Qin Li ignored the stares of the crowd. His gaze fell upon Qin Hanyue, and he gave her a slight nod before heading toward a corner. After truly getting to know the Qin Family, Qin Li felt no sense of belonging. If it weren't for his mother's feelings, he would have taken her and left this place already.
"Qin Li."
The old man seated on the highest dais, who carried himself like an Emperor, finally spoke. "You," he said softly, "come here!"
Seeing the gloating looks from many of the Qin Family's branch members, a familiar phrase flashed through Qin Li's mind: 'Envy, jealousy, and hate.' He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He was utterly disappointed in the Qin Family now.
Qin Li walked to the foot of the dais and glanced up at the lofty Qin Hongyuan, grumbling to himself, 'This old man must be plotting a rebellion, turning the assembly hall into his own private palace. Good thing I don't have to come pay tribute every day, or I'd develop a complex.' He felt several gazes that seemed to want to devour him whole, but he just smiled, unconcerned.
Just as everyone was waiting for Qin Hongyuan to erupt in a thunderous rage and punish Qin Li with an iron fist to avenge Qin Feng, Qin Hongyuan suddenly spoke. He said slowly, "There are two main matters to address today. The first... is about certain Qin Family disciples colluding with outsiders to bully their own kin. The second is the matter of Qin Li's formal induction into the family..."
BOOM!
Qin Hongyuan's words were like two bombshells dropped into a silent pool, stunning everyone in the assembly hall into a stupor. This... This wasn't about punishing Qin Li at all! This was clearly a move to exonerate him!
Both matters were in Qin Li's favor. Heavens... Qin Li's formal induction? What did that mean? It meant officially acknowledging his ancestry and accepting him into the clan! It meant that from this day forward, Qin Li would be a proper disciple of the Qin Family! After that, anyone who dared to call Qin Li a "little bastard" would be insulting the entire Qin Family!
HUM... The assembly hall fell into a strange silence for a few seconds before erupting into a cacophony of discussion. Everyone scrambled to share their opinions with the person next to them.
Some were indifferent, some were furious, some harbored ulterior motives, and others fanned the flames... People discussed with all sorts of thoughts in their hearts. In short, everyone was shaken by the two announcements. Their expressions were fascinating, and their thoughts... were complicated.
"What kind of dog-shit luck did this Qin Li stumble into? How could the old master possibly favor him so much?"
"Dog-shit luck? Do you think the Patriarch has gone senile? In my opinion, there must be some huge benefit involved. Haven't you heard? This is the brat who's marrying into the Shangguan Family! Damn, he's latched onto a powerful family. Maybe this is our chance to get a piece of the Shangguan Family's business!"
"That's right, I guessed the same. A few days ago, the chief steward called me in and had me study up on logistics. I was wondering why, but now it seems..."
"Either way, that kid Qin Li is on the rise!"
"Pah! Him? Is he worthy? He's just riding on someone else's coattails. I look down on people like that!"
"..."
For a moment, the hall was filled with all manner of chatter. Qin Hongyuan seemed to have expected this reaction. Mo Lan, however, had stopped crying and pretending to faint. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide as saucers as she turned to her son, Qin Hu, in disbelief.
"The Patriarch... what did the Patriarch say? What does he mean?"
Qin Hu's eyes were also filled with disbelief. "Grandfather said... he wants to formally induct Qin Li. And he said that what just happened... was me and my brother... colluding with an outsider!"
"Ah!" Mo Lan cried out and fell to her knees with a THUD, wailing, "Patriarch! Feng'Er and Hu'Er are the future hope of the Qin Family! How could they... how could they possibly collude with an outsider to bully their own kin? It's that little brat Qin Li who grievously injured Feng'Er! I've been wronged! Please, Patriarch, see the truth!"
Standing below, Qin Li felt the stares coming at him from all directions. Watching Mo Lan's performance on her knees, he sneered inwardly. 'This woman really has a talent for playing the fool!'
Qin Hongyuan grunted impatiently. With his experience, how could he not see through Mo Lan's intentions? He cleared his throat. "Silence!"
The hall instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Mo Lan's sobs, however, lagged a half-beat behind, sounding particularly jarring.
In the few seats at the front sat the Qin Family's Elders. Several of them had already been rebuffed by Qin Hongyuan previously and knew that this Qin Family was no longer theirs to command. Adhering to the principle of self-preservation—and since the injured party was Qin Hongyuan's own grandson—they were happy to watch and see how he would handle the matter.
'You've always claimed to be fair, haven't you? Both are your own flesh and blood. Let's see how you'll rule!'
Several Elders were already mentally prepared. If Qin Hongyuan handled it unfairly, they would jump out and condemn him. As long as they held the moral high ground, it wouldn't be impossible to seize the opportunity to reclaim some of their power.
But they never expected Qin Hongyuan to be so domineering. This wasn't a discussion; this was him announcing his decision!
'No, we absolutely cannot let him succeed!' This thought was shared by nearly all the Elders.
The skinny, wrinkled Elder was the first to stand up again. He was the Qin Family's Third Elder. In terms of seniority, he was Qin Hongyuan's own uncle! He was also from the main lineage of the Qin Family and had made great contributions to the family's development in his youth. He had always considered himself a man of great merit and enjoyed pulling rank on others.
SLAM!
The Third Elder's hand, thin and gaunt as an eagle's claw, slammed down hard on the table before him. The teacup was sent flying with a CLATTER. Everyone's heart skipped a beat, and they couldn't help but turn to look at the Third Elder.
The Third Elder was satisfied with the crowd's reaction, feeling as if he had returned to the years when he was in charge of the Qin Family. He rose slowly. He didn't look at Qin Hongyuan; as an old fox, he knew the breakthrough wasn't with the man on the highest seat. The Third Elder's furious gaze shot toward Qin Li, who stood not far in front of him. He pointed a finger at Qin Li. "You little beast, do you know your crime!"
