Chapter 163: No Path Forward

Sir Qisai’s face twitched again, finally sensing that the atmosphere was turning sour. He put on a smile and said, “They did well in the past, and they command the elite of our Song clan, earning us no small amount of military merit. And if you count properly, they are all your uncles. Zining, you’re still young. In the art of war and tactics, experience and seniority are paramount. With their assistance, you can let go of the mundane tasks of commanding and focus on your cultivation. Wouldn’t that be for the best?”

Zining listened in silence, only fanning himself nonstop. The cool and elegant ladies, especially his great-granddaughter whom he had high hopes for, kept fluttering in front of his eyes.

Sir Qisai’s laughter became more and more forced, but he couldn’t stop, nor could he look away.

After a long silence, Zining spoke, “If I don’t agree, then my branch will also be punished accordingly, right?”

Sir Qisai managed a few dry chuckles and said, “We naturally wouldn’t dare to disrespect the patriarch. Even if you, Little Seven, do not wish to participate, it is not a big deal. We’ll just cut down some expenses as per tradition, no biggie.”

Even Qian Ye understood now. If Zining refused, although the Song elders couldn’t touch the patriarch Song Zhongnian, his father would suffer the consequences. Reducing expenses might not sound like much, but cutting a little or a lot, it was still a reduction.

Zining’s mother had died early, and his father, being weak, remained in Wen Dao Manor, rarely leaving. Now, with the Marchioness of Anguo in seclusion, it was as if they had lost their protection. Life under someone else’s roof was full of unforeseeable events; who knew what could happen.

This move was truly ruthless.

But if Zining dared to return now, wanting to come out again would be no easy feat. At least for one year, the punishment period, he might have to endure genuine “self-reflection” in confinement.

“How does the patriarch feel about this?” Zining suddenly asked.

Sir Qisai replied, “Of course, he disapproves, but the Elders’ Council has voted, and Zhongnian has to follow the majority. This is family law and custom.” The last four words were pronounced with a sense of righteousness and firmness.

Zining smiled despondently, saying, “Has the patriarch used his veto power this year yet?”

Qisai laughed, “Such a trivial matter, why would we need to use the veto power?” Instinctively, he sensed something amiss. After all, Song Zhongnian was Zining’s grandfather, and now he addressed him as the patriarch, indicating a significant estrangement.

Zining nodded, weariness in his eyes, and said, “Great-Uncle, you’ve made a mistake. Blackflow City is not mine, it belongs to Qian Ye. If you have any ideas, talk to him directly.”

“This…” Sir Qisai hadn’t expected such a situation and turned to look at Qian Ye, unsure of how to start.

Blackflow City was worthless; the real value lay in Dark Flame.

However, in the eyes of old-school aristocrats like Qisai, birth and status were supreme. A commoner from the Evernight realm, even with the rank of a high officer in the Expeditionary Force, was still a lowly figure. No matter how powerful, until they received an imperial title, they were not worthy of serious consideration.

Thus, before coming, the Song clan had not factored Qian Ye into their plans. The only concern was Zhao Yuying. But now, the Zhao clan was too busy with their own affairs and didn’t seem to care about Dark Flame. Why shouldn’t the Song clan take advantage of it?

Even after meeting Qian Ye, Qisai had some reservations, but it was more out of habit. In his mind, commoners couldn’t possibly surpass expectations in terms of combat strength.

In fact, at that moment, the Song elder was quite angry with Zining. His actions today confirmed the clan’s accusations of disobedience. To Qisai, the council was indeed insightful and foresighted. Zining had no potential and no loyalty to the family. What use was such a person?

So, when Zining pushed everything onto Qian Ye, Qisai’s first thought was that he was trying to negotiate. But the price, that required careful calculation.

Zining maintained his usual composure, but Qian Ye, who had been listening, knew he must be feeling terrible. As the Song patriarch, Zhongnian had the power to veto at least two or three times a year, but he wasn’t willing to use it on this. Whatever the reason, he was prepared to let Zining suffer this humiliation.

Before Qisai could think of a response, Qian Ye slowly stood up, walked to Zining’s side, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said coldly, “Dark Flame is my creation, and Blackflow City, inside and out, is mine. Zining’s investment will yield dividends, but I have no intention of cooperating with the Song clan.”

A flash of anger crossed Qisai’s eyes. Rarely had he encountered such direct rejection before even having a chance to speak. He forced a smile and said, “What future is there in such a barbaric place? Now is the perfect time to earn glory in battle. If you are willing to hand over Dark Flame, the Song clan can give you a noble lineage. I will make it so that you are adopted into a branch of the Song, and given the name Song. This will be the foundation for your future titles!”

Qian Ye was speechless. He couldn’t understand the logic of the Song clan and couldn’t help but laugh, “The Song clan’s methods truly open my eyes. But I’ve heard that your clan values the legitimate lineage over the illegitimate. This branch name, Song, doesn’t seem to hold much value, does it?”

This flaw of the Song clan was no secret among the upper echelons, often discussed in private, but due to noble pride, it wouldn’t be pointed out as bluntly as Qian Ye had done.

Qisai’s anger turned to rage, “Not valuable? Even if you tried to ally with the Zhao clan, Zhao Yuying wouldn’t give you a noble name!” The Zhao clan was particularly proud and never married outside of their peers, let alone adopting outsiders into their ranks.

