War King Manor.
Ever since Qin Haotian left, Lin Suxi had been feeling increasingly uneasy. She often sat alone in grief and sighs, unable to calm her mind to cultivate. Not only did she feel she owed her son too much—making it impossible for their mother-son relationship to ever return to what it once was—she also felt deeply disappointed by her husband's cold ruthlessness, and sorrow welled up from the depths of her heart.
Because of this, the couple frequently quarreled, and Lin Suxi had even dropped a harsh ultimatum.
"Qin Langtian, if you don't bring Haotian back, I'm completely done with you!"
After a period of the silent treatment, Qin Langtian intended to coax Lin Suxi. Instead, he found her packing her personal belongings, preparing to leave War King Manor.
A sharp pain stabbed at Qin Langtian's heart. Could it be that, for the sake of that rebellious and unfilial son, the wife of his youth—with whom he had shared a respectful and companionable marriage for many years—was determined to make a complete and final break with him?
"Suxi, what are you doing?" Qin Langtian hurriedly stepped forward to block her path. "Let's talk this over."
Lin Suxi turned back and shot him an irritated glare. "Have you forgotten? In a few days, it's my eldest brother's birthday. I have to hurry back to celebrate with him."
Although she had married into the manor many years ago, her relationship with her maternal family had always remained warm. Lin Suxi hailed from an immortal sacred land—Langya Sacred Land—and the eldest brother she spoke of was none other than the current Langya Holy Lord. Every year on his birthday, Lin Suxi would personally attend the gathering, never missing a year, come rain or shine.
Lin Suxi's background also provided Qin Langtian with immense backing, making his position at court as steady as a monolith and utterly unshakable.
"Look at me, I've been so busy lately that I completely forgot about such a major event!" Qin Langtian said. "I'll go see His Majesty right now, request a leave of absence from the Imperial City for a while, and accompany you to pay our respects to your elder brother."
Seeing her husband's ingratiating demeanor, Lin Suxi did not give him a pleasant face at all and flatly refused.
"Such a minor matter, how could I dare trouble Your Lordship the War King?" she retorted. "You only care about your position at court and your single-minded desire to achieve glory and build a career. When have you ever cared about this family? If you truly had that intention, you'd hurry up and find Haotian instead of letting him suffer out there! If Haotian isn't found, I'm prepared to spend the rest of my days at my maternal family's home."
No matter how the conversation started, it always came back to that unfilial wretch. Hearing Lin Suxi's words, an unnamed fire ignited within Qin Langtian. He immediately dropped his face and tossed the clothes he had just folded back onto the bed.
"Have it your way, then!" he snapped. "If you expect me to lower my head, admit fault, and beg that cursed ingrate to come back, absolutely not! I advise you to give up on that pipe dream as early as possible!"
As if stepping on his sore spot, Qin Langtian angrily made his stance clear. With a cold huff, he slammed the door and stormed out.
Ending up in an unhappy discord yet again, Lin Suxi shook her head with a long sigh, her eye rims gradually turning red. She was both terrified that she would never see her son again and furious at her husband's lack of human warmth.
At that moment, her daughter, Qin Qingyue, hurried over upon hearing the commotion and quickly guessed the reason.
"Mother, did you and Dad have another fight?" Qin Qingyue asked. "It's not that I want to say—"
Mid-sentence, Lin Suxi gently waved her hand, unwilling to continue dwelling on the matter. "Yue'er, Mother is returning to Langya Sacred Land to keep your uncle company for his birthday. Are you coming with us to visit your uncle and cousin?"
Mentioning her cousin—the daughter of the Langya Holy Lord—Qin Qingyue shook her head vigorously, showing the utmost reluctance, as if she were talking about her sworn enemy.
Lin Shizhu was the current Saintess of Langya Sacred Land, succeeding Lin Suxi. She was Qin Haotian's younger cousin and Qin Qingyue's elder cousin. Although she was less than a year older, whether in cultivation talent or appearance and temperament, she utterly crushed this younger sister and always walked ahead of her. Moreover, Lin Shizhu deeply detested Qin Qingyue's arrogant, tyrannical, and haughty personality, while Qin Qingyue resented anyone surpassing her in every way. This caused the two cousins to quarrel like clashing needles and crossbow bolts whenever they met; on a few occasions, they had even come to blows.
"Mother, you go by yourself," Qin Qingyue said. "To travel such a long distance only to be unwelcome by my cousin—I'm not going to humiliate myself! By comparison, I'd rather go into the palace to play with Sister Luoyan."
With that, she scurried off like a wisp of smoke. Lin Suxi indulged her daughter's temperament and asked no further questions.
Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace, Shi Luoyan had just received a secret letter sent from Zuixian Tower. Upon opening it, her once delicate and pretty face instantly registered disbelief.
"All dead?"
"A sword through the throat?"
Her delicate brows furrowed as a contemplative look crossed her eyes. Although the few ants she had dispatched this time were merely at the Houtian Realm, Qin Haotian possessed zero cultivation whatsoever, making them more than enough to handle him. Yet now, the men she sent had actually been counter-killed? Furthermore, the attacker seemed to be skilled in swordsmanship. Could it be that the War King Manor had sent experts to protect him in secret?
Recalling that Qin Haotian had already broken ties with the War King Qin Langtian, Shi Luoyan shook her head again. Could it be... that Qin Haotian had concealed his true strength?
Just as Shi Luoyan was harboring suspicions, a palace maid outside hurried in with quick, mincing steps.
"Reporting to the Third Princess, Princess Qingyue requests an audience!"
Before the maid could finish, Qin Qingyue barged in uninvited. She greeted Shi Luoyan casually, sat right down, and began to toy with the exquisite teacup on the table.
"Sister Luoyan, I've done you a massive favor!" Qin Qingyue declared. "I went to great lengths just to drive Qin Haotian away. How are you going to reward me?"
Dismissing the palace maid, Shi Luoyan pulled Qin Qingyue aside and asked in an extremely solemn tone to verify her own hypothesis.
"Little Qingyue, are you truly certain that Qin Haotian is a useless cripple with no cultivation?"
Hearing this, Qin Qingyue froze. "Sister Luoyan, why are you asking that?"
Then she nodded, her tone utterly certain. "Of course! Could I possibly be lying to you?"
Recalling the secret letter she had just received, Shi Luoyan said, "What if... Qin Haotian deliberately concealed his cultivation?"
"Impossible!" Qin Qingyue said with absolute conviction. "Qin Haotian is a genuine piece of trash. If he had cultivation, even if he could fool me, could he possibly pull the wool over my parents' eyes?"
Hearing this, Shi Luoyan felt it made sense. After all, the War King and his wife were among the top powerhouses within Shi Country, possessing unfathomable cultivation bases. How could such formidable experts fail to see through Qin Haotian's depth? Besides, if Qin Haotian actually possessed cultivation, the War King Qin Langtian would never have looked down on him so contemptuously.
Yet the men sent by Zuixian Tower had all been killed. Who on earth was responsible for this?
Qin Qingyue looked at Shi Luoyan with a puzzled expression and couldn't help asking, "Sister Luoyan, is something wrong?"
Shi Luoyan shook her head, already forming a new plan in her mind. Since this attempt had failed, she would simply try again. As long as Qin Langtian remained in the Imperial City, the situation stayed within her control.
Realizing that Qin Haotian was, after all, Qin Qingyue's brother, Shi Luoyan couldn't help asking, "Little Qingyue, if I were to kill Qin Haotian, would you hold a grudge against me?"