Chapter Thirty-Four: Wang Hong

The middle-aged man bore a striking resemblance to Qin Yi, not only in appearance but even more so in spirit; not even his plain linen robe could conceal his remarkable presence. The middle-aged woman was beautiful and graceful, her unadorned face radiating a gentle elegance—after all, she was the daughter of the He family, one of the three great clans of the South Sea.

“Father, Mother,” Qin Yi called out instinctively, turning his head. The words came awkwardly, for whether in his past life or this one, it was the first time he had ever called anyone father or mother.

In contrast, Zhang Chen greeted them fluently, “Uncle Qin, Aunt He.”

The middle-aged man remained silent, but the woman smiled gently and asked, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Chen, you’re back. Is everything all right?”

Qin Yi shook his head with a smile, then pointed to Jiang Yao and the Wu brothers, Wu Bo and Wu Lang, introducing them one by one: “Father, Mother, this is my fellow disciple, and these two are friends of mine.”

The woman studied Jiang Yao carefully, like a mother-in-law appraising a future daughter-in-law, making Jiang Yao blush. She cast a meaningful glance at Qin Yi and Jiang Yao and smiled, “Xiao Yi, you’ve grown up.”

“Hehe…” Qin Yi didn’t explain, only grinned foolishly, which made Jiang Yao’s already rosy cheeks flush even deeper.

Seeing this, the woman’s smile grew warmer still. The man, silent until now, finally spoke in a calm tone, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Chen, it’s getting late. Take your friends and let them rest.”

With that, the couple turned and walked into the main house. The woman glanced back several times, clearly reluctant to let Qin Yi go, as he had just returned and they hadn’t even spoken much with him.

“Mm, mm.”

Qin Yi and Zhang Chen responded in unison, then began to tidy up the guest rooms around the Qin family courtyard, moving about with the ease of familiarity. Qin Yi alone cleaned his own room, which had been kept spotless thanks to his mother’s frequent care, so it needed only a light touch.

Due to the limited number of rooms, Qin Yi and Jiang Yao ended up sharing one, while the Wu brothers took another. Jiang Yao was initially hesitant about this arrangement; after all, during her adventures with Qin Yi in his past life, they had often slept rough and seldom stayed at inns, and even then, never shared a room. Fortunately, Qin Yi’s room had not only a bed but also a recliner. Qin Yi promised to sleep on the recliner and not cross any boundaries, though the past Qin Yi might have inspired trust, Jiang Yao was still somewhat uncertain about the present him. Yet, given the circumstances, she had no grounds to protest.

Inside the room, all was quiet. Qin Yi lounged lazily on the recliner, eyes half-shut, while Jiang Yao stood by the window, lost in thought as she gazed outside. Little Bai, who had sheltered from the wind during the recent battle, now sat by the window.

Qin Yi, reclining, looked at Jiang Yao by the window and laughed, “So this is what home feels like. It really is wonderful. Jiang Yao, why don’t we build a home together?”

Jiang Yao didn’t answer, only shot him an exasperated look.

“I didn’t expect Wang Yun Cheng to be so petty,” Qin Yi said again, surprised that Wang Yun Cheng had made such a fuss over the Yi Wood incident.

Jiang Yao, distracted, replied, “What if it wasn’t him behind it?”

Qin Yi sneered, “If not him, then who? Has Wang Hong already recognized me? Impossible.”

Jiang Yao nodded, “That’s true.”

“It seems when we return to Taiyi Mountain, I’ll be interested in participating in this round of the Discourses of the Branches,” Qin Yi said with a smile. He wanted to see if Wang Yun Cheng truly intended to target him.

“Promise me you won’t get into trouble, not even for the sake of winning the legacy for your Cloud Island,” Jiang Yao admonished, clearly aware of Qin Yi’s intentions.

Qin Yi crossed his legs leisurely, “Those junior disciples wouldn’t pose much trouble for me.”

Jiang Yao’s tone grew serious, “Think about what happened just now.”

Qin Yi made no further retort, and the two fell into a long silence.

…

Meanwhile, in the east wing of the Wang clan’s main city, Ling Yao City, within the palace of the Wang family, only five people were present. A young man sat at the head seat, his features handsome and sharp as if carved by a blade; the golden robes he wore heightened his noble bearing.

At the seat below him sat an elderly man in gold robes, his hair and beard entirely white, eyes closed. If Qin Yi and his companions were here, they would certainly recognize him: this was Wang Wei Xue, whom they had recently fought at Fish Dragon Fortress.

Kneeling in the hall were three survivors of the Wang clan, rescued moments ago by Wang Wei Xue—five cultivators of the transformation realm remained, but these three were visibly anxious. The man at the head seat was none other than the fourth prince of the Wang clan, among nine princes the most likely to become the next clan leader, one of the prodigies of the human race: Wang Hong. Any one of his titles was enough to make them vanish from the Wang clan if he so wished, and they had nearly ruined their mission.

Wang Hong regarded the three kneeling men without emotion, then turned to Wang Wei Xue and asked, “Fifth Elder, was there any great gain on this trip?”

Wang Wei Xue replied respectfully, “Your Highness, there was nothing of significance at Fish Dragon Fortress, but the Qin family there warrants further investigation.”

“Oh!” Wang Hong responded blandly.

Wang Wei Xue hesitated, but then remembered Qin Yi and continued, “We encountered Qin Yi.”

At this, Wang Hong’s spirit was immediately stirred. He turned to Wang Wei Xue and, after a moment, asked disappointedly, “Four years ago, the supreme Dao embryo at the Taiyi Mountain entry ceremony?”

“Yes,” Wang Wei Xue confirmed. Wang Hong’s disappointment deepened, until Wang Wei Xue abruptly added, “Jiang Yao was there too.”

Wang Hong’s demeanor shifted once more, his gaze growing intense as he urged Wang Wei Xue, “Go on.”

“He easily used both the Three Taiyi Strikes and the Taiyi Transforming Life Technique,” Wang Wei Xue continued.

Wang Hong nodded for him to proceed.

“He used a technique that seemed to be called ‘One Qi Becomes Three Purities.’ When he performed it, his aura became incredibly vast, and three green, ethereal figures appeared,” Wang Wei Xue said.

Suddenly, a sharp crack sounded through the hall, interrupting Wang Wei Xue. The long table before Wang Hong was splintered into fragments by a single palm strike; he held the pose, then raised his head to look outside the hall, and after a long pause, uttered only two words.

“Qin Yi.”

Then, under the astonished gaze of Wang Wei Xue and the three surviving cultivators, Wang Hong burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

“Hahahahaha…”

The laughter lasted a long time. Eventually, Wang Hong addressed the three kneeling Wang clan cultivators, “Rise. Tomorrow, go to the Library Pavilion and claim your reward. Choose any cultivation manual except the ‘Great Luo Sutra.’ Tell them I approved it.”

Though the three Wang clan cultivators did not understand the reason for such generosity, they would not reject such a great boon. They knelt again and thanked him loudly, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your immense grace.”

Wang Hong paid them no heed, continuing to laugh, leaving Wang Wei Xue and the three cultivators utterly bewildered.

After all, even if there was some connection between Qin Yi and the others, was it truly cause for such overwhelming joy?