Rise of The Demon General

"Sis… sister, you come… You should have told me earlier. I would have prepared first," Lin Fong said. His angry tone was completely gone, replaced by a joyful expression for seeing his sister visiting him again. But then when he noticed Amon, his joyful expression turned back to sour.

"What happened? Why are you so angry with him?" Madam Lin asked Lin Fong, indicating to Lin Giru who was full of bruises on the ground.

Lin Giru's eyes, stared at Amon, hatred was clear in his gaze.

Lin Fong gave Lin Giru a disdainful glance before answering his sister, "don't need to talk about this incompetent trash. He can't even complete a simple mission, and ended up causing casualties."

"Are you talking about the mission to acquire the horn of the Greasy Horned Weasel? Amon had told me. The mission was still a success since they got an intact bladed horn. But yes, the loss of three talented youngsters indeed did not worth a measly horn. Still, aren't you a bit too harsh on him? Danger accompanies every mission. There is no need to beat him up till that extent."

Lin Fong harrumph. He said to Lin Giru, "You are lucky my sister spoke up for you. Now go! Inform the families of those three kids and gave them appropriate compensation. I will dock them from your wages!"

Lin Giru stood up hurriedly. He thanked Lin Fong for sparing him and thanked Madam Lin for speaking up for him. His eyes stopped for a moment at Amon. He forced his mouth shut. Otherwise, emotion might get the better of him. He turned around and walked limply out of the courtyard.

This was the fate of a slave, Amon thought. Just as in his past world, the weak would only be the playthings of those in power. No matter whether it was his fault or not, Lin Giru's only sin was being weak. Only by being stronger than others that one could determine one's own fate and not get rocked around by others' whims. He had learned this long ago in his past life. He could not afford to be weak in that life and he could not be weak in this one as well.

"What brings you here, sister?" Lin Fong asked Madam Lin with a bright smile.

"Actually, I have no intention of coming here. It is Amon who is looking for you," Madam Lin answered.

Lin Fong's smile froze upon hearing that. His gaze turned to Amon. What was this little devil planning? He thought.

"Uncle, can we speak in private?" Amon asked with a respectful salute.

"Mo, maybe mother should accompany you during your talk," Madam Lin offered.

"Mother, I need to speak with uncle Fong alone. If mother is around, we won't be able to speak honestly. I want us all to be harmonious with one another," Amon said.

Seeing his sincerity, Madam Lin was touched. She said, "all right, I will leave you two."

"Mother, this won't take long. Do you mind waiting for a while in that gazebo?" Amon asked. "Uncle Fong and I can talk inside his house for a while."

"All right then, I will wait over there," Madam Lin said. She walked towards the gazebo and called a servant to prepare tea for her.

Lin Fong was gazing at Amon suspiciously. "What are you going at, little rascal?" He asked.

"Let's talk inside," Amon was already walking towards the entrance of the house.

Lin Fong didn't have a good feeling about the kid's intention, but he had no reason to fear the kid as well. So he walked over.

Amon went inside the house and stood at the entrance. Lin Fong walked past him and went to one of the chairs decorating the entrance hall. He sat on it and then gestured to the chairs beside him. "Sit," he said to Amon.

Amon peeked at Madam Lin who was enjoying tea underneath the gazebo before closing the door. However, he did not walk over to sit beside Lin Fong. He continued to stand beside the entrance door.

"I will talk from here. You will talk from there. If you do any sudden movement, I can easily barge out this door. Even though you are much stronger than me, you won't be able to kill me instantly before mother comes to my rescue."

Lin Fong frowned at his words. "I can't kill you instantly? You overestimate yourself, kid."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. Let us drop all the pretense. We both know you are the one planning for those three kids to kill me during the mission. Considering that you didn't mind mother knows that you are the one arranging the mission. That means if the mission is successful and I am murdered, you don't mind mother suspecting you as the culprit. You probably think that mother's affection for me is simply temporary. That once I'm gone, even though she suspects you as the culprit. She will get over it with time and forgive you eventually, considering you two are real flesh and blood siblings while I am only a fake child. So, even if you kill me now in the open. You think that she will forgive you sooner or later, but that is considering if you managed to kill me. If you failed, she will keep me by her side even tightly and hate you even more."

"What are you getting at, kid?" Lin Fong asked with annoyance.

"I'm asking you to not try anything rash. Also, I want to tell you that you underestimate your sister's motherly instinct. Even though I am not her real child, if she suspects you to be the one responsible for my death, her anger toward you will not be something that will be healed with time. You will forever lose that sister you adore so much."

"So, is this how you threaten me with? To warn me not to do anything to you or else I will lose my sister?"

"No, this is not my purpose for speaking with you. I want to speak to you now because I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

"Eight years," Amon said.

"Eight years of what?" Lin Fong asked with bewilderment.

"Give me eight years in this Lin clan. After that, propose to your father to send me to the royal academy."

"Royal academy?"

Amon nodded. "If I am sent to the royal academy, I won't be wasting the Lin clan's resources. But more importantly, you won't have to see me anymore. I give you my promise, once I get to the academy, I will not return to this place. Then you can have your sister all to yourself."

"You are kidding, right? The spot for the royal academy is not a joke. These spots are also important to our clan. People that we sent to the royal academy will be the link that connects us to the royal family. If they do well, they will get a good position in the kingdom, and thus benefit our clan in return. It is not something that is given to an outsider like you."

"I understand the Lin clan is allowed four candidates to apply to the academy. Giving me one should not hurt your clan's chance to get that good position you mentioned. And how do you know I will not benefit the Lin clan if I get that good position? Most important of all is that I will be far away from your sister once I enter the academy. You know she can't follow me there."

"Why don't you ask her to refer you as a candidate?"

"She won't do that. Considering her attachment to me, she won't agree to let me go."

"Even if I endorse you. There is no certainty for you to join the academy. The entrance test is no joke. Not everyone can pass."

"You let me worry about that. I can promise you, even if I fail, I will not return here. How about that?"

Lin Fong pondered for a long while, he then said, "Even if I promote you to be a candidate, there will be many others that give their endorsement as well. There will be a selection trial to pick which amongst the young generations will be taking the spots for the royal academy. It's not as if you will be sure to be picked once I give my support."

"Same as my last statement. You let me worry about that. Same offer as well, if I fail. I will leave this clan by myself. All you need to do is make sure that I am amongst the young generations that enter this selection trial."

Lin Fong was silent again. He massaged his chin as he pondered.

Amon didn't let him think too long. "You can take this deal, or we continue to do these cat and mouse things. But sooner or later, your sister will realize your intention. At that time, I will goad her to protect me deeply and make her forcefully keep me by her side. With the reason of keeping me safe from you, I believe even your father can't force her to relinquish me."

Lin Fong gave him a displeased expression for the words.

"Or, you can take my offer," Amon continued. "You just need to bear with me for eight years and then I'm gone for good. Hey, I might even try to sweet-talk mother into making up with you. You can have your harmonious brother-sister relationship again."

Lin Fong's face was back to his contemplating expression again.

"So, what say you?" Amon asked.