Soon, the dishes were served. All three of them had been starving for days and immediately started eating ravenously.
While eating, Qin Ze extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand, constantly gesturing sword forms to master the Clear Underworld Sword Technique.
By the time the meal was finished, these simple sword forms were already thoroughly mastered.
As dusk fell, the three of them had their fill and set off toward the Qin Family residence.
Just before leaving, Qin Ze produced a brownish pill and handed it to Xu Shan.
"Xiaoshan, take this pill. It will do you good," Qin Ze said.
This was none of the less than the Martial Sovereign Ascension Pill. Consuming it would allow one to advance to the Zunwu Realm within a few months.
Xu Shan's cultivation talent was rather weak, and originally he had almost no chance of making any progress in cultivation.
However, with this single pill, he would soon become a top-tier expert within the Bahuang Domain.
Xu Shan gave a hearty burp. Having already eaten his fill, he originally had no appetite left, but since Qin Ze had given it to him, he felt too embarrassed to refuse.
With a wide gulp, he swallowed the pill.
As the pill entered his stomach, Xu Shan immediately felt a strange sensation throughout his body.
The internal Qi began to surge, and his previously narrow meridians were suddenly flooded by a massive wave of heaven and earth spiritual energy, rapidly expanding and strengthening.
Xu Shan stared at Qin Ze in utter shock.
"Young Master, I..." He was speechless, unable to describe what he was feeling.
Qin Ze smiled faintly. "When we get back to the Qin Family shortly, find a corner to make your breakthrough. After I finish my business, let's see what level you've reached."
Xu Shan nodded heavily.
Lei Ling'er, on the other hand, looked astonished. She stepped closer and whispered, "Are you crazy? This is a Martial Sovereign Ascension Pill, and you just gave it away like that?"
"This thing is useless to me. Actually, your talent is quite good; you shouldn't take one either." With a smile, Qin Ze finished speaking and walked ahead.
......
City Lord's Mansion.
Mo Tianwen and Lei Longhu paced back and forth, their brows fraught with unease and restlessness.
Qin Ze had been gone for many days, yet there was still no news of him.
During these past few days, Mo Tianwen had also searched everywhere, but the two of them seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace either inside or outside the city.
"City Lord! City Lord! Qin Ze is back!" A loud shout from outside the door made both men jolt.
"Where is he? Has he returned to the City Lord's Mansion?" Mo Tianwen asked, rushing out first.
The guard reported, "Someone saw with their own eyes that Qin Ze was eating at a restaurant with a grime-covered maidservant and a fat youth. After finishing, they headed toward the Qin Family."
At these words, Mo Tianwen's heart suddenly dropped.
A grime-covered maidservant? That shouldn't be right. Lei Ling'er was a famously stunning beauty.
Helplessly, he looked at Lei Longhu and asked, "Domain Lord, what should we do now?"
Lei Longhu was clearly growing restless as well. He stood up and said, "Accompany me to the Qin Family."
With that, he made to head out.
Arriving at the front of the main hall, however, he paused.
"My identity and whereabouts should not be exposed. Get me a set of guard uniforms, and I will accompany you to the Qin Family," Lei Longhu instructed.
Understanding immediately, Mo Tianwen quickly ordered, "Hurry, inform the Qin Family that the City Lord is paying a visit."
"Someone bring a set of the largest guard uniform."
......
At that moment, in the Qin Family's central plaza, evening was falling, yet bonfires blazed brilliantly across the grounds.
Today was the day Qin Hao, the young master of the Qin Family, would officially become the head of the family.
More than a dozen prominent clans in Yuelong City had sent representatives to attend.
The Qin Family dealt in artifact forging and maintained extensive business ties with major clans such as the Wang Family, the Ye Family, the Ji Family, and the Situ Family.
In Yuelong City, who sat as the head of the Qin Family didn't strictly matter to outsiders.
However, the weapons and defensive gear forged by the Qin Family were utterly indispensable.
At today's grand assembly of the Qin Family, everyone naturally showed up to offer their congratulations.
Great Elder Qin Wuyang, Young Master Qin Hao, and other members of the Qin Family stood in the plaza, greeting guests with broad smiles.
The ancestors of Qin Wuyang's lineage were originally handymen of the Qin Family who had been integrated into the clan for their meritorious service in protecting their masters.
Branch members of the Qin Family could at best become elders; ordinarily, it was impossible for them to become family heads.
Today marked the first time in hundreds of years that a branch member of the Yuelong City Qin Family was ascending to the position of family head. Precisely because this succession lacked orthodox legitimacy, Qin Wuyang had gone to extraordinary lengths to make the ceremony exceptionally grand.
The only remaining regret was that Qin Ze had not shown up.
Without Qin Ze's official seal of authorization, Qin Hao's position as head of the family bore a slight blemish.
In the plaza, representatives from various clans arrived in increasing numbers, causing Qin Wuyang's brows to furrow tighter and tighter.
The Qin Family assembly was about to begin, yet Qin Ze had still not appeared.
With every influential figure in Yuelong City gathered today to witness the event, lacking Qin Ze's authorization felt somewhat incomplete.
At that moment, many gazes drifted toward the main entrance.
The newcomers were none other than the members of the Ye Family.
