Chapter 20: Refusal Again

Early the next morning, Qin Li woke up and pushed open the door to go outside. He found the sky covered with dark clouds, and the air was damp, carrying a faint scent of earth. It seemed like it was going to rain. The surroundings of Zichen Garden were quiet, extremely still. The east part of the city belonged to the wealthy district of Huangsha City, and the area around Zichen Garden was where only the super-rich could live.

Qin Li took a deep breath. Today, he had to say goodbye to this place. In the future, he probably would not return here. It wasn’t that Qin Li disliked enjoying life; he just preferred to create his own.

Qin Hanyue’s door was gently pushed open. She came out and saw Qin Li. She was slightly stunned for a moment, then smiled and asked, “You’re up so early today?”

Qin Li looked at his mother’s dark eye circles and knew she hadn’t slept well all night. He smiled and said, “Mother, don’t worry. It won’t be long before I give you a garden ten times bigger and ten times more beautiful than this!”

Qin Hanyue instinctively thought Qin Li was talking about the dowry from the Shangguan Family. She felt a little sad and slowly shook her head. “Son, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Don’t force yourself too much.”

Qin Li knew his mother misunderstood his meaning, but he didn’t explain. For a man, actions were more important than words.

Just then, Qin Xue walked over from behind, still half-asleep. Seeing Qin Li and his mother standing in the yard, she paused briefly, then said with a bit of embarrassment, “I got up late. I’ll go make breakfast now…”

“Qin Xue,” Qin Li called out to stop her. Seeing the slight confusion on Qin Xue’s delicate face, Qin Li smiled. “It’s like this: today, Mother and I are moving out of Zichen Garden…”

“I know,” Qin Xue looked at Qin Li, not understanding why the Young Master was telling her this so early in the morning.

“Um, the place we’re moving to will be very poor, like… like the house we used to live in. Qin Xue, you’re a good person, but we don’t want to hold you back. So…” Qin Li spoke with some awkwardness. In his heart, besides his mother Qin Hanyue, perhaps only Qin Xue was someone he held in high regard. Although she was trained by the Qin Family, this girl was very kind and understanding. She was a good person!

“Young Master, what… what do you mean by that?”

Qin Xue’s eyes immediately reddened. “Do you think Qin Xue isn’t good enough? Or do you think I’m a burden? I can do a lot of things. I can support myself. Let me go with you… please?”

Qin Li was taken aback. He had seen many materialistic girls in his past life. There was even a popular saying back then: “I’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle!”

That phrase was widely spread and regarded as a great truth by countless people. Although Qin Li didn’t entirely agree with it, he had nothing to say against it either. Pursuing a better life was everyone’s right, even if they were wrong, no one else had the right to interfere.

But he had never seen someone like Qin Xue, who was willing to give up a comfortable life and endure hardship and poverty.

Qin Li twitched his lips, reached out, and waved his hand in front of Qin Xue’s face. Then he asked, “Are you sure you’re not sleep-talking?”

Qin Hanyue laughed out loud at her son’s action.

Qin Xue looked at Qin Li, torn between laughter and tears, and said softly, “Of course I’m not sleep-talking!”

Then, Qin Xue’s voice turned a bit low. “Since I was very young, I knew my fate. Either I’d be sent to another family—if lucky, I might become a concubine; if unlucky and met a jealous wife, it would be bad. If luck was worse, I might even be sent to a brothel to gather information for the family. No matter what, I’d have no freedom. To be honest, when the Master first said he was giving me to the Young Master, I was sad too. I felt like there was no hope in this life. But then I realized the Young Master is a real man—responsible and filial. For Qin Xue to find such a master is Qin Xue’s good fortune. So, whether we face hardship or toil, Qin Xue is willing to follow the Young Master and Madam. Wherever you go, I will follow.”

Qin Li scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by Qin Xue’s praise. He thought to himself, “How come I never realized I had so many good qualities?”

At that moment, Qin Hanyue took Qin Xue’s hand and said gently, “Qin Xue, since you don’t mind and are willing to follow us, this widow and her son, I promise I won’t treat you poorly. One day, you will be proud of the choice you made today.”

…

“What? That little bastard and his mother moved out?” Qin Feng’s face first showed disbelief, then he burst into loud laughter, gritting his teeth. “Good, very good! That little wild seed, afraid I wouldn’t have a chance to kill him, actually delivered himself to my doorstep. Excellent!”

Looking at his younger brother lying on the bed, seeming half-crazy, Qin Hu sighed and shook his head. “Kill what? For now, you won’t have a chance to deal with him. At least here in Huangsha City, Grandfather would never allow you to lay a finger on him!”

“Hmph, I know. But I don’t believe that brat will stay in Huangsha City forever! As soon as he dares to step outside Huangsha City, I’ll make sure he never comes back!”

Qin Hu thought of Qin Xue’s pretty face and perfect figure, feeling a stir of heat inside. He added, “Yeah, finish off that little bastard. If it weren’t for him, why would Grandfather have given Qin Xue away!”

Many Qin Family disciples knew that Qin Hu liked Qin Xue because they had grown up together, practiced the Qin Family’s cultivation methods together, and studied various subjects together. As talents specially trained by the family, the Qin Family invested heavily in them. Letting Qin Xue and others study alongside the direct descendants aimed to strengthen their sense of family honor and make them devoted to serving the family.

Qin Feng’s injuries weren’t too serious; they would heal after some rest and wouldn’t leave any lasting issues. But Qin Feng’s hatred for Qin Li could burn red half the sky over Huangsha City!

Lying on the bed, the two Qin brothers began plotting how to get revenge on Qin Li.

Meanwhile, Qin Li had already taken his mother and Qin Xue. The three of them rented two carriages and moved all the belongings that originally belonged to Qin Hanyue and her son—which weren’t many. Most of them were books. To Qin Hanyue, besides her son, these books were probably the most important.

Before leaving, Qin Ze, an associate of Qin Hongyuan, unexpectedly came to Zichen Garden. He took two books from his robe and handed them to Qin Li, his face expressionless. “The Family Head asked me to give these to you.”

Qin Li took them with some confusion. Both books seemed quite old. One had the words “Yiyuan Xinfa” written on it, with two smaller, blurry characters below. Qin Li looked closely and made out the words “Advanced.” The other book had “Blade Palm Technique” written on it, and below, it also had the label “Advanced.”

Qin Xue, standing beside Qin Li, gasped in surprise. “These are the Qin Family’s highest-level Yuanli and combat technique cultivation methods. The Master, he…”

Qin Li looked at Qin Ze, who had a hint of disdain in his eyes, and gave a faint smile. He handed the books back to Qin Ze and said, “Thank the Family Head for me, but I cannot accept rewards without merit. Although I wish to learn combat techniques, I will obtain them myself!”

A flash of surprise crossed Qin Ze’s eyes, and he spoke unexpectedly, “I understand. I will tell the Master what you said.”

Watching Qin Ze’s retreating back, Qin Xue said with some reproach, “Young Master, those were good things! Why didn’t you take them? They were rightfully yours!”

Qin Li looked at Qin Xue with a half-smile. “It seems you’ve learned these too, right? If I asked you, would you teach me?”

“Huh?” Qin Xue stared wide-eyed at Qin Li, her innocent expression quite adorable.

Qin Li’s smile faded, and he said calmly, “I will not learn any cultivation methods from the Qin Family! I believe there are countless methods in this world, and there will be one that suits me.”

Qin Xue nodded silently. Although she didn’t fully understand why Qin Li refused the Qin Family’s goodwill again, she understood one thing: the choice she had made after careful thought was not wrong.