Lin Yun accepted the compensation Patriarch He had offered. Patriarch He, his expression ugly and tinged with anger, looked at Lin Yun and said, "Young Master Lin, you’ve accepted the compensation. May I ask if you can now hand over my He Family’s traitors to me?"

Hearing Patriarch He’s words, Lin Yun sat down again, gesturing for him not to be anxious.

"Patriarch He, there’s no need to rush. I still have a few things I’d like to discuss with you," Lin Yun said unhurriedly.

Seeing Lin Yun’s behavior, Patriarch He grew exasperated. ’Is this Lin Yun going to go back on his word?’ he thought. He immediately barked at Lin Yun, "Young Master Lin, I have already given you the compensation! Hand over my He Family’s traitors to me now! As for other matters, I am in no mood today. You can visit my estate some other day to discuss them at your leisure."

At this point, Patriarch He’s greatest concern was the several Deadpools in Lin Yun’s hands. Unsure if they were still alive, his heart was deeply unsettled.

Patriarch He glared angrily from the side. Lin Yun, in contrast, acted as if nothing was wrong. He sat on the stone stool, took a light sip of tea, and paid Patriarch He no mind whatsoever.

Facing a Celestial Spirit Realm expert like Patriarch He, Lin Yun showed none of the panic one would expect. On the contrary, he appeared quite relaxed.

"Patriarch He, please sit. Allow me to say a few words," Lin Yun spoke again.

Hearing this, Patriarch He sat down with extreme reluctance. He was the Patriarch of the He Family, a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, yet at this moment, facing Lin Yun, he found he was utterly helpless against this young man.

From the very beginning, he had been led by the nose by Lin Yun, with no room to fight back.

Refilling Patriarch He’s teacup, Lin Yun said lightly, "Patriarch He, your He Family’s He Yuntian is one of the Ten Core Disciples. He must have been coveting the position of Flawless Palace’s Young Palace Master for a long time."

Lin Yun got straight to the point. The moment he spoke, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of both Patriarch He and the old butler. They stared at Lin Yun without speaking, waiting to hear what he would say next.

"Patriarch He, you don’t need to look at me like that. I have no intention of harming you. In fact, what I’m thinking is... perhaps we could cooperate," Lin Yun said calmly.

"Cooperate?" Patriarch He looked at Lin Yun, a guarded light in his eyes. After his interactions with Lin Yun, he knew the young man before him was no simple character.

Paying no mind to Patriarch He’s gaze, Lin Yun wore a faint smile. He was determined to win over the He Family. Among the Ten Core Disciples, the two strongest were Gong Lingqi and Chang Jing.

And these two had now become his complete adversaries, not only because they believed Lin Yun threatened their claims to the Young Palace Master’s position, but also because of the lust they had shown toward Lu Bingning and Lan Xi.

The influence of these two was immense within Flawless Palace. Their subordinates ranged from Main Seat Elders at the top all the way down to ordinary Disciples.

To fight these two, brute force alone was not enough. After all, Flawless Palace explicitly forbade disciples from harming one another. Thus, the struggles among the Ten Core Disciples had always been carried out in the shadows. Even when killing was necessary, it was always done through Assassination.

Lin Yun had only just arrived at Flawless Palace and lacked power and allies. Therefore, the first step Li Tian had to take was to help Lin Yun develop his own faction as quickly as possible. The He Family just happened to be an excellent choice.

"Patriarch He, for generations, your He Family has followed the lead of Flawless Palace, and Flawless Palace has, in turn, looked after your family. Yet, this generation of Flawless Palace Disciples has yet to produce anyone truly astonishing. The Ten Core Disciples are in a constant state of conflict, each of them wanting the position of Young Palace Master."

"He Yuntian is your only son, born to you in your later years. Don’t you want to see him emerge victorious in this struggle?" Lin Yun said faintly.

He Yuntian was the strongest and most outstanding individual of the He Family’s younger generation. Holding a position among the Ten Core Disciples, his status within the He Family was exceedingly high.

Hearing Lin Yun speak of his son, Patriarch He became even more cautious. He was not ignorant of the internal struggles within Flawless Palace. To put it simply, it wasn’t just people inside Flawless Palace who knew about the Ten Core Disciples; even its subordinate powers were well aware of the situation.

This was because the Ten Core Disciples had always been developing their own factions, doing their utmost to win over more people, from Main Seat Elders and ordinary Disciples to the various subordinate powers.

"Does Young Master Lin wish to form an alliance with my He Family?" Patriarch He asked.

Hearing this, Lin Yun smiled and shook his head. "Not an alliance. I want your entire He Family to obey my command from this day forward."

The moment Lin Yun said this, Patriarch He and the old butler were stunned. It had to be said that Lin Yun’s words were truly arrogant. With a single sentence, he expected the He Family, the second-greatest family in Wind City, to submit to him. What incredible audacity.

"Young Master Lin, do not push things too far! My He Family has a thousand-year legacy, and no one has ever dared to speak to us this way. Out of consideration for your status as a high disciple of Flawless Palace, I will pretend I didn’t hear that. I hope you will watch your words and actions," Patriarch He snapped after a brief stun. Lin Yun’s words had thoroughly angered him.

Making the entire He Family submit to one person was something not even Gong Lingqi or Chang Jing would dare to imagine. Although they were both among the Ten Core Disciples, the He Family, with its thousand-year legacy, was by no means weak among Flawless Palace’s subordinate powers. Besides Lin Yun, who would dare say such a thing?

Patriarch He’s reaction was exactly as Lin Yun had expected. His own expression unchanging, Lin Yun continued, "Patriarch He, do you think the He Family is that powerful? Or do you believe that having the entire He Family obey my command would cause you to lose face?"

"Hmph. You ignorant brat! Forget you—not even a Main Seat Elder from Flawless Palace would dare say such a thing to my He Family," Patriarch He retorted irritably.

"Some people are born ordinary, while others are destined for greatness from birth. But no matter who they are, I believe everyone harbors ambition in their hearts. Take you, for example, Patriarch He. Are you truly content to remain subservient to the Bai Family? Do you not wish to see the He Family grow and become the most powerful subordinate family of Flawless Palace? Or is it that you no longer have any ambition left in your heart?" Lin Yun said.

Hearing Lin Yun’s words, Patriarch He watched his expression closely. Although Lin Yun’s tone remained calm throughout, it was strange... every word he spoke seemed to possess a kind of Magic Power, making one involuntarily believe him.

Listening to Lin Yun, Patriarch He’s heart actually began to calm down. While Lin Yun’s words were wildly fanciful—forget a young brat like him, not even a Celestial Spirit Realm expert would dare say such things—the difficulty of developing the He Family into Flawless Palace’s strongest subordinate family was something he didn’t even dare to contemplate. To give just one example, to become one of the top five subordinate powers or families of Flawless Palace, one of their family members had to become a Supreme Elder of the Palace. In other words, their family had to have an ancestor who was a Spirit Realm expert.

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