Chapter 0006: Provocation and Counterattack

  Qin Lianshan struggled to suppress his anger and said in a low voice, "Gou Sheng, from your tone, it seems that you think my Qin family will be defeated without a doubt four years later?"

  Gou Sheng leaned back in his chair, speaking slowly and deliberately: "In the entire Lujiang County, over the past twenty years, many new forces have emerged. There are at least seven or eight families that have the qualifications to compete for a humble seat. However, there are only thirty or so noble seats in the entire county, big and small combined. These noble seats are indeed scarce, but the people competing for them are numerous. Take your own family's medicine shop in Donglin Town, Cow Boss, for example. With his current power and connections, I think you can keep your humble seat, can't you? As for the current situation of the Qin family, I believe you, as the head of the Qin clan, understand it better than I do."

  Qin Lianshan was extremely angry, but he endured it and quietly put down the teacup in his hand.

  "This 'family goods', my Qin family has gone through more than 20 generations. To boast a bit, when my Qin family was around, most of the powerful families in Luojiang County didn't even exist yet. We've been through many storms and waves. The evaluation work is hosted by the True Martial Sacred Land, and all responsible persons are appointed by His Majesty the Emperor himself. Who has extensive connections, long fingers, and can reach into the True Martial Sacred Land?"

  Qin Lianshan's response was neither humble nor arrogant. Although he also understood the difficulties of his family situation, as someone who had always been strong-willed, how could he show weakness in front of outsiders?

  Gu Saint chuckled twice, his expression was strange and he stared at Qin Lianshan. This gaze was even a bit presumptuous, with an attitude of openly bullying, and even the way he addressed him had changed.

  "Lianshan, it's not me who said that. Your Qin family indeed has some traditions, but those are just things recorded in the old almanac. You shouldn't be unaware of what 'feng shui' is, right? In this era, whether an official is fair or not depends on their personal moral cultivation. Do you think the Emperor would bother with the evaluation work of a small county like ours? Besides, this world is all about survival of the fittest. Whoever has stronger connections and more energy will rise to power and make greater contributions to the country - that's just natural law! Who cares what methods they use? Tradition, in our Baiyue kingdom, is worthless..."

  Qin Lianshan's face changed greatly as he heard these words, and he couldn't help but stand up with a flick of his sleeve: "Gou Sheng, it seems that you're not thinking of showing me the way for the Qin family, but rather cutting off the Qin family's path, right?

  "Great!" Guo Sheng also stood up, pointing his finger at Lian Shan and saying, "Brother Lian Shan, please forgive my straightforwardness. In the next 'Family Ranking', your Qin family will definitely be demoted. This humble seat must be given up no matter what. I believe you understand the situation of the Qin family better than I do. Once demoted, losing this seat, everything about the Qin family will become nothing but a fleeting cloud. I think you wouldn't want to end up with empty hands, in a state of poverty and desperation, would you?"

  "Hmph... " This remark was no different from a slap in the face. Qin Lianshan sneered incessantly and retorted, "It sounds like Mr. Gou is still concerned about my Qin family? I'm afraid it's not that good of a heart? If there's something you can't bear to say, just speak up, don't choke on your own belly."

  Guo Sheng burst out laughing without any restraint, and the angrier Qin Lianshan became, the more pleased he was.

  "It's still the same sentence as before, the Qin family, proactively giving up their noble seat, the powerful Xushi family can guarantee that your Qin family will have no worries about food and clothing. Otherwise, four years later, it will be the day of the downfall of your Qin family. Gu Sheng was straightforward enough, and immediately laughed with malice, adding a sentence, "Of course, whether your Qin family can hold on until after four years is still an unknown number."

  Qin Lianshan glanced at Xu Sihai, but saw that this person was leisurely and self-satisfied, and didn't put Qin Lianshan's reaction in his eyes at all.

  The Haomen Xushi is one of the three major Haomen in Luojiang County, and its power is indeed unmatched by the Qin family. To say that Xu Si Hai alone is enough to wipe out the entire Qin family with just one person's strength.

  When you can endure, then endure; if you cannot endure, then force yourself to endure!

  Crack!

  Qin Lianshan grasped a handful of debris, the armrests of his chair shattered instantly. He said coldly: "Gou Shengge, Xu Sihai, my Qin family's power may be weak, but it hasn't reached the point where we can be slaughtered at will. The noble seat of the Qin family was not easily obtained, and I, Qin, absolutely will not allow it to be ruined in my hands. If you want it, come and take it! No matter whether by cleverness or force, I, Qin, will take on all comers!"

  As soon as these words came out, Gu Saint's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

  Xu Sihai's expression, which had always been calm and serene, suddenly turned icy cold, with a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes as he sized up Qin Lianshan from head to toe.

  "Qin clan leader, it seems you'd rather be a shattered jade than an intact tile, right?"

  Wu Xinghe remained still for a moment, not because he was unaffected, but to see how his father would behave in this situation.

  Qin Lianshan's arrogant temper flared up, and he didn't care that the person speaking to him was the old master of the wealthy Xu family. He flipped his eyes and said proudly: "The Qin family's ancestral teachings say that those who plot against our family property will be struck with five times the force; those who plot against our family status will be struck with ten times the force; those who want to destroy the entire Qin family will be struck with all our might, without regard for jade or stone being burned together!"

  A forceful response, instantly made Qin Lianshan's attitude clear.

  "Xiao'er, see our guest out for me!"

  If Saint Qi's face turned purple with rage, he suddenly burst out laughing treacherously.

  "You're a fine one, Qin Lianshan! It seems you don't know how to appreciate good wine and want to drink the bitter cup instead! Fine, fine, when your whole family is begging on the streets, I, Gou Mouren, will come and spit in your face. Don't blame me for kicking you while you're down."

