Chapter 12

Could Dad Qin's past be a very complicated story too?

Qin Yi looked at Qin Rong in confusion and found that he was once again wearing a calm expression, as if he had expected this all along.

Was there something you knew that I didn't?

Qin Yi questioned Qin Rong with his eyes.

Qin Rong shot him a glance without speaking. Still, Qin Yi guessed that he probably meant he would tell him once no one else was around. So he stopped dwelling on it.

In that short time, Dad Qin and Mark had already started chatting. Mom Qin stayed nearby with a nostalgic expression, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

The atmosphere gradually became lively and sentimental. It seemed that no matter what kind of person they were, everyone had a restless yet warm heart when recalling their youthful days. Those fragments they had thought buried deep in memory slowly became clear through their words, and a simple, nostalgic feeling gradually lingered in their hearts. It was only after a long while that they finally emerged from those deep memories. By then, the lights had come on and night had fallen.

After bidding farewell to Mark, who enthusiastically called out for them to meet again another day, Dad Qin drove everyone home. Perhaps because he was excited, it was the first time Qin Yi had heard Dad Qin humming tunelessly all the way as he drove. Even Mom Qin's sharp and shrewd face showed the rosy, bashful flush that only a young girl would have. The feeling was unfamiliar, but Qin Yi realized that he quite liked it. Seeing his parents through the eyes of an outsider for the first time, Qin Yi finally discovered that his parents were even more outstanding than he had imagined.

A sense of pride in being their son welled up inside him. Of course, one could also call it the superiority complex of a rich second-generation heir. As the saying went, with a good father, you could travel the whole world. In a sense, people who could loudly shout, "My dad is Li Gang," were also very fortunate. Whether their happiness was built upon someone else's suffering was something they would not pursue for now. But Qin Yi was not the sort to let himself suffer and agonize over something merely because others had kept it from him.

So when Qin Rong emerged from the shower with dripping wet hair, he saw Qin Yi sitting solemnly on the bed, putting on the air of a three-court interrogation.

Qin Rong raised his brows helplessly. He directly used his internal energy to evaporate the water from his hair, then smiled as he rubbed the boy's head and sat down beside the bed.

"I don't know the specifics either. I only picked up some clues when I overheard Mom and Dad talking that one time." Qin Rong spoke slowly as he watched Qin Yi sit there so formally.

It was a very clichéd story. The Qin family had originally been imperial merchants during the Qing Dynasty and had close ties with a certain diplomat at the Y Country embassy. After the Qing Dynasty fell, the Qin family promptly transferred its savings to Y Country, while part of the main family remained in C Country to continue developing. Later, when the Republican Era began, the Qin family relied on its existing commercial channels to thrive. With such substantial wealth, it was inevitable that they would develop military strength of their own in that era. Of course, in those turbulent times, it was all merely for self-protection. A few years later, the new country was established. To avoid drawing attention, the Qin family decisively surrendered its military authority at the beginning of C Party rule and gradually kept a lower profile. Later, when New China was established, under those governing policies, it was extremely difficult for feudal landlords and newly risen capitalists like the Qin family to survive. The chaos and turmoil in domestic affairs prompted the Qin family to make a swift decision to move the entire family to Y Country, including the youngest son of the family head at the time, Qin Zhenbang. Qin Zhenbang was only seventeen or eighteen then, full of youthful spirit and in the prime of his life. While studying, he met Tang Manru, the girl known as the school beauty. She later became Mom Qin. Their meeting was much like the youth idol dramas that later flooded the market: they disliked each other at first sight, then constantly clashed, and eventually developed feelings over time and secretly pledged themselves to each other. Only when they began discussing marriage did they discover that Tang Manru was actually the fiancée already chosen for Qin Zhenbang's elder brother, Qin Zhenguo. The scandal of a prominent family was something they, still so young, could not bear. In a moment of impulsiveness, they fled overnight back to the newly established country, which was still closed off from the outside world, and then escaped to this small city where information was scarce. Only then did they settle down in peace. What followed was the already clichéd tale of starting from nothing and eventually amassing a fortune worth hundreds of millions. By middle age, Dad Qin had become a successful man with a beautiful wife and young children. (Of course, that was in their previous life. In this life, Dad Qin's assets amounted to only around one million.)

