Chapter 28: Sworn Siblings

“Sworn siblings? I don’t agree!”

Lin Yaoyao already had four older brothers. Another one trying to horn in on his little sister? Lin Feiyuan was the first to say no.

Lin Yaoyao shot Lin Feiyuan a glare. What business was it of his? Shen Bai hadn’t even agreed yet.

Shen Bai had the innate Dao embryo, a system-certified prodigy. Lin Yaoyao was determined to latch onto that powerful leg.

“Senior Brother Shen, what do you think? Would you take me on as your little sister?”

Shen Bai was flattered by the sudden proposal.

“Junior Sister Lin, I appreciate your kindness. But I’m a person of ill omen. I’d only drag you down.”

Shen Bai lowered his eyes, his expression timid, not daring to look at Lin Yaoyao again.

If not for the system prompt, who would have guessed that this meek, submissive man would one day become a Great Emperor?

“Brother Shen, I’ve heard all about your story. In my eyes, you’re someone with an unyielding will and an upright character. How could someone like that be a curse? You’re a blessing…”

Bang!

The door was kicked open, cutting Lin Yaoyao off mid-sentence.

The one who barged in was Tang Yan from the academy’s student records office, followed by two or three servant disciples. From the look of it, he wasn’t here for anything good.

“Shen Bai, get the hell out here!”

Shen Bai tried to get up, but Lin Yaoyao stopped him. Lin Feiyuan also told him to ignore Tang Yan.

Tang Yan was a dog who used his position to bully others. He’d pushed around plenty of disciples, especially those with no family background and ordinary aptitude.

No one answered. Tang Yan stormed in, fuming.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw that besides Shen Bai on the bed, the room was full of “little ancestors” from prominent families. His face changed in an instant, breaking into a wide smile.

Lin Yaoyao, Lin Feiyuan, Lu Yan’er, and the others had made the top ten in the academy entrance exam. The news had spread across the school, and their stock was rising.

Especially when it came to Lin Yaoyao. Rumor had it she’d inherited the true legacy of a reclusive grandmaster. Not only had her cultivation soared, but anyone who got close to her was said to improve as well.

There was even talk that she was the future young mistress of the Murong family, having pledged her love to the “Ghost-Faced King of Hell” in public.

Better to believe such rumors than to doubt them!

Offending her was out of the question. Lin Yaoyao was the fiercest “little ancestor” of them all!

Tang Yan was nobody’s fool. Other than Shen Bai, there wasn’t a single person in the room he could afford to cross.

“Oh my, Young Master Lin, and the rest of you! What brings such noble figures to this humble place?”

Lin Feiyuan hated sycophants more than anything. He didn’t give Tang Yan the time of day.

“Where this young master goes is none of your business!”

Lu Yan’er likewise paid him no mind. Gu Mingchun, however, stood up and offered a greeting.

“Registrar Tang, what brings you here?”

With business on the table, Tang Yan immediately changed his tune. He walked up to Shen Bai, his voice harsh.

“Shen Bai, you have three days to leave the academy!”

Shen Bai was startled, but he calmed down a moment later.

“Fine.”

‘Fine, what?’

If Shen Bai was expelled from the Sky Capital Academy, no sect on the Nine Continents would take him in. He would never be able to cultivate again.

The future Great Emperor shouldn’t be allowed to fall like this. Lin Yaoyao felt indignant for him.

“What has Brother Shen done wrong? Why are you sending him away?”

Lin Feiyuan and Lu Yan’er also demanded an answer. Was Tang Yan deliberately picking on Shen Bai?

Tang Yan clasped his fists and hurriedly explained to these “little ancestors.” The Shen family of Canglan City had reported Shen Bai to the academy for bullying the weak and harming his own brother.

That made Shen Bai morally deficient. Under the academy’s rules, anyone morally deficient had to be expelled.

“Bullshit!”

