Chapter 86: 86. Lin Zhaoyue took the front. [2]
The sudden change in atmosphere caused both elders to become serious.
Su Qinglan immediately stood up from her seat.
"Young Miss..."
Before she could ask a question, Lin Zhaoyue took a slow breath to steady herself.
She looked first at Su Qinglan before turning toward Zhao Luhao.
"My apologies for interrupting your discussion."
Her voice remained polite, but the urgency behind it was unmistakable.
"I’ve just received an important message from Father."
The moment those words left her mouth, both elders’ expressions changed.
Lin Xuan? Had something happened?
Lin Zhaoyue hesitated briefly.
Although her father had entrusted the clan to her, he had never instructed her to conceal the situation from the Zhao family.
On the contrary, if the alliance was to endure, Zhao Luhao deserved to know what they were about to face.
She looked directly at Zhao Luhao.
"Senior Zhao, I need to ask you something before I continue."
Zhao Luhao nodded immediately.
"Please."
Lin Zhaoyue’s gaze remained unwavering.
"If the Lin family were to offend the Shangguan family, would the Zhao family immediately sever its alliance with us?"
Su Qinglan’s pupils contracted sharply.
She had not expected those words to come out of Lin Zhaoyue’s mouth.
Even Zhao Luhao’s breathing paused for a moment.
"The Shangguan family?"
He slowly repeated the name, his expression growing solemn.
After several moments of silence, he finally spoke.
"That depends."
He did not answer immediately with either yes or no.
Instead, he looked at Lin Zhaoyue seriously.
"Tell me what happened."
Only then can I decide what the Zhao family should do.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Zhaoyue’s face.
"That won’t be necessary, Senior Zhao."
Her voice remained calm and courteous.
"I understand."
Zhao Luhao’s expression stiffened slightly.
Lin Zhaoyue slowly reached into her spatial ring and retrieved a jade bottle and placed it carefully on the table.
"This contains ten bottles of Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills. Please accept them."
She paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"As for the agreement you have made with Lin Shuxuan... I’m afraid it will have to be considered void."
Neither Zhao Luhao nor Su Qinglan spoke.
The atmosphere inside the reception hall had become unbearably heavy.
Lin Zhaoyue’s gaze then shifted toward the three wooden boxes resting on the table.
"The Body Tempering Pills may also remain with the Zhao family. Please consider them a gift from the Lin family."
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened.
"Young Miss—"
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Zhaoyue gently shook her head.
She then turned toward Su Qinglan.
"Elder Su. We should return immediately. There is something I need to verify."
Although her tone remained composed, there was an urgency that could not be concealed.
Without waiting for a response, Lin Zhaoyue turned around.
With a wave of her hand, the soundproof barrier silently dispersed.
She calmly stepped out of the reception hall.
Su Qinglan looked at Zhao Luhao apologetically before quickly following after the young girl, leaving behind a room filled with silence.
Zhao Luhao remained seated without moving.
His gaze lingered on the jade bottle and the three wooden boxes before him.
A complicated expression slowly appeared on his face.
He had never once said that the Zhao family intended to abandon the alliance.
Yet somehow... The young girl had already reached that conclusion on her own.
"What have you done, boy..."
To provoke the Shangguan family... Just what had happened to force him into such a desperate decision?
Outside the reception hall, Su Qinglan hurried after Lin Zhaoyue.
She found the young girl waiting quietly beneath the shade of a large tree.
The moment Su Qinglan arrived, Lin Zhaoyue spoke without wasting any time.
"Elder Su, I want you to purchase as much grain and as many daily necessities as possible before next week."
Su Qinglan was caught completely off guard.
"Young Miss... Those purchases require the Patriarch’s approval."
She stared at Lin Zhaoyue in disbelief.
For a brief moment, she could not help wondering whether the young girl had become crazy.
Just a few seconds ago, she had given away ten bottles of Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills without the slightest hesitation.
She had even allowed the Zhao family to keep all six hundred Pure Quality Body Tempering Pills that were originally meant to replenish the Lin family’s treasury.
Now, she was asking to spend even more of the clan’s wealth on stockpiling supplies.
None of it made any sense.
Still, recalling the urgency in Lin Zhaoyue’s expression earlier, Su Qinglan forced herself to remain calm.
She slowly crouched down until they were at eye level and then she spoke in a gentle tone.
"Young Miss... Can you please tell me what’s happening? You can trust me."
Lin Zhaoyue chuckled softly.
Elder Su was treating her as a child.
Then again... she really was only eleven years old.
Her smile gradually faded.
Instead of answering aloud, she send her words staight to Su Qinglan’s mind.
"Elder Su... My father has killed the messenger from the Shangguan family and he says an all-out war will begin soon. We don’t have much time left. So we need to hasten our preparations."
Su Qinglan’s pupils contracted violently.
For several seconds, she simply stared at Lin Zhaoyue.
Her mind had gone completely blank.
The Shangguan family... Why?? Why though?? Why??
Seeing the dazed Su Qinglan standing there in complete shock, Lin Zhaoyue let out a quiet sigh.
Within a word, she reached into her spatial ring and retrieved a jade bottle.
With a gentle flick of her finger, spiritual qi wrapped around it and floated smoothly through the air under her precise control before stopping directly in front of Su Qinglan.
Before the elder could react, the bottle entered her mouth.
"Cough...!"
Su Qinglan quickly took the jade bottle out, coughing twice before regaining her composure.
Her first reaction was anger towards the young miss, but when she stared at Lin Zhaoyue, she was filled with utter disbelief.
Her lips trembled.
"Y-you... You... you... you... you... you... you are..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Zhaoyue raised her slender finger to her lips.
"Shhh..."
A smile appeared on her face and then she turned around and began walking toward the Zhao family gates.
After taking several steps, she spoke without looking back.
"By the way, that jade bottle contains another ten Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills."
With those words, Lin Zhaoyue calmly continued walking away, leaving Su Qinglan standing alone beneath the tree, clutching the jade bottle with trembling hands, her heart in complete turmoil.
Comments