Chapter 8 – Qin Lihua, The Golden Frost

The old man’s face burned with fury, his narrowed eyes cutting through the air. Qin Yun felt the room grow colder as a crushing force wrapped around him, squeezing until he was frozen in place.

And yet, Qin Yun remained standing, back straight and eyes forward, no signs of fear in them, for he knew that even in the unlikely event that this man would lose sight of himself, the other two would surely step in.

For now, both seemed intent on merely observing.

“You insolent cur!” The man bellowed. “Have you no respect for your elders?!”

Qin Yun scoffed, catching the elders off guard. They likely thought anyone his age would crumble, trembling before their authority. But Qin Yun was not so easily cowed.

He recognized the outburst for what it was: bluster and empty threats. This first meeting was a test, and he was eager to see just how far he could push before they revealed how vital he truly was to their schemes.

“Respect?” he said, his voice dripping with mockery. “Respect is earned, not assumed. Simply being old is not an achievement enough to earn my respect, not that you should want for it.”

In the face of Qin Yun’s defiance, the old man’s jaw hung slightly open, lost for words. He had never expected someone so young to fight back, especially the one he looked down upon.

Unfortunately, his current state of mind wasn’t conducive to changing his mind so quickly.

Lost in the moment, the old man waved his sleeve; a green outline appeared over his head, and a magnificent lotus spun, with ten full leaves open around a core of light.

Despite his disdain for the elder, Qin Yun could not deny the awe the lotus inspired. Its presence struck something deep within him, as if the seed at his core trembled in response, whispering that he was utterly outmatched.

Qin Yun frowned.

He recoiled from the feeling, but it was beyond his control. The gulf in their power was so vast that his body instinctively wanted to bow, to submit.

Only the weakness of his own seed, still rootless and immature, allowed him to resist. He wondered uneasily what might have happened if it were otherwise.

Was every practitioner shackled by this invisible hierarchy? The mere thought sent a chill down his spine.

As Qin Yun stood resolute against the waves coming from the green lotus, the elders couldn’t help but show their shock, with only the golden-haired elder showing no signs of change, almost as if she had already predicted this.

On the other hand, the two old ones had their eyes wide open. They had only meant to test him a bit, only to find they had completely underestimated him.

The old woman, eager to press him further, began to summon her own lotus. Yet before it could even take shape, the golden-haired elder intervened.

“Enough,” she said calmly, yet a wave of pressure spewed forth, crashing straight into the green lotus floating above the old man’s head.

The lotus resisted for a heartbeat, then shattered, its petals scattering like lost hopes before vanishing entirely.

The suffocating pressure lifted, and Qin Yun drew a shaky breath. Outwardly, he appeared unfazed, but the elders saw through his facade.

They knew fully how strenuous it was for Qin Yun to merely stand against their pressure. His muscles ached as the fibres pulsed much more than they did at the end of his training this morning. His breath was ragged even as he tried his best to keep it controlled while his heart thumped in his chest.

He was certain the elders could hear his racing heart, yet his expression betrayed nothing.

Pride anchored him. Collapsing now, after his bold words, was unthinkable.

“Is this… how you treat… your guests?” Qin Yun forced out, defiance flickering in his eyes. But when the golden-haired elder finally met his gaze, a shiver ran through him.

He might have held his own against the old man when he was playing around, but Qin Yun knew he stood no chance against her, no matter how much she would hold back.

This was the chasm between them. She towered above everyone present. Even the other elders, united, would struggle to earn her respect.

“We’ve asked you here for one simple reason,” she began, ignoring Qin Yun’s previous outburst, her voice powerful even while subdued. “Your upcoming marriage.”

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As she spoke, the other two elders grew silent, reverent even. They didn’t dare to interrupt her, as did Qin Yun. He too didn’t dare to voice his objection outright. Instead, he listened closely to what she had to say.

“The preparations are already underway,” she continued. “As you may have heard, the bride stems from the Cloud Imperial Palace, being its third princess, Yun Jingfei. In two weeks’ time, a contingent from the palace will arrive, and the wedding will take place the following day.”

Her voice was robotic, rehearsed. She wasn’t speaking to him; she was speaking at him. He had no choice but to accept what was being said. He had no way to refuse this union.

At least, this was what they thought…

As Qin Yun summoned his courage to speak, the golden-haired elder—Qin Lihua—regarded him for the first time, not as a mere junior, but as someone worthy of her attention.

“This decision is final. Nothing you say will change the clan’s decision, but as a show of good faith, we are prepared to answer some of your questions.”

Qin Yun paused.

Practitioner clans were always heavy-handed when it came to decisions which impacted the entire clan. So, it was no wonder they wouldn’t give Qin Yun a choice in the matter. It was only to be expected.

Yet this unexpected freedom to question unsettled him. Was it a ploy to coax his submission? Did they fear his rebellion, or was there a deeper game at play?

He intended to use this opportunity to find out.

The pressure that had kept him in place faded entirely, allowing him free rein over his body once again without having to battle for it. He opened his mouth and spoke the words he wanted the answer to the most.

Perhaps not the answer of greatest consequence, but the one that gnawed at his heart.

“Why me?” he asked. “There must have been many more worthy candidates, ones that could bring many more boons to the clans and make this alliance much stronger. So, why me?”