The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Five days quietly passed.

Within the Lin family estate, life continued much as it always had.

Disciples trained diligently in the practice grounds, elders attended to the clan’s daily affairs, and merchants came and went through the estate gates.

On the surface, everything appeared perfectly normal.

Yet inside one of the estate’s meeting rooms, Lin Zhaoyue sat with her brows tightly knitted together as she looked at Su Qinglan.

Earlier that morning, an envoy from the Shangguan family had arrived at the Lin family estate.

Unlike the previous messenger, this one had been exceptionally courteous from beginning to end.

He had respectfully conveyed the Shangguan Patriarch’s wish to personally meet with the Lin Clan Patriarch and sincerely resolve the misunderstanding between their two families.

He had not come empty-handed either.

Among the gifts was a written promise exempting the Lin family from paying tribute to the Shangguan family for the next ten years.

There was also a finely crafted spear artifact, along with several other valuable treasures.

The sincerity behind the gesture was obvious.

The Shangguan family was clearly trying to repair the relationship before the situation deteriorated any further.

Lin Zhaoyue let out a quiet sigh.

"The timing couldn’t have been worse..."

Su Qinglan nodded helplessly.

"It truly couldn’t."

If the Patriarch had still been present, this matter would have been much easier to handle.

Unfortunately, Lin Xuan had already entered closed-door cultivation several days ago.

Lin Zhaoyue rested one hand against her forehead.

"If we tell them Father isn’t available, they might misunderstand and think we’re refusing to meet them."

She gently rubbed her temples.

"After everything that has happened, they may believe we’re deliberately avoiding them instead of accepting their goodwill."

Su Qinglan nodded with a troubled expression.

"That is exactly my concern."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"The Shangguan family has already lowered themselves enough to request an audience. If we simply tell them the Patriarch is unavailable, they could very well interpret it as the Lin family refusing to reconcile."

Lin Zhaoyue slowly lowered her hand.

"But Father has already entered seclusion."

She shook her head helplessly.

"Disturbing him now isn’t an option."

Silence gradually filled the room once more.

Neither of them could think of a suitable solution.

Still, no matter how she thought about it, the Shangguan family’s actions simply did not make sense to Lin Zhaoyue.

They were a Seventh-Rank clan.

The Lin family had only recently become a Ninth-Rank clan.

By all rights, the Shangguan family had no reason to lower themselves so much just to repair their relationship.

"What exactly does the Lin family have..."

She murmured softly to herself.

Could it really be because of the Pure Quality pills?

Her gaze instinctively fell upon her spatial ring.

Almost all of the Pure Quality pills her father had refined were currently stored inside it.

A faint frown slowly appeared on her face.

"If they’re really doing all of this because of the pills, then I can atleast stall for time."

But what if it wasn’t? The thought left an unpleasant feeling in her heart.

She turned towards Su Qinglan and decided to consult her.

"Elder Su."

Su Qinglan immediately raised her head.

"Yes, Young Miss?"

"What do you think is the real reason the Shangguan family is trying so hard to reconcile with us?"

Lin Zhaoyue paused briefly before continuing.

"Can you think of a reason that has nothing to do with the pills? Perhaps... something that would make even the Shangguan family feel intimidated."

Su Qinglan immediately frowned.

She lowered her head and carefully searched through her memories.

After a long silence, her expression suddenly changed.

"There... might be one."

Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes immediately sharpened.

"What is it?"

Su Qinglan slowly took a deep breath.

"It happened thirteen years ago."

Her expression turned somewhat unpleasant, as though recalling something she would rather forget.

"There was this one incident, the massacre on the road to Violet Log City."

Lin Zhaoyue’s brows knitted together.

"...Massacre?"

She had never heard her father mention such an incident before.

She immediately stood up from her seat.

"What massacre?"

Her gaze locked firmly onto Su Qinglan.

"Tell me. Now."

Su Qinglan looked at Lin Zhaoyue for a long moment.

A trace of hesitation appeared in her eyes before she slowly shook her head.

"I’m sorry, Young Miss."

Her voice remained gentle but firm.

"That isn’t my story to tell."

Lin Zhaoyue frowned.

"Elder Su..."

Su Qinglan smiled apologetically.

"The Patriarch has never forbidden anyone from speaking about that incident, but he has also never spoken of it himself."

She lowered her gaze slightly.

"If he has kept it from you all these years, then I believe he must have had his reasons."

She looked back at Lin Zhaoyue with a calm expression.

"You should hear it from the Patriarch himself when he leaves seclusion."

Lin Zhaoyue remained silent.

She could tell that Su Qinglan knew far more than she was willing to reveal.

Yet she also understood the old woman’s character.

Once Su Qinglan had made up her mind, no amount of questioning would change it.

After a long moment, Lin Zhaoyue let out a quiet sigh.

"Alright, fine."

Su Qinglan inclined her head apologetically.

"Please forgive me, Young Miss. I simply cannot overstep the Patriarch in this matter."

Lin Zhaoyue quietly lowered her head.

For some reason, a story her father used to tell her when she was little suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

It was the story of a sheepdog and a flock of sheep.

The dog had led a flock of sheep across the wilderness.

Then one day, a pack of hungry wolves appeared.

The dog desperately fought to protect the sheep entrusted to him.

After a long and bloody battle, he finally managed to kill the alpha wolf and the remaining wolves ended up fleeing into the forest.

The dog had won yet when he turned around, every single sheep he had sworn to protect had already been killed.

Unable to bear the guilt of not being able to protect, the dog abandoned the empty field.

He ran. He kept running without knowing where he was going.

He crossed mountains, rivers, and forests, desperately trying to leave everything behind.

Only after wandering for a long time did he finally meet a kind lady.

The lady never asked where he had come from.

She never asked why the dog was covered in scars.

Instead, she simply comforted him, gave him a place to stay, and quietly waited for the wounded dog to heal.

Lin Zhaoyue slowly closed her eyes.