It was as if Zu Tianli had forgotten about his previous conflict with Lin Jin.
In fact, after he returned that day, he realized what was going on. Master Liao was truly unreliable. Although he spoke eloquently, one had to look at the results.
In the end, Master Liao was utterly defeated by Lin Jin at the beast auction. He couldn't even put up a fight.
The two-headed snake was such an important bloodline, yet Lin Jin failed to notice it at all.
Most importantly, Lin Jin wasn't the only one who noticed it. Others noticed it too, or else they wouldn't have bid against Zu Can.
However, Zu Tianli didn't think much of it back then, which was why he was tricked by Master Liao.
Later, when Zu Tianli went to look for Master Liao, he realized that the man had already slipped away.
Perhaps sensing that something was amiss, the old swindler fled in advance. When he found out, Zu Tianli wanted nothing more than to hire an assassin to hunt that old man down.
Fortunately, the pet beasts he bought back that day weren't completely useless. Still, a loss was a loss.
Zu Tianhong's reputation within the clan had soared because of Zu Can's purchase of the two-headed snake. This wasn't something Zu Tianli wanted to see. He knew that he had to do something. Otherwise, his chances of toppling Zu Tianhong and taking control of the clan would be slim.
What should he do?
Simple. Sow discord and get someone else to do his dirty work.
The two-headed snake was precious, but it was precisely because of this that it attracted unwanted attention.
Zu Tianhong wanted to let his youngest son, Zu Yuan, form a blood contract with the two-headed snake. Zu Yuan had just turned sixteen this year and was the second son of the patriarch. However, Zu Yuan wasn't the only one in the tribe who hadn't formed a blood contract with a sixteen-year-old pet beast.
The second elder, Zu Xuande's grandson, Zu Guan, was one of them.
Zu Guan's father, who was also Zu Tianhong and Zu Tianli's fourth younger brother, had worked hard for the family in his early years. In the end, he was killed by an enemy, leaving Zu Guan as his only son.
Zu Xuande doted on Zu Guan's only son, the third elder's grandson.
Zu Tianli himself had a sixteen-year-old daughter, so she should be qualified to 'compete' for the chance to form a blood contract.
Therefore, Zu Tianli had been secretly plotting this matter for a long time. He had originally planned to make trouble in two days, but today, the Twin-headed Snake was almost stolen. This made Zu Tianhong decide to form a Blood Contract as soon as possible. Therefore, Zu Tianli knew that he could not wait any longer.
At this time, Zu Tianhong happily brought a sixteen-year-old child with him. His features bore some resemblance to his own.
"Appraiser Lin, this is my youngest son, Zu Yuan. Yuan'er, greet Appraiser Lin," Zu Tianhong said and the sixteen-year-old boy quickly bowed to Lin Jin.
Lin Jin smiled.
This Zu Yuan was Zu Can's younger brother. They really were brothers. They looked almost the same. However, Zu Yuan was obviously a little shy, but he was very polite.
"Alright, forming a blood pact with a pet beast doesn't take much effort. It'll only take a moment," Lin Jin said with a smile.
However, at this moment, Zu Tianli stepped forward and said, "Wait!"
Zu Tianhong was stunned.
"Second Brother, you …"
"Big brother, I, Zu Tianli, refuse to accept this!" Since Zu Tianli had already made up his mind, he naturally wouldn't hold back at this time.
"Even though Zu Can was the one who bought the two-handed serpent, he did so on behalf of the Zu Clan. He used the Zu Clan's money, so why did he give the blood contract to Zu Yuan? Are you saying that Zu Guan and the other children of the right age are no longer descendants of the Zu family? "
This question was vicious and crafty.
Zu Tianhong's expression darkened. Zu Can was furious as well.
However, Zu Can knew that it wasn't appropriate for him to interrupt in a situation like this.
Zu Tianhong was the patriarch after all. With a dark expression, he said, "Blood pacts are the patriarch's authority. Based on their attributes, Yuan'er is more compatible with the two-headed serpent. Since he's my son, it's only right for him to form a blood pact. There's nothing inappropriate about it."
It was obvious that Zu Tianhong wasn't a pushover. He displayed his authority as the patriarch.
If Zu Tianli was alone, he wouldn't be able to defeat Zu Tianhong.
"Tianhong, you sure are impressive." The Zu family's second elder, Zu Xuande, said with a dark expression, "You're indeed being a little arbitrary in wanting to form a blood pact with Yuan'er. No matter what, you should've discussed this with us first. How could you make such a decision on your own?"
Zu Tianhong was surprised. His second uncle had always been fair and did his best for the Zu family. Why would he suddenly jump out and disagree with him?
"Second Uncle, why are you messing around with Tianli too? He …"
Before Zu Tianhong could finish, Third Elder interjected, "Tianhong, you've indeed acted improperly in this matter. What Tianli said isn't without reason. Your second uncle and I have discussed this matter and we should still discuss it. This matter concerns the Zu family's future prosperity so we can't afford to be careless."
Zu Tianhong's expression darkened.
He didn't expect several of the family's elders to stand on Zu Tianli's side.
All of them made it sound good, but in the end, they were all eyeing the two-headed serpent as a Rank 2 pet beast with immense potential. It was only a matter of time before it got promoted to Rank 3.
Everyone knew that a Rank 3 pet beast was the most important existence in the family.
Hence, they were tempted.
Zu Tianhong's hands were trembling in anger. He first saluted Lin Jin and said, "Appraiser Lin, I've let you witness a joke today. Please wait for a moment. Once we've come to a decision, we'll ask for your help."
