Chapter 3: Favoring Intimacy Over Kinship

Hearing the shout, the already frail Qin Youqin stumbled and nearly fell, but she instinctively gripped the ragged hem of Qin Anyu’s robe, standing stubbornly by his side.

Qin Anyu patted her shoulder. "Come with me."

He led her slowly into the hallway, where they saw Qin Fang rushing toward the main gate, followed by twenty garrison soldiers. Feeling his own emotions stir, he whispered to himself, "Do not be nervous; they are merely worthless curs."

He set down his basket, packed all the clothing into a chest, and closed it. Looking at Qin Fang, who had run into the courtyard, he asked, "Who authorized you to act as the master of the manor? The three of us siblings are still here."

The original owner of this body had held this uncle in deep contempt and had never been close to him.

Qin Fang, gasping for breath from his run, was nearly choked by the question. "I am your uncle! With your father and mother away, I am the most familiar with the affairs of the Tanzhou manor. If not me, who should act as the master? You?"

Zhang Qili ran from the back room, shrieking, "Do not let him leave! He severely wounded Datong, crippled Fuyuan, and took all our cultivation techniques and silver bills!"

Qin Fang’s eyes widened, his expression turning vicious as he snapped, "Anyu, is that true?" This was an act of total defiance against heaven and earth.

Qin Anyu replied indifferently, "Perhaps. However, everything here belongs to my parents."

Qin Fang roared, "Qin Anyu, have you been feigning stupidity all this time? Everything in the Qin manor was built by my blood and sweat. Do you really think your parents’ meager abilities could have built such a grand estate or provided for the cultivation needs of you three siblings?"

Zhang Qili screamed from the front hallway, "Especially you, you fool! Do you have any idea how much silver is wasted on you every year? After spending so much, you are still only at the fifth stage of Qi Nourishment—a total waste of space!"

These words were shameless. Without Qin Tuo and Dai Linglong’s Qi Refining stage cultivation, could the two of you have ever ascended to the ninth and eighth stages of Qi Nourishment? Without their foundation, could you have ever earned a single coin? Keep dreaming.

How pathetic to be so self-deluded; how shameless to forcibly claim credit.

He had no intention of arguing with such dregs. He looked at Qin Fang and asked, "Who beat Youqin?"

This time, not only was Qin Fang breathless, but Zhang Qili was as well. It seemed that despite all they had said, he had heard nothing, caring only for the maid, Qin Youqin.

Qin Fang raged, "You want revenge? Why not start with your uncle?"

Qin Anyu responded instantly, "I will not let anyone who harmed her go. If no one admits it, I will start with Qin Datong."

Qin Datong, like Zhang Fuyuan, was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. He had long envied the original owner, and even if he hadn't struck the blows himself, they would have been carried out under his instigation. Besides, as the Immortal Emperor Wuwo, how could he be stingy or timid in his actions? One stroke of his sword would pierce the fog, and the truth would reveal itself.

He waited in silence for a response.

Qin Fang, as arrogant and unchangeable as ever, bellowed, "You dare! Do you still think your parents are here?"

Ignoring him, Qin Anyu placed the chest behind the gate and said to Qin Youqin, "Stand here."

Qin Youqin tugged at his robe, whispering, "Young Master, let us just leave."

Qin Anyu offered a rare smile. "You do not want to stay here?"

Qin Youqin shook her head violently. "I will follow the Young Master." She added, "If the Young Master finds me a burden, then I..."

Qin Anyu patted her shoulder, smiling. "Wait." He brushed her hand away and strode toward the front house.

Seeing this, Qin Fang flew into a rage. "Do not think that just because you are my brother's son, you can do as you please here. I am the acting master now, and everything here is mine!" He turned and shouted to the soldiers, "Go in and protect the property of the master of this manor!"

The soldiers hesitated, but then followed their captain, Wang Fuli, through the gate.

By then, Qin Anyu had already brushed past the resistance of Zhang Qili and the servants, seizing Qin Datong by the collar. "Tell me, who were the ones who wounded Qin Youqin?"

Seeing Qin Fang and the soldiers return, Qin Datong cackled, "You fool, you can barely save yourself, yet you worry about that lowly maid—ah!"

With a single punch, Qin Anyu shattered one of Qin Datong’s legs. In terms of closeness, Qin Youqin meant far more to him than this man; a thousand of him could not compare. To the Immortal Emperor, while family ties were important, personal bonds were even more so. When Qin Anyu was cultivating in his sect, it was Qin Youqin who delivered his resources; despite encountering danger multiple times, she had always ensured the supplies reached him. This resilience, this sense of duty, this closeness—it was what the Immortal Emperor admired most.

Zhang Qili shrieked like a furious bird, "Qin Anyu, Datong is your cousin! You would break his leg for a lowly maid? Have you no heart?"

