Chapter 398 – I Don't Mind Letting You Know

“——!”

Su Ming, who was about to leave, abruptly turned around and looked in a certain direction.

It was toward the window of this lounge.

There, at the window’s position, a figure had silently appeared.

An astonishing spiritual presence emanated from this person, making it clear to Su Ming that the spiritual energy he had sensed earlier came from this individual.

Su Ming focused his gaze and realized it was an elderly man of advanced age.

If Old Ling merely had graying hair while maintaining the vitality of youth without a single wrinkle on his face—hardly resembling an old man—then this elderly man before him was the genuine article.

Not only did he have completely white hair, but he also sported a long white beard. His face was covered with wrinkles, his stature somewhat short and withered, with a hunched back. At first glance, he appeared to be at least eighty years old, possibly even ninety.

Upon seeing this old man, regardless of Su Ming’s reaction, Qin Qing’s expression changed dramatically as she hurriedly bowed in respect.

“Great-grandfather.”

Qin Qing actually addressed him as such.

“Great-grandfather?”

Su Ming was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brows.

He realized he might have encountered a truly significant figure.

Since Qin Qing was the direct-line Young Miss of the Qin Family and Her Highness the Princess of the Royal Family, anyone she addressed as “Great-grandfather” must at minimum be an elder from the Qin Family’s direct lineage, undoubtedly holding an extremely lofty status.

Coupled with this astonishing spiritual presence that seemed almost inhuman, Su Ming felt certain this person must be a major figure.

Sure enough…

“This old man is named Qin Yue, the great-grandfather of this little Qin girl.”

The old man who called himself Qin Yue first cast an affectionate glance at Qin Qing before turning to Su Ming. As if able to discern the questions in Su Ming’s mind, he revealed a kindly smile.

Nearby, Qin Qing quickly explained to Su Ming.

“Great-grandfather is the most senior clan Elder in the Qin Family, currently the pinnacle of our family. The current head of the Qin Family is my grandfather, who is the eldest son among Great-grandfather’s six sons.”

In other words, the current head of the Qin Family was the son of this old man who called himself Qin Yue.

If Qin Qing could be compared to a princess of the royal family, then her grandfather would be equivalent to the current emperor, while the person before them was the retired former emperor—the undisputed Grand Elder level figure of the Qin Family.

This was indeed the arrival of a major figure.

This single individual might be sufficient to represent the entire Qin Family and the will of all Professionals in Tianfeng City.

In terms of status alone, this person might no longer be inferior to Old Ling, who was known as the Guardian Deity.

“Greetings, Elder Qin.”

Su Ming looked deeply at the other party before speaking calmly, showing no intimidation despite the status and power of the person before him.

“Young friend Su Ming, there’s no need for such formality.” Elder Qin didn’t mind Su Ming’s attitude. Instead, stroking his beard with one hand while keeping the other behind his back, he smiled contentedly and said, “As the next Guardian Deity selected by Ling Xiao, you are essentially one of Tianfeng City’s future pinnacle figures. There’s no need to observe excessive etiquette with an old retiree like me who’s enjoying his peaceful retirement. Normal conversation is fine.”

Hearing this, Su Ming maintained his usual calm expression.”You flatter me, Old Qin.” Su Ming cast a glance at Qin Qing, who was standing respectfully nearby, and replied in an equally detached tone, “Someone enjoying retirement wouldn’t linger here waiting for my appearance. You must have arrived some time ago, haven’t you?”

The fact that this person belonged to the Qin Family with a declining Bloodline confirmed he wasn’t a Hunter.

The astonishing spiritual presence earlier had already informed Su Ming that this Old Qin was, at minimum, a Seven-Star Sorcerer.

Yet even as a Seven-Star Professional, being a Sorcerer meant he couldn’t move with the silent swiftness of a Hunter possessing extraordinary Physique—appearing and disappearing without a trace.

Regardless of their star rank, a Sorcerer’s Physique remained no different from an ordinary person’s, making such feats impossible.

But Old Qin had appeared here without a sound.

What did this imply?

It suggested he might have been here all along, or had been monitoring the place, only arriving to observe from the shadows after detecting Su Ming’s presence.

With the Spirit Sense of a Seven-Star Sorcerer, Old Qin could perceive Su Ming’s arrival at the Wanbao Auction House even from another street.

Then, by concealing all spiritual energy and hiding nearby, Su Ming—with his less-than-Six-Star Spirit Sense—would naturally remain unaware of such a powerful Sorcerer’s presence.

