“Young Master, what do you think?” Ancestor Xuantian looked at Qin Yun.
“If anyone can just cause me trouble and then get away with a simple apology, how many problems will I face in the future? Since he stirred up trouble, he has to pay the price,” Qin Yun said coldly.
Qian Lingxiao’s face twitched. He had already bowed his head and admitted fault—what more did this guy want? He was the Young Prince of the Prince of Chu’s Residence! This damned lowborn fool just wouldn’t let go. Lowborn scum! You better pray you never fall into my hands!
“Ancestor, he looks unconvinced. He’s probably thinking of taking revenge later,” Qin Yun pointed at Qian Lingxiao.
“If he’s not convinced, then give him a proper lesson,” Ancestor Xuantian said with a grim face.
“You absolutely must not! He’s the Young Prince of the Prince of Chu’s Residence…” An Mo cried out.
“So what if he is? He still needs to be taught a lesson.” Ancestor Xuantian shot An Mo a cold glance that made his heart race.
With a loud thud, Qin Yun kicked Qian Lingxiao squarely in the abdomen. The crushing force collapsed his stomach, breaking several ribs as his internal organs suffered severe shock. He slammed hard onto the ground, his face twisted in pain, unable to even scream.
Qin Yun then stepped on Qian Lingxiao’s throat.
Qian Lingxiao felt like a massive weight was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. The suffocating feeling grew stronger by the second.
“Do you want to live or die?” Qin Yun asked coldly.
“I want to live… I want to live…” Qian Lingxiao surrendered immediately.
“If you want to live, then you need to pay up. Got anything good on you?” Qin Yun narrowed his eyes.
“I… I have three Innate Pills, and also…” Qian Lingxiao suddenly shut his mouth. The other item was far too rare—he’d gone to great lengths to obtain it.
Qin Yun pressed down slightly with his foot.
Crack!
The sound of bones fracturing came from Qian Lingxiao’s neck. His face turned pale with fear, and he cried out, “And the Ten-Thousand Tempered Sword!”
“Hand it all over.” Qin Yun lifted his foot.
With great pain in his heart, Qian Lingxiao handed over his storage ring. The three Innate Pills were one thing, but the Ten-Thousand Tempered Sword was something he had spent much effort to acquire. It was forged with a portion of meteoric iron and highly valuable.
Qin Yun glanced through the contents of the ring. Besides the three Innate Pills and the Ten-Thousand Tempered Sword, there were six bottles of ninth-grade spiritual pills, all used to enhance cultivation.
Qin Yun withdrew his foot.
Qian Lingxiao’s tense body finally relaxed, only then realizing that his clothes were soaked in sweat.
An Mo let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness Qin Yun hadn’t killed Qian Lingxiao. If the Young Prince had died here, how would he explain it to the Prince of Chu?
“Ancestor, let’s move to another cabin.” Qin Yun didn’t fear Qian Lingxiao and the others, but he didn’t want to share a space with these royal brats.
“Young Master, shall we bring Qian Susu along?”
Ancestor Xuantian asked. “She’s of low birth. After all this, if they need someone to vent their anger on, she might be the target.”
“But Qian Susu is still a descendant of the Prince of Chu. They wouldn’t be that cruel, would they?” Qin Yun frowned. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Royalty isn’t like commoners. They have many offspring, and only direct descendants are valued—unless someone has exceptional talent, the rest are mostly ignored,” Ancestor Xuantian explained. “Qian Susu’s mother was a servant. Among all the illegitimate children, her status is the lowest.”
“And her mother is already dead. With no support, surviving this long is already a stroke of luck.”
“Some of them even died?” Qin Yun looked at Ancestor Xuantian in surprise.
“Some died shortly after birth. Those who survive usually lack talent. If any illegitimate child shows potential, strange accidents often happen within months—they’re not allowed to grow strong,” Ancestor Xuantian said, shaking his head.
“Does the royal clan of the Great Qian Empire not care?” Qin Yun asked grimly.
“How could they? Just counting illegitimate children and collateral branches, there are millions. Who has the energy to manage all of that?” Ancestor Xuantian shook his head repeatedly.
