As Hu Yu spoke, Lin Long's expression immediately darkened, and he bellowed, "How dare you!" The sound of the command echoed through the room as he stood up in anger.
Lin Long, a mid-level innate expert, unleashed a surge of pressure that made it hard for anyone in the room to breathe.
"Bow down and apologize!" Lin Long's aura focused entirely on Hu Yu.
With such overwhelming force, any average post-heaven practitioner would have likely fallen to their knees. However, Hu Yu didn't even flinch, let alone bow.
To Hu Yu, Lin Long's authority seemed almost laughable—no different than a common farmer by the side of the road. After all, even the servants guarding his family's celestial palace could wipe out this entire city by themselves.
But since Lin Long was his nominal father-in-law, Hu Yu refrained from saying much. Besides, Lin Long wouldn't dare to truly act against him.
"Such an arrogant junior!" Lin Long's gaze turned cold.
"Clan leader, Hu Yu must be punished severely! Otherwise, the family laws will be meaningless!" Lin Yuan, seizing the opportunity, was eager to fan the flames. The more he looked at Hu Yu, the more displeased he became. Besides being slightly better looking than him, what other worth did Hu Yu have? Why did he steal my Cui'er?
Lin Yuan, with his limited intelligence, likely hadn't figured out the true purpose of the political marriage, but his anger was still palpable.
With tension rising, Lin Cui narrowed her eyes and told Hu Yu, "If you don't want to die, kneel now."
Yet Hu Yu didn't even spare her a glance. Turning to Lin Yuan, he said coldly, "Shut your mouth. It's not your turn to speak."
Lin Yuan sneered, "Just a worthless son-in-law, you really think you're someone important?"
Hu Yu ignored him, turning to face Lin Long instead. "Lin Long, your family has your rules, and my family has ours."
"No matter what rules you have, I know my father taught me since childhood: a man kneels to heaven and earth, and to his parents! So I won't kneel to you. If you can't accept that, I'll give Cui'er a divorce letter, and from that moment on, our families will be done."
"You!!" Lin Long was furious. "Today, I'll teach you what respect really means, on behalf of your father, Li Zhen!"
Hu Yu was completely unfazed. "Then let me show you what it means to make the world your home."
Lin Long was momentarily speechless.
Hu Yu's words made it clear that if Lin Long tried to act against him, he would simply leave the family. As for what the Liu family would do, Hu Yu wasn't concerned.
Madam Gu Lin gently tugged at Lin Long's sleeve. "Husband, don't lose face in front of the juniors. This boy is not simple. He seems to understand the real reason behind this marriage."
"Hmph," Lin Long reluctantly sat back down.
The meeting ended with no further incident, but Hu Yu decided to go to the back mountains to find a quiet place where he could work on detoxifying himself and start his training. His time was running out—if he remembered correctly, the Liu family was planning something against both the Lin and Li families in just over a month.
Later, Hu Yu arrived at the edge of the forest. It was the outskirts, so he didn't have to worry about encountering any dangerous beasts. This area was also a common place for the locals to gather herbs, so it was relatively safe.
"Looks like a few pests have followed me."
As he walked, Hu Yu kept an eye on the grass by the roadside. Suddenly, a rustling sound caught his attention. Three figures appeared from the bushes and surrounded him.
The one standing closest to Hu Yu was Lin Yuan.
"Hu Yu, the clan leader won't touch you, but I'll handle you myself," Lin Yuan said, cracking his knuckles, clearly relishing the moment. He wore the expression of someone who thought Hu Yu was beneath him, like an ant on the ground.
"You just stand there, Young Master Yuan. Don't dirty your hands, we'll take care of it," said the other two.
"No, I want to teach him a lesson myself," Lin Yuan shook his head.
The other two nodded in agreement, eager to curry favor with Lin Yuan. They saw this as a golden opportunity to climb the ranks.
The three were all in the middle stage of post-heaven cultivation, so fighting them would be tricky for Hu Yu in his current state.
After a moment's consideration, Hu Yu raised his voice, "Lin Yuan, if you want to take a shot at me, make sure you know your limits. Do you really think Lin Long doesn't fear my father?"
Lin Yuan's anger was dampened slightly by this response. It made things a bit tricky—he still wanted to teach Hu Yu a lesson, but he didn't dare make a move.
Just as Lin Yuan ground his teeth, preparing to leave, a voice came from behind him. "Young Master Yuan, you just watch. Leave the fighting to us."
These two were Lin Yuan's illegitimate half-brothers. They planned to seize this opportunity to please him, thinking that any small sacrifice now would be worth it for future rewards.
"Fine. When the job's done, you'll be well rewarded."
Lin Yuan was pleased and turned back to Hu Yu. "Kneel down, call me 'Grandfather', then go back and apologize to the clan leader. You still have a chance."
Hu Yu smiled faintly and mocked, "You really haven't got a brain, have you? You think after all this, Lin Long will believe me or you?"
"Do you really think my father will trust an outsider?" Lin Yuan shot back.
Hu Yu laughed twice, "And you really think my father would trust you?"
Lin Yuan's smile froze, finally realizing that if anything happened to Hu Yu, whether or not Lin Yuan had laid a hand on him, both would be in serious trouble. Furious, Lin Yuan slapped the two illegitimate brothers to the ground. "Useless fools, always coming up with stupid ideas."
"Hu Yu, just you wait. Don't think Li Zhen will protect you forever."
Lin Yuan, deeply frustrated, stormed off, with his two half-brothers trailing behind, their faces bruised.
"Heh, before my rebirth, I had no real dealings with this guy. Looks like I've underestimated things," Hu Yu muttered as he gazed at the lush forest, his expression complicated. He had assumed that, with his previous life's experience, any problem would be easy to solve, but Lin Yuan's appearance shattered that notion.