Chapter 91. Clan meeting. [Updated*]
Su Qinglan’s gentle voice broke the silence.
"Young Miss, the clan elders should already be finished gathering in the council hall."
Su Qinglan offered a respectful smile.
"We should head over now."
Lin Zhaoyue remained silent for a brief moment before giving a small nod.
She rose calmly from her seat.
"This will be my first time leading a clan meeting..."
She softly murmured those words to herself before looking toward Su Qinglan.
"Go ahead and make sure everyone is present."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"I’ll be there shortly as well."
Su Qinglan frowned almost instantly.
She had originally intended to accompany Lin Zhaoyue to the council hall, but after hearing those words, she simply nodded.
"Understood, Young Miss."
She did not question Lin Zhaoyue’s decision.
After all, the Patriarch had entrusted her with the family seal before entering seclusion.
Although...
Su Qinglan secretly found that explanation rather difficult to believe.
Knowing the Young Miss’s personality, she was far more inclined to suspect that Lin Zhaoyue had somehow stolen the family seal once again.
Still, regardless of how the seal had ended up in her hands, one fact remained undeniable.
Lin Zhaoyue had already stepped into the Golden Core Realm.
Within the Lin family, a cultivator of the Golden Core Realm was fully qualified to become a Supreme Elder.
After all, the Lin family had always chosen its Supreme Elders based on strength.
Other than the Patriarch, the strongest cultivators in the clan held that position.
With Lin Zhaoyue’s current cultivation, no one could question her qualifications.
Su Qinglan respectfully cupped her fists before turning around and leaving the room to gather the clan elders.
Lin Zhaoyue quietly watched the door close behind her.
A calm expression slowly settled upon her face.
The story her father used to tell her continued playing inside her mind.
After taking the wounded sheepdog away, the kind lady had cared for him for two whole years.
She patiently healed the wounds on his body and the scars hidden deep within his heart.
Only after the dog had finally recovered did she bring him back to the empty field where everything had begun.
Before leaving, she handed him a precious treasure.
Then, with a gentle smile, she quietly bid him farewell.
The sheepdog had wanted nothing more than to follow her.
Yet when he looked behind himself, he saw another flock of innocent sheep waiting for him.
They needed someone to protect them.
In the end, the sheepdog remained behind while the kind lady walked away alone.
They were simply never meant to be.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on Lin Zhaoyue’s face.
That had always been one of her favorite bedtime stories.
Her father had told it to her countless times when she was little.
However, her smile slowly disappeared.
A strange thought suddenly surfaced within her mind.
"...Was the lady supposed to be Mother?"
She lowered her gaze.
"And... was the sheepdog Father?"
Her eyes slowly widened.
"...Then the sheep, were they the clan?"
A complicated emotion quietly filled her heart.
Just then, a knock sounded from outside the room.
Knock. Knock.
A respectful voice followed immediately afterward.
"Young Miss, Elder Su asked me to inform you that everyone has already gathered and are waiting for you."
Lin Zhaoyue took a slow breath before replying calmly.
"Alright."
With that, she turned around, opened the door, and walked toward the council hall.
Meanwhile, inside the Lin family’s council hall...
Nearly every clan elder had already arrived.
The spacious hall was filled with murmuring voices.
Several elders had already begun showing obvious impatience.
One elder slammed his palm against the armrest of his chair.
"What is the meaning of this?"
His face was filled with displeasure.
"The Patriarch called for an emergency meeting."
He swept his gaze across the hall.
"And yet, after making all of us wait, he still hasn’t shown himself."
His expression became increasingly ugly.
"Does he intend to look down on all of us?"
The moment those words left his mouth, another elder immediately frowned.
"Mind your words, Lin Shushu."
His voice carried obvious dissatisfaction.
"The Patriarch has already shown you more tolerance than anyone else would have."
He let out a cold snort.
"After your repeated failures over the years, he still allowed you to remain an elder of this clan and this is how you repay that kindness?"
