"Young man, let go."
The sentence was said flatly without sternness, but anyone who was sensitive enough could detect the sense of order in it.
He didn’t mean to negotiate, didn’t ask why, or mention the consequence. He just gave the order.
"If I released him, could I leave with my father and friends?" Qian Jin clenched his loosening fist. With a swallow or two, he spoke while lifting up his chest. Although Duren Burg and others hadn’t involved themselves in this fight, those people still wouldn’t let them go as if nothing had happened!
He was born into this family and raised up by them. He knew them too well.
"Qian Wuqing?" Qian Zhanxuan turned his eyes to the hostage in Qian Jin’s hand. "Your name is Qian Wuqing? Well, when this is finished, go to the executive elder and receive the punishment you deserve for your defeat. Shame on you, disgracing our Qian Family!"
On the occasion of life and death, Qian Jin had spoiled his best chance in the middle of the Awakening. Qian Wuqing stared at Qian Jin as if he wished to eat that man alive as he hurriedly replied while gnashing his teeth. "Aye, leader!"
"Right, your father?" Qian Zhanxuan moved his eyes back to Qian Jin. "Who is your father?"
"Fa...Family Leader!"
Gingerly, Qian Cheng looked up to Qian Zhanxuan, and suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood. The man who had no warrior power would be injured so much like this just because of a look from the Leader of the Family.
"You..." Qian Zhanxuan checked out the unique uniform on the old man and asked in surprise, "You are one of us? "
"Yes...!" Lowering his head, Qian Cheng was going to kneel toward the ground while Duren Burg reached out to hold him from abasing himself before the leader. "I’m your groom, Qian Cheng... "
"You are Qian Cheng?" Qian Zhanxuan raised his eyebrows and slightly looked once again at Qian Jin. "So, Qian Jin?"
Although Qian Jin was a secretly surprised that the lofty leader knew his name, he still nodded silently and evenly.
A gloating sneer came into the eyes of Qian Wuchen! Over the last thousand years, only two people had left the Qian Family after failing to awake the Elf King Bloodline, and Qian Jin happened to be one of them. How could the leader forget his name?
While what crept into the leader’s eyes was not a gloating sneer but surprise! He had remembered the name since the day Qian Jin chose to leave this family of social eminence because of the failed Elf Bloodline Power Awakening. He didn't expect after three years that this young man would return with a sweeping victory against Qian Wuqing-a true Elf Bloodline Warrior.
Qian Jin...Qian Cheng...Qian Zhanxuan once again fixed his eyes on the father and secretly wondered what was in their DNA. Many years ago, there had been a young man named Qian Zheng who had done the exact same thing as Qian Jin did.
Here came this Qian Jin...Most importantly, Qian Zheng was the little brother of Qian Cheng, which meant he was the uncle of Qian Jin! A doubting smile showed up in Qian Zhanxuan’s face. Was this family born rebellious?
"Leader, he was Qian Jin, the man who left Qian Family three years ago without anyone’s permission." Qian Wuji suddenly shouted in an excited voice. "He is doing what his uncle did. What a rebellious branch... "
Uncle? A penumbra of doubt surrounded Qian Jin while he turned around to his father.
"Shut up." Qian Zhanxuan suddenly frowned, revealing a trace of disgust. He flicked his fingers high up in the air against the talkative young man whose breastbone immediately collapsed as if hit by a heavy hammer. A breaking sound came into being as the man was knocked away in blood.
At the same time, Qian Jin felt an unprecedentedly strong and sharp Warrior Power coming towards his direction. Without time to think, he let go of Qian Wuqing’s head and clasped his hands. Land Tearing Chop was activated to provide fortification against the invisible invasion!
Boom! A crisp roar seemed to race across the sky! Qian Jin struck his feet into the earth but had still been pushed back nearly ten meters away! Two deep ruts had taken shape on the ground before he managed to stop. Both his sleeves were torn apart into the air by the fierce collision of Warrior power!
Whirring...
Qian Jin’s chest heaved as he breathed deeply! Out of control, his hands shook! Glistening beads of sweat came into being on his arms!
Horrible! Formidable! Qian Zhanxuan was even stronger than Fabreidis! Qian Jin’s shoulders were so sore that he couldn’t even square them!
Puff!
At that moment, Qian Jin’s chest caved, and he spat out a mouthful of blood which looked burning and heart-rending. His tottering legs could scarcely support his form that he kneeled on the ground! A series of bone-breaking sounds kept coming! His arms must have been broken!
