Qin Clan, Major Metropolitan City:
Gu Hai’s saber strike had left Qin Zibai covered in blood from severe injuries. His servants had to carry him back to his residence.
“I’m fine. Cough! Cough! I just need to recuperate for a while,” Qin Zibai said with a bitter smile.
“Lord Qin, how are you fine? That Gu Hai injured you to this extent. We have to get justice for you!”
“Big Brother, you are already so severely injured. How are you fine? We have to show that Gu Hai up!”
“Clan Head, the young master is injured again!”
Qin Zibai smiled bitterly and weakly, wanting to stop the servants. However, he had no strength to do so. The clan servants knelt anxiously at an entrance.
Creak!
The door opened slowly.
Then, an azure-clad old man walked out. This old man appeared extremely skinny, with a strip of cloth wrapped around his eyes. He held a bamboo cane in his hand as he walked out with measured steps.
“Clan Head!” Everyone bowed respectfully.
“You may withdraw first,” the old man said indifferently.
“But the young master…,” the crowd called out anxiously.
“I know about it already. Withdraw first,” the old man said again.
“Yes!” The crowd withdrew helplessly.
“Father!” Qin Zibai said with a bitter smile as he leaned back in the chair.
The old man paced to Qin Zibai’s side and reached out to take Qin Zibai’s pulse.
“Your injuries are quite severe,” the azure-clad old man said indifferently.
“I initially… Unexpectedly, Gu Hai was so ruthless. Hah…never mind. We can consider his favor to me repaid,” Qin Zibai said with a bitter smile.
“Favor repaid? You are dreaming. Now, you owe him even more.” The old man shook his head.
“Huh?” A trace of confusion appeared on Qin Zibai’s face.
“Although Father is blind and has handed the matters of the Qin Clan to you, Father’s heart is not blind,” the azure-clad old man said seriously.
“Yes!” Qin Zibai said through gritted teeth.
“Although I did not participate in the battle in Five Sacred Mountains Academy, I could sense it. Furthermore, Archduke Xi Kang set up so many Profound Light Mirrors. How could I not know about it? Back then, did you try to stop Gu Hai only to repay the favor, the favor of saving you in Dragon Vein City?”
“Yes,” Qin Zibai said with a bitter smile.
“That’s where you were wrong,” the old man sighed softly.
“Huh?”
“Repaying a favor can only happen when the other party is in need. You provide when they are worried. That is how a favor is repaid. However, if you force it on the other party when the other party does not need it, is that still repaying a favor?” the old man said with a bitter smile.
“I…” Qin Zibai’s expression turned stiff.
“Favors are a sophisticated affair. We old fogeys who established the nation with His Reverence are already reaching the end of our lifespan. Take me, for example. I am barely hanging on. In the future, you, the second generation, will be in charge. As for we old fogeys…haha! Old Mo’s kid is the most incredible of the lot,” the old man laughed bitterly.
“Father, you will enjoy boundless longevity!” Qin Zibai immediately shouted.
“Boundless longevity? How long has the world existed? How many have managed to enjoy boundless longevity during this time? No one is qualified. How could I possibly? Old Mo, oh, Old Mo. Although Old Mo passed earlier, his son is incredible. Although his cultivation is not up to par, his intelligence, wisdom, planning, and interpersonal skills are the best among your generation. Even we old fogeys of the first generation cannot compare,” the old man said with a bitter smile.
“Mo Yike? Father, you are overpraising him, right? How could he be better than you all?” Qin Zibai shook his head.
“This is where you are inferior to him.”
“Huh?”
“When Old Mo died, Mo Yike was in Ying Province. His Mo Clan’s faction was like loose sand. They practically got split up and consumed by the other three clans. However, look at what happened. How long has it been since Mo Yike returned? Just one year? Even so, he managed to reclaim all of the Mo Clan’s previous faction. This is his ability to plan. You are not comparable to him. I am not as incredible as him, either,” the azure-clad old man said.
Qin Zibai frowned without speaking.
