"Are you kidding?" Su Yunyue's face was filled with astonishment.
For a martial artist, broken meridians are almost tantamount to a death sentence.
Even the experts from the Medicine God Hall would find it impossible to repair.
Qin Xuan, this young lad, actually had the audacity to claim that he could cure it in a month. It was nothing short of a pipe dream.
"Qin Xuan, do you have any idea what you're saying? These are broken meridians we're talking about, not a common cold or a fever!" He Yu's eyes were bloodshot. Seeing He Yun in such excruciating pain, how could she not be worried?
Qin Xuan didn't seem to know the first thing about it, yet he dared to spout such words.
"Little Xuan, you're talking nonsense again!" He Yun managed a smile and slowly sat up. "It's really nothing major. Look, I'm still all right, aren't I?"
Inside the room, nobody took Qin Xuan's words seriously.
After all, the injury was so severe that He Yun simply regarded Qin Xuan's statement as an attempt to comfort her.
Back when her meridians had first been shattered, she had scoured every corner for a cure, even paying a personal visit to the Medicine God Hall. But the elders there were at a loss. Eventually, disheartened, she settled down in Jing Shui City.
She knew Qin Xuan well – he was always a bit rash. There was no way he could possibly know the art of reconnecting meridians.
Qin Xuan remained silent, opting not to say much.
The entire room lapsed into silence. After resting for a while and feeling somewhat better, He Yun sat on the sofa, lost in a trance.
"Qin Xuan, come out with me for a moment," Su Yunyue murmured, beckoning Qin Xuan to the balcony.
Noticing their actions, He Yun was on the verge of speaking up but thought better of it. In the end, she let out a resigned sigh.
"Do you know how He Yun got injured?" Su Yunyue's expression was somewhat complex. She was well-versed in this matter; she had even been present when He Yun's meridians were snapped.
"Tell me," Qin Xuan uttered curtly.
"You're Shen Xin Xiu's son. I presume you've heard of the He Family in Jiangnan?" Su Yunyue gazed into the distance, a tinge of melancholy flickering in her eyes.
The He Family in Jiangnan!
When Qin Xuan learned that He Yun had originally been an internal energy martial artist, he had already begun to suspect something.
The He Family was situated in the idyllic water towns of Jiangnan. Their influence permeated every aspect of business, politics, and the military, making them one of the most prominent clans in the region. It was hardly surprising for such a family to nurture a nineteen-year-old internal energy martial artist.
"He Yun is He Yun Sheng's daughter," Su Yunyue said slowly. "He Yun Sheng, the magnate of Jiangnan. I'm sure your mother must have known of him."
Qin Xuan nodded slightly, waiting for her to continue.
"He Yun Sheng held a significant position within the He Family. In just a few decades, he built up the Nan Xiang Group and amassed great wealth. From a young age, He Yun had apprenticed herself to a renowned martial arts master, displaying remarkable aptitude and making rapid strides. The He Family had a long-standing tradition of holding martial arts competitions, a custom that had endured even in modern times. Every year, these contests were a grand spectacle for the family.
"The competitions allowed participants to either compete in person or enlist the help of others. Five years ago, when He Yun had just attained the internal energy realm at the tender age of nineteen, her talent made her the talk of the town. All the noble families in Jiangnan looked on with envy.
"So, in a fit of youthful bravado, He Yun took her father's place in that competition. As expected, the early rounds went swimmingly. But alas, disaster struck in the final bout."
Su Yunyue heaved a sigh. "I was there in the audience, rooting for He Yun. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate what was to come. Had I known, I would have stopped her at all costs."
"Did He Yun encounter a formidable adversary?" Qin Xuan had already guessed as much.
Su Yunyue gave a rueful smile. "A master from the Overseas Qing Gang, Lin Ge! In a mere three moves, he overpowered He Yun, and with his final palm strike, delivered with consummate Great Achievement internal energy, he shattered her meridians."
Lin Ge!
Qin Xuan was jolted. His pupils constricted, filled with icy resolve.
A master of the Overseas Qing Gang, a martial arts grandmaster whose internal energy had reached the level of a protective shield. It was him!
In his previous life, Qin Xuan had heard tales of this man that sent shivers down his spine. Lin Ge was the prime culprit behind the downfall of his father's empire. Single-handedly, he had forced a local tycoon to cower and retreat, until finally, that once-proud leader was reduced to a shadow of his former self, too afraid to even attempt a comeback.
Back then, Qin Xuan hadn't grasped the nuances of the martial arts hierarchy, but he still vividly recalled that fateful, rain-soaked night when Lin Ge made his appearance. His father had sunk to his knees and, head bowed, uttered the words, "Master Lin, I'll withdraw from Jiangnan."
