On the cruise ship, Lu Yunfan wore a smile as he strolled forward with an air of grace.
Beside him, Xiao Wu clutched a notebook. Dressed in a flowing white gown, she resembled a blossoming white lotus, the sea breeze causing her dress to billow and dance. Her youthful visage and refined elegance even eclipsed that of the socialites and noblewomen on board, drawing numerous gazes.
Xiao Wu's eyes flitted slightly. She seemed to be scouring the cruise ship for something. Eventually, a glimmer of disappointment flashed across her serene eyes.
"Xiao Wu, what do you think? This Jing Hao cruise ship is the premier entertainment liner in Linhai." A tinge of arrogance flickered in Lu Yunfan's eyes as he grinned suavely.
Wang Xiao next to him nodded away, his eyes aglow.
It was his maiden voyage on such a sumptuous cruise ship, and he gulped nervously.
A place like this, he'd likely be lucky to set foot on a handful of times in his lifetime. His family, though comfortably well-off, was nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of things.
Xiao Wu didn't utter a word. Her stare seemed to freeze as a figure darted through the far-off crowd, looking vaguely familiar.
"Qin Xuan?"
A trace of astonishment etched itself onto Xiao Wu's delicate face.
"Qin Xuan?"
At the mention of this name, Lu Yunfan's expression darkened a shade. He trailed Xiao Wu's line of sight, but there was nary a sign of Qin Xuan. He couldn't resist a wry chuckle and said, "Xiao Wu, you must've been seeing things, right? Does Qin Xuan even stand a chance of boarding this Jing Hao cruise ship?"
There was a whiff of scorn in his voice. Those fortunate enough to grace this vessel were the crème de la crème of Linhai's elite from multiple provinces. In the entire Jing Shui City, a scant twenty souls at best were deemed worthy. Let alone a penniless student from an ordinary household.
A flicker of doubt danced in Xiao Wu's eyes, and she too reckoned she might've been mistaken.
True, Qin Xuan could make Mo Yunlong kowtow, but even Mo Yunlong wouldn't dare dream of stepping onto this floating palace. Mo Yunlong merely managed the Jing Shui outpost for the Mo family, and the Mo family's local holdings were scarcely worth over a hundred million at a pinch.
On this cruise ship, anyone you plucked at random would boast a net worth dwarfing Mo Yunlong's several times over, if not dozens.
Lu Yunfan took a deep breath inwardly to quell the simmering displeasure.
'Xiao Wu, sooner or later, you'll grasp the chasm between me and Qin Xuan.'
'Even if a princess falls in love with a pauper, it's but a fairy tale.'
'What's more, you're the princess of the Xiao family.'
High up on the cruise ship's deck, a middle-aged man swirled the wine in his glass, peering down at the nearby Jing Shui City.
Beside him stood an old-timer with salt-and-pepper hair. His eyes were slightly hooded, and his temples bulged impressively. Lean he might be, but he was as steady as a Gibraltar.
"Elder Sun, I hear Qinglian's made her way to Jing Shui City?" A frown of annoyance creased Mo Jingfeng's brow. "That girl's running amok. She's all grown up, yet she can't be bothered to manage the family's affairs. She doesn't even focus on martial pursuits and gallivants all over the place."
Sun Xing beside him shook his head with a sigh, "Qinglian's a rare martial arts prodigy. I gave her the green light to tag along with Elder Mo this time."
"Oh?" Mo Jingfeng's eyebrows twitched. "I've also caught wind of the goings-on in Jing Shui. Some mystery man cured my father's ailment? I've no idea if it's fact or fiction."
Mo Zhengfeng had been languishing with his injury for eons. He'd shelled out fortunes visiting renowned physicians far and wide, even making a pilgrimage to the fabled Medicine God Hall, only to return crestfallen.
"Mystery man? Is the Second Master referring to Master Qin?" A glint of intrigue lit up Sun Xing's eyes. "Word has it that Master Qin is a maestro of the mystic arts. He can summon thunder and morph it into a dragon. He once dismantled Li Wentao's sorcery and sent Zhou Qingguo scurrying for cover."
"Perhaps it's not beyond the realm of possibility for such a virtuoso of the arcane to heal Elder Mo!"
Mo Jingfeng let out a derisive laugh and shook his head. "You actually buy that? Summoning thunder and turning it into a dragon? That's pure hearsay. In this day and age, how many bona fide masters of the mystic arts like that still roam the earth?"
With that, he paused briefly, his eyes clouding over.
"Across the sprawling Linhai region spanning multiple provinces, there's but one Chen Fuyun. What's more, the old codger's past seventy and only just scaled these heights."
The name Chen Fuyun held sway like a deity in Linhai. Even Mo Jingfeng couldn't afford to turn a blind eye.
Sun Xing cracked a faint smile. He too sensed the rumors might be overblown, but that Master Qin surely had some chops. After all, where there's smoke, there's fire.
"Today, Chen Fuyun's challenged Master Qin to a duel. I wager Master Qin's about to have his bluff called." Mo Jingfeng sighed. "Under Chen Fuyup's feng shui death knell, even a martial artist with consummate internal strength would quake in their boots. Only a legendary internal force sage might stand a chance of toppling Chen Fuyun."
"However, should Master Qin bite the dust tonight, I implore Elder Sun to lend a helping hand. After all, if anything untoward befalls Master Qin, I'm afraid my father will lambaste me to high heaven."