Noticing Zu Tianhong's current predicament, Lin Jin didn't say anything and simply nodded.
As an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for him to intervene in the Zu family's affairs.
Zu Can's chest was heaving in anger. He wanted to say something but was stopped by Zu Tianhong's stern glare.
He glanced at the family's elders and said, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, what do you think we should do?"
Second Elder and Third Elder didn't say a word. They obviously wanted to fight for their grandson, but it wasn't appropriate for them to say it out loud.
Greed and pride.
Then, Zu Tianli added, "This matter must be fair. Either we gather the family's disciples who are of the right age and decide by random selection, or we let each family vote and the one with the highest number of votes wins."
It was obvious that Zu Tianli was trying to muddy the waters.
He was only doing this to damage Zu Tianhong's reputation and authority.
Of the two methods he mentioned, the first was to rely on luck, and the second was to rely on connections. He was confident about this. Perhaps this time, not only would he be able to strike a blow to Zu Tianhong's dignity, but he would also be able to benefit from it.
Either way, he could eliminate Zu Yuan as much as possible. Especially the second method, through voting, Zu Yuan couldn't possibly stand out.
Just then, Second Elder and Third Elder exchanged glances and said, "This matter concerns the family, so it's not appropriate to decide by drawing lots. Why don't we vote? What do you all think?"
Hypocrites.
Even Lin Jin shook his head at this.
Since everyone knew that this matter concerned the family, they had to choose the most suitable candidate to form a blood pact with the two-headed snake.
Truth be told, even Lin Jin was envious of this two-headed snake. Its future was limitless.
But the problem was, it depended on who the blood pact was with.
Zu Can had already told Lin Jin about Zu Yuan's situation. Lin Jin knew that Zu Yuan and the two-headed snake's attributes were compatible, making them very suitable for forming a blood pact.
As for the others, Lin Jin didn't know. But when he saw a young man behind Second Elder, Zu Can said that this was Zu Guan.
Lin Jin studied Zu Guan's arrogant and condescending face. One look and Lin Jin could tell that he was a spoiled brat. But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that this person's attributes were too far apart, making him incompatible with the two-headed snake.
If Second Elder and Third Elder were truly looking out for the Zu family, why would they ruin Zu Tianhong's reputation and do something like this for their own selfish reasons?
Later on, Lin Jin realized that not every elder was wise and steady. Not every elder could be washed clean of their past and have the mentality to 'see through' and 'see through'.
There was still a gap between people.
Compared to the Zu family's peak years ago, they were declining year by year. It seemed like they were the ones with the problem.
Just disobeying the patriarch's orders was enough to kill them.
Now, the Zu family decided to decide on the candidate through voting.
Zu Tianhong didn't say a word. It was obvious that he was tired and disappointed. For his family to act so preposterously for their own selfish reasons, Zu Tianhong probably felt like dying.
Finally, Zu Can couldn't hold it in any longer and exploded, "The Zu family's rules state that the patriarch has the right to decide on matters of the family. Moreover, my father wasn't doing this for personal gain. Before deciding on the candidate, he had already compared the attributes of the other members of the family who were of a suitable age. It's just that in comparison, my younger brother, Zu Yuan, is more suitable. And all of you have been incited by Zu Tianli to cause trouble in public for your own selfish reasons. How disrespectful of your elders! If it weren't for my father supporting us all these years, the Zu family would have fallen apart long ago! "
Despite Zu Can's young age, he could see things clearly.
However, his words were like poking a hornet's nest. After all, this was a slap to their faces, or rather, a stab to their sore spot.
"Insolence! How impudent! Is this something you should say?"
"Tianhong, is this how you teach your son? He has no respect for his elders and has no manners. "
"How lawless! Zu Can, kneel down and admit your mistake!"
As the storm raged on, the crowd began to criticize Zu Can. However, Zu Can raised his head and glared at his clansmen, refusing to back down.
Just then, Zu Tianhong stomped his foot and a striped tiger pounced from outside, letting out a roar.
With that, the crowd's voices were immediately silenced.
This striped tiger was obviously Zu Tianhong's pet beast. At Rank 2, it was quite intimidating.
Zu Tianhong stood with his hands behind his back. He first glanced at Zu Can before saying to the others, "Zu Can is my son. Even if he's in the wrong, I'll be the one to punish him. There's no need for you elders to worry."
Upon hearing this, tears fell from Zu Can's eyes. Even Lin Jin was impressed by Zu Tianhong. At least the man didn't punish Zu Can for the sake of his reputation or the so-called rules. Instead, he was resolute in protecting his son.
This was the responsibility a father should have.
The Zu family's farce had broadened Lin Jin's horizons. Truth be told, he only came to help the Zu family because of Zu Can. Now that the Zu family was stirring up trouble, Lin Jin couldn't get involved in their family's affairs. However, whether or not he would help the blood contract was in Lin Jin's hands.
Lin Jin went over and patted Zu Can on the shoulder, saying, "I'm here to help you because you're my friend. Let me make this clear, other than your brother, I won't help anyone else form a blood contract. Once you've made your decision, come look for me."
Having said that, he turned to leave.
The Zu family was still fuming. Upon hearing Lin Jin's words, the second elder, Zu Xuande, was the first to scoff. "A mere beast appraiser dares to boast so shamelessly? It's as if our Zu family can't survive without you. What a joke."
"That's right. You're talking as if you're the only beast appraiser in this world. Brat, who do you think you are? If you want to scram, hurry up and scram." The Zu family's third elder had a bad temper as well.
Lin Jin stopped in his tracks.
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