Chapter 1153: Biased towards ones kin (1/2)

As Long Feiye’s group left the maze, Han Chen remained standing on the platform of bones, holding out his arm so a black-robed subordinate could apply salve to his burn. This was an injury incurred from saving Ning Jing.

“Master, you could have saved that person much earlier? Why wait until she fell off the cliff?” the person asking was one of his older underlings. He was one of the few people that Han Chen bothered speaking with. The rest of the subordinates only took orders and rarely exchanged more than a sentence with him in a year.

“That little girl is a good sapling. I was simply testing her,” Han Chen stared at the darkness before him. Even when speaking with his closest subordinate, he retained a chilly expression. It wasn’t stern or frigid, but a simple indifference, pure emotionless ice. He really had no desires or wants.

Even Han Xiang,[1] the daughter he left in charge of the Wolf Sect in his absence, was simply adopted. Besides himself, this was a secret only the old subordinate knew. He had yet to take a wife, but the “common knowledge” both inside and out was that his daughter’s mother had died early. Currently, the Wolf Sect’s ancestral hall even had a memorial tablet dedicated to that woman created by the old subordinate.

The only reason was because he had zero interest in women. His only hobby was martial arts, so he didn’t want to keep some random female around the house. The reason he chose to foster a daughter instead of a son was for the purpose of his backup plan. If the girl ended up with no talent, he could still choose a strong son-in-law for her sake and gain a guarantee for the Wolf Sect’s standing. A foster son would lose him that chance.

In his eyes, men were the real powerhouses of martial arts while women were ill-fitted for the task. His foster daughter Han Xiang was currently 15 years old and blessed with extraordinary innate talent. She was also very diligent, making her a force to be reckoned with.

Still, when he saw Long Feiye’s Lustbite energy and astounding talents with the Qimen Dunjia arts, he knew this was the son-in-law he wanted. His Lustbite energy combined with Han Yunxi’s Phoenix power didn’t count for much in front of Han Chen, but it would definitely set them amongst the top-tier talents of the younger generation in the Mysterious Continent. That was a land that prized power above all else, though the true powerhouses were all from the older generations.

He estimated that in 10 years’ time, the 25-year-old Han Xiang would be able to enter their ranks--but only barely. She would at best be an average high-level expert. If she wanted to rise to the middle of the upper ranks, it would take another 10 to 20 years--perhaps her entire life. The possibility was still rather uncertain.

As for Han Chen, he was the Mysterious Continent’s only man to reach the middle ranks of the top-tier fights within his 30th birthday. This year he was 39 years old and ranked as the one of the top five experts in the continent.

It had to be said that Long Feiye was an intelligent man. He chose the right person to defend the northern borders! With the Wolf Sect here, no one in the Mysterious Continent would dare to invade Cloud Realm Continent!

Neither Long Feiye or Han Yunxi had yet to reach 30, yet they wielded the Lustbite energy and Phoenix power. Compared to himself at the same age, they weren’t inferior at all.

“Then, has sect leader gotten any results from your test?” the old subordinate asked helplessly. He had forgotten how many years had passed since he saw Han Chen injured. This time was all for the sake of a little girl. Is that girl supposed to be some genius talent?

“She doesn’t count as a genius, but her temper is suitable for learning martial arts,” Han Chen said cooly.

The subordinate had no words to retort. The sect master’s thoughts were eternally different from ordinary folk. Others chose disciples based on innate talent while his sect master had different requirements for men and women. Males needed talent, while females needed personality.

After all these years, not a single boy had caught the sect leader’s attention, but he’d finally found a girl to his liking. The subordinate was rather curious to see what kind of temper Su Xiaoyu possessed.

“Sect leader, you told Miss Yunxi and Miss Xiang to compete against each other ten years later. Isn’t that showing too much favortism towards Miss Yunxi?” the old subordinate was rather preoccupied with this question.

Miss Yunxi possessed the Phoenix power and the Moye sword, making her a middle-rank top-tier expert. Miss Xiang would only reach the level of ordinary top-tier expert in a decade! Naturally, Miss Yunxi would be stronger by the end of the decade. Unless she refused, the sect leader’s role was as good as hers.

It wasn’t clear whether Han Chen heard the question, but he didn’t respond.

The old subordinate couldn’t help but complain. “In the end, it’s still biased towards one’s kin! What a pity for Miss Xiang.”

Han Chen suddenly whirled his head to stare at the old subordinate, causing his hairs to stand on end. He quickly retreated and shut up. He really had no idea why such a cold and aloof man could...could use his body to help Mu Xin “cure” her poison in the past.

--

After sitting for a while, Han Chen rose to his feet and entered the darkness. After walking through a black tunnel, he entered the room where Bai Yanqing had been imprisoned. All of the black-robed guards left as soon as he appeared.

Bai Yanqing had been severely injured by Long Feiye and knew Han Yunxi’s father was even stronger. His body and spirits were both exhausted, so he simply remained kneeling listlessly on the ground. However, he still lifted his head upon Han Chen’s entrance and asked, “Why?! Why would Mu Xin choose you?”

“Your surname isn’t Bai. What’s your real name?” Han Chen had little interest in Mu Xin.

In ancient history, this patch of mountain forest in the Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds was known as “Han City.” The Snow Wolf Clan’s ancestors were surnamed “Han” while the Poison Sect members were surnamed “Wei.” The character for “Han” (韩) contained the character for Wei (韦). When the Snow Wolf Clan and Poison Sect combined, the former gave up their clan name while the latter gave up their surname, creating the “Han” surnamed Poison Sect.

Bai Yanqing’s real surname should be “Han” as well.

“Tell me why Mu Xin chose you. Why? How did you two meet?” Bai Yanqing was still clueless to the truth.

“Your true surname is ‘Han,’ so…that’s why Mu Xin married Han Congan? Or was it because my surname was Han that she chose that man?” Han Chen was curious about this question.

Bai Yanqing gave a start. “You...what do you mean by that?”

Bai Yanqing’s real last name was indeed Han. He originally went by Han Cong,[2] but switched to Bai Yanqing after he joined Heretical Sword Sect while pretending to be one of its disciples.