Chapter 389: Settling Past Debts

Zhao Linger's beautiful eyes flickered as she warmly invited Qin Ming:

"Senior Qin, you've come from afar; Elder Wei has instructed me to treat you well. Recently, a new restaurant called Deyue Tower has opened in Qingyang Marketplace—its celestial delicacies are unparalleled. Why not go and try them?"

Qin Ming had originally planned to leave after finishing his business, but upon hearing "Qingyang Marketplace," he changed his mind.

"Qingyang Marketplace… wasn't it destroyed in the chaos back then? Has it been rebuilt?" Qin Ming asked calmly.

Seeing his interest, Zhao Linger quickly explained:

"Yes. After Lei Yuanzong took control of Yunze Wildlands, they rebuilt the marketplace, keeping the name Qingyang Marketplace."

"Elder Wei knows you once lived here and preserved nearly everything as it was."

"Moreover, the courtyard you once lived in and the nearby spirit fields draw many cultivators daily who come to visit."

Qin Ming fell silent, thinking: Wei Wuyan truly has a business mind—he's turned my reputation into a tourist attraction. After all, my influence and prestige among Wei Kingdom cultivators remain considerable.

Qin Ming nodded, appearing thoughtful, then said: "In that case, let's go for a visit."

"I haven't returned in a long time. I might as well see how things have changed."

Zhao Linger's face lit up at once.

"Senior Qin, please!"

The two then transformed into two streaks of light and vanished into the horizon.

Half an hour later.

Qin Ming and Zhao Linger arrived near Qingyang Marketplace.

At the marketplace's archway, cultivators came and went like a tide; shops were packed, rows upon rows of stalls echoed with vendors' cries.

Even the shanty district still existed—but it had changed beyond recognition.

The scene before him made Qin Ming feel for an instant as if he'd stepped back decades. The two descended and walked into the marketplace.

Nearby Qi Refining cultivators, seeing two powerful cultivators land, immediately cleared a path.

The guards at the marketplace entrance recognized Zhao Linger of Baihua Sect and immediately deactivated the passage array.

"It's Senior Zhao! Let her through at once!"

Qin Ming and Zhao Linger entered the marketplace and walked along the main road for a while.

He absorbed the bustling energy of the marketplace.

Even the "Qingliang Xiaozhu," destroyed during the war, had been fully restored—now a crowd of itinerant cultivators gathered around, listening to an old man's lecture.

"There! This is where Master Wangyue once lived."

"A fengshui treasure land! Master Wangyue rose from obscurity precisely because of this courtyard in his early years."

"Now, the annual rent is only a thousand spirit stones—deposit one, pay three. Interested parties, contact me."

Qin Ming: "..."

Seeing this scene, Zhao Linger couldn't help but blush.

Then, the two crossed the street and arrived before a pavilion with simple, elegant decor.

"Senior Qin, this is Deyue Tower."

"It's owned by the Qilian Merchants' Society."

"Qilian Merchants' Society?" Qin Ming was surprised, for this society was a major power with business spanning the Southern Wilds.

They had even come to congratulate him at his Jin Dan ceremony.

After Zhao Linger introduced it, the two stepped inside the tavern, and someone immediately came forward to arrange a private room for them.

Once they entered.

Cultivators on the street began whispering among themselves.

"Isn't that the Baihua Holy Maiden? Who is with her?"

"From his aura, he seems to be another high-level senior."

"I feel like I've seen him before, but I can't recall where."

"Wait—isn't he starting to look like the legendary Master Wangyue?"

"Are you delusional? How could a Jin Dan elder come to a place like this?"

"..."

Inside Deyue Tower's private room.

A middle-aged male shopkeeper in black xuan robes bowed low, scribbling down dish names, beaming at Qin Ming with reverence:

"Senior Qin, I'll instruct the kitchen to serve you our signature dishes and wine."

"Your presence here brings honor to our humble establishment! Hehe! The bill is on us—consider it a welcome feast for Senior Qin."

After a stick of incense burned.

A dazzling array of celestial delicacies arrived one by one.

Most were unique to Yunze Wildlands.

Qin Ming felt his appetite stir and slowly sipped and tasted.

During the meal, Zhao Linger also told Qin Ming about the many changes in Yunze Wildlands over the years.

After three rounds of wine, Qin Ming wished to wander alone, so he took his leave of Zhao Linger:

"Comrade Zhao, I have matters to attend to—I'll take my leave."

"Thank you for the hospitality."

Zhao Linger rose immediately to see him off. "Senior Qin, you're too kind. If you ever have the chance, please come back often."

Moments later.

Qin Ming flew to the shanty district, but the elders, the familiar faces—all were gone.

He wandered around the former spirit fields; memories of days past rose before him.

Many lowly spirit farmers still toiled here; when they saw high-level cultivators flying overhead, they gazed up with longing envy.

"The past is already wind. There's nothing left to cling to."

Qin Ming did not linger—he became a streak of green light and departed.

When his family abandoned him and sent him to Yunze Wildlands to serve labor under Lingyu Sect, so many years had passed. "The Qin family never came looking for me again."

"They must know about my Core Formation—it was no small matter."

"They're probably afraid to acknowledge me now."

…

Several days later.

Qin Ming returned to Yunze Xiancheng and boarded a Lei Yuanzong ferry-ship bound for the heart of Wei Kingdom.

He did not rush back to Wangyue Island; instead, he disembarked midway and flew westward toward Wei Kingdom.

Half a day later.

Bianzhou—a frontier xian city, modest in size, spanning several hundred li.

"Wuxian City."

Memories surged through Qin Ming's mind.

After his soul transmigration, his original body's parents had died searching for cultivation resources for him. The Qin family meant little to him—he felt no attachment.

