“Qingwu, what are you doing here?” Ye Tian’s face lit up with a smile when he saw the young girl.
The girl’s name was Yang Qingwu, daughter of Yang Family’s patriarch, Yang Tianchuan. Though still very young, she had already reached the peak of 5th stage Body Tempering Realm and would soon break through to the 6th stage—a true genius!
Yet this beautiful young girl enjoyed spending time with Ye Tian, who was known for his terrible martial talent. This baffled the younger generation of both the Ye and Yang Families.
In truth, their close bond came from an accident when they were children and had not yet begun cultivating. Yang Qingwu had been brought to the Ye Family by her father Yang Tianchuan, where she was bullied by a few mischievous boys. At that critical moment, Ye Tian had stepped forward to protect her. That single act left a deep impression on the young Qingwu’s heart. After all, the heart of a young girl was always pure.
“I came especially to see you, Brother Ye Tian,” Yang Qingwu said softly, her voice still carrying a childish tone.
“You came especially to see me? Did something happen?” Ye Tian frowned, a little worried. Normally, Yang Qingwu would not come looking for him without reason.
“Brother Ye Tian, I… I’m leaving. I’ll be leaving Lingfeng City with my family,” Yang Qingwu lowered her small head, her voice filled with sadness.
“What? You’re leaving Lingfeng City? Why are you leaving?” Ye Tian was confused. The Yang Family was even stronger than the Ye Family, so what could force them to leave?
“It’s all because of the Qin Family. Ever since their old patriarch broke through to the Innate Realm, they’ve been targeting us. My father said if we don’t leave, the Qin Family won’t spare us.”
“Brother Ye Tian, don’t you think the Qin Family is too evil?” Yang Qingwu raised her small fists angrily. In her eyes, the Qin Family had become the worst villains imaginable.
“Again, the Qin Family…” Ye Tian clenched his fists, anger rising in his chest. Not only had they forced his mother into marriage, now they were also forcing Qingwu’s family to flee Lingfeng City. It was unforgivable.
“When are you leaving?” Ye Tian asked.
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Yang Qingwu replied.
“So soon?” Ye Tian was shocked.
Yang Qingwu blushed slightly, fiddling with her sleeves as she whispered, “Yes… Brother Ye Tian, once I leave, I don’t know when we’ll meet again. Will you miss me?” Her eyes shone with expectation. This story is hosted at novelping dot com.
“Of course I’ll miss you. When I grow up and become stronger, I’ll come visit you,” Ye Tian said firmly, rubbing her small head.
“Mm! Then it’s a promise, you’re not allowed to go back on it!” Yang Qingwu’s face blossomed with an innocent yet captivating smile.
“Mm, a promise is a promise,” Ye Tian nodded with a smile.
…
“Qingwu, where did you run off to? At a time like this, how can you sneak out of the house?” Yang Qingwu had just returned to the Yang Family when Yang Tianchuan scolded her. They were leaving Lingfeng City tomorrow, the entire household was busy preparing, and his daughter had vanished.
“I… I went to say goodbye to Brother Ye Tian,” Yang Qingwu whispered, clutching her sleeves.
“Why would you say goodbye to that boy?” Yang Tianchuan said angrily. A boy with such poor martial talent—he couldn’t understand why his daughter was so close to him.
“From now on, don’t go to the Ye Family anymore. They are no longer on the same path as us. Stay away from them, understood?” Yang Tianchuan’s tone was heavy with resentment. Once, the Yang and Ye Families had been allies against the Qin Family. But when Qin Xiao suddenly broke through to the Innate Realm, the Ye Family immediately defected, allied themselves with the Qin Family, and even arranged a marriage, abandoning the Yang Family to face the Qin Family alone.
Now, the Yang Family was forced to leave Lingfeng City. Although Yang Tianchuan understood their choice, the resentment in his heart had not faded.
“Oh… I understand,” Yang Qingwu lowered her head, her voice weak.
“Go rest. We leave early tomorrow,” Yang Tianchuan said gently. He still loved his daughter dearly and couldn’t bear to be harsh with her. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
After sending his daughter away, Yang Tianchuan went to the rear courtyard, gently knocked on a door, and entered.
“Father,” he greeted.
“Are the preparations complete?” Yang Haoyu, who was seated cross-legged on the bed, asked.
“Everything is ready. We can depart tomorrow. It’s just…” Yang Tianchuan hesitated.
“Just what?” Yang Haoyu frowned.
“I fear the Qin Family won’t let us leave so easily. They might attack us on the way.” Yang Tianchuan finally voiced his concern.
“There’s no need to worry about that. I know Qin Xiao well. Though we’ve fought all our lives, there is no deep blood feud between us—only minor grudges. Now that I’ve admitted defeat and chosen to leave Lingfeng City, he won’t go so far as to exterminate us,” Yang Haoyu said firmly.
“Besides, the Qin, Ye, and Yang Families share a long history. When Lingfeng City was just a small town, it was the three of us who built it up over centuries to what it is today.”
“Then why have our families become like this?” Yang Tianchuan asked, puzzled. Their Yang Family had always been closer to the Ye Family, while relations with the Qin Family had never been good.
“Old matters are best left in the past. Just know the Qin Family won’t strike us down midway,” Yang Haoyu waved his hand, unwilling to continue, dismissing Yang Tianchuan.
After he left, Yang Haoyu muttered quietly, “Even blood brothers can turn against each other for profit, let alone comrades who only struggled side by side.”
This enmity had started in his father’s generation. Back then, he and Qin Xiao had been close friends, often sparring together in martial arts. But because their elders held grudges, the families became rivals, and naturally, the two were dragged into conflict.
When they later took charge of their families, the rivalry continued. Still, both of them had been restrained, never letting the feud grow too large, just small skirmishes in the shadows. That was why Yang Haoyu was so certain Qin Xiao wouldn’t go as far as exterminating them.
But staying in Lingfeng City was impossible. Even if Qin Xiao himself didn’t act, his sons surely would. Both of Qin Xiao’s sons were ruthless predators, and not easy to deal with.