Before the village gate was smashed open.
Lin Village Ancestral Hall.
Ancient and opulent, filled with the thick scent of incense.
Offerings were made to the ancestors above.
Clan elders and branch heads were seated below.
Lin Zongwen, the current Clan Leader of Lin Village, sat steadily in the main seat. Though over seventy, he was full of vigor, with not a single white hair in sight. Dressed in a long white robe, he had the air of a scholarly elder.
He took a sip of fragrant tea.
Lin Zongwen's clear eyes glanced over the seated clan elders and branch heads, then looked down at Lin Tongxin, who was kneeling and reporting tremblingly in the center of the hall. A sense of exhilaration from holding absolute power swelled in his chest.
Before these chaotic times.
Lin Village had been dirt poor. The concept of a clan was weak, relationships were indifferent, and the Clan Leader was a leader in name only. Even a random child could joke around with him.
After the chaos began.
