Chapter 651

The reason it can help him refine his cultivation method is only because these martial arts are themselves carriers of the primordial source, so they can naturally be refined as well. It merely requires spending a portion of primordial source power.

When his thoughts drifted away, only the gentle person in his arms could bring him back to clarity. Only Ye Qin understood that, to make him stand out more, she refused to appear too clever. But this is true great wisdom.

After regaining his composure, when Ye Qin learned that the two great villains Shi Mi Yuan and Jia Si Dao had met in a tavern and, through his close attention, obtained the content of their conversation, all initiative returned to his hands. No one who tries to mess with him will succeed!

Whether it was those two foxes, those imperial secretaries, or the clueless scholars of the Imperial Academy, all ended up on his blacklist. He only needed to act and deal with them!

The world would keep turning without anyone; not everyone can cover the sky with one hand. Even the court cannot do that. Otherwise, the Great Song would not have deteriorated over so many years, and the Imperial Secret Treasury would certainly not lack the inherited techniques of the Buddhist and Daoist sects.

"Once this matter is over, I should seek more cultivation methods. Relying on the speed of those in the Imperial City Guard is far from enough; I must pursue both avenues." He secretly set a small goal for himself: first break through to the Innate Realm!

Tonight's night sky is extraordinarily beautiful, enchanting to behold.

Suddenly, Huang Rong spoke: "Right, Brother Qin, I have something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" Ye Qin asked with a smile. He thought Huang Rong was still worried about the court foxes.

But Huang Rong shook her head and said seriously: "My father wrote today saying he will come here tomorrow."

Huang Rong's father is coming?

Night shrouded the Lake Heart Pavilion; the lake surface shimmered with rippling light, but Ye Qin's mood was rather heavy. He had not yet figured out how to face Huang Yaoshi, feeling uneasy inside, afraid he might not be able to cope.

Huang Rong's situation is really hard to explain, and he didn't know where to begin. He stared at Huang Rong, and after his emotions slightly settled, he asked: "Rong'er, is what you said true? Is your father really coming?"

Although he had no confidence, he still tried to stay calm and continued: "After the Shaolin incident, he should also know about it. I think he might have come to take you back to Peach Blossom Island."

After his mood settled, Ye Qin looked at Huang Rong and smiled.

"It should be that way." Huang Rong slightly raised her head, gazing at the shimmering lake surface, and whispered: "Will you come to Peach Blossom Island to find me?"

Ye Qin gave a faint smile and replied: "Once I break through to the Innate Realm, I will go."

However, Huang Yaoshi's sudden arrival disrupted his plan. He had originally intended to wait for Shi Mi Yuan and the others to make the first move, then seize the opportunity to counterattack, take some medicinal herbs, and give them a lesson. But now, time is pressing.

Huang Yaoshi will arrive tomorrow; he must first deal with this matter. Afterwards, he still needs to hurry to find more resources and treasures to break through to the Innate Realm.

"Those two foxes merely got lucky." Ye Qin shook his head, dismissed the thought, firmly looked at Huang Rong, and said: "Whether it's half a year or a year, I will definitely go to Peach Blossom Island to find you."

At this moment, the sunset had fully sunk below the horizon. Huang Rong suddenly asked again: "Brother Qin, do you have confidence in breaking through within half a year to a year?"

She did not know how confident Ye Qin was, after all many people spend their whole lives unable to break through—either lacking strength, lacking opportunity, or having bad luck.

"Yes!" Ye Qin smiled gently, his gaze firm on Huang Rong. Although he had not yet figured out how to solve the problem of the two worlds, his promise was resolute.

"Then that's good." Huang Rong gave a bashful smile and said to Ye Qin: "Brother Qin, when my father comes next year, I will speak well of you."

Ye Qin's mouth twitched, and he gave a wry smile: "If you don't speak up for me, I'll be miserable—I'll definitely be scolded by your father."

After Huang Rong left, Ye Qin's expression was calm, but his inner feelings were mixed. He had originally planned to obtain resources step by step, but Huang Yaoshi's arrival disrupted his rhythm.

"Forget it, I don't need those resources. Fighting with a bunch of literati is meaningless; in the end, strength is king!" Ye Qin had never forgotten this.

"Come here!" he shouted into the darkness. A black shadow swiftly leapt out, kneeling on one knee: "Sir, please give your orders."

Gazing at this peaceful and beautiful night, unaware that a storm was about to arise, Ye Qin said in a deep voice: "Take ten thousand gold to find some famous assassin organizations on the lake and eliminate everyone on this list."

Having money means being willful! He took out a list that had long been prepared, and the names of Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan stood out conspicuously. He and the Royal City Directorate could both refrain from acting, but being schemed against, how could he bear it?

