My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Looking at the scene, Shangguan Mengqing pondered, "Those people must have been planning this for a long time. Their patience and audacity are truly unbelievable..."

“I think so too. If it were me, I would do the same thing…” Lin Ran chimed in.

But Lin Ran quickly realized something, and frowned, staring intently at the scene in the scroll. He considered a possibility, but wasn't quite sure... He needed to take another look, to see the gaunt man who had made the move...

To Lin Ran's disappointment, the camera work on the scroll was a mess. After a long time, there wasn't a single scene that allowed him to clearly see the leader who had tricked the Qin family. He could only watch the blurry image as the leader who had tricked the Qin family entered the bronze gate.

The painting then seems to have moved to another place of conflict, but it's probably not very entertaining anymore. Many people are getting bored and have already started leaving the square.

But just near the entrance to the secret realm, a silver light flashed, and Qin Tianying's son, Qin Yi, appeared there, shouting loudly.

"Song Jiang, I want you dead, Song Jiang..."

Although there was some distance between them, Qin Yi's shouts were so heart-wrenching that everyone in the audience could hear them.

Many people began to discuss which faction "Song Jiang" was a disciple of, the guy who tricked the Qin family and stole the key to their inheritance. He had been lying in wait by their side for so long; he was truly ruthless!

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Lin Ran confirmed that he hadn't misheard the name. He murmured to himself, "Song Jiang... why is it such a coincidence that his name is Song Jiang?"

"Old man, what are you thinking?"

Shangguan Mengqing crossed her arms and watched Lin Ran muttering to herself with her head down. She couldn't help but ask her question telepathically.

"Have you heard of Song Jiang?" Lin Ran asked.

"I've heard your story. You mentioned a story about the Liangshan heroes, whose leader was named Song Jiang. You said your son's name is directly taken from Song Jiang's capable henchman, 'Lin Chong'!" Shangguan Mengqing quickly replied.

Speaking of this, Shangguan Mengqing really felt that Xiao Chong was really unlucky to have such a father who named his son so carelessly, taking the names of characters from stories and novels he had heard from who-knows-where and naming his son that.

Lin Ran clapped her hands excitedly and laughed, "That's it! Hahaha, that kid is really something! I'll confirm it again when he comes out!"

"decide what?"

Even Shangguan Mengqing was frightened by Lin Ran's sudden outburst. Could the old man have gone mad?

However, Shangguan Mengqing was quick-witted. Recalling her conversation with Lin Ran, she also grasped some key points. Could the "Song Jiang" who tricked the Qin family really be Lin Chong?

"No cultivation today, let's have some snacks, tea and chat!" Lin Ran walked happily toward her room.

Shangguan Mengqing responded calmly with a faint smile on her lips:

"This will never happen again!"

Mulan and Mu Shishuang looked at Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing leaving one after the other with great curiosity. Mulan couldn't help but sigh, "Sometimes I really can't understand Mr. Lin and that Miss Shangguan!"

"I don't understand either, that's right..."

Mu Shishuang almost blurted out the names of the adulterous couple, but seeing Lin Ran's departing figure, she quickly ran after her. She had to keep an eye on the two of them.

……

161. You need to play a vulnerable woman.

The competition for inheritance in the plaza of the secret realm has temporarily come to an end. Those who did not win the inheritance in the secret realm did not waste time, but went to other places to search for other treasures and inheritances in this vast secret realm space.

Everyone is looking for opportunities to become stronger, all in order to achieve a good ranking in the upcoming ranking competition and gain the chance to be noticed and joined by a super sect.

This time, all the major sects have already announced that all participants in the final ranking competition will be treated equally.

If you perform exceptionally well, various organizations will extend invitations to recruit you into their super sects. You should know that previously only the major academies had this opportunity.

But this time, even these grassroots cultivators who didn't enter the academy have such an opportunity, how can this not drive people crazy!

The eight super sects are the most powerful forces on the continent. If you can enter them to cultivate, even if you are very mediocre, you can still make a name for yourself in other places.

Not to mention, within a super sect, there is the opportunity to obtain the best resources in the entire continent. Who hasn't fantasized about going to that top stage and showcasing their talent? If they could gain the favor of a super sect, they could rise to the top and soar to great heights.

