Chapter Sixty-Seven: Acknowledge Me as Your Elder Brother, and I Will Teach You Martial Arts!

Hearing Lin Fan’s request was merely to protect the Lin family, Jiang Taihong breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn’t expected the promise Lin Fan sought to be so simple. Now he understood why Lin Fan refused the position of guest elder. If Lin Fan had taken the position, no one in Qingxue County would dare provoke him; yet, that would only ensure Lin Fan himself was untouchable.

However, if his family wished to prosper, they needed the support of a powerful clan, at least one ranked among the top ten. There was a difference between not daring to provoke Lin Fan and not daring to provoke the Lin family. Offending Lin Fan was disrespectful to the Jiang clan, and anyone would hesitate; but destroying Lin Fan’s family would only earn his enmity, not the Jiang clan’s. Even if Lin Fan sought revenge, as a guest elder with little actual power, he would be of no consequence. The Jiang clan would never go to war over the family of a minor guest elder—such intervention would be far-fetched. Not even the foremost clan would act so without principle!

Otherwise, every guest elder’s family could use the Jiang clan’s name to intimidate others and make enemies everywhere. Unless the guest elder’s family became an affiliated family of the Jiang clan, then it would be considered part of the Jiang clan’s strength, and any who dared move against it would not be tolerated.

Typically, when one becomes a guest elder, their small family is considered to be aligned with the Jiang clan, part of their influence. But Lin Fan had already made it clear: his family would not pay tribute to the Jiang clan and would not be an affiliated family. He drew a clear boundary, seeking to develop independently.

In this case, even if Lin Fan became a guest elder, the Lin family would not be considered part of the Jiang clan’s power, and the Jiang clan would not intervene. Lin Fan had allied with Zhang Yi of the Zhang clan and Mo Jia to destroy the Zhang family, and though only seven days had passed, as the head of Qingxue’s foremost clan, Jiang Taihong had long since heard of it.

He guessed Lin Fan made this request to allow the Lin family to enter Panlong City and grow. Yet, with the Lin family’s current strength, they could not claim half the city, so they needed a powerful clan to rely on. And the Jiang clan was undoubtedly the best choice! What could be more stable than having the entire top clan of Qingxue County behind you? The answer, of course, was nothing!

Thus, Jiang Taihong understood Lin Fan’s intentions and found the request reasonable; after all, it was merely to care for a small family. So many families in Qingxue County relied on the Jiang clan, and watching over the Lin family would be no burden. The only difference was that, unlike other families, the Lin family would not pay half their annual profits in tribute. The Jiang clan, being the county’s foremost, was hardly concerned with such minor gains!

Moreover, as the top clan, protecting the Lin family was a matter of a single word. Though compared to the powerful clans of other counties, the Jiang clan might be less formidable, within Qingxue County, they were absolute rulers—none dared defy them. Even among the other top ten clans, any resistance would be covert, never open confrontation.

Lin Fan’s eyes glinted as he continued, “If the Jiang clan can honor this, I can guarantee that, in three years, I will have absolute confidence to completely purge the senior of Beicheng’s body of all poison.”

“What? You can remove all the poison from Cheng’er’s body?!” Hearing this, Jiang Taihong’s entire body trembled, his face full of incredulity. Although Lin Fan had just said he could suppress the poison, which gave him hope, he hadn’t seen it in action and was cautious. But hearing Lin Fan claim he could fully cure the poison in three years shocked him to the core.

Lin Fan shook his head. “I don’t mean now, but three years from now. My medical skills are shallow at present and I can’t cure it yet, but in three years, I will certainly be able to!”

“Good, protecting the Lin family will be no problem!” Jiang Taihong replied decisively, settling the matter and giving his word. After all, it was easy for the Jiang clan, and compared to the four million taels Lin Fan had refused, this was even less significant. Moreover, Lin Fan said he could fully cure his son in three years, making the deal even sweeter.

“Then let us begin,” Lin Fan said, turning to have Jiang Beicheng sit cross-legged on the floor to commence treatment.

Seeing this, Jiang Taihong couldn’t help but say to Lin Fan, “Young Lin, are you not afraid that after you cure Cheng’er, our Jiang clan will renege on its promise?”

He truly couldn’t understand where Lin Fan’s confidence came from—was he not afraid that, after healing his son, Jiang Taihong might not pay the six million, not protect the Lin family, and even kill Lin Fan?

“Haha, not to mention that you’ll still need my help for Beicheng in the future,” Lin Fan replied, smiling as he began to tap Jiang Beicheng’s meridians with his fingers.

“And besides, the reputation of the Jiang Lion is known throughout Qingxue County, not just for your temper, but for your word being as binding as a royal decree, as fierce and unwavering as a lion king.”

“Such flattery!” Jiang Beihu muttered, but was silenced by a glare from Jiang Taihong, causing him to shrink back in fear.

Ha!

Lin Fan let out a sudden shout, and his fingers, already moving rapidly to tap Jiang Beicheng’s body, suddenly increased in speed severalfold, leaving only countless afterimages in the air. An ordinary person would not have been able to see his movements.

But Jiang Taihong and Jiang Beihu were no ordinary men; Jiang Taihong, a master of the River Realm, was the strongest in Qingxue County. Even Jiang Beihu was late-stage Meridian Realm. The two could clearly see Lin Fan’s actions—every tap struck a vital point or a deadly acupoint on Jiang Beicheng’s meridians. If Lin Fan were an enemy, and struck a vital point while Beicheng was undefended, he would be gravely injured in an instant. If the deadly acupoints were hit, death could come just as swiftly.

