"Little Ce, perhaps you don't know this yet, but your adoptive father was once a scion of a prominent family in Yanjing. It was precisely because he adopted you that he was driven out of Yanjing!"
The moment Xu Huaishan spoke, he revealed a secret from the past.
Lin Ce was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
For all these years, this was the first time he learned that his adoptive father originally came from Yanjing, and that he had suffered such great trouble precisely because he adopted him.
However, Lin Ce's inner cultivation was as bright as the autumn moon, so his emotions did not fluctuate at all.
Seeing this, Xu Huaishan slowly continued:
"Twenty-five years ago, Zhou Pengju, myself, and your father were all scions of elite families in Yanjing. How illustrious we were back then! It was only because of that incident later on that we were forced to leave Yanjing and come to the South."
"That evening, we were returning from an outing in the suburbs and happened to pass by a small lake, where we saw an infant in the water. Your father was the most kind-hearted among us, so he resolved to adopt you."
"Never did we expect that because of this single matter, we would offend the most peerless man in Yanjing."
"Once that man tracked down your whereabouts, he flew into a thunderous rage and directly uprooted your adoptive father's family, leaving not a single branch intact."
"And your father, in order to preserve the last shred of hope, brought your eldest brother and you to seek refuge with us. It was with our help that your father managed to escape Yanjing."
"We originally thought Zhou Pengju and I would be safe, but that man was far too overbearing. He actually pulled strings to have the two of us expelled from our families, barred from ever returning to Yanjing for the rest of our lives."
"In the end, we fled in panic, following your father to Jiangnan. Although this trouble was brought upon by your father, Uncle Zhou and I have never blamed him. The three of us are friends for life."
Hearing this, Lin Ce's expression turned sorrowful.
He never imagined that back then, his father had paid such a heavy price in order to protect him.
Furthermore, from beginning to end, his adoptive father had treated him just like a biological son, no different at all from his eldest brother Lin Wen.
Thinking of this, Lin Ce slowly clenched his fists, and a towering murderous intent suddenly surged forth.
The murderous intent transformed into a rage capable of scorching the nine heavens!
"Uncle Xu, I want to know who on earth that person was who provoked my adoptive father back then?"
Xu Huaishan suddenly grew somewhat fearful and said in a low voice:
"Who that person is, even we do not know. I only know that his status is unimaginably high."
"However, I heard others address him as the Sovereign!"
"That man's power, status, and even his personal martial prowess—even looking across the whole of Huaxia, it is hard to find anyone who can match him. That man is truly the premier figure beneath the vault of heaven and above the solid earth."
"That is why I say, even though you now command the Northern Territory and hold the noble title of Dragon Head, dealing with that man will likely prove somewhat difficult."
Lin Ce's expression grew slightly stern, the chill in his eyes bursting forth like starlight.
"Sovereign? What kind of title is that?"
He considered himself well-traveled, yet among the many factions of Huaxia, he had never heard of any figure called the Sovereign.
Lin Ce had every reason to suspect that the tragedy of the Lin family must be inevitably linked to the incident that destroyed his adoptive father's family back then.
Although he could not yet know the full picture behind the scenes, Lin Ce believed that with his capabilities, finding that culprit was merely a matter of time.
Recalling how his adoptive father's family had ultimately all perished in order to protect him, Lin Ce felt a profound sense of guilt and self-blame.
"I never imagined that the origin of this matter was actually because of me—that I cut off the bloodline of the Lin family!"
"I have failed the Lin family!"
Lin Ce struck the wall with a punch, directly shattering it into spiderweb-like cracks.
Xu Huaishan shook his head and sighed repeatedly, but right at that moment, as if he had suddenly recalled something:
"No, Little Ce, if I remember correctly... the Lin family's bloodline has not been cut off!"
Lin Ce, who had been in the depths of sorrow, suddenly jerked his head up, his eyes fixed on Xu Huaishan like bolts of lightning.
"Uncle Xu, what do you mean by this?"
Xu Huaishan took a deep breath before slowly speaking:
"Your adoptive father actually had an illegitimate daughter!"
Chapter 21: An Out-of-Nowhere Younger Sister
Lin Ce was stunned for a moment.
He had thought the Lin family's bloodline was extinct, never expecting his adoptive father to have an illegitimate daughter.
"Uncle Xu, where is she now?"
This was the sole remaining bloodline of the Lin family; no matter what, Lin Ce had to find her and take good care of her!
"She should be in Zhonghai. Your father mentioned it to me once back then, but I don't know her exact location."
"All I know is that your father seemed to harbor guilt over this matter, feeling deeply apologetic toward the mother and daughter. I don't know anything beyond that."
