"He is the grandson of a friend who has just passed away," madam Lin replied.
"Why is he here?"
"Because I invited him."
"Sister, you shouldn't pick up stray dogs like this. Our clan is not an orphanage," Lin Fong glanced at Amon, expecting the kid to show anger or dissatisfaction. However, what he saw were indifference and coldness.
As he was about to add another insult, a voice made him turn. "Auntie, I've just breakthrough into the Strength stage! All thanks to the Strength pill that you gave me."
A teenage boy came in with a wide grin. He was slightly plump and looked eager to show off his improvement. He stopped when he noticed Amon, and uttered, "what's a straggler doing here. Where are our guards? How could they let anyone enter this place?"
"Hehe, well said, nephew Zuyi," Lin Fong
Before Madam Lin could respond, they heard a commotion from the entrance. Lin Guo arrived with the other guards while holding someone in their arms. It was Wei Feng, the young master of the Wei clan.
Amon was impressed by Lin Guo's effectiveness. He and the madam had just arrived in Lin estate and they had already managed to capture the young master this swift. Although of course, they had been traveling at high speed using their cultivations, while the madam and he had been traveling leisurely in the carriage. But to be able to capture Wei Feng with this speed, meaning they had already known where this young master was located.
Wei Feng was brought to his knees inside the main hall, facing Madam Lin. His face was full of confusion and fear.
"What is this?" Lin Fong asked.
Ignoring his brother's question, Madam Lin asked the bound Wei Feng, "Do you know your sin?"
"I… I have no idea what this is all about. Madam Lin, if I have offended you in any way, please know that it is unintentional. Allow me to show my sincerity in expressing an apology."
Although the Wei clan was in cahoots with the Lin clan's rival, the Lei clan, it didn't mean that they could offend the Lin clan as they like. Their Wei clan was only a medium clan in the city. Unless the Lei clan fully assisted them, they won't be able to withstand the Lin clan's assault. Hence, Wei Feng acted with deference to Madam Lin.
Wei Feng knew that he just needed to make sure he survived long enough until his family got news of his capture and came to demand his release. Better even if they involved the Lei clan in this. If the Lei clan demanded his release, he doubted the Lin clan would blatantly refuse unless they wanted to go into open conflict. That's why he was resolved to just say anything to appease the Madam's ire until his clan came, even though he didn't understand the reason for her ire.
He was regretful that he was not with his clan when the Lin people came for him, he was having his fun in the brothel. Otherwise, the Lin people wouldn't have so easily taken him away.
"Apology? How do you plan to express your apology over thirteen lives?" Madam Lin asked coldly.
"Thirteen lives?" Wei Feng asked, baffled.
"You are still planning to deny?" Lin Guo, who was holding him down, uttered. "The thirteen lives of the Hei family, all butchered just because they denied Hei Xilia from you!"
"What…?" Wei Feng was lost for words. "They died…?"
"Still planning to act dumb?" Lin Guo tightened his grip, which caused pain to course through Wei Feng's body.
He cringed but still struggled to speak, "Wa–wait...! I truly do not know about this incident! Hei Xilia was promised to me and she will be mine by next week. They didn't deny her hands to me…!"
"Do not try to refute, we have a witness here," Madam Lin said.
"Wi–witness…?"
Madam Lin pointed at Amon, "you never expect that you miss one person in your nefarious act now, do you? If your accomplice, Hei Ning, has had the guts to look at her handiwork, perhaps this kid wouldn't have escaped your deed as well."
Wei Feng looked in Amon's direction. He was confused at first, as if trying to recollect where he had seen the kid before. Then his eyes went wide with realization. "You… You are the brat in the Hei house…"
"That he is," Madam Lin said. "You thought you have got everyone now, did you? You look pretty surprised to see him here."
"N–no! I mean, I did see him before in Hei people's house. It's not that I'm surprised to see him alive. I'm simply surprised to have seen him here in the Lin clan..."