In other words, the old man might have been eavesdropping on Su Ming and Qin Qing’s conversation for some time.

Perhaps he had even heard everything from the beginning.

Understanding this, Su Ming saw no need for courtesy and directly pointed it out.

Yet Old Qin seemed unperturbed.

“Old men tend to worry excessively about certain matters,” Qin Yue said meaningfully while studying Su Ming. “Personally, I’m quite curious about your stance toward our Qin Family.”

This revealed that the Qin Family ultimately held some reservations about Su Ming’s existence.

Otherwise, such an ancient figure wouldn’t have appeared at the Wanbao Auction House awaiting Su Ming’s visit.

Perhaps Su Ming’s movements had been under the Qin Family’s surveillance all along.

Given their control over Tianfeng City, tracking Su Ming’s appearance in Dragonheart District, his meeting with Xu Xiayan, and his subsequent approach to the auction house would have been trivial.

As Qin Qing had mentioned, Su Ming’s eventual contact with the Qin Family was anticipated by all. Given their wariness, sending a sufficiently authoritative figure to intercept him was understandable.

Thus, the current scene unfolded.

“So now you know, Old Qin?” Su Ming met Qin Yue’s gaze directly, disregarding the overwhelming spiritual pressure. “In that case, please enlighten me—how does your Qin Family intend to respond to me?”

The old man answered almost without hesitation.

“We naturally wish to avoid conflict with you,” Old Qin stated solemnly. “Therefore, I urge you to think carefully before acting.”

This drew a laugh from Su Ming.

“So if I persist in taking Little Jin away from your Qin Family, your family’s pinnacle existence plans to eliminate me here in advance?”

Su Ming’s words had begun to carry sharp edges.

“Su Ming!”Qin Qing grew anxious.

In contrast, Old Qin remained as composed and unruffled as ever.

“I did have thoughts of stopping you, young friend,” Old Qin sighed and said, “But speaking of annihilation is going a bit too far.”

“Is it going too far?” Su Ming showed no regard for face, replying bluntly, “Or does Old Qin feel he’s incapable of it?”

The air suddenly grew tense.

“How dare you!”

Suddenly, several figures appeared beside Old Qin, casting furious and murderous glares at Su Ming.

These were the Qin Family’s retainers—powerful individuals recruited by the family, seemingly acting as Old Qin’s guards. Each of them exuded an aura no less formidable than that of the two guards Qin Qing had brought earlier.

In other words, all of them were Peak Six-Star level experts.

But almost the instant these individuals appeared, a misty haze swirled in front of Su Ming, and a figure as breathtakingly beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal materialized. Her icy gaze immediately locked onto the several Peak Six-Star experts, causing their expressions to shift abruptly.

“Oh?”

Old Qin also looked in surprise at Hai’er, who had suddenly appeared.

“Who is she…?”

Qin Qing, in particular, found her attention completely captured by Hai’er’s figure and appearance.

That astonishing beauty, seemingly not of this world, along with a figure and bearing that rivaled her own, left Qin Qing utterly stunned.

This was the first time Qin Qing had ever felt a sense of inferiority in front of another woman.

In the past, such an emotion had never surfaced within her.

A remarkable woman like Qin Qing was usually the one who made others feel inadequate—who could possibly make her feel that way?

In terms of looks, there might be others in this world who could compare to her.

In terms of figure, some might not be inferior to her.

But when it came to possessing looks, figure, charm, femininity, and more all in one person, Qin Qing believed that aside from herself, there was no second such individual in the world—it was truly an unknown.

This had earned Qin Qing a special status in Tianfeng City, where she was wildly pursued by countless men, leaving any other woman in her presence overshadowed.

Those with looks similar to hers lacked her figure.

Those with figures similar to hers lacked her femininity.

Those with femininity similar to hers lacked her beauty.

No matter what, others always fell short in some aspect.

Thus, Qin Qing was even regarded as the top beauty of Tianfeng City, if not the world.

Until now, Qin Qing had never encountered a woman who could stand on equal footing with her, let alone surpass her.

It was only today that Qin Qing finally met a peer who could compete with her, and even surpass her.

For the first time, she felt a sense of inferiority and, as a woman, a sense of crisis.

Hai’er, however, paid no attention to Qin Qing, the renowned beauty of all Tianfeng City. Her focus remained solely on the Qin Family retainers who had directed their Killing Intent at Su Ming, emanating a lethally cold Aura from her being.

