Chapter 9: Repairing Relations

Chapter 9: Repairing Relations

"Elder of Law, what can I do for you?"

In Lin Langtian's courtyard, an elderly man in gray respectfully addressed the young man before him—none other than Lin Langtian, now the strongest prodigy of the Lin Clan's younger generation and newly appointed Elder of Law.

"Sir Tao, you are a senior member of the Lin Clan and have dedicated your life to its welfare," Lin Langtian replied kindly. "I am only in my current position thanks to the Clan Head's favor, so please, just call me Langtian."

This man was the connection Lin Langtian had asked Elder Lin Zhi to find—someone with a strong bond to the branch family in Yan City, and more specifically, to Lin Dong's grandfather, Lin Zhentian.

Hearing Langtian's humility, the old man's face showed surprise. From what he knew, Lin Langtian was notoriously proud and aloof, so this respectful attitude toward him was unexpected. This gesture raised the elder's opinion of Lin Langtian even further.

"Hehe, well then, I'll take you up on that and call you Langtian," the old man said with a smile.

Though he had reached only the peak of the Yuan Dan Realm despite his age, Lin Langtian had already attained the Form Realm. Compared in both status and power, Lin Langtian far surpassed him, so he was quite moved by the young man's courtesy.

"Please, have a seat," Lin Langtian said. Once they were both seated, he got straight to the point. "Sir Tao, how well do you know the branch family in Yan City?"

"The Yan City branch family?" the elder's eyes showed a flicker of recollection. "By that, you must mean the family Lin Zhentian founded in Qingyang Town?"

At the mention of Lin Zhentian, Lin Langtian raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That's right."

A bit surprised by his interest, the elder explained, "I never expected you to be concerned with the branch family. Yes, Lin Zhentian and I have been friends for years. We undertook many missions together in our youth. Later, after one mission went badly, he was expelled from the inner clan due to the family's losses and had to found the branch family in Qingyang Town."

"Though he built a prosperous branch with a large family, Zhentian has always longed to be welcomed back into the main clan. At the last clan tournament, his son Lin Xiao almost helped him achieve that. But…" The elder's words trailed off as he glanced at Lin Langtian.

Lin Langtian awkwardly touched his nose. Proud and disdainful of the branch family, the previous Lin Langtian had indeed struck harshly, severely injuring Lin Xiao. He hadn't considered that what seemed like a small act of ruthlessness could come back to haunt him so badly, especially with Lin Xiao's son becoming the future Martial Ancestor!

Although it had been the original Lin Langtian's doing, dealing with Lin Dong—the "child of destiny"—was now his responsibility to fix.

"Ahem. I called you here to discuss exactly this matter," Lin Langtian said apologetically. "Back then, I acted rashly and harmed Uncle Lin Xiao too severely. I deeply regret it. I'd like you to pass on my apologies to the Yan City branch family."

He continued, placing several items on the table: "Here is a Green Wood Elixir that should help heal Uncle Lin Xiao's injuries. I also have ten thousand Pure Yuan Pills and my personal clan token. I hope you can deliver these to him on my behalf as a gesture of my regret."

The elder froze, staring at the Green Wood Elixir and the engraved "Heaven" token, stunned. The Green Wood Elixir was a top-tier healing elixir within the clan, valued at fifty thousand Pure Yuan Pills—a treasure he had only ever heard about. And the Heaven token was Lin Langtian's personal insignia, granting anyone who held it a close connection to him and potential leniency from the clan's enforcement. It was a status symbol, one that could earn a considerable amount of goodwill within the Lin Clan. Added to this were ten thousand Pure Yuan Pills—an apology gift that was, in total, as valuable as an entire sect's worth of resources.

"This… this is far too valuable. I'm not sure Zhentian…" The elder stammered, overwhelmed by the generosity.

"Compared to the pain Uncle Lin Xiao has endured all these years, this is nothing," Lin Langtian insisted. "I hope you'll help me with this. Also, here's three thousand Pure Yuan Pills as your travel expenses."

He handed the elder another storage pouch, causing him to fall silent in awe. Lin Langtian hadn't held back on this apology gift, even dipping into a significant portion of his own resources. Given that Lin Xiao's son was none other than Lin Dong, Lin Langtian would have gone personally to apologize if his status permitted.

If he delayed any longer, Lin Dong might even be able to heal his father's injuries himself. Fortunately, while Lin Xiao had been disabled, it had happened in a fair duel during a tournament, so the grudge wasn't yet irreparable. Lin Dong viewed Lin Langtian more as a rival to avenge than as a mortal enemy. It wasn't until Lin Langtian's arrogance and hostility toward Lin Dong grew into deeper enmity that they came to blows.

Now that he had been reborn, Lin Langtian was determined to prevent their rivalry from escalating like it had in the original timeline. Easing his relationship with Lin Dong was not only wise but necessary. While becoming close friends was unlikely, peaceful coexistence was a worthy goal.

After hearing Lin Langtian's sincere request, the elder's heart warmed for his old friend Lin Zhentian. To see the Yan City branch family, now tied to Lin Langtian, gain such a connection was undeniably fortunate.

"I'll handle this for you. Zhentian and I go back a long way, so I'll do my best to smooth things over," he said, smiling and bowing to Lin Langtian.

(End of Chapter)