Qin Li had spent the last two days in great comfort. Zichen Garden was immense, with row upon row of towers and pavilions, waterside terraces, and an exquisite little lake. All manner of rare flowers, plants, and trees were scattered throughout the entire estate. The paths were paved with smooth pebbles that felt wonderful underfoot. In the early morning, it even felt like strolling through a forest.
Being here, Qin Li felt as if he had traveled through time and space to one of the classical Suzhou Gardens. But the scenery was more beautiful than any garden he had ever seen! 'No wonder so many people in the Qin Family wanted this estate. It seems my mother was truly well-loved in the Qin Family back then!'
However, over the past two days, his mother had gradually told him some stories about the past. Although she refused to utter a single word about his father, Qin Li learned quite a few things, including one of the main reasons Old Master Qin had doted on his mother so much.
In her youth, Qin Hanyue and Shangguan Feiyue were known as the Twin Moons of Yellow Sand!
They were the two most famous socialites in Yellow Sand City. Like the spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum, each was beautiful in her own way. Every five years, the Cyan Dragon Kingdom held a grand selection of women for the imperial harem. If a family's daughter could marry the Emperor and become a Consort, it was a supreme honor that would allow the family to take a quantum leap in status.
When a daughter married the Emperor, her family became imperial relatives! This was more than just an honor—it symbolized wealth and status!
With Qin Hanyue's talent and beauty, her selection for the imperial palace was seen as an inevitability. A Top-Grade woman like her could move the heart of a Saint, to say nothing of a mortal Emperor.
Unfortunately, Qin Hanyue fell in love with someone else and had a child out of wedlock… The blow this dealt to the Qin Family, who had their hearts set on becoming imperial relatives, was far too severe.
It reached the point where several of the Qin Family Elders in power at the time wanted to drown Qin Hanyue in a pig cage on the spot, to prevent her from giving birth to a bastard who would bring even more shame to the family.
Fortunately, at the final moment, Qin Hongyuan defied the consensus and vetoed the proposal. She was his daughter, after all, and even a vicious tiger won't eat its own cubs. However, the fury in his heart was imaginable. If Shangguan Tie hadn't proposed a marriage alliance to give the Qin Family a foothold in those two business ventures, Qin Hongyuan would have gone his entire life without wanting to see the daughter who had brought him shame.
As far as Qin Hongyuan was concerned, not killing the mother and son was already an act of great mercy! This was fundamentally different from a male disciple of the Qin Family having an affair and siring an illegitimate child. Qin Hanyue was a woman; for her to do such a thing was an outrageous violation of public decency!
In the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, a woman's status was far beneath a man's. It was a tragedy, and it was also a reality.
In the last two days, Qin Hanyue had also told her son a few things about Shangguan Shiyu. It seemed to her that her son was somewhat bewitched, dead set on meeting the girl from the Shangguan Family.
Thinking about their current situation, Qin Hanyue was moved by her son's sensibility, but she also couldn't help feeling sorrowful. The feeling of being unable to control your own destiny was truly agonizing.
But how could Qin Hanyue know that her son's soul came from another dimension? He came from an age of information overload, a time when almost nothing was considered unacceptable.
Moreover, when Qin Li heard that Shangguan Shiyu's skin was blue, his first thought was actually of a movie he had once seen. The title was hazy, but he remembered many of the scenes. In his world, there were Black people, White people, and people of East Asian descent, so blue skin… didn't seem so unacceptable.
Their meeting was set for tomorrow morning at a teahouse, which was an enterprise of the Shangguan Family. This would also be the first time in her life that Shangguan Shiyu had ever stepped outside the Shangguan Family gates, making it a truly momentous occasion.
Qin Li wasn't overthinking the meeting; he was mostly just curious. His soul was filled with a rebellious and adventurous spirit, and combined with his innate pride, how could he ever be willing to serve as someone else's pawn?
Even without his mother Qin Hanyue's reminder, Qin Li was well aware that there was definitely some kind of deal behind the marriage alliance between the Qin and Shangguan families. At this thought, a cold, mocking sneer touched his lips. 'Trying to take advantage of me? Dream on!'
Realizing he had yet to truly experience the local culture and scenery since arriving in this world, Qin Li stepped out through the gates of Zichen Garden. The entire street was deathly quiet, with tall compound walls on either side shutting out the rest of the world. Those who lived on this street were essentially the core members of the Qin Family, along with a few of Yellow Sand City's wealthy elite.
This place was a world apart from where he and his mother used to live. Stepping out of the gates, Qin Li glanced back at the exquisite and sprawling estate behind him and slowly shook his head. 'No matter how wonderful this place is, it doesn't belong to me. Maybe it won't be long before I take Mother and leave, flying far away from here!'
Just then, several hundred meters down the street, the gates to another estate swung open. First, a few exceedingly lavish carriages emerged, followed by a retinue of more than twenty people protectively surrounding two young men, like stars gathered around the moon. As Qin Li glanced their way, they happened to spot him as well. Even from that distance, Qin Li could feel several glares, thick with killing intent, fixed on him.
The two young men seemed to hesitate for a moment before forgoing their carriages and starting to walk in Qin Li's direction.
