Mermaids Weep (19)
The Lin family's ancestor was one of the first cultivators to come to the Secret Sea in search of treasures. At that time, the area around the Secret Sea was just a small fishing village with scattered houses. The Lin family's ancestor seized the opportunity and started an inn business by the sea. Later, the business grew bigger and bigger, and the Lin family's industry also expanded. Among them, the business that made the Lin family rich was born - selling fish noodles.
Selling fish noodles by the Secret Sea wasn't anything new, but the Lin family's fish noodles were unique. The fish from their fish farm made the noodles incredibly delicious. At that time, a rumor circulated that eating the Lin family's fish could greatly increase one's power and cultivation. As a result, cultivators flocked to the area, and the Lin family's inns and restaurants were booming, almost monopolizing the business of the entire Secret Sea for a time.
During this period, the Lin family truly deserved to be called the number one family in the Secret Sea. However, such good days did not last long. The Lin family encountered an uninvited guest who stole the family heirloom. After losing the heirloom, the head of the Lin family began to have sleepless nights, living in fear every day, and talking nonsense. Not long after, he suddenly ordered the abolition of all fishing grounds and stopped doing fish noodle business.
Having lost the fish noodle business, the Lin family's situation plummeted, with many inns and restaurants closing down and being transferred to other businesses. The Lin family thus lost its glory as the first family.
This is the story that every descendant of the Lin family would hear their elders recount, and Lin Xiaowen was no exception. However, at that time, he didn't understand what the heirloom had, and why it had driven the then-head of the family insane after it was lost. Young Lin Shiyou had the same question, but the elders were tight-lipped about it, or simply claimed to know nothing about it, and there was no corresponding record of it in the family history.
The person who solved this mystery was the previous patriarch. Just before taking over, the patriarch told them that the family heirloom was called the Soul-Suppressing Pearl, which could protect the land within a ten-thousand-foot radius from vengeful spirits. This heirloom was connected to the secret of the Lin family's past prosperity: using cultivators as live bait to raise spirit fish in the deep sea.
"Does that mean killing people to raise fish?..." Lin Xiaowen was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He never expected to hear such horrifying words from the kind and gentle old clan chief.
Lin Shiyou, who was standing to the side, also fell silent. Although he had been involved in physical fights along the way in order to obtain the position of family head, he had never committed a murder.
The old patriarch leaned against his pillow, his eyes glazed over, and murmured, "After the Soul-Suppressing Pearl was stolen, the then patriarch was afraid of being retaliated against by the vengeful spirits of those who died unjustly, so he dared not continue doing business. But he was still obsessed with it, and on his deathbed, he called his son to his side and told him this secret."
“No, this isn’t right… If it really was about killing people to raise fish, surely more than just the clan head would know about it. Did those people just stand by and watch this happen?” Lin Xiaowen still couldn’t accept this secret. He tried to find loopholes in the story to prove that things weren’t as the old clan head had said.
The old clan chief turned his head slightly to look at him, a bright light shining in his cloudy eyes. He said, "Xiaowen, you are very lucky to have grown up in a benevolent era. But in the past, the world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak, the victor was respected, and killing and being killed were common occurrences."
"Since this is the norm, why be afraid of vengeful spirits seeking revenge?" Lin Shiyou suddenly asked after a long silence.
"Alas..." The old clan chief sighed, "The act of murder for money is ultimately against human ethics. Not everyone can turn a blind eye to it. How can one not have a thorn in their side when living like this?"
As the old clan chief spoke, he looked at a pot of orchids placed beside his bed. It was a flower he had nurtured for a long time, and no one else was allowed to help care for it. Recently, he had been unwell and bedridden all day, and even the flower had drooped its head withered.
"Without the protection of the Soul-Suppressing Pearl, it's like the flowers in this pot without human care; they will eventually wither..." the old patriarch sighed. "We, the descendants, have no way of knowing what our ancestors were thinking. But whether it's a sin or fate, since you two are going to be in charge, then you should know about this matter."
"Shiyou, Xiaowen, the future of the Lin family is up to you..." With that, the old patriarch closed his eyes forever.
Lin Shiyou and Lin Xiaowen left the room one after the other, announcing to the outside world the news of the old clan chief's passing.
That night, Lin Xiaowen tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He struggled to process the secret and pondered his plans for the future. It was all just the old clan chief's side of the story. Feeding fish with live people and then selling the fish meat—it was all too outrageous. Even if our ancestors really did that, they were them, and we are us. How could we stoop to their level?
Over the next five days, crowds flocked to the Lin family's ancestral home to mourn the old clan chief. Lin Shiyou and Lin Xiaowen, as the next heads of the family, were responsible for receiving the crowds. The two were busy with their own affairs and did not mention the matter to each other again.
It wasn't until the sixth day, when the white lanterns were taken down from the ancestral home, that Lin Xiaowen mentioned to Lin Shiyou, "You can listen to what the old clan leader said, but there are many ways to revitalize the clan. There's no need to be so extreme."
After listening, Lin Shiyou remained silent, gazing solemnly at the memorial tablets displayed in the ancestral hall. Lin Xiaowen suddenly felt that Lin Shiyou beside him was a stranger; after so much time together, this was the first time he couldn't understand what the other was thinking.
