Chapter 101: Chapter 100: Fang Haonan’s Decision
Yihong Tower, Yellow Sand City’s finest brothel, was an enterprise of the Shangguan Family.
Fang Haonan, bare-chested, leaned against a buxom beauty. One of his hands roamed over her full, smooth breasts as he muttered with a look of regret, "He actually left just like that. Sigh, what a shame. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye."
"Who?" the beautiful woman’s voice was cloyingly sweet.
"Qin Li."
"That bastard from the Qin Family? The one our Shangguan Family broke the engagement with? Him...? What’s there to feel sorry for? *Giggle*. Don’t tell me the Eldest Young Master is into men?" The beautiful woman shook with laughter, her face a picture of disbelief. She couldn’t understand why Eldest Young Master Fang would feel any regret over that bastard’s departure.
"Your Shangguan Family?" Fang Haonan turned to the beautiful woman, his expression something between a smile and a sneer. He suddenly raised his arm...
SLAP!
The slap was crisp and loud, instantly leaving a bright red handprint on the woman’s fair, beautiful cheek.
Gazing at the woman’s hurt and confused expression, and her charming eyes that were rapidly welling with tears, Fang Haonan snarled, "He’s my friend! And... he’s far nobler than you! The Shangguan Family? Pah!"
With that, he threw on his clothes and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
...
"Nan’Er, are you so certain that this bastard son of the Qin Family... will amount to something great in the future?" Fang Zhengdong asked his son, Fang Haonan, in his study.
"Father, you know my lazy disposition. I dislike all this talk of business and commerce. But you can’t deny my ability to judge character. Over the years, how many talented individuals have I recruited for our family? As for Qin Li... sigh, it’s a shame. He is a talent far too great for a small family like ours to contain. However, I’ve always believed that if we maintain a good relationship with him, the Fang Family might one day have a chance to soar to the heavens!"
Fang Zhengdong was moved by his son’s words. In all these years, he had never heard his son hold anyone in such high esteem. Even the twin paragons of the Qin Family, renowned throughout the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom, had only ever earned a single word from Fang Haonan: "Average."
’What sort of ability did this Qin Li possess to so thoroughly impress his son, who appeared hearty and open but was proud and aloof to the core?’
"Then you mean to say..." Fang Zhengdong looked at his son, his gaze intense.
"My thinking is this: now that Qin Li has left Yellow Sand City, he has most likely gone to the Imperial Capital. He’s going there to make his way in the world, of course. Any help we give him now would be providing aid in his time of greatest need! Father, tell me... if I were to go to him now with ten thousand gold coins, wouldn’t he be overjoyed?" Fang Haonan’s tone was nonchalant, as if ten thousand gold coins were nothing to him.
Fang Zhengdong couldn’t help but gasp. One tael of gold was worth a hundred taels of silver! Ten thousand gold coins... that was one million taels of silver!
And the entire Fang Family’s liquid assets in silver probably amounted to no more than two or three million taels!
To take a third of a major family’s liquid capital and use it to support an outcast from a destroyed family... Fang Zhengdong frowned, then said suddenly, "This morning, the Shangguan Family sent a letter. Would you like to see it?"
Fang Haonan grunted in acknowledgment. "If Father thinks I should, then I’ll take a look."
Fang Zhengdong handed the letter to his son. This strange relationship between them was nothing new. Ever since he was a teenager, Fang Haonan’s judgment of character had been incredibly sharp. And yet, this Eldest Young Master of the Fang Family was a maverick with zero interest in inheriting the family enterprises. Left with no other choice, Fang Zhengdong could only let his son follow his own path.
The Fang Family was different from most major families. The main branch was extremely powerful, and they were far more united than a typical clan. Fang Haonan’s younger brother, Fang Haoran, was currently studying at Douwu Academy in the Imperial Capital. At sixteen, he had already reached Tier Eight Yellow Level and was rumored to be on the verge of a breakthrough. Compared to his lazy older brother, Fang Haoran was far more diligent. As such, it was almost certain that he would become the future Patriarch of the Fang Family.
It was this very situation that gave Fang Haonan a special, detached status within the family. Even his father, the Patriarch Fang Zhengdong, treated him as an equal, speaking to him as he would a friend.
Fang Haonan finished the letter in a few glances, a faint sneer touching his lips. "Hmph, the Shangguan Family... aside from the Old Patriarch, they’re nothing but a bunch of snobs! Great clans, imperial relatives, nobles, powerful houses... these titles have only made the Shangguan family members more and more corrupt, and at a truly astonishing rate! Informing our family of Qin Li’s ’evil deeds’? Warning us to be wary of this person? What a joke!"
From his son’s earlier attitude, Fang Zhengdong had expected such a reaction. He smiled and said, "Since ancient times, our Fang Family has relied on our two crafts, elixirs and forging, to establish a firm foothold in Yellow Sand City—a place teeming with masters. Step by step, we made it to where we are today, one of the three great families... Heh, and now one of two. If I’m not mistaken, the Shangguan Family will soon make a move on the Spirit Beast and Elixir markets. Our Fang Family lacks the power to hunt Spirit Beasts, but when it comes to Elixirs... I will not compromise!"
