The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 9: 9. Leading the prey.

For a moment, silence filled the hall.

Lin Zhenghai slowly rose from the Patriarch’s seat, his face dark with anger. "Help me down? Lin Xuan, do you even hear yourself?"

Several elders exchanged uneasy glances. The Supreme Elder was clearly furious.

"I am the Supreme Elder of this clan," Lin Zhenghai continued. "I have devoted more than sixty years of my life to the Lin Family. When you were still running around the estate as a child, I was already managing clan affairs."

He swept his gaze across the hall before continuing, "And what have I received in return? A Patriarch who abandons the Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony halfway through, humiliates the elders in public, and places a useless child above the interests of the entire clan."

A few elders nodded in agreement while others remained silent.

"The Supreme Elder is correct," one elder said. "The younger generation witnessed everything. What kind of example does that set?"

Another elder immediately added, "Patriarch or not, your actions were inappropriate."

Seeing support emerge, Lin Zhenghai straightened his back and regained some confidence.

"You ask why I’m sitting in this seat?" he said with a sneer. "Because someone had to fulfill the responsibilities you abandoned. The clan meeting could not wait forever, and you were nowhere to be found."

Throughout the entire exchange, Lin Xuan remained silent.

He neither interrupted nor defended himself. He simply stood there with his hands behind his back and listened.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhenghai mistook that silence for weakness.

"The Lin Family is not a playground," he declared. "A leader cannot act according to personal feelings. The clan must come first, always."

He stared directly into Lin Xuan’s eyes. freёwebnovel.com

"You abandoned your duties because of a child with a First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit. You embarrassed the clan, the elders, and the position of Patriarch itself."

Several supporters immediately voiced their agreement.

"The Supreme Elder speaks the truth."

"The Patriarch has become too emotional."

Lin Zhenghai’s confidence grew further. For the first time since Lin Xuan had entered the hall, he felt that control of the situation had returned to him.

What he failed to notice was that the elders who truly mattered had remained silent from beginning to end.

The combat elders said nothing. The neutral faction said nothing. Even those who usually supported the Supreme Elder seemed content to simply watch.

Trying to understand why Lin Xuan appeared so calm.

Finally, Lin Xuan nodded.

"I see."

The simple response caused Lin Zhenghai to frown.

"Then let me make sure I understand the situation correctly."

Lin Xuan’s tone remained polite, almost conversational.

"You sat in the Patriarch’s seat without permission, convened a clan meeting without informing the Patriarch, used the clan seal to issue orders in my name, and redirected clan resources to a single disciple. Have I missed anything?"

With every sentence, the atmosphere in the hall became noticeably heavier.

Lin Zhenghai’s expression stiffened.

Only now did he realize that Lin Xuan had not been listening in order to defend himself.

He had been quietly listing every accusation he intended to use against him.

"What of it?" Lin Zhenghai snapped. "Everything I did was for the clan."

The moment those words left his mouth, Lin Xuan smiled.

It wasn’t an angry smile or a mocking one. If anything, he looked genuinely pleased.

Several elders immediately felt a chill run down their spines.

Somehow, they had the distinct feeling that the Supreme Elder had just given exactly the answer Lin Xuan had been waiting for.

"Everything you did was for the clan?"

Lin Zhenghai snorted. "Naturally."

"Good."

Lin Xuan nodded as though he had just received confirmation of something important.

"Then let us discuss the clan."

He turned toward the gathered elders and spoke in a calm voice.

"Earlier today, I paid a visit to the treasury."

The moment those words were spoken, a few elders looked up in confusion while Lin Zhenghai frowned.

"And?"

"And I learned something rather interesting."

Lin Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely paced through the hall.

"Just two days ago, a document bearing the clan seal arrived at the treasury. According to that document, every Body Tempering Pill produced by the clan was to be reserved for Lin Zhaowen."

The hall immediately became noisy.

"What?"

"Every pill?"

"Is that true?"

Many elders clearly hadn’t known about this matter.

Lin Zhenghai’s expression changed slightly, but he quickly recovered.

"I did issue that order."

The discussions grew even louder.

Lin Xuan stopped walking and looked at him.

"You admit it?"

"Of course I do."

Lin Zhenghai showed no intention of backing down.

"Lin Zhaowen possesses a Grade Six Mortal Rank Martial Spirit. He is the greatest talent our clan has produced in years. Concentrating resources on him is the logical decision."

Several elders nodded.

The argument itself wasn’t unreasonable.

Cultivation clans often prioritized their most talented disciples.

However, before anyone could voice their support, Lin Xuan spoke again.

"And who gave you the authority to make that decision?"

The hall abruptly fell silent.

Lin Zhenghai’s brows furrowed.

"I acted for the benefit of the clan."

"That wasn’t my question."

Lin Xuan’s voice remained calm.

"Who gave you the authority to decide how clan resources are distributed?"

Lin Zhenghai opened his mouth but found no immediate answer.

The authority belonged to the Patriarch.

Everyone present knew that.

Seeing the old man’s silence, Lin Xuan continued. freēwēbnovel.com

"You used the clan seal, redirected resources and gathered the elders for a clan meeting without informing me."

His gaze shifted toward the Patriarch’s seat.

"And now you’re sitting in my chair."

A few elders lowered their heads.

When each incident was examined individually, it didn’t seem particularly serious.

Placed together, however, the picture became very different.

Lin Zhenghai quickly regained his composure.

"Petty details."

"Petty details?"

Lin Xuan chuckled.

"The authority of the Patriarch is a petty detail?"

The old man immediately realized his mistake, but the words had already been spoken.

Before he could respond, Lin Xuan continued.

"Then perhaps we should discuss results instead."

This time, genuine confusion appeared on Lin Zhenghai’s face.

"Results?"

"Yes."

Lin Xuan nodded.

"You said everything you did was for the clan."

"That’s right."

"Excellent."

Lin Xuan’s gaze swept across the hall.

"Then can anyone tell me why the clan treasury was nearly emptied of Body Tempering Pills?"