Chapter 910: Clan Leader
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Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A chill sent shivers coursing through Li Jin’s body as an old lady with white hair emerged in the ancestral house, accompanied by several elderly men. Li Jin and her companions were nearly frightened out of their wits.
Lin Mi smiled and said, “Director Li, this is one of the current clan leaders of
Li Industries and a few elders.’
Li Jin furrowed her brow, “Why is it a woman?”
It wasn’t that Li Jin discriminated against female clan leaders, but in her understanding, since Li Industries favored males over females, it was impossible to have a female clan leader. This struck her as quite peculiar.
“Of course, it’s a woman,” Lin Mi smiled with a gentle sparkle, and her laughter echoed eerily in the ancient and dilapidated mansion.
“Lin Mi, can you stop laughing? You sound like a ghost,” Li Jin irritably remarked.
“I’m sorry, Director Li. I will be more mindful,” Lin Mi nodded respectfully toward Li Jin.
Li Jin gave Lin Mi a scornful sidelong glance and then addressed the clan leader, “Today, I came with a simple purpose: it’s time for you, the clan leader, to step down due to your age.”
The white-haired clan leader smiled at Li Jin; her face devoid of warmth. She said, “Little girl, you’re bold. But, let me ask beforehand, are you sure you want to be the clan leader of the Li family?”
Li Jin coldly snorted, “Certainly. Besides, there’s no one more suitable than me for the position in the family right now, isn’t that so?”
“If that’s the case, let’s pa.s.s this ancestral test first!” the clan leader said with a sinister smile.
Li Jin twisted her mouth in disdain. Ancestral? Could the dead crawl out of the ground to harm her?
“Let’s go!” the clan leader said to Li Jin.
Puzzled, Li Jin asked, “Where are we going? I’ll tell you, I brought more than twenty bodyguards with me, so be careful.”
The clan leader smiled, deepening the wrinkles on her face marked by age spots. “Don’t you want to be the clan leader? We need to perform the succession ceremony in the ancestral hall.”
Li Jin looked at Lin Mi in surprise. “Is it that simple? I thought there would be a b.l.o.o.d.y battle. I brought more than twenty people for nothing.”
Lin Mi glanced at the bodyguards behind Li Jin and said, “It’s not for nothing; they serve a purpose.”
Li Jin nodded unknowingly, “Well, they might be useful. Perhaps, seeing that I brought so many people, they are afraid and willingly give up the position of the clan leader. Or maybe they now know that I am the actual leader in control of Li Industries, so they fear me. Don’t worry, later I will announce the abolition of all superst.i.tious customs and save your mother.”
Lin Mi nodded, “Great!”
Li Jin, full of arrogance, followed the group to the ancestral hall. As soon as she entered, she saw a whole wall of memorial tablets, and a strange and eerie atmosphere instantly enveloped them.
Feeling the chill, Li Jin rubbed her arms and said, “Hurry up, this place looks creepy. Let’s finish this quickly, and I can leave early.”
The clan leader and several elders knelt on the ground, uttering words that Li Jin couldn’t understand, as if performing some kind of ritual.
At Lin Mi l s request, Li Jin patiently waited for about half an hour. Then the wooden plaque representing the clan leader was placed in Li Jin’s hands. Li Jin, the newly appointed clan leader, played with the wooden plaque in her hands. Just as she was about to announce her first decree, she was suddenly seized by someone and dragged into a room.
“What are you doing? Let go of me! 1…” Li Jin exclaimed in fear but was quickly silenced.
The bodyguards outside, sensing that something was amiss, rushed into the ancestral hall, but Li Jin was nowhere to be seen.
As they were about to continue searching, all over twenty people collapsed to the ground.
When Li Jin woke up again, she found herself bound to what seemed to be an altar. Her bodyguards were also tied to different racks.
Except for Li Jin, who was awake, the bodyguards all had their heads hanging low, completely unconscious. No matter how loudly Li Jin yelled, they showed no signs of waking up.
The former clan leader and elders had all changed into strange costumes.
Lin Mi, along with other members of the clan, stood silently watching in the direction of Li Jin.
Terrified, Li Jin angrily shouted, “You monsters! What do you want to do? I am your clan leader now! I command you to release me, do you hear me?”