Mist and Guidance

Qie Yunzhou and Lin Wantang returned to the bedroom.

The two continued the conversation that had just been interrupted.

Lin Wantang frowned and looked at her husband. "Husband, do you think there's a Xiong Clan spy among our people?"

"Yes." Qie Yunzhou answered as he analyzed the situation.

"Not many people knew I was going hunting in the Qiyun Mountain Range today, let alone the route I would take. Yet the two Xiong brothers ambushed me on the only road I had to take."

"But only a few people knew your route, and most of them were hereditary servants. The chances of them betraying us are extremely low."

Hereditary servants had been passed down from generation to generation. Their families and friends were all in the Qie Clan, which was why Lin Wantang said the chances of them betraying the clan were extremely low.

Qie Yunzhou shook his head slightly. "I don't really suspect those hereditary servants. But when I told our son I was going to the Qiyun Mountain Range, Kang Zhixuan and Qi Lingfei were there too."

Kang Zhixuan and Qi Lingfei were the black-clad and white-clad Heaven Rank Knights who had sparred with Qie Qiong today.

Lin Wantang's expression changed when she heard this.

"Are you saying those two were sent by the Xiong Clan? Then what are we waiting for? We have to make them disappear today." Lin Wantang's voice was ruthless.

"We don't know for sure. It's only likely, that's all." Qie Yunzhou shook his head.

"Even so, we can't keep them around. Having them by Qiong'er's side is too dangerous." Lin Wantang said urgently.

Lin Wantang wasn't the sort of person who would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. But these two were by her precious son's side, in a position that was far too important. She couldn't risk her son's safety.

"It's all right, Wantang. Have you forgotten that Qiong'er has already reached the Heaven Rank Knight level through Unity of Man and Sword? Even if those two join forces, they're no match for him." Qie Yunzhou hurriedly reassured Lin Wantang.

"Besides, this is just a guess. We have no concrete evidence, and those two have known Qiong'er for a long time. He has feelings for them, too."

Qie Yunzhou stepped forward and put an arm around Lin Wantang as he explained the reasons to her.

One reason Qie Yunzhou gave for why they couldn't just do as Lin Wantang wanted was this.

Another reason was that the two had only been chosen as sparring partners for Qie Qiong; they weren't servants of the Qie Clan.

Qie Qiong had only just reached Unity of Man and Sword. If he had them executed for any reason, outsiders would only think that the Qie Clan had refused to give them even the small amount of resources it had promised, then killed them.

By then, if hostile forces fanned the flames as the story spread, the reputation the Qie Clan had built up over generations would collapse.

The only ones who would benefit from that would be the hostile forces.

Qie Yunzhou also knew that if he gave Lin Wantang the second reason, she might not listen. He was better off appealing to her from Qie Qiong's point of view; that would be more likely to persuade her.

Sure enough, after hearing Qie Yunzhou's words, Lin Wantang was no longer so rash.

"I understand, husband. But if they pose any threat to Qiong'er's safety, we must deal with them at once."

"Of course. And we should tell Qiong'er about this, so he can be on his guard." Qie Yunzhou put an arm around Lin Wantang and smiled.

"Then it's settled. Now that we've finished discussing business, madam, let's take care of the next important matter." Qie Yunzhou grinned slyly.

Lin Wantang froze. Then her face reddened, and she lightly patted Qie Yunzhou, pouting coquettishly. "You're so naughty~"

Qie Yunzhou laughed heartily, swept Lin Wantang up in his arms, and headed toward the bed.

"We have to give our son a playmate, after all. Otherwise, Qiong'er will be so lonely."

Meanwhile, Qie Qiong was still eating the food the maid had brought him.

He didn't know that his parents were planning to give him a younger brother or sister.

But even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. He had lived two lives. Even though he had to act childish most of the time, he wasn't truly childish.

He wasn't like an actual child his age, thinking that having another child around would somehow change everything.

Besides, if he really did have younger siblings, he thought he would show them what it meant to have an elder brother who was like a father.

Early the next morning.

The Qie Clan's rear mountain, the training grounds.

Today was different from usual. Normally, Qie Qiong trained with Kang Zhixuan and Qi Lingfei, but today his partners had changed.

Qie Qiong and Qie Yunzhou wore matching training outfits, one black and the other blue.

Holding his sword, Qie Qiong clasped his fist and bowed to Qie Yunzhou solemnly.

"Father, please instruct me."

Qie Yunzhou had said the day before that he would give Qie Qiong some guidance, so this scene had unfolded early that morning.

Qie Yunzhou smiled. "Qiong'er, attack me with all your strength."

"Father, watch out." Hearing this, Qie Qiong drew a deep breath, raised his sword, and set the Thunder's Five Transformation Technique in motion within his body.

Pale blue Dou Qi enveloped him. He suddenly pushed off with the tips of his toes, and his figure left a blurred afterimage where he stood. His true form had already torn through the air and charged toward Qie Yunzhou.

At the same time, the long sword in his hand thrust toward Qie Yunzhou. In the wake of its passing, a sword-light afterimage lingered, refusing to fade.

This was the most distinctive feature of the first level of the Flowing Light Sword: sword light that left a lingering trace.

"Not bad." A trace of admiration flashed through Qie Yunzhou's eyes, and then he praised him.

His son had only stepped into the Heaven Rank the day before. He had only reached the beginner level of the first stage of the Thunder's Five Transformation Technique, combined with the realm of Unity of Man and Sword.

Yet his speed had already touched the threshold of a Silver Moon Knight, far surpassing that of an ordinary Heaven Rank Knight.

But faced with that sword light, swift as a shooting star, Qie Yunzhou stood motionless, as though the sword weren't aimed at him at all.

Though he stood still, the aura around him quietly merged with Heaven and Earth, as if he had become a breeze or a ray of light in this world.

Suddenly, something changed.

With Qie Yunzhou at its center, the wind within a radius of ten zhang began circling around him of its own accord.

He merely stood there, yet seemed to breathe in unison with this little world.

The sword light, powerful enough to threaten a Silver Moon Knight, was just about to touch Qie Yunzhou's chest when the flowing wind around him gently coiled around it, grinding it away.

"Buzz."

Qie Qiong felt something through the sword in his hand. It was as though his blade wasn't thrusting into empty air, but into a barrier made of wind!

The fierce sword momentum created by the combination of Unity of Man and Sword and the Flowing Light Sword seemed no more than an ant before this force.

The sword light was slowly being ground away, too.

Qie Qiong felt as if the sword in his hand couldn't move, as though it had been fixed in place.

As the sword light faded, Qie Qiong suddenly felt the force on his sword loosen. Then an invisible force pushed him backward.

He stumbled back two or three steps.

"Father, is this what the Heaven and Man Unity Realm is?" Qie Qiong asked, his eyes filled with shock.

He had known that the Heaven and Man Unity Realm was above Unity of Man and Sword. After all, he had read the novel Lord Xue Ying. But he hadn't expected the gap to be so enormous.

His strongest move hadn't even made his father, who had used only the Heaven and Man Unity Realm, move a single step, and his attack had been effortlessly dispelled.