They had originally thought they would live out their lives peacefully, only to unexpectedly run into Mark at Qin Yi and Qin Rong's celebration banquet. He was a childhood friend who knew all about their past. They spent more than half the night reminiscing and talking about the bitter past and sweet present. Beyond the excitement of reuniting with an old friend, a measure of unease rose in their hearts as well. After all, although many years had passed and what was done was done, Dad Qin stealing his elder brother's wife was an undeniable fact. If the Qin family learned of Dad Qin and Mom Qin's whereabouts, no one could guess what attitude the Qin family's eldest brother, now the family head, would take.

After hearing such a lengthy, melodramatic old storyline, Qin Yi could not help sighing that artistic inspiration truly came from life. Though thunderously absurd, it never went out of style.

Qin Rong also rarely drank a large glass of plain water, then concluded, "So we can be considered children of a prominent family too. But if I really had to choose, I would rather none of this had happened. As long as our family can live peacefully here, that is enough. At the very least, we still need to build up our strength."

Without strength, there was no right to speak. They would be like fish on a chopping block, left for others to slaughter.

Qin Yi's thoughts were much the same. Once a person's life had become sufficiently comfortable and prosperous, any uncertain external factor would cause fear and avoidance, even if that factor wore a glamorous exterior.

Qin Yi looked at Qin Rong with some frustration. For the first time, anxiety and unease appeared on his usually carefree face.

Because only he knew that none of this had needed to happen. If he had not been reborn, if he had not insisted on taking the high school entrance examination with Qin Rong, then Qin Rong and the others should have hurried home after finishing the exam to keep him company. If that had happened, they would not have encountered Mark at the seafood restaurant.

"It's all my fault." Qin Yi pursed his lips and spoke pitifully.

"It has nothing to do with you. No one wanted this." Qin Rong rubbed Qin Yi's head. The boy's hair was soft and smooth, and it felt exceptionally pleasant beneath his hand.

"But I..."

"It's all right. I'm here." Qin Rong cut off Qin Yi's inexplicable self-blame without allowing him to continue. He reached out and pulled Qin Yi's body into his arms, occasionally patting his back in comfort. His usually cool and sharp gaze became gentle, and the tender indulgence in his eyes moved Qin Yi and put him at ease.

So Qin Yi relaxed and curled his entire body into Qin Rong's embrace.

Under the goose-yellow lamplight, the two young boys held each other and slowly fell asleep.

Author's Note: Awoo~~~

I passionately call for comments and stuff~~~

Why are the views and bookmarks for the first chapter practically equal~~~

And both the views and comments are so sparse.

Awoo~~~~~

Running away in tears...

Chapter 12: Plane Merchants

Chapter 12

In the middle of the night, Qin Yi was woken by the urge to pee. Still groggy, he got up and was about to head for the bathroom. As he passed the full-length mirror by the door, he suddenly saw an eerie blue glow emanating from it. As if something had been obscured, there were initially only six small points of light flashing on and off. Then strands of light slowly connected the six points, forming a hexagram. The light gradually brightened and thickened, casting the furnishings in the room in an eerie glow.

"Brother, Brother..." Frightened by the supernatural scene before him until his hair stood on end, Qin Yi instinctively called for Qin Rong. Qin Rong, who had been cultivating the Dragon-Controlling Art on the bed, instinctively opened his eyes upon hearing Qin Yi's voice and was caught off guard by the light shining into them. The moment he opened his eyes, Qin Rong immediately got up and headed toward Qin Yi. He walked straight over, shielded Qin Yi's small body behind him, and instinctively grasped Qin Yi's hand with one hand. His palm was cold and damp, and even his fingers were somewhat stiff.

