Qin Jishi frowned as he looked at Liang Simeng before him, unable to suppress the aversion in his heart.
Neither of them spoke. They simply stared quietly at each other.
"Chief Liang..." Zhang Shiqing sensed that something was amiss, her voice trembling slightly. "Well, this matter has nothing to do with him... nothing to do with him..."
"Your name is Zhang Shiqing?" Liang Simeng glanced sideways at her and sized her up. "Not bad. At such a young age, you have already reached the Mystic Spirit Realm. This level of talent is quite outstanding."
"Thank you for your praise, Chief Liang." Zhang Shiqing gave a slight bow. "But this matter has to do with Jishi..."
"No need to say more." Liang Simeng cut her off coldly. "I have my own judgment."
As she spoke, Liang Simeng turned her gaze to Qin Jishi. "Did you bring Yang Kun here?"
"You know, yet you still ask?" Qin Jishi replied casually.
"Hehe!" Rather than getting angry, Liang Simeng laughed. "Qin Jishi, Qin Jishi, do you still think you are the same man who once basked in boundless glory? At times, ignorant arrogance can bring a calamity that topples mountains and floods seas upon you."
"This seems to have nothing to do with you." Qin Jishi was clearly growing impatient.
Though Qin Jishi's voice was not loud, everyone around him heard it clearly.
Their faces filled with shock and horror.
Qin Jishi actually dared speak to the chief of the Black and White Academy like that. Did he truly think himself omnipotent, regarding all living beings on the Azure Wave Continent as mere dust?
Offending Black Eagle Prefecture and offending the Black and White Academy were absolutely two different matters.
With the former, there was still a sliver of life.
With the latter, even abilities that reached the heavens would be of no avail.
It could be said that their hearts had risen to their throats, and they feared that the other party's fury would spread to the innocent.
Qin Jishi's attitude made Liang Simeng's delicate brows twitch, but she did not get angry. She merely shook her head lightly. "In that case, pretend I never said any of that earlier."
"Enough!"
"Let us get straight to the point. I did not expect you to have made a friend like Yang Kun at the World-Saving Pavilion. The Liu Family was at fault in this matter, but Liu Kai has already received the punishment he deserved. Let this matter end here."
Qin Jishi said nothing and merely watched her quietly.
"Is that difficult?" Liang Simeng narrowed her eyes. "I am doing this for your own good. After all, this matter began because of you. If anything truly happens to Liu Kai, the academy will not let it rest. When that time comes, the one implicated will likely still be you."
"You also think this matter is my fault?" Qin Jishi did not answer, instead asking a question in return.
"Is there a difference?" Liang Simeng shrugged. "Truth lies in the hands of the strong."
"Hehe, what a fine 'truth lies in the hands of the strong.'" Qin Jishi gave a cold laugh.
"What? You are indignant?" Liang Simeng said teasingly. "Even if you are, what can you do? Back then, you were the Qin Family's genius. The Qin Family was willing to pour every resource they had into you. Though you were only an adopted son, they still arranged a marriage contract between you and our Liang Family. Why? Because your potential was limitless."
"Qin Tian is their legitimate son, so why did he not receive such treatment? Was it not simply because he was inferior to you?"
"And now?"
Liang Simeng sneered disdainfully. "You have lost all your profound energy, and the Qin Family discarded you like garbage. They even changed the marriage contract to Qin Tian. Why? Because they saw hope in Qin Tian. To our Black and White Academy, Liu Kai has value. Even if every cause and consequence was brought about by him, who do you think the Black and White Academy will speak for? Could you possibly not understand such a simple truth?"
Qin Jishi's eyes twitched, and a faint, fleeting killing intent surfaced.
Yet that killing intent flashed by in an instant, and calm soon returned.
"Yes... you are right." Qin Jishi nodded lightly. "I hope you remember those words. Truth lies in the hands of the strong."
"Patriarch Yang!"
Qin Jishi glanced at Yang Kun, then walked to one side and said nothing more.
Yang Kun understood at once. With a light lift of his arm, the crowd withdrew to the surroundings.
When the Liu Family members saw this, they felt as though a great burden had been lifted. The hearts that had been lodged in their throats finally settled.
