NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - Lin Hui’s Request
Lin Xuan never imagined that an offhand remark of his could lead to such a boom in the family’s prosperity. Truly, as the saying goes, “Plant a flower with care, and it may not bloom; plant a willow without thought, and it flourishes!”
But that’s a story for another time.
Returning to the Lin Family’s meeting hall…
Faced with the enthusiastic recommendations from several elders, Lin Xuan didn’t say much. He simply instructed, “Bring them to see me tomorrow.”
Lin Xuan was well aware of the elders’ personal motives, but he didn’t oppose them. In fact, he was happy to encourage it. A stagnant pool could never nurture a true dragon. Only by stirring the waters, allowing small streams to converge into mighty rivers and seas, could one cultivate a true dragon.
“If there’s nothing else, the family meeting is adjourned,” Lin Xuan announced as he glanced around at the elders.
“Yes, family head!”
All the elders stood, bowed respectfully to Lin Xuan, and then turned to leave. However, two of them remained behind, not yet departing. Once the others had left, the two approached Lin Xuan.
“Big brother!”
“Hmm, how have the two of you been these past three years?”
Looking at the two familiar yet distant relatives before him, Lin Xuan’s gaze was somewhat complicated. However, this trace of emotion quickly disappeared.
Since he had inherited both the body and memories of his predecessor, he was now Lin Xuan, the head of the Lin Family of White Cloud City.
“Big brother, I’ve failed your expectations! The family has been beset by internal and external troubles, and my cultivation has stagnated…” Lin Teng, the grand elder, spoke solemnly, bowing deeply with an apologetic tone.
As the grand elder, Lin Teng had been entrusted with managing all family affairs while Lin Xuan was in seclusion. However, he hadn’t managed the family well. If Lin Xuan hadn’t broken through and emerged, Lin Teng dared not imagine what would have happened next.
In truth, for the past three years, Lin Teng had never dared to slack off for even a day, working hard to maintain the family’s stability. But in the end, he lacked the strength and skills to do more than barely hold things together.
“I’m well aware of your efforts and hardships. You’ve suffered greatly.”
With the system and his Insightful Eye, Lin Xuan was thoroughly familiar with the state of the Lin Family. Although the family had weakened somewhat under Lin Teng’s management, Lin Teng himself was not at fault. He had truly done his best!
A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator simply didn’t possess the necessary power to intimidate either internal dissent or external threats. Combined with the lack of unity within the family and the ever-growing strength of their enemies, it was nearly impossible to manage the family well without overwhelming strength.
“Now that I’ve returned, you can leave everything to me.”
“You can also focus more on your own cultivation.”
Using his Insightful Eye, Lin Xuan examined Lin Teng’s situation. Lin Teng had dual spiritual roots and decent talent. If he focused on cultivation and received adequate resources, breaking through to the Golden Core stage shouldn’t be a problem.
“Understood, big brother! I will follow your guidance!”
Lin Teng, already feeling guilty, was even more moved when Lin Xuan didn’t blame him but instead offered him encouragement. Deeply touched, Lin Teng quickly responded with respect.
“Big brother, I’ve missed you so much!”
Standing nearby, Lin Hui couldn’t contain himself any longer. Seeing that Lin Xuan and Lin Teng had finished speaking, he hurriedly interjected.
“You’re looking even more dashing, Hui, though your cultivation could use some work…” Lin Xuan teased as he turned to his younger cousin with a smile.
“Big brother is right!”
“I’ve been slacking in my cultivation lately,” Lin Hui admitted, his expression turning serious as he lowered his head in apology.
“Big brother, since Hui is here as well, there’s something we’d like to ask for your help with,” Lin Teng chimed in, as though remembering something.
“Hui, this is a matter that concerns your future. You should explain it yourself,” Lin Teng said with a smile, turning toward Lin Hui.
“I… I…” Lin Hui hesitated, unable to meet Lin Xuan’s gaze.
“It looks like Hui has his eyes on someone!” Lin Xuan chuckled as he pieced things together. Judging by Lin Hui’s bashful expression, Lin Xuan had a good idea of what was going on. Most likely, during one of his training expeditions, Lin Hui had fallen for a young lady from another family. However, for one reason or another, they hadn’t ended up together.
Perhaps the young lady didn’t return his affection, or perhaps her family was powerful, leaving Lin Hui hesitant. Now that Lin Xuan had broken through to the Golden Core stage, it gave Lin Hui hope that his feelings could be realized. After all, a family with a Golden Core cultivator was vastly different from one without.
“Big brother, her name is Qu Hui. She’s the daughter of the head of the Qu Family, a four-star cultivation family. I…” Lin Hui finally spoke up.
“A four-star cultivation family? Nascent Soul stage…” Lin Xuan’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. Cultivation families were ranked from one to nine stars, with each star corresponding to the cultivation level of the family’s top cultivator.
A one-star family had a Qi Refinement cultivator, two stars meant Foundation Establishment, three stars meant Golden Core, and four stars meant Nascent Soul. The Qu Family, being a four-star family, was already a mid-level cultivation family, with at least one Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
For the previous Lin Family, such a family would have been far beyond their reach. But now, with Lin Xuan’s breakthrough, even a nine-star family was just a matter of time for him.
“Not bad, Hui, you’ve got a good eye!”
“If you like her, I’ll help you!” Lin Xuan said with a soft laugh after a brief pause.
Although Lin Xuan agreed to help, he knew it would take some time before he could approach the Qu Family for a marriage proposal. He had just broken through to the Golden Core stage, and the family’s rank hadn’t yet risen. Approaching now would be pointless and would certainly end in failure.
Thus, both the family’s strength and Lin Xuan’s cultivation level needed to improve before the proposal could be made.
“However, when we go depends on your progress, Hui.”
“If you want to marry a young lady from a four-star family, being in the early Foundation Establishment stage isn’t going to cut it!” Lin Xuan stood and said calmly.
“Thank you, big brother! I won’t let you down!” Lin Hui bowed deeply, his excitement palpable.
“Alright, off you go!” Lin Xuan nodded approvingly, then motioned for the two to leave.
[Ding! Family head Lin Xuan has broken through to the Golden Core stage. The family’s ability to withstand crises has increased, and family cohesion has strengthened!]
[Ding! Family head Lin Xuan has established new rules, initiated family reforms, and improved the family’s morale. Family fortune has risen!]
[Ding! The family meeting has been held. Task panel unlocked!]
After Lin Teng and Lin Hui left, the system’s notifications echoed in Lin Xuan’s mind. The first two were family logs. Whenever a major event occurred in the Lin Family, it was automatically recorded in the family log. The last notification was the unlocking of the task panel.