“Bang!”
With a crisp sound, a handkerchief woven from ten-thousand-year Ice Silkworm Thread suddenly appeared from within the Azure Primordial Profound Ice Sword. It was none other than a Treasure Map.
It was confirmed.
The expressions of the Jiang brothers beside them changed at once as they looked at Qin Hengyu. Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
Jiang Rouxue blinked, and the way she looked at Qin Hengyu shifted as well.
A used Sacred Artifact and the treasure of Saintess Qingyuan were entirely different matters.
Qin Hengyu quietly let out a breath. Suppress first, then elevate. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
After the Azure Primordial Profound Ice Sword was destroyed, strands of fate unexpectedly appeared again upon the fragments.
What a windfall.
It was truly an unexpected gain.
Qin Hengyu immediately began circulating the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, absorbing the fate.
Perfect.
This trip achieved three goals at once. He drew the Jiang family back to his side, absorbed fate, and secured enforcers for tomorrow.
He wondered whether the fate he absorbed had originally belonged to Liu Ruyan.
After all, fate was tied to the Saintess Qingyuan’s Secret Treasury. The fate above his head had completely shifted from black to gray.
The mist before the Ninefold Heavenly Palace dispersed a little more.
With just a modest amount of resources, his cultivation realm could naturally rise again.
As the Royal Prince of the Great Qin Empire, what he lacked least were cultivation resources.
If he could further increase his fate and then raise his realm and strength, it should not be difficult.
“It truly is the inheritance of Saintess Qingyuan!”
After examining the Treasure Map, Jiang Zhan could not help but exclaim in shock.
The Jiang family had spent tremendous effort on Jiang Rouxue’s cultivation problems. Even the Great Emperor had personally intervened to assist.
Different physiques suited different cultivation techniques.
The inheritance of Saintess Qingyuan was undoubtedly the most suitable choice for Jiang Rouxue among all options.
After putting away the Treasure Map, Jiang Zhan looked again at Qin Hengyu and said, “Tomorrow, I will personally accompany you to the Liu family. If everything goes smoothly, the Jiang family returning to the Great Qin Empire would not be a problem.”
“Thank you, Brother Qin!”
Jiang Rouxue quickly remembered to express her gratitude and gave Qin Hengyu a palace-style greeting.
“We are brother and sister. There is no need for such formality.”
Qin Hengyu instinctively raised his hand to support Jiang Rouxue, but the action immediately made her blush.
She had not intended to kneel.
It was mainly because the Royal Prince held her arm. The gesture felt somewhat intimate.
“You!”
Jiang Rouxue’s brothers, thinking Qin Hengyu was trying to take advantage, almost spoke in unison to rebuke him.
“Sorry, I misunderstood.”
Qin Hengyu also realized there was no need to stop Jiang Rouxue. His action had indeed seemed somewhat improper.
“It’s fine, Brother Qin.”
Jiang Rouxue said it was fine, but she still instinctively stepped back slightly.
“And what about you?”
Qin Hengyu softened toward gentleness but stiffened toward defiance. In front of Jiang Rouxue’s brothers, he displayed his authority and said, “Aren’t you going to thank me?” Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
This was intentional.
As the Royal Prince, he had to establish some authority among his peers.
Being guarded against like a thief was not something he could tolerate.
This gesture was meant to make them acknowledge him.
Whether they were convinced in their hearts could come later.
With Jiang Zhan present, acting this way in front of his sons did not seem inappropriate.
It was like children playfully sparring.
Ordinary parents, seeing children roughhousing, would simply think they were close.
Truthfully, from Jiang Yizhan onward, every one of them had thought about beating Qin Hengyu. Not a single one had considered thanking him.
Now that Qin Hengyu brought it up, their expressions became somewhat awkward.
“It seems I am the only one who truly cares about Rouxue.”
Qin Hengyu spoke again with a faintly mocking tone.
Jiang Rouxue blinked. Seeing tension rising between Qin Hengyu and her brothers, she grew slightly anxious but did not know what to do.
“Hmph!”
Jiang Zhan naturally did not want his sons to appear lacking in discernment. He let out a cold snort.
“Thank you, Royal Prince!”
Jiang Yizhan understood the hint and was the first to bow.
“Thank you, Royal Prince!”
“Thank you, Royal Prince!”
…
Voices of thanks followed one after another.
“It’s nothing. Rouxue is also my sister.”
