Chapter 8: Meeting the Mysterious Old Man

  Lin Bi gazed at Qin Hao, a cold smile secretly rising in his heart. The little rascal had finally become reckless. At this point, Lin Bi couldn't care about anything else. No matter how things ended, the fact that he was toyed with by Qin Hao today would spread and become a laughingstock among people, a joke to be shared over tea and meals. How could his proud and arrogant self endure this?

  He's going to pay the price for this, at least. Lin Bi sneered, thinking about whether he should break one of Qin Hao's legs or arms later.

  Qin Yuxian's face was filled with incredulity, she had not expected Qin Hao to agree. Qin Hao's words had already made it impossible for Lin Bi to turn the situation around. As long as he followed up with a few more sentences, Lin Bi would never dare to make a move in the city lord's mansion. For Qin Hao, this was already a great victory, so why did he choose to do this?

  Qin Yuxian took a step forward and said anxiously: "Qin Hao, you don't have to..."

  "Rain Immortal, I know what to do." Qin Hao didn't wait for Qin Yuxian to speak and replied with this sentence.

  "But... " Qin Yuxian wanted to say something else, she knew that Qin Haw was skilled in martial arts, but the gap between him and Lin Bi was really too big, and it was hard for her to believe that Qin Haw could win.

  Qin Hao smiled and said, "This kid has a bit of a problem with his brain, but he did say one thing that's not bad - always letting a girl stand in front of you, it really makes people think that the men of the Qin family are all cowards."

  Qin Hao's words were a departure from his usual calmness, carrying an extremely heavy tone and a loud voice.

  Qin Yuxian was somewhat stunned, she bit her lip for a while, and finally retreated. Qin Hao's expression was too determined, she didn't know what to say anymore.

  Qin Hao turned his head and looked at Lin Bi, a cold smile in his heart.

  He knew that Lin Bi wouldn't let things end like this today. But this was also in line with his wishes. Since they couldn't come to an agreement, then they would have to resort to force. If you want to fight, I'll accompany you willingly.

  The kung fu was fully powered, and the Xuan Qi all over his body seemed to burst out in an instant.

  "Essence of the Void, Eightfold! The people on the scene have a clear understanding in their hearts. It seems that Qin Hao is still too impulsive, Essence of the Void, Eightfold versus Essence of the Void, Tenfold? The difference in strength between the two is not something that can be easily made up for."

  Qin Hao didn't waste any more words and pointed at the judging platform dozens of steps away, saying: "Don't waste any more time."

  Lin Bi didn't say much more, and while operating the mysterious energy, he slowly walked towards the stage.

  "If you really want to try, we can naturally have a good comparison after two months. Today, I think it's better for you to stop here."

  A hoarse voice suddenly rang out, causing Qin Hao and Lin Bi's footsteps to come to an abrupt halt.

  Qin Hao was taken aback and turned his head to look. Behind him, an old man sitting in a square wooden wheelchair was being pushed by someone towards them.

  The appearance of the elder caused everyone in the hall to quiet down, and the spacious hall suddenly became silent. A path was automatically divided out from the crowd, allowing the elder to pass through unimpeded, and he gradually approached the center of the hall.

  The old man's body was somewhat thin and weak, his face was full of wrinkles, and his two palms were like withered tree branches, devoid of vitality. The lower part of the old man's legs had shrunk even more noticeably. The old man looked utterly lifeless, and his eyes showed obvious signs of aging. However, when he appeared, no one dared to say anything.

  "Old Chen." Everyone in the field bowed and respectfully called out. Qin Hao was at a loss, and honestly could only follow the crowd and bow as well.

  The master of Tianlang City, Qin Hao didn't know his name, only knowing that people generally called him Old Chen.

  As the old man approached, Qin Hao discovered that the person pushing a wheelbarrow behind him was none other than the somewhat mysterious Ji Fan.

  The old man slowly walked to the center of the hall, coughed twice, and said somewhat tiredly: "Qin Hao, Lin Bi, your duel will be postponed first, how about it?"

  Appearing to be negotiating, his tone was however a strong and unyielding one that left no room for choice.

  "Listen to Old Man Chen's orders." Qin Hao calmed down. In this bright city, there were still people who couldn't see through him, and that was only Seasonal Wind and this old man. The old man looked like he could be easily knocked down by any strong man, no mistake, even Qin Hao thought so at this moment.

  Qin Hao didn't feel any overbearing or intimidating aura from this old man, he looked completely ordinary, a frail and feeble old man on the verge of death. But Qin Hao knew that there was a family who had thought the same way before, the Feng Family, a family that had risen to greatness only to thoroughly decline in just three days.

