The two of them were each lost in their own thoughts and didn’t notice the other’s distraction. Silence fell over the cave for a while until Jin Pang finally broke it.
“My mother and the former matriarch of the Xiao Clan were sisters born of the same mother. The most talented alchemist in the Xiao Clan back then was my cousin, the young master of the Xiao Clan.”
As Jin Pang spoke, Qin Chuan felt like a flood of melodrama was about to crash into him. He wasn’t trying to defend Xie An, but seriously—this was cultivation! Who still cared about legitimate sons, illegitimate sons, or bastards? Female-oriented novels were completely unhinged. What was this—some divine sect of bloodlines!?
But things weren’t quite what Qin Chuan imagined. Jin Pang continued, “If it were only that kind of relationship, I wouldn’t have any grudges with Xie An. My cousin was incredibly gifted in both alchemy and cultivation. Whether or not he was the Xiao Clan’s heir, he would have made a name for himself on the Origin Spirit Continent.”
“But then, something unexpected happened. While venturing into a Secret Realm, my cousin was poisoned and could no longer use spiritual energy, making it impossible for him to continue alchemy.”
“After he was injured, my parents, my aunt, and even my grandfather personally went to Fengyun Lands to search for spiritual medicine to save him…”
At this point, Jin Pang’s voice choked up. He lowered his head and stopped talking. Qin Chuan didn’t say anything, simply waiting silently for Jin Pang to gather himself.
After a while, Jin Pang spoke again. “My parents and aunt perished in Fengyun Lands. Only my grandfather managed to return, bringing back the spiritual medicine.”
“But then… ha… while still in the Xiao Clan, members of the demon race stormed in and stole the medicine. My grandfather fought desperately and killed one of them. He later learned it was a child who had accidentally let something slip that led the demon race to steal that life-saving spiritual herb.”
“That child was Xie An?” Qin Chuan asked.
“Yes. But by that time, he had already been taken in as a disciple by Yunyao Sect Master, and the Xiao Clan protected him. Neither my grandfather nor my cousin could do anything about him.” Jin Pang crushed the stone in his hand as he spoke.
Qin Chuan was just about to say something to comfort Jin Pang when a thought struck him. Alchemy master, powerful flame control, grudge against Xie An—these keywords triggered a theory in his mind.
However, he didn’t ask immediately. Instead, he consoled Jin Pang first. “Senior Brother Jin, this time we’ll make Xie An pay with his life.”
“Yes. Xie An must pay with his life.” Jin Pang spat out those words through gritted teeth.
“But I still have one more question. May I ask what your mother’s maiden name is?” Qin Chuan waited until Jin Pang had calmed down a bit before asking the question he really wanted to ask.
“Yang.” Jin Pang didn’t understand why Qin Chuan wanted to know, but still gave him an answer.
Yang Yi, the evil alchemist… Qin Chuan immediately thought of that ruthless character who nearly destroyed both the protagonist and the male supporting characters.
Wait, no. He quickly denied that thought. In the plot, Yang Yi was described as tall and burly, clearly not Jin Pang.
“He’s surnamed Xiao, given name Yi. Why are you suddenly curious about him, Junior Brother Qin?”
“My cousin can’t refine pills anymore and just barely survives each day, but I can refine pills for you, Junior Brother Qin. My skills aren’t bad, and if needed, my grandfather can help too.” Jin Pang had recovered quickly, no longer showing any sadness.
The moment Qin Chuan heard the name “Yi,” he understood—according to female-oriented novel logic, Xiao Yi had to be Yang Yi, the evil alchemist.
In the novel’s plot, Yang Yi was born twisted and cruel, spreading disaster across the world, slaughtering mortals for his cultivation and using them in alchemy. The protagonist and the male leads became his enemies in their attempt to stop him. But now, it seemed there was a hidden backstory.
The Origin Spirit Continent was a real world. Novels always focused on what surrounded the protagonist and their love interests, often painting them in a glorified light. But reality… wasn’t so simple.
“Junior Brother Qin? Junior Brother Qin…”
Jin Pang’s repeated calls pulled Qin Chuan back to the present. “Senior Brother Jin, did you need something?”
“What were you thinking so intently about? I called you four or five times, and you didn’t even notice.” Jin Pang frowned.
“Senior Brother Jin, do you believe in the theory of outcomes?” Qin Chuan didn’t answer but posed a question instead.
“Theory of outcomes?” Jin Pang was puzzled.
