Chapter 16

Something big is about to happen!

Seeing that the two long-retired elders, Ling Bo and Ling Xiang, had actually joined Du Jiaolan, all the Ling family members felt a chill in their hearts, realizing that something significant was about to occur.

Du Jiaolan had been patiently waiting for this day ever since she uncovered the secrets of the Medicine Mountain mine.

She was waiting for the Ling family to gather, so she could confront the patriarch in front of everyone, young and old.

Ling Chengye suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Ling Xiang and Ling Bo were both senior martial artists of the Ling family who had made outstanding contributions in their youth. Due to severe injuries that left them paralyzed, they had been in seclusion for years, never interfering with family affairs.

Because of this, he had gradually overlooked them, never expecting that they would secretly align with Du Jiaolan.

"It's no wonder the grandsons of the two elders have recently acquired spirit artifacts and advanced in cultivation. It seems the two elders have secretly received benefits from others for their grandsons' future," Ling Feng whispered in the crowd. In the suddenly quiet hall, his voice was very clear.

Ling Feng, known for his integrity, had undoubtedly dispelled the doubts in everyone's hearts.

The three of Du Jiaolan and her children cast cold, hostile glances at Ling Feng.

Ling Feng snorted.

"What's it got to do with you? Don't meddle!" Ling Ying, standing beside him, quickly whispered, tugging at his sleeve, urging him not to stick his neck out and risk the enmity of the Du family.

"Removing the patriarch is not that simple," said Ling Kang'an, one of the elders who had always supported Ling Chengye. Knowing that the patriarch had worked tirelessly for the family without any selfish motives, he loudly stated, "Only if the patriarch makes a major mistake that endangers the family, or abuses power to the family's detriment, can the elders convene to remove him from his position."

He looked at the other two elders, his face turning cold, and snorted, "Brothers, it's fine that your health has been poor, but are your minds also failing? Can't you see the efforts Chengye has made for the family over the years?"

Ling Xiang and Ling Bo, feeling guilty, dared not meet his gaze and lowered their heads.

"I really need to explain this clearly!" Du Jiaolan laughed coldly, drawing everyone's attention again.

She walked through the crowd to stand face-to-face with Ling Chengye, her presence as strong as his. She coldly shouted, "The spirit herbs on Medicine Mountain have always been the most important to the Ling family. We pay the Star Cloud Pavilion with the herbs we grow there to receive their protection. This area has always been managed by my younger brother, as arranged by my elder brother. However, the spirit herbs are now withering, and the Star Cloud Pavilion is pressing us hard. We have failed to gather enough herbs several times, and the Star Cloud Pavilion is losing patience..."

Many in the Ling family were unaware of the situation with the spirit herbs on Medicine Mountain. Upon hearing Du Jiaolan's explanation, their faces changed.

The Ling family is a vassal of the Star Cloud Pavilion. If they fail to pay the spirit herbs for a long time, they will not only lose the protection of the Star Cloud Pavilion but may also face severe consequences, causing significant trouble for the entire family.

Du Jiaolan's words made many people fall silent, beginning to consider the consequences.

"That's just one issue!"

As doubts about Ling Chengye's abilities began to arise, Du Jiaolan spoke again, "Elder Brother, I want to ask you about the mine in Medicine Mountain. A few nights ago, Heng went inside to check. Can you guess what the situation inside is like?"

As Ling Chengye's face changed in shock, she coldly shouted, "There are now hundreds of stone paths inside Medicine Mountain! The number of mines is increasing, which means the mining has never stopped! Over the years, Elder Brother has invested a lot of manpower and resources into that mine, but why haven't we seen a single ore in the family's treasury?"

Her words caused a stir, shocking the Ling family even more.

"If there's nothing inside Medicine Mountain, why are there so many deep stone paths? If there are ores, where are they? Have they been privately taken by Elder Brother?" Du Jiaolan laughed coldly, "It seems that Elder Brother handed the internal management of Medicine Mountain to the Qin family long ago! He even forbade other family members from entering. What are you trying to hide? I think everyone can figure it out!"

"Ling Chengye, can you explain the situation inside Medicine Mountain?" Elder Ling Xiang also raised his head, echoing Du Jiaolan's accusations. He had his own thoughts about the spirit stones inside Medicine Mountain and was afraid that Ling Chengye had taken them all.

The other Ling family members, who had initially supported Ling Chengye, now began to doubt him, looking at him with suspicion.

"The situation inside Medicine Mountain is something I only recently learned about. Indeed, there are many new stone paths. I am currently investigating, but I haven't found any results yet," Ling Chengye admitted, causing a stir. "After handing over the internal mine to the Qin family five years ago, I haven't been inside, so I don't know the specific situation. I am also very puzzled."

After speaking, he looked deeply at Qin Lie, and the crowd followed his gaze, but they saw nothing unusual about Qin Lie.

"Who are you trying to fool?" Du Jiaolan said coldly, "If you weren't involved, how could the Qin family have dug so many stone paths? The Ling family has only dug a few dozen paths in decades. How could they dig so many in just five years? And Qin Shan died two years ago. Who would believe you?"

Ling Chengye looked at the crowd and saw them shaking their heads, clearly unable to accept his explanation.

"If Qin Shan had reached the Fragmentation Realm, he would indeed have the ability to do this. For a Fragmentation Realm expert, destroying Medicine Mountain would be easy," Ling Chengye said helplessly.

"Ha, what a joke! A Fragmentation Realm expert would hide in our Ling family?" Du Jiaolan mocked.

