Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 188 - 181 Forging Armor Part 1

Chapter 188: Chapter 181 Forging Armor Part 1

"Yun Lian, Yuqun!" As soon as Lin Zhen entered the door, he was extraordinarily anxious, his face filled with guilt.

Seeing the two girls standing alone in the middle of the side hall surrounded by everyone, his eyes also reddened slightly.

"Lin Zhen, how dare you call me Sister Yun Lian!!" Zhao Yuqun shouted loudly. "When you left us there and went away alone, did you ever think this day would come?!"

Lin Zhen glanced at Lin Xin sitting in the upper hall and the rest of the people, most of whom were his elders, manor elders, many of whom subtly showed dissatisfaction towards him.

"It was my negligence."

"Can a mere ’negligence’ settle this?" Ou Yinghong was very dissatisfied with him, feeling solidarity with the females involved.

Yet Lin Zhen’s expression remained unchanged.

"Sister Hong, I know my mistake."

"Know your mistake and correct it. You can’t keep making the same mistakes," Ou Yinghong bluntly said. "Considering you’re the heir to the manor, what kind of impact do you think this reputation will cause, do you know?"

Lin Zhen stopped talking and looked towards Lin Xin, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Father, I know my mistake."

Lin Xin was also troubled. The boy, without any fuss, had actually produced two grandsons for him, which also left him somewhat helpless.

"Will you handle this matter yourself, or shall I help you?" He didn’t ask about the twists and turns of the situation, but spoke directly.

"I shall handle everything properly myself."

"These two children, they are my grandsons by blood as well, so, no matter how you deal with it, the children must stay," he said.

"I understand, I will have both of them stay with me at the manor," Lin Zhen replied. His answer seemed to satisfy Lin Xin and the others.

Lin Xin sighed and also looked at the babies in the arms of the two women.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. No one dared to speak.

Still, he cleared his throat.

"What are the children’s names?"

"My sister’s child is called Lin Xia, my child is called Lin Qiandao!" Zhao Yuqun replied coldly.

At this point, hearing the father and son’s conversation, they somewhat understood the disposition towards the two of them, easing a bit of suppressed feelings.

"Those names don’t sound good," Lin Xin shook his head. "Lin Xia is passable, but what is Lin Qiandao? Change it."

"Why!?" Zhao Yuqun immediately became furious.

"If I say change it, then change it," Lin Xin said indifferently.

"I am their mother, and if I say no, then no!" Zhao Yuqun became furious. "You count as a..!" Her subsequent words were cut off as Lin Zhen suddenly covered her mouth with his hand, stopping her from speaking.

"I will listen to father," Lin Zhen said respectfully.

Lin Xin frowned.

"While compensating well, you also need to discipline your woman. Although the manor isn’t strict with rules, basic manners and upbringing are still required."

He had been in a high position for a long time and had grown accustomed to speaking this way, but for Zhao Yuqun, seeing a so-called grandfather suddenly appearing for her child, who neither contributed nor cared, yet wanted to strip away the name she had thoughtfully picked for her child, was understandably infuriating.

"I will discipline them properly. And I will compensate them well," Lin Zhen replied softly. "Yuqun just doesn’t understand what it means to enter the manor yet, nor does she understand the good intentions behind your actions, father. Please forgive her."

Lin Xin also nodded. He originally planned to continue naming the child, to formalize their entry into the family genealogy, for in this generation, the naming was important. The manor’s Lin Family follows traditional naming conventions to establish the proper family status, but he hadn’t expected the woman’s reaction to be so intense.

"Let me see the child." His expression softened.

Lin Zhen released Zhao Yuqun, who gasped heavily, glaring at him with loathing, clearly unwilling to hand her child over.

"Yun Lian..." Lin Zhen could only look towards the other girl.

This mute girl, Yun Lian, also had a very soft heart. Seeing Lin Zhen’s slightly pleading look, she couldn’t help but glance at Yuqun again and slowly nodded.

"Yi yi..." She uttered an unintelligible noise and gently handed her child, Lin Xia, to Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen took her, gave her a gentle smile, and slowly approached Lin Xin to show him.

Lin Xin had already come down, standing in front of the child, pulled apart the swaddling clothes, and looked at Ying’er’s delicate little face.

"Lin Xia...I will add a name for you, ’Lin Wanxia.’

Gently pinching the child’s smooth and slightly cool cheek, Lin Xin’s heart softened, feeling a distinct connection through the bloodline as he touched the child.

He thought for a moment, took off a jade pendant from his waist, which was carved with a green phoenix pattern, faintly flickering with Spiritual Light.

This was something he had made himself, inscribed with a one-time Constant Temperature Formation and a defensive array from the Spiritual Light Shield, with a small space on the back for placing Spirit Jade. His expertise in the Formation Path was now nearly at the Master level, making such a small item was trivial for him.

"This is the Phoenix Pattern Pendant, a small item I made myself, a gift from me as a grandfather to the child..." Lin Xin whispered, looking at Yun Lian who walked up timidly, her eyes fearful yet docile like a scared deer in the woods.

He reached out and stroked Yun Lian’s hair.

"You have suffered, child..."

A trace of Spiritual Energy entered Yun Lian’s body. As he examined her, he understood that Yun Lian’s muteness was innate. Unless a surgical correction was performed, it could not be cured in her lifetime.

Yun Lian, holding onto Lin Zhen’s sleeve, kept her head down, not daring to look at Lin Xin, but feeling the warmth and comfort from the hand on her head, she couldn’t help but feel a delicate admiration for this middle-aged man in front of her.

