Chapter 5: Deeds of Deception

Seeing the two kids staring at him with guilty eyes, Lin Dong said with a smile, “Have you had breakfast?”
Lin Tianhao had been a little tyrant outside, but his filial piety was stronger than anyone’s. In front of Lin Dong, he was as well-behaved as a mouse in front of a cat. He didn’t dare answer, so it was Lin Shuang who replied, “Dean Fu took us for breakfast.”
“Hmm, it’s okay. If you want to play, go ahead. Remember to come home at noon; I’ll prepare something delicious for you,” Lin Dong said, waving his hand.
“Um… Dad, have you changed?” Lin Shuang asked bravely.
Why would Boss Lin change? Wang Liuzhi and the others felt uneasy watching this, but seeing Lin Dong’s calm expression, they felt a little reassured.
Lin Dong stroked Lin Shuang’s head and patted Lin Tianhao’s shoulder, saying affectionately, “I was wrong before. I only knew to make you endure. From now on… we won’t get into trouble, but if anyone dares to bully you, I’ll beat them to death. Breaking one leg isn’t enough—there has to be another one too. If the sky falls, Dad will cover you.”
To Lin Dong’s surprise, neither sibling cheered. Instead, they swallowed hard and stared at him suspiciously.
“It’s okay. Dad really has come around,” Lin Dong said without further explanation. Five or six years of mindset can’t change overnight; it takes time.
“Dad, why have you changed partners? And…” Lin Shuang glanced cautiously at Wang Liuzhi and the others, while Lin Tianhao’s gaze turned hostile.
“You know what kind of people the old partners were. They came to collect protection money. I beat them up. Since they had no money to repay what they’d taken, they worked here to pay off their debt,” Lin Dong said casually.
“Oh!”
Only then did the siblings begin to believe that Lin Dong truly had changed. After all, they were only eleven years old. Though their experiences begging on the streets made them more mature than ordinary children, they were still kids. Believing Lin Dong had truly changed, they didn’t question why and happily left. Lin Shuang even cheered a few times.
“By the way, Tianhao, what level are you at in the Spirit Mobility Phase?”
Before they left, Lin Dong suddenly remembered Fu Chunjian’s words and called them back.
“Level two of the Spirit Mobility Phase,” Lin Tianhao mumbled.
Lin Dong frowned. Eight years old is the best age to start practicing. Both siblings were sent to the academy at eight, and three years had passed. Reaching level two in just three years meant they were only slightly better than ordinary people.
Logically, Fu Chunjian shouldn’t have had to protect them so much. Could it really be true, as he said, that he was fated to be connected with Tianhao?

In the former boss’s eyes, Fu Chunjian was an extraordinary great figure. Saying they were fated to be together with Tianhao, they were overjoyed and didn’t dare think too much. But Lin Dong was different—there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Other things might be explainable, but assaulting an inspector sent by the government office and still taking responsibility for Tianhao couldn’t be explained by the word “fate.”

“Is it really the second stage of the Lingdong Phase?” Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask again.

Lin Tianhao stammered and dared not answer.

Lin Dong felt pleased. He was sure Lin Tianhao was far beyond the second stage of the Lingdong Phase.

His expression darkened, and Lin Dong shouted, “Tell the truth!”

No matter how big the trouble became, the former boss would only sigh, but he had never been strict with the siblings. Seeing Lin Dong’s attitude, Lin Tianhao was terrified, his legs gave out, and he knelt on the ground. “It’s the eighth stage of the Lingdong Phase… almost the ninth stage.”

Finally, he added a sentence to distance himself from it: “It’s, it’s the dean who told me to say this. He said my talent is too amazing; if it gets out, it’ll shock everyone and bring great trouble to Father. Father, I’ll never lie to you again.”

Lin Dong remained silent. Too much talent?

Damn, this was way more than just having great talent!

Reaching the eighth stage of the Lingdong Phase at sixteen was already enough to qualify one to become a disciple in a major sect. If someone reached that stage at fifteen, there would be no problem becoming a disciple of a sect leader.

Without the help of medicinal pills—maybe just some low-grade spirit stones secretly given by Fu Chunjian—reaching the eighth stage at eleven! With such talent, even the strongest experts would probably beg to take him as a disciple!

Lin Dong’s mind was in chaos. He was only twenty-three, and in his past life, he had no experience raising children. Raising children at the age of eleven already gave him headaches about how to educate them, let alone having a son who was a super genius.

It seemed… his daughter was also a genius in business.