Qin Li looked at the posturing Third Elder and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'The people of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom are so innocent! This level of intimidation isn't even as impressive as a random section chief from my past life!'
Shaking his head slightly, Qin Li said calmly, "What crime have I committed?"
"Insolent!" The fat Elder next to the Third Elder immediately roared. "You, a bastard of low status, dare to not kneel upon seeing a family Elder! That alone is a crime of great disrespect! To dare talk back adds another layer to your guilt!"
This fat Elder was clearly trying to nail down Qin Li's status before he could be formally inducted into the family. Seated on high, Qin Hongyuan narrowed his eyes, watching the events unfold. He wasn't particularly angry with these two Elders who showed him no respect. Instead, he watched with a calm expression. He, too, wanted to see what kind of person this child he had never paid attention to really was, and just why that old dog Shangguan Tie held him in such high regard.
As they say, old is cunning. Although Qin Hongyuan couldn't figure out why Shangguan Tie thought so highly of Qin Li, it didn't stop him from observing. In the past, Qin Hongyuan had also wondered who had captured his daughter's heart. After all, Qin Hanyue's talent and beauty were exceptional; an ordinary man would never have caught her eye. But as the years passed and the man never appeared, Qin Hongyuan gradually let the matter go.
"Am I a member of the Qin Family?" Qin Li asked, seemingly oblivious to the fat Elder's roar, a smile on his face as he looked at the gaunt Third Elder.
"Of course not! What are you? You think you're worthy of being a member of the Qin Family?!" the Third Elder blurted out.
"Since I am not a member of the Qin Family, why should I kneel to you old ghouls?" A cold sneer appeared on Qin Li's lips as he spoke with finality. "I have never been a disciple of the Qin Family, nor have I ever wanted to climb your social ladder! Formal induction? Do you think I give a damn?"
"You... insolence!"
The Third Elder and the fat Elder were so infuriated by Qin Li's words they nearly fainted. They never expected this Qin Li to have such a sharp tongue, leading them into a trap with just a few sentences.
"Me, insolent? Haha, how would I dare! You are so noble, and I am so lowly, how could I dare be insolent to you? Of the thousands of people in the Qin Family, from top to bottom, who could I, Qin Li, possibly dare to offend? Take today, for example. I never provoked the brothers Qin Feng and Qin Hu, yet they threatened me with my mother's safety, saying they wanted to beat me to vent their frustrations! Ha, haha... Did you hear that? They said if I didn't go with them, they would take it out on my mother! Damn it, they can look down on me, fine! But my mother is their own aunt! Their biological aunt! The irony is, those two beasts, those two disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, and unrighteous bastards, dared to make such a threat! In the last thirteen years, has anyone in your Qin Family, from top to bottom, ever treated my mother and me like human beings?"
"Fine, for my mother's sake, I went! So what if I get beaten up? What's the big deal? In these thirteen years, since I was a child, have I not suffered enough? Have I not been beaten enough? I don't care! A few days of rest and I'd be fine!"
Qin Li's roar was deafening, filled with grief and indignation. Every word was like a sharp sword, piercing everyone's hearts and making them tremble!
The assembly hall fell deathly silent. Suddenly, the sound of a few stifled sobs could be heard. Almost everyone was silent, because what Qin Li said was the truth.
"But do you know? The genius of the Qin Family, the genius of Yellow Sand City... the genius of the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom, the great master Qin Feng, a sixth-rank Profound Level expert, struck with a killing blow from the very start! Damn it, he wanted to kill me! If it were any of you, would you just offer up your neck to be slaughtered? Huh? Would you just stand there and wait to die? That's right, I fought back! I'm the one who injured him, so what? Whoever wants revenge can come at me, fair and square! I'm not afraid. I'm standing right here. As long as I have a breath left in me, I'll take you on! Don't try to use your ancestral laws to suppress me—I am not a member of the Qin Family! And another thing, if anyone dares to involve my mother in this, I will fight them to the death!"
At this, Qin Li suddenly raised his head, staring defiantly at Qin Hongyuan on his high seat. Then, he turned to Qin Hanyue and said softly, "Mother, there's no place for us here. Are you willing to leave with your son and face the hardships ahead?"
"I am, Mother is willing!" Qin Hanyue pressed her lips together firmly, holding back her tears. She descended the steps in a few strides and embraced Qin Li. "My precious son has grown up. Wherever you go, Mother will go with you!"
"Enough!"
Qin Hongyuan bellowed. Today's events had completely exceeded his expectations. He never thought Qin Li's temperament would be so fiery, that he'd rather be a shattered jade than an intact tile. 'Isn't this temperament exactly the same as my own when I was young?'
Looking again at Qin Hu standing there, Qin Hongyuan couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. So what if he was a genius? To think that the one in the Qin Family who had inherited his own character was the illegitimate son he had never once paid any mind to.
Qin Hongyuan looked into Qin Li's stubborn, yet clear eyes. He even had the feeling that, given time, this young man would surely soar into the heavens!
A future of commanding the winds and clouds awaited him!
Little did they know, the real reason Qin Li dared to be so audacious was primarily because of Shangguan Tie's words. Qin Li didn't think there was any shame in it. Borrowing power was a skill, and not everyone could grasp the right moment to use it.
If he hadn't exploded today, he would have been left in a completely passive position. Qin Li understood that without his speech, the worst-case scenario would have been a slap on the wrist for both sides. Qin Hongyuan would never easily offend the Shangguan Family, with their imperial connections, but by the same token, he would never give up his control over Qin Li either!
'I will not be a pawn. One's destiny should always be held in one's own hands!'