Chapter 69: The Unforeseen Troubles of a Family Gathering

The series of changes originating from the lawless zone had yet to capture anyone’s attention.

Naturally, this included Lin Ling herself; her daily routine continued as always, with the sole addition of combat training.

However, today, these activities would have to pause.

Lin Ling needed to take her younger brother to a large-scale family gathering.

Truth be told, Lin Ling wasn’t particularly fond of such gatherings. A simple meal and chat with familiar family members were fine.

But these large family reunions always brought a swarm of aunts and uncles, cousins twice removed, so numerous she couldn’t even keep track of their names.

Moreover, these entirely unfamiliar relatives would invariably approach her with effusive greetings, forcing her to feign politeness and cordiality in return.

Though they were family, she always sensed an underlying falseness, much like the superficial pleasantries exchanged at a business banquet.

Originally, Lin Ling had no intention of attending in person.

Sending a clone to make a token appearance would have sufficed.

However, upon hearing her father explain that the main reason for the gathering was to celebrate her nephew’s first birthday, Lin Ling reconsidered.

After all, her relationship with her cousin was quite good, so attending her nephew’s birthday seemed appropriate.

****

Inside the hotel,

Upon entering the grand private room, Lin Ling’s suspicions were confirmed: a large group of relatives, whose names she could barely recall, immediately swarmed her and Lin Hui.

Ah…

What followed was the familiar routine.

“A-Ling, long time no see! Have you found a girlfriend yet?”

“How’s work going these days?”

“What’s your annual salary?”

…

…

A torrent of questions poured forth, though they generally fell into a few predictable categories: girlfriends, houses, and careers.

‘Ah, I truly dislike dealing with this,’ she thought.

Fortunately, she had come prepared today.

‘Hehehe, √(—皿—)√’

“Third Grand-Uncle, Fourth Grand-Aunt, I’m just muddling through as usual. You should pay more attention to A-Hui! He just returned from studying abroad, and it’s been three years since we last saw him. The boy’s grown so much stronger!”

Lin Ling decisively ‘sold out’ Lin Hui. After all, what else were younger brothers for but to be used?

Upon hearing this,

The relatives clustered around Lin Ling instantly shifted their gaze toward Lin Hui, who stood not far away.

The sudden onslaught of attention made Lin Hui involuntarily shiver.

Lin Hui: ‘Why does this feel… off?’

Having escaped the ‘siege’ of her relatives, Lin Ling felt a wave of relief wash over her. She neither liked nor excelled at conversing with so many people, especially when she knew most of them lacked genuine sincerity.

Using her spiritual power, Lin Ling effortlessly located her cousin and her little nephew.

As expected of the day’s protagonist, the little nephew was surrounded by a crowd, including Lin Ling’s own parents. However, the atmosphere seemed somewhat strained.

The reason, of course, was that the little nephew apparently disliked such noisy, crowded environments. He was crying incessantly, and no amount of coaxing seemed to calm him, leaving everyone around him looking worried.

Upon seeing Lin Ling, her father and mother approached her.

Her father slung an arm around Lin Ling’s shoulder, remarking with some satisfaction, “You’re actually on time today, young man. Usually, you can’t escape these gatherings fast enough.”

“Well, I’ve grown up, haven’t I? More mature, more mature…”

‘Hmph, if it weren’t for my nephew, I wouldn’t be here,’ Lin Ling grumbled internally.

“By the way, where’s A-Hui?” her father continued to inquire.

“He just got back. Do you think Third Grand-Uncle and the others would let him go so easily?”

“True.”

Hearing this, her father couldn’t help but crack a wry smile.

After greeting her parents, Lin Ling walked directly to her cousin, Lin Juan’er. After all, these two were the main reason for her attendance.

She patted Lin Juan’er’s shoulder and offered a ‘charming’ yet somewhat roguish smile.

“Hey, Xiao Juan, what’s up? What’s this little guy fussing about?”

Lin Juan’er turned, her gaze falling upon her irreverent, amusing older cousin.

Memories of their joyful childhood moments floated to the surface of her mind.

“Honestly, you’re so old, yet still so unserious.”

“Haha, just trying to cheer you up. What’s wrong? Why is he crying so loudly?”

Lin Juan’er sighed, looking at the little ‘ancestor’ in her arms. “Xiao Mu seems afraid of crowds and just keeps crying. It looks like he won’t stop until we leave this place.”

“Then take him home?”

“I can’t. This is his birthday party, after all. The guest of honor can’t just run off,” Lin Juan’er replied, shaking her head.

‘Hmm, I see. That’s simple enough.’

