"What's wrong? Why are you sighing? Are you tired from taking care of me recently?" Lin Liwen looked at Fang Wenhua.
"I am a little tired. There's too much going on lately."
"Is it because of the company? Mother transferred half of her shares to the Yang family. You're not happy, are you?"
"The company has always belonged to the Lin family. Isn't it up to the Lin family to decide how to handle it?" Fang Wenhua smiled faintly.
"Don't I know you? You're so competitive!" Lin Liwen shot him a look. "Don't worry, Xiao Tian will definitely help us get the company back."
"Mmm, I believe in Xiao Tian," Fang Wenhua narrowed his eyes and smiled.
After Lin Liwen took her nap, Fang Wenhua looked out the window, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.
The seven-day verification period had begun. The Lin family's ancestral rules already had a plan for this. During this period, the main Lin family, as the proposer, could only supervise and not interfere with the actions of the other branch families.
Lin Xiao Tian had asked the old matriarch for her thoughts, but she always avoided the topic, leaving Lin Xiao Tian unsure of what she was thinking.
There were twelve branch families in the Lin family. On the first day, Lin Xiao Tian was taken to the hospital by four of the branch families.
To ensure independence, they did not go to the Imperial Chinese Medicine Hall but chose other appraisal centers. After a series of examinations, Lin Xiao Tian's genetic sample was sent to the appraisal experts.
They then followed them closely from the outside until the experts produced the results.
Lin Xiao Tian was also compelled to accompany them.
With the help of capital, the appraisal results came out within a few hours.
"It really is... Xiao Tian, you are one of us, a member of the Lin family!" a branch family head exclaimed, his voice trembling as he looked at the appraisal report.
The decline of the Lin family had begun with the dwindling male heirs of the main family. Now, Lin Xiao Tian's return was like a glimmer of hope for the Lin family.
Although the Jiang and Fang families also had strong contenders for the Lin family's succession, in their eyes, the true heir of the Lin family had to be a direct descendant of the main family and a male offspring.
The other branch family heads also took the reports and looked at them. Upon seeing the results, their faces were filled with excitement.
"Haha, Xiao Tian is so outstanding. With you leading the Lin family in the future, it will surely surpass other families and become the strongest!"
This statement essentially acknowledged Lin Xiao Tian's future status as the family head.
The next period was for the various family heads to pledge their loyalty.
Previously, they had questioned Lin Xiao Tian relentlessly, but now their attitudes had completely reversed. Some even began to play the victim, hoping to gain more resources from Lin Xiao Tian.
The future family head was right before them. If they didn't curry favor now, what advantage would they have if other competitors reacted later?
By the time Lin Xiao Tian left, it was already afternoon.
Following this, the second wave of branch families contacted Lin Xiao Tian, their tone much more polite.
If they had known the results of the first group's verification today, their tone would likely not be like this.
Facing the future family head with such calmness was, to these old foxes, a sign of low emotional intelligence.
But they couldn't be blamed entirely. The first group who had learned of Lin Xiao Tian's identity had no intention of revealing the truth to the others. Their head start would not be wasted. If Lin Xiao Tian noticed a significant difference in their attitude compared to others, he would surely know who to favor in the future.
By the time he returned, Lin Xiao Tian was both physically and mentally exhausted.
Dealing with these old foxes was more tiring than fighting demonic beasts in the Kunlun Valley.
According to the family rules, Lin Xiao Tian was not allowed to damage the Lin family at this time, so he had to stay outside.
Even in the hotel, Lin Xiao Tian was under constant surveillance.
Fortunately, Lin Xiao Tian had prepared a good supply of Qi Condensation pills beforehand, so he didn't need to go back to the Lin family to refine them.
As for the Apostle, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't visit it for now, but the creature was behaving itself, and Lin Xiao Tian believed it knew what it was doing.
In the evening, Lin Xiao Tian sat in his room, meditating with his eyes closed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Sir, your late-night supper has arrived."
Lin Xiao Tian was taken aback.
He didn't recall ordering any late-night supper.
Perhaps it was ordered by one of the branch families. Lin Xiao Tian didn't think much of it and opened the door to let the person in.
The waiter set up the dishes for Lin Xiao Tian, then bowed respectfully. Lin Xiao Tian, being sensible, gave him a tip.
After the waiter left, Lin Xiao Tian looked at the supper. It was a meticulously prepared steak, with mashed potatoes and boiled carrots.
He had been dealing with those old foxes all day, and the steak looked genuinely appetizing. Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but take a few bites.
He had to admit, the cuisine from the high-end restaurant was truly exceptional, and Lin Xiao Tian was very satisfied.
However, as he ate, Lin Xiao Tian began to feel that something was wrong.
"This is... poison?"
The steak was poisoned.
And it was potent poison!
For an ordinary person, they would already be dead.
The perpetrator had also acted maliciously. The poison, when it took effect, caused a gruesome death, with blood flowing from all seven orifices and the skin decaying. Even with immediate treatment, the chances of survival were almost zero.
But Lin Xiao Tian simply smiled and calmly finished the steak.
His magic power could easily neutralize potent poisons. To the current Lin Xiao Tian, this level of chemical attack was useless.
After finishing his meal, Lin Xiao Tian began to meditate on the spot.
The next day, Lin Xiao Tian was once again taken to the hospital by a group of branch family heads.
The only method they had to verify Lin Xiao Tian's identity now was a paternity test, following the same pattern as the group from yesterday.
When the results came out, their expressions were identical to those of the previous group.
After seeing the results, each of them looked at Lin Xiao Tian with eyes full of flattery.
Now they understood why the group from yesterday hadn't told them the truth.
It was understandable that they would conceal it, given the opportunity to curry favor with the future family head in advance.
However, this time, with yesterday's experience, Lin Xiao Tian wouldn't have to spend the entire day with them.
After the morning's test results were out, Lin Xiao Tian followed their routine, offered some pleasantries to the family heads, and easily extricated himself.
At noon, Lin Xiao Tian returned to the hotel.
The moment he stepped into the hotel, Lin Xiao Tian sensed something was amiss.
Someone had entered his room.
Even more critically, this person was still here!