Chapter 44: The Powerful Shangguan Family

After such an incident, naturally everyone lost their desire to stay in the forest any longer. They were especially afraid of encountering that frantic female Green Plush Cat again. That creature was highly intelligent, and if it saw these people again, it would definitely attack without restraint. At that point, it wouldn’t just be a matter of getting slightly injured.

Fortunately, they still had the Ironhide Crocodile that Qin Li had hunted, which counted as a substantial gain. It would have been even more perfect if they hadn’t run into that group of people.

However, life was full of disappointments. Through this event, Qin Li gained a deeper understanding of some of this world’s rules. His desire to improve his strength became even more urgent.

He had been practicing the Innate Purple Qi Art without interruption these past few days. Qin Li discovered that his cultivation speed was somewhat faster in this primeval forest compared to inside Huangsha City. Especially on clear mornings, the purple qi from the Eastern Lands contained incredibly abundant energy! Qin Li felt himself improving every single day!

Especially after he had become completely familiar with this body, the near-perfect foundation allowed his abilities to grow almost explosively!

On the journey back, that scene once again appeared in Qin Li’s mind: Qin Hu looked at him with a face full of scorn and sneered, “Foundation Master, foundations are useless!”

But now, Qin Li’s heart held no trace of sorrow or anger, only a faint sense of mockery!

The walls of Huangsha City were tall and imposing. That feeling of massive grandeur hit them from dozens of miles away. The closer they got to the city gate, the more somber everyone’s mood became. If those people really were connected to the Royal Family, then the City Lord’s Manor must already know about the incident.

From a distance, the group didn’t notice anything unusual at the city gate, which slightly eased their worries. As long as they entered the city, they would be safe.

What Qin Li and the others didn’t know was that, at this very moment, inside the City Lord’s Manor of Huangsha City, a fierce argument was underway!

A beautiful girl with bright eyes and white teeth had a face full of indignation as she stared down a stern-looking middle-aged man in his late forties.

If Qin Li were standing here, he would immediately recognize this girl as the one who had tried to assassinate him that day!

“Father, such a great opportunity, and you want to let him go! Do you not know he almost killed Feng-ge! And now he has offended people from the Royal Family, people from the Imperial Palace!” The beautiful girl’s eyes were slightly red as she spoke coldly, on the verge of tears.

“Feng-ge, Feng-ge, all you ever think about is that Qin Feng! How many times has your father told you, he is not a good match for you! Yes, he is a once-in-a-century genius, his looks are beyond question, his family background… is also beyond question! But precisely because of that, I don’t think you two are suited. Think carefully, you study at the Imperial Academy with Qin Feng. How many girls like him? How many come from families stronger than ours? Only in your father’s eyes is my precious daughter the most beautiful, but do you truly believe you are the most beautiful woman in the world? Daughter… think about it properly, are the two of you really suitable?”

A deep helplessness showed on the middle-aged man’s face. Looking at his still stubborn daughter, he couldn’t help but continue, “You say you actually went to assassinate that Qin Li last time? Have you lost your mind? Do you think Qin Feng would be grateful to you for that? Impossible! He would blame you for meddling instead! And do you have any idea how much danger your actions could bring upon yourself and our family!”

The girl didn’t seem to care about the last part of her father’s words, but was puzzled about why Qin Feng would blame her for meddling. She asked, “Why would he blame me for meddling?”

“Because men don’t like women who fight and kill, and they especially don’t like women interfering in their private affairs! As a proud genius, if he wants revenge, he will do it himself!” the middle-aged man said irritably. “That is an internal matter of the Qin Family. And as a son-in-law of the Shangguan Family, do you truly believe you could kill Qin Feng and get away with it? Not only you, but even your father I… would face utter disaster!”

“How could that be?” A trace of surprise finally appeared on the girl’s coldly pretty face. “He’s just a lowly little bastard. Why is he regarded so highly?”

“Sigh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. You just need to remember one thing: in Huangsha City, whoever provokes this Qin Li is doomed!” The middle-aged man added silently to himself: At least for now!

