"Grandpa, this is the very dog I like," Donghai Lin said, pointing at the white puppy in Lin Yin's embrace.
"No!" Lin Yin, the five-year-old boy, wailed aloud. "No, not my Mie-Mie. Wah..wah..wah!"
"Yin Er, stop. Men of Lin aren't allowed to cry… Aren't you ashamed even a bit in front of your brothers and sisters? You're already five and soon ready to do the Heart Root Test*." Patriarch Lin Ren said with a kind tone.
"Yes, don't be such a crybaby. Aren't you big enough to cry like that just over a puppy?" Donghai Lin jumped into the conversation.
Patriarch Lin Ren made an awkward smile and said, even with a gentler tone: "Yin Er, what about this? Your little brother, Lin Donghai, is just a year old. So, why don't you give the puppy under his care? And… and as compensation, I'll give you 5 mortal rank 1 Blood Vessel Cleansing pills* plus a low-level Yellow Grade Martial Offensive Technique*."
On hearing that, all the boys and girls below the podium had envious expressions written all over their faces. And they were screaming in their head to take the offer.
Clap! Clap!...
The one-year-old boy sitting on the luxurious chair which was disproportionate to his body clapped his little hands and said, "Grandpa is so generous."
He then turned to Lin Yin and further added with his naïve, sweet voice: "Cousin Lin Yin, don't let this opportunity slip away or you'll repent. This is your biggest gain. And in addition, if you continue acting like a crybaby, then sooner everyone here will treat you like a spoiled brat from the Lin Noble Family. So, now can you bring my puppy here?"
Everyone glanced at him with the look that you are the spoiled one.
The five-year-old, Lin Yin, seemed to have been influenced a bit by their words. But, when he glanced down at the white puppy, he yelled with a firm tone: "No, Mie-Mie is mine."
Old patriarch Donghai Ren sighed once again and signaled Captain Wu Yin to bring the puppy.
The tall man who was clad in heavy metal armor walked down to the podium and approached Lin Yin who was now hiding behind her mother and said in his icy crisp voice, "Young Master Lin Yin, can you please pass the puppy to me?"
"No!"
"Then forgive me. I still have to follow the patriarch's order." Captain Wu Yin said, and he suddenly appeared beside Lin Yin and snatched the puppy away from him. After that, he hurriedly walked up to the podium and passed the little white puppy to the patriarch.
Immediately before the old patriarch handed Donghai Lin the puppy, a loud yell from the podium halted his actions.
"Father, this is not fair!"
Upon glancing, Donghai Lin realized the shout was coming from his first uncle Lin Zhou, the father of the currently crying Lin Yin.
Lin Yin cried even louder when his father voiced out in favor.
"Lin Zhou, you are my firstborn. So, let me say this one last time. Don't you ever use that tone on me? You get me, boy?" Patriarch Lin Ren's voice thundered.
Lin Zhou quickly knelt over the ground and said while he kowtowed, "This child has made a mistake. Please, accept my kowtow as my sincere apology."
Bang! Bang!...
He hit himself very hard on the floor, which was made from some kind of hardest stones and blood came oozing out from his forehead. At that moment, his youngest son, Lin Yin, finally halted his cry.
"Alright-alright, I accept your apology. So, can you stop making a scene here?" Old Patriarch Lin Ren said, waving his hands as he sighed, and consequently making his first son stop his kowtows.
He said with a calm tone, "Lin Zhou, you are a wise man, which I always look up to. So, think about this. Even though this seems a lot unfair to Yin Er, in actual cases, it's the best for him. He's already five, and he has already completed Muscle Refining* and he will need the five pills I mentioned earlier for breaking the Blood Vessel Refining phase*… Let's end this matter here. And Lin Zhou teaches Yin Er, our family's code of conduct, to be a real man. At this rate, he will become a wimp."
He then turned to his people and announced, "Everyone dismissed!"
"Wait!" Donghai Lin said just after Patriarch Lin ended his speech.
'Oh, what now?' Patriarch Lin Ren screamed in his head in frustration. Today, in order to please Donghai Lin and just for just a puppy, a lot of unexpected events turned up. So, naturally, he felt so frustrated.
"Dong Er, do you have anything to add?" Patriarch Lin asked.
"Grandpa, thinking about what the first uncle has said earlier. I totally agree with him. It's unfair to take something that has already belonged to Cousin Lin Yin. And I can't help either as I like it too." Donghai Lin said.
"So?"
"And if I hold on to this puppy like this, then I'll always have a guilty conscience in my mind. So, in order to make this fair. What about this? I'll challenge Cousin Lin Yin to a friendly spar and the winner will get the puppy. And I have heard from my father that this has always been the custom of our Lin Family's men." Donghai Lin suggested. "So, what did you think?"
"No, Dong Er, you are just a one-year-old who has just learned to walk and talk recently. And your cousin has already cultivated for years and even perfected the muscle refining phase*." Xuan Xuan interjected from the crowd.
"Sorry, ma! This is Lin's way and I have to follow it." Lin Donghai denied her politely and then he craned his head at Lin Yin and said, taunting him. "Cousin Lin Yin, I challenge you to have a fair fight. Are you still going to cry and hide just like a giant baby behind your mama's skirt?"
Lin Yin jumped up and shouted, "Okay, I accept your challenge. But, for trying to steal my Mie-Mie, I'll teach you an excellent lesson." He said while raising his fist at Donghai Lin.
In the glances of everyone besides Xuan Xuan, Patriarch Lin noticed everyone had a relaxed expression on their faces. So, he made a wry smile and announced his decision, "Alright, since Yin Er accepts Dong Er's friendly duel. Then let them spar and the winner takes the puppy and… and in case whatever the result, I'll still give the pills and the cultivation technique to Yin Er."
Then, space was cleared quickly, and two boys were standing as they were about to fight.
"Begin!" Patriarch Yin yelled.
The much shorter Donghai Lin stood still with his hand folded behind him.
While Lin Yin did various body exercises in the way he trained, bringing out all the power within his body.
On seeing that, the crowd cheered his name and some of them even yelled openly to rough up Donghai Lin.
Then he dashed toward Donghai Lin and punched his fist at his chest.
But, suddenly, in the next scene, the people became pin-drop silent when they saw Donghai Lin's little pinky finger stop Lin Yin's fist.
"Cousin Lin Yin, hmm (sign!). You are so weak. So, why don't you eat the pills Grandpa promised and come again? For now, you don't have the luxury to raise a puppy." Donghai Lin said. Then he raised his feet, reached out his other hand, and flicked at his forehead.
Pak!
Lin Yin was sent hovering back and landed after a few feet.
"Ouch! Ouch-ouch-ouch, it hurts!" He sat up and began wailing once again as he caressed his forehead and his behind.
Donghai Lin scuttled toward him, reached into his pocket, and took out a candy stick. He then placed it on Lin Yin's lap and said, "There, there, don't cry. Here is candy for you."
Following that, he approached the podium, took the white puppy, bowed to Patriarch Lin, and hurried toward his house. And in front of everyone's mesmerizing eyes, he took out another two candies from inside his pocket. He put one to the puppy's mouth and the other inside his mouth and walked away as if none of the things here had anything to do with him anymore.
"I'm sorry to hit my cousin like that… But at least I give him my favorite candy." He whispered and walked away.