Qian Ye smiled and said, “You may leave. From now on, I do not welcome anyone from the Song clan. Additionally, the territory within a thousand miles around Blackflow City is my battlefield. I don’t want to see any Song squadrons here. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what might happen. Maybe one day, if I’m in a bad mood, I might accidentally wipe you out.”

Qisai, shocked and enraged, jumped to his feet and roared, “What do you mean by this?”

Qian Ye replied coldly, “My meaning is clear. I don’t welcome anyone from the Song clan on my land. If your squadron dares to step foot here, anything can happen. Perhaps one day, if I’m in a foul mood, I might just kill you all.”

“You!” Qisai’s finger trembled with rage, but he couldn’t find the words. He wanted to lash out, but he feared Qian Ye might attack, remembering his nephew still unconscious outside. Finally, he flicked his sleeve and snarled, “Peasant! Barbarian!”

Qian Ye smirked and called for a Dark Flame officer, instructing them to escort Qisai and his group out of the city, all the way to the border of the Blackflow City zone. This was tantamount to expulsion, turning Qian Ye’s earlier statement into reality. Qisai was once again infuriated, but no one cared about his anger.

After settling the matter, Qian Ye turned to Zining and said, “Your Song clan has a standard vocabulary for insults, doesn’t it?”

Zining leaned back in his chair and sighed, “The Zhang clan is powerful, the Zhao clan is distinguished, and the Bai clan has promising successors. What does the Song clan have? Our martial prowess is inferior, so we emphasize scholarly pursuits and elaborate rituals to showcase our heritage. Over time, in the eyes of the old guard, most clans are considered crude and uncultured.”

Qian Ye glared at Zining and said, “You’re no different!”

Zining perked up, opened his fan, and laughed, “You’re inferior to me in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If that doesn’t make you a barbarian, what does?”

Qian Ye’s response was a cold snort, “It seems I need to show you what a true barbarian tastes like.” He raised his right arm and flexed his wrist.

Zining’s eyelids twitched, and his smile became less natural. The Taixuan Bingfa Jue was far too formidable, and he had no desire to experience its power firsthand.

Qian Ye suddenly said, “I’ll accompany you back to the Song clan to check on your uncle.”

Zining’s face involuntarily darkened, and he remained silent for a while before slowly saying, “Wouldn’t that be walking right into their trap? Wen Dao Manor, where my great-grandmother retreats, is even harder to enter and exit than the main Song estate.”

Qisai had made the council’s intentions clear. Zining would be better off staying outside, avoiding the trap. Those old men would not stop there.

Qian Ye frowned, wanting to say more, but Zining said, “I still have some connections in the clan. Let me gather information first. You see, many people covet our military merits, and the Song clan is just one of them. The longer we keep this, the more people will come for it. It’s better to use it sooner rather than later.”

Qian Ye nodded in agreement.

Zining changed the subject, asking, “How far have you progressed in your force cultivation, and how pure is it?”

Qian Ye had already unblocked all nine nodes, and now he focused on accumulating and purifying his force. Originally, he could cultivate at a rate ten times faster than others with the Bingfa Jue, but after refining it with the Yaopian, only one-tenth of his original force remained, slowing down his accumulation. Moreover, his formidable physique allowed him to hold more force, making it even more difficult to advance.

However, Zining estimated that Qian Ye was likely at the final stage of advancing to the rank of a warlord, otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned so soon.

When asked, Qian Ye extended his hand, shooting a thin stream of force from his fingertips. The room lit up with a blinding light, and the temperature soared, as if a tiny sun was burning at his fingertips.

Zining saw a leaf filter through the intense light and heat, and when he clearly saw the stream of force, he was startled. He leaped to his feet and exclaimed, “Force liquefied?!”

He hadn’t misjudged; the stream of force from Qian Ye’s fingertips was a tangible line of liquid, the ultimate sign of force condensation.

“But how? Even with the Yaopian, it can’t achieve this level,” Zining was extremely surprised.

Qian Ye withdrew his force and said, “Originally, it couldn’t. But after hitting a bottleneck, I found I could refine it again using the Yaopian, so I gave it a try.”

Zining quickly calculated and exclaimed, “Refine it again? How much force would you need to advance?”

“Don’t forget, I have the Taixuan Bingfa Jue.”

Only when using the Taixuan Bingfa Jue did Qian Ye realize its true power. It harnessed the force of a vortex to tear through the void, continuously drawing in the void’s energy. This alone sped up his cultivation several times over the Bingfa Jue’s forty-nine rounds.

Moreover, the void’s force was fundamentally different from the natural force in the world. After refining it with the Yaopian, regular dawn force was reduced to one-tenth, but the void’s force could be refined into pure force with just two parts.

Thus, Qian Ye re-refined all his force during his hunting trips, transforming it into a liquid, reaching the final stage of advancing to a warlord. In terms of purity, even the most talented nobles who suppressed their ranks could not match him. He returned to Blackflow City to find a stable place for secluded cultivation, ready to formally advance to the rank of a warlord.

After hearing Qian Ye’s story, Zining laughed and said, “Perfect! Look at this!” He pulled out a jade tablet from his pocket and handed it to Qian Ye.