The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 11: 11. Caught in the trap.

When Lin Xuan saw that no one had an answer, he calmly looked around the hall once more.

"Then let me ask another question."

His gaze moved from elder to elder.

"Why do clans exist at all?"

Several people frowned.

The question seemed simple, yet no one answered immediately.

Lin Xuan did not wait.

"To protect our families.

To provide opportunities for our descendants.

To ensure our bloodline survives and prospers."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"If a father cannot even comfort his own child, then what exactly is he protecting?"

The question lingered in the air.

Many elders found themselves unable to argue.

Because the logic was difficult to refute.

The purpose of a clan was not the clan itself but the people within it.

Without families, there would be no clan.

Without descendants, there would be no future.

For all cultivators, no matter how lofty their ideals, everything ultimately began and ended with the people they cared about.

Lin Zhenghai’s expression darkened.

He could feel the atmosphere shifting yet again.

Unfortunately, Lin Xuan showed no intention of stopping.

"In fact," he said casually, "since we’re discussing responsibilities, there is something I’ve been curious about."

The sudden change in topic caused several elders to blink.

Lin Xuan’s eyes settled upon the Supreme Elder.

"Why was a clan meeting held without informing the Patriarch?"

The question struck the hall like a stone thrown into still water.

Lin Zhenghai narrowed his eyes.

"Are you interrogating me?"

"No."

Lin Xuan smiled.

"I’m asking a simple question."

His gaze shifted toward the other elders.

"After all, if meetings can be held without informing the Patriarch..."

The smile on his face widened slightly.

"...then perhaps the position itself is unnecessary."

Several elders immediately felt their hearts skip a beat.

The implication was obvious.

Either the Supreme Elder acknowledged the authority of the Patriarch.

Or he openly admitted that he had been acting beyond it.

Neither option benefited him.

For the first time since Lin Xuan entered the hall, Lin Zhenghai found himself genuinely cornered.

The old man could feel countless eyes settling upon him.

Ordinarily, the answer would have been simple.

Yet now that Lin Xuan had framed everything as a question of authority, every response carried risks.

After a long moment, Lin Zhenghai finally snorted.

"The matter was urgent."

"Urgent?"

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Lin Zhaowen awakened a Grade Six Mortal Rank Martial Spirit," Lin Zhenghai said coldly. "Such talent appears only once every several generations. Naturally, resources needed to be allocated immediately."

Lin Xuan merely nodded.

"I see."

He slowly walked toward the center of the hall.

"The awakening ceremony ended.

And before a single day had passed, you used the clan seal to redirect all newly refined Body Tempering Pills to him."

The hall gradually grew quieter whole Lin Zhenghai frowned.

"What is your point?"

"My point?"

Lin Xuan looked genuinely puzzled.

"My point is that the ceremony took place two days ago."

He raised two fingers.

"Two days."

Several elders exchanged glances.

A few were already beginning to understand where the conversation was heading.

Lin Xuan continued calmly.

"According to you, my actions during the ceremony demonstrated favoritism.

Yet the moment a talented child appeared, your first instinct was to reserve every newly refined Body Tempering Pill for him."

His gaze remained fixed upon the Supreme Elder.

"Not some or half but all of them."

The words landed with far greater force than before.

A few elders who had supported Lin Zhenghai shifted uncomfortably.

When presented in such a straightforward manner, the decision sounded far less reasonable.

Lin Zhenghai immediately responded.

"That was for the future of the clan." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"Was it?"

Lin Xuan asked.

"The order was issued before any discussion with the elders. No consultation with the treasurer and definitely no consultation with the Patriarch."

A faint pause followed.

"In fact, I only learned about it today."

The statement immediately caused a stir and several elders frowned.

Even if they supported giving additional resources to Lin Zhaowen, the Patriarch should have been informed.

Lin Zhenghai’s face became increasingly ugly.

"The matter was obvious. There was no need to waste time."

"No need to waste time?"

Lin Xuan repeated and then he laughed.

The sound was soft, yet it caused many people to feel a chill.

"Interesting."

His gaze swept across the room.

"It seems we’ve discovered a new clan rule.

If the Supreme Elder personally believes something is obvious, then the Patriarch no longer needs to be consulted."

Several elders winced.

The sarcasm was impossible to miss.

Lin Zhenghai slammed his hand onto the armrest.

"Enough!"

His voice echoed throughout the hall.

"I acted for the clan!"

"And nobody is denying that."

The smile disappeared from Lin Xuan’s face.

For the first time since entering the hall, his expression became completely serious.

"What I am questioning is whether the clan belongs to all of us..."

His gaze locked onto Lin Zhenghai.

"...or whether it belongs solely to you."

The room froze.

Even the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.

Lin Zhenghai’s pupils contracted.

That accusation was far more dangerous than anything that had come before.

Before the old man could respond, Lin Xuan continued.

"Today it was Body Tempering Pills.

Tomorrow, perhaps it will be cultivation techniques."

The day after, perhaps spirit stones."

He slowly looked around the hall.

"And every time, the explanation will be the same."

’I acted for the clan.’

The words hung heavily in the air.

Because everyone present understood how convenient those four words could become.

A man who acted without oversight could justify almost anything by claiming it served the greater good.

That was precisely why authority existed.

That was precisely why rules existed.

Lin Xuan slowly turned toward the Patriarch’s seat.

Or rather, the seat that Lin Zhenghai was currently occupying.

A faint smile returned to his face.

"Tell me, Supreme Elder. If you can hold meetings without informing the Patriarch...

If you can use the clan seal without informing the Patriarch...

If you can distribute clan resources without informing the Patriarch..."

His eyes narrowed slightly. freёwebnovel.com

"Then what exactly do you need a Patriarch for?"

This time, no one spoke not even Lin Zhenghai.

Because for the first time since the confrontation began, the question was no longer directed solely at him.

It was directed at everyone present.

Many of the elders had supported the Supreme Elder for years.

Some had even benefited from his influence.

Yet now that the matter had been laid bare, an uncomfortable realization was beginning to take root.

If the Patriarch could be ignored whenever the Supreme Elder deemed it convenient, then what authority did the position truly possess?

More importantly, if one man could decide how clan resources were distributed today, what would stop him from deciding everything else tomorrow?

The hall remained quiet.

But it was no longer the quiet of uncertainty.

It was the quiet of people reaching conclusions.

And judging from the increasingly grim look on Lin Zhenghai’s face, those conclusions were not ones he wanted them to reach.