C18 Past Grudges and Old Hatred

"Don't worry, Second Brother is a man after all; he wouldn't go out of his way to bully a girl."

Yuan Loong reassured her with a smile.

The girl burst into giggles, "Second Brother is the best. Big Brother can't even compare to you!"

Yuan Lan offered a wry smile in response.

"Hey, Xin, I haven't stood up for you these past few days. You're not still holding a grudge, are you? I'm already sixteen. If I stoop to their level again, people will talk."

Yuan Loong then interjected, "Brother, how is Father's bid for the position of Patriarch going?"

With a casual smile, Yuan Lan replied, "Father is now at the Divine Ability Stage. He's unmatched among his peers. The other three City Lords can't find anyone to challenge him, even if they wanted to.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Father is already the Patriarch.

Once Father becomes the Patriarch, the best resources will fall into the hands of our Qian City Yuan Family. It won't take long for us to completely overtake the other Three Main Cities."

Yuan Lan's gaze drifted over the children behind Yuan Loong, his eyes reflecting a vision of the future where the Qian City Yuan Family would utterly dominate the Three Main Cities.

Suddenly, his expression hardened as he spotted Yuan Ji trying to blend into the background. His voice turned icy, "Who has hurt you?"

Yuan Ji's face paled. He had hoped to stay unnoticed, but to no avail.

Confronted with his brother's stern look, he decided to come clean, "Young Master, it was someone from a side branch."

"A side branch?" Yuan Lan was taken aback. "A talent of your caliber emerged from a minor branch?"

Yuan Ji blushed, speaking softly, "He's not at the same realm. He hasn't opened his meridians."

"What did you say?" Yuan Lan's anger flared as he stared down Yuan Ji.

"You let a worthless nobody who hasn't even opened his meridians injure you!"

Yuan Ji awkwardly dodged Yuan Lan's piercing gaze, too ashamed to meet his brother's eyes.

Yuan Lan's face was stormy as he spoke with a grave tone, "I've told you time and time again, you must be merciless with your enemies. Any slip-up could be fatal.

A nobody who hasn't even unlocked his meridians managed to injure you. In a battle to the death, you'd likely be long gone. Do you remember my words?"

Yuan Ji clenched his jaw and responded, "Yes, Young Master, I remember."

"And how did that work out for you?"

Yuan Lan's face was frosty with contempt.

"That kid... he took me down with a single punch."

Yuan Ji's complexion turned ashen. He stole a glance at Yuan Loong, standing next to Yuan Lan, and with teeth still gritted, he spoke.

"Useless!"

Yuan Lan's face darkened, "Defeated with one move. You might as well be dead. The Qian City Yuan Family's reputation has been dragged through the mud because of you!"

Yuan Loong, witnessing his older brother's uncontainable fury, quickly intervened to defuse the tension.

"Big brother, there's no need for such anger. I've encountered that nobody too. The situation is indeed peculiar, but after all, he's just a nobody who hasn't opened a single meridian. If Yuan Ji gets serious, he could win with ease."

Yuan Lan was seething.

A man who had opened four meridians was bested by a nobody who hadn't opened any.

The Qian City Yuan Family would be the laughingstock if word got out.

"Come on!

Join me in confronting him. If you don't reclaim your honor today, you're no longer part of my entourage!"

Upon seeing this, Yuan Loong hastily suggested, "Big brother, perhaps we should consult with Seventh Uncle first. Yuan Village is somewhat peculiar. Their village chief is a master at the Hidden Consciousness Stage. If we go there rashly, we might be at a disadvantage."

"Hidden Consciousness Stage?"

Yuan Lan's expression shifted subtly.

"That explains the arrogance. To think that a minor branch of our family could produce a Hidden Consciousness Stage master."

He glared at Yuan Ji, his anger still simmering.

"You're a disgrace, but I'm giving you one more chance. Tell me, do you have the confidence to defeat him?"

Yuan Ji gritted his teeth.

"Give me another chance, Young Master, and I assure you, I'll crush that upstart in one fell swoop!"

