7
Uninvited Guest
The Li Trigram Fist surged forward with overwhelming force, on the verge of striking Chang Weiqi. The four spectators outside the arena grew frantic, but they were too far away to lend a hand, leaving them both furious and anxious.
Liu Xing’s face lit up with delight, thinking to himself that after always being on the receiving end of blows, he could finally retaliate. Just watch me cripple you, he thought. But before his joy could fully settle, the tree branch that had been knocked away suddenly shot back, striking him squarely in the abdomen with such force that it sent Liu Xing flying backward. The branch itself snapped with a sharp crack.
From outside the arena, four voices erupted in simultaneous cheers, so loud they seemed to shake the courtyard walls. This outburst of approval stemmed from two reasons: first, Liu Xing had stubbornly refused to admit defeat, frustrating everyone who had been watching impatiently. Now that the outcome was clear, if Liu Xing tried to weasel out again, the spectators would no longer remain seated and might even step into the fray. Second, Chang Weiqi had turned defeat into victory, transforming danger into safety with a final move so exquisitely executed that, even if no one fully understood it, they couldn’t help but erupt in admiration.
That final move was none other than “Returning Kindness with Kindness” from the Soul-Grasping Sword Technique. The wooden branch, rebounding with incredible speed, retreated only to advance even faster. However, as Chang Weiqi was using a mere branch and his technique was not yet fully refined, the wood ultimately snapped under the strain.
Meanwhile, Liu Xing lay sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain and unable to stand, cold sweat drenching his body. He thought to himself, If that had been a real sword, I would have been cut in half—no chance of survival. This guy must be the strongest of the five, he consoled himself, clutching his abdomen as he scrambled away in defeat.
Everyone was overjoyed at Chang Weiqi’s victory, and Chang Weiqi himself remained humble, saying, “It was just luck, pure luck.”
“Hey, why did Liu Xing come to your house in the first place?” Qu Yue asked, puzzled, turning to Qian Lingyan. Earlier, the two sides had clashed without a word of explanation, and this question had been forgotten in the heat of the moment.
Qian Lingyan replied, “The Liu brothers are inseparable. Where Liu Xing is, Liu Ying can’t be far behind.”
No sooner had he spoken than a furious roar echoed through the courtyard. “Which little brat has the nerve to lay a hand on my brother?” The speaker was none other than Liu Xing’s older brother—Liu Ying. The two brothers shared similar features, both with square-jawed faces, though Liu Ying was taller and more imposing, his aura far more formidable than Liu Xing’s.
Accompanying the Liu brothers were a man and a woman. The woman was Qian Lingyan’s cousin, Qian Lingxue, while the man—unfamiliar only to Chang Weiqi—was Qian Lingyan’s half-brother, Qian Lingfeng. Tall and dignified, Qian Lingfeng was as strikingly handsome as Qian Lingxue, yet his expression was cold and aloof. A long sword hung at his waist, adding to his austere demeanor.
Before Qian Lingyan could respond, Chang Weiqi stepped forward and said, “I was merely sparring with Young Master Liu and may have struck too hard. I hope you won’t take offense.”
At this, Liu Xing hastily interjected, “That’s nonsense! It was all five of you ganging up on me. Otherwise, how could I have lost?”
Qu Yue, hot-tempered and furious at Liu Xing’s distortion of the truth, raised her voice sharply. “Bah! Liu Xing, are you speaking or spewing foul dog’s breath? If you’re not convinced, this lady will spar with you. If I don’t beat you until you’re picking your teeth off the ground, I’ll renounce my family name!” Her crude outburst, born of genuine rage, startled everyone present.
“I… I’m injured now, of course… of course I can’t fight you,” Liu Xing stammered nervously.
His own blood brother had been beaten, and Liu Ying was determined to reclaim face today. However, he hadn’t expected to provoke Qu Yue, so he said, “Every grievance has its source, every debt its debtor. Whoever struck my brother—I’ll skin him alive today.”
Seeing the Liu brothers making unreasonable trouble, Qian Lingyan also grew angry and said, “Liu Xing spoke disrespectfully, so I had Weiqi teach him a small lesson. As for the person, you can consider it as me who struck him.”
Liu Ying said with a sinister tone, “Fine. Qian Lingyan, you’re digging your own grave—don’t blame anyone else.”