At first sight of Lin Fan’s movements, Jiang Beihu nearly sprang into action, and even Jiang Taihong’s eyelids twitched, but he restrained his impetuous second son. He didn’t believe Lin Fan would actually harm Beicheng—if he did, Lin Fan would die in the Jiang clan, and the Lin family would be destroyed. If he wanted Beicheng dead, he could have simply waited six months.

So he chose to trust Lin Fan.

Soon, the two noticed that as Lin Fan tapped more acupoints—most of them vital or deadly—Jiang Beicheng’s complexion began to brighten and flush. Then Lin Fan’s finger technique shifted, tapping places on the meridians they could not understand, even some tiny, seemingly useless channels.

After half an hour, Lin Fan’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, which soon streamed down his face in large droplets.

“Wow—!” Another half hour passed, and Jiang Beicheng’s face, now flushed to a deep purple, suddenly expelled a large mouthful of black blood.

“It’s poisonous blood!” Jiang Taihong’s expression changed, his worries easing somewhat. No matter what Lin Fan had said, the sight of his son spitting poisonous blood was proof that Lin Fan’s method was truly effective.

Unnoticed, another half hour passed. By now, Lin Fan’s clothes were soaked through. During the process, Jiang Beicheng spat up several more bouts of black blood, his complexion returned to healthy red, the sallow yellow gone. Yet, though his face was flushed, faint signs of blood deficiency remained.

Boom!

For the final move, Lin Fan pressed his index and middle fingers together like a sharp sword, driving them forcefully into Jiang Beicheng’s Tiandu Point. With a loud bang, Lin Fan was thrown backward.

Bang!

He crashed into the wall of the Jiang clan’s great hall, spraying a mouthful of bright red blood.

Yet a smile appeared on his face, and he thought silently: It’s done!

His injuries were already severe, and now, using his cultivation—even though it wasn’t at full strength—he worsened his condition. That final move, when he blocked Beicheng’s meridian energy, caused a tiny leak of Jiang Beicheng’s vast internal energy, which sent Lin Fan flying.

Fortunately, he was not seriously harmed; the blood he spat was merely stagnant blood from his injuries, conveniently expelled by the impact of Beicheng’s energy.

“How are you, Cheng’er?”

“Big brother, is the poison suppressed?” Ignoring Lin Fan’s flight and blood, as soon as he was knocked back by Beicheng’s energy, Jiang Beicheng opened his eyes at last.

Seeing this, Jiang Taihong and Jiang Beihu both stepped forward, their eyes filled with concern.

“I am very well. Since being poisoned, I have never felt so light and free!” Jiang Beicheng slowly rose, nodded to his father and younger brother, a smile on his handsome face, and then turned to Lin Fan, now at his side, eyes full of amazement, bowing deeply.

“Thank you, Brother Lin, for saving my life!”

Lin Fan did not step aside; in his view, he deserved this gesture—he had indeed saved Beicheng’s life, whatever benefits he had sought from the Jiang clan.

Money has a price, life is priceless.

Moreover, as long as the Jiang clan truly sheltered the Lin family, in three years he was certain to cure Beicheng’s poison completely.

Next, Jiang Taihong himself bowed to Lin Fan and said, “Thank you, Master Lin!”

At this, Lin Fan quickly stepped aside. It was right for Beicheng to bow, as without him, Beicheng would live only half a year longer. But the top expert of Qingxue County, the elder himself, was far beyond what Lin Fan could accept.

“Elder Jiang, you are too kind. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, and besides, I’ve already asked much of the Jiang clan. Your great courtesy, I dare not accept!” Lin Fan replied with a smile. In truth, his visit to the Jiang clan was a gamble—not on whether he could suppress Beicheng’s poison, for that he was confident—but whether Jiang Taihong was truly as reputed, a man whose word was worth a thousand gold.

Though he had investigated thoroughly, confirming Jiang Taihong’s reputation as both powerful and honorable, if after suppressing Beicheng’s poison Jiang Taihong decided to keep him in the clan, Lin Fan would be trapped.

So he gambled that the top expert and head of the foremost clan would not care about a small figure like him, and would honor his promise for the sake of family reputation.

Now, seeing Jiang Taihong bow, his uneasy heart finally settled.

“Thank you, Brother Lin, for helping my big brother. I apologize for any offense before, and ask your forgiveness. From now on, if you need anything in Qingxue County, let me know, and I, Jiang Beihu, will stand up for you!” Jiang Beihu, seeing his brother’s healthy complexion, also bowed to Lin Fan, even changing his address from ‘kid’ to ‘brother’, his eyes full of gratitude.

Since childhood, his elder brother had cared for him in all things, including guidance in cultivation—Beicheng was both brother and father to him.

Now, seeing his brother’s poison truly suppressed, his happiness was heartfelt.

“Good, then if I need anything in the future, I’ll call upon Brother Beihu’s name!” Lin Fan laughed heartily, not declining; since Beihu had said so, it would be rude to refuse and slight him.

After all, Beihu was a late-stage Meridian Realm expert and the second son of the Jiang clan, calling him brother was a mark of respect.

Moreover, Lin Fan had exchanged the guest elder position for protection of the Lin family; there would be many occasions to rely on the Jiang clan. Beihu’s offer was just the help he needed.

“Well said, I find you quite agreeable!” Beihu replied.

“How about this—you recognize me as your elder brother, and I’ll teach you martial arts…”

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