In an instant, the great hall fell into a deathly silence. The air seemed to freeze, leaving everyone stunned, as if they had been turned into statues of wood and stone.
"You... what did you say?"
Recovering first, Qin Langtian stared with wide eyes, his face twitching slightly, unable to believe what he was hearing from Qin Haotian. He could never have imagined that Qin Haotian would dare to make such a decision.
Qin Haotian’s tone was icy, devoid of any trace of familial affection. Every word he spoke landed like a resounding slap against Qin Langtian’s sharp-featured face.
Who was he? The illustrious, renowned, and invincible War King. To be left speechless, only to have his own flesh and blood sever ties and part ways with him—it was preposterous! Initially, due to Qin Haotian’s relentless questioning, Qin Langtian had felt a flicker of guilt, a sense that he had indeed failed his son. But now, hearing such rebellious words, he was seized by a fit of fury. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his breathing grew ragged. The tiny sliver of guilt vanished into thin air, replaced by a surge of overwhelming rage.
Lin Suxi appeared particularly distraught, shaking her head with tears in her eyes as she tried to change his mind. "Haotian, have you lost your senses?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You wandered out there for so many years—wasn't it because you yearned for a complete family? Why would you say such heartless things?"
Faced with Qin Langtian’s wrath and Lin Suxi’s heartbreak, Qin Haotian’s expression remained unchanged and unmoved. "Hmph! Must I say it a second time? Since you do not see me as your son—since you consider me nothing but a useless waste—then I have no need to shamefully cling to this place!"
"From today on, I announce my departure from War King Manor. I have no further connection to any of you!"
With that, Qin Haotian did not linger for a second. With a face as resolute as iron, he turned and walked toward the door. Though he was injured, it did not stop him from honoring his word; he would not let anyone look down on him. He did not stop, not even for a moment.
"Haotian!"
"How can you truly have the heart to abandon your mother?"
Watching her son’s lonely figure drift further and further away, Lin Suxi panicked and made a desperate move to chase after him. But before she could reach the door, a furious Qin Langtian blocked her path.
"Leave him be!"
"Let him roll away! The further, the better!"
"This unfilial son was sent by the heavens to plague us! If I keep him by my side, I’ll surely lose a hundred years of my life!"
"To be so rebellious, to dare threaten to sever ties with us—who gave him the nerve?"
Qin Langtian was consumed by rage. His heart pounded, his chest heaved, and he roared in a state of complete hysteria. That wasn't all. Seeing that Qin Haotian hadn't gone far, he grabbed seven or eight expensive vases and hurled them to the ground, shattering them into pieces to vent his fury.
"If you have any backbone, once you step out that door, don't you ever come back! The worst that happens is I pretend I never had a son like you!"
Before the words had finished echoing, Qin Haotian, who was about to step out the main gates of the manor, suddenly looked back, his expression calm and composed.
"You can rest easy on that score. I, Qin Haotian, keep my word! Even if I end up wandering the streets or die out there, I will never use your name to swindle others, lest I bring shame and humiliation upon the noble and exalted War King! That is a burden I cannot afford to bear!"
With that, Qin Haotian let out a hearty laugh, stepped over the vermillion threshold, and vanished into the distance—fitting the immortal words of the poet Li Bai: "With a loud laugh I step out the door, am I the kind of man to bow to the powerful?"
"Rebellious child! Wretch!"
"I must have been blind to ever take you back into this house! Not only are you good for nothing, but you are also this arrogant—it is truly outrageous!"
"I’d like to see what you can make of yourself, you wretch, without the protection of the manor!"
Until Qin Haotian’s figure disappeared from sight, Qin Langtian continued to roar from the hall, his anger unspent. Fortunately, no one outside knew that Qin Haotian was his own flesh and blood. Otherwise, for the great War King to be berated by his own son and to have their familial relationship severed would be an unprecedented scandal. If word got out, where would he hide his face? His colleagues and ministers at court would surely twist the story behind his back, turning it into fodder for their idle gossip.
"It’s all your fault for spoiling that unfilial wretch and indulging his reckless behavior!"
"From now on, no one is to provide him with a single cent! Penniless and cast out of the War King Manor, I want to see how he continues to be so arrogant!"
Qin Langtian sank back into his armchair, brow furrowed and teeth gritted, shifting his fire toward his wife. In his view, it was Lin Suxi’s indulgence and the large sums of money she provided that allowed Qin Haotian to lead a life of debauchery. Now that the rebel had left the manor, his source of funds was cut off. He wouldn't even be able to afford a meal, let alone haunt the brothels and taverns. Once he was destitute and out of options, he would naturally repent and recall the benefits of the manor.
Thinking this, Qin Langtian felt he had the upper hand. He would wait for his "unfilial son" to come crawling back to beg for forgiveness. At that point, wouldn't he be able to handle him however he pleased?
However, when faced with Qin Langtian’s accusation, Lin Suxi looked baffled, appearing completely innocent. "Langtian, why would you say such a thing?"
"For these past three years, I have never given Haotian a single cent! Since marrying into the manor, I have only accompanied you in battle and cultivation; I have kept to myself and never concerned myself with the household finances. You know I never carry money on me—why would you suddenly blame me?"
Hearing this, Qin Langtian paused. "You never gave that wretch any money?"
Looking at Qin Langtian’s expression, Lin Suxi couldn't help but ask, "Did you, then?"
Qin Langtian remained silent for a moment, then, unwilling to give up, turned his gaze to his daughter. "Qingyue, was it you who gave your brother money to squander? Or did he ever ask you for any?"
A strange look flickered in Qin Qingyue’s eyes, but she replied with an arrogant pout: "Hmph, how could that be? Why would I give money to a degenerate like him?"
Finally, Qin Langtian summoned the household steward, desperate for an answer. But the result was unanimous: in three years, Qin Haotian had not taken a single cent from the manor.
How could this be!
Hearing this, Lin Suxi couldn't help but feel a deep, mournful sorrow, whispering to herself: "So, we never gave that child anything at all... and he never asked us for anything, either."