Chapter 16: The Qin Residence Meets Zhang Zhongnian
Qin Fang was still the acting head of the mansion, but his status at home had become extremely low—only slightly above the servants, even lower than Zhang Qili’s personal maid.
Today, the main room of the rear quarters was set with a table of wine and food. At the head sat a middle-aged man. Qin Fang sat at the lower end, with Zhang Qili on his left and the right side of the table empty. Four maids stood around them.
Seeing the middle-aged man’s cup was empty, Zhang Qili immediately turned to Qin Fang and said angrily, “Can’t you see my cousin’s cup is empty? Pour the wine quickly!”
A flicker of anger shone deep in Qin Fang’s eyes but was immediately extinguished. He obediently left his seat and went to pour wine for him.
Zhang Qili forced a smile and said, “He has no sense at all. Please don’t blame him, brother.”
The middle-aged man said, “Qin Fang, the title ‘acting’ is not something you can easily shed. What tasks have you undertaken so far?”
Qin Fang quickly stood up, bowed his head respectfully, and replied, “Cousin, among the city officials, thirty percent support me, thirty percent are neutral, and forty percent are watching. Among the three great families in the city, two haven’t opposed me, but the last one hasn’t been contacted yet. Next, I plan to…”
Zhang Qili interrupted angrily, “That fool is truly detestable. If it wasn’t for him, the situation wouldn’t be like this. You’re useless too! With my brother here, what are you afraid of? Why aren’t you more assertive? What about your trusted men in the mansion’s troops?”
The middle-aged man waved his hand and asked instead, “That fool ran into the Mang Mountain bandits. Do you have any updates?”
Qin Fang shook his head. “No. The bandits in Mang Mountain are chaotic and fiercely repel outside forces. Outsiders dare not enter easily, even my brother had no luck.”
Zhang Qili was furious again. “Your brother, your brother—he almost got us killed. Without his help, would you even have a chance to be acting head? We have to support my brother! With so many mansion troops, I don’t believe we can’t wipe out those bandits… maybe that fool has even become one of them.”
The middle-aged man nodded. “It’s quite possible he’s become a bandit. When dealing with bandits, decisive measures are necessary. When it’s time to strike, a thunderous attack must be launched.”
Qin Fang nervously said, “Cousin, even my brother… the former head, didn’t want to attack Mang Mountain. The terrain there is too complicated—easy to defend but hard to conquer. There have been previous attacks, all ending in defeat.”
The middle-aged man frowned. “So we just let them exist?”
Qin Fang nodded. “They act with great restraint. They don’t provoke the great families or the powerful backgrounds. Even if the troops attack, they don’t go all out. Although it seems they are defeated each time, few suffer serious injuries.”
The middle-aged man brightened, nodding. “They really know how to survive. A bunch of cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, keeping things small, disdainful of fighting, so they live well.”
His tone then shifted. “Still, I want to know the whereabouts of Qin Anyu.”
At that moment, a loud bang echoed.
Qin Fang immediately looked toward the main gate, and Zhang Qili looked over in anger.
The gate burst open, two panels flew off, and a figure stood at the entrance.
The man carried a sword embryo on his back, holding a jar in his left hand, closing the gate with his leg.
Zhang Qili instantly screamed, “Qin Anyu, you dare come here to die!”
Turning to the middle-aged man with trembling voice and teary eyes, she said, “Brother, that fool is here! He severely injured your nephew, who can’t get up; he crippled my younger brother, who can never walk again. Brother, I beg you, help me kill him!”
The middle-aged man leaned back, avoiding her flying spit.
Qin Anyu saw the three people in the rear main room and the middle-aged man seated on the grand chair. He thought, “So these are the so-called ‘elders.’ Truly a Qi Refining stage cultivator, and mid-stage at that. Killing him will come at a price, but he wants to keep this immortal emperor? Impossible.”
He raised the wine jar and drank half of it in one gulp, then took down his crude sword. Under the watchful eyes of the servants, he stepped lightly toward the rear quarters.
When he reached the back eaves of the front room, the middle-aged man also came to the front eaves of the rear room and said indifferently, “You must be Qin Anyu, the eldest son of Qin Zhen and Dai Linglong?”
Qin Anyu asked coldly, “Who are you? Where are my parents?”
The middle-aged man said, “You may call me Lord Zhang…”
Qin Anyu shouted, “Country dog, tell me your name!”
Who dares to pretend to be a lord before me, the immortal emperor?
The middle-aged man’s face instantly darkened.
How dare this fool insult me like that?
Qin Fang was stunned as well.
How could he speak so recklessly to a Qi Refining stage cultivator… no, how dare he court death?
Zhang Qili hesitated briefly but quickly recovered, rushing in front of the middle-aged man and cursing, “You fool! How dare you insult my brother like that? Do you want to be cut into a thousand pieces? I always thought you were stupid, but I never imagined you’d be this dumb. You should know your parents have already been taken…”
Before she finished, the middle-aged man reached out and pushed her away. Zhang Qili flew like a stone toward the wall behind her.
“Crack!”
Her head passed through the wall, but her shoulders and lower body remained in the room.
Her limbs flailed wildly, and agonizing screams came from beyond the wall.
The middle-aged man clapped his hands, as if dusting off his hands, and said coldly, “Rushing to snatch from me is very rude.”
He turned to Qin Fang and said, “Zhang family matters can only be dealt with by the Zhang family.”
Qin Fang nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken. “Understood, understood.”
Qin Anyu had to admit, this guy’s act was quite successful. He was disgusted by Qin Fang and didn’t want to continue feeling that way, so he drained the rest of the wine in the jar and shouted again, “Country dog, tell me your name!”
The middle-aged man’s face, just returning to normal, darkened again. His temples throbbed as he said grimly, “It seems you want to die quickly. Very well, I shall grant your wish.”
He stepped down from the platform and walked step by step toward Qin Anyu.
With each step, a footprint was left on the ground.
This scene shocked Qin Fang and left the servants dumbstruck.
Can one person really do this?
Qin Anyu found it amusing. “Even the depth of the footprints isn’t consistent, and you still come out to show off? Just trying to scare ordinary people.”
He stepped forward as well, standing in the courtyard, waiting silently.
As he walked, the middle-aged man realized something was wrong. “He only stepped forward once, but I’m approaching him. Would people think I’m receiving him?”
Thinking this, he stopped and leapt toward Qin Anyu. “I’ll cripple you!”
As he swung his palm, he caught Qin Anyu’s gaze. Suddenly, horrifying visions of mountains of blades and seas of fire, rivers of blood, and the wails of all living beings flooded into his mind.
He immediately clutched his head and screamed, then fell to the ground—right at Qin Anyu’s feet.
Qin Anyu seemed frightened, his face pale, but he still raised the wine jar and smashed it down. “Stop playing dead! Get up and fight!”
He looked exactly like a fool scared out of his wits.
At that moment, Zhang Qili pulled her head out of the wall and stood at the threshold of the main room. Seeing Qin Anyu smashing the jar at the middle-aged man, she shouted, “Qin Anyu, if you dare hit him, your parents will die!”
“Crack…”
The wine jar shattered, but the middle-aged man’s head was unharmed, only a few drops of unfinished wine spilled.
An ordinary wine jar couldn’t harm even a low-level mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
The crude sword was different.
Qin Anyu swung twice, severing both of the man’s hands. Then he walked toward Zhang Qili and said coldly, “You were involved in the disappearance of my parents too?”