Qin Li's gaze fell on one of the young men, who was tall and imposing. His pupils contracted instantly as a nameless rage flared within him. An image flashed through his mind—a contemptuous look, and those words: "Basic Master? The basics are useless! Train for another hundred years, and you'll still be trash!"
Qin Li couldn't help but clench his fists. The indignation welling up from the depths of his soul had a huge impact on his emotions. He felt an urge to charge forward and smash his fist right into the face of that man who thought himself so handsome and dashing.
"Young Master."
A soft, gentle voice suddenly called out from the garden gate behind him. "Come back. You will be at a disadvantage."
Qin Li stiffened slightly. Turning around, he saw Qin Xue's gentle face, her eyes filled with concern. He gave a slight shake of his head and said, "Go back inside. Don't tell my mother!"
With barely a moment's hesitation, Qin Xue shook her head and said firmly, "I can promise not to tell her, but I'm not going back inside!"
Qin Li turned away, ignoring Qin Xue. A few hundred meters was not a great distance, and soon, the two men, surrounded by their entourage of guards, were standing before him.
The tall, imposing youth's gaze passed over Qin Li and landed on Qin Xue, who stood at the Zichen Garden entrance. A flicker of ardor crossed his eyes as he smiled and said, "Sister Qin Xue, we meet again."
Qin Xue stood respectfully, hands by her sides, and replied impassively, "Qin Xue greets the Second Young Master."
The youth shook his head dismissively and muttered, "Such a waste, following this trash." His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard him clearly. The group of guards behind him began to snicker.
Qin Li stood his ground, his expression calm as he watched them.
'If it weren't for this little bastard, why would I have been punished by the grandfather who always doted on me? I lost so much face in the Qin Family! I've never been so wronged or suffered such a grievance in my entire life! If I can't get my revenge and teach Qin Li a harsh lesson, I'm afraid it will form a Heart Demon and hinder my progress on the Martial Dao.' The instant Qin Feng saw Qin Li, his handsome face contorted, his gaze savage.
He had just been with his second brother, discussing how to get revenge on Qin Li. To think he'd run into him in the blink of an eye—truly, the road is narrow for enemies. Qin Feng glared at Qin Li and said coldly, "Qin Li, if you're a man, come with me. We'll find a place and have a fight. I'm going to beat you senseless, and then, this matter between us will be settled!"
Qin Li gave Qin Feng a sidelong, dismissive glance, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He spoke slowly, "Sorry, but according to the laws of the Empire, I'm not yet sixteen, which makes me a boy, not a man. Besides, I have zero interest in getting beaten up! I never would have guessed that the renowned genius, the Third Young Master of the Qin Family, would be into that sort of thing. You must have a thing for queens."
Behind him, Qin Xue let out a snort of laughter. She never imagined that Qin Li could remain so composed and talk such nonsense in the face of danger. 'It seems my previous impression of him was completely wrong,' she thought.
'What the hell is he talking about?' Although Qin Feng didn't quite understand Qin Li's words, he could tell from his expression that it was nothing good. Hearing the refusal, Qin Feng flew into a humiliated rage and roared, "You gutless little mongrel! Coward! Weakling! Even latching onto a powerful family won't change your true nature as a piece of trash! You bastard, what right do you have to be in the Qin Family? Take your disgraceful mother and get the hell out!"
Two cold beams of light, filled with killing intent, suddenly shot from Qin Li's eyes and landed on Qin Feng's face. Qin Feng—a Profound Level, Rank-Six martial artist and the genius of the Qin Family—was so chilled to the bone by that single glance that he instinctively took a step back.
Just then, the other youth spoke, his tone glacial. "Qin Li, don't make things difficult for yourself! Don't think you can act so arrogant just because the Patriarch has your back. If you don't let my third brother have his fight today, I'll make sure you and your mother never know a moment's peace in the Qin Family again! If you don't believe me… just try it!"
"Qin Hu, don't take it too far! Be careful, or I'll…" Qin Xue began to say from behind him.
Before she could finish, Qin Hu cut her off. "Or you'll what? Tell the Patriarch? Go right ahead! I refuse to believe the Patriarch can spend all day in Zichen Garden! Don't forget, your Zichen Garden and my Purple Gold Garden are separated by just one wall!"
Qin Li turned and stopped Qin Xue before she could say more. He looked calmly at the brothers Qin Hu and Qin Feng and said, "I accept your terms."
"Young Master…" Worry was written all over Qin Xue's face.
Hearing Qin Xue call Qin Li "Young Master," the contempt in Qin Hu's eyes deepened. He sneered, "Don't worry, Sister Qin Xue. He won't die. We're just going to beat him up a bit to blow off some steam!"
A savage grin flashed in Qin Feng's eyes. 'I'll have to think about how to torture this little bastard later,' he thought, 'in a way that lets me vent my anger but won't be noticed by Grandfather.'
Qin Li glanced back at Qin Xue, giving her a reassuring look. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just remember… whatever you do, don't tell my mother."
As Qin Xue watched with worry, Qin Li climbed into one of the luxurious carriages, while Qin Hu and Qin Feng boarded another. The drivers cracked their whips—SNAP!—and the carriages sped away, quickly disappearing at the end of the street.