Chapter Five Invitation

  Qin Yuxian hesitated for a moment before speaking up: "This is...my brother Qin Hao."

  "Who are you?" Qin Hao slightly furrowed his brow, looking very perplexed. Since he had only met Ji Fan briefly before, he naturally had to pretend not to be too familiar with him.

  "Ji Fan. The people from the City Lord's Manor." Ji Fan said in a gentle tone.

  "Oh, so it's Seasonal Brother." Qin Hao asked smoothly: "I don't know what Seasonal Brother came here for?"

  As for Ji Fan's intentions, Qin Hao really didn't know. These things had happened once before, but in his past life, he had already secretly left the Qin family at this moment, and naturally didn't understand what was going on.

  "Hehe, you'd better ask Yu Xian about this. Or the head of the Qin family will also tell you. Anyway, this matter concerns you too. You all go in first, the head of the Qin family has been waiting for you for a while."

  Ji Fan said that, Qin Hao didn't dare to ask further with a thick face. So he sent off Ji Fan leaving and then walked into the main hall with Qin Yu Xian together.

  As soon as he entered the hall, he found Qin Feng sitting at a table, seemingly somewhat restless.

  "Father." Qin Hao and Qin Yu Xian walked up to Qin Feng's front, respectfully calling out.

  Qin Feng nodded and then looked at Qin Hao, who still looked serious but was secretly delighted. The changes in Qin Hao over the past few days made it impossible for him to find any reason to be dissatisfied. However, when his gaze fell on the two jade plaques placed on the table, a hint of worry crept back onto his face.

  Qin Hao also noticed the two jade tablets on the table. The jade tablets were a deep green color, with a warm and smooth luster, and their surface seemed extremely smooth, as if there was not even a single flaw. The jade tablets were carved very thinly, looking quite extraordinary.

  This kind of invitation card seems to be only available in the city master's mansion. Thinking of this, Qin Hao roughly knew the purpose of Ji Fan's visit.

  Qin Feng picked up the tea cup on the table, took a light sip of tea, and pondered for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask: "Hao'er, you know that every year there is a competition between each family, right?"

  Qin Hao nodded slightly. He was naturally clear about this matter. By the time, it would be roughly two months later that this year's trial would begin.

  "In that case, you should also know that before the competition, the city master will invite the outstanding young sons of each family to gather at his mansion."

  Qin Hao nodded in agreement, he also knew something about this matter. It was Qin Yuxian and Qin Shan who went last year.

  "This year, the Qin family was invited, and it's you and Yu Xian." Qin Feng's expression was complex. When he first received the invitation from Ji Fan, he was still somewhat stunned. Logically speaking, the invitation should have been for those with outstanding abilities, so how did it suddenly fall on Qin Hao's head?

  He didn't want Qin Hao to attend from the bottom of his heart. The people who attended such gatherings were mostly outstanding representatives of each family, and young people couldn't help but test each other, be hypocritical, and families with bad relationships would inevitably have a secret confrontation. He was worried that Qin Hao wouldn't be able to handle such an occasion. Qin Yuxian was different, after all, she had been stable and reliable since childhood, and she had also attended once last year.

  What's more important is that Qin Hao went, and people who have a bad relationship with the Qin family can't help but mock him with Qin Hao's downfall.He doesn't want Qin Hao to become his original self again after just changing. Not going doesn't seem like an option either. In recent years, the Qin family has almost been suppressed by the Lin and Lan families. If it weren't for this mysterious city master showing favor towards the Qin family in recent years, their situation would be much worse. Now that he's invited Qin Hao, it's really hard to refuse.

  "Brother knows what he should do." Qin Yuxian, who had been listening but not speaking all along, suddenly said this sentence.

  Qin Hao looked at Qin Yuxian with some surprise, he didn't expect Qin Yuxian to speak up for him. But when Qin Hao looked over, Qin Yuxian had become a silent gourd again. It seemed like the words just now weren't hers after all.

  Qin Yu Xian's words made Qin Feng ponder for a moment. Not knowing how to decide, Qin Feng gave the right to choose to Qin Hao. He looked at Qin Hao, waiting for his reply with mixed emotions.

  Qin Hao looked at Qin Feng's hesitant appearance and understood in his heart. It seemed that his father was worried that he couldn't cope, afraid that he would suffer a setback in such a situation.

  Qin Hao looked back at Qin Peak and suddenly smiled. He didn't say anything else, only asking four words: "When is it?"

  Perhaps for Qin Hao, this question didn't need to be chosen. Some things are destined to be faced by him. Having missed the opportunity once before, he wouldn't fall again in the same place.

  Qin Feng saw Qin Hao's smile, and those worries and knots were suddenly resolved. Qin Hao's words were simple, but the meaning was clear enough. Enough, his sentence was sufficient. Perhaps, he should let Qin Hao try it out.

  "Tonight." Qin Feng's response was equally concise. After saying this, Qin Feng rarely revealed a smile.