After a long silence, Lin Shiyou said, "Let's give it a try first. Let's see what we can do."
Lin Shiyou ultimately didn't choose this crooked path, and Lin Xiaowen breathed a sigh of relief. He and Lin Shiyou then began to plan their future anew. They personally led a team, braving great risks, to the open sea to fish for rare species. With good luck, they brought back species scarce in the market, marking the first step in their business. They then led several more expeditions, but upon their return, they discovered that rebellious forces within the clan had begun to stir again. Lin Shiyou's grandmother tragically died during the unrest, forcing them to spend time conducting a thorough internal purge.
After the cleaning was completed, earth-shattering news came from outside—Han Yaocheng, the patriarch of the Han family, had completed his secluded cultivation and was now a Golden Core cultivator.
The status of a family in the Secret Sea depends primarily on two factors: wealth and strength. The Han family was already large and powerful, and now with the emergence of a Golden Core cultivator, its title as the number one family in the Secret Sea is undisputed. Meanwhile, Lin Shiyou and Lin Xiaowen's cultivation levels are barely at the mid-stage of Core Formation, far from sufficient. Moreover, with internal and external troubles plaguing their clan, the hope of reviving the family is extremely slim.
Even the usually composed Lin Xiaowen panicked this time. He looked at Lin Shiyou, at a loss for what to do. Lin Shiyou's face was gloomy, and his anxiety felt like an invisible hand gripping his heart. A long-dormant thought surfaced at just the right moment: the old patriarch's dying words echoed in his ears. Lin Shiyou raised his eyes, his gaze resolute and profound, like a fully drawn bow, ready to be released.
Then, Lin Shiyong spoke the most cruel words in the calmest tone: "Throw all those traitors into the fishing grounds."
"It also serves as a warning to others what will happen if they go against me."
Lin Xiaowen hadn't recalled these past events for a long time, so much so that he seemed somewhat dazed. But he quickly composed himself and, avoiding the main point, told Ye Yingying, "Spirit fish that have eaten the flesh and blood of cultivators have even more abundant spiritual energy in their flesh, making them a superior tonic for cultivators. After Lin Shiyou learned of this, he used his inn business to capture some wandering cultivators and regularly threw them into the Lin family's offshore fishing grounds to feed the fish."
Ye Yingying's lips parted slightly, too shocked to speak. So this was the kind of shady business the Lin family was involved in behind their arrogance.
"Of course, Lin Shiyou preferred to keep it for himself rather than sell it, in order to increase his cultivation and improve his realm," Lin Xiaowen continued. "However, this practice goes against human nature, and Lin Shiyou soon developed inner demons."
Speaking of this, Lin Xiaowen recalled Lin Shiyou's eyes, which were stained with black energy, not long ago in the ancestral home. It was a sign that the inner demons within him had matured.
"As the second-in-command, shouldn't you get a share of the profits too?"
"What I hate most in my life is the smell of fish, and I have been abstaining from grains since I reached the Core Formation stage." Lin Xiaowen picked up his teacup again and said, "Besides, the most taboo thing in cultivation is to be impatient for quick success. Cultivation built up by external things will eventually collapse like ants in a hole."
It's quite unusual that someone raised in the Secret Sea doesn't like to eat fish. Ye Yingying couldn't tell how much of Lin Xiaowen's words were true and how much were false, but for now she could only believe him for the time being, so she pressed on, "In that case, how do you want us to help?"
Seeing that Ye Yingying was no longer beating around the bush, Lin Xiaowen also said frankly, "Tomorrow morning, Lin Shiyou will go with me by boat to deal with the remaining group of rogue cultivators. You can take this opportunity to capture him before setting sail, or even better, kill him."
Aren't you worried that he'll find out your feelings?
Lin Xiaowen shrugged dismissively and said, "The Lin family's information always goes through me before it reaches Lin Shiyou. What do you think?"
Lin Shiyou trusts him, Ye Yingying thought to herself. But this is a good thing for them.
Without further hesitation, Ye Yingying decided to agree to Lin Xiaowen's proposal: "Alright, I agree to your deal, but only if we get back to the Han residence safely tonight."
"Of course." Lin Xiaowen narrowed his eyes, stood up and walked to Yao Yao.
Yao Yao was still unconscious when Lin Xiaowen raised his right hand, and a burst of spiritual energy severed the ropes binding her hands and feet. At the same time, Yao Yao groggily opened her eyes, and when she saw that the person in front of her was that bastard Lin Xiaowen, she frowned in disgust.
Lin Xiaowen wasn't annoyed. He stepped aside, revealing Ye Yingying behind him, and said, "Let's see who's here."
Yao Yao then noticed Ye Yingying standing alone by the door not far away. She immediately panicked, wondering how Sister Ying'er could have been captured here? How could they have managed to take Sister Ying'er away from Senior Yun?
"Yaoyao, don't be afraid." Ye Yingying turned around and comforted her, following the direction of the spiritual energy. "I'm here to take you back."
"Pick me up?" Yao Yao was a little confused. She looked at Ye Yingying suspiciously, then glanced at Lin Xiaowen, her gaze wavering between the two. She couldn't help but wonder: Which of these two is the imposter?
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