That chill sent shivers down the spines of the Peak Six-Star Qin Family retainers, who stared at Hai’er in shock and disbelief.

An aura and power that could make even Peak Six-Star experts like them tremble?

Could this breathtakingly beautiful woman be a Seven-Star Professional?

But in this world, how could there be a Seven-Star Professional so stunningly beautiful and so young?The Qin Family’s retainers could no longer remain calm.

“Enough, you may withdraw.”

It was only then that Old Qin spoke, his voice having grown somewhat detached and now carrying an undeniable authority.

“Yes.”

The Qin Family retainers finally snapped back to reality, hastily acknowledging the order before vanishing from sight.

“Hai’er.”

Su Ming also spoke softly at just the right moment.

Hai’er nodded, water mist swirling around her as she disappeared from the spot.

Qin Yue almost instinctively activated his Spirit Sense, only to find he couldn’t detect Hai’er’s presence at all.

“Could she truly be a Seven-Star Professional?”

At that moment, the way Qin Yue looked at Su Ming underwent a subtle change.

The Qin Family naturally knew that when Su Ming appeared in Dragonheart District today, he had brought an exceptionally beautiful woman with him.

However, they wouldn’t know Hai’er’s true identity, much less her actual strength.

During the expedition to the Midnight Labyrinth, Hai’er had never revealed herself publicly, so while Su Ming had been exposed, Hai’er’s existence remained concealed.

The result was that, from Qin Yue’s perspective, Su Ming actually had the support of an unknown Seven-Star Professional behind him.

This significantly elevated Su Ming’s status in Qin Yue’s estimation.

After all, Seven-Star Professionals represented the pinnacle of human society.

Having a Seven-Star Professional’s backing naturally made Su Ming stand out in others’ eyes.

Of course, they wouldn’t know that Hai’er wasn’t a Seven-Star Professional, but rather a Nightmare Species existing between Six-Star and Seven-Star levels.

The reason Qin Yue couldn’t detect Hai’er wasn’t because her strength surpassed his, but because she had mastered this concealment method to perfection through extensive practice, making it difficult for others to sense her presence.

Furthermore, Hai’er had consumed Purple Snow Essence, which enhances Comprehension Ability and Aptitude while breaking through life’s limitations. After Old Ling discovered her non-human identity, she had spent these past few days deliberately mastering her human form.

This meant that when Hai’er concealed herself, as long as she didn’t use her power, attack others, actively release her aura, or emit hostility and malice, even a Seven-Star Sorcerer with exceptional Spirit Sense couldn’t detect her existence – hence creating Qin Yue’s misunderstanding.

This misunderstanding naturally worked to Su Ming’s advantage.

At the very least, Old Qin’s tone became noticeably more amiable and courteous.

“Regardless of circumstances, I hope the Qin Family can maintain harmonious relations with you, young friend.” Old Qin addressed Su Ming directly: “I believe you wouldn’t want the Qin Family constantly causing you trouble, would you?”

Old Qin spoke these words plainly.

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Su Ming narrowed his eyes: “Provided that the Qin Family returns my childhood friend to me.”

“Young friend, are you truly so unwilling to let that girl take the Phantom Demon Potion?” Old Qin frowned: “If successful, the two of you joining in marriage could establish an unprecedented, peerless family. Doesn’t that prospect move you?”

“If it could elevate future generations to such heights, I would naturally be tempted.” Su Ming replied calmly: “But if such a future and glory requires gambling with someone important to me, then I’d rather not have it.”

Old Qin’s frown deepened.

He understood this was a fundamental conflict.

The risks of An Zijin taking the Phantom Demon Potion were simply too great, with success rates too low, making Su Ming unwilling to accept it.However…

“There’s no benefit in this world that can be obtained without risks,” Old Qin stated. “Since you desire to gain something, you must be able to bear the risks involved.”

Old Qin’s words were met with Su Ming’s furious laughter once again.

“Is this something you want to obtain, or something Little Jin herself wants to obtain?”

Su Ming completely dropped all pretense of courtesy.

“You want something for yourselves, yet you make others bear the risks for you?”

“Tell me, Old Qin, are you serious?”

“If that’s the case…”

Su Ming’s Aura began to erupt around him.

“Then I don’t mind making you understand – times have changed! This is no longer an era where your Royal Family can casually decide others’ life and death!”

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(End of Chapter)