Lin Ce nodded and said solemnly:
"Uncle Xu, if not for your help back then, I and my adoptive father's family would probably have long since perished in Yanjing."
"If there is ever anything Lin Ce can do for you in the future, Uncle Xu, just say the word."
After a few more words, Lin Ce prepared to take his leave.
Knowing Lin Ce still had many major matters to attend to, Xu Huaishan did not press him to stay.
Yet with Lin Ce's promise, Xu Huaishan knew for certain that henceforth, any difficulties the Xu family encountered would be resolved with Lin Ce's help.
This promise was worth more than anything else in the world.
"Little Ce, I know you are bent on revenge, but safety is more important. Unless absolutely necessary, do not go to Yanjing. Remember this, remember it well."
Lin Ce smiled slightly and said:
"Don't worry, Uncle Xu, I know what I'm doing."
With that, he had Qili leave her contact information behind before getting into a car and departing.
Inside the vehicle, Bahu asked in a muffled voice from the driver's seat:
"Dragon Head, where are we going?"
"Back to Zhonghai."
After a brief contemplation, Lin Ce added:
"Bahu, once we return, begin investigating the girl Uncle Xu mentioned. She is the last bloodline of the Lin family, and no matter what, we must find her."
"Understood, Dragon Head."
On the way back to Zhonghai, Lin Ce kept his eyes closed in feigned sleep.
In his mind, question after question surfaced.
Why had he become an abandoned child back then?
And what was his true identity?
Who on earth was the Sovereign? As the master of the Northern Territory, why had Lin Ce never even heard of him?
Since the Sovereign was held in such high esteem, why would he relentlessly hound an infant?
Mystery after mystery popped up, and all these enigmas pointed directly to Yanjing.
"It seems that after some time, it will be necessary to make a trip to Yanjing."
Lin Ce had spent all these years in the Northern Territory, only returning to the capital to report on his duties at the end of each year, taking no more than a few days round trip.
When it came to warfare, Lin Ce considered himself second to none.
Yet Yanjing had since ancient times been the imperial capital, the seat of royalty, teeming with aristocratic scions and prestigious noble houses.
Lin Ce had never cared much for such vanity fairs.
Even so, Lin Ce had no choice but to face the various factions of Yanjing.
Lin Ce currently had two plans: first, to flatten the Four Great Families of Zhonghai and help Beiyu Group dominate Zhonghai.
Then, to find the sole remaining bloodline of the Lin family, keeping her by his side or taking her to the Northern Territory for the utmost care.
Only after settling these matters would Lin Ce set foot in Yanjing to seek answers.
Two hours later, the group returned to Zhonghai.
It was already dusk by the time they got back.
Lin Ce went straight back to No. 1 Villa on Longyun Mountain, ascended to the second floor, and did not come out again.
Ye Xiangsi had seen it more than once: the moment Lin Ce returned, he would sit cross-legged in meditation inside his room.
In her heart, Ye Xiangsi had silently given Lin Ce a nickname: the Meditation Maniac.
The next morning, after the family finished breakfast, Lin Ce and Ye Xiangsi took a car to the auction venue.
In the car, Ye Xiangsi looked increasingly ill at ease, stealing sideways glances at Lin Ce.
Yet she found that Lin Ce was looking straight ahead, showing not a shred of tension.
"Little Ce, do you know who the Chu Family and the Huang family have each sent to participate in this auction?"
Interested, Lin Ce asked, "Who?"
Ye Xiangsi smiled bitterly; she had known Lin Ce hadn't prepared. If he knew who the Chu and Huang families had dispatched, he probably wouldn't be so calm.
"The Huang family has sent Huang Xiaotian."
"In Zhonghai, there is truly no one who hasn't heard of Huang Xiaotian. This man is the younger brother of Huang Qiaochu, the eldest son of the Huang family. He is ruthless at heart and stops at nothing to achieve his goals."
Since childhood, this man had possessed the physiognomy of a wolf looking back over its shoulder, and the Huang family could do nothing with him.
Fortunately, with his help, the Huang family had risen in just a few short years from a second-tier family to become one of the Four Great Families of Zhonghai.
That could be considered as outweighing his faults.
"Huang Xiaotian... What kind of nobody is that? Never heard of him."
Lin Ce stated simply and directly.
Veins popped on Ye Xiangsi's forehead before she continued, "Then you must certainly have heard of the person from the Chu Family: Chu Xinyi."
At the mention of this name, Lin Ce's expression actually flickered slightly.
Chu Xinyi had been his high school classmate, and moreover, the object of his unrequited crush back then.
At the time, Lin Ce had treated Zhou Peipei like a younger sister while being infatuated with the precocious Chu Xinyi.
Yet his confession before parting ways back then had been publicly read out by Chu Xinyi in front of all the teachers and students.
