The night was as still as stagnant water.
The carriage carried Lin Xun and the old man through the bustling and wide streets into the depths of the Forbidden City.
“What are your plans?” the old man asked.
Lin Xun answered simply, “Take on the responsibility of the successor to the Lin Family.”
“It won’t be an easy path.”
“I understand.”
“I want to remind you that the Black Glory Sacred Hall, Miss, and I will not help you because these are the affairs of your Lin Family. You should understand what is involved,” the old man said after thinking for a bit.
“I understand.” Lin Xun seemed to have long known that would be the case.
The old man changed the topic and an imperceptible smile came to his lips. “Of course, many people in the Forbidden City think that you are closely connected with the Black Glory Sacred Hall. Since that’s the case, let the misunderstanding continue.”
Lin Xun felt warmth fill his heart. The old man was telling him that, although he couldn’t help him, he could act using the power of the Black Glory Sacred Hall!”That alone could help Lin Xun solve a lot of trouble!
Whoever wanted to touch Lin Xun would have to first weigh their strengths against the Black Glory Sacred Hall.
Such power often played a key role in critical times.
Moreover, Lin Xun believed that the Black Glory Sacred Hall wouldn’t really leave him to fend for himself. Otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have helped him so many times in the past two years.
He knew that there had to be a reason for it. It might be because of Xia Zhi, Mister Lu, or my background.
Regardless, Lin Xun knew that he was already connected to the Black Glory Sacred Hall in many ways. They were already inseparable.
“Elder, thank you.”
Lin Xun didn’t know how many times he had thanked the old man, but he knew he owed him a lot.
The old man smiled, his expression kind and gentle as always.
The carriage came to a halt.
As the old man led Lin Xun off the carriage, Lin Xun couldn’t help looking stunned. A huge mountain peak was suspended in front of him!
The mountain spanned hundreds of feet and stood thousands of feet tall. Rows upon rows of ancient buildings covered the mountain peak.
In the dark, the moonlight cast a silvery light over the mountain peak as it towered into the sky, making it look particularly majestic and sacred.
It was one of the seventy-two peaks of the Mountains of Aristocratic Clans!
Lin Xun had already noticed the mountains outside of the Forbidden City, but he only just realized the scale of the mountain peaks.
“This peak is called Mind Cleansing and is occupied by the Lin Clan. However, ever since that incident, the members of the Lin Clan had moved away one after another. Now, only an old servant is guarding this peak,” the old man softly explained.
Lin Xun’s heart fluttered. He had never thought that the Lin Family could occupy one of the seventy-two mountain peaks!
It indicated that the Lin Family was at least a middle-class aristocratic clan in the past!
Lin Xun couldn’t help but ask, “But as far as I know, a clan’s position on the Mountain of Aristocratic Clans would be taken away once the clan declines, isn’t that right?”
“It’s complicated and it involved some past incidents. Once you settle in Mind Cleansing Peak, someone will tell you about it.”
As the old man was speaking, he stepped forward and flicked his sleeve. A stream of light gushed out and struck the bottom of the peak.
Only then did Lin Xun notice a rune array set up at the bottom of Mind Cleansing Peak!
The collision between the ray of light and the rune array caused the runes to ripple mysteriously.
Immediately, a voice rang out from the rune array, “This is Mind Cleansing Peak, land of the Lin Clan. Can I ask who has come to visit?”
The old man said softly, “Lin Wenjing’s son has returned.”
“What!? Distinguished guest, please wait a moment!”
The old man turned his head to explain to Lin Xun, “The Mountain of Aristocratic Clans is a forbidden area and outsiders can’t break in if they don’t report their arrival.”
Lin Xun nodded.
Soon, the rune array rippled at the bottom of Mind Cleansing Peak and cast out a door shrouded in divine light.
At the same time, a row of steps descended like a rainbow and connected with the ground. From afar, it resembled a cloud ladder.
A hunched, old man walked out of the door and made his way down the steps. He cast a suspicious glance at the old man before shifting his gaze to Lin Xun.
With just one glance, the old man dropped to the ground with a thud like he was struck by lightning. He cried out, “Master, more than ten years have passed. I thought you had passed away. Fortunately, you’re still alive!”
Lin Xun stood there blankly.
“He’s not Lin Wenjing, but Lin Wenjing’s son,” the old man explained.
The old servant’s body stiffened. Then, he raised his head, wiped the tears from his eyes, and studied Lin Xun carefully. “You are indeed not Master. You are younger than the Master, but you look very much like him when he was young…”
The hunched old man sprang up in excitement. “You’re…you’re Master’s son? Master has a descendant! Hahaha...”