“It means, if someone ends up benefiting from a situation, then it’s highly likely they had a hand in making it happen,” Qin Chuan explained.
“What did you say!?”
Jin Pang suddenly stood up, body trembling. He stared at Qin Chuan and forced out a sentence through clenched teeth. “Junior Brother Qin, are you saying Xie An was behind the death of my cousin and my parents?”
“I don’t know,” Qin Chuan shook his head. But in truth, he was 90% certain that Xie An and the Xiao Clan’s patriarch were involved.
He didn’t read female-oriented novels, but in this information-saturated age, he’d seen enough fragments of such stories online or in drama clips.
This Xiao Clan incident felt exactly like one of those palace dramas—where the Emperor couldn’t marry the woman he truly loved, so he secretly loved her from afar, got rid of his own wife and son, and helped his beloved’s child rise to power.
Thinking of this made Qin Chuan want to curse. How could the patriarch of a clan that ruled an entire province lack such backbone? Female-oriented novels were truly deranged.
As far as Qin Chuan knew, the Origin Spirit Continent still followed the law of strength above all else. For example, the Sect Master of the Tranquil Void Sect had to be at least in the Great Ascension Realm. Even if not the strongest in the sect—that title belonged to Qin Chuan’s Master—he would still rank in the top five.
The Xiao Clan shouldn’t be much different. The patriarch’s cultivation must also be one of the best in the clan.
Yet a powerful man couldn’t even choose his own Dao companion? Still clinging to some white-moonlight fantasy? Calling it fantasy cultivation but stuffing it with romance fluff—was everyone in female-oriented novels just obsessed with love? This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
What a joke. This was cultivation! Once you became strong enough, even if you said dung tasted good, no one would dare argue. In fact, some people might even eat it in front of you just to flatter you.
Strength. Strength. Strength was the only foundation. A patriarch of a strong clan could marry anyone he wanted unless someone stronger forced him otherwise. And Jin Pang’s mother’s side wasn’t a powerful clan.
So could female-oriented stories please respect the most basic logic of cultivation: the strong reign supreme?
As Qin Chuan ranted in his head, Jin Pang muttered in denial, “No… Xie An was just a child back then, and only in the Qi Refining Realm. He couldn’t have done anything.”
“Then what about the Xiao Clan’s patriarch? A demon beast invaded the headquarters of a top-tier cultivation family and successfully stole a life-saving spiritual herb from their genius disciple. Is that even possible?” Qin Chuan’s voice was calm, but it struck Jin Pang like a thunderclap. A headache throbbed as hatred reignited in his eyes. He wanted to return immediately to investigate.
“Senior Brother Jin, these are just my guesses and shouldn’t be taken as truth. Our top priority right now is to deal with Xie An.” Qin Chuan wasn’t good at comforting people—he was better at killing. His idea of comfort was to eliminate Xie An to bring closure to Jin Pang.
“Right. Kill Xie An. My injuries are almost fully healed. What about you, Junior Brother Qin?” Jin Pang returned to his usual carefree self.
“I’m fine. I’ve already recovered my spiritual energy and vitality. Shall we leave now? Finding Xie An will be up to you, Senior Brother.” Qin Chuan had no injuries; one day was enough for full recovery.
“No problem.” Jin Pang took out a jade box from his storage ring. When he opened it, a flying insect darted out.
Jin Pang explained, “Junior Brother Qin, I just released the male of a twin insect pair. Before entering the Secret Realm, I dusted Xie An with powder from the female during mating season. The male insect will follow that scent. We just have to follow it to find him.”
“Good. Then let’s move quickly. Once we find Xie An, I’ll handle setting up an array to prevent him from using a teleportation talisman.” Qin Chuan stood up, ready to go.
“Alright.” Jin Pang led the way, following the male insect, and Qin Chuan stayed close behind.
Just as they stepped out of the cave, Jin Pang suddenly asked, “Junior Brother Qin, what kind of reason could make someone want to harm their own biological son, and betray their Dao companion and her entire family?”
“How about I tell you a story, Senior Brother Jin?” Qin Chuan paused to consider, then decided to use a story as a metaphor.
“I’m listening.” Jin Pang’s expression grew heavy. If it was just an accident, then Xie An was the only enemy. But if the enemy was the Xiao Clan’s patriarch, then things would get much more complicated. He might have to take on the entire Xiao Clan.
If that were the case…
He would still kill them without mercy.
He couldn’t let the deaths of his parents go unavenged.