Among the crowd, Ye Pianyu wore a green martial outfit, her beauty peerless.
"I heard the young daughter of the Ye Family comprehended the clan's Tianhun Disk a few days ago."
"I heard the same thing. In a mere ten days, her cultivation surged from the Ninth Level of Earth Spirit Realm straight to the Third Level of Heaven Spirit Realm."
"Word has it that she even startled one of the three major sects, the Xuanyang Sect, which has sent someone this time to deliver an admission token."
People murmured in low voices, their words brimming with envy.
Qin Wuyang hurriedly led Qin Hao forward to welcome them. Standing before them was the head of the Ye Family and Ye Pianyu's father, Ye Chong.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Chong walked over to the guest seating area.
Ye Pianyu turned her head to look around and asked, "Where is Qin Ze? Why don't I see him?"
Qin Wuyang was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to reply.
Ye Chong said coldly, "Why bother caring about that ungrateful wretch?"
Qin Ze's previous unilateral annulment of the engagement had, to a greater or lesser degree, caused a loss of face for the Ye Family.
The Ye Family had never thought highly of Qin Ze to begin with, which only deepened Ye Chong's disgust toward him.
Ye Pianyu nodded and said, "I simply wanted to let him know that the Tianhun Disk he was incapable of comprehending has now been mastered by me."
"If he hadn't broken off the engagement back then, I, Ye Pianyu, am not the kind of woman to despise the poor and chase the rich. But given how heartless his previous actions were, even if he were to crawl and beg me now, there is no possibility of restoring the engagement."
She deliberately spoke in a loud voice, ensuring that the majority of the guests heard every word clearly.
They murmured among themselves, mocking Qin Ze as a complete fool.
To clearly possess a fiancée of such peerless beauty, yet fail to cherish her.
For the sake of a little pride, he had actually annulled the engagement in public.
Now that Ye Pianyu had comprehended a supreme treasure, soared in cultivation to the Third Level of Heaven Spirit Realm, and even won the favor of a major sect, one wondered if Qin Ze would die of regret once he learned the news.
Qin Wuyang spoke up, "To be honest with you, Eldest Miss Ye, Qin Ze seemed to hold a grudge against the family for stripping him of his young master position, so he ran away from home."
"I sent plenty of people to look for him, but they couldn't find him either."
Seeing his chance, Qin Hao chimed in to help spin the narrative, "What else can you expect from a good-for-nothing who is utterly incompetent? With a massive Qin Family like ours, we certainly couldn't let a useless wretch be the head of the family, could we?"
"I am stepping up as family head precisely to help the Qin Family develop better, yet Qin Ze threw a temper tantrum and ran away from home right before the Qin Family assembly."
"I, Qin Hao, will put my words right here: if this Qin Ze proves to be stronger than me, I will gladly step aside and let him be the family head."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding guests nodded in approval.
This Qin Hao possessed a considerable bearing, making him quite suited to act as the head of the Qin Family.
Since Qin Ze had remained a cultivation-less good-for-nothing for all these years, losing his position as young master was only a matter of time.
There was simply no reason for him to throw such a fuss.
"Big brother... Big brother..." Just as they were speaking, a shout echoed from the main entrance.
Qin Wuyang looked closely and saw a familiar figure limping toward the plaza.
It was none other than Qin Taizhi, looking utterly battered and supported by several people as he arrived at the plaza.
"Which bastard did this to you?" Qin Wuyang asked, suppressing his anger.
In Yuelong City, someone actually dared to beat a member of the Qin Family? Were they tired of living?
"Qin Ze... it was that accursed Qin Ze..." Qin Taizhi gnashed his teeth, squeezing the words out from between them.
What?
The assembled guests exchanged glances in astonishment.
Qin Ze did it?
Could there be some mistake?
Wasn't this Qin Ze supposed to be a cultivation-less good-for-nothing?
To break one of Qin Taizhi's legs required no weak strength—at the very least, one would have to be in the Spirit Realm.
"Did you get it wrong? Was it really Qin Ze?" Qin Wuyang asked in a lowered voice.
With a bitter expression on his face, Qin Taizhi said, "It really was him! That motherfucking little bastard killed five of my subordinates and broke my leg."
Qin Wuyang wore a look of utter shock, instinctively taking a half-step back.
Qin Ze killed five martial masters?
How could that be possible?
There must have been a mistake; it had to be a mistake.
Livid with rage, Qin Wuyang ordered someone to take Qin Taizhi away for medical treatment first.
"Reporting to the Great Elder! A message has arrived from the City Lord's Mansion stating that the City Lord himself is paying a personal visit to the Qin Family." A guard rushed in to report.
At these words, everyone in the Qin Family was deeply thrilled.
The various major clans also gasped in amazement.
The City Lord coming in person to offer congratulations?
Qin Wuyang's prestige was truly massive.
"Reporting to the Great Elder, we also saw Qin Ze on the road."
Qin Ze?
Hearing that name sent a ripple of tension through everyone's hearts.
With a fierce and ruthless look in his eyes, Qin Wuyang barked, "Men, go capture Qin Ze and bring him back! Once the Qin Family assembly concludes, he will be dealt with according to family law."
By this moment, the intent to kill had already risen in his heart.
"No need, I'm back." Right at that moment, a voice rang out from the main entrance.