Elder Feng Qing cast a glance at Nangong Bisheng and said,
“So it was you, Dao-friend Nangong!”

He let out a sigh. “Earlier it was our Qingling Sect—no, that’s not right. We wronged Senior Lin.”

“Just a few days ago, we found the real culprit who harmed our Qingling Sect disciples. It was a disciple from Qingzhu Peak, a man named Ye Kai.”

“Strangely enough, that person was also one of our own. On the day of the incident, he borrowed the power of a true demon and planted a trace of demonic energy on Senior Lin, which made us mistakenly believe he was the demonic cultivator who slaughtered his peers.”

Elder Feng Qing’s words left those who had come to punish the Lin family stunned.
With the truth now laid bare, every single one of them realized they had turned themselves into a joke.
Worse still, they had offended a powerhouse at the Divine Transformation Stage—a crime far too grave to atone for.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, quietly harvested another wave of “regret points,” feeling quite pleased inside.

Elder Feng Qing respectfully handed him a storage ring.
“This is thirty percent of Qingling Sect’s annual income. From now on, at this time every year, I’ll personally deliver the same share to the Lin family.”

After that, he led the other peak masters to bow deeply and apologize before departing.

Lin Mo accepted the ring but didn’t even bother to inspect it. He lazily tossed it to his grandfather Lin Nantian.

At that moment, the truth was fully revealed, and the Lin family erupted in joyous cheers.
Duan Susu’s heart swelled with quiet happiness for him.

Lin Mo drew a handkerchief from the storage ring and passed it to her.
“Junior Sister, why are you crying?”

Duan Susu took the handkerchief, wiped her tears, and said softly,
“I’m just happy for you, Senior Brother. I always knew—you could never have done those things.”

As she spoke, her tears flowed even harder.
Qingzhu Peak was gone now; she could never return to those joyful days.
All of it—every last bit—had been because of that Ye Kai, who tore Qingzhu Peak apart.

Thinking of it, she asked through her grief,
“Senior Brother, what became of Ye Kai?”

Lin Mo replied bluntly, “I killed him.”

“Good,” she said bitterly. “If not for him, you wouldn’t have suffered two years of wrongful accusation and pain.”
“If not for him, Qingzhu Peak would still be a whole family. Junior Sister Shen and Master wouldn’t have turned against you like this.”

Lin Mo waved a hand. “Let’s not bring up the past. Junior Sister, what are your plans next?”

Duan Susu paused to think. “I want to return to the Lower Realm to spend time with my parents. They’re ordinary folk with no spiritual roots—they can’t cultivate—and they’re getting old…”

Hearing that, Lin Mo passed her a storage ring. “Bring some things back for them. Think of this as a small token—just don’t let it delay your cultivation.”

Duan Susu meant to refuse, but when she saw the resolve in Lin Mo’s eyes, she knew his temperament too well. She accepted the ring and said gratefully, “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Lin Mo smiled. “If you want to come back later, the Lin family will always welcome you.”

Just then Lin Tian ambled over, grinning. “Senior Sister, this is—”

Lin Mo clapped him on the shoulder. “The Lin family is your home. You can come back and stay anytime.”

Off to the side, watching Lin Mo and Duan Susu, Gu Qingxue felt a faint sourness in her chest. For the sake of pride, she said nothing.

Duan Susu bade Lin Mo farewell, then bowed to the rest of the Lin clan. “Thank you for taking care of me during this time.”

Lin Zhan sighed from the heart. “What a fine girl—she’d make a wonderful daughter-in-law for our family…”

Before he could finish, Gu Ningxin seemed to cover his mouth and quietly reminded him, “Do you plan on making trouble for our household?”

“No woman likes to share her husband.” As she spoke, Gu Ningxin flicked a meaningful glance toward Gu Qingxue.

Realization dawned on Lin Zhan. He tapped his forehead and chuckled, “You’re right, Ningxin… always attentive.”

Only after Duan Susu departed—and after everyone returned home—would they learn the rest of the story.

As for the storage ring: you could say the resources inside were enough for Duan Susu to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm next time—even in a place where spiritual qi was thin. What moved her most was that Lin Mo had deliberately left two fifth-grade longevity pills as well. Her lifespan was still ample; she had no need for such pills herself. Clearly, they were prepared for her parents.

Lin Mo turned to Nangong Bisheng with a mild smile. “Patriarch Nangong, why are your legs shaking so much?”

Nangong Bisheng had long since shed his earlier arrogance. He stammered, “S-Senior Lin… I’m afraid…”

Who wouldn’t be? Elder Li Xiu of Xuanming Hall had just taken his leave—pausing on the way to warn him: “That white-clad woman who came—her cultivation far exceeds mine. Even if other elders of Xuanming Hall arrived, they likely wouldn’t be her match…”

Lin Mo only smiled faintly and said nothing. His aura did not diminish in the slightest.

Lin Mo warned calmly, “Don’t be afraid — pull your pants up first, then we’ll talk.”

Nangong Bisheng hurriedly pulled his pants up and said, “From now on, my Nangong family will hand over thirty percent of our annual income to the Lin family. Consider it an apology for what we did before.”

Lin Mo looked at him and said evenly, “Over the past two years, because of your Nangong family, the Lin family’s losses weren’t small.”

Hearing the unspoken meaning behind his words, Nangong Bisheng forced a smile and replied awkwardly, “We’ll compensate the Lin family in full for those previous losses — and, in addition, we’ll offer two medium-grade spirit veins.”

Lin Mo nodded slightly. “Good. You can go now.”

Nangong Bisheng lowered his head and left with his men, not daring to look back.

Once all the trouble was finally settled, Lin Mo’s gaze turned to Gu Qingxue.
“Come on,” he said softly, “let’s go inside and talk.”