Beijiang.
In the villa of the Hong family.
Yu Qing was seated in the master’s chair while Qin Tian and the father-and-son duo, Hong Yuan and Hong Ming, stood by the side with great reverence.
Yu Qing’s expression was unreadable. “Are you saying that Xue An is currently not in Beijiang?” he said.
Hong Ming replied before anyone else had the chance to. “That’s right. I’ve already sent someone to check it out. He’s been away from Beijiang for two days.”
“Do you know why he has been away?” Yu Qing asked subtly.
“I’m not very sure of that,” Hong Ming said.
“That little bitch, Qin Yu, would definitely know,” Qin Tian said through his gritted teeth.
Qin Tian’s current situation could only be described as miserable. Qin Yuan had driven him out of Longtai Group, and all his savings were frozen as well.
And upon seeing that he had fallen from grace and went from riches to rags, his wife had packed up and left him.
He was like a homeless dog that was in a constant state of anxiety.
Since that incident, he was living in a dilapidated, rented house, resigned to his fate. But then Yu Qing came looking for him.
Initially, Qin Tian did not take Yu Qing seriously.
But later, he discovered that this man, who looked to be in his thirties, was actually a powerful person.
It was only then that Qin Tian also realized that this man was Liu Shou’s junior from their martial arts school. His purpose for coming to Beijiang was to investigate the cause of Liu Shou’s death.
Qin Tian could not help but feel empowered. He led Yu Qing over to the Hong’s house.
Upon hearing what Qin Tian had to say, Yu Qing nodded slightly.
“Very well then. Where can I meet this Qin Yu?”
“She goes to Zhenbei School of Martial Arts every day now.”
Zhenbei School of Martial Arts.
This was Beijiang’s largest school for martial arts. The one in charge of this school was Tan Dong, one of the most famous martial arts masters in the country.
As the heiress to Longtai Group, Qin Yu was considered a noble. It was only natural that she would not be practicing martial arts in public with the other, ordinary disciples.
She was in a small courtyard in the innermost part of Zhenbei School of Martial Arts, and was under the guidance of Tan Dong himself.
This day, Qin Yu was devoting her attention on cultivation.
Tan Dong stood by the side and watched her quietly. He seemed to be sighing to himself.
Ever since the day of the auction, the great Mistress Qin had been coming to the martial arts school every day. She was cultivating at an intense rate, as though she had been greatly stimulated by something.
She was making great progress at an incredible speed and was already considerably well-versed with the entire technique of the Palm of the Wandering Dragon.
But just as she was working on her cultivation, there was a sudden commotion outside.
Suddenly, a disciple came rushing into the courtyard.
“Master, there’s someone here to challenge our school!”
Challenge.
An event like this had not happened to the Zhenbei School of Martial Arts in a long time.
Tan Dong kept his expression calm. He nodded and said, “Got it. I’ll be right over…”
Before he could completely finish his words, the gates of the courtyard were smashed open with a loud crash. A few of Tan Dong’s disciples — some of the most skilled disciples that he was most proud of — came flying into the courtyard with one punch.
What he saw immediately changed Tan Dong’s expression.
These chosen disciples had been studying martial arts for a decade. Their skills were only second to his. And yet, they were defeated and thrown back by just a single punch.
Who in the world is this sage and how could he be so powerful?
Just as he was recovering from his shock and uncertainty, a man slowly walked in. He had a plain-looking face but emanated an aura that was equally profound and imposing.
This approaching figure was, of course, Yu Qing.
Under the order of his Master, the Elderly by Heaven, Lei Ling, he had descended the mountain to investigate the death of his senior brother, Liu Shou.
Upon arriving in Beijiang, he found out that the murderer was an ordinary man who was a real nobody. And he was not in Beijiang.
In order to avenge his senior brother as quickly as possible, he did not bother about paying a formal visit. He charged his way directly into Zhenbei School of Martial Arts.
Tan Dong’s disciples were enraged by these actions and went ahead to stop him. But as well-trained as they were, they could not withstand a single punch from Yu Qing.
And now.
Yu Qing vaguely swept a cursory look at the people gathered in the small courtyard. He then nodded slightly at Qin Yu.
“This must be the great Mistress Qin. May I ask where Xue An is, please.”
It turned out that he was here for Xue An.
Qin Yu’s heart jumped into her mouth.
