Aunty Rou walked inside to find a simple room.  This room was barely better than Lin Tian's own. The only differences between the two were that this room was larger and that this room was occupied by an old man that sat at a large desk. This old man was the clan master of the Lin family, Lin Dong.

The old man had a very wrinkled face and a bald head. His skin was thin enough to the point in which you could clearly make out his bones. However, it would be a mistake to take this old man lightly. Every movement he made was filled with precision and strength.

The old man sat pouring over several documents that dealt with the external affairs of the Lin family. He didn't even bother to raise his head or acknowledge Aunty Rou when she entered and continued to read.  However, Aunty Rou didn't seem to show any signs of irritation from this.

"Little Tian has returned safely." Quietly said Aunty Rou.

"Hmm, that's good." Said the old man without looking up. Aunty Rou waited for several moments for the old man to say something else but was only met with the sounds of turning pages.

"That's it? You don't even plan to go see him." Questioned Aunty Rou.

"As long as he's alright that's enough for me." Said the old man in the same tone.

"Do you even care?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you even care about him!" Yelled Aunty Rou with clenched teeth. She had long grown unhappy about Lin Tian’s treatment for a long time now, but since the Clan Master said nothing then what right did she have to. But enough was enough.

 "Since he was a baby I raised him as if he was my own son, but you, his real grandfather, have barely looked at him. It would have been fine if you just left him with me, but once he was old enough you took him to live alone with no protection. Is this how you treat your grandson?"

The old man finally looked up from his reading and gave Aunty Rou a steady gaze, "Do you want to know why I've left little Tian to fend for himself? Why I've let Lin Yi do as he pleases?"

Aunty Rou firmly nodded her head with a determined gaze. She would get her answer. The old man in response reclined back into his chair and seemed to age by a few years instantly.

 He looked out the window to gaze at the full moon before saying, "Yes, I know how he's been treated. I also know about Lin Yi's attempts to make him suffer and isolate him from the family. Little Tian was kept in the dark and knows nothing about why he's treated this way. Lin Yi has even cut his path by forbidding him from becoming educated so that he could never escape the Lin family. I could end all of this with a single word, as simple as turning over my hand, but I choose not to. Do you know why?"

Aunty Rou shook her head no and waited for him to continue.

"Because I'm old.” Solemnly said the old man, “It's time for the next generation to step up. Despite how he's changed, I still plan for Lin Yi to succeed me as clan master. I will also continue allowing him to deal with little Tian as he is now."

“Nonsense! How could this excuse Lin Yi of his wrongdoings? All this does is force little Tian to pay the price for your lethargy.”

The old man gazed over at Aunty Rou before asking,” Do you remember playing with Lin Wang and Lin Yi when you were younger?”

Aunty Rou could have thought of thousands of ways for the old man to respond, but she did not expect this question and answered frankly, “Yes, I do.”

The old man’s eyes glazed over, and a small smile was brought to his lips as he recounted what seemed to be a different time, “My sons Lin Wang and Lin Yi were my greatest joys. One a fighter, the other a scholar. They brought out the best in each other. That brat Lin Wang was monstrously talented in cultivation, but he was too simple-minded and naïve for his own good.”

“Hehe, yes. He was always the one person that Lin Yi and I could trick into stealing treats and toys for us.” Chuckled Aunty Rou as she recalled her childhood.

“Toys? You even got that stinking brat to steal my pill cauldron from me claiming that it was an extra-large soup bowl.” Criticized the old man.

“You did make medicinal soup in it though.” Playfully said Aunty Rou.

“Haha, I suppose so.” Chuckled the old man, “Lin Yi, on the other hand, was always intelligent. He had a godly talent for strategy and commerce.  Not only that, but he was extremely kind. They were the future of the Lin family, one protecting from the front, the other behind. All until Lin Wang died.”

The old man’s eyes turned gloomy as he continued, “Yi’er has changed a lot since his brother died. He is still as intelligent as ever, perhaps even more so, but cruel as well. He can only see Lin Tian as the son of his brother’s killer.”