Qin Fang grabbed Qin Youqin and pulled her forward. "Anyu, if I kill her, what will you do?"

Though she was trembling, Qin Youqin’s eyes were full of resolve. She was a woman with great natural talent, ruined only by the lack of silver, status, and someone to recognize her potential.

Qin Anyu had not expected Qin Fang to stoop so low. The blood of fury surged within him, but he whispered to himself, "Rest assured, nothing will happen."

He replied aloud, "If she dies, everyone in this courtyard will die with her."

He struck again, and Qin Datong let out a scream. Another arm was broken. Seeing Qin Anyu’s lack of restraint, Qin Fang’s expression shifted rapidly. He quickly released Qin Youqin, and Zhang Qili dared not scream again. It was clear that using Qin Youqin as a hostage would not work; if this continued, Qin Datong would be truly crippled.

Qin Datong, realizing he could no longer endure the pain, sobbed, "It wasn't me! It was Qin Jiuli and the others!"

Qin Anyu scanned the crowd and spotted Qin Jiuli. Although he rarely stayed at the Qin manor, he recognized him. Qin Jiuli was the steward, having served Qin Tuo for over forty years; he was now nearly sixty.

He stood up, dragging Qin Datong with him, and looked at Qin Jiuli, who stood at the front of the servants. "Are you dissatisfied with your old master, or are you dissatisfied with me?"

Qin Jiuli kept a straight face, his eyes fixed on his own feet. "Neither. It is simply that she committed a fault."

Qin Anyu walked over and smashed a fist into him. "Wrong answer. Think again and answer once more."

Seeing his own arm hanging limply, Qin Jiuli gritted his teeth and repeated, "It was indeed her fault."

Qin Anyu lashed out with a kick. "A servant betraying their master is the greatest taboo."

With a sickening crack, Qin Jiuli collapsed to the ground. Qin Anyu didn't even look at his broken leg. He dragged Qin Datong toward Qin Guli. "Your father betrayed his master. What about you?"

Qin Fang roared, "Qin Anyu, enough! Do you want to tear the Qin family apart? If you act in a way that pains your kin and gladdens your enemies, how will the Qin family ever hold its place in the world?"

Qin Anyu unsheathed the sword embryo from his back. "What is kin? What is an enemy?"

The sword embryo was jagged and covered in dense cracks, looking like nothing more than a broken piece of scrap metal. He swung it in a wide arc. Qin Guli shrieked and retreated, but he could not escape the blow. A leg was severed from his body.

Qin Anyu now looked like a demon, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying, though he remained oblivious to it. Qin Jiuli was whimpering, and Qin Guli was wailing.

Qin Anyu ignored them, looking down at Qin Datong in his grip. "They still refuse to admit it, which means you were lying." He raised the sword embryo and brought it down on his other leg.

Qin Datong, hovering on the brink of unconsciousness, jolted awake and shrieked weakly, "It was my uncle’s arrangement! Qin Jiuli carried it out! Those who participated were..."

Qin Anyu put away the sword embryo and walked toward Zhang Fuyuan, who had already had his spine shattered, and struck him with a single blow. An arm fell to the ground.

Qin Anyu said coldly, "I struck you before because you were disrespectful to your master. I strike you now because you targeted someone close to your master behind their back."

Ignoring Zhang Qili’s screams, he turned to Qin Fang. "Take those people Qin Datong named and break one of their arms yourself."

Qin Fang’s face turned purple. There was nothing more humiliating than being forced to cripple his own son while his soldiers and servants watched, forced to carry out such a bloody act of revenge within his own house.

He dared not order the soldiers to attack, as this was technically a family matter. Qin Tuo was still the nominal head of the house; this was merely a dispute between the master’s son and the acting master. If Qin Anyu were to formally challenge his position, many would surely support him. He dared not act himself, as the servants had told him Zhang Qili could not withstand a single punch from the boy, and given Qin Anyu’s current state, he might not hesitate to strike his own uncle.

While he hesitated, Zhang Qili, her own arm hanging uselessly, could bear it no longer. She shrieked and ran forward, grabbing a short blade and weaving through the servants, "I will do it! I will do it myself!"

Arms littered the floor; over a dozen servants were left crippled, and the manor was filled with wails of agony.

Seeing that everyone named by Qin Datong had lost an arm, Qin Anyu walked over to Qin Youqin and asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied?"

A light blossomed in Qin Youqin’s eyes, and she nodded vigorously. "Yes, more than enough."

Qin Anyu turned to the manor. "Uncle, find me a room. I still have questions for you."

Qin Youqin’s anger was appeased, but he still needed to learn what he could about the whereabouts of Qin Tuo and Dai Linglong.