"Enough!" Madam Lin yelled, which prompted Lin Guo to send another painful grip on Wei Feng's body. "If you dare to act, then you should be brave enough to admit it! A coward like you disgust me! Probably that Hei Ning who you used has been disposed of somewhere else, haven't you?"
"No… no… That's not…"
"You should know that Hei Pho of the Hei clan is a friend of mine. Not only do you dare to butcher the family of my friend. You even have the atrocity to do it inside the Lin clan's turfs. Your atrocity is unforgivable. If we let you free, people will think our Lin clan is afraid of your Wei clan."
"No, madam… please! You have to believe me! I truly am not involved in what happened to the Hei clan…"
"Hmph! Enough with your whining. Kill him!" Madam Lin uttered.
"No, no, no!" Wei Feng cried out when he heard the command.
"Sister, wait!" Lin Fong called out. He then approached Madam Lin and whispered, "If you kill him, both their clan and the Lei clan will come looking for trouble…"
"Are you afraid of them?" Madam Lin said to him, not bothering to lower her voice.
"Of course not," Lin Fong replied. "It's just why do we need the unnecessary trouble. At least let's try to investigate the case further…"
"I have a witness and proofs of his gifts to his collaborator, what's more to investigate?" Madam Lin said. "Letting him live will just show people that someone else can trample upon our Lin clan's dignity. Or are you saying the Lei clan can freely have their people do whatever they like in our turfs?"
"Of course not, I just…"
"Speak no more!" Madam Lin cut him off before turning back to Wei Feng. "Kill him!" She gave the order again. Lin Guo was just about to crack the poor guy's skull when another shout stopped him.
"Wait!"
Everyone turned to the source of the voice and was looking puzzlingly at Amon.
Lin Fong was the first to regain his composure and scolded, "A brat like you have no right to say anything. Just be quiet and stand aside!"
Amon completely ignored him and strode towards Madam Lin. He then said to her, "If his life is to be taken, I demand to do it myself. To appease the souls of those he had murdered, I believe my family will like me to be the one who enacts vengeance upon their murderer."
Everyone was taken aback, including Madam Lin. Amon looked no more than six years old, but he was already asking to take another human's life? Even Lin Zuyi, the plump nephew of Madam Lin, who was currently fifteen years of age, had not taken a life. He had taken the lives of spirit beasts before, but not human life. It was still another year before he was allowed to go out with the others to gather real-life combat experience in a mission against other cultivators. Now this kid who was not half his age talking about killing a man, how could anyone take it seriously?
"You homeless brat. Do you get off from acting tough?" Lin Zuyi scolded. "Just go back and drink milk. This is an issue for grown-ups!"
Amon ignored Lin Zuyi's ramblings as well. His eyes stared unblinking at Madam Lin. He originally didn't expect the Madam to decide on taking Wei Feng's life. He thought that she would give him a couple of beatings as punishment and then let him go. But since the death sentence had been given, Amon would not let the chance go.
Madam Lin was feeling some strange emotion in her. She could feel the resolution from Amon's stare. She knew the boy was not kidding. She knew he truly wanted to be the one that carried out the punishment.
After a moment of consideration, Madam Lin said, "all right, go ahead."
Amon gave a bow and said, "Thank you, ma'am." He then strutted to where Wei Feng was.
"You little liar! How dare you slander me. Wait till my family gets to you, you will not wish that you are alive!" Wei Feng threw threats at Amon. He had no reservation about the kid as Amon was a nobody.
"Brat, don't underestimate a cultivator," Lin Guo said when Amon approached. "Even though his strength is repressed by my aura, he is still a peak Strength stage cultivator. His body is not something that someone who just entered the cultivation way can pierce through. You don't expect me to just keep holding him here as you endlessly try to hack him to death now, do you?"
"No need," Amon said. "Just a few seconds will be enough."