Shaking his head, he continued, "What a greedy bunch. It’s simply endless. They’ve already taken over almost all the service industries, and still they are not satisfied. If the Shangguan Family succeeds in another marriage alliance with the Royal Family this time, I fear our room to survive will shrink more and more. Fine, then. It’s only ten thousand taels of gold. I’ll take this gamble! If the family council doesn’t approve, I’ll give you my entire personal savings! Let’s see if the man my son trusts can bring a surprise to our Fang Family!"
Faced with such trust from his father, Fang Haonan was deeply moved. His eyes reddened slightly as he said in a solemn voice, "Father, rest assured. On this trip to the Imperial Capital, I will give it my all and secure a great future for the Fang Family!"
"Good. Go on, then. While you’re there, go see your brother. He’s been getting a little too close to the Second Prince. We shouldn’t get involved in the Royal Family’s affairs."
"I understand."
...
At that moment, Qin Li couldn’t possibly have imagined that someone already thought so highly of him—so much so that they were willing to bet a fortune on his future.
Transportation in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom was very convenient. The roads were extremely smooth, and one could hardly feel the carriage bumping along. All the while, Qin Li instructed Watermelon, helping his strength grow by leaps and bounds.
The road was bustling with merchant caravans, and the constant traffic of people and carriages made for a lively journey. One day, as the sun began to set, the group passed through a small town and decided to stop for the night before continuing on their way.
Qin Li stepped out of the carriage. As he looked at the bustling market in the small town before him, his mood lifted considerably. It seemed he’d never had a truly carefree moment back in Yellow Sand City.
’His lover left, and his mother is far away, leaving me all alone. I’ve had to face one crisis after another. Just surviving all that, and even managing to gain this much strength... I have a right to be proud.’
’The Ancient Ruins at Phoenix Lake were my greatest harvest since coming to this world. Just think of all the precious ancient texts, the priceless Spirit Stones, and all that stunningly luxurious space jewelry inside my ring. And, of course, the Blood-Drinking Sword!’
’For a Martial Artist, that sword might just be the greatest prize of all.’
A smile touched Qin Li’s lips. He said to Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao, "This town is quite lively. You two can go look around, maybe buy a few trinkets."
Bu Yunyan smiled charmingly. "I wouldn’t have thought someone so young would be so considerate of a woman’s desires. Tell me, is this how you captivated the young lady of the Shangguan Family?"
Qin Li rolled his eyes, ignoring Bu Yunyan’s teasing. Suddenly, his gaze landed on a black-clad figure in the crowd, and his pupils constricted slightly. The figure seemed to sense his gaze, and with a flash, vanished into the throng of people. A faint glint of killing intent flashed in Qin Li’s eyes. His instincts told him there was something wrong with that person.
The group rented out a small inn, each taking a room. Once inside, Qin Li closed his eyes and began to meditate to regulate his breathing. At the same time, he began to analyze his situation. ’My current enemies are mainly the two brothers, Qin Feng and Qin Hu. The feud between us is a mortal one. Regardless of whether they ever learn the true reason for the Qin Family’s destruction, if I get the chance, I won’t hesitate to pull them out by the roots!’
’Qin Hongyuan slaughtered my mother’s entire family back then. The destruction of the Qin Family is nothing more than the cycle of the Celestial Dao!’
’Besides the brothers Qin Feng and Qin Hu, there’s the Shangguan Family and the Crown Prince. The Shangguan Family surely wants me dead, but they probably won’t act openly out of consideration for Shangguan Shiyu’s feelings. That means the most likely culprit is the Crown Prince!’
’However, the strongest Martial Artist accompanying the Crown Prince that day was only at the High Tier of the Earth Level. Yet from this man in black, I couldn’t sense any fluctuation of Primordial Power.’
’There’s only one explanation: he must be at the Celestial Level!’
’Could it be... the Crown Prince sent a message ahead to the Imperial Capital to have me intercepted? That’s highly likely.’
The greatest advantage of Innate Purple Qi was that it was far more sensitive than Primordial Power. Fluctuations of Primordial Power could easily be detected by Martial Artists of equal or greater strength, but Innate Purple Qi produced no strong undulations at all. Even a Celestial Level Martial Artist couldn’t sense it.
Therefore, Qin Li had already sensed the assassin’s energy signature when it locked onto his room to probe it. The person was clearly cautious, however; the signature vanished in an instant. An inattentive person would never have noticed it.
After dinner, Qin Li sat on his bed, quietly waiting for his visitor to show up.
Sure enough, around midnight, an extremely faint sound came from outside his window. A thin, narrow blade slid gently through the window seam. The blade was so sharp that it sliced through the hard window frame as if it were tofu.
Immediately after, a masked man in black leaped into the room like a ghost. Without the slightest hesitation, he viciously slashed down at the bulge in the blankets on the bed.
A flash of red light flared in the dark room!
Celestial Level!