Yet he still intended to return to the Qin household one last time—to settle this lingering karmic thread.

Within Wuxian City, there were three small Foundation Establishment clans; the Qin family was one. Since Qin Ming became a Jin Dan True Person, the Qin family's prestige in Wuxian City reached its peak, becoming the de facto leader among the three.

Numerous smaller factions came to court and befriend the Qin family—but all were politely refused by the clan head.

The Qin patriarch knew these people came only for the name of Master Wangyue; should things turn sour, the tiny Qin family could not withstand his retaliation.

On this day,

Inside the Qin family ancestral hall, the ancestral worship ceremony was underway.

Dozens of Qin clan members, under the guidance of an aged, weathered elder, reverently paid homage to their ancestors.

Qin Ming and his parents' portraits stood prominently among them.

After the ceremony ended,

Qin Xiao, the Qin clan head, sat with several senior elders in the main hall, speaking.

"Clan Head… shouldn't we send someone to Wangyue Island to pay respects to Ninth Ancestor?"

"After all, we share blood."

"Perhaps Ninth Ancestor might still feel some kinship."

"Back then, Lingyu Sect forcibly conscripted us—had he refused, someone else from the family still would've gone."

"Alas! Who could have imagined that a four-element pseudo-spiritual root would break through to Jin Dan—and become a third-rank Alchemy Master and Spirit Plant Master?"

"If we'd known then, we'd never have acted as we did!"

"Third Brother, it's been decades. Regret now is useless."

Qin Xiao, the Qin family's sole Foundation Establishment cultivator, had remained stuck at early Foundation Establishment for decades.

His cultivation path had ended here; in a few more years, he'd be entering the grave.

Lately, Qin Xiao had been troubled by the lack of successors in the clan.

Currently, few showed promise of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment resources were even harder to obtain.

"Ming'er reached this level through his own destiny—fate has its own design."

"Now that he's become a Jin Dan True Person, he's likely grown cold-hearted over the years. His refusal to return means he's already made his decision."

"If we seek to reconnect now, we'll only drive him further away."

"Let things take their natural course."

"Now that the Qin family has the protection of the Wangyue True Person's name, it is already a great blessing—we should ask for nothing more."

As Qin Xiao spoke, silence fell over the great hall.

"You have some self-awareness."

Suddenly, a faint voice emerged strangely from the air.

The few Qin family members present were instantly startled.

Before they could rise, ripples like water spread through the air.

A young cultivator of ordinary appearance appeared before them.

The Qin family felt no trace of magic power from him—he seemed no different from an ordinary mortal.

When Qin Xiao recognized the visitor's face, he was stunned speechless, stammering: "Qin… Qin Ming True Person."

"You've returned."

Hearing this, the others were equally shocked and delighted. "Qin family juniors, pay homage to Ninth Ancestor!"

Saying this, the men in the hall, including Clan Chief Qin Xiao, prepared to bow.

Qin Xiao was deeply moved—he never expected Qin Ming, after achieving Golden Core, would still return to visit the family.

It meant there was still room for reconciliation.

Qin Ming waved his hand casually and said softly: "No need."

"I've come only to sever my earthly ties."

The Qin family felt an invisible force lifting them—they could not bend their bodies no matter how hard they tried.

But when they heard Qin Ming's words, all of them froze.

Their ancestor had not come to reclaim his roots—he had come to cut all ties with the Qin family. Instantly, Qin Xiao's face turned deathly pale, and he slumped helplessly into his chair.

"Ming'er, what happened back then was indeed the clan's fault. Now, regret comes too late."

"We accept whatever decision you make."

"Now that you've ascended to Golden Core, we old bones are merely burdens—we can no longer aid you."

"We'd only hold you back."

Qin Ming said nothing more to them. He went to the ancestral hall, lit incense, and paid respects before his parents' spirit tablets.

Only then did he turn to Qin Xiao and the others and say:

"I will continue pursuing the Dao, yet I still hold some sentiment toward the Qin family."

"Though I was once sent to Lingyu Gate for corvée labor, had you not had a shred of conscience and arranged some connections, I might never have become a Spirit Farmer."

"I'd have been sent straight to the front-line battle camps."

Qin Ming pulled a jade vial from his robe and tossed it to Qin Xiao. "Inside are two Foundation Establishment pills—enough to cultivate one more Foundation Establishment disciple and sustain the family."

"More would only bring you disaster."

"If even two Foundation Establishment pills cannot produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator, then it is the Qin family's fate."

Qin Xiao clutched the jade vial, his body trembling slightly, and thanked Qin Ming: "Thank you, True Person, for the elixirs!"

Qin Ming glanced at him and saw Qin Xiao's vital energy was withered, the green vitality within him nearly gone.

He then took from his storage bag two Five Elements Qi Spirit Peaches and two porcelain vials, handing them over. "These two spirit peaches will restore some of your lifespan."

"That's all. The matter is settled. From now on, the Qin family's affairs are no concern of mine."

"Take care of yourselves."

Before his words had fully faded, Qin Ming's figure vanished into thin air before the Qin family's eyes.

Qin Xiao gazed at the sky outside, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and remained silent for a long while.

…

Elsewhere.

Qin Ming shot northward as a green rainbow, heading toward the spiritual energy Archipelago.

"Master, are you truly not planning to return to the Qin family?"

"I saw how heartbroken and remorseful those old men were."

The Shitian Rat's voice echoed in Qin Ming's ear.

Qin Ming replied coolly: "What? You want to go back to the Qin family? Should I send you there to guard the estate for a thousand years and taste some salt?"

"No no no! Hehehe, that's not what I meant!"

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!"

The Shitian Rat hurriedly explained, then fell silent, afraid Qin Ming might actually banish him to guard the Qin family's gate.

…

(End of Chapter)