“What do you suggest, grand elder?” the matriarch said, holding Lin Yang more firmly in her hands.

“Kill the boy. He has seen things he shouldn't,” Su Liang answered without any hesitation.

“I've been made aware it was the outer sect elder's fault the boy entered the ancestor's hall. Besides, with him so terribly injured he blacked out, what could he possibly have seen?”

“Are you going to obey the rules of the sect, or are you going to—”

“Su Liang, don't go too far! I'm still the matriarch of this sect.”

Lin Yang opened his eyes a crack to study the purple haired grand elder. She seemed to start smiling the moment the matriarch tried to use her post to assert her power.

“And I am the grand elder of this sect. My decisions are the decisions of the elder council! Is the matriarch trying to go against the elder council?”

Lin Yang felt the matriarch's body go stiff. She looked pissed. Like she was preparing to throw a fit. Keeping one’s head was a critical skill for someone in power.

He decided to help her out a little, by pinching the smooth skin of her belly just a little.

“Ouch!” cried the matriarch.

Lin Yang felt the whole courtyard turn to watch them in confusion. Luckily, everyone around knew the matriarch was injured, or at least not in her best condition. From looking suspicious, most people started to look sad, even the grand elder to a certain extent.

The matriarch also seemed to notice the shift in mood. She let out a hacking cough.

“Listen, grand elder, I have a suggestion. Let's organise a court session, once the boy is out of danger. If it is found that he is truly guilty, then he will receive the harshest punishment, which is not death.”

“Oh? What kind of punishment would this be?” Su Liang asked.

“... castration.”

****

A few hours later, Lin Yang was still giving the matriarch a very sour look in her audience chamber.

“I think it will be an appropriate punishment if you are guilty,” the matriarch tried to defend herself again, chuckling innocently.

Lin Yang turned his face away from her and sulked. He knew they wouldn't have been able to escape without the matriarch's quick thinking, but he still didn't appreciate her choice of words.

Elder Bai Qingling arrived then, saving the two from their almost awkward time alone together. Although the matriarch didn't mind Lin Yang's sulking.

“Master, I've brought the children here,” Elder Bai said with a respectful bow.

Behind him, three familiar faces fell straight to the floor in the fastest kowtow Lin Yang ever saw. The matriarch chuckled a little, seeing their nervousness.

“Xiao Lin, I think you could learn a thing or two from these respectful friends of yours.”

“What could I possibly… well, I forgot to pay my absolute respect to the matriarch.”

“Oh come on, Xiao Lin. We are closer than…”

But Lin Yang was already on the ground, his forehead touching the ground. The matriarch sighed as she looked at him.

“Fine. I'm sorry. Are you happy now? Get up, the lot of you. You are now my personal servants.”

Lin Yang got up and dusted himself off. The other three all looked a bit shaken. This was going to take some getting used to.

“I heard there were problems involving resources. Those won't be an issue. I only hope you are strong enough to survive the incessant challenges though. That is probably the only legal way elder Hao can try to fight against me.”

“Begging pardon, madam,” Tangming said. She gulped as she forced herself to look up. “But have you heard about what he is doing in the Outer sect?”

“Xiao Lin filled me in, and I have thoughts. But the Hehuan sect is… different. You have been appraised of how we can't intervene directly just now?”

“Oh?” Tangming said, visibly deflating.

“Don't worry, Tangming,” Lin Yang said. “Your senior brother will ensure elder Hao gets his just recompense. I am the chief steward of the matriarch's house after all. It will be like the matriarch is directly intervening.”

“Chief steward?” the matriarch asked. “Who gave you this kind of position?”

Lin Yang only shrugged. “You did.”

“When?”

“Now. Now please provide us the identity pins.”

He might have sounded confident, but Lin Yang had no idea how to deal with elder Hao Feng. Let alone how to collect more ripple points passively like he did in the minor realm. It was his intention to do something like that, but so far he'd failed in brainstorming ideas.