  The child then went to prepare first. Qin Hao didn't intend to stay longer. Under Qin Feng's agreement, Qin Hao left the main hall and returned to his own room.

  Back in his room, Qin Hao closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed, focusing his mind and starting to circulate the "Yuyin Jue" technique. The vital energy flowed through the various meridians in his body, following familiar paths and spreading throughout his limbs. Under Qin Hao's control, the vital energy silently nourished every part of his body.

  As the Dharma operated, Qin Hao's mind also became more and more calm. When Qin Hao finally spat out the last mouthful of turbid air, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of peace. Some thoughts in his mind also became clearer than ever at this moment.

  After calming down his thoughts, Qin Hao began to think about the meaning of the city master's sudden invitation.

  The master of Tianlang City is a somewhat eccentric old man who took office five years ago.

  In Qin Hao's impression, he was an extremely weak old man. His face was wrinkled and aged, his body thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. Almost all the words used to describe those elderly people who were on their last legs could be applied to him. What was even more unimaginable was that the old man's legs below the knees seemed to have completely atrophied, and normally he would sit in a wooden wheelchair, pushed by Ji Fan wherever he went.

  Such an old man, naturally looks easy to bully. If someone with some ability were to take over as the city master, the local aristocratic families might reach a compromise with him in some aspects, finding a balance between family interests and the city master's power and responsibilities. But if it's this old man, who would bother to take him seriously? On the surface, they'll just go through the motions, doing the bare minimum out of courtesy. This old man is also a loner with no family, so who would waste too much time on him? That person must be either struck by lightning and became stupid or had their head pinched by a door, or simply has an underdeveloped brain.

  At that time, there were many families who had this idea. Among them, the Feng family was a representative. At that time, in Tianlang City, the overall strength of the Feng family was much stronger than that of the Lin and Qin families.

  The Feng family was extremely overbearing in Tianlang City at the time, and even the newly appointed city lord would give them a third of their power. When they heard that this new city lord was an old disabled man with no threat to them, they simply ignored him completely. They didn't even send anyone to attend when the old man formally took over as city lord.

  When the old man officially took over as the city master, he only said one sentence: "I heard that the Feng family is tyrannical in this Tianlang City, covering the sky with one hand?"

  No one dares to offend him. Although the old man's words are exaggerated, they still hit the nail on the head. Who dares to mess with the Feng family? Even the Qin and Lin families don't have that courage anymore.

  The old man saw that no one was paying attention to him and didn't get angry, he just said a sentence to Ji Fan who was standing behind him: "Do it in moderation, don't overdo it."

  Ji Fan nodded and pushed the old man to leave. As they walked away, the old man didn't say anything else either. It left everyone present looking at each other in confusion, no one knew what the old man's last sentence meant, nor did anyone know what his intention was, whether it was a compromise or a complete break with the He family.

  They soon knew the answer.

  Three days later, the Feng family's business was completely sold out, and the Feng family members left Tianlang City in batches within those three days, it is unknown where they moved to. The once invincible family thoroughly disappeared from Tianlang City in just three days.

  Later, someone inside the Feng family leaked some information and found out that a powerful warrior had once stormed into the Feng family, defeating the head of the Feng family and three great elders with one move. The four true Xuan-class strongmen were powerless to resist.

  Fortunately, the Feng family had sealed off the news of the change extremely well at that time. If it had been leaked out earlier, just their enemies who had been offended would have found them and their outcome would have been ten times more miserable than being forced to withdraw from Tianlang City in disarray.

  Who is the strong and powerful warrior? It's crystal clear. And that old man's words also couldn't be more obvious.

  After that incident, most of the family knew what to do. And the lord of the city also became a mysterious existence in Tianlang City.

  Nowadays this mysterious old man invites him, a waste in the eyes of everyone without any potential at all, what is his purpose?

  Qin Hao smiled wryly to himself, racking his brains but unable to figure out why this old man had suddenly come looking for him. This city master was really too mysterious, and even in his past life, Qin Hao had tried to uncover the mysteries surrounding him, but ultimately gained nothing. The old man's body seemed shrouded in layer upon layer of fog, making it impossible to see clearly.

  It's okay, Qin Hao knew that this old man had always been on the side of the Qin family. Although he didn't know the origin and purpose of this old man, he had helped the Qin family in many ways, which was enough. As for uncovering the mystery surrounding the old man? The current Qin Hao didn't have the power to lift that veil, so he just put it aside for now.

  For Qin Hao, what's on his mind now is the Lin family. The head of the Lin family, Lin Zhanbei, has two sons. The eldest son is a genius and was accepted by the Feng Bo Sect. He is currently cultivating in the Feng Bo Sect. The second son's talent is slightly inferior, but he also reached the tenth level of Condensing Mystery at the age of twenty. It seems that the one attending tonight's gathering is Lin Bi, the second young master of the Lin family.

