In the Lin family council hall, the faces of all the family members gathered for discussion were heavy with worry. The stifling atmosphere pressed down like a flood, making everyone feel short of breath. Sitting in the main seat, Lin Nantian held a cup of spirit tea that had long since gone cold, yet he still hadn’t brought himself to drink it.

“Clan head, the Chen family has joined forces with the Nangong family and several minor noble houses. This time they are dead set on destroying our Lin family!” the Great Elder sighed. Ever since Lin Mo returned to the Qingling Sect to handle the matter of his withdrawal, it was exposed that he had been practicing demonic cultivation.

For more than a year, the Lin family had been trapped in dire hardship. Rumors and slander spread everywhere, with people suspecting the clan still harbored demonic cultivators. Even though every member of the Lin family had undergone testing by the Demon-Detecting Stones to prove their innocence, the outside world still believed the family possessed secret techniques to conceal demonic qi.

Although no substantive evidence pointed to wrongdoing, from the outside it looked as if the Lin family had indeed produced a villain who harmed his fellow disciples. This caused all of the Lin family’s trade to plummet. The Chen and Nangong families, who already held grudges, seized this opportunity to put pressure on the Lin family.

Using Lin Mo’s demonic cultivation as a pretext, they stirred up trouble and directed more attacks against the family. Lin Nantian wore a worried frown. At the side, the Second Elder asked cautiously, “Clan head, should we pretend to expel Lin Mo from the Lin family first?” At those words, Lin Nantian glared fiercely at Lin Tian.

“Pretending? I think you actually mean it.”
The Second Elder explained plainly: “It’s not that I truly want this, but right now every problem revolves around Lin Mo. Everyone in the Qingling Sect has witnessed him practicing demonic cultivation. Even if we still believe him, what use is that? Besides, now that Lin Mo himself is missing, how can our Lin family explain things for him?”

Lin Nantian frowned angrily. “If we expel Lin Mo, wouldn’t that be tantamount to admitting he practiced demonic cultivation? That would only bring more trouble to us. Right now the only thing we can do is maintain our original stance: trust Lin Mo and not break ranks.” The Third Elder agreed: “Indeed, our Lin family has no way out; we can only trust him. Everything Lin Mo has done for the family before was seen by all of us.”

In just over a year, thanks to Lin Mo’s efforts, every member of the clan had seen improvements in strength and living standards. Many were promoted to Golden Core stage, and Lin Nantian himself had smoothly broken through to the Soul-Splitting realm. Lin Zhan had also reached the Nascent Soul realm. The three elders were all at the completion of the Nascent Soul stage, on the verge of stepping half a step into Soul-Splitting. Seeing that everyone insisted on trusting Lin Mo, the Second Elder could only align with them, and the meeting came to an end.

After everyone had left, Lin Nantian approached Lin Zhan. He had noticed that his son had not spoken up for Lin Mo and seemed distracted throughout the meeting. Lin Zhan shook his head. “It’s nothing, Father. I’m only worried about Lin Mo.” But as the saying goes, no one knows a child better than his father. If Lin Zhan was merely worried, he would not have been so silent.

“Zhan’er, does Mo’er have any other secrets?” Lin Nantian asked. Lin Zhan swallowed, hesitated, then shook his head. “No.” Seeing this, Lin Nantian grew more suspicious but didn’t press further. Instead, he said, “As long as you know your limits, that’s enough. I’m getting old — I can’t watch over the Lin family by myself. No matter what happens, I’m on your side and Mo’er’s side.” Lin Zhan was deeply moved.

After Lin Nantian left, Lin Zhan returned to his room. Gu Ningxin, anxious, hurried to him and asked, “What was the outcome of the meeting?” Lin Zhan gently patted his wife’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everyone at home still believes in Mo’er.” But Gu Ningxin’s eyes drooped slightly. “Mo’er was probably harmed because of me.”

“Don’t worry so much — bloodline issues aren’t for you to decide,” Lin Zhan said softly. “It’s people’s mindset that’s the problem; defining good and bad by race is too narrow-minded. Aren’t I rather lucky to have met a gentle, virtuous wife?” His words brought Gu Ningxin a pang of sweetness, but her worries persisted.

“Although I’ve cleansed my demonic qi and taken on human blood, it doesn’t change the fact that my race is still demonic. Mo’er has half a demon’s bloodline — he’s prone to falling into demonic influence because of negative emotions.” She began to suspect what exactly Lin Mo had encountered in the Qingling Sect.

As a mother, she knew her child’s character. When Lin Mo had said he would withdraw from the sect, she guessed something had gone wrong. After thirteen years of attachment, he would never have left unless utterly disillusioned. Lin Zhan wondered, “That Master Yuehua seems to have gone demonic — could it be her influence?”

The couple had only seen Yuehua at the apprenticeship ceremony; for the following thirteen years there had been no contact. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but whenever they sought her, she was in seclusion. Gu Ningxin shook her head. “I don’t know for sure, but I heard Yuehua didn’t fall into demonic cultivation — she became a demon.” Lin Zhan was puzzled. “How could a human become a demon?”