Lin Shushu’s face darkened.
"So now I can’t even speak the truth?"
Another elder immediately joined the discussion.
"The Patriarch has never neglected the clan. If he isn’t here, then he naturally has a reason."
Before long, more elders began speaking over one another.
The entire council hall quickly descended into disorder.
Voices rose one after another until the room became increasingly chaotic.
Su Qinglan quietly stood near the front of the hall.
She gently rubbed her forehead and released a helpless sigh.
She had expected this outcome from the very beginning.
But this was only the beginning.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the heavy doors to the council hall slowly opened.
Lin Zhaoyue calmly stepped inside and the moment every elder saw the eleven-year-old girl enter alone, the entire elders frowned.
Without saying a single word, Lin Zhaoyue released her cultivation.
Boom!
A powerful Golden Core Realm aura instantly swept across the entire council hall.
The oppressive pressure descended upon every elder like a towering mountain.
The previously noisy hall fell into complete silence.
Several elders instinctively widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Golden... Golden Core Realm?"
"Impossible..."
"She’s only eleven..."
Before anyone could recover from their shock, Lin Zhaoyue gently stepped forward.
Her figure rose into the air.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, she flew directly toward the Patriarch’s seat.
Several elders subconsciously held their breath.
Was she actually going to sit on the Patriarch’s throne?
However, just before reaching it, Lin Zhaoyue raised one hand.
A nearby chair floated into the air under the guidance of her spiritual qi before gently coming to rest beside the Patriarch’s seat.
Only then did she calmly sit down.
She had no intention of sitting in her father’s chair.
That seat belonged solely to the Patriarch.
The entire council hall remained deathly silent.
Not a single elder dared to speak.
Lin Zhaoyue slowly swept her gaze across everyone present.
Her expression remained calm and composed.
"Father has entrusted the clan to me during his seclusion."
Her clear voice echoed throughout the hall.
"If anyone has any complaints..."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"You may bring them forward now."
Her calm gaze slowly swept across every elder.
"But you’d better make sure your complaint is worth everyone’s time."
Seeing that none of the elders stepped forward, Lin Zhaoyue calmly continued speaking.
"Since nobody has any objections, we’ll move on to today’s agenda."
She slowly looked around the council hall.
"The first matter is the appointment of new elders."
Her voice remained calm and steady.
"If any of you have suitable candidates to recommend, bring their names forward."
She paused for a brief moment before a faint smile appeared on her face.
"As for those who believe taking orders from an eleven-year-old girl is humiliating.Then take it as the orders of a Golden Core cultivator."
Lin Zhaoyue continued before anyone could respond.
"Naturally, I won’t ask everyone to work for nothing."
She lightly tapped the armrest of her chair.
"Anyone who performs their duties well..."
A jade bottle suddenly appeared in her hand.
"...Will receive one bottle of Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills."
The moment those words were spoken, countless pairs of eyes immediately locked onto the jade bottle.
Even Su Qinglan’s breathing became slightly heavier.
Lin Zhaoyue gently smiled.
"Surely..."
She slowly looked around the hall.
"...All of you also wish to step into the Golden Core Realm one day, just as I have."
Silence filled the council hall for only a heartbeat.
"I support the Young Miss!"
An elder immediately stood up and cupped his fists.
"I also support the Young Miss’s decision!"
"Count me in as well!"
"The Young Miss’s arrangements are naturally for the good of the clan."
One elder after another rose to their feet.
The atmosphere inside the council hall transformed almost instantly.
The dissatisfaction from earlier completely disappeared.
After all, very few people could resist the temptation of Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills.
Watching the elders eagerly volunteer, Su Qinglan could only smile bitterly.
The Young Miss had effortlessly accomplished something that would have taken countless meetings and endless persuasion under normal circumstances.
Sometimes, a single bottle of pills truly spoke louder than a thousand words.