The former boss had been mediocre, but his judgment was truly impressive.

Seeing Lin Dong’s changing expression, Lin Tianhao was terrified, and Lin Shuang was also scared. She mustered up the courage to say softly, “Father, Brother is still kneeling…”

Lin Dong snapped out of his thoughts and waved his hand. “Get up! Father was lost in thought just now. This has nothing to do with you.”

Lin Shuang quickly helped Lin Tianhao, whose limbs were still weak, and asked timidly, “Father, shall we go play now?”

“Go ahead, go. Come back early.”

Lin Dong tapped his head and came to a decision as well. He would take things one step at a time—just as long as he didn’t go astray, the rest could be left to fate. It didn’t matter if he was called a little tyrant; if someone bullied him, wouldn’t he fight back? If he really tried to be like his predecessor, his edges would be worn down, and he’d become timid in dealing with problems, ruining what could have been a fine son.

Turning around, he saw Wang Liuze and the other five standing in a daze. Lin Dong realized they were terrified by the Eighth Level of the Lingdong Phase. He immediately said in a stern voice, “Whoever dares to spread rumors about Tianhao’s strength outside will regret it—I’ll send them to the mass grave.”

“Understood, understood!”

The five nodded frantically, their gazes toward Lin Dong changing. A son who could enter a major sect and, given his talent, would one day become its leader—such a person shouldn’t only be respected by scoundrels but also by county officials and even provincial governors.

A sect was an entity beyond the state. Though a major sect couldn’t yet confront the state, it was by no means insignificant.

After eating something hastily in the kitchen, he returned to his room. After calculating roughly how many days a week had passed, Lin Dong sat cross-legged. Three days later, he stood up. When he opened the door, the sun was high in the sky.

In the kitchen, the newly hired cook was picking vegetables with the man with the triangular eyes. Lin Dong waved his hand and lit the small stove by himself.

As he was busy, a silver-like voice rang out in the kitchen.

“Dad, we’re back.”

Lin Dong went outside and saw the brother and sister standing in the yard, dirty and grimy.

“Go wash up, then move the table under the eaves.”

“Okay!”

The two ran over, the sound of water from the bucket echoing.

With three dishes and a soup, they untied their aprons and started eating under the eaves.

It was the fourth miss of the Yang family who had established the rule of silence during meals, but Lin Dong didn’t follow such rules. He chatted and joked with the two kids, causing them to feel once again that their father had truly changed.

While eating, Zhang Ye rushed in from the main hall in a hurry. “It’s bad, boss! Someone’s causing trouble.”

Lin Tianhao stood up instantly, his fists clenched tightly.

“You’re already eleven—still not steady? Sit down,” Lin Dong said sternly, making the boy sit down obediently.

Looking at Zhang Ye, who was panting heavily, Lin Dong calmly said, “If no weapons were involved, take your time and explain.”

Lin Dong’s calmness clearly influenced Zhang Ye, who took a deep breath before explaining, “A group of people showed up, acting aggressive, saying they were looking for the young master. They drove all the guests back to the guest rooms. Brother Wang and the others are holding them off, but they can’t hold on much longer. That’s why I came to inform you, boss.”

“Go take a look!” Lin Dong was puzzled. Fu Chunjian could even handle the officials sent by the government office; logically, dealing with this Zhang Yuanwai should be a piece of cake. Seeing the two siblings stand up as well, Lin Dong waved his hand and said, “Kids, stay back and eat quietly.” “Oh!” The two quickly sat down. Once Lin Dong entered the main hall, Lin Tianhao stood up again, his gaze fixed on Lin Shuang. “Follow secretly from behind. Only step forward if someone dares to touch Dad,” Lin Shuang said, blinking her big eyes. Lin Tianhao nodded firmly, and the two siblings tiptoed forward like thieves. Inside the main hall, seeing the mess everywhere, Lin Dong grew furious. Dozens of newly bought tables were now in tatters, and Wang Liuzhi and his men were covered in wounds, being chased by a group of servants with wooden sticks. “Hitting my people, destroying my shop—great!” Lin Dong’s smile turned sinister. The reason he had told Fu Chunjian to keep the two siblings at home and send them back after things settled was to hand the problem over to Fu Chunjian for him to handle. After all, although Tianhao was in the right, he had still managed to break someone’s leg without getting hurt himself. In Lin Dong’s view, it wasn’t enough, but there was no need to dwell on it. Now, they had come all the way here, refusing to listen to any explanations, destroying the shop and beating people—how overbearing! Zhang Yuanwai, sitting at the door on a bench, clearly saw Lin Dong coming from the back yard. He waved his hand and shouted, “Stop!” His tone was authoritative, and out of respect for both sides, the chaos ended instantly, with the two groups quickly parting. “Shop owner!” Wang Liuzhi held his bleeding forehead, looking embarrassed. “I’ll handle this,” Lin Dong stepped forward. Zhang Yuanwai stood up, patted the non-existent dust off his silk robe, glanced at Lin Dong coldly, and said, “Shop owner Lin, tell me, how do you plan to resolve this?” Lin Dong also calmed down. As the dean of Qiushui Academy, with Fu Chunjian’s influence spreading far and wide, even the county magistrate had to be careful in dealing with him. How could he not be able to control this Zhang Yuanwai? Didn’t want to control him? That was impossible. Fu Chunjian had already covered for Tianhao many times; he certainly didn’t lack the ability to do it now. Couldn’t control him? Lin Dong thought that was also unlikely. In Xilan City, there was no one Fu Chunjian couldn’t control. “Share your thoughts!” In an instant, Lin Dong decided to suppress his anger for now and find out the reason before taking action.

