“Little bastard, give me back my child’s life!”

Lin Mo frowned slightly. In the sky above were over a dozen cultivators, each of them radiating an aura so powerful, it was terrifying—they all seemed to be at the Nascent Soul stage.

He couldn’t see through their cultivation, but judging by their presence, they were most likely all Nascent Soul cultivators.

And clearly, this group in the sky was here for him.

With that shout from Chen Sheng and the mention of his son, most of the people in the Lin family came outside.

“Chen brat, you brought so many people to my Lin family’s doorstep today—are you trying to start a war?”
Lin Nantian’s tone was cold as he stared at the man in the lead.

“Someone from your Lin family took my son’s life. I’m here today to demand justice,” Chen Sheng replied.

Despite his words, he was still relatively polite when speaking to Lin Nantian, the current head of the Lin family.

“Oh?” Lin Nantian was slightly surprised but remained calm. “Who in my Lin family killed your son?”

Chen Sheng glared fiercely at Lin Mo. “It was this little brat—he killed my child!”

“Mo’er, did you kill his son?” Lin Zhan had also come outside by now.

Lin Mo shook his head. “I don’t know.”

He genuinely didn’t know. How was he supposed to know who this man’s son was?

“Little bastard, don’t think you can get away by playing dumb.”
Chen Sheng raised a stone and pointed at Lin Mo. “This is my son’s life stone. The moment it gets close to you, it starts reacting violently. Only in front of his killer would it behave this way.”

Everyone present could see it clearly.

The Chen family had a secret technique: if a person left behind a life stone before death and it still contained some residual memory, it would react violently when near the killer.

Hearing himself repeatedly called “little bastard” in front of everyone, Lin Mo was visibly displeased.

The cat-like Qu Ruyan, who hadn’t yet cultivated a human form, also nodded rapidly:
“Master, is that person calling himself a little bastard?”

Lin Mo spread his hands and feigned ignorance.

Seeing Lin Mo still pretending, Chen Sheng shouted, “I’m calling you the little bastard!”

Right then, Qu Ruyan delivered a wonderfully timed blow:
“Master, that man is so weird—why is he calling himself a little bastard?”

The tense atmosphere in the courtyard instantly cracked as laughter broke out all around.

Gu Ningxin clapped and cheered, “Where did you find such a clever spirit pet, Mo’er?”

Lin Zhan nodded and smiled. “Smart indeed.”

Lin Mo was speechless. Of course, he knew the true intelligence of his pet.

Still, Qu Ruyan’s random remarks often had a way of inflicting mental blows and twisting words with unexpected effect.

“Little bastard! You’re courting death!”

Enraged, Chen Sheng surged forward with spiritual energy gathering in his palm, aiming straight for Lin Mo.

Lin Nantian and three elders were just about to intervene.

But Qu Ruyan acted first—transforming into a larger form, she opened her mouth wide and swallowed Chen Sheng’s surging spiritual energy in one gulp.

“A Nascent Soul-level spirit pet?!”

Some of the more discerning cultivators immediately recognized Qu Ruyan’s level.

They were all stunned. Lin Mo was clearly only at the Golden Core stage—how did he come to possess a Nascent Soul-level spirit pet?

After all, spirit pets are usually raised from a young age.

And if one wanted to capture a powerful beast, they’d need to be stronger than it to subdue it by force.

But Lin Mo clearly didn’t meet that second requirement…

If someone were to raise a spirit pet from a young age, who in their right mind would pour all their cultivation resources into the pet instead of themselves?

Besides, raising a Nascent Soul-level spirit pet consumes far more resources than breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage oneself.

No fool would willingly do such a thing.

Of course, the Lin family members weren’t thinking about that at the moment. Lin Mo was one of their own—having a Nascent Soul-level spirit pet was something that gave them great pride.

Although Chen Sheng was shocked that Lin Mo’s spirit pet had reached the Nascent Soul stage, what mattered more to him now was the vengeance for his son’s death:

“Little bastard, you’re still a member of the Lin family. Take responsibility for your own actions.”