Lin Yang didn't go back to the outer sect with the others, as he was a person of interest in an upcoming court case. He couldn't even go to the technique pavilion to learn new martial arts. He was practically confined to the matriarch's chambers.

Everyday, Lin Yang went to the matriarch's private sanctum to help her heal. She was progressing nicely according to him, but he was being deliberately slow in healing her.

After he finished, he'd go to the servants quarters to hang out with Yu Mo and the others. They'd hang out for a few moments before the others three had to complete miscellaneous tasks around the house, and then go train. Lin Yang didn't have any martial arts he needed to train at the time.

His priority was to find a way to collect ripple points.

And on a normal day, Tangming brought him some news that just could help him turn things around.

“There is rumors that senior brother had his second match at the imperial tournament.”

The imperial tournament, which the original had been preparing for before he was poisoned and almost killed. His opponent from back then was now representing the Hehuan sect. And the girl he used to like as well.

“But why would you tell me this?” he asked Tangming.

“Well, there is a rumor you are keeping a close eye on this, and that you vomited blood once you heard he's won his second match.”

Lin Yang felt his lips twitch. He tried hard to repress a smile. “There are rumors about me in the outer sect? Who is spreading them? What methods are they using?”

“Argh,” Tangming backed off, probably not understanding why Lin Yang looked excited.

“There is flyers in the outer sect. I think elder Hao agreed to it. To make you look bad.”

“Flyers?” Lin Yang said.

Such an easy thing to do. And he had a few suspects for who was trying to embarrass him.

“Interesting,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Where is Yu Mo. I have a business proposal for him.”

Two days later.

Ripple points received (anger): 0.001 (Xue Yin)

And she was not the only one. Now Lin Yang had ways to collect ripple points passively. Finally.

He still had to juggle his time between coming up with new creative ways to entertain people, and healing the matriarch. And he had to find new targets every once in a while. Only targeting Yin’er and Xian’er was proving less satisfying.

He had other enemies besides those two.

This time when he went to the matriarch's chamber, he found Bai Qingling there, laughing and chatting with the matriarch. Once the elder noticed him, he winked at him and gestured at him with his gourd. Then he wobbled out of the room.

But he'd left a piece of paper in the matriarch's hand.

Lin Yang sat behind her and put his hands on the exposed skin of her back. He focused on the effect of his energy, seeing the matriarch's injury heal slowly in real time.

She started to dress up after he was done, and he pretended he was as exhausted as usual. He stretched his body and breathed hard.

“‘They might have a close bond, but one has bouncy peaks, and the other is flatter than a washboard. It's clear who has more leaks; and who has more milk’,” the matriarch quoted.

Lin Yang froze. “Matriarch, I didn't know you liked that kind of thing,” Lin Yang said with an innocent chuckle.

“Apparently there is a talented poet in my outer sect, and I had no idea.”

“I wouldn't call that rascal talented. Just some fool with too much time on his hands” Lin Yang said.

“Oh, you've heard of him?”

“Uhm, Tangming told me about the ‘Lad who peeks’. Apparently he is famous in the outer sect currently.”

“Well, he might focus on crude topics for now, but there is potential there. It's strange, don't you think these characters he has been describing are similar to Xue Yin'er and her friend Xian'er?”

“While I can see the similarities, I wouldn't be so sure. I mean, Xian'er is not that flat, is she? Or that promiscuous.”

The matriarch hummed thoughtfully. “You’re right. Still, this made me chuckle a little. this is a writer with potential. Maybe I'll try and find them out, so I can listen to their creations all day.”

She smiled innocently at him.

Ripple points obtained (appreciation): 0.1 (Ye Lingjun)

“Hahaha, is that so?” Lin Yang said while he moved towards the door with all haste, trying simultaneously to not arouse any more suspicion.

He needed to tell Yu Mo to hold off on distributing that day's poems.

A/N: Missed an update yesterday. I will have to pay that off someday I guess. 

Anyway, the year is ending. Congratulations on surviving another one. Maybe we should set some targets together, like how far you all expect to be in the story by the end of 2026.

Anyway, happy celebrations everyone.