AGM 474 – Injustice
Currently in Grand Xia, the various transcendent powers had all sent their demon-level talents out to temper themselves in the Grand Shang Empire. Jun Yu, under the circumstances of being unable to find any traces of Qin Wentian and his companions, was filled with extreme unhappiness as he left Grand Xia.
For a moment, the Grand Xia Empire regained some semblance of peace. However, there were still chaotic currents flowing about in the dark—it was already destined that Grand Xia would never be able to return to its former state of calm. The various transcendent powers were all making their preparations for the impending storm. They knew that the previous tempest was just a prelude to an even more terrifying one. All they hoped for was to stand strong and not fall against the imminent disaster Hence, the endless plundering of the weaker sects by the strong, as each power did all they could to strengthen themselves.
Grand Shang Empire had an even longer history compared to Grand Xia. There was once a time when many territories of Grand Xia were actually under the jurisdiction of Grand Shang. It was only after an unprecedented genius appeared, and thus founded the Grand Xia Empire, did the ownership of these territories then shift to Grand Xia. However, despite losing some of their territories, the entire region of Grand Shang Empire was still much more vast compared to Grand Xia.
And another striking difference in comparison to Grand Xia, was that other than having several terrifying powers comparable or even exceeding the transcendent powers in Grand Xia, they still had the Royal Shang Clan. The Royal Clan itself was the strongest power in Grand Shang.
…….
In the South Central Region of Grand Shang Empire, Luo City!
The white clouds covered the skies, the harsh sun rays were filtered out, causing the atmosphere to be extremely comfortable at that moment. Several cultivators were in the middle of the air, with some mounted upon demonic beasts, leisurely flying through the clouds.
Right now, underneath a segment of clouds, there was a young man and young woman who projected an elegant and sophisticated air. The young man was inordinately handsome, the gleam in his eyes as dazzling as light from the stars. Occasionally, he would unseal the gourd in his hands and take a drink or two, appearing extremely relaxed. As for that young woman, she was akin to a snow lotus atop an ice mountain, so beautiful that it caused people to be breathless. She radiated an air that felt ice-cold, creating a sense of distance, preventing others from approaching.
Below them, was a demonic beast mount. It flew through the skies, a pegasus with glorious white wings. A great roc would be too conspicuous, hence Qin Wentian made Little Rascal transform into a pegasus instead.
“Qing`er, a mouthful for you?” Qin Wentian turned his head and offered the wine gourd to Qing`er. However, Qing`er only stared at him in silence before looking aside, ignoring his words.
“Since the beautiful lady is unwilling to accompany me, I can only enjoy this wine alone.” Qin Wentian shook his head and smiled bitterly. On their way here, other than cultivation, he would occasionally chat with Qing`er. But other than extremely rare moments where Qing`er would actually reply, most of the time Qin Wentian was only talking to himself. Truly, the interactions between him and Qing`er would often cause him to feel awkward and helpless.
Wasn’t this lass a little too cold? But then again, if she weren’t this way, she would no longer be Qing`er.
“Yiyi yaya…” The voice of Little Rascal suddenly sounded out in his mind. Qin Wentian almost spat out his mouthful of wine in anger as he cursed in a low voice, “Didn’t you just empty one of the wine gourds just a few minutes ago? You still want to drink?”
“Yiyi.” Little Rascal bobbed its head furiously, Qin Wentian could only smile resignedly as he lightly rapped Little Rascal on its head. “Okay, lift your head.”
Little Rascal obediently lifted its head and stared towards the skies, its movement extremely fluent. Qin Wentian poured some of the wine he had directly into its mouth as Little Rascal drank it all up and gave a contented whine, lowering its head while licking its lips in satisfaction. However, its flight trajectory now drifted unevenly from left to right.
“Damn, drunk again?!” Qin Wentian rolled his eyes and tapped Little Rascal heavily on its head. “You little drunkard, we have no sense of safety riding on you when you’re drunk. Hmph, if even a little puppy like you dares to drink, I wonder how that person would look like when she’s drunk? Will she still be as cold as ever? Or would her cheeks flush red from the influence of alcohol?”
Qin Wentian turned and winked at Qing`er, only to hear her replying, “I won’t drink that.”
After speaking, her silhouette flickered as she vanished completely.
“Eh, doing the disappearing trick again? You are still the most obedient one,” Qin Wentian murmured as he patted Little Rascal. Evidently, Qin Wentian had come across this situation plenty of times.
