Chapter 114: Eight-Turn Golden Image Technique!

"Like sister and brother! Miss Xu and I are like sister and brother! Who on earth is spouting such nonsense! I fear your brain must be muddled! You are truly too polite!"

Having said that, Yan Feng cupped his hands slightly toward Qin Jiang. "I will not hide it from you, Brother Qin! I have already made a vow of eternal love with Ren Yao of the Ren family! I came here today to inform Uncle Xu so he can drink at my wedding in the future!"

"So that is how it is. It seems I have wronged Brother Yan," Qin Jiang said.

"Not at all, not at all, Brother Qin of Green Fire is too polite! Since the matter is settled, I will not stay any longer. I shall take my leave now," Yan Feng said.

"Brother Yan, please do as you wish," Qin Jiang raised his hand slightly.

After Yan Feng left, Qin Jiang did not dwell on it further. As they exchanged cups, evening arrived.

After seeing Long An off, Qin Jiang returned to the main hall and passed behind the wooden screen to the inner room. Master Xu, Steward Xu, and Xu Yanran were all there.

"Please, sit, nephew," Master Xu stood up to welcome him.

After Qin Jiang sat down, he looked at him. "I wonder, Family Head Xu, what matter do you wish to discuss?"

Master Xu did not speak upon hearing this, but instead glanced at Steward Xu.

Steward Xu nodded slightly. "The servants within a hundred-meter radius have all been sent away."

Only then did Master Xu set his mind at ease and look at Qin Jiang. "Nephew, may I ask what your father's name was?"

Qin Jiang was taken aback. "What is the meaning of this?"

He tried to recall carefully, but his memories stopped at the time he arrived in Black Mountain City.

At this moment, he finally sensed that something was wrong. With his current strength, such a situation should not be happening.

Unless it was a seal, or his memories from that time had been directly excised.

Opposite him, Master Xu nodded slightly, appearing unsurprised.

"Does my nephew still have an older sister? Named Qin Hong?" he asked.

"How did you know, Family Head Xu?"

As soon as he asked this, Qin Jiang couldn't help but smile. He was being a bit foolish; such information could be known with a simple investigation.

"Does my nephew know that back then, there were four great noble families in this Ning'an City?" Master Xu spoke softly, his eyes filled with memories.

It had been a long time, truly a very long time.

Especially since he had been bedridden for these years, it felt like every day was a year.

"Father, are you saying...?!" Xu Yanran exclaimed.

Master Xu nodded slightly. "Yes, Qin Jiang is the... uh, survivor who slipped through the net of the Qin family back then."

Xu Yanran looked at Qin Jiang in shock. The four great noble families, the Qin family! The Qin family that was wiped out back then!

No matter what, she had never expected that Qin Jiang was actually a member of the Qin family, one of the four great noble families of the past!

Qin Jiang looked at them, his eyes showing confusion. "The noble Qin family? I ask Uncle Xu to speak more clearly."

Master Xu nodded slightly and let out a long breath, feeling a sense of relief.

"Back then, for reasons unknown, your Qin family became a sea of flames overnight, and by the next day, it had been completely erased.

My father and I investigated for a long time, but we found nothing, only some obscure clues indicating that this matter might be related to the Golden Jade Pavilion and a certain family within the city."

Speaking of this, he sighed slightly.

Back then, they had actually encountered great obstacles when they investigated to this point. If they had stopped, perhaps the Xu family would not have been wiped out.

"After that, my father and I investigated for some time, but we gained nothing.

However, it was precisely because of this that my father and I were certain that the culprits who caused the Qin family's destruction must have involved a family within Ning'an City! Otherwise, they could never have cleaned up the aftermath so meticulously!"

Qin Jiang was silent upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that his current self had such a background.

However, there was one point he was very puzzled about. "If Uncle Xu could recognize me, then others should be able to as well, right? Why has no one come looking for me in this past month?"

Master Xu shook his head. "It is normal that they do not recognize you. Your older sister was born with a congenital deficiency and was weak since childhood. Ever since she married into Ning'an, she had always lived in the Yan Valley outside the city.

In the current Ning'an City, I am afraid I am the only one who has seen what your older sister looks like."

