Chapter 45: I Didn’t Know He Was Mr. Lin!

"There's no rush. He might come on his own in a bit. Sit down, have some water, and wait," Lin Yang gestured for Qi Yixin to take a seat.

Qi Yixin was a clever man; the moment he heard this, a sense of dread crept over him, making him feel as though he was sitting on pins and needles.

Lin Yang, holding a book in his hand, walked over slowly and asked, "Do you recognize this medical text?"

Qi Yixin glanced at the cover, where ancient script spelled out: "The Classic of the Spiritual Coffin."

"The Classic of the Spiritual Coffin?!" Qi Yixin leapt to his feet, his face flushing with excitement as if he were beholding a priceless treasure.

The Classic of the Spiritual Coffin was a part of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, exceedingly rare and precious. Qi Yixin had only ever heard of its name, never seen it with his own eyes. For a student of medicine, this was a treasure beyond measure.

Lin Yang nodded slightly, crossed his legs, and said, "I was going to lend you this Classic so you could copy it, but someone was against it."

Qi Yixin almost jumped for joy upon hearing this. If he could obtain the Classic of the Spiritual Coffin, it would elevate his medical skills to new heights. Transcribing it would secure the Qi family’s legacy for a century, establishing them as a renowned family of traditional medicine.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Qi family to ascend to greatness!

But Lin Yang’s next words were like a bucket of cold water.

"Someone was against it? Who?"

Qi Yixin cursed inwardly, wondering which fool was sabotaging him in front of Mr. Lin. To cut off his path in medicine was no different than killing his parents!

At that moment, the villa’s garden gate was violently kicked open. A brash voice rang out—Qi Tianyong.

"You little brat, your Grandpa Qi is here! Get out here and face your death!"

Behind Qi Tianyong trailed a group of thugs, each wielding crowbars and machetes, faces fierce and murderous.

Qi Yixin, hearing the shouting, nearly toppled off the sofa in fright. His face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring from his brow.

"Speak of the devil and he arrives. The man outside, that's your nephew, isn’t it? Why don’t you invite him in to sit?" Lin Yang remarked.

With a thud, Qi Yixin fell to his knees before Lin Yang.

"Mr. Lin, have mercy! I truly don’t know how Qi Tianyong offended you, much less that he would barge in and cause trouble!"

Qi Yixin’s face was ashen with despair. Just yesterday, his own son had crossed Lin Yang and ended up with a broken arm and leg. It was only thanks to Mr. Lin’s magnanimity that Qi Tianming escaped with his life.

He never imagined that today, his nephew Qi Tianyong would lead a gang to attack Lin Yang’s home.

In that instant, it was glaringly obvious—even without thinking—that it wasn’t sabotage from outsiders, but his own nephew single-handedly ruining their family’s golden opportunity.

"Now do you understand who I was referring to just now?" Lin Yang’s tone was calm, betraying no emotion, which only made Qi Yixin more nervous, unable to guess what Lin Yang was truly thinking.

Outside, Qi Tianyong was still cursing. Seeing Lin Yang hadn’t appeared, he waved his arm and barked, "Get in there and kill everyone! Smash the place! If you see anyone, chop them down—especially that punk surnamed Lin! Hack off his arms and legs, but leave him breathing!"

At his command, twenty or thirty armed men surged toward the house.

At that moment, the door opened, and Qi Yixin stood in the doorway.

"Qi Tianyong! Get over here this instant!" Qi Yixin was so furious he could have killed his nephew on the spot.

Qi Tianyong froze, startled to see his uncle open the door, and quickly shouted, "Hold it, all of you!"

He pushed through the crowd and came over. "Second Uncle, why are you here?"

Qi Yixin was livid, his face dark with anger. He strode over and slapped Qi Tianyong hard, twice.

"You little bastard, are you trying to get us all killed? Do you realize what you’re doing?"

Qi Tianyong grimaced in pain but didn’t dare protest. All his current wealth and standing were thanks to his uncle.

"Second Uncle, why did you hit me?"

"Hit you? I ought to kill you!" Qi Yixin kicked him in the stomach, leaving Qi Tianyong clutching his belly and howling in pain.

At this moment, Lin Yang stepped out of the house.

"Quite the show—twenty or thirty men with blades storming my home. Looks like you wanted me turned to mincemeat."

"Mr. Lin, please calm your anger!" Qi Yixin said fearfully, then barked at Qi Tianyong, who was sprawled on the ground, "You little bastard, get over here and beg Mr. Lin for forgiveness!"

Qi Tianyong, still bewildered, protested, "Second Uncle, you must be senile! He’s the one who beat me up!"

"So what if Mr. Lin beat you? I only regret he didn’t finish you off!" Qi Yixin was beside himself with rage. The thought of losing the Classic of the Spiritual Coffin made his heart ache.

His anger mounting, Qi Yixin unleashed another round of punches and kicks, leaving Qi Tianyong bloodied and toothless.

The armed men watched in shock, utterly at a loss.

Qi Yixin was old, and after beating Qi Tianyong, he was left exhausted.

"You little fool, do you know who Mr. Lin is? You were at the Murong family’s birthday banquet last night—did you have your ears plugged with wax?"

"Even Director Cao and Old Master Murong showed Mr. Lin the highest respect, and yet you dare to cause trouble here? Are you tired of living?"

"Do you realize what you’ve cost our family today? You’ve ruined a heaven-sent chance for the Qi family to prosper for generations! I’d kill you if I could!"

Qi Yixin, teeth clenched, was still seething despite the beating.

At last, Qi Tianyong understood the magnitude of his mistake. Realizing he’d collided with an immovable force, he became ashen with despair.

Ignoring his pain, he crawled over and kowtowed with all his might, quickly bloodying his forehead.

"Mr. Lin, please spare me! I was blind and ignorant of your status—please, have mercy!"

He’d never imagined that this young man, who’d not even appeared at last night’s banquet, was the very same mysterious figure whose name now resounded throughout Luo City.

Lin Yang waved his hand. "Old Qi, this is your family business. I’ll give you face today—take your people and leave."

"Thank you, Mr. Lin." Though the matter of the Classic was lost, Qi Yixin dared not resent Lin Yang, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

Qi Tianyong, too, was immensely relieved, thanking him over and over. He knew that if Mr. Lin wanted him dead, not even his uncle would dare object.

"Clean this place up. There’s blood everywhere," Lin Yang said, then turned and went back inside.

Qi Tianyong slowly got to his feet, battered and bruised, but alive.

"That was close! Thank you, Second Uncle—if you hadn’t been here today, I’d be dead. Seems this Mr. Lin has quite a temper, but he’s not unreasonable."

Qi Tianyong understood that if he were in Lin Yang’s position, he certainly wouldn’t have let the matter rest so easily.

"Damn it! How did I end up with such a pig-headed nephew?" Qi Yixin cursed, slapping him again in rage.

"What is it, Second Uncle? Didn’t Mr. Lin already forgive me? Why hit me again?" Qi Tianyong said, his face numb from the blows.

"You fool! You’ve destroyed our family’s once-in-a-lifetime chance at glory and a legacy to last generations!"

Qi Yixin, eyes blazing, pointed at the gate and roared, "Get out! Go home, pack your things, and get back to the old house—never set foot in Luo City again!"