Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

158: Forgive the sins of Xue NieLin Lingbao’s face changed dramatically. He clutched Lin Lingyue tightly to his chest, using his back to shield her from the majority of the poisonous sand! Sizzle, sizzle!

The moment the poisonous sand touched his skin, yellow smoke instantly rose, accompanied by a grating, corrosive sound!

“Ugh!”

Lin Lingbao let out a muffled groan of pain, his back a mangled mess of flesh and blood. But he grit his teeth, spun around fiercely, and thrust the blood-stained short knife out like a lightning strike, carrying the deadly ferocity of someone determined to take his attacker with him!

Lin Lingxu had just finished scattering the poisonous sand and was preparing to retreat, but he hadn’t expected Lin Lingbao to be so fierce! *Thwack!* The short knife accurately pierced his throat!

Lin Lingxu’s eyes bulged wide. He let out two gurgling sounds, his face etched with disbelief, before collapsing to the ground, where he twitched a few times and then fell still.

In just a brief moment, Lin Lingxu and Lin Lingqi were dead!

In the open space before the ancestral hall, only Lin Lingbao and Lin Lingyue remained, supporting each other, drenched in blood. The thick, metallic smell of blood mixed with the foul stench of the poison powder, creating a nauseating combination.

Lin Lingbao’s back was a mangled mess, and his face had turned purplish-blue from the intense pain and toxins. He was only kept upright by Lin Lingyue’s support.

“Brother Bao! Brother Bao, hold on!” Lin Lingyue’s tears streamed down, her voice filled with despair.

The surrounding shouts instantly lowered. Looking at the tragic scene before them, many people wore complex expressions; the earlier fanaticism had faded considerably.

Lin Lingbao endured the agonizing pain and waves of dizziness. Looking at the tearful Lin Lingyue, he managed to force out an extremely complex smile, mixed with relief and deep affection.

He suddenly exerted his strength, breaking free from Lin Lingyue’s support. With a loud *clang*, he tossed the blood-stained short knife far away, staggered two steps, and then stood firm.

He opened his arms and spoke candidly to Lin Lingyue: “Yue’er, I... I’m fine. Don’t cry.” His voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally gentle. “I already decided long ago, if I could survive until this moment...”

He took a deep breath, as if summoning all his strength. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears: “I give my life to you. You... must live well.”

Having said this, he closed his eyes and stood with his arms open, like a lover waiting for an embrace.

Lin Lingyue was completely stunned by his words and actions.

She looked at the man before her—the one who had shielded her from the blade, taken the poison for her, and was now pushing the only path to survival onto her, a man covered in wounds and breathing raggedly.

All her fear, grievance, and despair, along with the warmth gushing forth from her heart, instantly transformed into overwhelming love and resolute determination.

Tears streamed down, yet they were not tears of sorrow, but of a strange tranquility.

“Fool...” she murmured softly, gazing raptly at Lin Lingbao, like a lover’s whisper. The short sword in her hand dropped weakly to the ground with a *clatter*.

She turned away from Lin Lingbao and instead faced Lin Lingshan and Lin Jingyu. She bowed deeply, bending low at the waist, her voice possessing a transcendent calmness, yet ringing out with perfect clarity:

“Patriarch, Young Clan Leader Jingyu, and all fellow clansmen. Our sins are profound, and we dare not beg for our lives. We only ask the Patriarch... to grant us death. On the Road to the Yellow Springs, with him accompanying me, I will not be lonely.”

This sudden display of deep affection and willingness to embrace death silenced the clansmen who had just been immersed in the bloody fighting. An unspeakable sense of sorrow and a complex atmosphere permeated the space before the ancestral hall.

“Alas...” A long sigh rose from the crowd.

“Lin Lingbao... he’s a true man! To protect Lin Lingyue, he took so many hits head-on...”

“Lin Lingyue is also devoted... what a pity for them...”

“It’s fate... following that old dog Lin Chenghai, they were never going to have a good end...”

“Seeing them like this... it makes my heart ache...”

Even those who had been the fiercest in shouting for their deaths now pursed their lips and fell silent, watching the two figures in the field who were gazing at one another and calmly embracing their fate.