“Let’s not mention Mo Yike anymore. I said that you did not pick the right time to repay Gu Hai’s favor and ended up owing Gu Hai another favor,” the azure-clad old man said bitterly.
“Huh?”
“Back then, Gu Hai could have killed you with one saber strike. He held back,” the azure-clad old man said seriously.
“Huh? That’s impossible?!” Qin Zibai yelled while glaring.
Qin Zibai already could not accept Gu Hai severely injuring him with one saber strike. Now, his father said that Gu Hai could have killed him.
“Ha! The Third Cycle? Do you think that is his most powerful strike? Back when the Bat Ancestor surrounded him with eight hands, His Reverence made a move. Do you know how strong the aura that Gu Hai unleashed was? Although it was not comparable to the Bat Ancestor’s, it still could have resulted in both sides sustaining severe injuries,” the azure-clad old man said seriously.
“What?!” Qin Zibai’s expression changed.
Mutual severe injuries with the Bat Ancestor? How powerful does one have to be to do that? However, Qin Zibai had no choice but to believe that since the claim came from his father.
“The Qian Nation envoys represent the Qian Nation. At that moment, the Qian Nation envoys were being humiliated. Even Chang Sheng did not dare to charge forward. However, you did. Even if Gu Hai killed you, it would be within reason. However, Gu Hai let you off. Ha! Isn’t that a favor?”
Qin Zibai remained silent.
“Even at that moment, Gu Hai could consider winning over an enemy official. Ha! This Gu Hai is not easy to deal with,” the azure-clad old man said with a soft sigh.
Qin Zibai continued frowning without saying anything.
“If there are chances in the future, befriend that little fellow from the Mo Clan. The end of my lifespan approaches. I cannot protect you for much longer. Hah…,” the azure-clad old man sighed again.
“Father, what are you saying? Father definitely can break through his bottleneck again and increase his lifespan. Furthermore, what can happen to the Yuan Nation? Why would I need Mo Yike to protect me?” Qin Zibai frowned.
“I said it earlier: my eyes may be blind, but my heart is not. How could nothing happen to the Yuan Nation? Haha! His Reverence is moving too fast. We cannot even keep up,” the azure-clad old man said bitterly.
“His Reverence is moving too fast? Father, are you saying that His Reverence’s cultivation is increasing too quickly? Isn’t that a good thing?” Qin Zibai said in shock.
“It should be a good thing, but now, it might not be a good thing. Despite the Yuan Imperial Dynasty’s current deficit, His Reverence’s cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds. Haha! In the end, the Yuan Nation is not just one person but a country. There is also that Mister Dongfang. Hah…,” the azure-clad old man sighed.
“Father, what’s wrong with Mister Dongfang?” Qin Zibai asked in confusion.
The azure-clad old man shook his head and did not explain. “Just go and recuperate.”
After that, the azure-clad old man turned his head and returned inside.
Creak!
The door closed.
“Father, you still have not explained,” Qin Zibai said bitterly.
——
In the main hall of the Chang Clan, Major Metropolitan City:
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!” Chang Sheng coughed repeatedly.
“Father, how are you feeling?” Chang Ming asked anxiously.
The hall was dark. Two long columns of black-robed men stood in the hall, looking at Chang Sheng, who was seated in the center throne in the depths of the hall.
Chang Sheng was pale with his hair in disarray and bloodstains all over his face and body as he coughed weakly.
An anxious Chang Ming stood at the side, feeling incredibly worried.
A few of the black-robed vampires standing in the front had sinister expressions and faint, cold smiles.
“Father, why did this happen? Why are you this injured? Why did the primogenitor hurt you?” Chang Ming asked, his face flustered.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Father is fine,” Chang Sheng said bitterly.
“Fine? The primogenitor extracted three of your bones, and you are fine?” one of the vampires at the side said coldly.
“Second Uncle, what’s going on? Why did the primogenitor hurt my father?” Chang Ming asked with red eyes.
