C45 The Powerful Ye Tian!

"I, Ye Tian, have come to the Qin family today with the sole purpose of protecting my nephew, Qin Feng!"

"My brother, Qin Yunfei, mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Naturally, I feel compelled to care for his child."

"I intended to find time to check on him, but to my surprise, upon my arrival today, I'm greeted with this outrage!"

As Ye Tian spoke, his voice took on an icy edge, and his eyes glinted with deadly intent.

"Qin Yunfei, your Family Head, is my brother. Qin Feng is the Young Lord of your clan. How dare you treat him with such disdain?"

"Qin Yunhai, Qin Yunfei is your own brother. How could you act so callously toward his son?"

Ye Tian's words grew sharper with each sentence.

"Castellan, this is a Qin family matter. Even as the mayor, you surely have no right to interfere, do you?"

Qin Yunhai's expression soured, his tone laced with displeasure.

"No right to interfere? Qin Yunhai, I'm intervening today, whether you like it or not!"

"Qin Feng, come with me. I'd like to see who has the audacity to stop you!"

Qin Feng trusted Ye Tian implicitly, feeling the sincerity of his concern.

He immediately took Ling Er by the hand and approached Ye Tian.

"Qin Feng... you!!"

As Qin Feng made to leave, Qin Shan's impulse to scold and stop him was palpable.

Ye Tian let out a cold snort, his eyes boring into Qin Shan.

His stare was as sharp as dual blades, carrying a presence that seemed to tear through any challenge, silencing Qin Shan instantly. His body trembled, and he no longer dared to speak.

It wasn't until Qin Feng was well away that Qin Shan, still fraught with fear, turned to Qin Yunhai and asked, "Father... are we really just going to let Qin Feng go?"

"What else can we do? Ye Tian is a True Spirit Stage warrior with vast control over Tiangang City. We, the Qin family, simply can't afford to cross him."

"He's a True Spirit Stage cultivator?!"

Qin Shan's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice rising in a startled cry.

"Otherwise, why would I have allowed Qin Feng to leave so easily? If Ye Tian weren't so overwhelmingly strong, would I have willingly bowed down? It's all Qin Feng's fault. If he hadn't rejected Lin Xueru's Gui Yuan Pill, I'd be at the True Spirit Stage by now, and I wouldn't have to fear Ye Tian!"

Qin Yunhai gritted his teeth as he spoke.

The True Spirit Stage is a realm that surpasses the Body Tempering Stage, where fighters can stride through Tiangang City with impunity and without fear!

A warrior at the True Spirit Stage commands the utmost respect from the entire Qin family, let alone from a figure like Ye Tian with his many subordinates.

"To ascend to the True Spirit realm is to rise above the common! Why would a powerhouse like Ye Tian be content with being a mere Mayor? He could easily be a king or a high-ranking noble!"

"And what about Qin Feng? He was nothing more than a weakling. How did his strength surge to such a terrifying level so abruptly?"

Qin Yunhai's eyes darted about, veiled in darkness, betraying nothing of his inner thoughts.

"Thank you for your timely rescue. Without you, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Qin Feng thanked Ye Tian with sincere respect.

"Do you always live in a place like this?"

Ye Tian's expression grew somber as he took in the dilapidated wooden hut.

"Ever since my father vanished under mysterious circumstances, Qin Yunhai has treated me like a thorn in his side, relentlessly oppressing me, so..."

Qin Feng explained with a sense of stoic acceptance.

"Feng, I'm truly sorry."

"I've been away for years and only recently became aware of your troubles. I couldn't have imagined they were so severe."

"Your father and I were sworn brothers, and I've failed to take care of his son..."

Regret was written all over Ye Tian's face.

"Uncle Ye, you shouldn't feel so guilty. None of this is your fault."

Qin Feng said, smiling reassuringly.

"Feng, why not come and live at my residence? You'd be safe at the City Lord's Mansion; no one would dare to cause you any trouble there."

Qin Feng smiled and shook his head in refusal, "Thank you for the kind offer, but as an outsider, it would be inappropriate for me to stay at your place..."

Qin Feng's refusal to take up Ye Tian's offer was not for the reasons many might assume. With his arch-nemesis Lin Xu still at large and Qin Yunhai and Qin Shan continuing to sow discord within the Qin family, how could he even contemplate leaving?

"Of course, if you ever need my help, feel free to come to the City Lord's Mansion," Ye Tian offered with a nod, showing understanding and not pressuring Qin Feng in the slightest.

"Uncle Ye, do you happen to know what happened to my father when he vanished?"