“Pass down the order to invite all the Pulse Realm experts in Wangjiang City. Whoever can kill this beast, the Lin family will reward them with two Dao Yuan Stones!” From the crowd, a middle-aged man stepped forward and shouted angrily.

This man was Lin Duanxing, the father of Lin Zhengren and Lin Zhengli. His weight in the Lin family was naturally high.

However, the fact that the position of the next family head was directly passed over him to Lin Zhengli was enough to show his limited abilities.

So when he opened his mouth to offer two Dao Yuan Stones and then declared he would invite all the Pulse Realm experts in the city, everyone first turned their attention to Old Master Lin.

There was no other reason; he didn’t have that kind of authority.

“Enough,” Old Master Lin said calmly, “Bring Lin Zhenglun over.”

“Father, you’re confused!” Lin Duanxing said anxiously, “Although Lin Zhenglun is insignificant, he represents the face of our Lin family! How can we hand him over to outsiders?”

Putting aside everything else, just his speech was disqualifying. Publicly contradicting Old Master Lin, calling him confused—at best, it was a lack of propriety; at worst, it was a challenge to the family head’s authority. Moreover, whether Lin Zhenglun was insignificant was not something appropriate to say in public. He wasn’t afraid of disheartening the people?

Old Master Lin tapped his wooden staff on the ground, raising his voice: “Do you have to make this a city-wide scandal for the Lin family to lose face?”

Lin Duanxing was shocked and closed his mouth.

He ultimately didn’t understand the matters of cultivation. Lin Zhengli could represent Wangjiang City Dao Academy in the Three Cities Dao Debate, naturally already being one of the best in the Pulse Realm in the city’s Dao Academy. Perhaps there were one or two stronger than him in the City Guard, but even that was limited.

Furthermore, would the Lin family not lose face by asking a cultivator from the City Guard to take action?

Quickly and decisively handling this matter was the right thing to do.

Before long, Lin Zhenglun was brought to the memorial archway.

Looking at the man with disheveled hair, a haggard expression, and who seemed like a walking corpse, Jiang Wang couldn’t imagine how Aunt Song could have fallen for him.

“Lin Zhenglun is brought here,” Old Master Lin said, looking at Jiang Wang with his slightly cloudy old eyes, “What kind of explanation do you want?”

“Now, I ask, you answer.” Jiang Wang approached Lin Zhenglun and stared into his wooden eyes: “How did my sister’s birth mother, Song Ruyi, die?”

Lin Zhengli said from the side: “She jumped into a well and committed suicide. Didn’t I make that clear enough?”

Old Master Lin glanced at him, and he shut his mouth.

Lin Zhenglun had been in a daze, until he heard the three words Song Ruyi, and his eyes slowly regained a bit of their luster.

He raised his eyes, looked at Jiang Wang, then looked around, and then turned back to stare fixedly at Jiang Wang: “What did you just say?”

His voice trembled: “You… are you Ruyi’s stepson who cultivates in the Dao Academy? Jiang An’an’s brother?”

“Good, good!” He became excited, even somewhat crazed: “Daring to block the Lin family’s door, you have promise!”

Jiang Wang coldly repeated: “I asked you, how did Song Ruyi die?”

But Lin Zhenglun seemed completely unaware of his impatience and aversion, or rather, the current Lin Zhenglun could no longer feel other people’s opinions. He lived only for his own emotions.

He opened his arms and suddenly cried out: “What’s the use of me hoarding wealth?!”

Lin Zhenglun knelt on the ground, covering his face and wailing: “I regret not embarking on the path of cultivation! Once the mountain collapses, it’s a dead end!”

Jiang Wang had no extra patience for this person.

So his sword slowly shifted, pointing at Lin Zhenglun: “I’m asking you one last time, how did Song Ruyi die!”

“Ruyi…” Lin Zhenglun stopped wailing, raised his head, his face full of tears: “It was me, it was me who killed her. It was me who drove her to suicide!”

“No!” He suddenly stood up, pointing at the Lin family members gathered behind the memorial archway: “It’s them! Everyone in their Lin family is responsible! Especially Lin Zhengli!”

Lin Zhengli cursed: “Lin Zhenglun, are you crazy?”

“Zhenglun,” Old Master Lin said, “Your wife died, you’re in a bad mood, I understand you. But you can’t make things up.”