And Lin Ce had become the target of her mockery in front of countless people.
Come to think of it, the Chu Family was already one of the Four Great Families back then, whereas the Lin family had just barely made a name for itself in Zhonghai.
How could the eldest miss of the Chu Family ever take a fancy to an ordinary scion of a wealthy family?
"Chu Xinyi is twenty-six this year. After graduating high school, she went abroad to study. She is extremely adept at reading people's expressions and is shrewd to the extreme. Before you even realize it, you'll find yourself caught in her traps."
"Under Chu Xinyi's leadership over the years, the Chu Family has securely held the throne as the premier family of Zhonghai, and Chu Xinyi is deeply valued by the Chu clan, who have always groomed her as their successor."
Lin Ce tapped his fingers lightly, his expression turning somewhat colder as a shred of murderous intent burst forth.
"Regardless of whether it's the Huang family or the Chu Family, since they both participated, I won't let a single one of them go."
Ye Xiangsi couldn't help shrinking her delicate body; the murderous intent released by Lin Ce was not something a weak woman like her could endure.
"Little Ce, what are you planning? You aren't going to deal with them like you did with the Zhao family, right at the auction—"
"Originally I had that intention, but now, I plan to first make them spit out ten or a hundred times over all the wealth they swallowed from the Lin family."
"Little Ce, we came here to auction land, not to rob houses. This auction is spearheaded by the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Committee; you absolutely cannot be as reckless as before," Ye Xiangsi expressed anxiously.
Based on the methods Lin Ce had displayed over the past few days following his return, almost every scenario she could imagine was filled with bloodshed.
Lin Ce smiled with inscrutable depth. "I have my own plans."
Meanwhile, Qili, holding the investigated documents in her hand, thought to herself:
The Dragon Head possesses far more than heaven-defying martial might. If it were only that, how would he differ from a reckless brute, and how could he command the entire Northern Territory?
Next, let's just sit back and watch how the Chu and Huang families lose their armies and suffer losses on all fronts.
Chapter 22: The Geniuses of the Chu and Huang Families
Soon, the group arrived at the auction venue.
The auction was held inside an upscale club, and those who came today were all wealthy and influential figures of Zhonghai.
A dignified beauty in a qipao led Lin Ce and Ye Xiangsi into the hall.
Inside, quite a crowd had already gathered.
Lin Ce and Ye Xiangsi arrived at the front row and took their seats.
Right at that moment, Lin Ce noticed a young man in a black suit sitting not far to his right, casting a malicious gaze at his way.
The man's eyes were mocking, and a smirk hung on the corners of his lips, though no matter how one looked at it, those lips carried a hint of a bloodthirsty flavor.
"That is Huang Xiaotian," Ye Xiangsi whispered.
Huang Xiaotian lingered on Lin Ce for only a few seconds before shifting his gaze to Ye Xiangsi.
"Beauty Ye, the last time we met was at your and Lin Wen's wedding banquet. What a pity the Lin family's fortunes turned foul. I wonder, what does it taste like to be a widow?"
Hearing this, Ye Xiangsi's pretty face suddenly turned frosty. "Huang Xiaotian, this is an auction. Please mind your language!"
"Heh, so what if I don't?"
In whatever Huang Xiaotian did, he had always been unbridled and utterly devoid of scruples.
"This person beside you must be the Lin family's adopted son, right? Not bad, just returned to Zhonghai and you're already making quite a stir."
Although Huang Xiaotian said this, anyone could hear the extreme contempt in his tone.
Beiyu Group had been taken back, and Zhao Hongguang had also met a sudden, violent end; to outsiders, these matters seemed somewhat baffling.
Yet Huang Xiaotian was not surprised in the least. When all was said and done, Lin Ce was merely a soldier turned ruffian.
An incompetent piece of trash like Zhao Hongguang couldn't even handle a military ruffian, truly bringing shame to the Four Great Families of Zhonghai.
Lin Ce gave Huang Xiaotian a faint glance.
"I hear you were also present at the wedding banquet." Two beams of cold light shot from Lin Ce's eyes.
Huang Xiaotian felt as though he had been struck by an electric shock, actually trembling all over. This man's gaze was simply too terrifying.
It felt as though it came from someone who had crawled out of a pile of corpses, filled with icy chills and a baleful aura.
Even so, casting a glance at his several robust bodyguards, he let out a mocking laugh.
"So what if I was? Kid, I am no trash like Zhao Hongguang; you'd better not test my patience."
"Otherwise, right here in Zhonghai, I'll make sure you don't live to see tomorrow's sun!"
Huang Xiaotian operated with tyrannical methods; while wearing the veneer of a businessman, his tactics were far more ruthless than those of underworld figures.