“Royalty is truly filthy,” Qin Yun snorted.
Ancestor Xuantian could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Power struggles were inevitable within any royal family.
“If you want to bring her, bring her. If not, just forget it. It’s just a passing encounter,” Ancestor Xuantian said quickly.
“If I don’t take her, she might die, right?” Qin Yun asked.
“Without protection, even if she doesn’t die, she’ll suffer endless humiliation,” Ancestor Xuantian said vaguely.
Illegitimate children born of servant women were the lowest in status—sometimes even beneath the household servants.
Qin Yun turned and walked toward the third cabin.
The group of young men and women were still gathered around Qian Susu. Though they hadn’t laid hands on her, she was curled up in a corner, trembling.
When they saw Qin Yun enter, they quickly backed away.
“Did they hurt you?” Qin Yun asked Qian Susu.
“N-no…” Qian Susu shook her head quickly. Her eyes were still red, with tear stains on her cheeks—clearly she had just wiped them away.
Though they had surrounded her and hurled insults, she didn’t dare tell Qin Yun. She was afraid of bringing him more trouble.
“What are you planning to do next?” Qin Yun asked her.
“Plans…” Qian Susu looked blank. She had no idea what to do now. Right—her mother had once told her to try and pass the entrance exam for the Great Qian Academy.
“I… I want to apply to the Great Qian Academy…” she said softly.
“Do you want to come with me?” Qin Yun asked.
“With you?” Qian Susu was stunned.
“Girl, the Young Master is willing to bring you. That’s a blessing from your past life! Say yes!” Ancestor Xuantian urged.
She might be timid, but she wasn’t foolish. After what just happened, Qian Lingxiao and the others would definitely retaliate when they returned to the Prince of Chu’s Residence.
Her living quarters there were just an old, rundown building, barely better than the servants’ area.
Better to not go back than return to a life of bullying.
Qin Yun brought Qian Susu to the sixth cabin. Though it wasn’t as luxurious as the front cabins, it was quiet and undisturbed.
Qian Susu sat alone, took out a fourth-grade spiritual medicine, and then pulled out a plain white handkerchief. She laid the herb on the cloth and carefully cut off a portion with a small knife. She wrapped the leftover powder in the cloth, put away the rest, then placed the sliced portion in her mouth and began refining it with her true qi.
Qin Yun watched in surprise.
“Brother Qin Yun, do you want one? I have another…” Qian Susu noticed his gaze and quickly stopped refining. She took out a worn cloth bag, carefully opening an aged jade box inside.
There was a fifth-grade spiritual medicine within.
Qin Yun noticed how clean it was—each root meticulously cleaned, unbroken, and spotless. It was clearly treated with care.
“You picked this yourself?” Qin Yun asked.
“I found it outside. I was lucky to come across a fifth-grade spiritual medicine,” Qian Susu nodded.
“If you give it to me, what will you do?” Qin Yun looked at her.
“I’ll just find another later…” Qian Susu lowered her head shyly, a little embarrassed.
This kind, pure girl was even a little naïve. Qin Yun sighed. This fifth-grade spiritual medicine was obviously her most precious possession, and she still offered it to him.
When he didn’t take it, Qian Susu started to get anxious, afraid he didn’t want it.
Noticing her expression, Qin Yun immediately accepted it. “Alright. I’ll accept your kindness.”
Qian Susu bit her lower lip and smiled faintly. She was happy—this was the first time anyone had accepted her goodwill without rejecting her.
“Since you gave me one, I’ll give you some too.” Qin Yun took out a pile of sixth and seventh-grade spiritual medicines he had collected during his journey.
Anything below eighth-grade wasn’t very useful to him anymore. But for someone like Qian Susu, these were perfect for cultivation.
He stuffed them all into her hands. “Here. Take them and refine them slowly.”
Qian Susu stared blankly at the pile of spiritual medicines, then her eyes turned red and tears began to stream down.
“Why are you crying?” Qin Yun asked.
“No one’s ever given me anything before… no one’s ever been this kind to me…” Qian Susu said tearfully, her head lowered.