“It’s not simple to say, nor is it difficult.” One could tell from Manager Lin’s character just by asking. Master Zhang didn’t bother with circumlocutions or threats either; he got straight to the point: “I give you two choices. One is to hand Lin Tianhao over to me. After I break his legs, I’ll return him to you.”
“And the second?” Lin Dong asked calmly.
“The second…” Master Zhang sneered, “Your son is lucky. Early this morning, when I was taking Zhang Heng to seek medical treatment, I happened to meet the head of the Gu Huan Sect. Out of respect for him, he not only healed Zhang Heng’s broken legs but also felt a connection with this kid and agreed to take him as a disciple.”
“A blessing in disguise. Good.” Suddenly, Lin Dong began to understand why Fu Chunjian couldn’t control Master Zhang. Perhaps everyone in Xilan City had to show respect to Fu Chunjian, but twenty miles south of the city, there was still the Gu Huan Sect, which theoretically didn’t even have to respect the royal family.
Lin Dong couldn’t help but look back at the back door. Two sneaky little heads were peeking out. He strongly suspected that the Gu Huan Sect was after Tianhao.
A sect, and its head no less, had extremely strict requirements for taking in disciples, with talent being the most important. Claiming to take someone in because of a connection was the same as Fu Chunjian’s reason for always protecting Tianhao—it might work to deceive an honest person like the former, but not Lin Dong.
Master Zhang dismissed him with disdain, “You have no right to comment on whether it’s a blessing in disguise or not.”
“Go on!” Lin Dong replied indifferently.
Master Zhang frowned briefly before saying coldly, “My son has been spoiled since childhood and needs a servant to take care of him. Lin Tianhao may not have many skills, but he’s decent at fighting. As long as he’s willing to go and serve, I can overlook the past. If Lin Tianhao satisfies my Zhang Heng during the first month of observation, I’ll even pay you ten taels of silver per month. Of course, if he fails to satisfy them, I have the right to tell him to leave at any time.”
If bringing a servant were allowed when joining a sect, the sixth young master of the Yang family would have already brought the former along. Lin Dong sneered—this argument was full of flaws, and only ordinary people who knew nothing about sects would believe it.
“Does Tianhao having to be a servant mean we need to hide it from Dean Fu first? That way, if your Zhang Heng isn’t satisfied, Tianhao can still return to the academy.”
“That’s right!” Master Zhang’s face lit up. He had been wondering how to bring it up, but this kid actually brought it up on his own, with even better reasons than his own.
“I guess you plan to agree to Dean Fu’s reconciliation on the surface, and once you’ve stabilized him, you’ll come here with your people, right?”

Lin Dong’s eerie smile made Zhang Yuanwai feel uneasy. How did he know about this?
“Shopkeeper Lin, are you going to hand over the person or act as a lackey? Give me an answer now, or face the consequences!”
Recalling the information he had gathered about Lin Dong, Zhang Yuanwai grew bolder. According to that information, this Shopkeeper Lin would be terrified. With just one sentence like that, he might very well be scared into submission.
“Damn you!”
Zhang Yuanwai had long been annoyed by Lin Dong’s arrogance. Now that he understood the situation, Lin Dong had no intention of wasting words. He quickly grabbed a half-chair beside him and rushed out.