Since killing those mountain bandits and outlaws, Ye Qin had acquired considerable wealth. Using money to buy lives is a tactic many people like to employ; he merely borrowed the idea, giving Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan a profound lesson.

"I originally wanted to have fun with them, but now there is no time." He shook his head helplessly and decided to speed up his cultivation.

"But, sir, what if we are discovered..." the shadow asked hesitantly, somewhat worried about Ye Qin's decision.

Ye Qin shook his head and sighed, "Just conceal our identities and handle it. It's best not to be discovered. If there is a chance of being discovered, all evidence must be destroyed. That way, even if things reach the authorities, they will have no evidence. You can't just pin a crime on someone without evidence, can you?"

After all, the Royal City Directorate is a direct subordinate department of the government; ordinary troop mobilizations require orders from the Privy Council, but the Royal City Directorate does not. This is its special feature. To want to kill someone without evidence is simply impossible here.

"Yes!" The shadow received the order and departed to arrange the assassins.

"If it weren't for Huang Yaoshi disturbing my plans, I wouldn't want to speed up either." Ye Qin secretly shook his head, then began planning again: "I've already swept through the Shaolin martial arts; now only the various Daoist schools remain. I can take advantage of this after breaking through to the Innate Realm to visit them."

Moreover, the Dugu Nine Swords outside Xiangyang await to be mastered, and the esoteric Buddhism of the Western Regions also has the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Power, said to possess the strength of twelve dragon-elephants.

After he breaks through to the Innate Realm, these martial arts must be gathered. They are all fundamentals, and they can be combined into a technique more suited to him. But this path is arduous and long, and meanwhile time is pressing. He cannot let Huang Yaoshi take Huang Rong back to Peach Blossom Island and then ignore it. He is not a heartless, unrighteous person; even if these days Huang Rong has merely been a decoration, she is still his beloved ornament.

"Tomorrow, how should I face Huang Yaoshi?" Just thinking of the ambivalent Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi made Ye Qin's scalp tingle. It wasn't fear of him, but rather the anticipation that facing him might be awkward.

To Huang Yaoshi, Huang Rong is his daughter; taking her away is only natural. Handily disposing of Ye Qin is also to be expected. But Ye Qin thought: "Forget it; given my current strength, even if I really fought Huang Yaoshi, it wouldn't be a big deal."

He isn't even afraid of Innate Realm martial artists!

At this moment, on a small hill outside Lin'an City.

For Huang Yaoshi, wind-dining and dew-lodging is just everyday fare. He played the dongxiao amidst the night, seeking a hint of solace in the tranquil, secluded environment, so his spirit could find relief. The plants and wild beasts grew still; the rabbit ran off, the tiger slept. The mountain was empty and silent. When the piece ended, its lingering echoes reverberated. Huang Yaoshi set down the dongxiao, clasped his hands behind his back, and murmured: "Ah Heng, our daughter has grown up. But having grown up, she cannot stay."

His voice had a hint of hoarseness, also carrying a trace of desolation and helplessness.

Although he is a master of the Innate Realm, he is also a father. Although he had long known this day would come, when it actually arrived he still felt a sense of loss, as if he had lost his most precious thing.

He let out a faint sigh, then changed his tone and said: "However, that lad, I don't think he is a good match for Rong'er. He is an official of the court, and in this tumultuous age, one never knows when a court official might lose his life."

So I intend to prevent them from being together. Ah Heng, what do you think?

After all, this is also for our daughter's benefit. She should find an ordinary, common person; only then can she live a peaceful life.

As a father, he only wishes his daughter to live a simple life; at least that would be safe.

Before coming to Lin'an, he had specifically inquired about Ye Qin's deeds and also knew what kind of person he was. He gazed into the distance, pondered, and said: "To be frank, I don't like him."

In his view, Ye Qin must have deliberately deceived and taken away his precious daughter; how could he like such a son-in-law?

At dawn, as the first ray of sunlight bathed the earth, Ye Qin absorbed the purple qi accompanying the rising sun, exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, finished his practice, and muttered to himself: "After integrating the Golden Crow Orthodoxy, the Nine-Grade Dao Technique can also draw solar power for cultivation—really not bad."

This is undoubtedly a good thing—at least it adds another cultivation path, and there's no need to change techniques.

Fragrant flowers filled the mansion, but today Ye Qin had no leisure to admire them. Huang Rong had said that Huang Yaoshi would come today, though she didn't know the exact time.

!

In the anxious wait, around noon, Huang Rong led a young man in blue robes into the mansion. He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, held a dongxiao, sported a few black whiskers, and his appearance was extraordinarily handsome—yet at this moment he fixed an unfriendly gaze on Ye Qin.

