CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 41: STILL JUST A BARGAINING CHIP

"What did you give me to eat? What did you give me to eat?"

With a look of terror, Qin Hao desperately stuffed his fingers down his throat, and after frothing at the mouth, spat out nothing but yellow bile.

Han Yu ignored his hysteria, wearing only a mysterious smile, "Can you guess?"

Who would dare to guess when it concerns life and death? Qin Hao, in a panic, scrambled to his feet and ran outside as fast as he could.

After running about ten steps, he realized he was in disarray and had forgotten he was a cultivator. He then soared into the sky using sword control...

Han Yu stood below, gazing into the distance and sighed slightly, saying, "I never knew sword control could be this fast."

Bai Jingliang looked at him as if he had seen a ghost, never knowing Han Yu could be so formidable.

Every time, Han Yu could bring him a different kind of shock.

The first time, in Quantai Prefecture, he watched as Han Yu, with a flip of the hand, turned a man into a woman, changing an old man into a young man.

The second time, in the Star Sect, he watched as Han Yu made a hundred ordinary people like dragons over a casual conversation.

This time was even more outrageous. A group of cultivators using a combined attack technique couldn’t harm him in the slightest, and there was even an Other Shore Realm cultivator among them! Even if there had been a Seeing Me Realm here today, they would have had to drink hate.

Bai Jingliang did not know that Han Yu had even faced the Divine Gaze Realm twice, and though he had been beaten, surviving was an achievement in itself.

Lily secretly clicked her tongue, thinking to herself that upon returning, she must privately tell the sect leader not to make trouble for the little pharmacist, as he was too fierce.

"Sister, let’s hurry back first."

It seemed he recalled what Qin Hao had just said, and Bai Jingliang’s face became incredibly ugly. He needed to go back and find out what exactly happened in less than a day.

"Young Master Han, until we meet again."

Bai Junya gave a complex expression before giving a gentle salute and then hurriedly left with Bai Jingliang.

Bai Family.

This was Bai Jingliang’s first time facing his father directly at home.

In the large hall, there were not only the patriarch Bai Chong’an, but also many clan elders discussing matters.

Bai Jingliang stormed in with Bai Junya, shielding his sister like a protective cub, and loudly questioned, "Why, why is my sister’s engagement something we had no knowledge of? Why must she be sent away like a bargaining chip?"

"Jingliang, is this how you speak to your elders?" A clan elder stood up and angrily reprimanded.

Bai Jingliang turned to glance at him, a man with white hair at the temples, appearing like an elderly man even though he was under sixty. He was Uncle Bai Zhiyuan from the second branch of the clan, whose cultivation was horribly lacking; at this age, he was only at the Seeing Me Realm, and his indulgence in wine and women had long decayed his body.

On normal days, Bai Jingliang found him most disagreeable, especially since he was always the one promoting marriage alliances, making Bai Jingliang loathe him.

"Uncle, you always talk about being for the family, so why don’t I see my cousins being married off?"

Bai Jingliang sneered.

Bai Zhiyuan, shaking with anger, seemed ready to be overcome at any moment. He said, "When have I ever been unwilling to sacrifice for the family? But they prefer Junya because of her single spirit root physique."

Bai Jingliang’s expression became ferocious, his teeth clenched so hard they creaked.

In the Cultivator Realm, it’s rumored that children born of parents with extraordinary spirit roots usually have no inferior spirit roots themselves.

"You’re treating her as a breeding tool!"

Bai Jingliang nearly let his anger overcome him, but his remaining rationality forced him to calm himself. He fixed a piercing gaze on his father, "Since you claim to act for the family, fine, for the family, my sister must not marry because..."

Qin Hao nearly rolled and crawled up Qilian Mountain, where there was a fort named Qin!

Once inside, the interior was like a small city, with various shops and cultivators coming and going. Some of those present were brothers from the clan, and others were disciples adopted in the family’s name.

This is what enables the Qin Family to surpass many noble families in Tianning Prefecture; besides cultivating their own descendants, they also learn from sect methods to continue expanding.

Seeing people, he shouted loudly, "Save me, please save me..."

After shouting, he collapsed in exhaustion. Heaven knows what he had experienced; from Tianning City to here was a full twenty miles, and he had flown nonstop using sword control for the entire twenty miles. His True Essence was already completely exhausted by then, and part of his journey back was on foot.

When he finally awoke, he found himself on a soft bed with a high pillow, surrounded by many figures, including his father Qin Tiannan and many uncles.

"Now that you’re awake, there should be no issue, but your True Essence is seriously depleted, and you’ll need some time to recover," a clan elder said with a sigh of relief.

"You’ve lost face for the Qin Family today!"

At this moment, Qin Tiannan looked stern, coldly reprimanding him.

After Qin Hao’s fainting, the cultivators who had followed him returned one by one, bruised and battered.

Upon further questioning, the matters of the teahouse that day were all revealed.

A single cultivator had managed to beat a group of Qin Family members, sending the Qin Family’s eldest son fleeing with his head in his hands. This sight instantly infuriated Qin Tiannan, and the bruised and battered disciples who returned were immediately taken away for family discipline.

However, Qin Hao still remembered that he had swallowed an unknown pill and suddenly wailed, "Father, please save me, that man made me eat an unidentified pill, it could be poison."