Yuan Lan nodded, clearly satisfied. "Very well, I'll grant you another opportunity. Should you fail, you'll forfeit the chance to be further nurtured by our family. I trust you'll act wisely."

Yuan Ji's face paled, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Yuan Lan. He hadn't anticipated such a turn of events.

Without giving Yuan Ji a moment to process, Yuan Lan set off, leading a group to find Yuan Teng.

Meanwhile, Yuan Teng was swamped with his own affairs.

The whole family was aware that his elder brother, Yuan Qian, was vying for the role of Patriarch, and many delicate relationships needed to be managed.

Not only the Four Main Cities but also the incumbent Patriarch were reluctant to see the Yuan Qian lineage dominate.

"What's the matter?"

Yuan Teng, having just reached an agreement with an elder from Yuan Village, was in high spirits.

Upon seeing Yuan Lan and the youngsters approach, he inquired.

Yuan Lan, as their spokesperson, stepped forward. "Seventh Uncle, our people and those from Yuan Village were heading to Yuan Town when a conflict arose. We're now seeking justice and would appreciate your support in this matter."

Yuan Teng chuckled, understanding the situation. "You're wary of the village chief of Yuan Village, aren't you? Your concerns are justified. That old man is a master of the Hidden Consciousness Stage. Without my backing, you'd surely come back empty-handed."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You mentioned seeking justice. Does that mean we didn't come out on top in the earlier encounter?"

"Seventh Uncle, you've hit the nail on the head. Not only did we not gain the upper hand, but we also suffered a significant setback. We've completely lost face. If word gets out, the reputation of the Qian City Yuan Family will be in tatters," Yuan Lan replied, his expression darkening.

"What exactly transpired?" Yuan Teng's demeanor turned grave. The contest for the Patriarch was at a crucial juncture.

If the Qian City Yuan Family were to be publicly humiliated, the repercussions would be incalculable.

Yuan Lan, seething with rage, pointed accusingly at Yuan Ji.

"This failure here got into a dispute with some folks from Yuan Village on the way over. And to top it off, he was taken down by someone who hasn't even opened a single meridian – a complete nobody. Setting aside the question of who's at fault, the outcome makes it look like the Qian City Yuan Family's so-called prodigy can't withstand a single blow from an ordinary person!"

"Unbelievable!" Yuan Teng was livid, his eyebrows arched in fury. A Level Four Martial Artist taken out in a flash by a commoner? How incompetent must the Yuan Family's 'genius' be to suffer such an embarrassment? If word of this got out, everyone would mock the Qian City Yuan Family as paper tigers, utterly unworthy of fear. It was an utter disgrace; this kid had thrown their family's reputation to the wind.

"Who was it that defeated you?" Yuan Ji, cowering under Yuan Teng's menacing glare, stammered out a response.

"It appears to be a young man named Yuan Ling."

"Yuan Ling?" The name gave Yuan Teng pause as he recalled a familiar child. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him, and his expression flickered with uncertainty.

"I should have guessed who his father is," Yuan Teng exclaimed, rising abruptly, his face etched with astonishment.

"Is something the matter, Seventh Uncle?" Yuan Loong inquired, noting Yuan Teng's unusual demeanor.

Yuan Teng, his face a shifting mask of emotions, turned his gaze back to Yuan Ji, the wrath that had been there moments ago now vanished. Being bested by that man's child might not be a question of lacking strength after all. But why would he send his child here for the baptism?

"It doesn't add up. What is he really after?" The situation was clearly not as straightforward as it seemed. His status had changed since those days. Nowadays, if he truly wished for his son to undergo baptism, it would be a triviality. Why insist on sending him to Yuan Village? There had to be an unknown motive. Yuan Teng's thoughts drifted back to the past.

When his father was vying for the role of Patriarch, it was Yuan Xian who blindsided him. Could he be plotting to do the same today?

Yuan Teng wore a look of utter distaste.

Back then, his father had been a figure of grandeur, with the Patriarch seat of the Yuan family nearly within his grasp.

