C17 Past

Ling Siying actually glanced at Qin Mu, prompting him to smirk and muse to himself, "Qing Min really has no respect for his age!"

Qing Min then cheerfully reassured, "Qin Mu, relax. It's just a matter of giving Zhang Lei a little scare while I'm still around. No big deal!"

No sooner had he spoken than Zhang Lei made his appearance.

"Brother Qin Mu, I've arrived. Where are you?"

Hearing Zhang Lei's guileless voice, Qin Mu's presence stirred. Shortly thereafter, Zhang Lei reached the Tower of Phlogiston.

Qin Mu began the introductions, "This is the sect master of the Skyhaven Clan—Li..."

Before Qin Mu could finish, Zhang Lei dropped to his knees with a thud, exclaiming, "Old Sect Master, you truly are alive! Disciple Zhang Lei offers his deepest respects!"

Qin Mu was at a loss for words, realizing the two already knew each other. He had worried needlessly. Not wanting to endure any more of this soap opera, he went off to find Qing Shu, who seemed to still be upset.

Once Qin Mu had left, Qing Min spoke calmly, "Zhang Qi, I truly didn't see this coming! I never expected you to be cast out from the Skyhaven Clan."

Overwhelmed by Qing Min's words, Zhang Lei, an elderly man, broke down in tears, unable to respond.

Decades earlier, Zhang Lei had been a beggar, wandering the streets and lanes, visiting households east and west just for a full meal, sometimes enduring beatings from his hosts.

Qing Min, during a training expedition, had come across him on the street. Taking pity on him and discovering his potential for cultivation, Qing Min took Zhang Lei under his wing at the Skyhaven Clan.

Later, Zhang Lei turned traitor, defecting to the Stormwrack Clan where he rose to become the sect master through his own merit.

Now, he had turned against the Skyhaven Clan, the very clan that had given him a chance.

Through tears, Zhang Lei said, "It was all Sun Xing's doing; I had nothing to do with it."

"They all attacked the Stormwrack Clan together. I had no choice but to... Old Sect Master, I, Zhang Lei, am ready to face any punishment. Please, give me another chance!"

Ling Sixiao interjected with undisguised contempt, "And then what? You never reached out to the Skyhaven Clan after that!"

Zhang Lei responded earnestly, albeit quietly, "Back then, I believed the old sect master had perished. Trying to contact the Skyhaven Clan would have just caused problems for both of us, so I refrained from reaching out."

Observing Zhang Lei's tear-streaked face, Qing Min gestured dismissively, "Enough, let's leave it at that."

With those words, Qing Min prepared to depart for the Tower of Phlogiston.

But Zhang Lei, in a panic, pleaded, "Sect Master, I am fully aware of the gravity of my sins. From now on, I wish only to serve by your side as a token of my gratitude for your benevolence!" With that, he bowed his head to the ground with great force.

Qing Min paused briefly, but then continued on, striding into the Tower of Phlogiston.

The Ling sisters followed suit, leaving behind the old man, his face marred by tears.

Inside the Tower of Phlogiston, the Ling sisters approached Qing Min, "Sect Master, Zhang Lei seems genuinely remorseful. Perhaps we should forgive him?"

Qing Min exhaled a weary sigh, "Little Lei is devoted to me, but without me, his loyalty to the Skyhaven Clan wouldn't hold."

The sisters shook their heads in unison, puzzled by his words.

"To put it plainly, if I were to die, no one could keep him in check, and it wouldn't be long before he'd part ways with the Skyhaven Clan again."

After imparting this insight, Qing Min shook his head and walked away, leaving the Ling sisters with a parting instruction, "Don't follow me."

The sisters exchanged resigned glances and departed. Upon exiting the Tower of Phlogiston, they saw Zhang Lei still kneeling, a sight that tugged at their hearts. They advised him, "Go back! The Sect Master won't allow you to accompany him. Return to Stormwrack, continue as its master, and maintain a cooperative relationship with the Skyhaven Clan in the future."

Yet Zhang Lei remained unresponsive, continuing to kneel in silence.

The Ling sisters looked down at Zhang Lei's persistent display and sneered. He clearly didn't understand Qing Min; such desperate gestures were futile with someone as composed as him.

In other words, even if Zhang Lei were to kneel until her last breath, Qing Min wouldn't change his mind.

But then again, it's not so easy for someone with Nascent Infant cultivation to die!

The Ling sisters paid no more attention to this forlorn man, who resembled an abandoned young animal. They decided to seek out Qin Mu to inquire about Qing Min, who, to their eyes, appeared to be quite well.

And so, Zhang Lei was left alone, kneeling on the ground, begging for forgiveness from the one who had granted her a new lease on life.

But it's never that simple. I've never seen a kite with a severed string return on its own!

Qin Mu concealed his presence and approached Qing Shu's doorway.

"Ugly Qin Mu, dead Qin Mu, I'll never pay you any mind again!" Qing Shu's voice could be heard.

Upon hearing her voice, Qin Mu couldn't resist using his Divine Sense to peek inside the room, where he saw Qing Shu poking the blanket with her pristine white fingers.

Qin Mu wondered what he had done wrong.

"Who's there?" Qing Shu's voice rang out, her gaze sharp as she fixed it on the door.

Qin Mu felt a twinge of embarrassment at being discovered. It was quite a blow to his pride as a Quietus cultivator to be detected by someone at the Foundation Building level.

"Qing Shu, it's me, Qin Mu!" he called into the room.

Qing Shu's mood lifted slightly at the sound of his voice, but then her face fell, and she became agitated once more.

With no response from inside, Qin Mu spoke gently, "Qing Shu, I'm coming in, okay?"

As Qin Mu reached to push the door open, Qing Shu's voice stopped him, "No, leave. If you dare come in uninvited, I'll never pay you any mind again!"

Hearing the resolve in Qing Shu's voice, Qin Mu touched his nose, wondering what he had done to upset her. Still, he didn't dare to enter; Qing Shu's threat was indeed formidable.

When the room fell silent again, Qing Shu softly called out, "Qin Mu?"

There was no answer.

Unwilling to let go, Qing Shu called out, "Qin Mu?"

Silence followed.

At that moment, Qin Mu was standing outside the door, having leaped down. He had exerted all his effort to conceal himself. Surely Qing Shu couldn't have detected him!

"Curse you, Qin Mu, you terrible man! I tell you to leave, and you just leave, is that it? Never come back!" Qing Shu's crisp voice rang out.

Upon hearing Qing Shu's words, Qin Mu leaped down again, unable to resist pushing the door open and entering.

Then, the system's voice emerged.

"System mission: Collect the disciple of the Weak Water Vein (incomplete)"

Qin Mu was somewhat at a loss for words. The system, no longer verbose, had apparently adopted this new way of reminding him!

Seeing Qin Mu come in, Qing Shu's initial joy quickly turned to frustration as she hurled a pillow at him, yelling, "Get out!"

But this time, Qin Mu had no intention of leaving. After the recent events, he had come to understand the adage about a woman's heart being as elusive as a needle in the ocean's depths.