Anti-Lin Alliance
The next day, shocking news spread from the dark corners of the Lin mansion and traveled at light speed amongst those who were interested.
The Lin family elder, who had been seriously wounded, has passed away.
The oldest genuine king of the Xia clan had reached the end of his life.
Many had expected it, but that did not stop them from sighing in sorrow.
However, the Lin family denied the rumor and made it clear that not only was this rumor baseless, but their family elder was going to celebrate his two hundred and eleventh birthday in a hundred days. They would host a grand party where the Lin family elder would make an appearance and debunk the rumors himself.
However, even as they made this announcement, the Lin family withdrew their clan’s forces closer to home. Members of their clan who had been stationed outside either went into hiding or returned to Lin City.
The way they acted was so shifty that others were even more convinced that the Lin family elder had indeed died.
Immediately, the sky above Lin City was covered in dark clouds as winds and storms threatened to make their presence known.
Even normal people who were not in the know could tell that the atmosphere in Lin City had grown inexplicably heavier.
Those who knew better had already packed their bags and left Lin City with their family for the time being. Lin City was about to get caught in a whirlpool of crisis.
...
Ten days later.
A large camp was built three hundred miles away from Lin City. Teams of horsemen slowly joined the camp.
Large groups of them were stationed in different places, whilst all the leaders were welcomed warmly toward the leader’s tent.
It was a crowded place here, with people asking after each other and catching up with old friends.
Some were cursing each other’s mothers loudly, while others even drew knives when they spotted a long-time enemy.
They were all from different parts of the Lin commandery.
However, they were all here for the same reason.
As part of the Anti-Lin Alliance.
The Xianghuo faction had sought to unite the power of all the clans that were holding a grudge against the Lin family.
They were ready to defeat the weakened Lin family and take a bite from the carcass of the huge family. When they all had eaten their fill, they would take revenge.
“Haha, I never thought that the high and mighty Lin family would have this day. This is awesome…”
A built man holding a dadao raised his head toward the skies as he bellowed with laughter. He could not contain his excitement.
“Hmph! My third younger brother once fell in love at first sight with a girl and was about to bring her home to tie the knot when they were spotted by one of the older members of the Lin family. They were jealous of how handsome and charismatic he was, so beat him to death with one slap! That was beyond repugnant and I’ve held onto this grudge for twenty whole years. Now, I can finally get revenge and my brother can rest in peace in heaven!”
The man who spoke was another elder polishing his pike. He had an excited, greedy expression on his face even though he was discussing revenge.
To him, getting revenge was the second priority. His main goal was to have soup and meat.
If it were not for the invitation extended by the Xianghuo faction, he would have forgotten the grudge he held regarding his younger brother.
Besides, even if he remembered, he would not dare to pick a fight with the weakened Lin family if the Xianghuo faction had not taken the lead.
It was different now. If someone else took the lead, all he had to do was follow and yell out their slogan. He would still be able to gorge himself silly that way.
“Alright guys, you can catch up another day. Put your grudges aside for now. You can continue when the Lin family is exterminated.”
A man wearing a silver mask and who was sitting at the fore waved an arm as he addressed the crowd in a low voice.
“Almost everyone’s here now. We should discuss what will happen when we attack Lin City.”
He continued speaking when everyone quieted down.
“Messenger, there’s nothing to discuss here. Few of us here were born into a military family. We’re all just comrades who don’t care for army formations. All you have to do is give the command and we’ll charge at Lin City with our knives!” the man holding a dadao said loftily.
“Sounds good.”
“Awesome.”
Many nodded in agreement, finding what he had said to be logical.
Xianghuo faction’s messenger, the man with a silver mask, took a look around and found that the majority were on the dadao man’s side. Those who were not on his side did not seem to want to speak.
The corners of his lips twitched, hidden behind his mask.
What a bunch of sheep with no minds of their own.
“In my opinion, the Lin family is merely average. Now that the old man is dead, we can exterminate them any time we like. We’re already at the outskirts of Lin City, and the Lin family will be exterminated within a day or so. However, I don’t think we’ve discussed what we’ll do with the Lin family’s fortune once they’re dead.”
Just then, someone in the crowd spoke up
When the others heard that, everyone in the tent felt a burst of energy flowing through them. Their eyes widened and glinted as they stared at the messenger.
Why had these people answered the Xianghuo faction’s call and rushed over from all over the world despite the great distance?
To get revenge?
That was one of the reasons, and it was also the one they yelled the loudest when asked.
However, everyone knew that this was not the main reason.
Perhaps some truly regarded revenge as their main goal, but that was the minority.
Most of them just wanted to gain some benefits for themselves by taking advantage of the fact that the Lin family was weakened and someone else would do the dirty work for them.
They were most interested in dividing the spoils!
“Don’t worry, the faction has long since considered this. This time, when we exterminate the Lin family, you can take whatever you want. Finders keepers!”
“Let me make this clear. Before the Lin family is fully exterminated, no one is allowed to attack anyone within this team for treasures. Everyone will be permitted to attack whoever violates this rule.”
The silver-masked messenger huffed coolly as he spoke in a low voice.
“Alright!”
“Agreed!”
Everyone below the stage nodded in agreement as they rubbed their hands together. They could hardly wait.
“Let’s go!”
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om