Chapter 12: Call Me Uncle

Page 1/3

Chen Lin suddenly erupted, leaving everyone stunned! To openly grab the emperor by the neck—now that the nine clans were involved, were they about to drag in the tenth and eleventh clans as well? It was terrifying beyond measure!

Inside the opposite cell, the nine clans had completely given up hope. With a relative like this in their midst, they felt their fate was sealed, and they had no regrets.

“Let go immediately!” Mao Xiang hurried forward to pry Chen Lin’s hand away.

Zhu Yuanzhang broke free and quickly stepped back, but instead of anger, he rubbed his neck and burst into laughter.

“Alright, alright, very well. Didn’t expect you kid to have a soft spot. Now things are easier. Hahaha...”

Laugh all you want; it’s just a maid, after all. Though he felt a bit reluctant, he could always buy another once he had the money.

After soothing and bidding farewell to the frightened Chen Xiaolan, Chen Lin was escorted onto a horse-drawn carriage, personally accompanied by Mao Xiang.

Mao Xiang still felt shaken—this kid was ruthless, acting on impulse without hesitation! Terrifying indeed...

Chen Lin sat in the carriage, eyes closed, recuperating. He was frustrated by his miscalculation and pondering countermeasures since Zhu Yuanzhang now held leverage over him.

The spicy challenge next door—to be killed by Zhu Yuanzhang ten times—was probably impossible now.

Since a full return to the modern era was unlikely, living well in the ancient times wasn’t a bad alternative.

Yet he couldn’t forgo every chance to provoke Zhu Yuanzhang, provided his family remained unharmed.

Though he claimed not to care about Xiaolan, she had served him closely since childhood. To kill her outright felt a little too cruel.

How to arrange things?

A woman...

A beautiful woman.

A woman of high status with a powerful family background.

A marriage alliance!

Xu Miaojin?!

If he could sleep with Xu Miaojin, attach himself to Duke Wei Xu Da, and have Xiaolan become Xu Miaojin’s sister or be adopted as Xu Da’s goddaughter, then with the backing of Duke Wei’s household, Zhu Yuanzhang might think twice before going too far.

But that seemed unlikely; if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted someone dead, status wouldn’t matter.

Forget it. He would try anyway—it wouldn’t cost much.

The key was how to deal with Xu Miaojin: seduce first, then kill, and maybe bring her to the modern era to broaden her horizons?

Page 2/3

A careful plan was essential...

The carriage swayed as it entered the palace, and Chen Lin once again arrived at that courtyard.

The treatment remained the same: four brocade-clad guards held knives to his neck while Zhu Yuanzhang kept his distance, genuinely fearful now.

Approach and you’ll lose your life—how could anyone bear that?

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn’t kill Chen Lin lightly—not only because he was saving his sister, but also because he didn’t want to recklessly harm someone who could come back from the dead.

Who knew what traps lay beneath? If the attacker had to pay a price, he’d only become a tool.

So he dared not act rashly without understanding the situation fully...

Zhu Biao stood there bewildered, watching Chen Lin restrained by four guards. How could they treat their savior like this?

Though he had heard of Chen Lin’s exploits, seeing it firsthand was still shocking.

Zhu Yuanzhang drew his sword. “We’re ready. Let’s go in!”

Chen Lin stretched lazily. “What’s the rush? It’s late at night. This immortal lord needs to rest and recharge. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”

“You!!”

“What’s ‘you’? Aren’t you afraid that if I’m unprepared, I might kill your sister with one stroke, leaving no chance for resurrection?”

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. He knew Chen Lin was bluffing, but dared not risk it—what if it was true?

“Find a room for him to sleep. You four stand guard nearby. Take him down.”

Chen Lin sneered, “Old Bi Deng, be polite to me. Your sister’s life is in my hands, remember that?”

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and waved his hand impatiently, signaling the four guards to escort him away.

Old Bi Deng!!

Zhu Biao’s eyes widened. Was this immortal lord really so bold? Calling the emperor “Old Bi Deng”?

And the emperor tolerated it!

Interesting...

Chen Lin swaggered off to sleep, and Zhu Biao approached to inquire further.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was too angry to explain. He stormed inside to find Empress Ma and soothe his wounded pride.

Elsewhere, under the watchful eyes of the four guards, Chen Lin lay peacefully in bed.

Why wait until tomorrow to act?

Because he was waiting for a delivery. Since his first trip back to the modern era, only two days had passed here.

He had noticed that time flowed differently only when traveling between eras; normally, time was synchronized.

The delivery would take at least three days, even with express shipping.

Page 3/3

To retrieve his online purchases promptly and save time, he had to delay for now.

Since he was destined to stay long-term in the ancient era, he wanted a comfortable life, which meant modern items—hence the wait for the delivery.

He also needed to prepare for a prolonged entanglement with Zhu Yuanzhang...

Lost in thought, his eyelids grew heavy. This immortal lord, harboring dreams of a pleasant life in ancient times, gradually drifted into sleep.

The four guards exchanged silent glances—how could he sleep so calmly?

Should they call him carefree, or heartless?

The next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang and his two sons waited early outside Empress Ma’s chamber, but no one dared wake the still-sleeping Chen Lin.

Since they had allowed him to rest, they would let him rest fully, avoiding any excuse to delay later.

But by mid-morning, the immortal lord still had not appeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang struggled to suppress his anger. He had put aside state affairs to wait all morning; how dare this kid be so negligent?

“Father, shall I go wake him?”

“No need. We’ve waited this long; let’s wait a bit longer.”

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Chen Lin appeared before them, smoking arrogantly, striding with swagger.

Four knives still held to his neck, he looked imposing—though with a somewhat sly air.

“Old Zhu, I’m hungry.”

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have anticipated this. With a wave, several palace maids promptly brought millet porridge with pickles, and a salted duck egg.

After serving the meal, the maids withdrew.

Only Zhu Yuanzhang’s family, the four guards, and Mao Xiang remained in the courtyard.

After all, saving someone by killing was best kept quiet.

As for the four guards, their fate was clear—killed to silence them.

But that was none of Chen Lin’s concern. If Old Zhu was willing to kill, that was his problem.

“Hurry up and eat. Once you’re done, we’ll be on our way.”

Chen Lin didn’t mind Zhu Yuanzhang’s teasing. He picked up his bowl and sat at the stone table in the courtyard, gulping down the porridge while chatting.

Pointing his chopsticks at Zhu Biao, he said, “You’re the eldest nephew, right? Come on, call me uncle.”

Zhu Biao’s face stiffened as he glanced at his father.

But his father gave no sign—could he really call him uncle?

At that moment, Zhu Xiongying ran over. “Brother, I still want that box you gave me last time...”