The girl pursed her lips, her eyes filled with unwillingness. “Then what about this time? Eunuch Li was so severely injured. Will he let Qin Li off? I never expected that kid to be such a troublemaker. How did he manage it? I heard Eunuch Li is an Earth Rank expert!”

Mentioning Eunuch Li made the middle-aged man’s mouth twitch. He sighed and said, “This is exactly why I don’t want you getting involved. An Earth Rank expert suffered such a great loss at Qin Li’s hands. Are you stronger than an Earth Rank expert? Moreover, do you think the Shangguan Family is just for show? Does Eunuch Li even have the right to speak in front of Consort Shangguan? This time… he is destined to swallow a bitter pill in silence!”

The middle-aged man sighed deeply as he spoke, thinking to himself: This City Lord position is really frustrating. Given the Shangguan Family’s power, Eunuch Li’s influence isn’t even worth helping them put on shoes! So, hoping to see a dog-eat-dog situation is really too difficult!

…

“Giddy up!”

On the main street of Huangsha City, the sound of urgent hoofbeats rang out. Over twenty black-armored knights galloped on their horses, their momentum startling. Following them were two luxurious carriages pulled by eight strong horses, also speeding along, heading straight for the city gate.

Qin Li and the others had just entered the city when they saw over twenty knights charging towards them. They were stunned, thinking, has the matter come to light already?

At that moment, the lead knight on horseback cupped his hands towards Qin Li. “Might I ask if you are Young Master Qin Li? I am a guard of the Shangguan Family, specially ordered by the Family Head to escort Young Master Qin and your companions home!”

Ahu and the others immediately felt their hearts settle. Even Leng Yao looked at Qin Li with some surprise.

Qin Li returned the salute very steadily and said, “Thank you then!”

“Wait!”

Just then, over ten more people approached from the side, and someone shouted loudly.

Ahu and the others turned their heads, their faces instantly changing. These ten-plus people were exactly the ones they had clashed with a few days ago. Right now, they were staring at Qin Li with looks that seemed like they wanted to eat him alive. The ugly middle-aged man was not among them. Someone who appeared to be the leader spoke loudly.

“They cannot go anywhere! They injured our lord! We are taking them away!”

The black-armored knight on horseback wore an expression of utter contempt, looking at the speaker as if he were an idiot. He said indifferently, “This is Huangsha City! They are honored guests of the Shangguan Family!”

The speaker flew into a rage. “This is the Emperor’s land! They are wanted criminals by the Royal Family!”

“Tsk tsk, such a big label. The Royal Family, how terrifying.” The black-armored knight smirked coldly, cupped his hands towards the sky, and said, “Our young lady is also the Emperor’s most beloved consort! Which Royal Family are you talking about… exactly? Hmm? Who gave you the qualification to represent the Royal Family! Don’t be ungrateful for the face we’re giving you. On this land of Huangsha City, I’ve never seen anyone dare to act recklessly against the Shangguan Family! If you want these people, tell your lord to come to the Shangguan Manor and ask for them!”

After speaking, the black-armored knight smiled slightly at Qin Li. “Please, Young Master Qin and everyone, get in the carriage!”

“You… How dare you offend our lord like this!”

This person never expected the people from the Shangguan Family to be so overbearing and domineering. He was so angry he almost didn’t know how to retort, could only clench his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging. If Master Li hadn’t instructed them before they left that if they encountered people from the Shangguan Family, they must absolutely not conflict with them, he would have long since rushed forward and cut down that arrogant knight with one slash.

“A castrated eunuch without even balls dares to call himself a lord! When I have time, I will indeed report to our Family Head and have him ask Consort Shangguan whether your lord can truly represent the imperial power!”

The black-armored knight’s words were extremely vicious and full of mockery. Hearing them, the faces of that group all changed color, but none of them dared to move. Contempt for the imperial power was a big label they could not afford to wear!

Bu Yunyan and the others found it very satisfying to hear, their faces showing expressions of relief.

Qin Li, his expression calm, got into the carriage. Amidst the hate-filled stares of that group, they drove off.