Originally, his plan was simple. Lin Ling was easy to bully; after all, hadn't the Old Chen Family driven her out of Capital City years ago without her even daring to let out a peep? All he needed to do now was put on a small act of intimidation, and he would surely terrify that despicable woman into obedience. What right does a mere country bumpkin like her have to oppose the Old Chen Family? She doesn't have the guts.

At that point, she would have no choice but to obediently call her son. She would beg him to act on behalf of the Old Chen Family and seek Old Master Xu's intervention to help them survive this crisis. How could she possibly think to resist?

But he had never anticipated this. The despicable woman was so brazenly audacious, openly confronting him, Chen Weishan, and the Old Chen Family. What disrespect! Absolutely preposterous! If it weren't for her son, does she really think someone of her caliber is worthy of our consideration? Just a country bumpkin with a peasant's destiny.

Though he was cursing up a storm in his heart, anyone present could see the intense panic and unease in his eyes. In his view, this country woman Lin Ling should have been easy to bully, someone he could mold as he pleased. But her son was no pushover; he was a troublesome thorn. Otherwise, Chen Weishan wouldn't have avoided him and snuck into the countryside to find that woman.

It all boiled down to fear. After all, those so-called Ancient Martial Artists, with their extraordinary powers, were no joke. They could effortlessly take the life of an ordinary person like him. Furthermore, his private investigations suggested the kid wasn't just some average Ancient Martial Artist, but a truly formidable one. Of course he was frightened. He was terrified that Chen Fei might act impulsively and kill him.

Who am I, Chen Weishan? What is my status? My life is far too precious! How could I possibly mess around with a brute like that, a nobody? Absolutely not.

But for Chen Weishan to turn around and leave now was unthinkable. He had come all the way from Capital City to this backwater, and to fail so ingloriously was not an option. At the thought, he glared viciously at Lin Ling again. "Despicable woman, I, Chen Weishan, and the Old Chen Family will give you one last chance. Tell your son not to come back. Tell him to go and beg Old Master Xu to step in!"

"Heh, do you have the authority to represent the Chen Family?" Lin Ling scoffed, her tone light.

"Of course!"

Chen Weishan failed to detect the sarcasm in her words, assuming the despicable woman was finally scared. A hint of smugness swelled in his heart. He immediately lifted his head high, his face full of arrogance. "Do you know who my father is? My father is Chen Huaqin, one of the few elders in our family who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the current Family Head! Do you think I have the authority? What I say represents the will of the Old Chen Family! Understand?"

"Chen Huaqin? So you're the son of that old codger," Lin Ling muttered, ignoring him. She remembered it clearly: the one most eager to kick her and her son out of Capital City all those years ago was that very same Chen Huaqin. So this man is his son... what a 'coincidence'.

However, Chen Weishan didn't quite catch Lin Ling's muttering, only hearing a few distinct words like his father's name, Chen Huaqin. Assuming she was intimidated, a smug and triumphant smile spread across his mud-streaked, ugly face. He then adopted a haughty stance, looking down on Lin Ling with a sneer. "Lin Ling, let me tell you, if you know what's good for you, you'll do exactly as I say. This will benefit both of us. You'll be able to enter the ranks of Huaxia's top high society and enjoy a life of endless glory and wealth, envied by all! Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"Sorry, that seems to be your wishful thinking. I've never had such thoughts," Lin Ling chuckled coldly. "Besides, if you have something to say, you can wait for my son to get back and tell him directly. It only takes an hour or two to return from Northern Mountain." By now, she had figured it out. This man surnamed Chen is quite afraid of my son!

"You... Despicable woman, don't be so ungrateful! I'm warning you, if you dare to oppose the Old Chen Family, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Chen Weishan's face turned livid as he growled fiercely.

"Unimaginable?" Lin Ling said coldly, her eyes filled with scorn and chill. "More than twenty years ago, my son and I nearly died at your hands. What could be more unimaginable than that? If there is, I'd certainly like to see it."

That incident from years ago—she hadn't forgotten a single moment in over two decades. It was all etched deep in her heart.

"I'm telling you, the fact that our Old Chen Family is even willing to let you and your son into the family is an extraordinary act of grace. After all, your husband was from the direct lineage of our Old Chen Family, and your son has our Old Chen Family's blood running through his veins. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even be qualified to step through our family's front door!" Chen Weishan snapped, sweeping Lin Ling with a cold glance.