Qian Lingxue and Qian Lingfeng merely watched from the sidelines without intervening. Qian Lingyan understood clearly that they were unwilling to offend the Liu family on his account. Though they were all members of the Qian family, being abandoned by his own clansmen left Qian Lingyan feeling a chill in his heart, and it would be self-deception to claim otherwise.
Qian Lingyan thought to himself, I’m determined to offend the Liu family today. He spoke up, “Young Master Liu, seeing how your brother couldn’t even defeat a mere page from my household, it seems the Liu family only teaches skills fit for women embroidering flowers. How about I let you have twenty moves first, so you don’t lose too quickly?”
“Qian Lingyan, you’re talking nonsense. It seems you’ve grown tired of living,” Liu Ying roared in fury, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Young Master Liu is right. Lingyan spoke out of turn. How could twenty moves be enough? I should let you have at least fifty.”
Qian Lingxue and Qian Lingfeng frowned slightly, wondering if Qian Lingyan had lost his mind. While they were still muttering to themselves, Qian and Liu had already begun their fight. As the two engaged, the four members of Liu Ying’s group grew uneasy. They had thought Qian Lingyan’s offer to concede moves was mere talk, never expecting him to truly focus entirely on defense without launching a single attack. Little did they know that the new fist technique Qian Lingyan had learned prioritized defense over offense.
After more than ten exchanges, Liu Ying’s attacks grew increasingly swift, yet Qian Lingyan, relying on the sophistication of his fist technique, dodged left and right, preventing Liu Ying from gaining the upper hand. Moreover, Qian Lingyan’s taunts only fueled Liu Ying’s impatience, causing him to lose composure first. As the saying goes, onlookers see most of the game. Liu Xing spoke up to remind him, “Big brother, don’t fall into Qian Lingyan’s trap.”
Hearing his brother’s reminder, Liu Ying snapped back to his senses. By then, the two had exchanged over twenty moves. Liu Ying was no mediocre fighter; he recalled Qian Lingyan’s agility and how he often used the terrain to his advantage. Thus, Liu Ying adopted a steady approach, aiming to corner Qian Lingyan in the courtyard and cut off his retreat.
Although Qian Lingyan understood Liu Ying’s intent, Liu Ying had already grasped the fundamentals of the Eight Trigrams formation, while Qian Lingyan had only recently begun learning the Beast-Form Fist and had yet to master it fully. He had no choice but to retreat step by step toward the corner.
Qian Lingyan had initially thought holding out for fifty moves would be nothing, but he had underestimated Liu Ying. As one of the three male leaders among the Seven Great Families, Liu Ying surely possessed more than just a hot temper—he had genuine skill. Moreover, with Liu Ying focusing solely on offense and neglecting defense, his advantage became even more pronounced.
By now, Qian Lingyan had been forced into the corner. Liu Ying unleashed the Xun and Li trigram fists. Xun represents wind, swift in speed; Li represents fire, fierce in attack. Wind fuels the fire’s intensity, and fire borrows the wind’s might—this strike was truly formidable. If executed skillfully, it could very well claim Qian Lingyan’s life.
Seeing no way out, Qian Lingyan dropped to the ground and executed a “Donkey Roll,” dodging the attack from the side. At that moment, Liu Ying pivoted swiftly on his feet, shifting his stance. The Xun and Li trigram fists unexpectedly changed direction, aiming for Qian Lingyan, who was still on the ground. As the fists came crashing down, Qian Lingyan had no choice but to adapt. He performed a “Dragon’s Somersault,” lying on his side and rapidly retreating to evade the strike. However, the force behind the punch was too fierce. It slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves of Qi that flung Qian Lingyan backward.
Qian Lingyan tumbled across the ground, and before he could come to a stop, Liu Ying closed the distance with a few long strides. He unleashed the Xun trigram fist, prioritizing speed in a bid to secure victory with a single blow. Seeing the situation firmly under control, Liu Xing couldn’t help but cheer.
Qian Lingyan employed “Gecko Crawls the Wall,” gripping the ground with both hands to steady himself while muttering softly, “Fifty moves.” With his hands planted on the ground, he inverted his body and launched a “Scorpion’s Tail Sting,” driving his right foot straight toward Liu Ying’s face.
Liu Ying, charging forward, couldn’t halt his momentum. Focused solely on offense with no thought for defense, he was caught off guard by Qian Lingyan’s sudden counterattack and was genuinely startled. But his reflexes were sharp—he shifted his feet, slightly turned his body, and struck directly at Qian Lingyan.
