Chapter 604: Chapter 599: Marriage Alliance Partner

The old man had a gaunt appearance, an elegant aura, clad in a white robe, standing there he seemed to possess the ethereal quality of someone on the verge of becoming an immortal, ready to ride the wind away. Those unaware might even mistake him for a great cultivator from some family.

However, as soon as the old man opened his mouth, he immediately shattered the graceful aura about him.

“You charlatan!”

Anger filled the old man’s face, his eyes round and glaring as he stared fiercely at Qin Feng without letting up.

Luckily, he hadn’t cultivated the spell ‘Pupil Concealed Sword,’ or else he’d have stabbed Qin Feng with hundreds of swords to vent the wrath in his eyes.

“It’s you!”

Qin Feng glanced at the other party and couldn’t help but smile.

This old man was the sword-cultivating White Crane he encountered that year when he patrolled Qifeng Mountain and subdued the Demon Beasts of the mountain!

“What brings about such words, Elder He?”

Qin Feng said with a smiling face, “When did I ever deceive you?”

“Haven’t you?”

The White Crane, even more infuriated upon hearing this, exclaimed, “You tricked me into submitting to the Old Family Head of the Qin Family. I thought his end was near, so I agreed to temporarily submit and aided in guarding the Qin Family’s peace for decades.

But look how it turned out. Just after I was bound by prohibition, you helped Qin Guanbao, that old fellow, break through and cultivate a Golden Core. And now, you are even going to help him cultivate up to the Purple Mansion Realm.

You better not tell me that when you tricked me into submission, you didn’t plan on helping Qin Guanbao advance. If he achieves the Purple Mansion, how will I ever wait for his lifespan to exhaust?

Tell me, do I have a chance to break free from this bondage and regain my freedom in this life?”

“Ha ha…”

Qin Feng shook his head upon hearing this, “Our original agreement was that after the Old Family Master’s life span was exhausted, I’d let you go free, which is true. But there was no stipulation that the Old Family Master couldn’t cultivate and advance, was there?

For a cultivator, isn’t it normal to accelerate cultivation in the absence of lack of resources and to ascend to a higher realm? Are you saying that because of our agreement, we should have prevented the Old Family Master from cultivating thereafter?

As a demon of the Demon Clan with hundreds of years of cultivation, you should have known that a cultivator’s lifespan increases with advancement in Cultivation Realm. Didn’t you consider this when you chose to submit? Why are you asking me these things now?”

“I…”

White Crane was tongue-tied and at a loss for words.

Back then he really hadn’t thought it through, thinking only that the Old Family Master’s end was imminent. He hadn’t expected Qin Feng to be a True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, let alone that he could force an advancement for QIn Guanbao when his lifespan was on the brink, thereby granting him several more hundred years of life.

Now it was getting even better, Qin Feng was planning to help Qin Guanbao achieve Purple Mansion.

This Crane Demon had been hoping that once he advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm himself, he might wait out the death of Qin Guanbao.

The White Crane was somewhat confident in his own advancement, having originally possessed decent talent. With the limited sword techniques he had stealthily learned, he managed to cultivate to such a degree. After receiving the complete sword techniques from Qin Feng, and having been guided by the genius Zhuo Feifan of the Taiyi Mountain Sword Cultivators, the cultivation of the Crane Demon had progressed by leaps and bounds over the years, becoming more formidable than Qin Guanbao and nearing the Peak of Demon Core.

But now, just when Qin Feng had returned to the family to help the Old Family Master reach Purple Mansion, the White Crane had almost died from anger upon receiving the news. When he learned Qin Feng had left the Cave Mansion, he came directly here to wait and confront Qin Feng for an explanation!

This White Crane had always been hot-headed; had it been any other Demon Beast, they certainly wouldn’t have dared directly confront Qin Feng like this.

Even the strongest of them all, the Ancient Tree, didn’t dare, not to mention the several Pangolins at the Realm of the Demon Core.

“You never told me you were a True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect!”

The White Crane wailed in distress, “Had you said so earlier, how would I have been so easily deceived by you?”

“You didn’t ask at the time, did you?”

Qin Feng spread his hands wide: “I remember giving you a chance to submit to me, but you didn’t agree.”

“Humph.”

The White Crane scoffed disdainfully, “Had I truly submitted to you, I would have feared being trapped for life!”

“What’s so bad about being with my Qin Family?”

Qin Feng shook his head at the White Crane, attempting to persuade, “Here you don’t lack resources, and being under the Qin Family’s protection, no one will treat you as they would a wild Demon Beast. If you show up in Human Clan territory now, even if they don’t harass or hunt you, it would likely attract many cultivators’ covetous thoughts since your true form is so majestic. Surely, there would be those who attempt to capture you alive, to make you their Riding Tool…”

“I will never agree!”

The White Crane declared with a death-before-dishonor expression, his neck rigid as he spoke!

“Elder He, you are still as stubborn as ever!”

