"Big brother, let's go out!"
Qin Hao looked at Qin Feng with eager anticipation, hoping his older brother would take him out to play.
"Go out and play!?"
Qin Feng couldn't help rolling his eyes. His little brother really thought too highly of him.
As the Qin Family's hope for the future, the brothers were protected from every angle. At eight years old, Qin Feng had never even left the Qin Family.
Of course, he had no need to leave.
It wasn't that the Qin Family's Old Ancestor wouldn't let him go out. It was simply that the Qin Family was far too vast.
The Qin Family's standing as the Number One Clan of the Ancient Wasteland came not only from the protection of its Old Ancestor, but also from its bloodline, which numbered in the tens of millions, all living within a single city.
Add to that the family's tradition of passing down martial arts, which meant every member of the Qin Family cultivated, and it was no wonder they had earned the title of Number One Clan of the Ancient Wasteland.
Unless something special came up, there was no need to leave the Qin Family at all.
And because the Qin Family's military strength was so formidable, it was the true ruler of eastern Great Xia.
People who made their living here might not know the Great Xia Royal Family, but they absolutely had to know the Qin Family.
"Big brother!!"
Qin Hao gave Qin Feng's arm a pitiful shake, trying to get his way by acting helpless.
Unfortunately, Qin Feng didn't fall for that trick. If his little brother had been a younger sister, he might have wavered.
Still, so that his second brother could have a proper childhood, he nodded and agreed. He told Qin Hao to wait for him outside the city while he went to let their mother know.
"That's great!!"
Qin Hao was still too young to understand how cruel people could be. He happily skipped away.
"Mother, Second Brother ran away from home!!"
Qin Feng went from gentle big brother to scheming little devil in an instant. He dashed into the house to report Qin Hao to Yun Xiyue.
"Ding-dong! The host has been detected falsely accusing the Son of Heaven. You have earned 200 Villain Points!"
The guards nearby kept their faces blank. They were long used to this.
For five years, Qin Feng had tricked his little brother with one scheme after another. If they weren't mistaken, the Eldest Young Master would soon be handing Madam the feather duster.
Before long—
Yun Xiyue came back, fuming, with Qin Hao dangling from her hand like a little chick.
Qin Feng had become the gentle big brother again. He hurried forward, looking concerned, and explained, "Mother, don't be angry. I was the one who promised to take Second Brother out to play. He wasn't running away from home!"
"Mm, mm!"
Qin Hao nodded rapidly, his eyes full of gratitude as he looked at his older brother.
But the more Qin Feng said that, the less his mother believed him.
She thought the eldest was looking out for his little brother and had taken the blame so that he wouldn't get beaten.
She really couldn't understand how twins born to the same parents could be so different. The eldest had been sensible and obedient since childhood, while the second was always getting into mischief—a brat who'd tear the roof off if you left him alone for three days.
"Why can't you learn from your brother? All you do is cause trouble..."
Yun Xiyue switched into strict-mother mode and began lecturing Qin Hao.
But she didn't notice Qin Feng behind her making all sorts of silly faces at his little brother, giving a five-year-old more laughter than his age could handle.
"Haha..."
At last, Qin Hao couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. Yun Xiyue had almost calmed down, but that sent her anger flaring back up. She began frantically trying to talk herself down.
That's my son. I'm his mother. I can't lose my temper with him, and I certainly can't hit him. If I make him cry, I'll have to comfort him; if I hurt him, I'll have to treat him. It wasn't easy raising him this far. I nearly died giving birth to him.
If he's misbehaving, it must be my fault. I didn't teach him well enough. I'm not capable enough; my methods are lacking. Spare the rod and spoil the child—but tap them with chopsticks and you'll raise a little rebel.
Be patient, and the world will open up. Take a step back, and the more you think about it, the angrier you get. I can't take it anymore; there's no point holding back. If I don't explode in silence, I'll die in silence. I can't control the primordial force inside me anymore...
Seeing Qin Hao still grinning foolishly, Yun Xiyue declared her attempt at self-control a failure.
"Mother, Mother, Second Brother's still just a child!!"