Lin Feiyuan couldn’t stomach another word. The Shen family really could spin black into white.

After hearing about Shen Bai’s matter last time, Lin Feiyuan had sent people to look into the Shen family of Canglan City.

“They’re the ones who abused their own son, couldn’t tell right from wrong, harmed their elder brother, and seduced the future sister-in-law! Pah! A family worse than pigs and dogs!”

The more Lin Feiyuan spoke, the angrier he got. Lin Yaoyao hadn’t expected him to be so passionate and so loyal.

“Registrar Tang, things aren’t as the Shen family tells it. Please look into this properly. Don’t wrong an innocent man.”

One after another, Lin Yaoyao and the others pleaded for Shen Bai. Tang Yan found himself in a tight spot.

When had Shen Bai even managed to win over these “little ancestors”?

“Ah, my dear little ancestors, please don’t make this difficult for me! Shen Bai’s own parents came to the academy to report him. Would his own father and mother falsely accuse their son?”

Shen Bai was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. His closest kin had twisted the truth, leaving him no way out, determined to push him to his death.

Yet Lin Yaoyao and the others, who’d had no real bond with him before, were now doing everything they could to help.

“I’ve already cut all ties with the Shen family!”

Shen Bai had broken with his family, and still the Shen family wouldn’t let up. They’d come all the way to the Sky Capital Academy to sever his last path. Lin Yaoyao couldn’t hold back her curses.

“The Shen family is shameless! Brother Shen has done nothing wrong. The academy can’t send him away.”

Seeing the way these “little ancestors” were squaring up, Tang Yan realized that kicking Shen Bai out was not going to be easy.

The Lin siblings and Miss Lu were all unruly characters with fearsome reputations. Tang Yan’s head began to ache. The only reasonable person in the room was Gu Mingchun.

“Young Master Gu, as the saying goes, even a clear-headed official finds family disputes hard to judge. The academy can hardly meddle in a quarrel between Shen Bai and his own family. Still, by our rules, while a matter is under investigation, if someone is willing to stand surety for the disciple, he may keep his enrollment and continue cultivating here.”

“I will!”

“I will!”

“I will!”

“I will!”

Lin Yaoyao and the others answered in one voice, all willing to vouch for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai trembled slightly. A current of warmth flowed through his chest. For the first time in his life, someone had stepped up to defend him.

“This…”

Tang Yan hadn’t expected these “little ancestors” to be so thick with Shen Bai, all of them willing to shield him.

“My dear little ancestors, it has to be a family that stands surety for him. You individually don’t count!”

Lin Yaoyao had a flash of inspiration.

“Registrar Tang, Shen Bai is my sworn brother. He’s already cut ties with the Shen family, and my father will take him in as an adopted son. From now on, he’ll be the fifth young master of the Lin family. I’ll have my father come and vouch for him.”

Shen Bai, an adopted son of the Lin family patriarch? The fifth young master of the Lin family? Tang Yan was dumbfounded. Yet another “little ancestor” he couldn’t afford to offend.

“This… is it true?”

Tang Yan doubted the claim. With all his connections at the academy, how had he not caught a single whisper of it?

Since when did Shen Bai have anything to do with the Lin family?

Tang Yan waited for Shen Bai to answer. Shen Bai was stunned as well, about to speak up and explain.

Lin Feiyuan beat him to it, snapping at Tang Yan with a dark expression.

“What do you mean, true or false? Don’t make me laugh! How dare you doubt my sister! Whatever she says goes, so of course it’s true. Shen Bai is now a member of the Lin family, and a brother to me, Lin Feiyuan.”

Tang Yan was shut down. He didn’t dare ask anything more. He left with his servant disciples.

Before leaving, he asked the Lin siblings to pass a message to the Lin family patriarch, asking him to please come to the academy within three days and stand surety for Shen Bai. Otherwise, Tang Yan’s post as registrar of the records office would probably be finished.

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