Chapter 37
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Chapter 37: Family Conflict
Lin Si Qi was extremely dissatisfied with Zhou Luo’s words.
She looked at him, her previously accumulated goodwill sharply diminishing.
Zhou Luo affected an anxious expression, saying, "Miss Si Qi, I was merely expressing my opinion. If I’ve angered you, I ask for your forgiveness."
Lin Si Qi remained silent.
She was thinking.
Thinking about whether this guy had truly grasped her meaning.
Outside the door, however, Lin Zhi Shou saw through everything.
He understood that Zhou Luo was rejecting her.
Therefore, he appeared promptly at the entrance to the hall. "How goes the conversation?"
"Master." Zhou Luo stood up.
Lin Si Qi’s expression was very unpleasant.
"Si Qi, you should head back for now." Lin Zhi Shou said no more, instructing Lin Si Qi to leave temporarily.
Lin Si Qi pressed her lips together, shot Zhou Luo a glare, and left the hall.
After she departed, Lin Zhi Shou returned to his seat at the head of the room. He glanced at Zhou Luo. "Sit."
Zhou Luo sat down respectfully.
Lin Zhi Shou’s voice sounded again. "You are displeased with my grandaughter?"
Zhou Luo shot up once more, hastily denying it. "Master, I am not."
"No need for this excitement. Sit. Displeased is displeased; as your master, I will not punish you for it." Lin Zhi Shou waved his hand dismissively.
Only then did Zhou Luo sit down again, his face apologetic. "Master, I am simply unworthy of Miss Si Qi."
Lin Zhi Shou savored the light tea, ignoring his disciple’s words. "Is this because she wishes to be the main wife?"
As he said this, Lin Zhi Shou’s eyes darkened, a flicker of seriousness passing over his aged face. He asked, "Do you perhaps know something?"
"What?" Zhou Luo looked completely bewildered.
"Never mind. Since you dislike her, leave it be. Focus on alchemy henceforth." Lin Zhi Shou went no further, skipping the topic.
Yet this only piqued Zhou Luo’s curiosity.
He suddenly remembered he hadn’t yet asked about the family conflict.
After deliberating a moment, he spoke. "Master, are you aware of the… family conflict?"
Upon hearing these words, Lin Zhi Shou froze mid-motion. The teacup held in his right hand hovered in the air before he slowly lowered it.
He sighed. "Ah… as your master, I can only tell you this matter was arranged by the family head. Are you certain you won’t reconsider?"
Hearing this, Zhou Luo’s heart tightened.
Was the family head trying to draw him into his faction?
To be honest, he was somewhat stirred by it.
Compared to Father-in-law Lin De, the main family certainly seemed safer.
If he really had to choose, he actually leaned more toward the main family.
After all, he didn’t understand the other faction Lin De had mentioned.
But he simply couldn’t meet Lin Si Qi’s request.
Although he might have lured her over first, this kind of unethical act was something Zhou Luo disdained doing.
"Master, I’m just a small nobody," Zhou Luo said sincerely while looking at him.
A flicker of hesitation flashed in Lin Zhi Shou’s eyes; in the end, he didn’t say anything more, only stating, "You are my disciple; I definitely won’t let anything happen to you. You should cultivate in peace."
With those words, Zhou Luo felt much more at ease.
In any case, this master of his was the family’s only top-level first-level Pill Master; his words must carry considerable weight.
Next, the master and disciple pair discussed some Alchemy Techniques.
Mainly, Lin Zhi Shou was teaching, while Zhou Luo was pretending to listen.
In the afternoon, after returning to Zhou Garden, he sat on a chair in the main hall, silent and wordless.
Lin Fei Ying brought him a cup of spirit tea and quietly placed it beside him.
"Fei Ying, what do you think would happen if I opposed the main family?" Zhou Luo asked out of the blue.
Lin Fei Ying trembled; she stared at Zhou Luo in disbelief, expression terrified, voice quivering, "Husband, you… "
Seeing this, Zhou Luo gave a light laugh, "I was joking."
Relief washed over Lin Fei Ying; she urged, "Husband, you must never make such jokes in the future; if the main family hears, it will be messy."
"I know," Zhou Luo nodded.
After Lin Fei Ying departed, he sighed and murmured to himself, "Yes, the main family is the sky of this Lin Family."