Qin Hengyu raised his hand slightly, signaling them not to be so formal.
“Uncle Jiang, tomorrow I will wait for you at the Great Qin Empire.”
“Farewell.”
Qin Hengyu greeted Jiang Zhan before turning and leaving.
Jiang Yizhan and the others watched Qin Hengyu depart, then looked at Jiang Zhan with confusion.
“Father!”
They called out together, their tone filled with questions.
It felt as though Qin Hengyu was completely different from before.
The earlier gift-giving had been layered and deliberate. Later, he used momentum to suppress them, neither too harsh nor too light.
Even recalling it now, one could sense the calculated methods.
In truth, they did not dislike such methods.
A leader without sufficient strategy would only be seen through and looked down upon.
It was simply that the bearing Qin Hengyu displayed now differed too greatly from before. They had not yet fully processed it.
“The sky over Great Qin may be about to change. Remember this: Hengyu will always be the Royal Prince, and you will always be generals.”
“Status is not insurmountable. With enemies on all sides, internal strife only gives them an opportunity. Do you understand?”
Jiang Zhan reminded his sons.
“Understood!”
Jiang Yizhan and the others immediately realized their earlier feeling had not been wrong. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Of course, that did not mean they would immediately submit to Qin Hengyu.
As generals, they served under him.
As the Royal Prince, Qin Hengyu could test them. They, in turn, needed to recognize him.
Neither servile nor arrogant. They would fulfill one another.
“Rouxue, since you have obtained the inheritance of Saintess Qingyuan, let your grandfather and the Ancestors accompany you on this trip.”
“What the Jiang family wants will never fall into someone else’s hands.”
Jiang Zhan lowered his voice and spoke gently to his daughter.
“Alright, Father.”
Jiang Rouxue nodded in agreement.
Although she was curious about Qin Hengyu’s engagement annulment, she knew a woman should not appear on such an occasion.
Retrieving the treasure of Saintess Qingyuan and strengthening herself was the priority. It would benefit both the Jiang family and the Great Qin Empire.
…
Great Qin Empire, Liu family.
Inside a boudoir.
Liu Ruyan suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead and slumped slightly over the table, her body going weak.
“Senior Sister, are you alright?”
Seeing something was wrong, Ye Xingchen immediately stepped forward in concern.
His hand rested on Liu Ruyan’s shoulder as he gently massaged it.
As expected, only Ye Xingchen gave her a sense of security and knew how to care for her.
Though born humble, he worked hard to rise upward.
He was completely different from Qin Hengyu, who was unlearned and relied only on power to pressure her.
“It feels like I lost something just now. I feel a little uneasy, though they were only external possessions.”
Liu Ruyan described the strange emptiness in her heart.
“It was still a storage ring filled with cultivation resources and a Saint-tier weapon.”
“When I obtain such resources in the future, I will give them all to you, Senior Sister. No matter how you treat me, I will never ask you to return them.”
Ye Xingchen comforted her thoughtfully, speaking sweet words.
“You are the one who truly cares for me, Xingchen.”
Liu Ruyan smiled radiantly.
“Senior Sister, about tomorrow’s engagement annulment, aren’t you going to tell Uncle and the others?”
Ye Xingchen brought up the matter of their agreement, a trace of concern in his voice.
Qin Hengyu did not seem so simple.
“Tell them what? The Liu family only knows how to rely on me and drain me. Tomorrow, I will force their hand so they have no choice.”
“There is nothing to worry about with Qin Hengyu. He offended quite a few people before. I doubt anyone will accompany him to the Jiang family.”
“It is only an engagement annulment. With the relationships we have built within the Great Qin Empire, we can still remain here. After all, the Jiang family disdains staying in the Great Qin Empire. Could Qin Hengyu force my Liu family to relocate?”
“He is nothing more than a useless Royal Prince.”
When Liu Ruyan spoke of Qin Hengyu, her eyes were filled with disdain.
Her tone made it clear that she felt entirely confident about tomorrow’s engagement annulment.
Indeed, though Qin Hengyu was the Royal Prince, under her manipulation he had already grown distant from the various general families. A 1st stage Qi Sea Realm Royal Prince, aside from his status, was nothing.
As for how tomorrow’s engagement annulment would proceed, it would ultimately be decided by the Liu family. They could even pressure Qin Hengyu and demand additional compensation.
The Liu family’s Patriarch, her father, was in the Emperor Realm.