This man was obviously not an ordinary person. What did he want with Xue An?
Seemingly aware of Qin Yu’s doubts, Yu Qing smiled, revealing his set of white teeth.
“The one who died at the auction was my senior brother. My name is Yu Qing.”
Qin Yu was taken aback . When the man smiled, he looked like a ferocious tiger baring its teeth while preparing to charge at its prey. It was a very intimidating sight.
Before she could react, Tan Dong stepped forward and took his place in front of Qin Yu.
“My friend, you did not even greet us properly. In fact, you hurt my disciples the moment you walked through the door. Don’t you think you’re lacking in manners?” Tan Dong said angrily.
“And who are you?” Yu Qing asked.
“I am Tan Dong, the director of Zhenbei School of Martial Arts,” Tan Dong said in a deep voice.
Yu Qing nodded and said, “Well you don’t seem very convincing. Tell you what. If you can withstand a single punch from me, I’ll turn and leave immediately. In fact, I won’t even set foot in Beijiang again.”
“Great,” Tan Dong replied without a second thought.
If he were to back down now, then the reputation of Zhenbei School of Martial Arts would be ruined.
A contemptuous smile started to appear at the corners of Yu Qing’s mouth. Then he lightly let out a cry and sent a punch crashing at Tan Dong.
Tan Dong wore a solemn expression, took his position in a firm horse stance, and gave it his all in receiving this punch.
Boom.
This punch hit Tan Dong like a meteor.
Tan Dong could not even hold out for a mere second. He was blasted away, flying off the ground and directly crashing into the wall. He slowly fell to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. He was not even able to speak.
“Master Tan!” Qin Yu cried out in shock.
Tan Dong waved his hand dejectedly, then looked at Yu Qing somewhat fearfully. In a stuttering manner, he said, “This… Is this the Realm of the Unfettered?”
Yu Qing retracted his fist and stood proudly.
“That’s right. This is the Realm of the Unfettered!”
Tan Dong smiled bitterly and knew that he had been defeated through and through.
This man, who seemed to be only in his thirties, seemed to have broken through the Realm of Patriarch and stepped into the Realm of the Unfettered. He had become a person with a lifespan that could be as long as a hundred and fifty years.
The difference in strength between Tan Dong and Yu Qing was like the distance between heaven and earth. Tan Dong had conclusively lost and there was nothing left to say.
Yu Qing turned to look at Qin Yu and said, “I’ll give you three days. Three days from now, I will wait for Xue An at the Hong’s house. If he doesn’t turn up, then all of you will have to die!”
After he finished saying these words laden with threat, Yu Qing turned and left.
Qin Yu helped Tan Dong up. She then looked at Yu Qing as he walked out of the courtyard.
“Master Tan, are you alright?”
Tan Dong shook his head and said, “Just some internal injuries. They won’t be much of a problem. Believe it or not, that man had shown me some mercy. He could have easily killed me! His strength and power are so great it’s actually terrifying.”
Qin Yu looked very worried. “Is Xue An his match?”
Tan Dong gave a bitter smile and said, “I can read this person well. But as for Mr. Xue… I can’t read him at all. You say he’s an expert in martial arts, but from his appearance alone, I can’t tell how powerful he is.”
“Miss Qin, you better find Mr. Xue as soon as possible. A highly skilled person like Yu Qing is definitely capable of delivering what he promises. If you delay any longer, all of you will be in danger!”
Qin Yu nodded with a solemn expression, then said, “I understand. I will go look for Mr. Xue right now.”
And with that, Qin Yu quickly made her way to Green Wheat Town at top speed.
Xue An was sitting cross-legged by the pool of water as he meditated.
The Spirit Qi here was much stronger than that of the outside world and it was just right in helping Xue An achieve his breakthrough to the Realm of Patriarch.
In fact, with Xue An’s current strength, he could have easily achieved a breakthrough.
But Xue An suffered from a shaky foundation in his past life. To prevent anything wrong from happening, he had to build an extremely strong foundation before he tried to achieve a breakthrough again.
Following the event of Xue An’s absorption, the Spirit Qi began to form a vortex above his head. This vortex was visible to the naked eye.
Such a sight left Xue Lan in a state of stupefaction.
But Xue Xiang and Xue Nian were quite used to seeing such miraculous things and did not find it unusual. For the two of them, their papa was omnipotent.