shunren."

"Thank you for the compliment, Ancestor," Lin Shunren said.

"Oh? It's been a few years, Ying Nan, you've matured quite a bit." The patriarch looked at Lin Ying Nan in front of the table and said, "As expected of a person with exceptional talent, you're only in your twenties this year, yet you've already entered the Innate Realm."

"Thank you for the compliment, Ancestor," Lin Yingnan said.

"By the way, I heard you found the missing Fire Spirit Sword? Is it true or not?" the patriarch suddenly said to everyone.

“That’s certainly true,” Lin Shuntian suddenly said. “Speaking of which, the person who found the Fire Spirit Sword was none other than Ying Nan’s twin brother, Lin Jie.”

"Oh?" Upon hearing Lin Shuntian's words, the patriarch couldn't help but become interested: "Ying Nan's twin brothers? I'd like to meet them."

Upon hearing the ancestor's words, Lin Shuntian immediately ordered someone to bring over Lin Jie, who was holding a huge lobster claw in his mouth.

"Are you the Ancestor?" Lin Jie looked at the Ancestor with some curiosity. "You look very familiar!"

"Indeed, you resemble Ying Nan very much." The patriarch looked at Lin Jie and said, "What a pity. Although you are twin brothers, you have none of Ying Nan's talent and aptitude. What a shame."

"Not necessarily. Big Brother has exceptional strength," Lin Yingnan suddenly said. "Big Brother has defeated an S-rank martial artist."

"Really?" the patriarch said with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to have made such progress outside the clan all these years. That's really impressive."

“Ancestor, I have a request,” Lin Shunren suddenly said, “Since the Fire Spirit Sword was found and returned to the family by Lin Jie, why not take this opportunity to bestow the Fire Spirit Sword upon his younger brother?”

"Do you wish to bestow the Fire Spirit Sword upon Ying Nan?" the patriarch asked.

“Exactly,” Lin Shunren said. “Right now, Ying Nan is the most outstanding talent among the younger generation of our Lin family, and also the future heir to the Lin family headship. Therefore, I request that the Fire Spirit Sword be handed over to Ying Nan to use.”

"Changping, what's your opinion?" the old ancestor said, looking at Changping.

“Indeed, Ying Nan’s strength and potential are very suitable for wielding the Fire Spirit Sword,” Lin Changping said.

Hearing Lin Changping's words, Lin Ying looked at Lin Jie with a smug expression. In his view, Lin Jie's expression must be quite unpleasant right now, having distributed divine weapons to his opponent right in front of him.

But upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find that Lin Jie's gaze was completely elsewhere. Lin Jie was instead staring intently at the backsides of the many beautiful women in the banquet hall…

"Bring the sword here!" the patriarch said. "Today I will personally bestow the Fire Spirit Sword upon Ying Nan."

Not long after, the Fire Spirit Sword was handed over to Lin Yingnan by the patriarch. A number of Lin family members stepped forward to congratulate Lin Yingnan.

"Thank you for bestowing the sword upon me, Ancestor!" Lin Yingnan bowed to the Ancestor and said, "I think this banquet is a bit too boring. Why don't we take this opportunity to have a spar with my elder brother?"

"Oh?" The Lin family patriarch looked at Lin Yingnan with interest, then seemed to have thought of something and said, "But Lin Jie's strength must be far inferior to yours, right? Are you really planning to have a spar?"

As he spoke, the Lin family patriarch revealed a look in his eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Lin Yingnan immediately broke out in a cold sweat, but he could tell from the old ancestor's words that there was no intention to stop them; on the contrary, there was more of a desire to watch the show. It seemed that the old ancestor didn't care about the fight between the brothers.

"Don't worry! My elder brother has acquired considerable strength on his own!" Lin Yingnan said, glancing at Lin Jie who was staring at the beautiful woman's buttocks. "Brother, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. Why don't we have a spar? It'll be good for strengthening our bond."

"In that case, Lin Jie, what do you think?" the patriarch asked, looking at Lin Jie.

"Huh? My brother wants to get closer to me?" Hearing Lin Yingnan's words, Lin Jie unconsciously came back to his senses: "Great! That's wonderful! I also want to know what my brother's strength is now."

“Alright! Let’s go outside then! I also want to know what level you’ve reached, brother.” Lin Yingnan said to Lin Jie.

"Perfect timing. It's been a long time since I've seen just how far Ying Nan's martial arts have progressed." The patriarch said, then called out to the crowd in the hall, "Put the table in front of the training ground outside. After the two brothers finish their match, I'll come and see how strong the younger generation of the clan is today. So we won't lose face in front of outsiders tomorrow."

Unnoticed by everyone, when Lin Yingnan mentioned sparring with Lin Jie, Lin Shuntian revealed a sly smile. In his eyes, Lin Yingnan was asking for trouble this time.

At the patriarch's command, the banquet was immediately moved by the waiters to the outside of the martial arts arena.

On the training ground, Lin Yingnan and Lin Jie stood facing each other.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank my elder brother for giving me this Fire Spirit Sword!" Lin Yingnan looked at Lin Jie with a hint of smugness, his words laced with provocation. In his mind, Lin Jie must be gritting his teeth at this moment. After all, handing over his divine weapon so easily would make anyone unhappy.

"So my little brother likes this thing so much!" Lin Jie looked at Lin Yingnan with some joy. In his opinion, he had already left a very good impression on his little brother.

Then, right before everyone's eyes, Lin Jie did something that made all the Lin family members' eyes widen in astonishment. Lin Jie actually took out two more swords and walked towards Lin Yingnan: "Little brother! I didn't expect you to like these things so much! I happen to have two more! One is wood-attribute, and the other is earth-attribute. They'll be a set with your fire-attribute sword. You can take them and play with them; anyway, these beginner equipment are useless to me now. Hahaha!!!"

As he spoke, Lin Jie held the two swords in front of Lin Yingnan.

After clearly seeing the two swords and the power and aura emanating from them, the entire scene fell silent...

With a snap, the Lin family patriarch, who had been calm and composed, crushed the cup in his hand into powder.

"What did you say? What are these two swords?" Lin Yingnan looked at Lin Jie and the two swords he had given him in shock. He took a few steps back, not daring to step forward to take the swords Lin Jie had given him. "What exactly are these two swords in your hands!"

"The Wood Spirit Sword and the Earth Spirit Sword!" Lin Jie said to Lin Yingnan, "Since you like them so much, I'll just give you these two as well, so you can complete a set with the ones you have."

At this moment, all the members of the Lin family were looking at Lin Jie with very strange eyes. They had also heard what Lin Yingnan had just said, which was clearly a boast and provocation to Lin Jie. In fact, the subtext of Lin Yingnan's words was: "I stole your precious weapon, come and fight me!"

But Lin Jie then surprisingly took out two more spirit swords...

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Chapter 15

When they saw Lin Jie produce the Wood Spirit Sword and Earth Spirit Sword, which had been lost for hundreds of years, everyone on the Lin family's side with a discerning eye was speechless.

If you had to describe their current thoughts in two words, it would undoubtedly be "absurd." This is all utterly absurd! Unexpectedly, the family scion who grew up outside the family not only obtained a Fire Spirit Sword, but he also produced two more peerless divine weapons.