Qian Lingyan had already anticipated Liu Ying’s response. This move was a combination of “Scorpion’s Tail Sting” and “Swift Falcon Pierces the Forest.” Using his hands as feet, he pivoted his body to evade the Xun trigram fist, then followed up with a kick aimed straight at Liu Ying’s face. Due to the sudden rotation in his technique, the force was somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, a dusty shoe print was left on Liu Ying’s face, and his nose began to bleed, leaving him in a sorry state.
Immediately after, Qian Lingyan pushed off forcefully with his hands, executing “Robust Leopard Soars,” closing in on his opponent. Then, he sprang up from the ground with “Viper Strikes from Its Burrow,” delivering a heavy uppercut that connected with Liu Ying’s chin. Liu Ying was sent flying backward, suspended in the air for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground.
Liu Ying lay defeated on the ground. No one had expected this outcome—it seemed as though Qian Lingyan had allowed Liu Ying fifty moves before ending the fight with a single strike. A cool breeze drifted through the courtyard, the silence profound, broken only by the lingering echo of Liu Ying’s fall.
Qian Lingyan blew on his right fist. “That really hurt.”
Having lost face completely today, Liu Ying gritted his teeth in resentment. “Qian Lingyan, this isn’t over between us.” He stood up and pulled Liu Xing away with him.
“Brother Liu, wait.” Qian Lingfeng spoke coldly. “Qian Lingyan, you’d better not push it too far. Apologize to Brother Liu today, and we’ll consider this matter settled.”
Qian Lingyan smiled. “Cousin, is that what you think too?”
Qian Lingxue remained silent, tacitly agreeing. She could see that Qian Lingyan still hadn’t mastered Qi techniques and had only won through bizarre and unpredictable moves. In terms of true strength, Qian Lingyan might not be superior to Liu Ying.
The truth was indeed as she perceived, and Qian Lingyan acknowledged it. But whether it was strength or luck, Qian Lingyan had won, and he had no intention of apologizing. Regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, apologizing for beating the Liu brothers wouldn’t have been a big deal. However, Qian Lingyan deeply disliked the attitudes of Qian Lingfeng and Qian Lingxue toward him—as if they were willing to discard him at any moment to curry favor with outsiders.
Liu Xing watched with schadenfreude, ready to see Qian Lingyan humiliated. Liu Ying also paused, curious about how Qian Lingyan would handle the situation, but he knew he would have to reclaim his dignity himself.
“What if I refuse to apologize?” Qian Lingyan stared directly at Qian Lingfeng without backing down.
Qian Lingfeng’s tone remained icy. “It seems I’ll have to teach you some manners.” As he spoke, he slowly placed his hand on his sword.
“I really can’t stand how arrogant you men from the Seven Great Families are.” A lazy voice rang out. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Xu Sa tilting his head with an infuriating expression.
Qian Lingyan’s face darkened. “I’m also from the Seven Great Families…”
“Oh… except you.”
“You too…” Qian Lingyan was speechless.
Xu Sa’s imposing demeanor instantly turned foolish, leaving Qian Lingyan unsure whether to laugh or cry.
“Xu Sa, this is a Qian family matter. You’d better not interfere,” Qian Lingfeng said.
“Sorry, Qian Lingfeng. Qian Lingyan is my best friend. No matter who it is, they’d better not lay a hand on him in front of me.” As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard suddenly turned cold.
Even an outsider like Xu Sa was defending Qian Lingyan, while Qian Lingfeng himself was about to draw his sword. Whether intentional or not, Xu Sa had just slapped Qian Lingfeng in the face.
With tensions escalating, Qian Lingxue spoke up. “It’s getting late. The others are waiting to practice, so we should head back.” Sure enough, members of the Seven Great Families had come to the Qian family today for sparring, which was why the Liu brothers were here. Coincidentally, both the male and female groups had come to Qian Manor today.
Qian Lingyan thought to himself, so Huang Ying also came to the Qian family. Why didn’t she come to see me?
Qian Lingxue didn’t want to offend the Liu family, so she tacitly allowed Liu Ying to stand up for Liu Xing. However, she also didn’t want other members of the Seven Great Families to see Qian Lingyan get beaten up, so she let the others practice on their own while she and Qian Lingfeng went to the west courtyard to keep an eye on Liu Ying, fearing he might go too far. As it turned out, their worries were unnecessary.