Speaking of this, he looked at Qin Jiang and nodded repeatedly. "Alike, truly too alike. If your older brother were watching from heaven, he would surely be comforted."

Qin Jiang lowered his head slightly. "So that is how it is."

"Haha! Nephew, do not be saddened. Come to think of it, there was a marriage contract between my Xu family and your Qin family back then. Looking at it now, it was precisely prepared for you and Yanran! Haha!" Master Xu laughed.

Qin Jiang smiled upon hearing this and looked at Xu Yanran. "Since that is the case, how about we pick an auspicious day to set the marriage contract?"

"Good, good, good! It is a deal!" Master Xu laughed loudly.

In the Xu family's secret chamber, Qin Jiang and Master Xu stood before a desk.

"Look, this is the information my father and I investigated back then. The thieves who wiped out the Qin clan and my Xu clan back then should be the same group. If my expectations are correct, it was led by the Golden Jade Pavilion. They seemed to be looking for something," Master Xu said.

"Looking for something? What could they be looking for that required wiping out a noble family and a hope clan?" Qin Jiang asked.

Master Xu was silent upon hearing this, and after a moment, he spoke slowly. "Perhaps it is your Qin family's legendary secret martial art, the Eight-Turn Golden Image Technique. Of course, I am not certain."

"Eight-Turn Golden Image Technique? Is it an advanced secret martial art?" Qin Jiang asked.

Master Xu shook his head slightly. "I fear it is not as simple as an advanced secret martial art, because rumor has it that this technique was created by the current Longevity Sect Master, and that is an existence standing at the peak of Divine Martial Arts!

I remember my older brother once told me a secret rumor: hundreds of years ago, the Longevity Sect Master of that time was just an ordinary secret martial artist who was saved by the Long family's ancestor while passing through Ning'an County.

Afterward, the Longevity Sect Master ascended to the position of Sect Master and, based on the Qin family's bloodline, created a secret martial art tailored for the Qin family! A super secret martial art with eight layers of realms! You know that inherited secret martial arts, whether ordinary or advanced, only have six layers.

The division of the twelve ranks of secret martial arts has existed for a long time; if it were truly so easy to break, I fear it would not have been passed down.

Therefore, I suspect this must be a top-tier secret martial art! Its status among secret martial arts is like the Golden Image Technique and Black Evil Technique among true martial arts.

And the reason the Golden Jade Pavilion colluded with families in the city to wipe out the Qin clan and my Xu clan is very likely for the sake of this secret martial art!"

Qin Jiang pondered for a moment. "If this secret martial art was truly tailored for my Qin family's bloodline, what use would it be for them to snatch it away?"

To go up against a noble family for the sake of a secret martial art—one that looked very powerful but was actually very useless—seemed unworthy no matter how one looked at it.

"Nephew, you forget that this is a time of war. The Huai Kingdom is in a standoff with our Xia Kingdom. The Golden Jade Pavilion searching for the Eight-Turn Golden Image Technique is likely not for the sake of the technique itself, but to find the flaws within it, so as to glimpse the shortcomings of the Longevity Sect Master!" Master Xu said.

Qin Jiang was startled upon hearing this. *It is actually like this? *

The creator of a technique must have certain unique characteristics. If one could reverse-engineer it through the technique, it was indeed possible to find the creator's weaknesses!

But... this was too much of a farce, wasn't it?

That Longevity Sect Master was an existence at the peak of Divine Martial Arts, ranked among the best in the entire Xia Kingdom! Wanting to discover his weaknesses through a secret martial art was no different from a fool's dream!

"Nephew? Nephew?"

Master Xu's arm waved gently in front of Qin Jiang.

Qin Jiang came back to his senses. "Uncle Xu, did they take the Eight-Turn Golden Image Technique?"

Master Xu shook his head. "I do not know. Perhaps you can ask your older sister about this question."

Qin Jiang was silent upon hearing this. "I understand. I will bring my older sister over in a few days."

"Hm, that would be good. Just do not expose your identity as a member of the Qin family for the time being," Master Xu said.

They still did not know which family had colluded with the Golden Jade Pavilion back then. If he were recognized, it would be bad.

"I understand."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 115 =====