Yet, in the eleventh hour, an elder named Yuan Xian emerged, forcing him to relinquish the almost secured position.

Now, Yuan Xian's grandson had come to Yuan Village for the baptism, undoubtedly to meddle with their schemes.

The likelihood seemed all too great...

No!

It had to be their scheme!

Fury etched across Yuan Teng's features. Yuan Xian had thwarted his father's ambitions, and now his son sought to repeat history?

The world surely didn't work that way!

As Yuan Teng's thoughts stewed, his anger boiled over, and a malicious grin crept onto his face as he scoffed.

"I'll concede that when it comes to cultivation, we're not your equals, but if you, Yuan Yi, think you can pull the same stunt again, you're sorely mistaken!"

Yuan Teng turned, fixing Yuan Lan and the others with a chilling stare, his voice laced with venom.

"This time, you must triumph over Yuan Ling!

"And more than that, I expect you to thoroughly disgrace him! Understood?"

Yuan Lan and the rest were taken aback by Yuan Teng's command.

They recognized the name Yuan Yi. Could that young man be Yuan Yi's son?

The side branches of the Yuan family certainly didn't enjoy the privileges of the Four Main Cities, and their living conditions were worlds apart.

Take Essence Wood Village, for instance, where a dozen children and several adults were crammed into a handful of modest rooms.

Thankfully, being all family, closely knit and on familiar terms, they managed to live together in relative comfort.

Upon being assigned living quarters, Yuan Ling observed that despite the sizable number of baptism participants,

Yuan Village had been granted a separate courtyard.

Lacking the luxury of a Martial Practice Field or garden and with rather plain interior decor, it offered the solace of tranquility.

The children had no reason to question the situation.

It took someone with Yuan Ling's keen attention to detail to ponder so deeply.

Upon inquiring with the village chief, he learned that the courtyard had always been allocated to Yuan Village.

Yuan Ling was delighted to have been given a separate courtyard, providing him with the private space he needed for his cultivation.

Despite having accidentally opened a meridian the previous night, it wasn't part of the Golden Dragon Heavy Heaven Spell's cultivation system.

As such, it was currently unusable, unable to tap into the power of the One-vein.

At this point, Yuan Ling's eagerness to make a breakthrough was intense.

He sensed that the Qian City Yuan Family's retaliation wouldn't be long in coming.

The courtyard was small, so several people had to share a room.

Yuan Ling, however, was the exception, having been granted a small room to himself.

The village chief informed him that his father, Yuan Yi, had once lived in that very cottage.

Although Yuan Yi was indeed Yuan Ling's father, Yuan Ling's recollection and understanding of him were quite limited.

He remembered his father being an exceptionally powerful and superior martial artist, but the extent of his father's abilities was unclear to him.

Even now, he couldn't recall ever seeing his father fully exert his strength.

As night fell, the children, brimming with curiosity about the fabled Yuan Town, were compelled to stay quietly in their rooms.

Shortly after dinner, at the village chief's strict command, they all drifted off to sleep, anticipating the baptism the following day—a pivotal event for their futures, which the village chief took very seriously.

Yuan Ling retreated to his room and immediately lay down to engage in his cultivation practice.

He intended to finish expanding his first Independent Acupoint tonight and then surge through it in one concerted effort.

Meditation was a form of cultivation in its own right.

Typically, only a warrior who had truly broken through their meridians could enter this state.

Now, not only had Yuan Ling broken through a meridian, but he had also unexpectedly breached the unique Desire Aperture.

For him, meditation had become remarkably effortless.

Sitting cross-legged, Yuan Ling entered a meditative state almost instantaneously.

With a mere thought, the Desire Aperture he had opened near his lower abdomen materialized in his consciousness in the blink of an eye.

The Desire Aperture was quite small, merely the size of a grain of rice.

Yet, astonishingly, it harbored an immensely powerful Genuine Qi.

Yuan Ling's focus was intently fixed on the Desire Aperture.

"How I wish I could see what's inside the Desire Aperture..."

No sooner had this thought surfaced in his mind than he found himself enveloped in a haze of purple mist.