Qin Feng, not sure if he was offering praise or expressing melancholy, remarked, then continued, “Let’s not discuss what might happen if you leave the Qin Family. Just think about the advantages you’ve gained here.

Moreover, the family hasn’t faced any crisis over the years, so while you are nominally the Old Family Master’s Spiritual Beast, you haven’t made much effort in reality. The Old Family Master hasn’t restrained you too much, let you roam the mountains as before, so how is that any different from the past?

You, too, desire to cultivate to Purple Mansion, but advancing on your own will always be fraught with difficulties. Wouldn’t it be better to learn some experiences from the Old Family Master after his successful advancement, which could actually increase your chances?

Think it over by yourself. If you truly wish to break the agreement and do not want to stay with the Qin Family, I can speak to the Old Family Master on your behalf. But first, you need to earn some merits for the Qin Family to offset the benefits you have received over the years, after all, you can’t just take advantage of my Qin Family for nothing, right?

Unless you break the agreement and leave secretly, otherwise…”

“Don’t you dare taint my integrity!”

The White Crane roared in fury, “I would never leave covertly; do you take me for someone who breaks their word?”

“Of course not, of course not,” Qin Feng hurriedly replied, “I just think that over the years you’ve not made much effort, but rather gained quite a bit. Take the Magic Robe you’re wearing and those Flying Swords, for instance. If I’m not mistaken, they must be quite valuable to craft. The Old Family Master is indeed generous, to be willing to spend so many Spirit Stones on you!”

“Humph!”

With a flick of his robe, the White Crane declared, “I will earn enough merits to pay off my debt to the Qin Family, and then I will leave!”

With that, he turned and walked away, too indifferent to give Qin Feng another glance.

Clearly, in his eyes, Qin Feng was a cunning character. He had come looking for Qin Feng with a raging momentum, demanding an explanation, only to find himself feeling guilty after a few words from the other party!

Thus, White Crane decided it would be best to avoid Qin Feng as much as possible in the future. Who knew if this fellow would set another trap for him? He might end up tied to the Qin Family for life, unable to free himself!

Watching White Crane leave in a huff, Qin Feng didn’t pay him much mind, simply turning his head to glance towards the edge of the cliff.

Outside Luofeng Cliff, the tall ancient tree swayed its branches, then a wisp of green energy rose up and transformed into an old man who landed in front of Qin Feng.

“Master!”

The old man bowed deeply to Qin Feng in greeting.

He was dressed in a green robe with a full head of silver hair, and his face was full of wrinkles, looking much like the dried bark of an old tree.

This elder clearly looked to be of advanced age, but upon closer inspection, one could discover the clarity and purity of his eyes–which occasionally flickered with hints of jade light–revealing a vigorous vitality that felt peculiar.

“Um.”

Compared to White Crane, Qin Feng’s attitude towards this tree demon was much more casual.

After all, this was an ancient tree that he had subdued with the Demon Refining Pot, left here simply to protect the family.

“Not bad, to have actually succeeded in advancing to full Transformation in such a short time!”

Qin Feng gave the tree demon a few looks and nodded in praise.

“Thanks to the Master’s teachings from years ago, if not for the Master who performed the Spirit Transformation Technique to release me from the earth, and imparted to me the ‘Yimu Divine Technique’ to aid my cultivation, I wouldn’t know how many years it would have taken for me to achieve Transformation, let alone possess the abilities I have today.”

Recalling the times he was rooted to the earth for thousands of years, unable to move, the tree demon seemed somewhat excited.

Qin Feng waved his hand, indicating that the elder didn’t need to be so stirred up and then asked, “How is it, have there been any accidents over these years?”

“Reporting to the Master, over the years there have frequently been petty individuals who lurk in the shadows, seemingly those who think the Qin Family has developed too quickly with inadequate strength, thus hiring people to probe in secret.”

The tree demon continued, “Those small-timers are not much to worry about, with weak strength. Most have been dealt with by me in secret. However, about a decade ago, I sensed several strands of demonic Qi, indicating that demon cultivators had come here. They probably hesitated due to the array formations and restrictions of Qifeng Mountain, so they didn’t cause any trouble.”

“Um?”

Qin Feng frowned in thought. By the tree demon’s indication of the time, it must have been before they started to round up members of the Demon Sect. Back then, many Demon Sect cultivators had their sights set on various cultivator families, hoping to acquire cultivation resources from the Red Flame Demon Realm through those families.

Looking back now, it seemed it was correct to spend the resources to invite an Elder from the Sect to help set up a Protective Mansion Array. Otherwise, if he had to buy ready-made Array Flags and Array Plates from a market, that would have been rather unreliable. After all, those manufactured array plates could not match the power of a Great Array set up with the assistance of natural ley lines and mountain terrains!

The family had developed too quickly over the years, and indeed their abundance of Spirit Stones had drawn envious eyes. Yet, there were probably only a few who truly dared to act. Furthermore, he had advised the Old Family Master quite some time ago to not stockpile too many Spirit Stones during the family’s development phase.