Lin Lingshan’s brow furrowed. He looked at the wound on Lin Lingbao’s back, which was sizzling from the corrosive poison sand and was deep enough to expose bone. Then, seeing Lin Lingyue’s resolute gaze, he felt a profound discomfort. He subconsciously looked toward Lin Jingyu.

Lin Jingyu had been silently observing everything.

His gaze swept over Lin Lingbao’s mangled back, over Lin Lingyue’s face—calm but tinged with sorrow—and over the complex emotions displayed on the faces of the surrounding clansmen.

When he heard someone in the crowd quietly mention that Lin Lingbao had a history of helping those in need and that Lin Lingyue was gentle by nature, a barely perceptible ripple flashed in his eyes.

He stepped forward slowly, walking up to the couple who stood ready to face death together. Crisp applause broke the heavy silence before the ancestral hall.

“What a striking display of mutual affection, willing to follow each other into death!”

Lin Jingyu’s clear voice carried a hint of approval, but more importantly, the decisive authority of a superior, echoing clearly in everyone’s ears:

“This kind of devotion is truly rare. Just now, I heard many clansmen remarking that your conduct is generally acceptable, that Lin Lingyue is gentle and has never sought to harm the clan.

And Lin Lingbao has repeatedly helped poor clansmen overcome difficulties!”

His sharp gaze swept over the crowd:

“Heaven favors life and virtue, and the clan must also exercise benevolence and forgiveness. The Lin family’s reform today is for self-strengthening and also for forging unity among our members! If we only know how to slaughter, how are we different from the old days?

Since your basic natures are inherently good, sparing your lives is not an impossible matter.”

Lin Lingyue and Lin Lingbao abruptly lifted their heads, their eyes blazing with incredible, ecstatic light, as if they had glimpsed a ray of sunshine from the bottom of an abyss.

Lin Lingbao was so agitated that his body trembled slightly, pulling at his wounds, causing him to gasp sharply in pain.

Lin Jingyu’s voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an undeniable authority: “However! While the death penalty may be waived, punishment for the living cannot be escaped!”

“Starting today, you two are sentenced to three years of penal servitude! Lin Lingbao, you will immediately report to the ‘Black Gravel Mine’ in Black Mountain, where you will be responsible for clearing mining tunnels and transporting waste rock.

Lin Lingyue, you will be responsible for treating Lin Lingbao’s injuries, while also undertaking the clan’s laundry duties and the responsibility of cleaning refuse.

For three years, you must perform all tasks assigned by the family without compensation. Regardless of whether the work is dirty, strenuous, dangerous, or heavy, you must not shirk your duties or show the slightest complaint.

Furthermore, you must not engage in any improper conduct! Once the three years are complete, if you have faithfully fulfilled your duties and caused no trouble, your freedom will be restored.”

His gaze was like lightning, fixed directly on the two of them:

“This punishment is not an act of leniency, but rather an opportunity for you to atone for your sins. It also serves to illustrate our Lin family’s new policy—merit shall be rewarded, crime shall be punished, but punishment shall be measured! Are you willing to accept this sentence?”

“We are willing! We are willing!”

Lin Lingbao and Lin Lingyue spoke almost simultaneously, their voices trembling with excitement. Lin Lingbao struggled to kneel and kowtow, but Lin Lingyue held him back tightly, fearing he would aggravate his wounds.

“Thank you, Young Master Jingyu! Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, clansmen, for sparing our lives! We will certainly atone properly! We dare not be the slightest bit negligent!” Lin Lingyue repeated, tears welling up again—tears of surviving a catastrophe.

“Enough!” Lin Lingshan spoke up decisively, his voice ringing out loudly.

“Lin Lingkuang! Take these two down, find a Spirit Healer to treat their wounds, especially Lin Lingbao’s poison injury. Tomorrow morning, the sentence will be carried out immediately, just as Jingyu decreed!”

“Yes, Patriarch!” Lin Lingkuang responded, stepping forward and carefully helping Lin Lingbao up. Lin Lingyue quickly followed suit.