novelraw Chapter 1034: A surprise visit
Chapter 1034: A surprise visit
Yohan sat in the courtyard of the Lin clan manor, a teacup held loosely in his hand. Jasmine and Aana sat right beside him, while Neena and Kana watched him, each casting their own distinct gazes his way.
Yohan felt a prickle of awkwardness under their combined scrutiny. They had all been waiting for him the moment he stepped out of Athena’s room. Still, it had been a long time since they had simply sat together like this, sharing a quiet cup of tea.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Kana asked suddenly. Her gaze was dead serious.
The others turned to Yohan with varying degrees of anticipation. Earlier, he had informed them that he would be leaving the clan for a short while to bring Diya, Xiao Feng, and Natasha back to River Shore City. It had been quite some time since the three of them left to search for Xiao Feng’s mother, and Yohan couldn’t help but worry. His partners were currently scattered across the Feng clan territories, though thankfully, his family seal allowed him to pinpoint their exact locations.
He had a vague idea that their search was ongoing, which explained why they had split up in order to look for lady feng.
"No, I am going alone," Yohan responded, looking from Kana to the others. "It will be a short trip. It’s better if you stay here within the clan with everyone else."
Yohan knew he couldn’t afford to abandon the clan for too long. While Athena and Evelyn were present to protect his family, he refused to shoulder them with all the responsibility,it’s better his other partners stay inside the clan premises to help them.
"I understand..." Kana whispered, accepting his reasoning. She knew it made the most sense for them to stick together and hold down the fort while he went to retrieve Diya and the others.
"When do you intend to leave?" Jasmine asked. She was well aware of the impending meeting; Alena had already issued a formal summons to the various branch families serving under the Lin clan.
"I will leave after dealing with those so-called ’allied leaders’... and the elders of the clan."
"...’
Everyone fell silent. Looking into Yohan’s eyes, they could feel the sudden, chilling coldness in his gaze.
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inside the Matriarch’s Hall, Alena sat on a grand sofa while several figures were seated before her.
"My Lady... out of the twelve official summons we sent out, seven have been rejected by the allied leaders," an old man reported. His voice trembled slightly, and beads of sweat lined his forehead.
Alena fell silent upon hearing the news. She remained outwardly calm, as if she had expected this outcome all along.
"Those bastards... they are looking down on the Lin clan, My Lady!" a middle-aged man among them exclaimed, his face twisted in fury. Rejecting an official summons was a direct violation of the Lin clan’s authority.
"What can we do? They are the branch leaders of the clan," another old man spoke up firmly. More than six figures were gathered before Alena, aggressively debating a matter that required immediate attention. "Most of them share blood relations with Elder Su Wan Lin and Patriarch Su Lin."the elder added.
"Indeed, they are practically family. I am certain they all have their own valid reasons for rejecting the summons," a different elder chimed in, a subtle, calculating look on his face.
Alena raised an eyebrow, her eyes turning icy as she locked onto him. "What exactly do you mean by ’their own reasons’ for defying an official order of the clan,when this clan becomes a joke?"
Deep down, she knew that half of the elders in this room were crooked bastards who only came here to undermine her. These men belonged to the six great factions of the clan holding significant power within the Lin clan; though they held minor positions within their respective factions, they were here today representing the six Great Elders of the clan,each faction contains more than forty elders who oversees the Lin clan’s affairs, including finance, administration, foreign affairs and so on.
"Well, what do you expect?" the elder countered smoothly. "Given how the Young Master Yohan has been behaving, the majority of the elders and allied leaders are deeply concerned about the clan’s future. Frankly, most believe Young Master Yohan is unfit for the position of Patriarch."
Alena’s fists clenched tightly at the old man’s blatant disrespect. Seeing her frustration, the elder simply smiled and bowed his head subtly.
"My Lady, I am merely conveying the sentiments of the allied leaders... I mean no offense," he added smoothly.
The rest of the room remained silent. Even the middle-aged man who had spoken up for the Lin clan earlier didn’t dare utter a word. This was their grim reality: no one within the six factions was pleased with how Yohan handled things—especially not the elders overseeing the administration and finance factions.
"My Lady, we should wait for Elder Su Wan Lin and Patriarch Lin to return. There is no point in holding an official gathering—"
The elder was cut off mid-sentence as the heavy doors of the Matriarch’s Hall swung open. A handsome young man clad in flowing black robes stepped into the room.
Alena tilted her head, a flash of surprise crossing her face when she recognized Yohan. The surrounding elders were entirely taken aback by his sudden entrance. All of them scrambled to their feet. Most had never seen him in person, only hearing terrifying rumors of his ruthlessness—how he had utterly annihilated the Nichole clan, and how he had destroyed the powerful Xian clan of the Northern Region, going so far as to mercilessly execute their leader, a high-ranking minister of the royal family.
"Mother, here you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you," Yohan said casually.
He walked straight past the old men, who were left standing like fools, and naturally took a seat right next to Alena.
Alena swallowed nervously. Yohan usually spent all his time cooped up in his own manor, rarely bothering to visit the other buildings on the clan premises. Seeing him walk into the Matriarch’s Hall of his own accord was surprising indeed.