Regardless of the circumstances, in order to prepare for the upcoming ranking competition, they must make use of the secret treasures and inheritances within this hidden realm to improve their strength as much as possible.

The participants inside were in a hurry and nervous, while the spectators outside seemed much more relaxed and at ease.

Lin Ran didn't cultivate today. Instead, she invited Shangguan Mengqing, Mu Shishuang, Mulan, Elder Heng, and Huang Shishi to go to the nearby river area, cast a line, and sit there fishing and chatting.

If Lin Ran caught some good catch, she would process it on the spot, grill it, and eat it right away, which made her very happy.

"I think... the All-Continent Academy Competition can remain as it is now, but we should upgrade it by bringing in the younger generation from all the well-known and influential forces across the continent. That way, the quality of disciples your super sects can recruit will be higher, and you'll have more people to recruit..."

When discussing the "distorted" All-Continent Academy Competition, Lin Ran couldn't help but raise this opinion. The reason he made this suggestion was that when the eight super sects were to fight against the Void Evil Clan in the future, they would have more manpower.

However, there are many drawbacks to recruiting disciples in this way, because there are many famous and influential forces across the continent, and they are a mixed bag. If they are recruited into various super sects, it will easily cause some problems within the sects.

Regardless of the quality of the disciples recruited by the academy, in terms of controllability, they are definitely much better than those recruited from famous and influential forces across the continent. Therefore, if the decision is really made to recruit disciples in this way, it will depend heavily on the management ability of the leaders of the super sects.

Sitting next to Shangguan Mengqing, Huang Shishi heard Lin Ran's opinion and couldn't help but sneer, "Vice Dean Lin, your idea is quite far-fetched. Putting aside our Sword Sect, how could other super sects possibly agree to co-host such a competition? Vice Dean Lin, you seem to have a rather shallow understanding!"

Lin Ran hadn't expected that his senior brother Shangguan Mengqing would have such a strong opinion about his casual remarks. He chuckled and said, "Brother Shishi, I was just saying it casually. There's no need to take it so seriously. I know that such a big matter can't possibly be as simple as I make it out to be!"

Lin Ran stood up, took a glass filled with wine, handed it to Huang Shishi, and said with a smile, holding her own glass, "Come on, Brother Shishi, have a drink. This time I was a bit outspoken. Let's settle our scores over a cup!"

After saying that, Lin Ran drank the wine in her glass in one gulp.

Seeing Lin Ran like this, Huang Shishi felt a little embarrassed to refuse. He quickly drank the wine, sat down, and stared at the fishing rod in front of him, seemingly lost in thought.

Lin Ran returned to her seat and was just about to flip the fish grilling next to her when Shangguan Mengqing's voice rang in her mind: "Your suggestion is quite valuable. I'll add some details later and then mention it to my master!"

"Your senior brother said I have a shallow understanding of things, so don't take my advice seriously!" Lin Ran replied with a smile, flipping over a fish beside her.

"Are you angry?" Shangguan Mengqing asked back.

"If I get angry about this, then I've really wasted my life. After drinking that wine, we've settled all our grudges!" Lin Ran said with a smile.

"Is it really gone?"

"real!"

"If my senior brother continues to pursue me, how should I deal with it?" Shangguan Mengqing asked.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran couldn't sit still any longer. He picked up a sharp steel knife that was lying to the side, twirled it, and said, "If your senior brother continues to harass you, I'll kill him tonight!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to settle scores?" Shangguan Mengqing looked at Lin Ran with great interest.

"I was just annoyed by that kid's sarcastic remarks. If that kid were to pursue you, that would be a completely different kind of grudge!" Lin Ran said.

He has always been very clear about his grudges and favors, keeping things separate.

Seeing how much Lin Ran cared about this matter, Shangguan Mengqing calmly replied, "I have politely refused many times. If my senior brother continues in the future, I will say it to his face."

"Won't this affect your relationships within the Sword Sect?"

Lin Ran was somewhat worried that if Shangguan Mengqing refused him outright, it would embarrass Senior Brother Huang, because it seemed that Senior Brother Huang had quite a bit of influence behind him, and the Sword Sect was probably not entirely monolithic. If this caused internal conflicts to escalate, then Mengqing would be in danger.