"It's him!" Qin Xuan took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand."
With that, Qin Xuan spun on his heel and walked away, his face a mask of ice.
Lin Ge, He Yun's shattered meridians, and the vendetta from his past life – all these elements converged, stoking within Qin Xuan a murderous rage he had not felt since his rebirth.
If this man didn't pay with his life, how could Qin Xuan find peace?
In Sen Yuan City, on a rustic country lane, an Audi was parked by the roadside.
Surrounding it were lush green wheat fields, and scarecrows in tattered garments stood sentinel among the stalks.
Zhou Qing Guo and the bald man, Li Hu, stood beside the Audi, seemingly waiting for something.
"Li Hu, are you certain your senior brother can handle that kid?" Zhou Qing Guo's brows knitted tightly, a glimmer of hatred in his eyes.
Ever since leaving Qing Shui Villa, Zhou Qing Guo had been plotting to take down Qin Xuan. If he didn't eliminate this thorn in his side, he'd never know peace.
But Qin Xuan's feats back then had been truly terrifying. He could summon and control thunder, transforming it into a dragon-like apparition, almost as if he were an immortal.
Even Li Hu, whom he had hired at great expense, didn't dare to boast of victory over him. This young man was arguably on a par with the renowned Feng Shui master Chen Fu Yun.
Originally, he had enlisted Li Hu to deal with Mo Zheng Feng, but who could have foreseen the emergence of such a formidable adversary?
So this time, he had shelled out a hefty sum to have Li Hu bring in his senior brother. Word had it that this senior brother was a martial arts grandmaster with Great Achievement in internal energy, a name that commanded respect in the overseas Chinese community. He had once felled an underground boxing champion with a single, devastating punch.
"Relax. With my senior brother's prowess, dealing with a greenhorn like that will be a walk in the park," Li Hu boasted confidently. "My senior brother is our master's prized disciple, having received the full extent of his teachings. I'm simply no match for him."
Zhou Qing Guo couldn't help but shudder. If Li Hu could already smash through a thirty-centimeter-thick slab of stone, what kind of monstrosity was his senior brother?
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, suddenly a powerful gust of wind howled through, bending the wheat stalks and kicking up a cloud of dust.
A hazy figure emerged slowly from the swirling sand.
"There he is!" Li Hu exclaimed ecstatically.
Zhou Qing Guo also fixed his gaze on the approaching figure. As the dust settled, the man came into full view.
He was in his early thirties, sporting a crew cut, a square face, and wide, alert eyes. Dressed in a black shirt with delicate, light gold rose embroideries adorning the sleeves, he paired it with worn jeans and slightly yellowed sneakers. Slung over his back was a massive sack, caked with mud and dirt.
It was hard to picture such a man as a martial arts grandmaster.
When the man reached them, Li Hu hastened forward. "Senior brother, how did it go?"
The middle-aged man grinned faintly. "Master sent me to bail you out. What's the matter? Ran into some hotshot?"
"A brat who knows a few parlor tricks. I wasn't sure I could take him down," Li Hu scoffed. Then, turning to Zhou Qing Guo, he introduced, "This is my senior brother, Han Feng! A bona fide martial arts grandmaster with Great Achievement in internal energy!"
Great Achievement in internal energy?
Zhou Qing Guo eyed him skeptically, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
Nevertheless, he forced a warm smile. "Welcome, Master Han. With you on board, I feel like I've got an extra set of wings!"
Han Feng clearly caught the undertone of disbelief in his welcome, but he simply shrugged it off with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zhou. I've brought you a little something to mark the occasion," Han Feng said with a casual air. "On my way here, I happened to stumble upon a mountain forest and took care of a bit of business."
With a sudden jerk of his shoulders, the enormous sack behind him soared into the air. Han Feng's right hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, his fingers curving into a claw. With a sharp ripping sound, the sack was torn asunder.
What on earth was this?
Zhou Qing Guo stared, first in confusion and then in sheer horror as he beheld the contents of the sack.
A gigantic, snarling tiger's head loomed before him. This beast had been over a meter tall and more than three meters long in life, yet here it was, vanquished.
And there, on the forehead of the tiger, was a single, blood-caked fist mark.
In other words, this fearsome predator had been dispatched with a single, bone-crushing punch from Han Feng.
Zhou Qing Guo's demeanor instantly transformed. He regarded Han Feng with a mixture of awe and trepidation. "With Master Han by my side, this time, no one in Linhai will stand a chance!"
His heart, which had been pounding with fear moments before, now swelled with elation. Han Feng could slay a tiger with one punch. In the entirety of Linhai, who could possibly oppose him?
Mo Zheng Feng, let's see how your family fares now!