Mo Jingfeng wore a pained expression. He knew his father's temperament all too well. Born in the crucible of war, Mo Zhengfeng had not only honed his martial might but also cultivated a cantankerous and unyielding streak.
Even now, as a titan of Linhai, Mo Zhengfeng could still rain down curses or blows as he pleased. The same held true for his eldest brother, who was already a decorated half-general in the military region.
Sun Xing was on the verge of speaking when suddenly his ears pricked up and his hooded eyes snapped open.
"Second Master, someone's coming!"
Mo Jingfeng jerked to attention and peered in the direction of the approaching footsteps.
Two figures were ambling their way. One was familiar to both Mo Jingfeng and Sun Xing, while the other...
Mo Jingfeng took a cursory look. It was a lad in his late teens, hands stuffed in pockets, standing a shade over 1.7 meters tall, sauntering along nonchalantly. The youngster sported a placid expression, yet he exuded an air that he regarded the world beneath him.
How could such an audacious look grace a teenager's face?
Mo Jingfeng was mildly taken aback. By now, Qin Xuan and Mo Yunyi had drawn up beside him.
"Second Master!" Mo Yunyi bowed his head deferentially.
"Xiao Yi, you're still as prim as ever!" A faint smile tugged at Mo Jingfeng's lips.
His gaze then alighted on Qin Xuan, and Mo Jingfeng narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Are you the Master Qin from Jing Shui?"
Qin Xuan remained silent. Mo Yunyi hastened to fill the void, "Second Master, this is Master Qin."
Mo Jingfeng and Sun Xing exchanged glances and saw the astonishment mirrored in each other's eyes.
This Master Qin was way too young!
Besides, even if he'd been steeped in the study of the mystic arts since the womb, how advanced could he be by now? Chen Fuyun was a prodigy, yet he was well into his seventies before he achieved mastery.
Mo Jingfeng couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling. Chen Fuyun was bound to have pinned Li Wentao's death on this Master Qin.
If this Master Qin had some mettle, he could still enlist Sun Xing's aid in a pinch.
But this callow youth... Facing Chen Fuyun, it was a suicide mission with zero hope of survival.
Qin Xuan sensed Mo Jingfeng and Sun Xing's disdain but remained unfazed. He cast a casual eye over this Linhai magnate and then dismissed him from his thoughts. Instead, the old man piqued his interest.
The internal force of this old man was even mightier than Mo Zhengfeng's. There was a latent strength, as if his internal force was forged from tempered steel. Although compared to the spiritual power coursing through his body, it was like comparing diamonds to pebbles, he was still the strongest martial artist Qin Xuan had ever encountered.
Even the bald brute beside Zhou Qingguo paled in comparison.
"I didn't expect Master Qin to be so young." After mulling it over, Mo Jingfeng said in a solemn voice, "But do you know Chen Fuyun's strength? Seeing how young you are and that you've helped my father, I'll do you a solid and give you a heads-up. Don't go throwing your life away on a whim."
The moment Mo Jingfeng finished speaking, Mo Yunyi's complexion changed.
He'd witnessed Qin Xuan summon thunder and turn it into a dragon. Although he hadn't clapped eyes on Chen Fuyun, compared to Qin Xuan's godlike puissance, Chen Fuyun was probably no great shakes. Clearly, the Second Master was clueless about Mr. Qin's true strength.
Qin Xuan gave Mo Jingfeng a languid glance and said unhurriedly, "Chen Fuyun? In my eyes, he's just a mountebank playing parlour tricks. He's not worth a second thought."
The expressions on Mo Jingfeng and Sun Xing's faces froze in disbelief. How dare you call Chen Fuyun a mountebank playing parlour tricks? Who do you think you are? A grandmaster of the Tao Realm in the mystic arts?
"It seems that this Master Qin really doesn't know Chen Fuyun's strength." Mo Jingfeng's face hardened. He thought this Master Qin was arrogantly overstepping. "Seeing how young you are and that you're valued by my father, I'm just being kind and giving you a warning. Five years ago, Chen Fuyun bested even martial artists with consummate internal strength with his feng shui death knell. What's more, in your case?"
"Even the Elder Sun beside me wouldn't dare to boast that he could vanquish Chen Fuyun. You're a mere teenager. How could you know the terror of a real powerhouse?"
Qin Xuan smiled enigmatically. He'd merely come to pay his respects to Mo Zhengfeng's son out of courtesy. Since the other party didn't trust him, why should he explain?
Seeing Qin Xuan's nonchalant mien, Mo Jingfeng grew even more vexed. After pondering for a moment, he said, "If you're truly that confident, why don't you let Elder Sun put you to the test? If you lose, you can take refuge on the cruise ship and call off the duel with Chen Fuyun. Sound good?"
Hearing this, Sun Xing couldn't help but shake his head with a bemused smile. "Second Master, you're asking me to pick on the weak!"
Mo Yunyi beside him grimaced. With Qin Xuan right there, he didn't dare to interject.
Qin Xuan gave Sun Xing a fleeting glance, his expression unruffled.
Although Mo Jingfeng looked down on him, he was also concerned about his safety. Qin Xuan wasn't overly ruffled by it. As for the old man with formidable internal force, he was only marginally interesting to Qin Xuan. How could he capture Qin Changqing's attention?
There was not a single wrinkle on Qin Xuan's handsome face. His calm eyes settled on Sun Xing, and he smiled faintly.
"Sure."