  The atmosphere between the Lin and Qin families has never eased, with the young people of both families openly and secretly fighting each other. For Qin Hao, tonight will be an interesting thing.

  Night fell quickly. When a strip of white moonlight was cast from the window and entered, Qin Hao got up from bed.

  He changed into a brand new white robe, tied his hair back with a ribbon, and simply washed up before walking out of the room. When he arrived at the main gate of the Qin Manor, he found that Qin Yuxian was already standing there.

  Qin Yuxian wore a pale pink dress, with her black hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her face was lightly made up, with bright eyes shining like morning stars, long eyelashes like two small fans, a delicate and beautiful nose, and a faint blush on her cheeks, with her red lips pursed lightly.

  Although she was only a fourteen-year-old girl, she already possessed the charm and beauty of a mature woman. Qin Hao looked at this appearance of Qin Yu Xian, slightly dazed.

  "Let's go." Qin Yuxian nodded at Qin Hao and didn't say anything else. She turned around and walked out the door.

  Qin Hao hurriedly followed her footsteps and walked side by side with her.

  "Rain Immortal, can you tell me something about this occasion?" Qin Hao saw that Qin Yu Xian didn't seem to want to speak up, so he started with a topic.

  Qin Yuxian did not decline as she usually did, and Qin Hao's question was not as irrelevant as it normally was. After a moment of contemplation, she replied in a gentle tone: "Old Master Chen invites several outstanding young men from the family to gather once a year, so that they can get to know each other. After all, two months later, there will be a competition."

  "Why must it be so?" Qin Hao asked in puzzlement.

  "I'm not quite sure either. Maybe he wants to see the strength of each family, or maybe he wants the young masters of several families to have a direct understanding of each other?"

  Qin Yuxian's tone was also filled with thick doubt. However, she didn't dwell on this issue and instead solemnly warned: "Let's not talk about that for now. What's important is that within the City Lord's Manor, you absolutely cannot cause any trouble. The manor has a dueling arena; if you both intend to compete, you can compare notes there, but under no circumstances can you engage in combat anywhere else."

  "How many families usually attend?" Qin Hao asked another important question.

  Two people asked and answered each other, Qin Hao rarely said some irrelevant things, Qin Yuxian also answered very patiently, and they got along well on the way.

  When Qin Yuxian stopped in her tracks, Qin Hao turned his head to look ahead, and on a dark red signboard above, the three big characters "City Master's Mansion" looked particularly majestic.

  Qin Hao looked around and found that there were luxurious carriages parked everywhere, as well as the guards of other families waiting beside them. The Qin estate was relatively close to the City Master's estate, and even on foot, it would only take a short while to get there. Other families, however, were mostly some distance away from the City Master's estate, and most people came riding in carriages with their guards fully armed, unlike Qin Hao and Qin Yuxian who were so lightly equipped.

  Qin Yuxian walked to the entrance of the city master's mansion, where two black-clad warriors stood. The two warriors had a cold and stern expression, their eyes were calm, and under their tight-fitting clothes, their bulging muscles could be vaguely seen, as if they could burst out with powerful strength at any moment. Qin Hao felt a strong and fierce aura emanating from the two men.

  Are these two the Black Guards of this city? Qin Hao secretly guessed their identities in his heart.

  That mysterious city lord came with only Qi Fan, but in a few months, Qi Fan had already formed an exceptionally powerful team of one hundred people, the Black Guard, which even the local families' powers could not infiltrate, this was something many people did not expect.

  Qin Yuxian stepped forward and handed two jade slips to the warrior on the right.

  The warrior took the jade tablet, stretched out his right hand, raised two fingers, and let out a low shout. Two earthy yellow, seemingly substantial dark energy beams suddenly burst forth.

  Ling Xuan was strong, and Qin Hao instantly saw their strength. The mysterious energy emanated outward, like a solid substance, which was something that a martial artist in the Ling Xuan realm could not achieve. Only by breaking through the Ling Xuan realm could the mysterious energy possess spirituality, allowing them to reach this level. Moreover, looking at the concentration of the mysterious energy, it was at least seven or eight layers above.

  Qin Hao didn't expect that anyone who came to the city lord's mansion would have such strength, which made him very surprised.

  That martial artist didn't notice Qin Hao's astonished gaze at all, only to see the two strands of mysterious energy on his fingers slowing down, and when the light was most dazzling, the two strands of mysterious energy suddenly contracted into two small spheres. Then he curled his fingers together, and the two small spheres of mysterious energy shot into the two jade slips respectively.

  As the mysterious energy entered, the surface of the two jade slips melted away like snow in the sun, gradually dissolving into tiny, sparkling fragments that dispersed into the air. At this time, two green glows burst out from within the jade slips, merging with the yellow mysterious energy to finally form several radiant characters.

  Qin Hao! Qin Yuxian!

  The samurai saw these five words and automatically stood aside, letting Qin Hao and Qin Yuxian enter.