Ye Qin felt a pang of panic—not because he feared Huang Yaoshi's martial prowess; he wasn't even afraid of the Three Yang Elder of the Innate Realm, let alone Huang Yaoshi, who, though a veteran Innate Realm martial artist, Ye Qin also did not shy away from. He just felt awkward meeting Huang Yaoshi's eyes; Old Huang's expression was overly stern, staring at him blankly without a word, which made Ye Qin quite embarrassed.

Ye Qin blinked, then quickly said: "Rong'er, this must be your father, right?"

Huang Rong nodded, smiling at Ye Qin and saying: "Brother Qin, you're really sharp—this is my father; he came early this morning, saw you were cultivating, and didn't disturb you."

Ye Qin slapped his forehead and hurriedly said, "Uncle, I'm sorry for my poor hospitality; I've already had a simple meal prepared—how about we eat and chat?"

He didn't want to just stand there staring at Huang Yaoshi; it would be easier to talk over the meal. First he'd apologize to calm his emotions, then let him taste the food he'd prepared—after all, food softens hearts; he didn't believe Huang Yaoshi could remain unmoved.

Huang Rong also chimed in: "Dad, you came over early this morning and haven't eaten anything yet; why don't we get something to eat first?"

She wasn't sure whether Huang Yaoshi would agree, whether he'd be satisfied with Ye Qin, whether he'd get angry over the Jia Shidao incident, or even take it out on Ye Qin—she didn't know any of this. Huang Yaoshi, upon arriving early, hadn't mentioned this matter at all, and was avoiding it intentionally or unintentionally.

"All right." Huang Yaoshi nodded, giving a cold reply.

Ye Qin, standing to the side, quietly wiped his cold sweat and respectfully said, "Uncle, please come this way."

As he spoke, he also made a gesturing invitation; he didn't want to leave an impolite, clueless impression in front of Huang Yaoshi, hoping instead to gradually deepen his fondness for him, perhaps then everyone could be happy.

Huang Yaoshi kept a stern face; even with the table full of delicious dishes, he didn't show the slightest smile, instead eating with relish. Throughout, he didn't speak much to Ye Qin, eating on his own, as if whoever spoke first would lose.

"Uncle, how about we have some wine?" Ye Qin took out the tribute wine he had previously obtained—a fine brew reserved for the imperial palace's inner court; he had fortunately acquired a few jars, perfect for entertaining Huang Yaoshi.

"No need." Huang Yaoshi still said coldly, he came just to eat because he was hungry, not to seek forgiveness for anything.

Before Ye Qin could speak again, he added: "After the meal, let's exchange moves; I've heard you're also a genius, but I don't believe it!"

Ye Qin could only give an embarrassed smile, nodding and replying, "Then please, Uncle, give me your guidance later; I will humbly learn."

Who knew Huang Yaoshi would snort coldly and say, "I don't need your humble acceptance; better we both give our all—I won't hold back."

He glared at Ye Qin a few times, not taking him to heart at all. This might be the mindset of most fathers-in-law looking at their sons-in-law—the more they look, the less pleasing they find him. Daughters are their own hearts' treasure; they fear it melting if held in the mouth, or dropping if held in the hand.

Just thinking about his painstakingly raised daughter having to live with a man who seemed so foreign to him made his heart feel heavy with resentment.

"Dad, how can you be like this?" Huang Rong complained from the side, "Brother Qin has already become outstanding; in just a few months he's gone from a common nobody to an acquired-perfection master, and he's been especially good to me..."

Those words made Huang Yaoshi's old face flush, and he involuntarily curled his lip, saying, "What, you feel sorry for him after just two comments? Really, a married daughter is hard to keep. But Rong'er, let me be frank now—I don't like this kid."

At a glance he saw that Ye Qin had a deep scheming mind, certainly not as easygoing as he appeared; spending too much time with him might make one uncomfortable.

Huang Rong's heart tightened; her previously calming heart rose again. If Huang Yaoshi doesn't accept Ye Qin, then she and Ye Qin would surely be stuck in a stalemate?

Ye Qin then embarrassedly rubbed his nose, thinking, "Old Huang, even if you don't like me, do you really have to say it outright?"

Not giving him any face, it left him speechless, not knowing what to say.

This father-in-law doesn't like him; it seems he still has a long way to go.

Moreover, since the other party is an elder, if he retorted or talked back a few sentences, that would be disrespect to Huang Yaoshi. What's more, in front of Huang Rong he certainly wouldn't foolishly talk back.

"Uncle, I..." (End of chapter)