  Wu Xinghe couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard this, and asked leisurely: "Listening to your tone, Mr. Gou, it seems you're not here to kick me while I'm down today? Dog leftovers, let me advise you, all troubles arise from forcing oneself to be in the lead. Today, you swaggered into my Qin family's home, showing off your eloquence and intimidating aura, but in reality, you're just relying on someone else's power. You'd better beware of being beaten up by some unexpected club, along with your master, that wouldn't be good at all."

  Gou Sheng was so angry that he couldn't speak, and after a long time, he said indignantly: "Qin Lianshan, you father and son are singing the same tune, completely not understanding that those who know how to adapt to circumstances are heroes. You will regret it sooner or later!"

  Jin Yuxi smiled and approached Qin Wushuang, saying: "Qin Wushuang, since your injuries are not serious, you'll have to return to the Martial Spiritual Academy to report back. Your student status is still at the Martial Spiritual Academy, even if you want to drop out, you need to go through some formalities. Moreover, as a noble child of the Baiyue Kingdom, there's no one who doesn't further their studies at the Martial Spiritual Academy. Hiding at home isn't a solution either."

  It sounds like he's considering Qin Wushuang, but how could Wu Xinghe not see that he's not being sincere? Yet, he didn't expose him either. With a smiling expression, he responded with one sentence: "The Wu Tong Institute will naturally have to return, thank you for reminding me, Director."

  "Ah, ah, that's good! No matter how the winds of fortune change, at this stage in your life, everything should take a backseat to your studies." Jin Bu Yi smiled slyly and walked away.

  "The road ahead is long and uncertain, fortune and misfortune are hard to predict. I won't see you off, Dean, please be careful on your journey. One wrong step could lead to a bottomless pit."

  Seemingly kind words, but actually containing Wu Xinghe's warning and threat. At this stage, no one can decipher the hidden meaning in Wu Xinghe's tone, and they didn't even put a small Wu Tong who escaped from death in their hearts.

  After sending away three wicked guests, Qin Lian Shan asked in a serious tone: "Wu Shuang, are you planning to return to Wu Tong Institute?"

  "Why not?"

  Wu Xinghe gazed at the backs of the three villains as they left, his words full of meaning.

  "Jin Bu Yi is a notorious hypocrite in Luo Jiang County, he invites you to return to Wu Tong Temple, it's definitely not for good intentions." Qin Lian Shan reminded.

  "These three people can join forces and come together, what good intentions could they have? With this uneasy feeling, I should go back to the Wu Tong Institute to take a look, it's an attitude problem."

  Wu Xinghe's logic is simple: to know how unfavorable the situation is, one must personally experience it; if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger's cub?

  Qin Lianshan looked at his son, and in a daze, he felt that after this ordeal, his son's entire temperament seemed to have changed. Especially his eyes, no longer dodging and hiding like before, no longer showing some shyness and timidity, but instead exuding composure and confidence.

  Especially the three villains who bullied him just now, with his son's extreme personality, he could endure it until the end before speaking out. Not to mention anything else, this alone is a hundred times better than before.

  "Father, thinking back to that duel, it was actually a conspiracy. This conspiracy wasn't just aimed at me personally, but at the humble position of our Qin family and our vast foundation!"

  Qin Lianshan's face was solemn and unpredictable. He certainly wouldn't be unaware of these things, which is also why he let his son return to Donglintown. After all, as long as his son is there, the incense fire will continue to burn, and with it, hope will remain.

  If anything happens to her son again, the entire Qin family will be finished...

  "Unparalleled, since you can analyze this principle, are you still planning to return to the Wudong Institute?" Qin Lianshan was eager to know how his son was thinking.

  "Father, that despicable Gou San Yi is so arrogant and of low character, yet he dares to come to our Qin family's village and show off his power. Indeed, it's just a case of relying on others' strength and bullying the weak. But from another perspective, isn't it also possible that he thinks our Qin family's village is a sick cat, unable to exert any power, and therefore not worth fearing?"

  Qin Lianshan sighed, knowing that his son was not wrong. If it were a hundred years ago, when the Qin family was still prosperous and powerful, how many people in Luojiang County would have dared to come to the Qin family's mansion and talk loudly? Not to mention making such an open and blatant threat.

  "Father, I've been thinking a lot these days. The prosperity of the Qin family is in our hands. That duel, I lost and was defeated, but it's not necessarily all bad. As they say, 'great difficulties do not kill, there must be good fortune afterwards.' If I can't even withstand this bit of wind and rain, and encounter some difficulties then hide back in the Qin family village, not daring to see people, how can we talk about carrying the family forward in the future?"

  These words struck a chord, touching Qin Lianshan's strong nerve. Especially looking at his son who had narrowly escaped death, he was full of vigor and vitality from head to toe, whether it was his eyes or his gestures, he was spirited and lively, which was quite different from his usual moderate and reserved personality.

  He seemed to see a kind of rebirth from the ashes in his son.

  Qin Lianshan glared at him with a tiger's gaze, then finally nodded: "Good son, you have spirit. Father agrees to your request!"

  However, you must also promise your father to return to the Wu Tong Temple in Luojiang County. You need to endure humiliation and hardship, and cannot fall into someone else's trap again.

  Wu Xinghe's expression suddenly changed, his mouth slightly moving, with a hint of arrogance in his tone, he proudly said: "Father, please be at ease, after surviving the disaster, I now know what it means to have something to do and something not to do."

  There is something one will do and something one won't do?

  Qin Lianshan's tiger eyes opened wide, gazing at his son with a deeper meaning in his eyes.