"Who are you, to dare intrude upon the Jin family's banquet?" the Jin family patriarch bellowed, unleashing his fury upon the intruder. "Guards, drag this person away..."
"Since it is a family banquet, shouldn't I also be in attendance?" The newcomer looked at the Jin family patriarch seated at the head of the table, interrupting him with a voice that was calm and clear. "Father, wouldn't you agree?"
"Father?" The assembled guests looked at the completely unfamiliar man before them, their eyes filled with astonishment. Could this be the patriarch's illegitimate son from outside?
The Jin family patriarch was also surprised. The face was entirely unknown, but the voice was very familiar: "You... you are Jin Ling?"
"So Patriarch Jin still remembers me. I thought Patriarch Jin only had one son, Jin Yao, and that I was perhaps picked up from the streets, which is why you abandoned me without hesitation or regret." Rebirth spoke slowly. "However, I must thank you. If you hadn't cast me into the Land of No Return, I would not have met my benefactors and emerged from there to achieve what I have today."
Rebirth instantly released his oppressive aura. Those with lower cultivation immediately found themselves unable to stand straight. The Jin family patriarch at the head of the table looked on in shock: "You... you have entered the Nascent Soul stage."
"Yes, Patriarch Jin, I have entered the Nascent Soul stage." Rebirth walked step by step towards the patriarch, stopping three feet away. "When you shattered my Golden Core, severed my tendons, and cast me into the Land of No Return to fend for myself, you never imagined that I would one day emerge and cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm, did you?"
The Jin family patriarch took a deep breath, steadying his mind. "Since you have returned, I will not hold your past mistakes against you..."
"Patriarch Jin, what past mistakes have I committed?" Rebirth interrupted, asking slowly. "Was it my fault for being born into the Jin family, or for blocking the path of your second wife and her son, or perhaps for obstructing your path to becoming a dog?"
"Presumptuous!" the Jin family patriarch roared. "Do not think that because you have reached the Nascent Soul stage, you can do as you please. This is the Jin family, and there are quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators here. Do you intend to shake the Jin family single-handedly?"
Rebirth smiled, his smile laced with mockery and bitterness. After a moment, he contained his emotions. "You are right. I have returned today precisely to shake the entire Jin family!"
"Insolent whelp, you speak with such arrogance!" The Great Elder immediately lunged forward, striking at Rebirth with a palm. Rebirth's eyes turned cold, and he met the Great Elder's attack without hesitation. Everyone expected Rebirth to be sent flying, but to their astonishment, it was the Great Elder who was sent crashing back!
The Great Elder was sent flying, colliding with a pillar in the hall before collapsing to the ground, utterly disheveled.
"Patriarch Jin, I have only one purpose for returning today. I wonder if you can fulfill it?" Rebirth said slowly, looking at the patriarch. "Do not consider resorting to force, or I will fight to the death. If I cannot destroy the Jin family, I can at least cripple it, causing it to fall out of the ranks of the Five Great Families!"
"Jin Ling!" The Jin family patriarch glared at Rebirth, seemingly disbelieving that he could utter such words. After all, in his memory, Jin Ling had cared deeply for the Jin family, believing from childhood that his goal was to bring prosperity to it. Yet now, he spoke of destroying it.
Rebirth smiled. "Patriarch Jin, will you agree to my demand?"
"Patriarch, perhaps we should hear the eldest young master's request," the Second Elder said calmly. "But before that, how can you prove you are the eldest young master? After all, the eldest young master we knew did not look like you."
Rebirth's gaze fell upon the Second Elder. "Second Elder, if I were still in my original form, do you think I would have been able to enter Fengling City alive?"
"Therefore, you need to prove your identity."
"Proving my identity is simple." Rebirth flicked a wisp of light from his fingers, instantly encircling the Second Elder's finger. A seven-leaf pattern immediately appeared on the Second Elder's finger.
"The seven-leaf pattern. It is indeed the eldest young master."
"The seven-leaf pattern?" Jing Song looked towards Xiao Man. Xiao Man, however, was engrossed in her meal. Jing Song looked on helplessly.
"Junior Brother, for breakfast, you had two bowls of congee, one egg, two steamed buns, one spring roll, and before leaving, you even had a plate of osmanthus cakes. Are you still eating?"
"I need to eat enough, so I don't have to worry about food if a fight breaks out."
"Will there be a fight?" Jing Song asked in a lowered voice.
"Look at this tense atmosphere. Can it not lead to a fight?" Xiao Man glanced at Rebirth, who stood in the center. "I estimate that there will be a fight later."
Jing Song stared at Xiao Man's finger. He remembered that Xiao Man also had a seven-leaf pattern on her index finger, but now she wore a ring that obscured it.
Jing Song moved closer to Xiao Man. "Little Junior Brother, tell me honestly, do you know the eldest young master?"
Xiao Man nodded as she ate.
"No wonder." Jing Song sat up straight. "The aura of the eldest young master is something the second young master cannot even hope to match."
Xiao Man nodded affirmatively. How could Jin Yao compare to her Rebirth? Her Rebirth was studious and motivated, exceptionally talented, and had no bad habits. That Jin Yao was riddled with flaws!
"Besides the seven-leaf pattern, do you have any other proof of identity?"
Rebirth looked coldly at the Second Elder. "No matter how I prove my identity, you will find ways to deny it. Therefore, evidence is irrelevant. Standing here today, I only want to ask Patriarch Jin one question: do you agree or not?"
"If I do not agree, will you commit a massacre?" the Jin family patriarch asked in a low voice after a moment of silence.
Rebirth's expression turned cold. "When you shattered my Golden Core, severed my tendons, and cast me into the Land of No Return to please your second wife and her son, our father-son relationship was already severed. If you agree, I am the eldest son of the Jin family and will naturally not resort to slaughter. If you refuse, then I am an executioner intending to overthrow the Jin family, and I will find a way to drag you and the elders down to hell together!"
"What a bold claim!" The Great Elder climbed up from the ground, wiping the blood from his lips, and glared fiercely at Rebirth. "If I had known you were such a heartless and ungrateful person, I would not have spared you back then. I should have killed you!"
"Great Elder, rest assured, I will give you the opportunity to kill me, provided you can," Rebirth said calmly. "However, you must step aside. I am speaking with Patriarch Jin right now."
"Patriarch, there's no need to pay him any mind. Guards, apprehend this traitor!"
"Clap clap clap." Rebirth applauded vigorously. "Great Elder, I almost thought you were the true head of the Jin family. No wonder the Jin family is toyed with by that woman. I am suddenly losing interest in the Jin family. May I destroy the Jin family?"