Lin Yan's father shook his head helplessly as he watched Lin Yan's hurried departure. He then followed her. The disciples behind him couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.
Lin Yan's father heard their suppressed laughter but didn't dwell on it, as the situation was indeed rather awkward.
Although he was happy to have another child at his age, his wife felt they were old enough to be grandparents, and her pregnancy made her feel extremely embarrassed.
When he returned to their bedroom, Lin Yan's mother had woken up. Lin Yan was by her bedside, taking her pulse and talking to her.
"Is your mother alright?" Lin Yan's father asked as soon as he entered.
"She's fine. Mother's body has been well-cared for. She's just been a bit tired lately, which is why she's been so sleepy. I'll prepare a new batch of calming herbal medicine and slightly adjust the formula for her tonic pills.
But Mother, you should also get more sun and move around more. That will help your body feel better," Lin Yan advised.
Her mother's health was actually quite good. Her old ailments had been successfully treated, and her current pregnancy didn't pose any significant issues. Thus, this pregnancy could be considered a good thing.
After all, her father would likely stay within the sect to accompany her mother, thus avoiding the troubles of the martial world.
By the time this child was born, the outside world's affairs would probably be close to resolution.
"That's good. Your mother feels so embarrassed that she's been confining herself to her room," Lin Yan's father whispered to Lin Yan, complaining about his wife, which earned him a glare from Lin Yan's mother.
"How can I not feel embarrassed! I'm almost a grandmother!"
"Who says that? Mother is still young! If we go out together, people will surely think you're my elder sister," Lin Yan quickly said to appease her.
"You! Even with such sweet talk, you can't change the fact that you've been gone for over a year. Are you that busy, that you don't even have time to come back once!" Lin Yan's mother looked at Lin Yan with some resentment.
"Xiao Liu and the others have returned several times, but you haven't! Your eldest senior brother also, he's just become too accustomed to the outside world!"
"Mother, I'm back now!" Lin Yan smiled ingratiatingly. "Has eldest senior brother not returned at all?"
As soon as she asked, Lin Yan noticed her father's expression change. She realized then that her eldest senior brother must have done something to displease her father again.
"Don't worry about your eldest senior brother. He's completely lost his way. Besides collecting money from the shops, he's sent back hardly any news."
Lin Yan's mother also complained bitterly. Over this period, her eldest disciple had withdrawn several thousand taels of silver from the accounts.
He truly didn't consider himself an outsider. If he were truly put in charge of the Li Shan Sword Sect, how could the sect survive!
Both she and Lin Yan's father were very disappointed in their eldest disciple. At the same time, they were also fortunate to have discovered this early and not have genuinely betrothed Yan'er to him.
Such a person was not only unfit to be a sect successor but also not worth entrusting one's life to.
"Eldest senior brother has become quite famous in the martial world lately, and it has brought some renown to our Li Shan Sword Sect. Mother, please don't be so angry."
Lin Yan tried to persuade her. It was true that her eldest senior brother had gained considerable fame recently, but it was for his eagerness to help, his generosity, and his reputation for being someone who readily assisted those in need. Everyone knew that the young master of the Li Shan Sword Sect was very generous and helped those facing urgency.
As long as you had any difficulties, you could seek his help. Of course, some of these difficulties were genuine, while others were questionable.
Ever since Luo Yuxuan sent Yuan'er to the Yan family in Jinling, Jin Dao Yan Jun had been extremely grateful to him, treating him as his own nephew and introducing him to many renowned figures in the martial world.
He also trained and traveled with the younger generation of these figures, gradually building a reputation. Their names even appeared in the martial world's small tabloids.
Qin Cong had been with Lin Yan all along and knew that Lin Yan cared about news concerning her sect. Therefore, he had compiled all the information related to the Li Shan Sword Sect for her. In fact, she knew more about her eldest senior brother's character than her own parents.
Without the motivation of vengeance for the sect's destruction, coupled with financial abundance, all the shortcomings of their eldest senior brother had been completely magnified.
However, this was also for the best. Once sufficient disappointment had accumulated, her parents would not be too bothered by whatever their eldest senior brother did in the future.
"Our Li Shan doesn't want this kind of reputation! Now everyone knows that the Li Shan Sword Sect is foolish and has too much money!
He doesn't even think much of outer disciples engaging in commerce. If not for their constant management, where would he get so much money to squander!" Lin Yan's father was furious.
"Since that's the case, perhaps we should slightly curb eldest senior brother's access to funds. After all, he's never earned money himself, so he doesn't understand how hard it is to come by," Lin Yan suggested, believing he had been spoiled.
When encountering such a troublesome child, parents simply need to stop giving them money.
"However, we can't cut him off entirely. Eldest senior brother is used to his extravagant spending, so a sudden stop in funds wouldn't work. Let him earn money through tasks. Give him the previous account statements, let him pay back that money first, and then allow him to withdraw new expenses."
"Yan'er is right! You can't be soft-hearted again this time!" Lin Yan's father said to Lin Yan's mother. "Besides, with your current condition, you shouldn't worry too much. I'll handle this matter. You focus on recuperating."
"Alright, I won't interfere anymore. It's good for him to learn a lesson."
The couple had been childless for a long time. When they found Luo Yuxuan, he was just an infant. They truly cared for him like their own child. Apart from not calling them father and mother, he was almost indistinguishable from their biological son.
Even after Yan'er was born, their feelings for him didn't change. That's why he could withdraw so much money so casually!
But this seemed to have raised him to be unaware of the hardships of life. As his elders, they still had a responsibility to guide him. Now that he had gone astray, they had to find a way to steer him back onto the right path!
In the evening, Lin Yan arrived at the reception pavilion and saw her father waiting there.
This was a pavilion separate from the Li Shan Sword Sect, surrounded by vast open spaces and only accompanied by a lake.
Lin Yan's father didn't understand why his daughter had chosen to have their conversation in this location, but he seemed to grasp that what his daughter was about to say was likely not suitable for others to know.
"Yan'er, your mother has already fallen asleep. What exactly do you want to tell me that requires such secrecy!" Lin Yan's father asked with a gentle smile.
He was quite pleased with his daughter now. Her health had improved, she had learned medicine, and her martial arts were also progressing well. She was far better than how she had worried him and her mother previously!
"Didn't Father ask me what important matters I've been busy with outside? What I'm about to say is precisely those important matters!" Lin Yan said very seriously.