“Our stash is empty, time to buy some alcohol again.”
A rumbling sound echoed, Little Rascal understood his words and directly descended from the air. Qin Wentian was totally speechless, it seemed that Little Rascal was even more of an alcoholic compared to him.
Little Rascal dived downwards at an incredible speed. Below them was an extraordinary sight—a villa built atop a mountain peak. The majestic buildings within the villa were all a sight to behold.
“Not here, not here. Fly back up.” Qin Wentian lightly nudged Little Rascal. Obviously, this was the residence of a major power. If Little Rascal wanted to drink, it could jolly well find an inn instead, right?
However, very soon, Qin Wentian’s eyes widened. A silhouette flew up in the skies and directly faced off against him. It was none other than an old man. He had an ice-cold countenance and eyes that glimmered with sharpness.
Below him, another old man appeared. The old man on the ground had an extremely clean and tidy appearance, and exuded an aura at the fourth level of Heavenly Dipper.
Beside him was a girl in the prime of her youth. She had a lithe and graceful figure, with a pure countenance that was able to move the hearts of others. She seemed to only be around twenty-two to twenty-three years of age and she had a cultivation base at the peak of Yuanfu.
Suddenly, several experts appeared surrounding the pair. Their countenances were all solemn as they stared up at Qin Wentian as one. It felt as though they were facing off against an enemy.
This atmosphere caused Qin Wentian to feel extremely depressed. He didn’t seem to be a great villain in looks or character, but these people had only taken a moment to view him with enmity. Qin Wentian could only paste a helpless smile on his face. During his journey here, Qin Wentian would occasionally do some kind deeds, destroying the bullies and helping the weak, so he was absolutely sure that he hadn’t offended anyone.
“See what trouble you have gotten us into,” Qin Wentian scolded Little Rascal in a low voice. The old man with a cultivation base at the fourth level of Heavenly Dipper glared icily at him. “Song Jia has already returned to Luo City. Why must the Yin Clan be so overbearing? Are your masters really determined to snatch my granddaughter away from me?”
“Huh…?” Qin Wentian felt a little strange. He couldn’t help but have a bitter smile on his face. No wonder this old man was on his guard, it seemed that his clan had offended someone.
“Sir, you must be mistaken, I’m only passing by and wanted to ask if you have some wine to spare.” Qin Wentian shook his head, his words causing the expression of the old man from Song Clan to falter a little. The other members were also stunned by his words as well.
Three days ago, the young master of Yin Clan spread a message throughout Luo City saying that he would bring the Little Miss of the Song Clan away on this day. This was the reason why the Song Clan were on their guard and also the reason why there was nobody in the surrounding area. Evidently, everyone in Luo City knew of this matter and had no wish to get involved.
Hence when Qin Wentian stopped by, the Song Clan naturally assumed that he was somebody from the Yin Clan.
“May I inquire, are you from the Yin Clan?” the old man asked.
“Do I look like I’m from there?” Qin Wentian had a wry smile on his face.
The old man started for a moment, then surveyed Qin Wentian in detail. The man before him looked extremely young, only about twenty-four or twenty-five. Although he couldn’t tell his actual age, from the demeanor Qin Wentian projected, it was unlikely that he was beyond thirty. Such a young man who had such an extraordinary cultivation base couldn’t possibly have been sent here as a lackey of the Yin Clan.
As the old man thought of this, he shook his head. It seemed that he had assumed wrongly due to a moment of nervousness. The old man clasped his hands, “Apparently, this has all been just a misunderstanding. This old me is named Song Qin, I am truly apologetic.”
Although Qin Wentian was young, his aura was extraordinary. He was definitely someone with a powerful background.
“Since it’s just a misunderstanding, there’s no need for any apology.” Qin Wentian waved his hands, he hadn’t really minded it.
“Although my Song Clan isn’t a large clan, we do have plenty of great wine. If you do not look down on us, you may enter the villa and take what you want. Sadly, my Song Clan still has some matters to settle today, so this old man has no way to accompany you personally. After you acquire the wine, please make a move out soon, in case of any unexpected incidents occurring.” Song Qin waved to a servant standing behind him. “Bring little brother to the wine cellar.”
“In that case, I, Qin, would truly have to thank you.” Qin Wentian clasped his hands in thanks. After which, he patted Little Rascal on its head, Little Rascal seemed to understood his meaning and immediately swooped downwards, following that servant into the villa.
