The Chips in the End

"What did you give me to eat? What did you give me to eat?"

Qin Hao looked terrified. He shoved his fingers down his throat and clawed at it desperately, then sprayed out a mouthful of white foam. Apart from the pool of yellow bile on the ground, there was nothing else.

Hanyu ignored his hysterics and merely wore a mysterious smile. "Guess."

Who would dare guess when his life was at stake? Qin Hao scrambled to his feet in panic and fled outside as fast as he could.

After running more than ten paces, he realized he had completely lost his head and had forgotten that he was a cultivator. He immediately summoned his sword and shot into the sky...

Hanyu stood below and gazed into the distance, sighing faintly. "I never knew sword flight could be this fast."

Bai Jingliang stared at him as if he had seen a ghost. He had never known Hanyu could be this formidable.

Hanyu had startled him differently every single time.

The first time, in Quantai Prefecture, he had watched Hanyu turn a man into a woman and an old man into a young man with nothing more than a turn of his palm.

The second time, in the Star Sect, he had watched Hanyu turn a hundred ordinary people into dragons among men while chatting and laughing.

This time was even more outrageous. A group of cultivators had used a combined attack technique and failed to injure him in the slightest—and one of them had even been a cultivator of the Shore Realm! Even a cultivator of the See Me Realm would have met a bitter end here today.

What Bai Jingliang did not know was that Hanyu had already crossed paths with cultivators of the Peeping God Realm twice. He had been beaten both times, but surviving was itself a form of capital.

Linglan secretly clicked her tongue. When I get back, I definitely have to secretly tell the sect master that Little Alchemist should stop provoking him. He's too fierce.

"Sis, let's hurry back first."

Perhaps recalling what Qin Hao had said earlier, Bai Jingliang's expression suddenly turned terribly ugly. He had to go back and find out exactly what had happened in less than a day.

"Sir Hanyu, until we meet again."

Bai Junya gave him a graceful bow with a complicated expression before following Bai Jingliang away in haste.

The Bai Family.

This was the first time Bai Jingliang had faced his father directly at home.

The enormous hall did not merely contain the family head, Bai Chong'an. Quite a few clan elders were also there discussing matters.

After Bai Jingliang stormed in with Bai Junya, he shielded his sister behind him like a mother hen protecting her chick before loudly demanding, "Why? Why was all of us kept in the dark about my sister's engagement? Why must she be sent away like a bargaining chip?"

"Jingliang, is that how you speak to your elders?" a clan elder stepped forward and shouted angrily.

Bai Jingliang turned and cast him a glance. The man's temples were streaked with white. Though he was not yet sixty, he already looked like an old man in his eighties. He was Bai Zhiyuan, the uncle from the second branch of the family. His cultivation was a complete mess; at his age, he had only reached the See Me Realm, and his unchecked indulgence in wine and women had long since corrupted his body.

He had always been the one Bai Jingliang disliked most, especially since he had constantly waved the banner and cheered loudest for marriage alliances. That made Bai Jingliang loathe him even more.

"Uncle Zhiyuan, you keep saying it's for the family. Then why haven't any of my female cousins been married off?"

Bai Jingliang sneered.

Bai Zhiyuan's body swayed with anger, as though he might keel over at any moment. He opened his mouth and said, "When have I ever been unwilling to sacrifice for the family? But what they want is Junya's Single Spiritual Root constitution."

Bai Jingliang's expression instantly twisted into something hideous, his teeth grinding loudly.

There had always been a rumor in the cultivation world that when both parents possessed exceptional spiritual roots, their children's spiritual roots would generally not be poor.

"You're treating her as a breeding tool!"

Bai Jingliang nearly lost his mind to rage. The last bit of reason he possessed forced him to steady himself. His eyes blazed as he looked toward his father. "Since you keep saying it's for the family, fine. For the family, my sister must not marry, because..."

Qin Hao had practically rolled and crawled his way up Qilian Mountain. There was a fortress there, and it belonged to the Qin Family!

Once he entered the fortress, it seemed almost like a small city. All kinds of shops lined the streets, and every passerby was a cultivator. Some were members of the family, while others were disciples accepted under the family's name.

This was where the Qin Family surpassed many of the Aristocratic Clans in Tianning Prefecture. Apart from cultivating its own descendants, it also remembered to learn from the sects and continue expanding.

The moment he saw someone, he shouted, "Help me..."

After that, he collapsed from exhaustion. Heaven knew what he had been through. The distance from Tianning City to here was a full twenty li, and he had flown the entire twenty li on his sword without stopping. By now, his True Essence had long since been exhausted, and he had even run part of the way back.

When he slowly awoke again, he found himself lying on a high bed with soft pillows. Numerous figures surrounded him. Besides his father, Qin Tiannan, there were also many uncles and elders.

"He's awake, so he should be fine. His True Essence is just severely depleted, and he'll need to recuperate for some time." A clan elder breathed a sigh of relief.

"You've disgraced the Qin Family today!"

Qin Tiannan, however, showed no trace of kindness. Frost covered his face as he coldly rebuked him.

After Qin Hao lost consciousness, the cultivators who had followed him out also returned one after another, all with bruised and swollen faces.

After careful questioning, the events at the teahouse that day were revealed in full.

A single cultivator had beaten a group of Qin Family members until they had fled with their tails between their legs. The Qin Family's eldest son had even fled clutching his head. Qin Tiannan flew into a rage on the spot, and the battered disciples who returned were immediately dragged away to receive family punishment.

Qin Hao still remembered that he had been fed an unknown pill, however, and immediately wailed like a ghost. "Father, save me first! That man fed me an unknown pill. It might have been poison!"

"Shut up!"