Qin Rong immediately knew that Qin Yi had been frightened. In truth, he was somewhat afraid in the face of such a situation too, but thinking of Qin Yi behind him, he had no choice but to stand in front despite his fear. The true energy of the Dragon-Controlling Art within his body also began circulating instinctively.

After an unknown amount of time, the mirror suddenly flared brightly before returning to calm. Then, in the mirror after the light faded, a handsome man with black hair, red eyes, and a black tailcoat suddenly appeared.

"Phew! I'm exhausted. Searching for new planes really isn't work for humans." The man complained as if grumbling to himself. He looked through the mirror at Qin Rong and Qin Yi, who were on guard as though facing a formidable enemy, then frowned. "Strange. Why does a Primitive Plane that has already lost its magical elements have traces of spatial fluctuations?"

"Who are you?" After barely preparing himself mentally, Qin Rong asked in a calm voice. Ever since encountering Andre, he had known that this world was not as atheistic as he had imagined. Some things did exist. Since they existed, there was a reason for their existence. Rather than frightening himself on the sidelines, it was better to communicate and understand the other party's purpose.

"Ahem!" The man in the tailcoat suddenly cleared his throat after Qin Rong questioned him. Then he bowed like a gentleman. "Greetings, native resident of Primitive Plane 89757. I am Kate Verus, a D-rank Plane Merchant from Intermediate Plane 9527. Because I accepted a task from the Cosmic Bank to develop new trade regions, I forcibly established contact with the galaxy where you are located. May I ask whether you are interested in joining the ranks of the Plane Merchants?"

"Plane Merchants?" Qin Rong looked back at Qin Yi in confusion. This strange Kate Verus must have been drawn here by Qin Yi too.

"I know about Plane Merchants. They're like merchants, except they trade with other planets and other species of life." Qin Yi tried hard to recall the settings from the webnovels he had read before and explained.

"It is very difficult to join the ranks of us Plane Merchants. Especially for a Primitive Plane like yours, if you join us Plane Merchants, you may have a chance to leave the Primitive Plane." On the other side of the mirror, Kate Verus spared no effort in persuading them.

"And what benefits would that bring us?" Qin Rong blinked and asked without revealing anything.

"First, the items traded by Plane Merchants are all things scarce or unavailable in their own planes. This maintains a certain degree of market monopoly, which is an exceptionally wonderful thing for your development and growth within your own plane. Second, due to the special nature of Plane Merchant transactions, you can often encounter various higher planes. If you are lucky, you can obtain a Cosmic Card and move your entire family into a higher plane. That would greatly increase your personal strength and lifespan. Finally, to become a Plane Merchant, you must possess the power of space. Constantly using the power of laws during transactions gives you a very great chance of entering the God Stage in the future. Furthermore, natural gods who master the power of rules are even stronger than gods who merge with divine sparks." As Kate spoke, he suddenly raised a glass of wine and elegantly took a sip.

As Qin Rong listened to Kate's introduction, his mind raced. After sorting out his thoughts, he asked, "May I ask how you contacted our Primitive Plane?"

Judging from Kate's earlier words, Earth had no magical elements at all. Without magical fluctuations, how had Kate found this place?

"Uh..." Kate scratched his head in confusion as well. "To be honest, I find it strange too! This Primitive Plane originally had no magical elements whatsoever. Or rather, magical elements were so scarce that they were practically incapable of drawing my attention. But when I used a mana detector to scan this region just now, I suddenly detected spatial fluctuations. Yet by the time I connected to this place, the fluctuations had disappeared again."

Kate's answer gave Qin Rong a faint realization. Andre was probably behind this, but this was clearly not the right time to bring Andre out for a confrontation. So Qin Rong pretended not to care and said to Kate, "Could you show me the rules or agreement for joining the Plane Merchants?"