“Old man, what happened here?” Qin Wentian followed behind the servant as he curiously inquired.
“Ai…” The old servant sighed. “Little Miss has always been kind and doesn’t easily form a grudge with others. However, when trouble is bent on coming, there’s no way to avoid it even if you want to. If we knew this would happen, the clan lord wouldn’t have sent the Little Miss out for cultivation. However, that would truly be a shame considering Little Miss’s talent.”
The old servant wasn’t willing to speak too much. He led Qin Wentian to a wine cellar situated in a courtyard deep in the villa. This place truly had many different types of wine, each of excellent quality.
“These are all from our villa’s finest harvests throughout the years. I don’t know when we’ll need it again. The Clan Lord has commanded that since little brother appears here today, it must be a form of fate. In that case, just take whatever you want to and after that, please leave this area immediately,” instructed the old servant before he turned and left, leaving Qin Wentian alone, giving him permission to take whatever he wanted.
“Seems like the Song Clan has really run into huge trouble.” Qin Wentian pondered as he stared at the departing back of the servant. It seemed like the servant was willing to shoulder what was coming together with the Song Clan. It was truly rare to find men of character like that.
With a wave of his hands, several of the wines stored here floated up and then was stuffed into Qin Wentian’s interspatial ring.
After that, Qin Wentian sent his perception outwards and an instant later, he could clearly ‘see’ everything in that area.
The Song Clan were still on their guard, and there was still a conspicuous lack of other cultivators in the surrounding area. Evidently, most people already knew what was going on—only Qin Wentian himself had wandered up idiotically to ask for wine.
After some time, a black-robed, middle-aged man whistled through the air. This middled-aged man radiated sharpness, and had an ancient sword strapped behind his back. His eyes were akin to sharp swords and the instant he appeared, a powerful sword-might bored downwards, enveloping everyone in the Song Clan. That sword intent, coupled with the powerful pressure, caused the countenance of those from the Song Clan to turn pale.
So this was the enemy they were waiting for, someone who was also at the peak of the fourth level of Heavenly Dipper. It was obvious that the Yin Clan knew the strength of the Song Clan extremely well. They’d directly sent out an expert with a cultivation base that was higher compared to the strongest in the Song CLan.
The eyes of the black-robed man landed on Song Jia as he icily stated, “Come with me.”
“Sir, my Song Clan is willing to pay out half of our wealth. Please inform your young master that we begged for his mercy. Please spare Song Jia.” Song Qin knew that it was hopeless to fight. The aura of the black-robed man was too terrifying. He would only be throwing the lives of his clan members away if he ordered them to resist.
“Bzzz!”
A massive killing intent gushed forth, pressing down on everyone. The black-colored sharp sword strapped behind the black-robed man’s back started vibrating. Although it hadn’t left its sheath, everyone could feel a storm of sword qi stirring in the air.
“Do you want to come here, or do you want me to personally bring you here?” the black-robed man coldly continued. Song Qin’s expression turned ashen. “Sir, if you continue to force us, our Song Clan can only choose to battle.”
“No…” Song Jia who was beside Song Qin, shook her head as she spoke, “Grandfather, it’s fine. Let me return with him.”
“Impossible.” Song Qin directly rejected.
“We can’t stop this.” Song Jia had a look of despair as she shook her head yet again. Even if the Song Clan fought to their deaths, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Grandfather, this granddaughter of yours is unfilial.” Song Jia trembled. She then flew up in the air and moved towards the black-robed man.
“Song Jia…” Song Qin, as well as Song Qin’s parents, all had ashen expressions on their faces. Their aura surged up, only to hear the black-robed man coldly snorting and unsheathing his sword, causing the storm of sword qi to gust even more intensely.
“I’ve already promise to leave with you,” Song Jia stated. Only then did the black-robed man stop his actions. He turned about and grabbed Song Jia as he departed the area.
Qin Wentian had seen the entire scene from the beginning to the end. In this cultivation-oriented world, the strong were everything. There were too many things of injustice. He had met several incidents on his journey to Grand Shang and would help if his capabilities permitted him to. However right now, the Yin Clan who was their enemy, seemed to have an extraordinary status. If he acted now, his actions might bring calamity down on the entire Song Clan instead.
“Sigh, such a troublesome matter. I guess I have to collect my payment in advance,” Qin Wentian muttered. He stared at the remaining wines stored in the wine cellar and collected them all with a flick of his sleeves.
After which, his silhouette flickered as he vanished completely from his original location!