He suggested that the family should ostentatiously exchange these Spirit Stones for various cultivation resources. This would not only nurture the family’s cultivators but also relay a message– that the Qin Family used all the acquired Spirit Stones and converted them into resources, thus potentially deterring the ideas of some desperadoes.

Although most demon cultivators had been eradicated, and the rest deemed him unworthy after learning he became the Master of Qi Luck, previously, being just a True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect was not sufficient to awe everyone. But being the Master of Qi Luck was different, as any cultivator with a basic understanding of the Cultivation World usually wouldn’t dare to offend the Master of Qi Luck, lest they meet with an unfavorable end.

However, Qin Feng inevitably still felt some concerns; if there were demon cultivators backed into a corner, seeking revenge, they might lash out against his family.

So after some contemplation, he summoned several Spiritual Beasts from the Demon Refining Pot, which included a poisonous snake from the Mist Kingdom of the Nordic God Realm, a Fire Ape he had subdued in the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm, a ferocious bird that made the sound of wind and thunder when it spread its wings, and a Demon Spider as large as a millstone!

The poisonous snake was not only a being comparable to the Purple Mansion Peak but was also only one step away from becoming a Super Demon Beast, with its venom being surprisingly dreadful. Ordinary Dharma Image Cultivators would definitely not dare to casually provoke it.

Although the Fire Ape had only recently advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm, Qin Feng had initially helped it to refine the Strange Ape Essence Blood from the Fire Kingdom, greatly enhancing its ability to manipulate flames.

That ferocious bird with wingspan spanning over dozens of feet was an Otherworld Demon Beast, a Thunder Hawk. Initially tamed by Qin Feng for a period of riding, after entering the Demon Refining Pot and consuming some Spiritual Objects, it had surprisingly advanced to a Level Nine Demon Beast, also considered somewhat fortuitous.

However, what Qin Feng valued most was the Demon Spider.

It was a Ghost Spider he had subdued when attacking a Spider Nest in the Underground World with the help of Elders, also the only Super Level Demon Spider under the Ghost-Faced Spider’s command.

Despite the Ghost Spider’s small size, merely as big as a millstone, it was extremely powerful.

It had eight long, sharp spider legs capable of supporting its small body through the Void, coming without a shadow, going without a trace, specializing in stealth and assassination from the darkness!

Qin Feng was concerned about the safety of his family. If he were only to leave behind the other Demon Beasts, he would still feel somewhat uneasy, so he simply decided to leave behind a Demon Beast comparable to the Dharma Image Realm. The Ghost Spider was also very adept at stealth and concealment, perfect for leading the other Demon Beasts to hide in the shadows and protect the family.

Nevertheless, such a matter still required informing the Old Family Head.

To prevent the news from spreading, there was no need for too many people to know, but the Old Family Head still needed to be informed. This way, in the event of any situation, it would not lead to a lack of powerful warriors available for use.

…

The Qin Family had been extremely lively these past few days. Every family in the Chu Kingdom with a bit of strength sent people to make connections, and though Qin Feng only made a brief appearance before living a life of seclusion, these Cultivators were still satisfied.

In particular, those families with marital ties to the Qin Family were all smiles when they met others, obviously proud of their early relationship with the Qin Family.

Many families had already started departing, after all, the Qin Family estate could only accommodate so many Cultivators gathered in one place.

However, those who left were mostly the smaller families. The heads of the larger families and a few top-level Cultivator Families did not leave early but chose to stay and discuss potential future collaborations with Qin Guanbao.

If they could take it a step further and forge marital ties with the Qin Family, welcoming one or two of the Qin Family’s legitimate daughters back to their families, that would be even better.

As for giving their legitimate daughters in marriage to the Qin Family, those top-level families had not yet considered it.

It wasn’t that they looked down on the potential of the Qin Family, but rather that the Qin Family did not have many Cultivators appropriate for marrying their daughters.

Currently, the Qin Family had altogether just three Golden Core Cultivators.

Qin Yang, although young, had already declared he would temporarily not discuss marriage matters. Of course, part of the reason was that he was in a period of rapid advancement in his Cultivation and should not be distracted. However, even more, was that the Old Family Master was advising him behind the scenes, instructing him not to marry early. In the future, as the Qin Family’s strength grew, there would naturally be even better Female Cultivators willing to become his Daoist Company.

Qin Long indeed was in the prime of life, with both his Cultivation and potential being quite impressive, and quite a few families had taken interest in him.

But there was one problem standing in everyone’s way, and that was that Qin Long, after all, was Qin Feng’s father. While people were tempted, they dared not insist. Otherwise, if Qin Feng found out that he suddenly had a stepmother younger than himself, it could lead to resentment, and the alliance-seeking family might lose more than they gained.

With Qin Yang not marrying, and Qin Long not suitable, what were the top-level families to do with the Foundation Establishment members of the Qin Clan who neither had the Cultivation nor the potential to match their legitimate daughters? Who could they turn to?

Surely they couldn’t consider an alliance with Qin Guanbao, the old fellow, could they?