Just then, Lin De suddenly appeared at Zhou Garden.
Dressed in fine, luxurious clothing, he approached the main hall with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Father-in-law, what brings you here?" Zhou Luo rose to greet him.
Lin De surveyed the surroundings and said, "I came for a look; your place is far nicer than my courtyard."
"If Father-in-law likes it, you could move in," Zhou Luo chuckled.
"That would not do; it violates the rules," Lin De stated as he took the main seat.
Before long, Lin Qing Han led everyone else to the hall.
"No need for such formality; I’m only here for a casual chat with my worthy son-in-law. All of you may leave." Lin De waved his hand.
Lin Qing Han and the others then withdrew.
Zhou Luo sat to Lin De’s left and inquired curiously, "Father-in-law, is there something you wish to convey?"
Lin De nodded slightly; he looked at Zhou Luo and asked, "Is your master arranging a woman for you?"
Zhou Luo’s expression froze.
Did the other party already know about something that had just happened that morning?
Could it be that members of another faction had been secretly monitoring them all along?
At this thought, Zhou Luo felt a chill run down his spine.
He promptly said with grave seriousness, "Father-in-law, rest assured, I’ve already declined Master’s kind offer."
Regarding this, Lin De did not press further and only remarked, "I know you must have many doubts. After returning that day, I thought it over carefully and still believe you should know the truth behind all this."
Hearing this, Zhou Luo stiffened and instinctively sat up straight. "Father-in-law, please speak."
"Actually, there’s nothing extraordinary about it. It’s merely a rivalry between the family head and the Great Elder," Lin De said nonchalantly.
The Lin Family was ruled by the main lineage, with other branches serving as support.
Beyond this, for major matters within the family, an Elder Council was established.
The Elder Council’s role was to deliberate and decide on important family affairs. It consisted of ten elders in total.
These ten elders were each responsible for one of the family’s important industries.
For instance, Zhou Luo’s master, Lin Zhi Shou, was the chief authority in pill refining and was known among the family members as the Sixth Elder.
But he disliked the title of Elder, so everyone generally called him Grandpa Shou instead.
Meanwhile, the Great Elder mentioned by Lin De oversaw path formations.
Within the Elder Council, the family head, Lin Tian Xiong, held the highest authority, followed by the Great Elder.
Both leaders had their own supporters.
Specifically, five elders belonged to the family head’s faction, while the other four sided with the Great Elder.
It was precisely because the family head commanded more support that the main lineage consistently held the upper hand in family matters.
But now, things had changed.
Because Zhou Luo had become Lin Zhi Shou’s disciple.
It was widely known that Lin Zhi Shou was a top-level first-level Pill Master, representing the entire family in pill refining.
However, he was extremely advanced in years.
Even with the help of life-extending spiritual pills, without a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm, he could live at most another two or three decades.
Once he passed away, Zhou Luo would naturally become the practical authority in pill refining.
Yet Zhou Luo did not belong to the family head’s faction.
Since Lin De was aligned with the Great Elder’s faction, and Zhou Luo had married his daughter, he too belonged to the Great Elder’s faction.
Under such circumstances, once Zhou Luo inherited all of Lin Zhi Shou’s legacy, the family head’s majority in the Elder Council would vanish entirely.
It might even jeopardize Lin Tian Xiong’s position as family head.
Indeed, the selection of the family head could also be determined by the Elder Council.
Originally, the main lineage had planned for the talented Lin Nian to inherit Lin Zhi Shou’s legacy, but unexpectedly, this guy was edged out by Zhou Luo.
If Zhou Luo was allowed to develop unchecked, the main lineage would lose the support of one elder, thereby weakening its influence in the council.
Hence, they sought to recruit Zhou Luo.
Lin Si Qi’s appearance was an example.
Were it not for opposition from the Great Elder’s faction, and Lin Zhi Shou’s soft heart…
It was highly probable that today’s so-called "blind date" would not have occurred at all. Instead, Lin Si Qi would have been directly arranged to marry Zhou Luo, replacing Lin Qing Han’s position as main wife.
From this perspective, Lin Zhi Shou had actually been quite considerate.
After all, caught between a disciple he admired and a beloved granddaughter, upon seeing that the two of them would not come along, he chose not to force Zhou Luo.
