Chapter 52: Trying to be smart, only to be foolish (1/2)
Trying to be smart, only to be foolish
Qin Fang! It really was Qin Fang! In that moment, the head of the Qin family, a great and powerful man among the recent generations of Luosang City, shook uncontrollably. The chosen scion of the Qin family, a genius who achieved middle stage Immersion Realm cultivation at a tender age less than twenty, had died just like that. He had been the hope of the Qin! After they saw Qin Fang’s body on the platform, the hearts of the Qin family members ached, yet they remained solemn.
Some felt very happy however. Qin Zhao’s father, Qin Biao, was pleased. With Qin Fang’s death, Qin Zhao, who already was in the beginning stage of the Immersion Realm, would be the top genius of the Qin once again. The Qin family would heavily invest n grooming him. Even if Qin Yu didn’t die, he couldn’t measure up to Qin Fang since he was only at the peak of the Origin Realm.
On the platform, Qin Zong, head of the Qin, ordered the men of his family, “May the guards come and retrieve him.” After he sighed deeply, he weakly sat back in his chair. The path of the Martial Competition was cruel. You either stepped on the bodies of others to gain greater glory, or you were stepped on by others. Countless elites fell in every Martial Competition; there was no one to blame for their deaths. Furthermore, even if one wanted to blame somebody, they would need to find a culprit first. The Illusory Battlefield had gathered all of the elites within the country of Qiongxi; yet, those spectating couldn’t see the happenings within the array to know who killed whom.
Everyone could conclude one thing from Qin Fang’s death: There were plenty of geniuses in the Battlefield. If even Qin Fang with his immense talent could be killed, none of the survivors were guaranteed to live until the end.
At that moment, those with juniors, sons, and brothers in the Battlefield broke into cold sweats. The family members of the remaining selected players suffered the same. Those who had failed the selection felt fortunate instead. Luckily, these individuals hadn’t been eligible to enter the Illusory Battlefield, or else their chances of surviving would have been extremely slim. None present would have thought the one who killed Qin Fang was Qin Yu.
Qin Fang’s body was returned to the Qin family. Depressed and dispirited due to Qin Fang’s death, Qin Zong no longer felt like staying at the Martial Competition. He apologized to Officer Song and Officer Wu before departing for home. Upon arriving, Qin Zong found Qin Fang’s body laid out in the mourning hall. He remained silent for some time before sighing deeply and waving a hand. “Give him an elaborate burial,” Qin Zong’s deep voice resounded.
“Yes, master.” The family members went about preparing the funeral. Only Qin Fang’s immediate family bent over his corpse and cried in agony. Qin Zong looked over those bawling their eyes out with empathy and pity on his face. He considered the Qin family’s prospects once more. As the head of the family, he had to plan for their future. “He will not rise from the dead. Do temper your grief,” Qin Zong counseled the bereaved before he left, striding out of the mourning hall.
At the back of the hill of the Qin family estate, there was a restricted area. Other than those who were expressly permitted and the head of the family, no one else was allowed to enter. Violating this boundary risked punishment, even death. With a heavy heart, Qin Zong entered the forbidden grounds. Due to the restriction, it was silent within the area. Only the rustling of the leaves could be heard when wind blew across the branches.
Walking beyond the forest, Qin Zong saw a clear river. A log bridge was built above the river, and a few houses sat along the other embankment. Qin Zong crossed the bridge and stopped in front of a house. Silently, ponderously, he stood there as if waiting for something.
“You need something?” Before long, an old, yet stern, voice came from inside the house.
Qin Zong bowed slightly and spoke respectfully, “Elder, Qin Zong, here, wishes to meet you.”
“Enter.” As the voice ceased, the door automatically creaked open .
“Thank you, Elder.” Qin Zong bent down and bowed, then entered the house with caution. When he was inside, the door creaked closed. The setting and furnishings of the house were simple. There were only a few necessities and nothing extraneous. Qin Zong ignored the decor and walked straight toward the innermost corner of a wall. With a rumble, the corner of the wall shifted automatically, and a tunnel opened up before him.
Wafts of cold air flowed from inside. Upon feeling the frosty temperature, Qin Zong frowned slightly and stepped into the tunnel. The wall closed behind him, and, from the outside, it seemed as if nothing had happened. After a moment, Qin Zong walked into a secret, underground room. Within the room, the air was so cold it dug into his bones. The chill was a hundred times stronger than what he’d felt outside. A piece of ice from which plumes of cold fog emerged sat at the front of the room. An old man with his hair hanging loose sat upon the frigid block, shrouded in frostiness. This man was the top figure of the Qin family, Elder Qin Yuandao.
Qin Zong was shocked by Qin Yuandao’s appearance. The older man’s face seemed a little frightening: Half of it was rosy and smooth, like a baby’s cheek; the other half was the exact opposite, coarse and full of wrinkles, like the bark of a tree which had lived thousands of years. Even his hair was half black and half white. He appeared to be a freak who’d attempted to renew his youth and failed.
“What martial art did Elder attempt to cultivate to end up in this state?” Qin Zong silently wondered to himself.
“State your case. Speak.” The old man opened his eyes slowly, and a cold gleam shot from his eyes.
Qin Zong felt his body freeze and hurriedly bowed. “Elder, today’s the Martial Competition. Qin Fang…he died.”
“What? Fang-er died?” The old man suddenly roared and rose. The chill shrouding him flooded forth.
“I have been useless and failed to keep him safe. I have wasted all of your effort dispensed in grooming him. Please, punish me.” Qin Zong bowed further.
“Cease these worthless words. What happened? Who killed him?” A deadly aura filtered from the old man as his gaze grew murderous.
Qin Zong dared not keep things from him and elaborated what had happened truthfully. After listening to his recounting, the old man was furious. “Why do we have an Illusory Battlefield this year?”
“This was the decision of the Capital. I have no idea,” Qin Zong replied helplessly. The Martial Competition this year was weird indeed.
“Hmph, I would visit the Capital if given the chance.” The old man’s strange face appeared very cold and scary. “Fine, I know this now. Qin Fang’s dead, and that’s it. We could only say that his abilities did not measure up to those of others.” The old man spoke indifferently. To him, at this ripe old age of his, he had seen too much death and encountered too many losses. He had long moved past it. Furthermore, a dead man no longer needed grooming. There was nothing for Qin Yuandao to be upset about.
“Elder, there’s one more issue. Qin Yu has not become a cripple. Instead, his powers have grown significantly. Not long ago, he entered the Yin Demon’s Forbidden Zone of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain …” Qin Zong only now mentioned the most important topic. His main motive for visiting the Elder today was to speak about Qin Yu.