Chapter 10: Defeating Magic with Magic

“Mother, am I really your biological son? Why are you pushing me to my death?” Lin Dayou, having been knocked to the ground by Old Lady Lin, cried out in despair.

“I’ll beat you to death, you unfilial wretch! I raised you with my own hands, and now that you’ve grown wings, you want to sever ties with us. How can you have the audacity to question if you’re my son?” Old Lady Lin, upon hearing Lin Dayou’s doubts about their relationship, momentarily showed a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.

She absolutely had to force Lin Dayou to retract his severance request; otherwise, how could she continue to exploit their family in the future? Saying this, she put all her strength into hitting Lin Dayou mercilessly.

In the past, she’d used this tactic before, and Lin Dayou would obediently yield to her will. However, the filial respect Lin Dayou had for the Lin family had long since evaporated after Old Man Lin had beaten his younger son into a near-lifeless state, and the family hadn’t even bothered to mention it.

Faced with Old Lady Lin’s aggressive behavior, Lin Dayou felt nothing but coldness in his heart; he had no other responses left. He understood that both his elder brother and his parents were just trying to make him retract his decision to sever ties.

How was that possible? He was not incapable, nor was he without temperament. The Lin family wanted him to part with his money, fulfill his filial duties, suppress his children’s marriage prospects, and had even harmed his child to the brink of death. If he didn’t display a firm attitude now, he and his children would surely be bullied mercilessly by everyone in the Lin family in the future.

“Stop! Everyone, stop!” Lin Zhou Sheng, watching helplessly as Lin Dayou lay on the ground, being pinned down by his own mother, felt furious and nearly choked on his anger. But since it was his own mother beating his son, and Lin Dayou was not resisting, he—a grown man—couldn’t just rush in to help, leaving him only able to stamp his feet in anxiety.

“You bad person! How dare you bully my dad!” Lin Luoxi, hiding behind Lin Wengqian, saw Old Lady Lin attacking her father and rushed over, knocking Old Lady Lin down.

Lin Luoxi had placed just the right amount of strength into her impact, making it look effortless.

“Ouch!” Old Lady Lin, knocked to the ground, was about to throw a tantrum and roll around when Lin Luoxi’s next move left her stunned.

“Heavenly Lord! Open your eyes! Our family is being driven to the brink of disaster by my grandparents! Heavenly Lord, please pay attention! Why won’t you take this heartless creature away?” she wailed, her voice extraordinarily loud.

“Grandparents, you’ve beaten my brother to near death, and now you want to force my father to death too, so you can control and sell me, my mother, and my sister. Is that it?!”

“Everyone comes and see! My grandparents want to push my father to death and sell us off to that old witch Zhang from the neighboring village for money to marry off their precious grandson…”

Everyone present was taken aback by Lin Luoxi’s loud outburst, looking at her with shock on their faces.

“I’ll beat you to death, you little wretch! How dare you speak such nonsense!” Initially caught off guard, Old Lady Lin exploded with rage upon hearing Lin Luoxi’s accusations, her earlier hesitation gone. She tried to rush over to tear Lin Luoxi’s mouth apart.

On the ground, Lin Dayou, who had seemed lifeless moments before, now had a flicker of light in his eyes upon hearing his daughter’s words. He sat up and pulled Lin Luoxi into his embrace.

“I’ll see who dares to touch my daughter!” he glared fiercely at Old Lady Lin, shaking off the previous hopelessness.

“Dad, you mustn’t think too negatively! I heard it with my own ears! Grandparents and Uncle are planning to sell me and Mom and my sister to that old bastard Zhang in the next village!”

Seeing her father roused by her words, Lin Luoxi began to spill everything she had heard in her foolishness.

“Father, Mother, I doubt you have a heart,” Lin Dayou, filled with rage after hearing Lin Luoxi’s words, glared at Old Lady Lin and her cohort with eyes that could seethe for their actions.

Not only was Lin Dayou infuriated by the revelation, but even the village chief and the elders were filled with indignation.

“Lin Jiyong, your family truly is something else! Even in our poor Wutong Village, we have never resorted to selling our own children. Are you so desperate that you plan to sell others’ children to survive?”

“Don’t forget, your precious grandson is still in private school! If word gets out about your actions, do you think your grandson will be able to continue his studies?”

Lin Zhou Sheng couldn’t hold back his disdain for the Lin family any longer and finally called them out explicitly by name.

“Dayou! Don’t listen to that silly girl; she’s just a fool. How can you believe what a fool says?” Old Man Lin, facing Lin Zhou Sheng’s confrontation, felt his composure slipping away. It was the last bit of Lin Zhou Sheng’s words that finally struck fear into him.

Their investment into raising their precious grandson—one who was destined to become an official—could not be sabotaged by the words of that “bastard.”

“Father, compared to your actions, I believe my daughter’s words more.”

“If you really want to force me to my grave and threaten my wife and children, I’ll go directly to the magistrate and sue you, accusing you of conspiring to drive me to death and abduct my wife and daughter. What do you think the magistrate will do?!”

Lin Dayou had made up his mind; if they didn’t want his family to live peacefully, then no one would.

Lin Zhou Sheng was satisfied with Lin Dayou’s response and no longer felt helpless in the face of his anger.

“I’ll have you arrested, you heartless thing…” Old Lady Lin, hearing Lin Dayou’s words, was enraged again and attempted to strike him once more.

“Come on, kill me! Go ahead! If your precious grandson’s future is destroyed because of your actions, then I won’t lose out!” Lin Dayou didn’t flinch; instead, he leaned his face toward her.

Seeing Lin Dayou’s defiance, Old Lady Lin hesitated, casting a covert glance at her husband.

“Don’t try to fool me. Don’t think I’m naïve; my son is destined to become an important official! Who would dare offend us…” Lin Daguan added, his eyes threateningly scanning the crowd.

He even attempted to snatch the broom from Lin Wengqian, intending to strike Lin Dayou’s final son down too.

“Lin Daguan let’s set aside the future of your son for now; right now, he has yet to achieve anything! In Wutong Village, you must abide by my rules,” Lin Zhou Sheng stepped forward, undeterred by Lin Daguan’s darkened gaze.

“Our family is ready to sever ties; Brother, don’t make reckless moves,” Old Man Lin couldn’t ignore the risk—seeing Lin Dayou now harboring a deep resentment, he knew that continuing this conflict would yield no benefit to them.

“Dayou, if you wish to sever ties, it’s fine. However, your mother and I have raised you for over twenty years and even helped you marry a wife! You must repay us for the grace of our raising!”

“How about a calculation of fifty taels of silver? At the very least, you owe us twenty or thirty taels!” Old Man Lin shamelessly proposed this.

“Exactly! If you want to cut ties, then put out some money,” chimed in Lin Daguan’s wife, Lin Tianshi, who had been watching the commotion from the side, finally finding her moment to support her family.