Chapter Fifty-six: The Death of Qian Zhouliang

"Father..."
A loud shout echoed from afar, growing closer and closer. When the voice finally arrived, Qin Yi saw the newcomer clearly—a middle-aged man clad entirely in black. As the man approached, he glanced at Qin Yi and his companions before finally settling his gaze on something at Qin Yi’s feet—more precisely, the single sheet of golden paper lying there. As he stared at it, the middle-aged man seemed to recall something; his eyes grew misty with tears. In the next moment, his expression turned abruptly fierce, and he lunged from a short distance away, reaching for the golden page.

But his grab met only empty air. The instant the man revealed his greed, Qin Yi swiftly picked up the golden sheet and retreated to the rear. The man’s outstretched hand remained suspended in the air, frozen in the act of grabbing as though he were a peculiar statue. After a long moment, he finally returned to his senses, slowly lifting a wooden, expressionless face to look at Qin Yi—or rather, at the golden page clenched in Qin Yi’s hand.

With a harsh tone, he demanded, "Hand it over."

Qin Yi shook his head as if it were perfectly natural. There was no reason to relinquish something he’d just acquired, especially something so unusual.

The man looked at Qin Yi, but his gaze soon lingered more on Jiang Yao. He asked, "Was it you who killed my father?"

Qin Yi shook his head again but did not offer further explanation. He was not familiar with the woman in colorful robes and saw no reason to involve her.

"Ha, hahaha, ha!"
Seeing Qin Yi shake his head twice, the man burst into laughter, as though he’d heard the greatest joke in the world. His eyes narrowed fiercely as he glared at them and demanded, "Boy, do you know who I am? Do you know who it was that you just killed?"

Qin Yi shook his head and replied, "I don’t care who you are. And we didn’t kill anyone."

Believing Qin Yi was being evasive, the man’s tone grew even harsher as he declared, "Let me tell you then—I am Qian Jiashun, current head of the Qian family. The person you just killed was my father, Qian Zhouliang, the previous family head."

Qin Yi’s patience was wearing thin. "I’ve already said, we didn’t kill anyone…"

"Hah!" Qian Jiashun sneered, pointing at the golden page in Qin Yi’s grasp, as if he could see straight through Qin Yi’s fist. He demanded, "Then tell me, why is that thing in your hand?"

Qin Yi shrugged indifferently. "As you saw, I simply picked it up."

"Fine, fine." Qian Jiashun was fuming, repeating the word twice. His hand became a claw, whipping up a powerful gust as he charged at Qin Yi, voice thunderous with rage, "Since you refuse to admit it and won’t hand it over, I’ll help you give it up myself!"

Qin Yi narrowed his eyes, preparing to strike.

"I’ll handle this," Jiang Yao intervened, pulling Qin Yi behind her. "With your current cultivation, it’s still too difficult to face someone at the Golden Core level." She drew her sword, Hanmei, and readied herself for combat.

Qin Yi gazed at Jiang Yao’s back, his heart a mixture of emotions.

Zhang Chen and the old man in the bamboo hat exchanged amused glances, their eyes teasing as they regarded Qin Yi, who now seemed to be hiding behind Jiang Yao as if relying on her strength. The old man’s grin was so exaggerated, he nearly burst out laughing.

Qin Yi felt his face flush with embarrassment and muttered weakly, "What are you laughing at?"

Their laughter only grew louder. Pointing at him, they teased, "Kid, aren’t you ashamed, hiding behind a woman?"

Zhang Chen said nothing, but the smile tugging at his lips said it all.

Before Qin Yi could retort, Jiang Yao—who stood protectively in front of him—turned her head and smiled at the old man. "Elder, are you looking down on me, or on women in general?"

The old man waved his hands hastily and, still smiling, pointed at Qin Yi. "No, no, not at all. I just look down on him."

Qin Yi shot them both a look that said everything. Zhang Chen, meeting his gaze, immediately lost his momentum, no longer in the mood to tease. He wondered if, had the woman in colorful robes not been so powerful, perhaps he would have had a chance himself—and not had to endure Qin Yi and Senior Sister Jiang Yao’s constant intimacy.

But while Zhang Chen backed down, the old man in the bamboo hat was not one to concede. He hugged his tattered black oil-paper umbrella to his chest and looked up at the sky with a smug air, as if to say, "When I was your age, the girls who fancied me could have circled all of humanity!"

Qin Yi rolled his eyes and ignored the old man’s self-amused preening, turning instead to observe the battle between Jiang Yao and Qian Jiashun.

Given Jiang Yao’s formidable strength and the fact that Qian Jiashun was already wounded from his previous fight, he was no match for her. The longer the fight dragged on, the more Qian Jiashun was forced back.

With a loud crash, Jiang Yao lost patience halfway through. She unleashed a powerful sword strike—a crimson light three feet long forced Qian Jiashun to stagger back, tumbling into the sea. After a long moment, he finally surfaced, staring at Jiang Yao with a sullen, brooding gaze. He realized he’d been too careless, attacking without even knowing the enemy’s full strength. His voice was sharp as he demanded, "Girl, are you not afraid of the Qian family?"

Even as he spoke, he found his own words laughable. At their level of cultivation, destroying a middling clan was not easy, but to avoid being troubled by such a clan was the simplest thing in the world. Not only were their powers formidable, but with such cultivation, they could easily join any cultivation sect or martial order—who wouldn’t welcome them with open arms?

Jiang Yao ignored him and turned to leave with Qin Yi and the others.

Watching her retreating figure, Qian Jiashun’s eyes grew even gloomier. The hatred of a father’s murder was irreconcilable, yet he was utterly powerless—the only slim chance he had just slipped away.

"Jiang Yao, are you leaving so soon? It’s been ages since we last met. Won’t you stay to reminisce with an old friend?"

Just as Jiang Yao was about to leave with Qin Yi and the others, a voice echoed from the distant horizon. It was so familiar that both Qin Yi and Jiang Yao were startled, exchanging wide-eyed glances in which they read each other’s thoughts.

They turned together, standing against the sea breeze, gazing into the distant sky.

Zhang Chen, curious, looked as well, while the old man in the bamboo hat—perhaps out of boredom—also peered toward the horizon.

Still soaking in the sea, Qian Jiashun’s expression brightened at the sound. He recognized the voice, and though he knew exactly why the newcomer had come, that wasn’t his concern. All that mattered was that the new arrival seemed to have a bone to pick with Qin Yi’s group as well.

At last, under everyone’s watchful eyes, several figures slowly appeared in the distant sky. Because it was night, it was only as they drew nearer that Qin Yi and the others could see there were five people in all.

But Qin Yi and Jiang Yao’s attention was fixed entirely on the figure at the center.