Qin Hong's face filled with apprehension after hearing that Elder Ling might be a cultivator at Innate Realm Perfection.
"That was before he was injured. Now, he's a spent force, nothing more than a dying tiger with little fighting strength left," Qin Ming said lightly.
"I estimate he can only go all out twice, at most." A glint flashed in his eyes.
"Then, Young Master, how do you compare to him?" Qin Zhong couldn't help but ask.
"It's hard to say," Qin Ming replied. "Even a dying tiger can deliver a thunderous blow."
"That old fool doesn't know what's good for him. If he had just agreed, our Qin Mansion could have helped prolong his life. Why does he have to be like this?" said Qin Zhong.
"He certainly is a fool who can't read the situation." Qin Ming's brow was tightly furrowed.
"So what do we do about this?" Qin Hong asked.
His face was still full of unwillingness.
He had originally thought that if his older brother stepped in, he would surely be able to intimidate Elder Ling.
Who knew the old man would be so stubborn?
"Later, I'll go ask Fourth Uncle and see if he's interested in making a move," Qin Ming said, his eyes glinting.
"Fourth Uncle!" Qin Hong's face lit up upon hearing this. "But will he agree?"
This was a powerhouse at Innate Perfection, on the verge of reaching the Celestial Spirit Realm.
"Let's see first," Qin Ming said. "Hopefully, Fourth Uncle will come forward to intimidate this old bastard and let him know that here, my Qin Clan reigns supreme."
"Right." Qin Hong nodded, then asked, "What if Fourth Uncle doesn't make a move?"
His fourth uncle was a true powerhouse who rarely involved himself in such worldly matters. He had only returned home this time because it was the end of the year.
Otherwise, it was difficult to even get a glimpse of him.
"Can't you think of any other methods?" Qin Ming snorted coldly.
"What kind of methods?" Qin Hong asked.
He had been completely terrified just now and was still in a daze.
"Doesn't he have a sickly adopted son?" Qin Ming said, sounding slightly impatient.
"You mean...?" Realization dawned in Qin Hong's eyes.
"Since this old man doesn't appreciate our kindness, I'll have to teach him a lesson. Let's start with his adopted son!" Qin Ming said, his gaze turning cold.
"Ling Fei... Excellent!" Hearing this, Qin Hong's eyes lit up. He had wanted to deal with Ling Fei for a long time.
Now that his own brother had given the word, he had no more scruples.
"Young Master Qin Hong, as it happens, Ling Fei is not at the Ling's Medical Clinic today. It's a good opportunity," Qin Zhong suddenly said, his eyes flashing.
"Oh?" Qin Hong's eyes lit up. "Do you know where he went?"
"According to our information, he goes near Dragon Pool Mountain every so often," said Qin Zhong.
In order to better persuade Elder Ling to agree to the marriage, he had done quite a bit of investigation into the people at Ling's Medical Clinic.
"He went near Dragon Pool Mountain?" Qin Hong was taken aback. "What's that guy doing there?"
Dragon Pool Mountain wasn't a place ordinary people could get close to!
"We don't know that either," said Qin Zhong.
Most people couldn't get near Dragon Pool Mountain, and no one was willing to try.
If the Cold Qi invaded your body, your cultivation would likely be crippled. Who would be willing to take such a risk out of mere curiosity?
"Are you sure he went near Dragon Pool Mountain?" Qin Hong asked after a brief pause.
"Yes." Qin Zhong nodded.
"Good. You all will come with me to the area near Dragon Pool Mountain," Qin Hong said in a low voice, his gaze shifting to several Qin Clan disciples beside him.
These were young men over eighteen, most of whom had reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.
"Yes!" The four young men nodded at once.
He glanced at the men beside him, a sharp glint in his eyes and a cold smirk on his lips. 'My men have all reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering,' he muttered to himself. 'That's more than enough to deal with a sickly weakling. If I capture this Ling Fei, let's see if you still refuse to compromise!'
"Good. You take some men and teach that Ling Fei a lesson. I'll go find Fourth Uncle and see if he's willing to step in," Qin Ming said in a deep, focused voice.
'If he makes an appearance, the situation will be settled.' A hint of anticipation appeared in Qin Ming's eyes.