Qin Tiannan's face turned livid. Unable to hold back, he slapped him across the face, instantly leaving him dazed.

"The clan elders already examined your body thoroughly. There isn't a trace of poison. You were toyed with and didn't even realize it. With such a pathetic bearing, how can you talk about inheriting the family business? I might as well choose another heir from the clan."

Qin Hao's face instantly went pale with fright, while several clan elders' expressions shifted.

Everyone knew that Qin Tiannan never spoke without reason and had always placed the family's interests above all else. Otherwise, the Qin Family would never have achieved its current prosperity.

The entire family obeyed him wholeheartedly. If he said he wanted to replace the heir, then in all likelihood, he had already begun considering it.

But changing the heir halfway through was absolutely unacceptable. The Qin Family had invested far too much effort into Qin Hao over the years. Replacing him at the drop of a hat would create far too many variables.

Thus, the clan elders hurriedly spoke up to persuade him.

Qin Tiannan's brows furrowed as suppressed anger showed in his eyes. He glared at them and shouted, "You're the ones who spoiled him rotten! Look at him! The eldest son of the Qin Family, yet not a shred of authority!"

With that, he flung back his sleeve and left. The clan elders hurried after him, leaving Qin Hao alone on the bed, staring blankly.

Bastard! You made me look this pathetic! You deserve to die!

When he recalled Hanyu's figure, the hatred in his heart grew thicker and thicker.

Then he thought of Bai Junya.

"That bitch. I had always admired her, but who would have thought she was this kind of woman? Once you marry into the family, I'll make sure you suffer beyond measure."

Recalling that fiery figure, all kinds of dark methods of torment had already begun to rise in his heart.

After leaving the room, Qin Tiannan went straight to the main hall. Once everyone had taken their seats, Qin Tiannan spoke first with a frown. "The Qin Family's reputation cannot be trampled on. Third Brother, take thirty cultivators of the Shore Realm there. Don't let him die too quickly. Let everyone in Tianning Prefecture see clearly."

A clan elder nearing fifty abruptly stood up, nodded, and walked out.

At that moment, a cultivator hurried in with a letter in his hand. After respectfully presenting it, he slowly withdrew.

Qin Tiannan unfolded the letter, and his expression froze. Everyone looked on curiously. It was exceedingly rare for anything to move him, so they could not help asking in surprise.

"Elder Brother, what happened?"

The clan elders all began asking questions.

Only then did Qin Tiannan come back to himself. He lowered the letter and smiled faintly. "Bai Zhiyuan of the Bai Family sent this letter. It says that Bai Junya awakened a water-type divine ability."

An uproar broke out in the hall. The clan elders whispered among themselves, and someone could not help asking first.

"Could they be trying to break off the engagement?"

"They dare? If she only had a Single Spiritual Root, that would be one thing. But with an innate divine ability as well, she must become a daughter-in-law of the Qin Family."

Qin Tiannan smiled faintly and waved his hand. The hall immediately fell silent, and everyone looked at him. "The entire letter mentioned only this matter."

Everyone was baffled by what he meant. Only Qin Tiannan threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"Second Brother, immediately send the clan's combined attack technique, Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Strike, to the Bai Family. Since they want to raise the stakes, then give them what they want."

Another clan elder nodded and rose to leave.

The rest merely waited quietly for Qin Tiannan to explain the purpose of this move. No one raised an objection.

Ever since he had succeeded to the position of family head and overridden all opposition to bring outside cultivators into the family to cultivate alongside them, the Qin Family's rapid development had proven his vision and strategy.

Thus, no one had ever opposed any decision Qin Tiannan made afterward.

Qin Tiannan narrowed his eyes and slowly smiled. "The letter was written by that useless Bai Zhiyuan. Bai Chong'an must have been coerced by the clan elders. Since the Bai Family merely wants a bargaining chip, then give it to them. They're a scattered heap of sand. Give the Qin Family five years—five years, and there will be no Bai Family left!"

He spoke with absolute certainty, yet no one questioned him.

Bai Chong'an was simply too indecisive. He was no cause for concern. Once the Qin Family swallowed the Bai Family, the combined attack technique would still belong to the Qin Family.

Qin Tiannan sneered inwardly, but as he continued smiling, his expression darkened again. Could Qin Hao shoulder a great responsibility? After inheriting the position, could he still unite the entire family into a single rope as Qin Tiannan had? Would he become the next Bai Chong'an?

At that moment, he seemed to have lost confidence.

Qin Hao was currently walking a tightrope. If even the slightest twist of fate occurred, his own father might truly yank him down from the lofty position of future family head of the Qin Family.

Inside the inn, Hanyu changed into a fresh set of clothes and prepared to leave.

"You're leaving already?"

Little Glazed asked curiously.

Hanyu raised his brows. This was what it meant to be inexperienced. Normally, after beating the underling, the boss would come; after beating the boss, the old master would come; and after beating the old master, an entire nest of underlings would come.

It was a priceless maxim: once you had eaten the tiger, you had to run while you could.

Besides, he had helped Bai Junya and supplied the pill. If he did not leave now, was he really going to wait for others to come settle the score?

Unfortunately, the world was usually full of contrary turns. Just after he finished speaking with the little Artifact Spirit, hurried footsteps rushed over.

The door was shoved open, and Linglan stood there with a flustered expression. "Little Alchemist, something's happened..."

Yesterday, I found a painter and commissioned an illustration of a certain scene from the design. I nearly stumped the painter, because some of the characters had figures that were too good. This was how I explained it to the painter: "She's rather well-endowed, but you can't draw her too small, and you can't make it lewd, either." I'll post it as a bonus chapter when the time comes!