Above Lin City.
The terrifying aftershocks of battle rippled outward like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, alarming experts from every major faction.
Streams of light burst into the sky from all over the city, racing toward the western district where the fierce clash had just erupted.
When they arrived at the ruined battlefield, the ground carved with deep trenches and devastation everywhere, everyone gasped.
Mangled, gruesome corpses lay across the wreckage, the brutality of the fight written all over their remains.
Two corpses in particular left the crowd shaken.
"That's He Tianfu and Lu Canglan!"
"My god, two Yin God experts—who did this?!"
"Judging by the lingering aura, that sword intent is terrifying."
"And there's still traces of the Huang clan's ancestor, Huang Guinian. That means three Yin Gods joined the fight."
"What happened here? Did the Lu, Huang, and He clans go to war with each other?"
Startled discussions erupted, but no one could figure out the truth, no matter how hard they tried.
Meanwhile—
At the Lin clan, in Song Shuyue's private courtyard.
With frost on her face, Song Shuyue stood before Song Zhen, scolding him sharply.
"Song Zhen, are you out of your damn mind?"
She cursed, "Lin Shu is your cousin, and you actually believed those lies from Lin Hui and the others? You went along with outsiders to ostracize her—and her benefactor, His Highness Yang Cheng?!"
Song Zhen's face was pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. His eyes were full of regret and bitterness.
He had indeed been swayed by others, forming deep prejudice against Lin Shu and Yang Cheng.
Only now, after his aunt's harsh scolding, did he realize how badly he had messed up.
Beside him, the current head of the Song clan, Song Mu—Song Shuyue's brother and Song Zhen's father—wore a face so dark it seemed ready to drip ink.
He suddenly smacked the back of Song Zhen's head with a heavy slap, sending him stumbling forward, nearly falling flat.
"You little bastard! Kneel when you talk to me!"
Song Mu's voice rumbled like thunder, his fury blazing. "If Xiao Shu distances herself from the Song clan because of you, I'll break your damn legs myself!"
Song Zhen trembled all over. Bitterness welled up in his chest. He had no choice but to kneel quietly.
Just then, a cold, graceful figure silently landed in the courtyard.
"Lady Song, Senior Song."
It was none other than Lin Shu.
She had seen everything that had just happened in the courtyard.
"Xiao Shu?"
Song Shuyue looked up in surprise, delighted. "Weren't you leaving with His Highness Yang Cheng? Why are you here with your mother?"
Song Mu's expression instantly turned warm and eager. He smiled brightly. "Xiao Shu, don't worry. That little punk dared side with outsiders to bully you. I'll break his legs right now to vent your anger and His Highness's!"
As he spoke, he grabbed a thick black iron rod as wide as an arm and raised it, ready to smash Song Zhen's legs.
"Uncle."
Lin Shu quickly stopped him, her tone calm. "Cousin was just confused for a moment and got misled by others. It's over now, and he knows he was wrong. No need to punish him so harshly."
Hearing that, Song Zhen felt like he'd been pardoned from death. His gaze toward Lin Shu was full of gratitude and shame.
"Thank you, cousin, for being so forgiving…"
Song Shuyue and Song Mu exchanged glances. Their impression of Lin Shu improved even more.
Song Mu put down the iron rod, shot Song Zhen a fierce glare, and growled, "Get lost and reflect on your actions!"
Song Zhen scurried off into a corner, head down, not daring to look at anyone.
Lin Shu ignored him and turned to Song Shuyue and Song Mu. Her expression became serious.
"Lady Song, Senior Song, I came here today because I have something important to discuss."
Song Shuyue's heart skipped a beat. She immediately connected it with the earth-shattering waves of battle just now and quickly asked, "Does it have something to do with that terrifying commotion earlier? We were just about to send people to investigate."
"No need to investigate."
Lin Shu answered firmly, her tone decisive. "That was the work of Huang Guinian of the Huang clan, Lu Canglan of the Lu clan, and He Tianfu of the He clan. The three joined forces to ambush His Highness."
"What?!"
Song Shuyue's face went pale. Shock and fury surged all at once. "Shameless! Three Yin God old dogs ambushing a junior together—how despicable can they get?! Xiao Shu, don't worry. Even if our Song clan has to risk everything and burn through all our foundations, we'll protect His Highness Yang Cheng and get him safely out of Lin City. We'll go right now—"
"Lady Song, that won't be necessary."
Lin Shu cut off her panicked words with a calm shake of the head.
"Not necessary?"
Song Shuyue froze. She glanced at Song Mu. Both of them looked completely confused and puzzled.
Then Lin Shu dropped a thunderclap of truth. "Because Lu Canglan and He Tianfu were slain on the spot by His Highness. Huang Guinian was seriously wounded and fled. He won't live much longer either."
Boom!
Her words hit like a bolt of lightning on a clear day. Song Shuyue and Song Mu stood frozen like statues.
Their eyes went wide. Mouths slightly open. Faces filled with utter shock and disbelief.
Slayed Lu Canglan and He Tianfu? Chased down Huang Guinian?
Three mighty Yin Gods ambushed one man—yet two died and one fled in terror?
This... This was simply insane.
But when they saw the calm, rippleless gaze in Lin Shu's eyes, all their doubts instantly vanished.
Because Lin Shu had no reason to lie about something like this.
Not giving them a chance to process the explosive news, she continued quickly, "There's no time to explain. Lady Song, Senior Song, whether the Song clan can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity depends on this moment."
"We... us?"
Song Mu still hadn't fully processed what was going on.
Lin Shu said slowly, "Lu Canglan and He Tianfu's corpses have likely already been discovered by various forces in Lin City. Soon, word will spread that the Lu and He clans are leaderless, their core strength practically wiped out."
"When that happens, those two giant pieces of fat meat will be swarmed by countless hungry wolves trying to tear them apart. Even if the Song clan rushes there now, you'll only get some leftovers from the chaos."
Song Shuyue and Song Mu nodded repeatedly, eyes flashing sharp light. Clearly, they had thought of that too.
Then Lin Shu shifted gears. "But the Huang clan is a different story. Right now, all the other powers are still focused on the shocking fall of the Lu and He clans. They won't expect the Huang clan to be next in line for destruction. That makes this the best opportunity for the Song clan."
Both Song Shuyue and Song Mu felt their hearts race. They immediately realized that Lin Shu was handing this benefit to the Song clan.
"So, the Song clan needs to split into two teams right now."
Lin Shu spoke calmly. "One team—Senior Song, you assign capable people with a small elite force. Send them immediately to the outskirts of the Lu and He clans. Don't go after core resources. Just swiftly sweep through the outer zones, pick up valuable assets that are less likely to be contested. Take as much as you can. Be fast, grab and go, no lingering."
"The other team—your main force—will be led by you personally, Senior Song. Bring all the Song clan's battle-ready elites and come with me."
"Go with you? Go where?"
Song Shuyue asked instinctively.