Chapter 213: Mu Qingya [re:edited]

Chapter 213: 213: Mu Qingya [re:edited]

Lin Xuan woke up feeling completely refreshed after a good night’s rest.

His gaze immediately fell upon the dreamcatcher hanging beside the window.

He had to admit that it was an amazing item.

[Ninefold Dreamcatcher]

[Effect: As its name suggests, it absorbs all the dreams you have, multiplies them ninefold, and releases the accumulated energy into the host in the form of spiritual qi marks.]

He had not only avoided the nightmare about goblin Zhaoyue, but also felt noticeably more energetic than usual.

The only downside was that he had no idea what he had dreamed about.

Dreams were almost a luxury on the path of cultivation. Even the novels Lin Xuan had read mentioned that as a cultivator reached higher realms, the mortal side of them would gradually fade away, and dreams, being something associated with mortals, would disappear along with it.

It was not just the novels that had led him to that conclusion. In the three years he had spent in this world, Lin Xuan had never dreamed even once until the previous night.

He stretched his body before getting out of bed. Once he was done, he picked up the dreamcatcher and hung it from his waist.

"Looks fancy, doesn’t it?" he commented with a smile.

"Father, are you in?"

Lin Zhaoyue’s voice came from the doorway as she walked into the room.

Her hair was slightly messy, probably because she had just woken up.

Still, she walked over and hugged Lin Xuan.

"Father, I had a dream about you last night."

"Oh? What was the dream about?" he asked, giving her his full attention.

Zhaoyue hopped onto his bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

"Father, do you remember when you used to tell me stories about Mom?"

Mom? His wife?

Lin Xuan’s expression subtly changed. The way she asked the question made it feel as though she was testing him.

"Why do you ask?" he replied carefully.

"Just because."

She remained silent for a moment before sitting up.

"Anyways, Father, Zhaofeng and Zhaocao are both ready to leave now. Let’s go. I don’t think the family will be okay without you holding the fort."

With that, she quietly left the room.

Lin Xuan stared at the doorway after she disappeared.

"What was that about?"

The great morning Lin Xuan had woken up to was now accompanied by a rather strange interaction with his daughter.

When he stepped outside, Lin Zhaocao and Lin Zhaofeng were already dressed and ready to leave.

Lin Zhaoyue was speaking with the City Lord when they noticed him approaching.

The two of them turned toward him, and Zhentian immediately greeted him warmly.

Zhaoyue then walked over with a pleasant smile.

"Father, let’s go now."

Lin Xuan nodded and took out his flying sword. After letting Zhaocao, Zhaofeng, and Zhaoyue board, he turned toward the City Lord and said his farewells.

"Visit us whenever you have the time," the City Lord said warmly.

Lin Xuan nodded before stepping onto the flying sword.

Soon after, they arrived at Azure Willow City and entered the Lin Family’s territory.

As soon as they stepped inside, the voices of the family members could be heard throughout the courtyard.

"The Family Head is back!"

"He’s really back?"

"Yes, he’s returned home."

The sudden commotion created a rather strange atmosphere around Lin Xuan.

He looked around in confusion as more and more family members gathered nearby.

Zhaoyue noticed the relieved expressions on their faces and frowned slightly.

"I must have jinxed it with what I said earlier."

Lin Xuan felt the same way. The relief written across their faces seemed a little too strong.

It was almost as if the family had encountered some serious trouble and his return was the only thing that could solve it.

As if to confirm his suspicion, Lin Shushu came running over with a group of elders. Relief was clearly visible on their faces, though traces of worry remained in their eyes.

"What is happening here? Why are you greeting me here instead of waiting for me like you usually do?" Lin Xuan asked.

Lin Shushu immediately bowed his head.

"Patriarch, I apologize. This matter is extremely urgent, so I dare not make a mistake."

He paused before continuing.

"Elder Qinglan was injured during a fight, and the person who injured her is currently waiting for you."

Lin Xuan’s expression changed slightly.

"She claims to be Empress Mu Qingya, the wife of Emperor Tian Cangyu. We have yet to verify her identity, but please avenge the elder!"

The moment those words were spoken, shock spread through the surrounding family members.

"An Empress?"

"And she injured one of our elders?"

The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, Lin Shushu suddenly dropped to his knees.

"Patriarch, we beg of you! Please, avenge Elder Qinglan!"

The other elders immediately followed.

Lin Xuan’s brief shock disappeared, replaced by a deep frown.

He finally understood what was going on.

The woman waiting for him had only claimed to be the Empress. Her identity had not even been verified yet.

Yet instead of handling the matter privately, the elders had deliberately waited until he returned and gathered the entire family around him.

Now, with dozens of family members watching, the elders were kneeling before him and begging him to avenge an elder who had been injured.

They were making the choice appear simple.

Either Lin Xuan avenged the elder and risked offending someone who might truly be the Empress of the Tianhe Empire, or he refused to act and allowed the family to see him as someone who had sided with an outsider while ignoring the injury of one of their own elders.

They had deliberately placed him between the family and the supposed Empress.

And regardless of what he chose, they had already prepared a way to protect themselves.

Lin Xuan’s gaze slowly swept across the kneeling elders and found each and every one of them very unpleasant to the eye.

They wanted him to take the risk while they stood behind him and watched.

Zhaoyue, who had been standing behind Lin Xuan, silently observed the scene.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

She had spent years blaming Lin Zhenghai for the destruction of the family before her regression.

So when he died early in this life, she had believed that the Lin Family was finally going to move toward a brighter future.

But as she looked at the elders kneeling before her father, she realised the ugly truth.

Lin Zhenghai had never been the only problem.

The entire Lin Family had been infested with people like him for a long time.