CHAPTER 653: CHAPTER 637: THE BONDS OF BLOOD

Qin Mingyan ultimately couldn’t resist the allure and purchased the so-called secret manual that belonged to Qin Liuxi, but he didn’t spend a single silver, having given her all of the dozen or so copper coins he earned from writing letters for people today.

Facing Qin Liuxi’s gaze, Qin Mingyan felt somewhat guilty, his ears and neck flushing red, he said, "This is all I have."

"Is this all earned by yourself? Not stolen?" Qin Liuxi raised an eyebrow and asked.

Qin Mingyan nodded, his voice a bit cold: "With good luck, it won’t be stolen."

Qin Liuxi looked over, the young boy was dressed in an old cloth gown, his topknot secured with a cloth strip, similar to many commoners in Wu City. His face inherited the best features of his parents, not too delicate, yet quite handsome, still, he was a bit different from the local commoners.

The once pampered young gentleman has since been exiled, having seen the dangers of this world, there was a touch of melancholy between his brows.

"Study this secret manual well, once you have practiced it, you will be able to protect your possessions."

But Qin Mingyan just smiled bitterly and said, "You’re overestimating a refugee. In Wu City, the most despised are refugees, especially those with tattoos. Even if they are agile, how can they stand against the likes of officials?"

"There are Martial Worlds everywhere, and every Martial World has its factions and small groups. You say refugees are despised, but I believe that refugees must also have their own small groups and ringleaders."

Qin Mingyan paused, that seemed to be true.

"Being a ringleader isn’t accomplished just by moving your mouth, it requires real strength and a tough fist. In the end, it’s about having skills."

Qin Mingyan appeared contemplative.

Qin Liuxi took another glance at him and said, "Seeing that you’ve bought my secret manual, why don’t you write a letter and fold it into a Paper Crane and let it fly, to let your mother see."

Qin Mingyan snapped out of it and glared at her incredulously, "If I wanted to write to her, I would naturally have it delivered by an escort agency, and let it fly as a Paper Crane, do you think I’m stupid?"

"It’s possible that she’ll receive it."

Believe in your ghost!

"Just write it, I’ll help you fold it, consider it a wish; naturally, she will receive it." Qin Liuxi insisted.

Qin Mingyan chuckled, gave her a look, thought for a moment, then took out paper and pen and wrote a few brief words in a letter.

Qin Liuxi did not look at what he wrote, took the letter from him, her fingers quickly folding it into a Paper Crane, and with a bit of magic, the Paper Crane flew upward.

Qin Mingyan was somewhat startled, it could actually fly?

He looked at Qin Liuxi with a bit of suspicion and asked, "Who exactly are you? What did you do just now? Why did the Paper Crane fly?"

Qin Liuxi smiled and said, "It’s merely a small Spell."

"Spell, could it be that you are some kind of Taoist or God Stick?" Qin Mingyan looked at her skeptically.

Qin Liuxi gave him a feeling of an inexplicable familiarity and warmth, and he felt as if he had seen her face somewhere before?

Qin Mingyan stared at her face, the more he thought, the stranger it seemed; she looked somewhat like his father but not entirely.

His elder sister had entered a Daoist Temple to practice since she was young, and this person was also a Taoist; was there any connection between the two?

Qin Mingyan’s gaze upon her grew more dubious, a vague suspicion formed in his heart, yet he didn’t dare to confirm it; after all, the person in front of him looked just like a man, not his elder sister.

He suppressed the stirring in his heart, cautioning himself that he was overthinking.

Qin Liuxi laughed but wasn’t completely ignorant, she was also a bit alert.

"I have an elder sister who is also Cultivating in a Daoist Temple." As Qin Mingyan spoke, he observed her reaction.

Qin Liuxi responded emotionlessly, "Oh? Why would a fine girl want to Cultivate in a Daoist Temple? Are you mistreating her?"

Qin Mingyan angrily said, "Our family would never do such a thing. She is part of our family, and she is the legitimate elder sister of this branch. How could she possibly be mistreated?"

"But the reality is she’s living a life of austerity in the Daoist Temple, while you all dine in luxury. So much for the status of the elder sister," Qin Liuxi said with an icy tone in her voice.

Qin Mingyan was choked up, at a loss for words, and it took him a while to say, "What you say is also true; we do indeed owe her." He paused before adding, "It’s better for her to be in the Daoist Temple, at least she wasn’t there when our family was raided, sparing her from fear and alarm."

As he spoke, he felt something was off. Why was he discussing such serious family matters with a stranger?

Qin Mingyan became increasingly wary and stood up, no longer wanting to speak. This person had been subtly probing him for information, and he couldn’t decipher their intentions.

Seeing him catch on, Qin Liuxi too smiled and stood up, saying, "The deal has been struck; let’s part ways for now."

She walked toward the exit of the alley, and Qin Mingyan called after her from behind, "Is your name really Cheng Yaojin? Are you really not someone sent by my mother?"

Qin Liuxi waved her hand, "You guess."

Qin Mingyan stood there with a wooden expression, and only after she left did he pick up the secret manual to have a look. Inside was a boxing technique, complete with illustrations, though the drawings were rather heartlessly done, some were merely rough sketches of limb movements.

This is the secret manual?

A swindler!

Qin Mingyan, fuming, threw the book on the ground, feeling a pang of regret for the dozen or so copper coins he’d parted with to write letters for others that had now gone to waste.

In the past, he always carried a small wallet filled with broken silver; he wouldn’t have even spared a thought for a mere dozen copper coins.

But after being exiled, he was nothing!

A single coin can bring down a hero, his entire family understood this all too well.

And living as refugees was indescribably hard; everyone was scrambling for silver to live a bit more comfortably, and he was no exception. Being young and unable to do heavy work, he wrote letters for others, earning three to four copper coins per letter, which could easily be snatched away by bullies, making it particularly hard.

The dozen or so copper coins used to buy the book could have bought many buns to feed the family!

Qin Mingyan thought about stomping on the book a couple of times but then decided to pick it up, flipping to the last page, which contained the cultivation mnemonic.

He muttered the mnemonic to himself, tucked the book into his chest, and walked away.

After he left, Qin Liuxi followed his trail discreetly.

When Qin Mingyan returned home, he heard coughing from inside and hurried in.

"Grandfather, why did you start coughing again?" He entered the room, grabbed the teapot, and poured a cup of water to hand over.

"It’s nothing," Qin Yuanshan looked up at him, "Why are you back so early... Did you get into a fight?"

Qin Mingyan froze for a moment, then responded, "Just a small scrape, nothing serious."

"Really? You didn’t sustain any internal injuries, did you?" Qin Yuanshan asked anxiously, his coughing intensified due to the worry.

Qin Mingyan quickly patted his back, saying, "Don’t worry, Grandfather, I’m truly fine. It was just a little friction, and someone even helped me out."

"Oh? Who was it?"

"Cheng Yaojin."

Qin Yuanshan: "?"

Has this child been hit on the head?

Hidden with the Invisibility Talisman, Qin Liuxi nearly lost her composure upon hearing this. Is this foolish boy stupid?