Yang Wudi's shout caused a stir among the gathered family forces.
They never expected the renowned Tai Chi master, Yang Wudi, to surrender. Was this the inviolable master they knew?
As everyone stared at Yang Wudi in disbelief, Lin Hao immediately withdrew his hand. He held no deep animosity towards Yang Wudi and saw no need for further aggression.
Seeing Lin Hao stop, Yang Wudi breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely feared Lin Hao might unleash another "Tiangang Lei Yin" attack, which he wouldn't have been able to withstand.
With a silent exhale, Yang Wudi looked at Lin Hao, a hint of humiliation in his voice as he declared, "I surrender."
Lin Hao nodded, then turned his gaze to Wei Wei and Xu Yijian. Xu Yijian had already regained consciousness. When Lin Hao's eyes fell upon him, he instinctively flinched, then gritted his teeth and said, "I... I surrender!"
"I surrender too," Wei Wei said, looking at Lin Hao with a sense of wistful reflection. Initially, he had viewed Lin Hao as merely an arrogant young prodigy, confident that even with his talent, he couldn't surpass the three of them, especially given his age. Wei Wei had even considered taking Lin Hao as a disciple.
However, the outcome was vastly different; Lin Hao had nearly killed them all, forcing them to bow in submission. Not only had they never surrendered to anyone since entering the Grandmaster realm, but instances of Hua Jin Grandmasters being forced to surrender were exceedingly rare in the recorded history of Grandmasters. This was because once one reached the Grandmaster realm, they became incredibly difficult to kill. Even a Grandmaster at the peak of their cultivation could not easily defeat another Grandmaster. This was the very reason Grandmasters became legends. Thus, the instances of Grandmasters being forced to surrender were few and far between. To think they would experience such a situation was a profound realization for Wei Wei.
Lost in thought, Wei Wei sighed. "Mr. Lin," he said respectfully, "may we leave now?" This respect was genuine, stemming from the understanding that true mastery transcends age. Lin Hao, so young, had utterly defeated the three of them, leaving them no room to fight back. This had instilled a deep sense of respect in Wei Wei.
Seeing Wei Wei's deference, Xu Yijian let out a displeased grunt. Lin Hao ignored Xu Yijian and gestured for Wei Wei to depart. Wei Wei expressed his gratitude to Lin Hao and immediately led his family away. Xu Yijian, who had intended to argue with Lin Hao, swallowed his words upon seeing Wei Wei leave and departed with his own family. Yang Wudi also quickly led his clan members away from the Lin residence. Their departure was as hurried and disheveled as their arrival had been arrogant.
In a blink, the Lin family mansion fell silent. The onlookers from various families had also departed, leaving only the Lin family members, Lin Hao, Xiao Hei, and Lin Qingxin in the entire estate. Lin Hao glanced at his Uncle Lin Yuanshan, who stood at the edge of the main hall, and turned to leave.
However, just as Lin Hao was about to depart, his uncle's voice called out from behind him. "Xiao... Xiao Hao."
"Speak!" Lin Hao turned back, looking at his uncle with a cold expression. Lin Yuanshan paused for a moment before quickly saying, "Xiao Hao, could you... could you come back?"
"Come back?" Lin Hao was taken aback, then understood his uncle's intention. Seeing his newfound success, his uncle wanted to win him over. As Lin Hao was about to refuse, Lin Yuanshan interjected, "Xiao Hao, I know you were hurt when the family asked you to leave. But we had no choice. As the saying goes, a nation has its laws, and a family has its rules. If we hadn't made you leave, how could we maintain order? So, can you forgive us this time? After all, the blood of the Lin family flows through you, doesn't it? Xiao Hao, come back. We made a mistake last time, and you must give us a chance to make amends. Xiao Hao,"
"Are you finished?" Lin Hao asked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he looked at his earnest, rambling uncle. "If you haven't finished, you can stand here and continue speaking." With that, Lin Hao turned and walked away, ignoring Lin Yuanshan.
Seeing Lin Hao turn to leave, Lin Yuanshan grew anxious and called out, "Xiao Hao, wait."
"Xiao Hao, don't you always want to know the whereabouts of your parents?"
Lin Hao's footsteps halted, and his expression turned cold. "You know where they went?" Lin Hao asked, his body emanating a chilling aura as he stared at his uncle. He had never met his parents. As a child, he believed they were dead. But as he grew older, his divinations and deductions repeatedly confirmed that his parents were alive, though their whereabouts remained unknown. Even his grandfather didn't know. He had asked his grandfather countless times, but the answer was always the same: he didn't know.
He could have used his bloodline to trace his parents' general location, but strangely, his bloodline deductions yielded nothing. It was as if his parents' information had been completely obscured. After numerous attempts yielded no useful information, Lin Hao decided to put the matter of his parents aside for the time being, intending to resolve it when his strength increased or when fate allowed. He never expected his uncle to bring it up so suddenly today.
Lin Hao stared at Lin Yuanshan, suspecting his uncle might fabricate a reason to lure him back to the family. However, if his uncle resorted to such tactics, he would make him pay. As Lin Hao fixed his gaze on Lin Yuanshan, contemplating these thoughts, Lin Yuanshan felt a prickle of unease under his nephew's stare and quickly said, "Xiao Hao, if you come back, I will tell you everything that happened back then. Don't you want to know why we treated you poorly all your life? We are your paternal uncles, after all."
Lin Hao frowned. This was a question he had pondered many times. As Lin Yuanshan said, they were indeed his paternal uncles.