"Is that so? It seems the Chen Family truly holds my son and me in high regard," Lin Ling said, her tone sharp. "Unfortunately for you, now that the old master of your Chen Family is dead, we're no longer interested. My son is Old Master Xu's lifesaver. The current Chen Family is nothing compared to him. Otherwise, why would a hypocrite like you have come all this way to beg me? It's a pity, but I will not help the Chen Family. And my son certainly won't either."

"You… you despicable woman, do you realize what you're doing? It means that from tonight onward, you will no longer have the right to step even an inch into Huaxia's high society! It means you and your son have chosen to stand against our Old Chen Family! When that time comes, your fate will be very, very grim!"

Chen Weishan was furious, his face twisted with rage. "You wretched woman, I'm giving you one last chance! You should understand the saying: a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if our Old Chen Family is in a temporary crisis and the Old Master is gone, we are not people that country folk like you can afford to offend! Ordering you to do something is an honor for you peasants! Don't be so ungrateful and stubbornly misguided!"

"I think you're sick in the head. If your Chen Family is really that powerful, why would you come here begging me and my son?" Lin Ling, completely unintimidated by his blustering, retorted with disdain.

"What did you say…"

Chen Weishan had thrown his weight around his entire life, relying on his father and the Old Chen Family's reputation. He was not accustomed to being humiliated by a woman—let alone a lowly peasant from the countryside. His face turned ashen with rage, his eyes dark with fury. He raised his hand to slap Lin Ling, but it froze mid-air as a surge of energy suddenly slammed into him!

With utter contempt, Lin Ling watched Chen Weishan's attempted strike. She leaned forward slightly, her leg lashing out like a whip. To his horror, her foot slammed fiercely into his stomach, sending him flying back onto the grass. He landed face-first in the mud.

"You... you dare to hit me? Good, very good... You wretched woman, I'll remember this! Don't think this is over. Since you and your son are so lowly and ungrateful, foolishly making an enemy of the Old Chen Family, then even if you kneel and beg in the future..." Chen Weishan was seething with rage, his face livid and twitching as he stared death at Lin Ling, his words dripping with menace.

However, before he could finish, his stomach received another 'friendly' kick from Lin Ling, making him cry out in agony and nearly vomit bile.

"Get lost. A creature like you disgusts me," Lin Ling said coldly. "Of course, you can stay if you don't want to leave. My son will be back in an hour or two. If you have anything to say to him on behalf of the Chen Family, you can tell him directly when he arrives." She glanced with disgust at Chen Weishan, who was rolling on the ground, screaming in pain.

"You, you… You stinking bitch, you wretched woman, you'll regret this! I, Chen Weishan, and our Old Chen Family will not let this go! I will make you and your son pay the price! I'll make you kneel and beg me! You just wait!" Spitting out these harsh words, Chen Weishan furiously ordered his black-clad bodyguards to help him away. Finally, some peace and quiet.

When Wang Dazhi, the Deputy Director of the West City Police Station in Chengyang County, saw what happened, his legs went weak. A man like Chen Weishan—a high-ranking Deputy Director from the Public Security Bureau of Capital City—had just been beaten up and kicked out by Lin Ling. A sticky, cold sweat drenched his neck and back.

But he knew this wasn't the time to stand there frozen. He quickly wobbled forward, forcing a flattering smile as he approached Lin Ling. "My deepest apologies! I didn't realize you were a person of such high status. It was all a misunderstanding. Now that it's all cleared up, I hope you won't hold it against me. I'm so, so sorry."

At his words and behavior, expressions of disgust appeared on the faces of both Lin Ling and Aunt Deng. They clearly despised such a shameless, two-faced person from the bottom of their hearts. Just then, Lin Ling's phone rang.

She took it out and saw it was a call from her son, Chen Fei.

"Hello, Mom, have you settled things over there? I'm on my way home now. I'll be back in Chengyang County in two hours at the most," Chen Fei's anxious voice came through as soon as she answered.

"It's already taken care of." Lin Ling's expression softened considerably as she spoke with a smile. "Everything is fine now. If you're busy, you don't need to rush back."

"No, that won't do!" Chen Fei insisted decisively. "I'm already in the car. I'll be there in two hours."

He paused for a moment before continuing slowly, "Mom, that guy from Capital City and the one named Wang Dazhi—where are they now? Have they left, or are they still there?"

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