Chapter 379: Returning to the Old Trade
Lin Yun and Patriarch He sat opposite each other. After a maid poured their tea, she respectfully withdrew from the small courtyard. A profound silence fell over them. Neither Lin Yun nor Patriarch He spoke; both simply sipped their tea.
After about the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Patriarch He was the first to speak. "Young Master Lin, I have come today for two reasons. The first is to pay you a visit, and the second is to personally ask for your forgiveness."
Hearing this, Lin Yun feigned confusion and asked, "Oh? Patriarch He, what do you mean by that?"
"Sigh... It is shameful to admit, but I have failed in my duties. Over a dozen of my family’s guards betrayed the He Family a month ago. I have been trying to capture them for some time now, but without success. Rumor has it they’ve joined the Death Row Shelter and become assassins. I also heard that you were the target of an assassination attempt last night, Young Master Lin. I suspect it was their doing," Patriarch He said, his voice laced with false sincerity.
As he spoke, Patriarch He actually stood up, intending to give Lin Yun a deep bow, but was stopped by Lin Yun.
"Young Master Lin, this old man must be going senile to have allowed such traitors to emerge from my own household guards. I am truly ashamed. To think they nearly harmed you... I deserve to die ten thousand deaths for this failure..."
"Have a seat, Patriarch He."
Right from the start, Patriarch He was putting on a self-pitying act for Lin Yun. To look at him, you would think he was genuinely wracked with guilt.
Once Patriarch He was seated again, Lin Yun said lightly, "Patriarch He, the innocent will be proven innocent, and the guilty will be proven guilty. I can still distinguish right from wrong. If this matter truly wasn’t your doing, I will absolutely not blame you. We can wait until I’ve escorted these men back to the Flawless Palace before making a final decision."
As soon as he heard Lin Yun, Patriarch He grew frantic. ’Take them back to the Flawless Palace?’ He knew very well that the mount Lin Yun rode was a Flame Bird from the Flawless Palace.