The corners of his lips were quivering as he shed a happy tear. He seemed to have lost control of his emotions but his excitement and surprise couldn’t be concealed.
Seeing that, Lin Xun’s heart inexplicably ached. “Can you take me to the clan to take a look?”
The old servant suddenly took a deep breath, assumed a solemn expression, and bowed respectfully. “Welcome home, Young Master!”
His manners were flawless.
Lin Xun glanced at the old man beside him.
The old man nodded with a smile. “Go, I should return too.”
“Elder, thank you for everything. When there’s a chance, I will personally visit you in the Black Glory Sacred Hall to thank you.” Lin Xun gave a cupped fist salute.
The old man waved his hand and drifted away.
“Young Master, please come with me!” The old servant beckoned.
Lin Xun nodded, took a deep breath, and walked up the stairs.
Mind Cleansing Peak.
This was the peak that the Lin Clan occupied and where his father and mother lived. He had finally returned after fifteen years!
As he stepped through the door, a wide, winding stone path led up to the mountain peak.
Ancient temples, quaint pavilions, and beautiful flowers and trees were littered on both sides of the path.
Occasionally, he passed streams, waterfalls, springs, and bamboo forests. Under the moonlight, the scenery was as beautiful as a painting.
“Young Master, please go ahead!”
The old servant led the way in front. From the moment he laid eyes on Lin Xun, he knew that he wasn’t wrong because Lin Xun resembled Lin Wenjing quite closely.
Lin Xun surveyed the surroundings as he moved forward.
The old servant said, “You can just call me Lin Zhong. When the Master was born, the head of the family sent me to take care of him. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.” Lin Zhong sounded emotional.
How would Lin Xun call him by his name? “Uncle Zhong, don’t call me ‘Young Master,’ just call me Lin Xun.”
Lin Zhong frantically shook his head. “Young Master, that’s the rules of the family.”
Helpless, Lin Xun changed the subject. “Are you the only one left on Mind Cleansing Peak now?”
Lin Zhong’s expression suddenly turned glum as though he had thought of something sad.
Lin Xun clapped Lin Zhong on the shoulder and reassured, “Uncle Zhong, from now on, I will stay on Mind Cleansing Peak with you. There are many things I don’t know yet so I hope you can tell me everything one by one.”
Lin Zhong instantly perked up and nodded vigorously.
Just as they were about to reach the mountaintop, a burst of joyous laughter rang in the distance. It sounded particularly noisy and unpleasant in the quiet night.
Lin Xun was puzzled to see that a grand ancient building atop the mountain was brightly lit and very noisy.
Earlier, Lin Zhong had informed Lin Xun that the great hall on the mountain was called Mind Cleansing Hall and it spanned tens of acres. Only the immediate family of the head of the family was allowed to live and cultivate there.
However, Mind Cleansing Hall was brightly lit, and singing and laughing constantly rang out from the hall, which was a stark contrast to the other deserted and desolate places on the mountain peak.
“Young Master, it’s a gathering between the young masters and young ladies from other branches of our Lin Family. I have stopped them before, but...” Lin Zhong tried to explain.
“They don’t care at all, do they?”
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes. “I heard that the rest of the Lin Family moved away from Mind Cleansing Peak more than ten years ago. Why do those young masters and young ladies still come here?”
Lin Zhong smiled bitterly. “Young Master, you have just come back so might not know about the situation…”
Lin Xun interrupted, “Uncle Zhong, tell me, are those young masters and ladies qualified to enter Mind Cleansing Hall to drink and have fun?”
“Of course not!”
A grin spread across Lin Xun’s face and his deep jet-black eyes lit up. “Good.” He strode into Mind Cleansing Hall.
He had already used his spirit-sensing power to find out that there were a dozen men and women in the hall. The men were drinking indulgently and the women were dressed provocatively. They created a foul and murky atmosphere in Mind Cleansing Hall.
If Lin Xun didn’t know better, he would have wondered whether he had wandered into a brothel.
Lin Xun wouldn’t have cared in the past, but now that he had learned about his background, had reached the Forbidden City, and had come to Mind Cleansing Peak, he was ready to take responsibility upon himself.
Of course, he had to take care of the matter in front of him!
“Young Master, what…what are you going to do?”
Lin Zhong’s expression dramatically changed and he frantically caught up to Lin Xun. “Young Master, don’t!”
Boom!
However, Lin Xun had already come to the hall entrance and kicked down the door.
Didn’t the influential person of the imperial family say that I could turn the Forbidden City upside down?
Since that’s the case, let’s start with this matter!