  Lin Bi's face looked terrible, but he also knew that once Old Man Chen had spoken, no matter how much he hated it in his heart, he could only obediently accept. Lin Bi almost gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and forced a smile: "Old Man Chen has spoken, this young one will naturally listen."

  As Lin Bi's words fell, everyone knew that this matter was over.

  Some people began to take Qin Hao seriously.

  His abilities are mediocre and unremarkable, but judging from his sharp words, he is definitely not the useless person that rumors make him out to be.

  "Cough, cough." Old Chen leaned back in his wooden chair, composed himself for a moment, and spoke slowly: "I called you all here today mainly to tell you something."

  "This year's competition among the various major families, the winning family can get a quota for the Wind Spirit Sect assessment."

  Feng Bo's quota! Those who were still immersed in the dispute between Qin Hao and Lin Bi immediately came back to their senses. This sentence was like throwing a huge stone into the lake, stirring up countless ripples. Many people were indeed shocked.

  Qin Hao was also somewhat surprised, the Feng Pu Sect, a giant in the country of Shenmu, a sect that even the royal family of Shenmu had to give way to three times, if one entered the Feng Pu Sect, it would be like finding a solid backing for their family.

  Normally, Feng Shui Zong would only recruit disciples every five years, but unexpectedly, this year is an exception.

  After a moment, the faces of some younger members of medium and small families couldn't help but fall again. This quota was ultimately not something that these families with insufficient strength could aspire to. The Qin family, Lin family, and Lan family were stronger than them by more than one level.

  Chen Lao stretched out his withered palm, slowly pressing down, and the scene inside immediately quieted down again. He continued: "The Victory Family can also get a martial skills scroll."

  He turned his head and gave Ji Fan a wink. Behind him, Ji Fan nodded, flipped his palm, and a blue scroll suddenly appeared in the center of his hand.

  The scroll is crystal clear throughout, and the axle is made of high-quality crystal jade. It looks quite extraordinary. Upon closer inspection, there seems to be a blue light flowing on the surface of the axle.

  Ji Fan swept his gaze around and smiled, saying: "This is an extreme intermediate martial skill: Canglan Break."

  The extreme martial arts skill made everyone in the arena feel as if a thunderclap had exploded beside their ears.

  It is well known that martial arts also have their own strengths and weaknesses.

  Basic martial skills, as the name suggests, are the most basic techniques, the most basic application of Xuan Qi, increasing a bit of speed or power. This level of martial skill can be used by any warrior.

  Pingjie Wujiqu is slightly more advanced than the previous one. The method of using Xuanqi is quite wonderful, and it's a good technique.

  Extreme Martial Technique is a technique that can bring out the full potential of one's inner energy, thoroughly unleashing the martial artist's hidden power. This technique comes at a steep price. The Qin, Lin and Lan families, although having considerable influence in the small to medium-sized city of Tian Lang City, do not possess a single technique of this caliber.

  As if it were easy for Old Man Chen to take out, and also indicated that the winner would get it, how could they not be tempted?

  Qin Hao looked at the scrolls, his mind growing more and more puzzled. This old man who was impossible for him to see through had now come up with this move, what did it mean?

  Everyone's astonishment was seen by Old Man Chen, who ignored the crowd in the hall and made a gesture to Ji Fan. Ji Fan pushed him out of the great hall, away from everyone's gaze.

  Qin Hao found that after the old man left, the atmosphere in the hall became strange again.

  The heirs of those families have become somewhat restless, although most of them are wearing smiles and pretending to be calm, politely responding to each other.

  But Qin Hao could vaguely see from some of their smiles and slightly unnatural body movements that the old man's words had already made them uneasy. They were still pretending to be calm, probably just to see how others would react to this news, probing each other.

  The atmosphere in the hall gradually cooled down, and soon someone found an excuse to leave first and rushed back to report the news to their family. With some people leaving, the rest couldn't sit still either. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer people left in the hall. After a while, only Qin Yuxian, Qin Hao, and Lin Bi were left in the hall.

  "Qin Hao, just you wait! Today's account won't be settled so easily." Lin Bi threw out a casual remark, then turned around and hastily walked away.

  "Yu Xian, let's go too." Qin Hao said to Qin Yu Xian.

  Qin Yuxian didn't respond. Qin Hao looked over and found that Qin Yuxian was staring at him with a complex gaze, unsure of what she was thinking.

  Qin Hao stretched out his palm and waved it back and forth in front of Qin Yuxian: "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

  "It's okay, let's go." Qin Yuxian came back to her senses and replied with this sentence, her footsteps somewhat flustered as she walked outside.

  Qin Hao didn't know how this usually calm little girl had become somewhat strange. He shook his head and smiled, taking a step forward to follow her. As he reached the doorstep, a figure suddenly emerged from the side and blocked his way. It was Ji Fan!

