As Lin Chen approached his sect, the many outer sect disciples he passed looked on with renewed terror.
A single word of disagreement caused a family to be slaughtered.
What a cruel man!
And, crucially, Elder Zhao's death was linked to him as well.
Who would dare to provoke him?
They'd be courting death!
Liu Yuan had gone to the Zhao family to investigate.
They had all died gruesomely in their homes, over twenty of them!
Had they not known the Zhao family's history of evil deeds that warranted their demise, witnessing the annihilation of the entire family would have been distressing.
"He was too ruthless," Liu Yuan thought with a complicated sigh, his eyes heavy.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, who would have believed that an eighteen-year-old boy was responsible for this?
How heartless must one be to treat human life with such disregard?
After leaving the Zhao family, Liu Yuan planned to head to Da Cang Kingdom to investigate the Lin family's annihilation.
There was no other way, after all. The sect leader was now in seclusion, leaving all matters, great and small, to the inner sect elders.
As for Lin Chen's brutal murder of the Zhao family, while ruthless, it was not against the rules.
Liu Yuan had no desire to become embroiled in it, but with so many people in the sect, they could not quell the rumors without a thorough investigation.
Since the sect leader had delegated his authority, everything must be clarified!
This investigation trip to Da Cang Kingdom took three days.
Upon his return, Liu Yuan was so incensed that he went straight to Lin Chen's residence.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Liu Yuan pounded on the door, his face flushed with anger.
The arduous and dusty journey had led to a startling revelation!
This fellow, who seemed honest and kind, was unexpectedly so merciless.
When Lin Chen opened the door to see Liu Yuan, he quickly tried to silence him. "Elder Liu, my sister has just gone to bed. If you have something to say, let's step outside."
"Hmph, let's see what excuses you come up with now," Liu Yuan snorted.
They left the courtyard and entered a secluded bamboo grove.
"Elder Liu, hasn't the matter been settled? Why seek me out in such anger?" Lin Chen asked with a feign of confusion, scratching his head.
"Pretend, go on pretending!"
Liu Yuan took a deep breath and asked in a cold voice, "Let me ask you again, how do you explain the annihilation of the Zhao family?"
"Explain? Elder Liu, I've already made it clear. Elder Zhao was a sinister man bent on revenge. When he learned of my ties to the Lin family of Da Cang Kingdom, he took action and slaughtered my family!"
Lin Chen's voice trembled slightly, and he looked as if he was in deep pain. "And I, an unremarkable inner disciple with no talent or support... What could I do against such a ruthless and evil Elder Zhao? My family was slaughtered, dozens of them, with no one to seek justice for their deaths!"
As he spoke, Lin Chen's voice grew louder and his emotions more intense.
"My parents passed away early, and everyone in the family treated me as their own. After slaughtering them all, Elder Zhao even cut off the heads of my family elders and presented them to me! He threatened me ruthlessly. What could I, an inner disciple with no power, do in such a situation?"
By the end, Lin Chen was on the verge of tears.
"That's enough!"
Liu Yuan's scalp tingled.
Where had this boy learned his acting skills?
Had Liu Yuan not been stubborn and insisted on investigating in Da Cang Kingdom himself, he would have been deceived by this façade.
"Lin Chen, I went to Fanyun City to investigate. You had long since broken ties with your family! You killed the two sons of family elder Lin Hongbin, and the entire family considered you an enemy. That is why you betrayed them!"
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth as he spoke, each word sharp.
Lin Chen was momentarily stunned to learn of Elder Liu's extensive investigation that led him to Da Cang Kingdom.
However, he quickly recovered and responded, "Despite later being treated poorly and facing numerous assassination attempts, I never turned against them. In essence, we remained a loving family!"
"How shameless!"
Liu Yuan was furious.
"Elder Liu, Elder Zhao annihilated my entire family, and I retaliated in kind. Is that wrong?"
Lin Chen asked with confidence.
"Yes, but the Lin family was your sworn enemy. Given your vengeful nature, they would have been killed by you sooner or later, even if Elder Zhao had not done so, is that not true?"
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth and spoke in a deep voice.
"That does not alter the fact that he annihilated my entire family!"
Lin Chen's expression remained steadfast. "And I retaliated in kind. What's wrong with that?"
"Of the twenty or so people you killed, two were not members of the Zhao family. They were simply guests that day!"
Liu Yuan took a step forward and said aggressively, "You indiscriminately killed innocent people. Do you not deserve punishment?"
His intention was not to convict Lin Chen but to vent his anger after being outsmarted twice by this boy.
"The Zhao family has committed numerous evil deeds. How can anyone who willingly visits them despite knowing their ways be considered a good person? They are a nest of vipers!"
Lin Chen argued plausibly. "I have killed only the guilty, and I have a clear conscience. But my family was innocent. Elder Zhao annihilated my entire family, so what is wrong with me seeking revenge?"
His logic was unyielding: regardless of what you say, my Lin family was wiped out by Elder Zhao!
"You... you boy..."
Liu Yuan's vision blurred in anger.
How could there be such a barefaced liar!
With this revenge, you not only got away with it but also eliminated two enemies.
It was a brilliant move!
You have clearly taken advantage of the situation, yet you still act aggrieved.
This bastard, he truly deserves a beating.
"Sigh."
Liu Yuan finally regained his composure.
He sighed and said quietly, "Lin Chen, I understand that you have faced many hardships, but you must be cautious not to harm the innocent or stray from the right path. Your current mindset is truly dangerous!"
To put it bluntly, Liu Yuan was simply being stubborn and had no intention of punishing Lin Chen.
This move was merely to appease the other sect disciples.
On the contrary, he was very optimistic about Lin Chen!
He had wanted to take Lin Chen as his disciple on the first day he entered the sect.
However, Su Yuwei had refused his request.
"Thank you, Elder Liu, for discerning right from wrong and granting me justice," Lin Chen said with clasped hands, looking solemn.
"Alright, stop this act in front of me. I might not be able to resist slapping you!"
Liu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "From now on, this matter is closed."
After leaving the bamboo grove, Liu Yuan returned to his quarters, sat at his desk, and thought long and hard. He finally recorded the incident in the files.
Regardless of the complex causes and consequences, it all boiled down to one simple sentence:
An inner sect disciple avenged the extermination of their family!