With Qian Lingxue having spoken, the Liu brothers and Qian Lingfeng could say no more and left.
After the commotion, everyone lost their enthusiasm for practice. Qian Lingyan said, “Let’s call it a day for now.” He was feeling somewhat exhausted.
Qian Lingyan returned to his room, his mind in turmoil as he stared blankly into space. He only snapped out of it when the door was pushed open. To his great surprise, the visitor was Huang Ying.
Seeing Qian Lingyan in a daze, Huang Ying thought he was injured and grew anxious. “Lingyan, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Qian Lingyan remained silent, lost in thought.
“Lingyan, what’s going on? Say something, don’t scare me.” Huang Ying grew even more worried, her voice trembling with tears.
“Huang Ying, when you grow up, will you marry me?” Qian Lingyan suddenly spoke, uttering such unexpected words.
Huang Ying flustered, unsure how to respond.
“Well? Will you or not? Say something,” Qian Lingyan pressed.
Seeing that Qian Lingyan didn’t seem injured, Huang Ying felt relieved. Remembering his words, she felt both shy and delighted. Her face flushed red as she stammered, “You… what are you saying… I’m ignoring you.”
With her face still red, Huang Ying ran out of Qian Lingyan’s room and bumped right into Qian Lingyan’s mother. Yang Yi looked at Huang Ying and smiled faintly, making Huang Ying’s face turn even redder. She even forgot how she managed to leave Qian Lingyan’s courtyard.
Today, the attitudes of Qian Lingfeng and Qian Lingxue made Qian Lingyan feel very uncomfortable. Just because he couldn’t master Qi techniques, did he deserve such treatment? Coincidentally, Huang Ying arrived at that moment. As Qian Lingyan recalled his various experiences with Huang Ying, he felt increasingly affectionate and moved, overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t restrain. He didn’t even know why he had asked that question. But since he had asked, Qian Lingyan didn’t regret it. Seeing Huang Ying’s reaction, he even felt a bit delighted.
Huang Ying went back to practice with the members of the Seven Great Families. Everyone was puzzled, as they had never seen Huang Ying in such a dazed, happy state before.
Yang Yi entered Qian Lingyan’s room and noticed the smile in his eyes. She secretly smiled but didn’t point it out. “Lingyan, come to my room.”
Qian Lingyan followed Yang Yi. As soon as they reached her door, he saw a disheveled, grimy old man rummaging through the room. He couldn’t exactly be called old—he looked to be around fifty years old. But with his oily, stained clothes and messy hair, he appeared much older.
Seeing a thief in his mother’s house, Qian Lingyan was shocked. In broad daylight, this person was so brazen. If his mother hadn’t come to find him but had been in the room instead, what would have happened…
At this thought, cold sweat dripped down Qian Lingyan’s back, and he was filled with fear. Instantly, fear turned to anger, and a surge of killing intent shot up. He shouted, “You wretched thief, your life ends here!” Logically speaking, theft was not a capital offense—murder required life, injury or theft demanded punishment. But this thief had broken into Yang Yi’s room, and Qian Lingyan, driven by fear and rage, lost his rationality.
Before Yang Yi could react, Qian Lingyan charged into the room. He leaped into the air, thrusting both fists forward with a move called “Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain,” aiming straight for the back of the thief’s head.
Just as Qian Lingyan was about to smash the man’s skull, a sudden thought flashed through his mind: it would be terribly unlucky for someone to die in his mother’s room. So, he transformed his fists into claws, grabbing toward the man’s shoulders. With this shift in thought, Qian Lingyan’s mind cleared considerably. This man was likely driven to theft by hardship and didn’t deserve death—he would just teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, Qian Lingyan’s grab landed on empty air. The man merely turned slightly and dodged the move. Qian Lingyan found the footwork somewhat familiar, but the opponent moved too quickly for him to see clearly. This person was actually a master. Seeing his move miss, Qian Lingyan unleashed another technique, “Agile Cat’s Chaotic Claws,” attacking with both claws simultaneously.
The man dodged again using the same method, evading with several swift turns. Qian Lingyan was secretly astonished—this time, he clearly saw the opponent’s technique. It was actually “Swift Falcon Pierces the Forest” from the Beast-Form Fist he had studied.