“Old Master?” Lin Zhenglun cried, “You agreed to take me back into the direct line and let me call you grandpa. Why, when that little bastard Lin Zhengli seized my business and drove me away, did you turn a blind eye?”

Old Master Lin frowned and remained silent. He naturally knew about the matters between Lin Zhengli and Lin Zhenglun. However, on the one hand, Lin Zhenglun was indeed somewhat complacent and arrogant in the beginning. On the other hand, Lin Zhengli was his own grandson. Even if he did something wrong, he, as the grandfather, had to help him smooth things over.

“I haven’t been involved in business matters for a long time. Perhaps you have really been wronged. I’ll investigate when I get back and give further instructions,” Old Master Lin said: “But your wife’s death was indeed suicide. This can all be verified. Even exhuming the body is not a problem. How can you blame others?”

Lin Zhenglun wiped away his tears, gnashing his teeth: “Ruyi and I were originally deeply in love. The business I painstakingly built almost integrated the medicinal herbs market of two city regions! If it weren’t for Lin Zhengli being jealous, using his status as the heir to the family head to seize my power, usurp my business, how would I have fallen to this point!”

“If it weren’t for Lin Zhengli!” He turned to point at Lin Zhengli, his eyes full of resentment and madness!

Boom!

A suddenly appearing palm pressed down on Lin Zhenglun’s crown, Dao Yuan erupted, and blasted him into mincemeat!

Also crushing his unfinished words and his full of resentment into dust.

Lin Zhengren, who had descended from the sky, withdrew his hand and looked at Jiang Wang: “Song Ruyi committed suicide, you heard it clearly. I’ll compensate you with a Lin Zhenglun! Is that enough?”

Lin Zhengren suddenly appeared and killed someone. Linghe Zhao Ruchen did not hesitate to step forward and stand beside Jiang Wang. Dao Yuan surged, ready to fight at any time.

A living person was blasted into mincemeat before their eyes, especially since he had been speaking so indignantly just a moment ago.

This kind of deterrence could probably silence many people.

But Jiang Wang’s expression remained unchanged.

He really didn’t have any other demands to make. Song Ruyi’s suicide was a fact. At most, Lin Zhenglun treated her poorly after marriage, which was not a major crime in the Zhuang Code. There might be other entanglements involved, but Lin Zhenglun was already dead. According to Jiang Wang’s identity as a Dao Academy disciple, this was the most he could do.

The Lin family killing Lin Zhenglun as an explanation was reasonable anywhere. If someone else came, there would be no explanation at all.

Jiang Wang said: “Return Song Ruyi’s dowry, the medicinal herbs business in Fengxi Town, to me. Those are all my Jiang family’s property. They were given to Song Ruyi, and now that she’s dead, they should rightfully return to their original owner.”

Song Ruyi’s dowry was already considered generous. But especially the medicinal herbs business in Fengxi Town was the fulcrum for opening the Maple Forest City Region’s medicinal herbs market, and it was also an important part of integrating the medicinal herbs business of the two major city regions.

Lin Zhengli was naturally reluctant to have such a large piece of meat be taken away.

He was about to say something, but Lin Zhengren had already directly made the decision: “Okay.”

“Then Jiang will take his leave first.” Jiang Wang sheathed his sword and nodded to the Lin family members: “I’ve disturbed you.”

“Junior Brother Jiang, Lin has some advice for you.” Lin Zhengren said behind him: “The path of cultivation is very long. You have to walk slowly, and don’t make it narrower and narrower.”

“Zhu Weiwo may be strong, but can he protect you for the rest of your life?”

Jiang Wang took out the Xin Jin Spear, carefully wrapped it up, covered the box, and carried it on his back.

Only then did he turn around and say to Lin Zhengren: “I’ve been taught.”

The three brothers left.

……

……

ps: “I regret not embarking on the path of cultivation! Once the mountain collapses, it’s a dead end.” Regarding Lin Zhenglun, what I want to express is the struggle and effort of an ordinary person who has not chosen to cultivate in this extraordinary world. Like the woodcutter who obtained ten thousand gold because of the Xin Jin Spear, they may have the opportunity to obtain wealth through their ability or luck, but can they keep the wealth? And from this arises thinking about the society and system of this extraordinary world. I don’t know how this character is built, leaving it to the readers to evaluate.