“We’ll discuss this later!” James Clark said in a deep voice. “For now, everyone stick to the original plan.”

“Alright.” John Clark hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in agreement.

“The rest of you, follow me into the inner room.” Supported by Emily Clark and Grace Clark, James Clark’s legs were a bit weak as he slowly made his way inside.

A large group of cousins—male and female—along with some distant relatives who had come to curry favor, all stepped aside to make way for them.

Emily Clark walked on James Clark’s left, his gaze sweeping the room. Everyone his eyes landed on, young or old, instinctively lowered their heads to avoid his look. Some showed a hint of awe, others looked awkward and uneasy. The girl in the revealing green dress, however, boldly threw him a flirtatious wink, seemingly trying to seduce him.

“Hmph!” Yvonne Harris couldn’t help but snort from behind.

Emily Clark gave her a thumbs-up behind his back.

“Nice teamwork!” A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This little girl had only heard one instruction from him earlier, yet she cooperated so seamlessly—truly an excellent teammate!

Yvonne Harris was swinging her sword back and forth, feeling a bit stifled and frustrated. But when she saw Emily Clark’s gesture, a hint of joy appeared on her face and her mood instantly improved.

As they reached the doorway, Henry Clark saw George Clark, who looked pale as if he’d seen a ghost, staring at him.

Not bothering with him, the group entered the inner room.

There were people already assigned to calm the others, so the real core members gathered together in a small room, with guards posted outside to prevent eavesdropping.

James Clark and John Clark sat together, then Brian Brooks the constable, Mr. Thompson, and Henry Clark. The others were not present. Yvonne Harris wasn’t a member of the Lin family, so naturally she had no reason to be involved.

As for the expert from the Shu family, he was still unconscious. So only these few were truly involved in the core discussion.

James Clark sat on a stool and let out a long, heavy sigh.

“This time, the Lin family was able to escape disaster for now, all thanks to your strong support.” He cupped his fists in thanks to Mr. Thompson and Brian Brooks.

“Patriarch Lin, you’re too polite. We all got what we needed out of this, and since we received satisfactory benefits, it was only natural to help resist the threat.” Mr. Thompson looked a bit embarrassed. “I just didn’t expect that this time, the ones who came would actually be inner sect experts. If it weren’t for the eldest young master of the Lin family, we really would have failed at the last moment. I feel unworthy of the Lin family’s gifts.”

Brian Brooks also looked a bit ashamed.

“He’s right. This old man feels a bit guilty accepting these gifts, since I didn’t contribute much.”

“You’re both too modest. That the Qingluo Blade could mobilize inner sect experts was truly beyond my expectations.” James Clark said with a bitter smile.

“What exactly is going on?” Henry Clark was completely confused. He had no idea how the Lin family had provoked such enemies.

James Clark sighed, but it was John Clark who, with a bitter face, carefully explained things to Henry Clark.

It turned out that a few years ago, the Lin family had, by chance, rescued a gravely injured and unconscious traveler by the roadside. The Lin family did such good deeds many times each year, accumulating virtue.

But unexpectedly, after recovering, that young man left the Lin family one night without saying goodbye, mysteriously vanishing.

Only later did the Lin family learn that the man had been carrying a great treasure and was being hunted by countless factions. Everywhere he passed, anyone even remotely connected to him was either investigated or outright massacred by bandits. Everyone was on guard, fearing he might have hidden the treasure somewhere along his route, in which case catching him would be useless.

Before the Lin family, dozens of families had already been implicated by this man. Fortunately, the Lin family had some local influence and was protected by the authorities and the Plum Blossom Sect. Moreover, the various martial factions that had searched many other households found nothing, so they had little hope that the man had hidden the treasure with the Lin family. As a result, the pressure on the Lin family was much less.

However, because of this, an old trouble caused by James Clark years ago was exposed under all this scrutiny.

Back when he went out to make his way in the world, he had joined the secretive Qingluo Blade sect and learned martial arts, which he later taught to his younger brother John Clark. He also brought back a lot of silver, which allowed the family to prosper.

But no one knew how he had left the sect or how he had returned.

Now it seemed clear that his departure had not been through normal means.

“So, the Qingluo Blade’s target is Dad?” Henry Clark more or less understood the situation. Although James Clark hadn’t said exactly why, the Qingluo Blade had originally been a minor, unorthodox sect, but now they could send inner sect experts, which clearly meant other forces were involved.

“I can’t go into details, but the Qingluo Blade’s desire to kill me, to wipe out the entire Lin family, is beyond doubt.” James Clark said helplessly. “Luckily, Ru, you acted in time this time, or the consequences would have been unimaginable…”

“I heard that Young Master Xinru joined the Hongsong Sect on Red Pine Mountain outside the city. I didn’t expect the Hongsong Sect to have such hidden strength. I’ve met that old Daoist from Hongsong before, but I never realized he was a true master. I’m ashamed…” Mr. Thompson sighed softly.