Yan Qingming gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
A single serving of breakfast was laid out on the dining table, clearly left there specifically for him by Qi Xiaolin. He sat down and began to eat while listening to the report between Ren Jue and Qi Xiaolin.
Ren Jue said, “Brother Qi, the DNA test is complete. The tibia of the middle-aged male is indeed that of the old master. It has been placed with the other remains found earlier. However, the blood-stained scrap of fabric; we currently do not have a DNA sample from Mr. Qingyan, so we cannot verify it for the time being.”
As soon as this topic was raised, the atmosphere in the living room grew heavy, and Qi Xiaolin’s expression darkened visibly.
He only wanted to recover the remains of his parents, but after all this effort, he had only found a few bones belonging to his father. There had been no progress in finding his mother’s remains, and for Qingyan, he had nothing but that single scrap of fabric. He did not even know if he would be able to collect his parents’ remains before his own death.
Frustrated, Qi Xiaolin reached for a cigarette on the table and asked in a sharp tone, “Among the former Yan family members currently working for us, who has been with the Yan family the longest? Has anyone been there for over a decade?”
The Yan family’s power was deeply intertwined, and their hands were stained with more blood than could be counted. Investigating through such means was unlikely to yield results.
Ren Jue paused, looking thoughtfully at Yan Qingming’s back before saying, “Our people were all under Brother Ming’s command originally. Brother Ming did not lead them for long, so they have not been with the Yan family for many years. If you are looking for someone with the longest tenure in the Yan family, that would be Brother Ming himself.”
He continued as if he had just remembered something: “By the way, the markings on the old master’s tibia are very strange. Unlike cuts from typical blades, the marks are uneven and jagged, causing even more immense agony. These are wounds inflicted by the Yan family’s unique Jing blade. Brother Ming has one of these blades as well. I remember when Brother Ming was in his teens, he specifically used people to practice his blade technique. Could it be…”
Before he could finish, he glanced meaningfully at Yan Qingming. As these words hung in the air, Qi Xiaolin’s gaze swept toward Yan Qingming with the sharpness of a knife.
The Jing blade was exclusive to the Yan family. It was far more brutal in causing torture than any standard weapon; it was sharp enough to slice through iron, but the forging process was so complex that each blade required significant human and material resources to create. They never allowed the blades to leak out, so only the inner core members of the Yan family possessed them, with fewer than twenty in existence in total.
For a beast like Yan Feng, it was entirely within his character to use living people for Yan Qingming to practice on.
Qi Xiaolin asked in a low voice, “At what age did you begin using the Jing blade?”
Yan Qingming’s hand, gripping his chopsticks, faltered. “I cannot remember.”
Ren Jue spoke at the same time as him: “Seventeen!”
Qi Xiaolin narrowed his eyes, a flicker of suspicion passing through them. Qingming was twenty-nine this year. Seventeen was twelve years ago, the year the Qi family tragedy occurred.
Yan Qingming put down his chopsticks and turned to look at Ren Jue. The chill in his eyes made Ren Jue’s own expression become visibly strained.
Yan Qingming let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I am touched. You remember it better than I do myself.”
Ren Jue pulled at the corner of his mouth into a stiff smile. “I have always been by Brother Ming’s side, so naturally, I remember it a bit more clearly.”
He was an orphan, taken from human traffickers by the Yan family when he was just six or seven years old.
Yan Qingming smiled. “Is that so? Then I really must thank you for such loyalty.”
He would never forget the night the Yan family fell. It was under Ren Jue’s deception that he had drank the tainted tea, leaving him with no ability to resist before he was forcibly dragged by Qi Xiaolin to the unfamiliar city of Qingcheng.
Yan Qingming continued, “Since you remember it so clearly, how could you not know that those I used to practice on were all traitors to the Yan family? If you have something to say, just say it directly. Since we are all sitting here, why do you have to speak in riddles?”
“Furthermore, I am not the one who has been with the Yan family the longest. I was only picked up by Yan Feng when I was a teenager. Ren Jue, you are the one who grew up in the Yan family. You are the true veteran.”
These words turned Ren Jue’s face pale, and Qi Xiaolin’s scrutinizing gaze shifted to him, as sharp as a blade.