He was eager to see what other tricks this Elder Ling had up his sleeve to dare be so disrespectful to him.
In Qin Ming's eyes, Elder Ling was nothing more than an old ghost on his last legs.
He, on the other hand, was a genius in his prime with a limitless future.
He had come to propose a marriage and had even offered to help Elder Ling with his injuries.
This was a tremendous opportunity, a favor, an act of charity.
But the old man didn't appreciate it.
This filled Qin Ming's heart with rage.
'That old ghost...'
'So disrespectful.'
Qin Ming's brows were locked tight, his gaze incomparably cold and sharp.
"Excellent!" Qin Hong's eyes brightened.
Now that his brother was willing to take the lead, he felt much more at ease.
'It's just dealing with a sickly weakling, what's the big deal?'
And so, Qin Hong led the four young men of the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering towards Dragon Pool Valley.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming returned to the mansion with the steward, Qin Zhong.
...
Near Dragon Pool Mountain, a biting Cold Qi filled the air.
From a distance, one could see the region blanketed in ice and snow.
The mountains and rivers there were completely frozen, and the ground was covered in snow.
Before they even got close to Cold Pool Valley, Qin Hong and his men were already shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
"It's freezing here!" Qin Hong couldn't help but stop.
He had already reached the Late Stage of Body Tempering Ninth Layer. His Blood Qi was vigorous, his True Qi was abundant, and he could exert a force of three thousand jin.
Yet, upon arriving near Dragon Pool Mountain, he still felt a bone-chilling cold.
The encroaching Cold Qi felt as if it would freeze the very Blood Qi in his veins.
"Why is the Cold Qi here so intense? We're still six li away from Dragon Pool Valley!" Beside Qin Hong, the four young men were also frowning.
Despite being cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, they didn't dare to advance any further.
'Did Ling Fei really enter Dragon Pool Valley?' At the same time, waves of doubt welled up in their minds.
Every winter on Dragon Pool Mountain, snow would fall and cover a person's footprints within an hour.
However, at the exit of the town, where no snow was falling, a clear trail of footprints had been left behind.
Although the town's exit and Dragon Pool Mountain were only separated by ten li, they were like two different worlds.
"It's snowing here, making it hard to find any tracks." A glint flashed in Qin Hong's eyes. "Let's go wait for him at the town entrance."
"Right." Hearing this, the four young men all nodded.
...
In the Cold Pool, Ling Fei was still drawing in the Cold Chi Dragon Qi to temper his body.
By now, his spine had absorbed a full twelve streams of Cold Chi True Qi.
At first, he had been quite frustrated.
He had already succeeded in breaking through to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering as he'd wished.
The next step was the Innate Realm.
As long as one stepped into the Innate Realm, it was like shedding one's mortal shell. One could then access the vast Martial Arts World and possess all sorts of Divine Techniques.
However, the absorption of his True Qi was clearly hindering his steps toward the Innate Realm.
But after careful sensing, Ling Fei felt that an inexplicable change was occurring in his spine.
'Why do I feel like there's a True Dragon hidden within my spine, just waiting to awaken? And the condition for it to awaken is to absorb enough Cold Chi True Qi?' he wondered.
This discovery made the blood in Ling Fei's veins boil with an inexplicable excitement.
'Perhaps this is a change brought about by cultivating the True Dragon Body Tempering Technique,' Ling Fei thought to himself.
He attributed this sudden mutation to the True Dragon Body Refining Technique.
Because of this, not only was Ling Fei's confidence not worn down, but he was filled with even more motivation.
Within the Cold Pool, Ling Fei lost all track of time, cultivating ceaselessly.
However, this made things miserable for Qin Hong, who was lying in wait at the town entrance.
"It's so cold... Why hasn't that guy appeared yet?" a few of the Qin Clan youths grumbled.
By now, the world was a landscape of ice and snow.
This was especially true for Longtan Town; the presence of the Dragon Pool made the temperature here exceptionally low.
The Cold Qi was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
Even Martial Arts Cultivators couldn't stay in the vicinity for long periods.
"Just a little longer," Qin Hong said through gritted teeth, dead set on waiting for Ling Fei.