This was blatantly an open threat.
Thinking of this, Huang Xiaotian suddenly smiled and said:
"How about I point out a bright path for you? Take your sister-in-law, obediently crawl out of Zhonghai, and give birth to a few big fat babies—wouldn't that be blissful?"
"You..."
Anger surged onto Ye Xiangsi's pretty face; for Huang Xiaotian to utter such words was utterly despicable.
Lin Ce also narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, "Go, slap his mouth."
"Understood!"
With a cold expression, Qili walked step by step toward Huang Xiaotian.
Huang Xiaotian's eyes lit up as he watched a voluptuous beauty with a cold demeanor walk toward him.
In terms of appearance, she was not a whit inferior to Ye Xiangsi, especially the heroic and dashing aura about her, which gave him a completely fresh sensation.
Such beauties were truly rare.
"Beauty, how can I hel—"
Crack!
Before Huang Xiaotian could finish speaking, Qili delivered a fierce, heavy slap straight across his face.
Huang Xiaotian staggered and nearly tumbled off his stool, five bright red fingerprint marks instantly appearing on his right cheek.
For a split second, Huang Xiaotian was completely dumbfounded.
He found it hard to believe that anyone in Zhonghai actually dared to hit him!
Pointing a venomous finger at Lin Ce, he yelled angrily, "Bastard, you dared let this woman hit me? This is an auction!"
"Heh, so what if it is?"
Lin Ce returned that exact sentence verbatim to Huang Xiaotian.
And he threw in an extra sentence for good measure.
"If you wish to continue courting death, I don't mind obliging you right now. Only, letting you die just like that would be letting you off a bit too easily."
Tensions were hair-trigger, neither side yielding an inch.
Huang Xiaotian never expected Lin Ce to be arrogant to this degree.
Just as he was about to order his bodyguards to move, a woman leading a group of people stepped into the hall.
The moment she entered, she captured the gazes of the majority present.
She wore a sweeping long dress that left her chest dazzlingly fair, and every gesture of hers carried an indescribable aristocratic aura.
That pretty face seemed favored by the heavens, possessing a charming and alluring beauty.
Her mesmerizing eyes were like rippling autumn waves, making some men dare not even meet her gaze.
"Huang Xiaotian, you're still as vulgar as ever, without even looking at what occasion today is."
Chu Xinyi smiled faintly and took a seat not far from Huang Xiaotian.
"Chu Xinyi, don't stand there talking without hurting, hmph, our opponent has already appeared."
Huang Xiaotian cast a venomous glance in Lin Ce's direction.
An opponent?
What a joke, relying on a naive kid who had groveled at her pomegranate skirt eight years ago?
With a smiling curve to her lips, Chu Xinyi also looked over at Lin Ce.
Lin Ce's gaze met hers head-on.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Chu Xinyi furrowed her brow slightly.
With ordinary men holding her gaze for three seconds, Chu Xinyi could generally see right through seventy or eighty percent of them.
Yet facing Lin Ce, she couldn't see through him at all.
"Old classmate, haven't seen you in years, you've certainly changed a lot." Chu Xinyi still appeared supremely noble, as if standing above everyone else.
Lin Ce was completely unmoved; he no longer cared about the past events at all, dismissing them merely as the wild folly of youth.
Furthermore, the family of the woman before him had participated in the assassination of the Lin family.
On that single point alone, the two of them were already standing on opposite sides.
"Indeed it's been a few years. When I have time, I'll surely find you to reminisce and ask you about a few things," Lin Ce replied indifferently.
For some reason, Chu Xinyi always felt that the Lin Ce of the present was a completely different person from the Lin Ce of the past.
Yet precisely where the change lay, she couldn't pinpoint for the moment.
Before long, the auction commenced.
The host on stage began introducing the first plot of land, located in the eastern district, with a starting bid of 600 million.
When the host announced the bidding, the scene turned briefly chilling.
600 million! Those capable of participating in this auction were probably limited to just a handful of families.
Yet Chu Xinyi, Huang Xiaotian, and a few other qualified buyers all kept their composure.
None of them called out a bid right away.
Ye Xiangsi actually wasn't all that nervous, because in her view, no matter what, Lin Ce wouldn't bid on this first plot.
600 million was merely the starting price.
And how much money could Lin Ce possibly have in his hands—100 million? Or 200 million?
Lin Ce smiled faintly and said, "Since neither the Chu nor the Huang family dares to bid, then my Beiyu Group will not stand on ceremony."
"However, once I place a bid, you won't even get a chance."
Just as the host began counting down, Lin Ce calmly raised his bidding paddle.
"1.2 billion."
Chapter 23: Unqualified?
Holy crap!