A small stone was thrown towards the face of a handsome young man.
"Ugh..." Qingyi grunted and his eyes fluttered slightly, but he didnât get up. His mind was clouded, his body heavy, and his eyelids even more so.
It was only when a slightly larger stone hit him that he finally woke up.
"Fuck..." Qingyi opened his eyes, massaging his head painfully as he stood up.
He was in a dark room of a simple, rustic hut.
"Are you awake, princess?"
Qingyi heard a voice, soft and pleasant, indistinguishably male.
Another stone hit his head and he turned, his eyes meeting those of a man in handcuffs.
"Youâre..." Qingyiâs eyes widened and the man smiled.
"Oh... so you remember me? I thought I was totally unconscious when my little sister showed up."
"The bastard who stopped me from killing that son of a bitch!"
The two of them spoke at the same time, and Tang Yanduâs face darkened.
"No... I mean, yes, but thatâs not the point. Iâm Tang Yandu!"
"Oh..." Qingyi scratched his chin, remembering the battle against Tianming.
He really didnât remember anything after he broke through Tianmingâs final technique.
That man had suddenly appeared, broken his sword and after that, darkness.
After thinking for a moment, something clicked in his mind and he looked up.
âSurname Tang... a poison cultivator... he said something about a little sister... could he be Tang Biyueâs brother?" Qingyi thought.
That was the best theory he could think of.
It all made sense, why on earth would such a high-level cultivator be in a miserable place like that?
If Tang Yandu was her brother, it would all be explained.
Feeling the Qi around him, he realized that Yanduâs cultivation had been sealed.
There was still a doubt in his chest.
Why on earth was he standing there, next to that man?
"Honestly... I donât even know why Biyue bothered to save you and treat you so carefully." Yandu said.
"She even left her dear brother trapped with you, without a single way of protecting himself! Doesnât that girl love me anymore?" He sniffled, his voice dramatic and tearful.
"Biyue?" Qingyi raised her face, feigning surprise.
"Yes, Tang Biyue, sheâs my sister, the most talented cultivator in the Tang family in five thousand years.
The future of our family and one of the few cultivators in the whole world who has a chance of reaching the Transcendence Realm!"
Tang Yandu declared proudly, but paused for a moment, his eyes turning cold as he studied Qingyi.
"I wonder what she saw in you..." He turned his face away and Qingyi shuddered slightly.
Even with his cultivation sealed, Tang Yandu was still a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
A being so powerful that he could probably kill hundreds of cultivators like the leader of the Ascending Dragon Sect with a single thought.
His gaze carried an intense and natural pressure.
After a few moments watching Qingyi, Yanduâs face lit up.
Qingyi was a deadly handsome man, but he was sure that his little sister wouldnât fall for something so simple.
After a momentâs thought, something finally dawned on him.
"You have a bloodline, donât you? One that would make my little sister interested enough in you to interrupt her path just to study you."
Yanduâs words made Qingyi stand up abruptly. How the hell did he know?
âSystem... can they detect my lineage?â
[No, your lineage is totally hidden, that was probably just a clever guess]
Hearing the systemâs words, Qingyi heaved a sigh of relief.
His lineage was not something very orthodox, and he would prefer that no one knew about it.
"Donât be anxious about it, kid, itâs no big deal. My little sister herself has a bloodline!" Tang Yandu laughed.
"Uh?" Qingyi obviously already knew that, but had to feign surprise so as not to arouse any suspicion.
"Yes, the Emerald Abyss Winged Serpent Bloodline... is so powerful that she managed to kill an Iron Body Realm cultivator with a single blow while still in the Foundation Realm at the age of 11."
Those words shocked Qingyi.
Reaching the Foundation Realm at the age of 11 was already an absurd feat, but to kill an Iron Body Realm cultivate with that cultivation?
He had heard of people being able to cross entire realms, but to cross two realms and kill an opponent with a single blow was impossible to believe.
Even with poisonous Qi, that shouldnât be possible.
Of course, Qingyi also had to take her cultivation into account.
With each realm, it became more and more difficult to cross stages and realms with pure combat power.
Now, she shouldnât be able to face opponents more than three or four stages above her.
Something that was still almost unheard of for cultivators in the Rebirth Realm on the Blue Moon Continent, but which was, in a way, much more believable.
Thinking about his own power and the current power of his bloodline, Qingyi could only shudder.
How many levels of cultivation would he be able to cross if he raised it to mortal grade?
Tang Yandu noticed Qingyiâs face light up and his smile widened even more.
"I can teach you everything I know about lineages and constitutions, even help you awaken your true power..."
"And what do you want in return?" Qingyi asked, not in the least seduced by that proposal.
It was worth nothing to him, he had the system.
"Just release me, I have a technique that will allow you to release my sisterâs seals, even with your miserable cultivation.
The moment I regain my power, Iâll get us both out of here. What do you think?" Tang Yandu explained, his face full of anticipation.
Qingyi seemed to think for a moment, but in the end just shook his head.
"No, Iâm not as dumb as Tianming."
"Tianming was an idiot, of course, I killed him myself because of that! But youâre clever, youâre not going to force me to kill you, will you?"
Being ignored by Qingyi, a bit of urgency emerged in Yanduâs voice.
"Iâm serious, I have secret manuals that I stole from my family. Do you know how much theyâre worth?
You could buy an entire country with them in this miserable place! Iâll pass on all the knowledge I have!"
"That wonât be necessary." A voice echoed and a beauty with black hair and piercing green eyes entered the room.
Her voice was soft and cold, like the pleasant breeze of a spring morning.
Her beautiful eyes studied her brother with disappointment before focusing on Qingyi.
"Come with me."