"Shut up!"

Qin Tiannan’s face turned ashen, and he couldn’t help but slap him, leaving Qin Hao dumbfounded.

"The elders of the clan have already thoroughly examined your body; there’s no trace of any poison. You’ve been played and yet remain unaware. How can one so incompetent be expected to inherit the family business? I might as well choose another successor from the clan."

Qin Hao was immediately terrified, his face turning pale, and several clan elders were visibly shaken.

For everyone knew that Qin Tiannan never made baseless claims and always prioritized the family’s interests; otherwise, the Qin Family wouldn’t be thriving as it is today.

The entire clan was completely convinced by him. If he said he wanted to replace someone, it was almost certain that he had already considered it.

However, switching successors halfway was absolutely impossible. The amount of effort and attention invested in Qin Hao over these years was immense, and changing now would bring too many uncertainties.

Thus, a group of clan elders quickly spoke up to persuade him in good faith.

Qin Tiannan, hearing this, frowned with hidden anger, glaring and saying, "It’s because you’ve all spoiled him! Look at him, a dignified firstborn of the Qin Family, utterly lacking in majesty."

With that, he turned and left in a fit of anger, leaving the clan elders to hurry after him, leaving Qin Hao alone on the bed, staring blankly.

Bastard! You ruined me like this! You deserve to die!

He thought of Han Yu, and his heart filled with growing hatred.

Then he thought of Bai Junya.

"That bitch, I have admired her all along, not expecting her to be such a woman. When she marries in, I will make her life hell."

Recalling her fiery figure, the thought of various sinister plans rose darkly in his mind.

After leaving the room, Qin Tiannan proceeded directly to the hall and took his seat first.

Qin Tiannan, with a furrowed brow, spoke first, "The reputation of the Qin Family must not be trampled upon. Old Third, take thirty Other Shore Realm Cultivators there; make sure he does not die too quickly, and let everyone in Tianning Prefecture see clearly."

A clan elder, nearing fifty years old, sprang up, nodded, and left.

At that moment, a cultivator rushed in, holding a letter, respectfully presenting it before slowly withdrawing.

Upon opening the letter, Qin Tiannan’s expression froze. The onlookers were curious, as it was rare to witness something that could move him, and they spoke up in surprise.

"Elder brother, what has happened?"

The clan elders chimed in.

Qin Tiannan snapped out of his daze, set the letter down with a subtle smile, and said, "Bai Zhiyuan of the Bai Family sent a letter saying that Bai Junya has awakened her Water Series Divine Techniques."

The hall buzzed with whispers as numerous elders exchanged glances, and someone couldn’t resist asking.

"Are they intending to break the engagement?"

"Would they dare? If it were merely a Single Spirit Root, it wouldn’t matter, but with Innate Divine Techniques, she must become a woman of the Qin Family."

Qin Tiannan chuckled slightly and gestured for silence, the room immediately quieting as everyone focused on him. "The entire letter only mentions this."

The crowd was puzzled, but only Qin Tiannan laughed heartily.

"Old Second, immediately send our Combined Attack Technique, ’Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies Attack,’ to the Bai Family. Since they wish to increase the stakes, we shall meet them in kind."

Another clan elder nodded, stood, and departed.

The remaining individuals waited silently for Qin Tiannan to explain his move, without voicing any doubts.

Ever since he assumed the role of patriarch, firmly bringing in external cultivators to study with the clan against opposition, the rapid development of the Qin Family has proven his foresight and strategy.

Thus, no one questioned Qin Tiannan’s decisions thereafter.

With narrowed eyes and a slow smile, Qin Tiannan said, "The letter was penned by that inept Bai Zhiyuan; it’s likely that Bai Chong’an was coerced by the clan elders. Since the Bai Family only seeks leverage, let them have it. With such disarray, give the Qin Family five years, and there will be no more Bai Family!"

He spoke confidently, without anyone doubting him.

Bai Chong’an was too indecisive, not even worth considering. Once the Bai Family is annexed, the Combined Attack Technique will still belong to the Qin Family.

Qin Tiannan’s heart sneered coldly, though as he continued to smile, his face darkened again. Could Qin Hao’s nature shoulder the great responsibilities? Would his succession bind the entire family as one like Qin Tiannan had? Would he become another Bai Chong’an?

He seemed to have lost confidence at this moment.

Qin Hao now appeared to be walking a tightrope, fearing that with just a bit more misfortune, even his father might truly pull him down from his lofty future position as the patriarch of the Qin Family.

At the inn, after changing clothes, Han Yu was about to leave.

"You’re leaving just like that?"

Glass asked with curiosity.

Han Yu raised his eyebrows, as if seeing something for the first time; usually, in such cases, if you beat the small, the big will come, if you beat the big, the old will come, and if you beat the old, a whole brood will come.

A golden maxim: after battling a tiger, it’s best to run.

Besides, Bai Junya had been helped, and the pill given; if he didn’t leave now, he’d really be waiting for someone to settle scores.

However, fate often betrays aspirations. After speaking with Little Artifact Spirit, urgent footsteps approached.

The door was forcefully pushed open. Lily appeared flustered, exclaiming, "Little Pharmacist, something has happened..."