This random blow in the air made Qian Jin aware how wide a gap between him and this Leader of the Qian Family was!
"Out for three years, you even forgot the family provisions? You didn’t know to get down on your knees in front of the leader? Don’t you dare even try to negotiate!" Holding both hands behind his back, Qian Zhanxuan said as he overlooked Qian Jin in calmness while secretly marveled at his strength in heart!
This blow was only launched after careful calculation! Qian Zhanxuan thought it was enough to kill that rebellious young man! But look at him! He had taken this strike and he was still there. Except for the kneeling knees and broken arms, everything looked just fine. "What had he learned during those years? How can he be stronger than I expected? No wonder Qian Wuqing lost the fight!" Qian Zhanxuan thought.
Throwing a glance in a true sense at Qian Jin, Qian Zhanxuan said: "Stay, since you have come back. I’ll provide you a preliminary position as an entry-level Manager in Warrior Technique Hall, and all you have to do is just to tell the Elder what you have been learning in your time out!"
Entry-level Manager? Warrior Technique Hall? Qian Wuchen was stunned! This man came back to the place where he had run away from three years ago and kicked some people's asses. The Leader didn’t mention any punishment but mean to recruit him back into Warrior Technique Hall? An entry-level Manager was still a Manager!
This inner council-manager position was of great magnitude, which would make the Elders of the outer council had to bow and salute! But only bloodline warriors who had gone through his power weakening would be able to fit in the position since time immemorial.
Bang bang
In an unguarded moment, Duren Burg allowed Qian Cheng to break free from his hands! The old groom kneeled down on the ground and bowed his head again and again. Muffled poundings chimed and the forehead immediately met with blood stains. "Thank you, leader! Thank you for your grace..."
Qian Zhanxuan gently nodded and smiled a satisfactory smile on his face.
"But..." No one had expected the father would suddenly turn this conversation to the other direction. "Your Excellency, according to the family provisions, my son can't be counted as a Qian Family member since he left. He is not qualified for your kind offer. Please, I beg you take your order back. He doesn’t deserve this grace! "
The smile froze on Qian Zhanxuan’s face! He was shocked! On what earth should such a trivial smile groom resist this kind of temptation...
"He doesn’t deserve this grace! He doesn’t deserve this grace! " Qian Cheng kept saying this without looking up to the lofty family leader!
"Father..."
Qian Jin gathered all his strength and staggered towards his father.
Qian Cheng kept kowtowing, trying to decline the "grace". Qian Jin couldn’t accept this offer! He had tried so hard and just began to make a name out there. He couldn’t jump into the trap! They would ruin him!
Qian Cheng knew those people too well! The "grace" was a gimmick for Qian Jin’s secrets to success! They had been sending the Qian descendants who had awakened their Bloodline Power to all advanced war academies every year out of two reasons. The first was for the warriors to recruit their own retinues.
The second was to steal some new techniques for warrior power training techniques worked out by the academy instructors. Sometimes they would even slavishly copy some sketches down to see if they could make adjustments for the benefits of the family bloodline power.
There were so many wise men in this world! The gathering of wisdom was the fastest way to progress, which was generally acknowledged by all the forces and families.
Perhaps academy instructors might not be counted as the strongest warriors, but they always possessed a deep reflection on warrior power training. Research talents would, more than often, hide in institutions rather than major Bloodline families.
There was a unique pride on scholars, which prevented them from selling themselves out. They would just hold their ground to realize their dreams.
How greedy the family was using a humble position of entry-level Manager to exchange for a secret of success that could enable an ordinary person to defeat a bloodline warrior in a certain period of time! Suddenly Qian Cheng felt his shoulder was held by someone. He looked back and found Qian Jin had come to his side! Perspiration started forth upon his brow while he clenched his teeth in pain! With two broken arms, he reached out to stop his father from doing what he was doing!
Qian Zhanxuan instantly put on a stormy face! How insensitive the father and the son were! The offer was truly a lofty grace under such circumstance! How daring they were to turn it down! If so...
"What...Oh..." Duren Burg made some ridicule comments after a sneer. "I didn’t know people with prestigious titles, like the Leader of a Family, would stand up for their son or nephew when he was beaten up by some peer of his. This is how you Elf King, one of the three Ultimate Supreme Bloodlines, do things? Thank you! I came to know this world more!"
The face turned even more stormy and the hand that was reaching out for a shot was halted!