Chapter 5 – Qin Meihui, Heir to the Clan

Qin Yun vaulted from the rooftops, landing before the two women with barely a bend in his knees. The only sign of his arrival was the subtle tremor of the earth beneath his feet.

A brief look of displeasure flashed across his face as he looked toward the ground, but it faded the instant his gaze was raised to look upon the woman in the gold-trimmed robes.

She was young, not much older than he was. Yet, she carried herself with such a dignified air, standing tall, slender hands dangling loosely at her side, that Qin Yun might have been fooled into thinking she was the arrogant kind, looking down on anyone unworthy, but the moment their eyes crossed, her sombre expression faded, and a playful smile radiated instead.

Yet the smile vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by clear hesitation. Qin Yun watched in silence, his gaze drifting past her to Ming’er, who bowed her head in feigned respect. He knew she was only trying to disappear into the background.

She often did so when she had something to hide.

Not one to waste time and tired of the heavy atmosphere that loomed over them, he went on the offensive, knowing all too well the source of Qin Meihui’s hesitancy.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be taking my leave. There’s another job waiting for me,” he said before walking past both of them.

Naturally, Qin Yun had no intention of making things easy. He barely suppressed a grin at their startled faces.

“Wait!” Meihui uttered hastily.

“Yes?”

Qin Yun halted, turning just his head. Once more, her words failed her. He noticed her hands trembling inside her sleeves, clenched too tightly, and saw her unconsciously biting her lip.

Qin Yun sighed. He could only push her so far—or maybe not.

“Isn’t the oh so great clan’s heir busy this time of day?” Qin Yun said. “I feel privileged that you would take time out of your busy schedule to come see a small character such as myself.”

Qin Yun even curtsied deeply, a gesture the two ladies were unfamiliar with as it wasn’t a custom of this land, their bewilderment apparent.

“What?” Meihui uttered again, taken aback by how out of character Qin Yun had acted.

In just a few words, the sombre mood broke. Her regal presence crumbled, revealing a puzzled, ordinary young woman beneath.

Qin Yun almost burst into a smile, but was overtaken by Ming’er, who couldn’t muffle her laughter, letting it echo loud and clear.

Truly, this girl seemed to have nothing in common with the Nazars he knew.

“Ming’er! How could you!” Meihui exploded, puffing off her cheeks, an expression unbecoming of a girl her age, but she couldn’t stop the wave of embarrassment about to crash onto her.

The only way she could was to stamp her foot onto the hardened ground, creating a deep imprint, as well as a small crater. Dust exploded into the air, but the shockwave of her strike scattered it outward, along with the thunderous sound that followed.

Qin Yun felt the vibration flow through his body, starting from his legs, yet stood firm, unshakable, even as a fierce wind struck him head-on.

For her part, being slightly closer, Ming’er was flung backwards through the air, but did an agile somersault before landing back on the tip of her foot as a cat would, making almost no sound, her robe fluttering slightly alongside her.

It was a beautiful stunt, full of grace despite the way she was flung backwards, yet Qin Yun took no note of it. Instead, his eyes were glued to the spectral outline that briefly appeared over Qin Meihui’s head the moment she struck.

It resembled a flower—a lotus, to be precise.

Nine petals spread outwards with a majestic bulb in its core. Each leaves lush with vitality, its thick roots fading right into Meihui’s head. Almost as if she wore this flower as a hat.

However, what truly caught Qin Yun’s attention was the tenth petal about to unfurl, uncovering the core that lay within. It only needed a little more for this ghostly flower to bloom truly.

“Impressive,” Qin Yun said, being genuine this time. “You’ve improved again. Not many can claim to have almost reached the apex of the Foundation Building Realm at your age.”

“You…” Qin Meihui frowned, but then sighed in helplessness. “Forget it. Could you not test me in this way? It’s unbecoming of my position.”

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Her voice was gentle, a stark contrast to her earlier sternness. She radiated dignity tinged with a hint of shame, neither arrogant nor overbearing.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she added. “You stood firm despite being just a mortal when even Ming’er was flung away.”

“It’s not that hard when you know the trick,” Qin Yun replied casually. “Just anchor yourself to the ground and let the energy flow through you. Anybody can do this with a little practice.”

“You make it sound so easy,” she shook her head. “How many embarked upon the Martial Path, only to be cruelly shattered by it? The path you chose to tread isn’t for the faint of heart. Sometimes, I think it was destiny for you to be born rootless. Otherwise, you might not have discovered your talent.”

“You are probably the only one who thinks this way,” Qin Yun showed a helpless smile. “Practitioners tend to look down on martial artists, and I don’t blame them. The Spectral Path is indeed the safer way to go about this.”

“They’re just close-minded fools,” she sneered. “What does it matter what path one takes? In the end, only one’s capabilities matter. Are there any fools who would dare to claim the Three Sages of Heaven and Earth to be inferior to the immortals?”

“Many of those fools exist,” Qin laughed. “But let’s not dwell on this matter. What are you here for? I’m sure you must be busy with the wedding.”

Qin Meihui froze, her eyes narrowed slightly. She then turned to face her attendant, only to see her look to the side, ignoring Yun and Meihui both, as if she had no part in this.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Qin Meihui muttered almost inaudibly, yet Qin Yun noticed that those words visibly shook Ming’er. Somehow, she seemed even paler than her already white skin.

“So you know… I’d hope to be able to tell you sooner, but you know the elders. They swore me to secrecy until the details were ironed out and preparations were complete.”

“I’ve no intention of blaming you, but I can’t promise to do the same for those old farts. I told them, time and again, to leave me out of their machinations. I wanted nothing to do with this.”

“Understandable,” she nodded.

But then hesitated once again, mulling over whether or not to say what was on her mind, but Qin Yun’s demeanour gave her the courage to voice her thoughts.

“Do you intend to reject it?”

“Not outright,” Qin Yun replied firmly. “Not until I hear the details from those old fools’ mouths.”