Lin Ling then adopted an eager expression. “How about I hold him? I’ll see if I can make him laugh.”

“Alright,” Lin Juan’er agreed, with no objections, and prepared to hand the child to Lin Ling.

However, some people were not so pleased.

Lin Juan’er’s mother-in-law, Aunt Cai, immediately stepped forward to object. “Wait, A-Ling, you don’t know how to take care of children, and you’ve barely interacted with him. Never mind, you’ll only make things worse.”

“That’s right, Brother Ling, please take a seat in the dining area. We’ll handle the child,” Lin Juan’er’s husband, Zhang Hong, also chimed in.

In essence, they simply didn’t want her to touch the child.

Lin Ling, however, understood. Her relationship with Zhang Hong’s family was not good; she had initially opposed her cousin’s marriage to Zhang Hong, considering the Zhang family’s somewhat… unsavory background.

This had led to many unpleasant incidents, and apparently, Zhang Hong had even been privately beaten by Xi Yue afterward.

As for now, Lin Ling had investigated and found that Zhang Hong truly cared for Lin Juan’er, so Lin Ling no longer opposed the marriage. It was just that his mother, Aunt Cai, seemed a bit too demanding, and might need some ‘education’ at some point.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Lin Juan’er quickly interjected, “It’s fine. Let my older cousin hold him. We’re all family; it’s alright.”

As expected, Aunt Cai continued to protest vehemently.

“No! Absolutely not! What if he cries even harder?”

Seeing her mother-in-law’s stern demeanor, Lin Juan’er didn’t know what else to say. She could only cast a slightly apologetic look at Lin Ling.

But as she looked at Lin Ling, she saw that Lin Ling had already bent down and slowly extended her index finger toward Xiao Mu in her arms.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Don’t touch him! You…?”

Seeing this, Zhang Hong and Aunt Cai were about to intervene, but then they were astonished to realize something.

The child had gradually stopped crying.

????!!!

This child, whom everyone, including his own parents, had been powerless to soothe, had actually stopped crying because of Lin Ling’s single finger??

What was happening? It was incredible!

The next scene left everyone present even more flabbergasted. The child not only stopped crying but burst into laughter, eagerly grasping Lin Ling’s finger.

He showed immense affection for Lin Ling, babbling continuously, as if asking her to hold him???

How could a complete stranger elicit such a reaction?

Zhang Hong and Aunt Cai exchanged bewildered glances, seeking answers, but only found confusion in each other’s eyes.

Seeing the situation, Lin Juan’er took the opportunity to hand the child over to Lin Ling.

Aunt Cai and the others were speechless, their expressions somewhat awkward. Though they felt displeasure, they had no choice but to swallow it, given the circumstances.

Regardless, the child was no longer crying, which was a good thing.

And so, the scene of the child’s incessant crying inexplicably concluded under the bewildered gazes of everyone present.

Looking at the little nephew in her arms, who continued to flash a brilliant smile, Lin Ling unconsciously used her finger to playfully poke the child’s cheek.

Indeed, if children weren’t so fussy, they were quite adorable!

The affinity of Sacred Spirit Power was no joke; using it to soothe a child was effortlessly simple.

Moreover, seeing the disgruntled yet helpless expressions of those few individuals,

It was rather amusing.

Hehehe.

However, Lin Ling soon realized she had thought too simply.

****

Half an hour later,

The gathering was winding down, and most people had left the hall.

At this moment, Lin Ling realized a serious problem.

This little nephew seemed to favor her excessively.

He would cry whenever anyone else tried to hold him, showing no mercy even to his own parents, clinging stubbornly to Lin Ling’s embrace.

Furthermore, when she withdrew her Sacred Spirit Power, the child instantly went from sunny to stormy, crying with such heart-wrenching intensity that Lin Ling felt utterly at a loss.

‘Wow, what do I do now?’

‘I shouldn’t have courted disaster like this. Why is this child so energetic? Please, just go to sleep!’

Looking at the child in her arms, Lin Ling already had the illusion that she was holding a little ancestor.

She expected this awkward situation to last for a while.

Unexpectedly,

Just then, a bizarre and violent, terrifying aura, unlike anything she had ever encountered, emanated from space, instantly shattering Lin Ling’s thoughts.

In an instant, a profound sense of unease swept through Lin Ling’s heart.

Under everyone’s confused and shocked gazes, Lin Ling, ignoring the child’s cries, forcefully handed him back to his mother.

Lin Juan’er looked utterly bewildered, while Lin Ling herself dashed to the window at an imperceptible speed, gazing up at the seemingly calm sky.

‘This fluctuation?’

‘The Mother Goddess’s barrier is under attack!!!’