Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 218: Trust
The burly man, a Martial Artist who had reached the Celestial Shattering Realm, stared with eyes wide in utter terror. He had no time to dodge as the splintered plank grew larger and larger in his vision.
PFFT!
A splintered piece of the door, as wide as a palm and over a foot long, slammed through the man’s open mouth and burst out the back of his skull.
With a heavy THUD, the man collapsed onto the street. The surrounding pedestrians screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.
The few remaining thugs still inside the shop stood frozen, their minds unable to process what had just happened. ’When we came here, didn’t the master say we could cause a ruckus and act like total hooligans? That as long as we didn’t strike first, they couldn’t do anything to us?’
Fuck!
’This is what "can’t do anything" looks like?’
The thugs’ minds were completely consumed by terror. They had always thought of themselves as ruthless, as the bad guys. Only today did they realize how little of the world they had actually seen.
Compared to the smiling young man before them, they were as innocent as pure little lambs. ’Bad guys? We’re not even close!’
"W-w-w... We’re... we’re not with him! Not part of his group!" one of the thugs reacted the quickest, stammering as he looked at Qin Li with eyes full of terror.
’Others might not know, but how could he not? The man who died was a Martial Artist who had just broken through from the Celestial Level to the Celestial Shattering Realm. Yet he hadn’t even had a chance to react before someone skewered him through the head with a damn plank... Just what level of power was this person?’
’Only a fool would want to make an enemy of someone like that!’
Qin Li’s actions also stunned Qin Hanyue and Qin Wenxuan, who had followed him out. Shangguan Shiyu, however, remained perfectly calm, as if nothing Qin Li could ever do would surprise her; it was clear she would support him unconditionally.
Qin Wenxuan’s mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. ’With his return, Li has completely shattered the low-key and cautious approach the Qin Family has maintained for so long. I wonder what kind of expression the Patriarch, Qinling Mountain, will have when he finds out. Will he still say, "Now *this* is a true descendant of the Qin Family"?’
"Not part of his group?" Qin Li asked, a faint, unreadable smile on his face as he looked at the remaining, terrified thugs.
"Not part of his group, we’re really not!" The muscles in the thug’s face twitched violently.
"Then why are you all wearing the same clothes?"
The thugs exchanged a glance, then simultaneously did something no one expected. In a flurry of motion, they stripped off their clothes until they were left in nothing but their underpants.
Shangguan Shiyu turned her head away in disgust. Qin Hanyue scoffed, and Qin Wenxuan frowned.
The thug stammered, "It’s all a misunderstanding!"
"Get lost! And take your trashy clothes with you!" Qin Li said coolly.
As if granted a pardon from the emperor himself, the thugs turned and fled, wishing they’d been born with more legs.
"Wait..."
Hearing Qin Li’s voice, the thugs shuddered in unison and froze.
"Go back and tell your master to stop using such pathetic tactics. If he has any guts, he’ll come and try to kill me out in the open. If I see any more of this behind-the-scenes garbage, I’ll tear his whole damn den apart. Now, get out of my sight!"
The remaining thugs, scared out of their wits, scrambled to pick up their companion’s corpse and fled, not daring to utter a single parting threat.
Many people on the street had witnessed the scene, their faces turning grim. They quickly slipped away from the crowd and disappeared.
Within fifteen minutes, news of what had happened here would surely spread throughout all of Fengsha City. It was tantamount to the Qin Family sending a clear signal to everyone: We’re done putting up with your crap!
Qin Hanyue naturally understood her husband’s worries. She looked at Qin Li and asked, "Li... won’t this cause the conflict to escalate too drastically? You have to understand, many people are just waiting for the Qin Family to make a move like this! It gives them the perfect excuse to attack us openly under the guise of retaliation!"
Qin Wenxuan, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.
Qin Li just smiled slightly. "It’s fine. Take me to see Great-Grandfather."
...
「Inside a massive inn in Fengsha City.」
The thugs were tearfully recounting their ordeal to a group of people in a large room.
"Master, that kid... he’s not human! He didn’t give Niu a chance! The moment Niu kicked the door down, the kid sent him flying. Then he just picked up a piece of the door and killed him with it. If we hadn’t been clever, we’d all be dead! That brat also... he told us to give you a message..."
The spacious room was filled with people of all ages, men and women alike. They all seemed to defer to a middle-aged man in his forties. He was of average build with unremarkable features, yet he exuded a piercing aura, like a freshly drawn sword.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice, "What message?"
"He said..." The thug trailed off, hesitating. The words the young man had spoken were simply too arrogant, too domineering.
"Don’t just stand there stammering. Tell us exactly what he said, word for word!" a young woman with an icy expression snapped impatiently at the thug.
"Yes, Miss!"