“I have over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators behind me—you wouldn’t want the entire Lin family dragged into this, would you?”

Clearly, this was a threat aimed at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo asked, “Who was your son?”

“Chen Huai!” Chen Sheng stared daggers at him.

Lin Mo searched the name in his mind.

Only then did he recall—he had killed someone by that name before. Some arrogant bastard… Yes, he was pretty sure the guy was called Chen Huai.

Once it came to him, Lin Mo admitted it straightforwardly: “That’s right. I did kill Chen Huai.”

“I think he had a Golden Core cultivator by his side at the time.”

“Since you’ve admitted it, you should understand that a life for a life is only fair,” Chen Sheng said, as his Nascent Soul pressure began to rise.

Lin Mo rose into the air on his sword and locked eyes with Chen Sheng, replying coldly, “Of course I understand.”

“But your son was the one who tried to kill me first.”

“Was I supposed to just stand there and let him?”

“Nonsense!” Chen Sheng snapped. “Why would my son want to kill you?”

At that moment, Qu Ruyan tilted her cat-like head and asked suspiciously, “Master, could it be that his son was interested in Xiaxia?”

Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly—clearly, they were starting to piece things together.

After all, everyone knew that the eldest son of the Chen family, Chen Huai, was notoriously lecherous.

If he wasn’t in a brothel, he was on his way to one.

Among the younger generation, this was common knowledge.

“Then tell us—who is this Xiaxia you’re talking about? Let her come out and speak for herself,” Chen Sheng said.

“Xiaxia is just Xiaxia!” Qu Ruyan said, tilting her cat head innocently.

“If you can’t even say her full name, then it’s obvious you’re making this up. I think you killed my son for his money!”

Chen Sheng clearly remembered that a few days ago, Chen Huai had gone to an auction, and he had given his son over a million spirit stones.

To be safe, he had even sent a Golden Core guest cultivator from the family to escort him.

But despite that, his son still ended up dead.

“Enough nonsense.”

Lin Mo’s expression turned cold. “What do you want, then?”

“Obviously—I want to kill you, and avenge my son!” Chen Sheng declared.

“Chen brat, you’re bold indeed,” Lin Nantian said, stepping in front of Lin Mo and releasing his full peak Nascent Soul pressure. “You came to the Lin family demanding my grandson’s life. Do you really think we’re that easy to bully?”

With Lin Nantian stepping forward, the elders who had previously benefitted from Lin Mo—led by Elder Wu—also stepped out to show their support.

At that moment, another figure stepped up to shield Lin Mo as well…

Chen Sheng was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected this little brat to be Lin Nantian’s grandson.

Judging by the way things were unfolding, this brat was clearly highly valued within the Lin family—so much so that the entire clan had united in his defense.

Still, Chen Sheng wasn’t worried. To prevent exactly this kind of situation, he had made a special trip before coming here to recruit several Nascent Soul cultivators as reinforcements.

“I don’t know how easy the Lin family is to bully, but let’s be honest—can you really stand against over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators on my side?” Chen Sheng sneered.

Truth be told, the Chen family’s overall strength was a tier below the Lin family’s. But with those night-raiding Nascent Soul cultivators on his side, Chen Sheng felt no fear.

They had already struck a deal—if they had to fight, those hired cultivators would receive 40% of the Chen family’s income over the next few years.

It was painful to give that much away, but if it meant avenging his son, the cost was worth it.

“Whether we can beat you or not—we’ll only know once we fight!” Lin Nantian responded firmly.

He had clearly realized that Chen Sheng had come prepared, but he didn’t seem worried at all.

The Lin family currently had six Nascent Soul cultivators: Lin Nantian himself, the three elders, and two more.
Although their numbers were fewer, most of Chen Sheng’s hired reinforcements were only at the early Nascent Soul stage.

And Lin Nantian himself was already half a step into the Soul Division realm. Facing multiple enemies wouldn’t be a problem for him.

He glanced at his grandson and asked, “Mo’er, can your spirit pet fight?”

Lin Mo wasn’t entirely sure how to answer.