Qin Feng hurriedly stepped forward to play peacemaker, though he happened to be holding a willow switch.
"Out of the way! I'm going to teach him a proper lesson today!"
Fuming, Yun Xiyue snatched the willow switch from his hand. She wouldn't feel better unless she gave the brat a couple of whacks.
"A willow switch!?"
The guards' faces shifted slightly. That wasn't the feather duster they'd expected.
Just as Qin Feng was waiting for the Villain Points to roll in, music suddenly rang out from the sky.
A grand procession was approaching in the distance. Nine enormous beasts, each like a mountain, pulled an extravagant carriage, while the followers behind it rode strange beasts through the air.
If a +10 enhancement made something glow, then this procession had to be at least +20.
"The Lin Family of Heavenly Heart City!"
Qin Feng recognized them at a glance. They were the undisputed rulers of western Great Xia.
Unlike the Qin Family's direct rule through its clan, the Lin Family of Heavenly Heart City was more like a regional lord. It had recruited all kinds of talented people to serve it and commanded an army of a million armored soldiers, giving it a firm grip on western Great Xia.
"I'll deal with you later!"
Yun Xiyue shot Qin Hao a glare and led the brothers back home.
At the same time, welcoming bells and drums rang through Qin Family City. Hundreds of thousands of highly cultivated Qin Family Disciples went out to greet the honored guests from Heavenly Heart City—and show off the Qin Family's formidable foundations while they were at it.
Yun Xiyue also changed the brothers into formal clothes. They accompanied their adoptive father, Qin Tian, out of the city to welcome the guests in person. Unlike his usual clownish self, Qin Tian was radiating authority today.
He stood there like an invincible War God.
"Brother Qin Tian, it's been years! I've missed you terribly!"
A middle-aged man in fine clothes stepped down from the carriage. The moment he saw Qin Tian, he enthusiastically came forward for a hug. He looked like a sly old fox through and through.
"Brother Lin Hao, I've missed you dearly as well!"
Qin Tian laughed heartily, though it was hard to tell how much he meant it.
"These two are your twin sons, born three years apart, aren't they, Brother Qin Tian?"
After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Hao turned his gaze to the brothers, Qin Feng and Qin Hao.
The reason he had traveled all this way to the Qin Family was for these two. More precisely, the Qin Family wanted to ally with Heavenly Heart City and planned to choose one of the brothers to become engaged to Lin Hao's beloved daughter.
After the Qin Family produced two Heavenly Prides in a row, with the brothers also breaking the records of the Ancient Wasteland one after the other, the Great Xia Royal Family had panicked. To secure the throne, it had begun contacting the Great Families and preparing to move against the Qin Family.
For the sake of its own interests, the Qin Family had no choice but to start looking for allies.
"Exactly. This is my eldest son, Qin Feng, who has the Emperor's Talent. And this is my second son, Qin Hao, who possesses the one-in-ten-thousand Supreme Bone!"
Qin Tian proudly introduced his two Good Eldest Sons.
Most families were lucky to produce even one Heavenly Pride; their ancestors' graves would be smoking. But his family had produced two unparalleled Heavenly Prides in a row.
"Supreme Bone is indeed recorded in the ancient texts. Whether the Emperor's Talent is real, though, remains to be seen."
A proud little girl stepped out from behind Lin Hao. She was Lin Xin'er, the Little Princess of Heavenly Heart City.
Though she was only six or seven, her brows were like kingfisher feathers, her skin like snow, her waist slender as a silk sash, and her teeth as white as pearls. Anyone could tell she would grow into a great beauty.
"Xin'er, don't be rude!"
Lin Hao scolded her, reminding her to mind her manners.
But the proud little girl had never cared about manners. She looked at Qin Feng with open provocation, then snapped her fingers and summoned a handsome young man of fourteen or fifteen.
"He's my new servant, Lin San. Do you dare to fight him and prove yourself?"
Lin Xin'er gave Qin Feng a challenging look.
"Lin San?"
Qin Feng examined the other boy with curiosity. He had a striking, extraordinary bearing—clearly no ordinary nobody...
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