Free Web NovelChapter 244: Chapter 242: Guilty Conscience?
After Qin Li spoke, he noticed Bu Yunyan’s eyes dim slightly. He immediately realized he’d said the wrong thing. Shangguan Shiyu shot Qin Li a reproachful glance and smiled, "Bu, don’t listen to his nonsense. With your talent for business, you’d be top-tier even on Profound Island! Most of the families on Profound Island focus solely on the Martial Dao. With your abilities, it wouldn’t take more than a few years for you to build the Qin Family into a first-rate, wealthy Noble Family!"
Bu Yunyan gave a faint, sad smile. "What right do I have to manage the Qin Family’s wealth? I think it’s better if I stay here."
Shangguan Shiyu gave Qin Li another chiding look, gesturing for him to quickly explain himself.
Qin Li gave a wry smile. "Alright, Bu, I admit I misspoke. It’s just that... the Qin Family has just taken over five mortal kingdoms. If you truly enjoy managing things, then those five kingdoms are all yours!"
"Huh?"
Bu Yunyan, Leng Yao, and Zhao Qianqian all let out cries of disbelief, staring dumbfounded at Qin Li.
Forgetting she was even angry, Bu Yunyan exclaimed, "This... How is this possible? It can’t be real, can it?"
Qin Li smiled and said, "Of course it’s real. Actually, Qianqian should know this. Even the royal family of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom is controlled by a power behind the scenes. They have to hand over a certain amount of wealth and resources every few years."
Bu Yunyan looked at Zhao Qianqian in disbelief. Zhao Qianqian tilted her head in thought for a moment before saying, "It seems... that’s really true. I remember when I was little, I once heard my father, the emperor, mention preparing a lot of money and various medicinal herbs. He said they were to be sent to the ’ancestors.’ I was too young back then, but the fact that the royal family has a power supporting it from behind... that must be true."
"That’s just incredible!" The shock was still written all over Bu Yunyan’s face. She then looked at Leng Yao and said, "Yaoyao, weren’t you from a family in a Mysterious Land? Have you never heard of such a thing?"
Leng Yao shook her head slightly and said faintly, "My family wasn’t that large to begin with. Plus, I was too young when the incident happened, so I don’t know about these things. Still, I suppose it’s not surprising. There are many Mysterious Lands on the Celestial Essence Continent, and a place like Profound Island is especially famous. It’s quite normal for powerful families and major sects to control a few mortal dynasties."
Only then did Bu Yunyan begin to believe it, though she still found it hard to accept. She stared intently at Qin Li and asked, "Even if that’s true, does your word carry that much weight?"
"Of course. He’s the treasure of the entire Qin Family now!" Shangguan Shiyu said, her face beaming with pride as she spoke of Qin Li.
Moreover, Shangguan Shiyu’s magnanimous display made Bu Yunyan, Leng Yao, and Zhao Qianqian feel grateful, but also sparked a trace of inferiority. They felt the distance between them and Qin Li growing wider and wider, a gap they couldn’t close even if they tried with all their might.
This wasn’t just a matter of feeling defeated. It was something more—a deep-seated dread.
’Am I really worthy of him?’
However, none of the three women had the kind of personality to give up easily. The panic in their hearts was fleeting, and they quickly composed themselves. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Bu Yunyan said softly, "If we’re to leave this place, we need to hand the businesses over to someone we can trust. After all, Qianqian and I poured years of our heart and soul into them."
Qin Li nodded, careful not to say the wrong thing and hurt Bu Yunyan again. No matter what, Bu Yunyan was a business prodigy. A person like her could thrive in any environment, like a fish in water.
"Let’s leave it to Hu. What do you think, Qin Li?" Bu Yunyan asked, her captivating eyes fixed on him.
"Hu? You mean... he’s not coming with us?" Qin Li was taken aback. He had indeed returned with the intention of bringing everyone to Profound Island. As for the threat from the Cui Family, Qin Li wasn’t too concerned. There were plenty of uninhabited mountains and rivers on Profound Island; they didn’t necessarily have to settle in Fengsha City.
With the Qin Family’s current financial power, they could quickly carve out a place to live anywhere they chose!
Qin Li suddenly recalled something Hu had once said: "I don’t have any big wishes in this life. All I’m after is just four words: to be rich and powerful!"
At this thought, a smile touched Qin Li’s lips. He remembered Hu’s honest, smiling face, and the warning he’d given him when they first met: "Hey, little guy, that old geezer’s a swindler..."
’I wonder if Elder Yi has broken through to the Celestial Shattering Realm. If I have time, I should visit the Imperial Capital and see. Maybe I can even help him!’ fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Thinking back on everything that had happened, even though only a few years had passed, it truly felt like a lifetime ago.
Bu Yunyan nodded and said, "Hu doesn’t live in this residence. He bought a rather large estate in the wealthy district, moved his mother and stepfather in, and got married. Now his wife is already pregnant. *Giggle*... Do you really think he’d be able to abandon all that to come with us?"