He genuinely didn’t know how strong Qu Ruyan had become now.

After absorbing the inheritance from the Six-Tailed Fox, she had likely improved—but did she gain any truly formidable techniques? He wasn’t sure.

Lin Mo simply smiled and replied, “I can fight.”

Lin Nantian frowned. “Don’t be reckless.”

He’d heard that his grandson had defeated the Xia family’s genius, Xia Qianqiu.

But that had been a Golden Core versus Golden Core battle.

Now, they were up against Nascent Soul cultivators.

Even with outstanding talent, it was nearly impossible for a Golden Core cultivator to take on someone at the Nascent Soul level—especially someone only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm like Lin Mo.

If Lin Mo were already in the late stage, Lin Nantian might’ve believed he had a chance.

At that moment, Lin Zhan withdrew his earlier opposition and now looked at Lin Mo with a serious expression.
“Mo’er, step back for now. Sometimes you need to trust your family’s strength.”

Lin Mo didn’t argue. He quietly stepped back to stand beside Gu Ningxin.

It wasn’t that he didn’t plan to act—he just wanted to observe how capable his family truly was.

If it looked like they couldn’t handle it, then he’d step in.

He was confident he could handle a few early Nascent Soul cultivators.

And if it really came to it, he could just spend some Regret Points and directly break through to the late Golden Core stage.

That was Lin Mo’s current plan.

Chen Sheng, meanwhile, taunted him: “Hiding behind your family after doing something wrong—what a coward.”

Gu Ningxin grabbed Lin Mo’s sleeve and whispered, “Mo’er, he’s trying to provoke you. Don’t be impulsive.”

Lin Mo gently patted his beloved mother’s hand and smiled. “Don’t worry—I won’t stoop to the level of a mad dog.”

And with that line, the fight exploded into full swing.

“You little bastard! You’re courting death!” Chen Sheng was the first to move, his target naturally being Lin Mo.

But Lin Nantian wasn’t going to let him succeed so easily.

He instantly intercepted Chen Sheng’s path, blocking him head-on.

Meanwhile, Gu Ningxin, still holding onto Lin Mo’s arm, was subtly feeling a red ring on her hand.

She was carefully observing the battlefield, calculating her next move. If the Lin family truly couldn’t hold out, then regardless of the cost of exposing her identity, she would act to save her child.

Lin Mo noticed her subtle motion.

He quietly murmured to himself: That red ring on Mother’s hand… it definitely isn’t ordinary.

He had already learned from the system that his mother’s true identity was from the demon race.

That ring must be her hidden trump card—and likely not something she could use lightly. If it were, she wouldn’t have endured life in the Lin family in such a stifled, low-key manner all these years.

With that in mind, Lin Mo gently pressed down on her hand that was touching the ring.

Gu Ningxin’s heart skipped a beat. She nearly activated the ring’s power right then.

She turned to look at Lin Mo, only to see him smiling at her. “Don’t worry, Mother. Everything will be fine.”

Gu Ningxin couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Does this child know something?

She glanced at Lin Mo again and saw that he was already focused on the battle playing out in front of him. She decided she was just overthinking it.

Right now, she was just an ordinary human woman.

As long as she didn’t use the ring’s power, no one would suspect her identity.

“Brother Lin Mo…”

Gu Qingxue was filled with worry. She could tell Lin Mo was in danger, but she was powerless to help.

“Don’t worry,” Lin Mo reassured her, pointing toward the sky. “Look at how fierce Ruyan is.”

Gu Qingxue followed his gaze—

There, in the sky, Qu Ruyan in her cat form was holding her own against three Nascent Soul cultivators—and even had the upper hand.

With her awakened abilities, she had already neutralized the trio’s ranged attacks.

And up close, she was even more terrifying: her Meow-Meow Fist, Meow-Meow Kick, and Meow-Meow Tail Sweep left the three cultivators of the Chen family scrambling, unable to keep up.

At some point, Lin Tian had crept up beside Lin Mo, eyes wide with admiration. “Uncle Lin Mo, your spirit pet is savage!”

“Where’d you find her? I want one too!”