"Yi..." She made a soft sound.

Lin Zhen also held her lovingly and patted her back.

"She said, ’Thank you for Grandfather’s gift, but his greatest wish is for the children to grow up healthy and strong.’" How he understood that was anyone’s guess.

Neither of them knew that the jade pendant on Lin Xin’s body was worth at least dozens of Spirit Jades. With Spirit Jade embedded in the back as a consumable, such a magic artifact was something even Foundation Establishment Cultivators would hesitate to use, but neither paid attention, as Yun Lian was an ordinary person who didn’t recognize its value, and Lin Zhen simply didn’t notice.

"Definitely," Lin Xin nodded, then looked over at Zhao Yuqun.

"What are you looking at!?" Zhao Yuqun said irritably. "Don’t think I’ll let you just because you’re his dad!" She pouted and turned away.

Lin Zhen had initially gotten involved with her because she spoke without thinking, which was infuriating, resulting in him impulsively getting together with her, and unexpectedly, she bore him a large chubby boy.... At this moment, he was also helpless.

Zhao Yuqun was originally an ordinary woman living in the mountains, with a fiery personality, but with some family teachings from her ancestors, which made it possible for her and Lin Zhen when they met.

Now, she stood on one side holding the child, her eyes slightly red, stubbornly ignoring the two men.

"Outrageous!"

Just then, two elderly men with white hair entered, both energetic, startlingly Lin Zhiwen and Lin Zhiwu.

"Zhen’er, where did you find such an uncouth woman?"

Lin Zhiwen, now over eighty but still physically robust, spoke with a strong voice, not at all like an old man but more like a middle-aged man. If not for his white hair, people wouldn’t believe he was that old.

The moment he entered, he heard Zhao Yuqun’s voice and his expression turned grim immediately.

"Old fool! What business is it of yours whether I have manners or not!!" Zhao Yuqun’s face changed instantly, and she started cursing again.

"How can you speak like that!" Lin Zhen got angry too, slapped her, and sent Zhao Yuqun stumbling with a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"You!!" Zhao Yuqun was furious and wanted to retaliate, but was restrained by the Manor’s guards, immediately starting to swear filthy words.

Lin Xin shook his head, frowning.

"Is this the kind of mother appropriate? The child can’t be raised by her; your grandmother and I will take care of him, no one else interfere!" Lin Zhiwen also flared up, shouting forcefully.

Lin Xin started to feel a headache.

Being caught in the middle as a grandfather left him speechless. He looked back at Li and the others, who were all stifling their laughs.

"Really..." He turned and left the side hall, not wanting to watch any further. Let Lin Zhiwen, the old man, make a fuss by himself, as he was energetically up for it and had time to spare.

As he walked out, the other senior members followed suit, promptly leaving the scene to avoid the ugly dispute and future troubles.

Soon, someone saw Lin Zhen with a grim face leading two women out of the side hall.

After Lin Xin came out, he ran into Zhao Yu Niang, who was rushing over. Despite being in her eighties, she still looked gentle and anxious.

"What on earth is going on?"

Lin Xin felt powerless to explain. For such matters, it was better to let Lin Zhen speak for himself. He spoke softly for a few moments, then sent his mother to find Lin Zhen, casually handing her a ring as a gift for meeting the other child, to be worn as a necklace. As for the matter of the name, if the other party was unwilling, then let it be; he wouldn’t force it.

The ring too was engraved with several formations and was exceptionally precious.

After all, materials capable of hosting many different formation combinations are valuable. Ordinary materials would collapse structurally due to conflicts when exposed to different attribute formations.

So, such items, just in materials alone, were very valuable, not something ordinary people could afford. It was certainly significant enough.

Having given the item to his mother, Lin Xin patrolled the Manor, but felt an emptiness inside after Xiao Lingling had gone, as if a significant part of his life was missing, like a large void constantly generating an urge to be filled.

Idly walking to the Lake Heart Pavilion, he looked afar at the lake. The wall that originally surrounded it had been broken by him, creating a large gap leading to the river outside the Manor.

The morning sun rose slowly, the red sun half emerging from the water, reflecting off the lake’s surface entirely in red.

The sky was shrouded in white mist, a few birds slowly glided by, chirping, and the Manor’s garden echoed with birdsong in response.

Standing in the Lake Heart Pavilion, the air around him cool, Lin Xin stood with his hands behind his back and took a deep breath.

His strong physical body made this simple act of breathing distort the air into a twisting vortex.

Whoosh, a huge amount of air rushed into his nostrils, forming two faint white mists.

"What is it that people truly seek in life?"

Lin Xin closed his eyes, allowing himself not to suppress the illusions.

Soon, he felt a pair of soft arms gently wrap around him from behind.

"Wealth? Fame? Power, or perhaps a beauty?"

He muttered softly.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Lingling’s hands were gently holding him, her lotus-like arms so white they were disconcerting.

"Even though I know it’s an illusion, but...." A touch of tenderness appeared on his face.

Schick!

Xiao Lingling’s arms suddenly started rotting, her pale skin turned black, chunks of flesh crawling with maggots, emitting a foul stench, her fingers rapidly sharpening and fiercely stabbing towards Lin Xin’s abdomen.

Crack.

Like lightning, he caught Xiao Lingling’s hands, his expression calm, gently lifting them up, ignoring her continuous struggles, and lightly kissed them.

"Having you by my side like this is always good..." A hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes.

At his waist, the Red Flower Sword buzzed lightly, as if ready to unsheathe itself and protect its master, but was tightly controlled by Lin Xin. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your vote of recommendation and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)