AST 1527 - Qin King Manor, The Strange Qin Relative (2/2)

“I'm a man. I definitely have the ability, so don't worry about it.” Qing Shui replied earnestly.

Qin Qing realized that she couldn't get an edge over Qing Shui when they spoke, and there was a strong insinuation on the double meaning behind his words. Her face was tinted red, even though he hadn’t been joking this time around. It infuriated her, and with a huff, she headed into the hall.

Qing Shui snickered again before following her lead.

There weren't many people in the Qin King Manor. Even taking into account the maids who were in charge of tidying up the place, there were still rather few people living within. However, the Qin King Manor was luxurious and covered a vast area, which must mean they had a high standing in the dynasty. With the number of people here being low, it seemed like the people who lived here valued tranquillity.

In addition, the infrastructure of the Qin King Manor had an element of unique elegance within its grandeur, fitting for a family of scholars. There were also quite a number of things that looked simple and unsophisticated.

Walking into the hall, it seemed more like a temple. It was tall and huge; one could feel the spaciousness the moment they walked in. Once they were in the room, they could see a man writing at a desk in the distance.

The hall was empty. There weren't many facilities built in and it looked more like an arena. It was simple on the inside, a stark contrast against its extravagant exterior.

The reason why it looked this extravagant on the outside was because they were at the Qin King Manor, a part of the royal family.

“My girl is back!” The stranger spoke as he lifted his head. The refined man looked a lot stronger than Qin Chuan, but his strength came from the way he held himself.

They always said that men at forty were comparable to wine. The man in front of Qing Shui was the epitome of that, and relative to that metaphor, he was still in the process of aging. With just a glance, he could convince anyone that there was nothing he couldn’t do, that nothing would be too difficult for him.

“Father!” Just like a little girl, Qin Qing rushed forward and hugged the man in exhilaration.

Qing Shui was in disbelief that this strong and confident woman had this side to her as well. His mind wondered how it would feel to be on the receiving end of such treatment…

“We still have a guest. Aren't you afraid of being mocked?” The man smiled.

“I don't even care about that.” Although those were the words Qin Qing said, she still loosened her grip on the man.

“My girl, aren't you going to introduce us?” Setting aside the items in his hand, he followed Qin Qing as they approached Qing Shui.

His eyes weren't clouded; with just one look, he could tell that Qing Shui had immense potential and a unique body composition. He had also felt his own daughter's changes earlier, but he didn't let his expression show.

“He's Qing Shui, a pretty decent physician.” Qin Qing laughed.

“Just that?” The man laughed along.

“Not you too, Father.”

“Haha, I just thought that perhaps my daughter had grown capable of bringing a man home now.” His bouts of laughter were unrestrained.

“Nice to meet you, Qing Shui. I'm Qin Baifo.” With a warm smile, he extended a hand towards Qing Shui.

Qing Shui was slightly overwhelmed, and took his hand in a hurry, “My name is Qing Shui. I'm currently working hard in pursuing Sister Qin, and hope to receive your blessings.”

Qing Shui thought it ridiculous to ask for support in pursuing the man’s own daughter. If it had been the past, Qing Shui would have never spoken these words.

“Ah, this young lad is frank and outstanding. I support you, but don't you dare bully my daughter.” Qin Baifo chuckled.

“I would never. I would much rather bully myself than Sister Qin.” Qing Shui replied sincerely.

“Be mindful or I'll kick you out of this manor if you continue with your nonsense! Father, how could you do this to your own daughter?” Qin Qing huffed. Her expression had a sort of cuteness that couldn’t be properly conveyed in words, unique in its own way.

Qing Shui was mesmerized by it. His dazed expression caused the reddening of Qin Qing’s cheeks, and she was itching to give him a beating for it.

Qing Shui did it on purpose. Catching the man’s writing, he couldn't hide the glint in his eyes, “Oh, you write beautifully!”

“Oh? How beautiful?” Qin Baifo laughed lightly.

“It’s a perfect compromise between strength and delicacy, skilfully precise with an element of natural elegance. There’s gracefulness between the lines with its own brand of understated charm.” Qing Shui said as he described the characters he saw, from the moment he stepped into Qin King Manor to the words he was looking at now.

“Haha, well said! It seems like Qing Shui has extraordinary accomplishments in calligraphy as well. Why don't you give it a try?” Qin Baifo laughed.

“I shouldn't embarrass myself.” Qing Shui said while shaking his head.

“Hmph, you're not going to write after saying that much? Could it be that you're all bark and no bite?” Qin Qing laughed.

Qing Shui got up and walked towards the desk, “Why don't I draw a portrait of Sister Qin!”

Qing Shui had a steady hand and was quick in his drawing. After all, he was at the level of Soul Drawing Realm. He would glance up at Qin Qing from time to time, before dipping the ink onto paper.

When the drawing of Qin Qing took shape, even she was unable to maintain her calm façade. The resemblance between her and the drawing was uncanny. One must understand that Qing Shui’s skills had far surpassed even the photography of his previous life; photographs were lifeless, while his art seemed to come to life with its vividness. This was the power of drawings.

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Note: Dear patreons, we will be slowly transiting advance chapters to in-house during the month of may. The transition is supposed to come fully online at the start of june.

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