  "Seasonal brother." Qin Hao called out politely and then walked around him and went out.

  "Wait a minute, Qin Hao. Old Man Chen is looking for you." Ji Fan stretched out an arm, blocking Qin Hao's path.

  "Old Chen looking for me?" Qin Hao was puzzled, what did this strange old man want to do.

  Qin Yuxian also walked back and asked Ji Fang: "Brother Ji, what's going on with Old Man Chen?"

  "I'm not quite sure either. Why doesn't Qin Hao go see for himself? Just walk along this road, and you'll get there when you reach the end." Ji Fan said, pointing to a path.

  "Alright." Qin Hao couldn't refuse either. He could only grit his teeth and follow the path that Ji Fan pointed out. The old man was a bit eccentric, but Qin Hao knew that even later on, he had always been biased towards helping the Qin family. For this reason alone, Qin Hao should show some respect.

  Qin Yuxian was about to follow up when Ji Fan calmly blocked her way, saying: "Yuxian, Old Man Chen wants to see him alone, don't worry."

  "What's going on?" Qin Yuxian asked somewhat uneasily.

  "It's not clear. However, Old Chen and Master Qin have always been familiar with each other, so you don't need to worry. If you want to know something, just ask Qin Hao when he comes out."

  Qin Hao walked along the road ahead, and soon a small house appeared at the end of the road.

  Qin Hao took a deep breath and walked forward, stretching out his hand to knock gently on the door three times before lightly pushing it open and walking in.

  As soon as he entered the room, Qin Hao saw Old Man Chen sitting in a wheelchair. The old man had his eyes closed and was breathing steadily, seemingly resting.

  "Master of the city." Qin Hao bowed and called out.

  The old man who had been disturbed opened his eyes and said slowly: "Let's change the way we address each other. This title sounds a bit unfamiliar."

  "Yes, Old Chen." Qin Hao changed his tone and asked, "I don't know what important matter Old Chen has found me for?"

  For a long time, Qin Hao couldn't hear the old man's response and didn't know if he had fallen asleep again. When he looked up, he found that the old man was staring at him with an unwavering gaze, so Qin Hao could only reveal a warm and sincere smile.

  An old man and a young boy stood facing each other, one looking straight and the other smiling faintly.

  After a long time...

  Qin Hao's expression remained unchanged, completely calm and composed, while the old man's eyes were increasingly filled with a probing meaning.

  Suddenly, Old Man Chen's eyes sparkled with a few threads of spirit, and he opened his mouth to say: "What you just did was quite interesting."

  "What did you just do?" Qin Hao asked with feigned ignorance.

  "I've been watching the conflict between Heping and Linbi from start to finish, and I must say that their words are quite sharp."

  Qin Hao listened silently, saying nothing. Causing trouble at the city lord's mansion and almost getting into a fight, did he think it could be completely ignored that easily?

  "It's just that I didn't expect you to accept Lin Bi's challenge. Should I say you have backbone and hot blood, or should I say you're too young and arrogant?" Old Chen said this and shook his head, unsure whether it was regret or relief.

  "Looks like you're still too impulsive, young one." Qin Hao put on a knowing expression. He naturally wouldn't tell the old man his true thoughts.

  "Is it impulsiveness? Not necessarily, perhaps you have other ideas. Chen Lao had a thoughtful look: "According to your father, you are always impulsive and prone to trouble, but what I saw earlier was clearly different from what Qin Feng said. I think that you accepting Lin Bi's challenge may not be just about having something to rely on, but also about what kind of person you really are."

  "Old Chen..." Qin Hao suddenly felt a little nervous, the old man's eyes at this time were a look of being aware of everything.

  Like a treasured sword that has been hidden for years, suddenly unsheathed, its sharpness unmatched. At this moment, the old man didn't look like a frail and aged person who was on the verge of collapse.

  "No need to be nervous." Old Chen waved his hand, interrupting Qin Hao's explanation: "I was just saying that. I'm not very interested in these things either. I asked you to come and let you pass a message to Qin Feng."

  Knowing that Lao Tou would not ask again, Qin Hao secretly let out a breath of relief and asked: "Master Chen, please give your orders."

  "Let your father think about it two months later. The Qin family has lost for so many years, and it's really embarrassing to say anything on the face."

  Qin Hao nodded and respectfully replied: "Yes."

  "You can go ahead and leave now."

  Chen Lao closed his eyes again, looking a bit tired. Qin Hao was about to bid farewell, but he remembered a question that had been entwining in his heart for many years yet remained unresolved.

  Hesitating for a moment, Qin Hao still couldn't take the step forward. He mustered up his courage and asked, "Old Man Chen, may I ask you a question?"