“Chang Ming, what kind of attitude is that? The primogenitor can hurt whoever he wants. Are you going to object? Furthermore, it was First Brother’s fault this time,” Chang Ming’s second uncle countered coldly.
“First Elder Brother, how could you? Why did you stop us when the primogenitor was dealing with those people in Five Sacred Mountains Academy? Isn’t it just dealing with Gu Hai? By stopping us, you made the primogenitor angry. Thus, he tortured you and even criticized us along with you,” another vampire said sarcastically.
“Ha! Third Younger Brother, what do you know? They are the Qian Nation envoys. His Reverence will not let anything happen to them. I did that for your own good, for my Yuan Nation’s good. Cough! Cough! Cough!” Chang Sheng coughed.
“For our good? For the Yuan Nation’s good? Hahahaha! First Elder Brother, have you forgotten? We are now the blood race, a race that the primogenitor created. Everything we do should center around the primogenitor’s will,” Chang Ming’s third uncle retorted.
“What if the primogenitor is wrong?” Chang Ming took his father’s side.
“Chang Ming, you are still young and know nothing. How can the primogenitor be wrong? Remember this: you have to do whatever the primogenitor says. The primogenitor can kill you with just a thought,” Chang Ming’s third uncle said coldly.
“Me?!” Chang Ming exclaimed in a burst of indignation.
“That’s why I say that the primogenitor is not wrong. The primogenitor can never be wrong. The one in the wrong is Gu Hai. It is Gu Hai who is responsible for First Elder Brother ending up in this state,” Chang Ming’s third uncle said coldly.
“First Elder Brother, don’t be so reckless next time,” Chang Ming’s second uncle said while shaking his head.
“Ha! Haha! Who is the one heading the clan, you or me? If you want to be the clan head, I can give my position to you. Who wants it?” Chang Sheng suddenly said coldly.
The vampires’ expressions turned stiff.
Chang Sheng was a Grand Duke First Class of the Yuan Nation, and the emperor trusted only Chang Sheng. What would be the point of being the clan head if the emperor did not trust them?
Normally, the Bat Ancestor would have killed Chang Sheng for opposing him. However, he only taught Chang Sheng a lesson on account of Chang Sheng’s status. Everyone wanted to replace Chang Sheng, but no one had the ability to.
“Listen up, you all are not to seek trouble with the Qian Nation envoys. Otherwise, I will flay you and chase you out of the Chang Clan. Without the Chang Clan’s protection, many people will want to kill you. Humph! Second Younger Brother, Third Younger Brother, you had better remember this. If you make a move, I will flay you too. I’m serious about this!” Chang Sheng said coldly.
The expressions of Chang Sheng’s second brother and third brother turned stiff. They could only respond depressedly, “Yes!”
“Withdraw, then. I want to rest!” Chang Sheng said.
“Yes!”
All the vampires bowed respectfully to Chang Sheng before leaving the hall.
However, Chang Ming still felt angry.
Someone took three ribs from his father, severely injuring him. However, he could not do anything about it.
The primogenitor?
Chang Ming looked in the direction of the primogenitor with resentment in his eyes. However, he could not do anything.
After Chang Ming left the hall, his second uncle and third uncle intentionally spoke loud enough for Chang Ming to hear.
“Hah. Poor First Elder Brother. It is all that Gu Hai’s fault.”
“How unfortunate! However, I do not dare to go against First Elder Brother’s orders. Otherwise, I would go and get justice for the primogenitor and First Elder Brother.”
At this provocation, Chang Ming was immediately incensed.
“Humph! If you don’t dare to go, I’ll go. I don’t believe that Father will punish me!” Rage flashed in Chang Ming’s eyes as he rushed out.
After Chang Ming left, his second uncle and third uncle exchanged looks, showing cold smiles.
“Since His Reverence ordered it, the primogenitor cannot deal with Gu Hai. Given that, we should do it on the primogenitor’s behalf. However, First Elder Brother is stubborn. Humph! Since he does not let us go, then let his son go instead,” Chang Ming’s third uncle sneered.