"That... that guy." ’Damn, he moves fast,’ Qin Li thought. "Why didn’t he wait for me to get back?"
Leng Yao lifted her head, her voice cool as she said, "You leave for years at a time. Who knew when you’d be back? Was he supposed to just not get married and have kids because you weren’t here?"
Alright, the pent-up resentment was finally coming out. Qin Li smiled wryly to himself and said, "Well then, it looks like I’ll have to give Hu a truly generous gift!"
...
That afternoon, Qin Li took Shangguan Shiyu by the hand, and the two of them strolled through the streets of Yellow Sand City, feeling more relaxed than ever before. On Profound Island, their days were consumed by cultivation. That place was teeming with powerful experts, and even though both of them had their own methods, neither had reached a level where they could act completely as they pleased.
But here in the Mortal Realm, a glance down any street revealed nothing but ordinary people. The whole pageant of human life was on full display.
"Qin Li, do you think the things that Ocean Ancestor said are all true? Does our world really hold so many mysteries and unknowns?"
The two walked slowly, their fingers intertwined, ignoring the astonished gazes of passersby.
"I think they must all be true!"
Qin Li never gave Shiyu perfunctory answers. He smiled and said, "Think about it. All those Mysterious Lands... don’t you find them magical? Don’t you ever feel like the Mysterious Lands are just mysterious houses scattered across the Celestial Essence Continent? Once you go inside, you find a whole new world."
"Now that you put it that way, it really does feel like that. When I was a child, I never heard about any of this. I thought the world was just like what I read in books—a single, endless continent that you could never cross in a lifetime!"
Thinking of the past, Shangguan Shiyu suddenly said softly, "Qin Li, I miss my father and mother so much. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see them again in my lifetime."
Qin Li felt Shangguan Shiyu’s grip on his hand tighten. He sighed softly, unable to bear the thought of crushing her hope. "Look," he said, "we were just talking about how magical the Celestial Essence Continent is. Maybe your parents just accidentally wandered into some Mysterious Land and haven’t found their way home yet. I believe that one day, you will see them again!"
Shangguan Shiyu nodded, her voice gentle. "My dear, you’re so good to me. Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life!"
Qin Li turned his head to look at Shangguan Shiyu’s exquisite, jade-like face and said softly, "That’s what I wanted to say to you, too! Shiyu, marry me!"
"Ah, you..."
Shangguan Shiyu’s face instantly turned bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears. It was as if her face was about to drip blood. She gazed at Qin Li, her eyes like liquid pools, and whispered, "Really?"
Qin Li nodded emphatically. "When we go to your home this time, I’ll ask your grandfather for your hand in marriage!"
"Yes!" Although incredibly bashful, Shangguan Shiyu nodded vigorously, her face a picture of pure happiness. ’Even if you didn’t ask,’ she thought to herself, ’I would only ever be yours in this lifetime!’
The Shangguan Family was utterly stunned by the sudden return of Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu. The entire household was thrown into a chaotic frenzy.
Shangguan Buhui had grown accustomed to Qin Li’s absence from Yellow Sand City. His position as Patriarch had become more and more stable. Furthermore, the Shangguan Family had managed to connect with the New Emperor, Zhao Xinghai, through the Princess Consort Shangguan in the palace, successfully aligning themselves under his banner. Things were going quite well for them.
They had all but forgotten that a girl from their family had entered a Mysterious Land to train, and they had certainly forgotten the trouble and disgrace Qin Li had once brought upon the Shangguan Family.
Therefore, their arrival together made the entire Shangguan Family feel incredibly awkward.
Some of the Shangguan Family’s upper echelons, in particular, had expressions tinged with guilt when they looked at Shangguan Shiyu. This made both Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu deeply suspicious.
The pair stated directly that they wanted to see Old Master Shangguan Tie. As for the others, they paid them no mind. In any case, it wouldn’t be long before they left, and after that, they would likely never cross paths again.
That being the case, why bother acting overly friendly or going out of their way to offend them?
In Qin Li’s eyes, the current Shangguan Family was nothing more than a group of scurrying ants. He had no interest in stooping to their level.
Before long, Shangguan Tie appeared before them. Upon seeing Shangguan Shiyu, tears streamed down his old face, and a flash of shame flickered in the depths of his eyes. However, Shangguan Shiyu was already crying a river herself and was in no state to observe her grandfather’s expression.
"Grandfather, Shiyu has come back to see you!"
As she spoke, Shangguan Shiyu threw herself into Shangguan Tie’s arms. Ever since she was a child, if not for this grandfather, she wouldn’t have survived to this day; she would have been executed as a monster long ago.
"Shiyu, my good child, you’re finally back! Grandfather is so happy!" Shangguan Tie’s voice was choked with emotion.
At that moment, however, Qin Li released his Innate Purple Qi, blanketing the entire Shangguan Mansion. From top to bottom, not a single movement could now escape his notice.
He was incredibly curious. ’What are they all so guilty about? Do they have a guilty conscience?’