Others also shook their heads, not believing it.

"About the engagement of Xiaoshi and Qin Lie, I can't understand it. Are you senile? Our Xiaoshi is pure and beautiful. Why would you engage her to a fool?" Du Jiaolan pressed, "Do you have some dirty dealings with Qin Shan that you're sacrificing Xiaoshi for? What can a fool offer her? I'm really curious what dowry he has prepared! Uncle Fu, open the dowry for everyone to see!"

Du Jiaolan looked at Ling Fu, who was responsible for receiving the gifts, her eyes full of mockery, determined to humiliate Ling Chengye.

This woman was cunning and ruthless, plotting to seize the position of family head for a long time. Today, she first used the issue of the spirit herbs to show Ling Chengye's incompetence and the trouble he had brought to the family. Then, she used the mine in Medicine Mountain to imply that Ling Chengye had abused his power and embezzled resources.

Now, she was using the engagement of Ling Yushi and Qin Lie to attack Ling Chengye for sacrificing his daughter's future for his own unknown purposes.

She aimed to completely destroy Ling Chengye's image in the Ling family, making everyone, both rationally and emotionally, begin to doubt the family head.

"I just want to see what price you sold Xiaoshi for. Uncle Fu, open the dowry for everyone to see," Du Jiaolan said.

Ling Fu, holding the dowry, looked troubled, unsure of what to do.

"Ling Fu!" Elder Ling Bo shouted, "Open it for everyone to see! We need to see if this was a deliberate arrangement and have a clear understanding!"

Everyone's attention suddenly focused on the dowry. Under the pressure of the Ling family members, Ling Fu reluctantly opened the wooden box, revealing gold, silver, and other valuables.

"Wow, all gold and jewels! In the eyes of ordinary families, these things are valuable, but to us martial artists, they are worthless!" Du Jiaolan, ignoring Ling Chengye's grim face, glanced at the wooden box and said, "I think everyone can see that these things couldn't have been offered by Qin Lie. The true nature of this engagement is now clear..."

"But isn't there also a cloth bag?" Ling Kang'an, looking at the cloth bag that had been on top of the wooden box, said hopefully, "Open it too."

"Ha, let's open everything and see what treasures there are. If the fool can really offer something valuable as a dowry, I have nothing to say."

Du Jiaolan, satisfied with Ling Chengye's ashen face, felt a sense of triumph. She felt she had thoroughly defeated Ling Chengye and was about to take control of the Ling family, making it her own.

Ling Chengye found himself unable to defend against Du Jiaolan's fierce attack. Seeing the once-trusting family members now looking at him with blame and doubt, he felt a sense of despair. He racked his brain but could not find an effective way to counterattack.

Ling Yushi bit her lower lip tightly, watching her father's desperate and distorted face, the crowd's suspicion, and Du Jiaolan's mocking and triumphant expressions... Her heart sank to the bottom.

She gripped Qin Lie's hand tighter and tighter, not even noticing that her nails were piercing his palm.

At this moment, under the pressure of the crowd, Ling Fu untied the string of the cloth bag and took out the first stone, saying dejectedly, "Just some jade..."

A crystal-clear, translucent stone was revealed, emitting a faint greenish glow and a clear wave of spiritual energy.

"Spirit Stone! At least a Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stone!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

"Ah! How is that possible? I must be seeing things! How can it be a Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stone? Oh my God!"

Du Jiaolan and others' faces changed. "It's actually a Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stone. The family head must have gone all out, emptying the family's reserves for this ceremony," she said coldly.

Ling Chengye was stunned. He knew the family's dire situation; most of the spirit stones they had were obtained from the Star Cloud Pavilion in exchange for the spirit herbs and plants from Medicine Mountain, and they were mostly below Third Rank Mortal.

These spirit stones were mainly used for Ling Xuanxuan's cultivation. There were so few that they could barely sustain her cultivation, so even he, as the family head, rarely used them for his own cultivation.

If he had Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stones, he would have already handed them over to the Star Cloud Pavilion to resolve the recent troubles. Why wait until now?

Ling Yushi's dim eyes suddenly brightened, her face showing a hint of surprise as she fixed her gaze on Ling Fu's hand.

Looking at that Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stone!

"More?"

"More? Keep going!"

"Uncle Fu, keep going!"

Many young men of the Ling family, unable to contain their curiosity, loudly urged him to continue, eager to see what else was in the bag.

Ling Fu continued to take things out...

"Another Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stone! Another one! Three now!"

"Ah! Rejuvenation Pills! Over ten Rejuvenation Pills!"

"Meridian Pills! I'm not seeing things, right? Fifth Rank Mortal Meridian Pills! That's a pill that can refine the meridians for both the Body Refinement and the Spirit Sea Opening stages. Only the Star Cloud Pavilion and the Ice Shattering Manor have such pills! One Meridian Pill is worth eight Sixth Rank Mortal Spirit Stones!"

"Heaven! How can there be Meridian Pills in there?"

"That, what is that? Sea Opening Pill! Sixth Rank Mortal Sea Opening Pill! It's the pill for opening the spirit sea! If you have one during the transition from Body Refinement to Spirit Sea Opening, it greatly increases the chances of success!"

"If all this is for my daughter's dowry, even if Qin Lie is just a fool, or even dead, I would force my daughter to marry him!"

"..." ——ps: I'm requesting recommendations for tomorrow. I'll be aiming for the weekly recommendation list, and there will be an update at midnight. Please support me, thank you!

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