"Old man, don't think so much. I can handle it all. I'm much better than you!"

"I don't like that you're so capable. Why don't you pretend to be a weak woman and let me bully you?" Lin Ran said with ill intent.

“Alright, for tonight’s training, I’ll play the role of a weak woman who can’t even kill a chicken!” Shangguan Mengqing said with a smile in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Is this true?"

"really!"

"Hehe, fairy, tonight I'll show you how powerful I am!"

Lin Ran had already started thinking about how to act out tonight's script, and her interest in fishing had vanished by the day; her mind was now filled with thoughts of scraps.

Seeing Lin Ran's excited expression, Shangguan Mengqing's smile deepened. A hint of amusement lingered at the corners of her mouth, hidden beneath her veil, suggesting that things weren't so simple…

……

The fishing activity ended in the evening, and everyone went home.

After sending Mu Shishuang back, Lin Ran quickly slipped away to a secluded river nearby. He took off his clothes and washed himself thoroughly in the clean stream. Then he changed into a smart blue robe embroidered with elegant patterns, which made him look much more robust and handsome, like a gentle and refined gentleman.

After showing off in front of the mirror and confirming that everything was alright, Lin Ran put the mirror away and, taking advantage of the night, quickly headed towards the fairy's room.

Lin Ran had already explored the area around the fairy's residence thoroughly. She arrived at the fairy's door with ease and sent a telepathic message inside: "Fairy, I've come to find you for cultivation... oh, no, I've come to find you for cultivation. Open the door quickly!"

A moment later, Lin Ran received a reply: "The door isn't locked, come on in!"

Lin Ran looked around, then gently pushed open the door in front of her, leaving just a crack for one person to pass through. She then slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

Lin Ran leaned against the door, looking at the scene inside the room. There was a luminous pearl for lighting, emitting a cold white light, while Shangguan Mengqing had taken off her shoes and was leaning against the bed, reading an ancient book in her hand.

Upon hearing the noise, Shangguan Mengqing casually turned her head to glance at Lin Ran standing at the door. A sly glint flashed in her eyes as she calmly said, "Old man, is there some happy occasion today? Why are you dressed so formally!"

"Oh, it's just my usual outfit; I rarely wear this particular set!"

As Lin Ran spoke, she walked up to Shangguan Mengqing.

Looking at Shangguan Mengqing leaning against the headboard, exuding a languid air, Lin Ran felt a surge of desire. His gaze drifted to Shangguan Mengqing's small feet clad in white silk stockings, and he suddenly spoke up, "Fairy, you must have been reading for a long time, right?"

"Fortunately!"

"How about I give you a massage to clear your meridians?" Lin Ran said, rubbing her hands together.

Hearing Lin Ran's rather lame excuse for taking advantage, Shangguan Mengqing smiled and said calmly, "But do I, with my Dragon Transformation Realm strength, need someone at the Nirvana Realm to clear my meridians?"

"Hey, aren't you just playing the role of a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken? You should forget about your Dragon Transformation Realm strength right now!" Lin Ran tried her best to fool him.

"When did I agree to play this role?" Shangguan Mengqing asked Lin Ran innocently.

Seeing that the fairy was about to renege on her promise, Lin Ran said anxiously, "I promised this afternoon!"

"Oh, I remember now. So how can I cooperate with you?" Shangguan Mengqing sat up straight and said.

"You're tired from reading, so I need to help you clear your meridians and relax your tense body. Don't be afraid, this is a proper massage!" Lin Ran took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, placed her hands on the fairy's shoulders, and gently kneaded them with her spiritual power.

Feeling the gentle strength on her shoulder, Shangguan Mengqing couldn't help but smile and softly replied, "Old man, then I'll trouble you!"

"No trouble at all!" Lin Ran said.

How can it be troublesome to gain an advantage? It's troublesome if you can't gain an advantage!

……

162. The Origins of the Lin Family

"How about it? My massage skills are amazing, aren't they?" Lin Ran said, showing off.

"Hmm, very professional. Do you practice often?"

Lin Ran: "..."

My fairy friend, you truly deserve to be called a swordsman; your ability to find weaknesses is absolutely superb.