The thug lowered his head and repeated Qin Li’s words verbatim.
"How outrageous!" one of the elders cursed, clenching his fists in anger after hearing the message. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"He’s courting death!" the cold-faced young woman said frigidly. An icy aura emanated from her, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
The others all began to voice their own anger.
"Arrogant," the middle-aged man said, his expression calm, but a furious fire blazed in his eyes.
"What backing does the Qin Family have to be so brazen? And who is this kid? According to Cui Gang, he killed Cui Qiang with nothing but a plank of wood. That means his strength must be at least at the Celestial Integration Realm!" After his outburst, the elder began to analyze the situation. He turned to the thug. "Cui Gang, are you certain that the one who attacked was just a boy?"
The thug, Cui Gang, nodded his head so vigorously it looked like a chicken pecking at grain. "Honorable Steward, I swear on my life! If you don’t believe me, ask them!"
The other thugs nodded frantically in agreement.
The cold young woman spoke slowly. "Could it be the one from the legends... the genius descendant of the Qin Family who came from the Mortal Realm? Is he really that powerful?" ƒreewebɳovel.com
The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Ying’Er is right. The boy is likely the one from the Mortal Realm. Speaking of which, our Imperial Family in the mortal world shares a great deal of animosity with him. It seems enemies are destined to cross paths."
The young woman’s face was grim. "We can’t let someone like that live! He’ll become a dagger at the heart of our Cui Family!"
The others nodded in agreement.
The middle-aged man thought for a moment. "You have a point. But we can’t do this openly. We must wait for an opportunity and go for a single, decisive strike! Give him no chance to fight back! If someone like him were to escape, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"Hmph. If the family’s true experts were here, killing him wouldn’t be so difficult," the young woman, Cui Ying, said coldly.
The elder retorted, somewhat indignant, "Killing him now wouldn’t be a problem either! Do we really need to mobilize the entire family’s strength just to deal with a minor family like that?"
"I never said we need the *entire* family’s strength. If just one person from the Venerable Realm came, this would all be over, wouldn’t it?" the young woman shot back bluntly.
"Enough! Ying’Er, that’s enough!" the middle-aged man interjected coolly. "You’re still young. There are some things you don’t understand. If the world were that simple, there would be no small or mid-tier families left. We would have devoured and annihilated them all long ago." He then concluded, "This matter is decided. We wait for an opportunity to kill that boy in a single, decisive blow."
...
「The Qin Family. Inside a secret chamber.」
The core members of the Qin Family’s Direct Lineage were gathered in the room, along with Qin Li, Shangguan Shiyu, and the others.
Shangguan Shiyu’s presence left the core members of the Qin Family’s Direct Lineage stunned. They couldn’t help but feel envious of Qin Li’s incredible luck with women. ’Last time he brought back a peerless, heavenly beauty,’ they thought, ’and this time he’s returned with another girl who is every bit her equal.’
Qin Suo walked over, looking much more mature after more than a year of experience. He smiled at Qin Li. "You’re finally back! And the first thing you do is get some payback for us. It feels great! You have no idea, we’ve been about to go insane from bottling everything up these past few months! Those bastards show up every other day to cause trouble, using the most despicable methods. They’ve nearly driven us mad with rage!"
Qin Li smiled. "Don’t worry. They’ll be run out of this place soon enough."
Qinling Mountain cleared his throat twice, and the secret chamber immediately fell silent. All eyes turned to the Patriarch of the Qin Family, their gazes filled with respect.
"Qin Li, you did well."
His first words were exactly what everyone had expected. ’In the Patriarch’s eyes, Qin Li can do no wrong! Even if he makes a mistake, it’s always someone else’s fault.’
Qinling Mountain took a deep breath. "Now, tell us the exit strategy you’ve prepared."
Everyone froze, staring at Qin Li. They were all baffled. How did the Patriarch know that Qin Li even had an exit strategy?
Qin Li stood up and gave a cupped-fist salute to the assembled family members. "It’s actually quite simple," he said. "We give up the Pill Formula."
SIGH!
Sounds of sighing filled the room. Many looked at Qin Li with a hint of displeasure. ’Is he serious? What a load of crap! Anyone could have thought of that. If we want to end the crisis, just toss the Pill Formula out like a bone and let them fight over it. The Qin Family would be out of the picture, sure...’
’But this is an incredibly precious item! It’s the culmination of several generations of the Qin Family, the result of a hundred years of research! It’s the lifeblood of so many people!’
’How can he suggest just throwing it all away?’
Qinling Mountain’s expression, however, showed no surprise. He looked at Qin Li with complete trust, and his calm voice cut through all the murmuring in the room.
"Fine! If Qin Li says we give it up, then we give it up!"