"Chief Liang... thank you... thank you... Our Liu Family will never forget such grace for as long as our teeth remain. When Kai'er goes to the Black and White Academy in the future... he will certainly follow Chief Liang's lead. We will brave boiling water and tread on blazing fire without hesitation."
Liang Simeng glanced at the fawning Liu Qiang and raised her hand. "This matter ends here. Leave quickly."
"Yes, yes, yes!" How could Liu Qiang dare remain any longer? He shot Qin Jishi a resentful glare, then led his people away in a wretched, bedraggled state.
The more glorious they had been when they came, the more wretched they were when they left.
Before long, Liu Qiang and the others disappeared from sight. Liang Simeng looked toward Zhang Shiqing.
"Your talent is quite good. If you receive the Black and White Academy's cultivation, your future will surely be promising."
Before Zhang Shiqing could speak, Liang Simeng continued meaningfully, "Do not spend your most radiant years doing useless things. They may become a burden dragging you down."
After saying that, Liang Simeng and Tang Yan moved and left the place.
Watching Liang Simeng's departing back, Zhang Shiqing turned to look at Qin Jishi.
Her gaze seemed to be questioning him, and also seemed to be assessing him.
"Sick in the head!"
Qin Jishi spat out those two words softly, then turned and left.
How could Qin Jishi not understand what Liang Simeng meant? It clearly angered him.
Even if there were no feelings between Zhang Shiqing and him, she was still his woman. Better to tear down ten temples than ruin a single marriage—was that something a person should do?
Infuriating!
After exchanging a few simple words with her father, Zhang Shiqing lifted her foot and followed Qin Jishi.
Even long after Liang Simeng had left, the crowd had yet to recover their senses.
Gulp~
Their Adam's apples bobbed involuntarily.
This was absolute strength. Even though Qin Jishi had ties to the Young Prefecture Lord of Black Eagle Prefecture, he still had no choice but to lower his head before the chief of the Black and White Academy.
However!
Even so, their views of Qin Jishi had completely changed.
Just being able to establish ties with the Young Prefecture Lord of Black Eagle Prefecture was enough for him to run rampant throughout Soaring Dragon City without obstruction.
Thinking of this, the factions that had originally kicked him when he was down began fawning over him.
"Patriarch Zhang, you have found yourselves an excellent son-in-law. Who would have thought he had ties to the Young Prefecture Lord of Black Eagle Prefecture? You must look after us more in the future."
"That is right, Patriarch Zhang. If anything comes up in the future, just give the word. We will certainly do our duty without hesitation."
"..."
The Zhang Family members understood that these factions' change in attitude was all because of Qin Jishi.
Earlier, they had all looked down on Qin Jishi in every possible way. Now, they only felt their faces burning hot.
Zhang Cheng nearly staggered and fell. So it turned out that he had been the clown all along.
Tang Xiulan was the most ashamed of all. The useless son-in-law in her eyes had unexpectedly resolved this crisis, allowing their Zhang Family to earn the respect of all the major factions.
Zhang Jinhua forced himself to remain upright despite his weakness. After greeting the various factions, he claimed that he was unwell and ordered people to see the guests out.
Once the factions had departed, Yang Kun and Zhao Tai briefly explained a few matters to Zhang Jinhua before leaving as well.
No one understood better than Yang Kun that Qin Jishi had spared the Liu Family this time only for Liang Simeng's sake. He definitely would not let the matter rest.
He knew that Qin Jishi was a man whose word was as good as gold. He had already given the Liu Family a chance earlier. Now that they did not know how to cherish it, the fate awaiting them would likely be the extermination of their entire clan.
On the road, Zhao Tai hesitated as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself. His failure to destroy the Liu Family this time left him deeply regretful. Now that the Black and White Academy had stepped in, destroying them in the future would be even harder than climbing to the heavens.
As though he had guessed Zhao Tai's thoughts, Yang Kun smiled meaningfully. "Brother Zhao, I know what you are thinking. Just wait. The Liu Family will not be able to jump around for many more days."
"No, Brother Yang, what do you mean by that?"
"It can be understood but not spoken."
"Brother Yang, stop keeping us in suspense. The Black and White Academy has already stepped in. If we touch the Liu Family now, would that not mean going against the Black and White Academy..."
"..."
Before you continue