“None of us know what happened that night. Yue Yin was his wife. Why would she kill Lin Wang?” Protested Aunty Rou with a stomp of her foot.

The old man held up his hand to stop Aunty Wei, “But what is Lin Yi supposed to think? All we know is that Lin Wang was killed in his bed and Yue Yin was nowhere to be found. In all these years she has never tried to contact the Lin family. Lin Yi is frustrated. He doesn’t even know where to begin avenging his brother’s death. The only connection that he has is Lin Tian.

“Even if it was Yue Yin, it makes no sense to go after her child.”

The old man gave a wry smile that was filled with the vicissitudes of life, "Grief does strange things, that is another price that one must pay when dealing with karmic ties. On that day, I lost both my sons. One to death, and one to grief."

“What’s to stop him if he decides to kill Lin Tian after you pass.”

The smile fell from the old man’s face as he stated, “We have a tacit understanding. He knows that I disapprove of this, but it’s all that he has. I’m afraid that if he can’t even do this then he will truly lose his sanity. As long as I don’t interfere, then he promises that he will never cross a certain line. I already lost my sons, I can’t bear to lose my grandson. My only hope is that Lin Tian can spend the rest of his days alive in the Lin family.”

"Is that even living?" Asked Aunty Rou with a frown. She turned on her heels and walked out the door leaving the old man to his thoughts.

The old man turned to look out the window. A bright full moon graced the sky as it exuded peace and tranquility, yet the old man's heart was anything but.

"No, it's not." Said the old man as he deeply fell into thought, “What is the point of cultivating if I’m powerless to even help my son and grandson. Are you laughing at me heavens? Do you really want the Lin family to come to an end?”

The old man’s eyes turned gloomy as he whispered, “Lin Tian could you ever forgive your grandfather for being so weak?”

The old man continued to peer out the window as he said, “Brother Bai, what do you think I should do?”

Out of the corner of the room, old man Bai walked out from the shadows while stroking his own beard and said, “Perhaps it is time for a change.”

“Maybe it is.” Said the old man with a sigh as the moonlight cascaded over him.

However, the old man wasn’t the only one being touched by the moonlight. Back in the forested area of the Lin family estate was a small pond with a carefully maintained grave next to it. A middle-aged man walked into the clearing carrying a gourd of wine and two cups. After setting down his supplies he walked up to the grave and got onto his knees before deeply kowtowing three times in front of the grave.

THUD.THUD.THUD

Every kowtow loudly ranged out as Lin Yi smacked his forehead into the ground. After the third and final kowtow Lin Yi raised his head with blood dripping from his forehead, “Brother I’m sorry for being so useless. Fifteen years. It’s almost been fifteen years and I haven’t gotten even a step closer to getting vengeance for you.”

Lin Yi moved over to sit next to the grave before filling up both cups with wine till they overflowed. He humbly placed one of the cups in front of the grave before taking his own and saying, “I’m sorry that I don’t have any incense, I’ll bring some the next time that I come. Make do with the wine for now.”

He simply sat like this for a while, slowly sipping his wine, and quietly appreciating the beauty of the moon reflected in the pond. After one long hour, he finally got up before dusting off his clothes and saying, “I’m sorry that I can’t accompany you any longer. I have to prepare for the trip to Qingfeng city. You remember Lin Rou, right? Her daughter, little Xue, will be participating in this tournament. She’s not a strong as you were when you dominated the tournament all those years ago, but she is quite strong for her age. Maybe she’ll get selected to become a member of the Jade Mountain Sect like you did at the time.”

Lin Yi picked up the gourd of wine and the cups before heading home. Just before he left the clearing he turned around and vowed,  "Brother, I will avenge you. I will find your wife and find out what happened that night. I just need a bit more time,” With that, Lin Yi left the clearing with a dark and determined expression on his face.

NexusRex

Whew! This particular chapter was a hard one for me to write since it is what I consider to be the second most important chapter in book one. We're about halfway done with book one now and I could use some feedback. Don't feel afraid to leave a comment or even PM me. Also, I would like to give a quick shoutout to 4sakn1 for all the feedback and support so far. Finally, thanks for reading!