Volume One: Qin Yang of the Northern Sea Chapter 1: Elder Ye

2020, Bincheng.

The Provincial Committee Compound.

All around was quiet and still. This was a district of uniform architecture, every household a villa, but not just anyone could live here. Guards were stationed every five paces, sentries every ten. The level of security was exceptionally high, and ordinary people would not dare venture near.

Villa Number Six.

The house was simply furnished. On the balcony, an elderly man basked in the sunlight, sipping tea, a radio by his side playing opera. His life seemed leisurely and unhurried.

Qin Yang slowly awoke, his eyes fluttering open, confusion flickering within them. Everything around him was utterly unfamiliar—this was certainly not his rented apartment.

Suddenly, he sprang to his feet as scattered fragments of memory surged through his mind. His head throbbed painfully, his mouth slightly agape, eyes wide with terror.

Were these truly his own memories?

“Old Master?” As he stepped out of the guest room, Qin Yang glanced around in astonishment—the house was enormous. Looking at the elderly man in the distance, gratitude welled up inside him. In the haze of his recollection, it seemed he had been saved by this very man.

Ye Tian looked at Qin Yang, smiling kindly. “Ha ha ha, you’re finally awake, boy! Do you know you’ve been unconscious for three days and nights? If the doctors hadn’t assured me you were fine, I would have sent you to the hospital long ago.”

He shook his head and lounged back in his chair. “Come, have a seat.”

“So young, what could drive you to such despair that you’d seek your own end? Ah, how disappointing. If this were the days of the war against the Japanese, I’d have given you a good kick for that.”

Though his words were sharp, warmth blossomed in Qin Yang’s heart, for he knew the old man’s concern was genuine.

“Thank you, Elder Ye.”

Waving his hand, Ye Tian replied, “Enough with the formalities. Just call me Old Ye.”

Qin Yang agreed at once.

“Old Ye, why are you alone here? Where is everyone else?” Qin Yang asked.

“Ah, they’re all busy. I’m old now, not much use anymore, so they’ve all left me here.” Though his words were tinged with melancholy, Ye Tian’s demeanor hardly matched that of a lonely soul.

The two began to chat idly. Ye Tian was like a grandfather, and Qin Yang soon found himself sharing everything that had happened to him. The act of confiding left him feeling much lighter.

Their brief conversation forged a comfortable rapport.

“Qin, from now on, treat this place as your home. Stay here with me. Anyway, it’s a waste for an old man like me to occupy such a big house alone. If you feel you must repay me, help out with some cleaning, cooking, and laundry.”

Qin Yang originally intended not to stay, but seeing Ye Tian’s sincerity, he couldn’t refuse. “Alright then. Thank you, Old Ye.”

“By the way, do you know how to play chess?”

“A little, but I’m not very good.”

“Oh?” Ye Tian’s interest was piqued. “Boy, I have a chess set over there. Go fetch it—let’s have a game.”

“Uh, right now?”

“What, you’re not willing?”

Qin Yang fetched the chess set. As they set up the pieces, Ye Tian seemed to remember something. “Oh, right, Qin, we’re not in Beihai anymore—we’re in Bincheng.”

“What?”

The revelation stunned him. He hadn’t realized that while he was unconscious these past days, he had been taken far from his familiar city. Though still within the same province, one was in the south, the other in the north—hundreds of kilometers apart.

He had never left Beihai since childhood; this was his first time so far from home.

He called his parents to assure them of his safety, enduring their inevitable concern and nagging. Guilt gnawed at him—had he really left this world, making his parents bury their own child, how cruel that would have been.

Gazing at the verdant scenery outside, he thought, Perhaps it’s for the best, leaving that place of sorrow behind and starting anew.

While he was lost in thought, Old Ye’s voice rang out. “Qin, are you afraid I’ll bully you? I’ll even give you a two-cannon handicap if you want.”

“Heh, Old Ye, you said it yourself—here I come.”

“This kid…” Ye Tian laughed as Qin Yang agreed without hesitation.

Thirty minutes later.

Ye Tian pushed the chessboard away, glaring at Qin Yang in mock anger. “So this is what you call ‘not very good’? Five games in a row and you didn’t let me win once. Don’t you know to give way to your elders?”

Qin Yang scratched his head. He was just as baffled. His chess skills were never remarkable, yet just now, tactical routes kept flashing through his mind, and by simply following them, he had won game after game.

“Alright, enough. Go take a shower, then pick out some clothes from the second floor—they belonged to my disappointing grandson who’s never home. Put them on. We’re going to visit an old friend of mine.”

“Oh, and that friend has a daughter about your age.”

Uh…

Seeing Old Ye’s mischievous look, Qin Yang blushed furiously and hurried upstairs.

The décor upstairs was altogether different, clearly more Western in style. Opening the wardrobe, he was stunned—this was no mere closet, but more like a boutique. Every imaginable style was present—over a hundred garments in all. Suits, jeans, shoes of every kind—it was dazzling.

Just what kind of family was Old Ye’s?

In the bathroom.

Cool water flowed over his body. He closed his eyes as fragmented scenes flashed before him, oblivious to the fact that arcs of electricity danced across his skin, impurities within his body being washed away with the water.

Had a martial arts grandmaster seen this, they would have been astonished—this was the legendary cleansing of the meridians and marrow.

“I swear, if there is another life, I will destroy you.”

“Even if I cannot, my successor will.”

“Remember this name: the Immortal Slayer Emperor.”

The words echoed through his mind, and he awoke with a jolt, deeply shaken. Those three sentences were seared into his memory like thunder, impossible to erase.

The vast reservoir of memory within him was like a treasure trove, waiting to be explored and unlocked.

“Qin! What are you, a young lady? Does it take half an hour to shower? I’ve picked out your clothes—get moving!”

“Ah, so soon? Coming, Old Ye!”

Qin Yang hurried out, feeling embarrassed at how much time had passed, and quickly changed into clean clothes. He dried his hair and went outside.

“Old Ye, how do I look?”

Ye Tian had been about to scold him, but when he saw Qin Yang, he was momentarily stunned.

He muttered, “This boy—how could he change so much in such a short time?”

“You, how did you come out of a shower looking like a pretty boy?”

“Pretty boy?” Qin Yang blinked. “But Old Ye, you’re not a rich lady!”

Ye Tian was taken aback, then burst out laughing. “Alright, enough. Let’s go.”

Old Ye stepped into the inner room, saying he needed to fetch something. Qin Yang was puzzled—he knew his own appearance, and it had never been anything like a 'pretty boy.' Where did Old Ye get that idea?

By the mirror.

One look at his reflection, and he was utterly stunned.

His skin was startlingly fair and smooth, almost glowing, as delicate as a newborn’s. His hair, long and fine, swept past his shoulders, and his gaze was sharp and keen. In that moment, even Qin Yang was shaken.

Was this truly him?