Chapter 5

A commotion arose around the classroom, and many girls whispered to each other, their phoenix eyes filled with a hint of infatuation as they looked at Chu Yan.

"Hehe, don't say it, but Chu Yan looks quite impressive and handsome now."

"Handsome? What good is that? I think he's talking big, but what will he do if the Qin family challenges him? The Qin family is no ordinary family; their current status is even a bit higher than the Liu family."

At this moment, Qin Feng's cold eyes opened, and he shot a chilling gaze at Chu Yan.

If it were just a verbal spat, he might have been able to tolerate it, but now the situation had changed. Chu Yan had hit his subordinate, and as the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one must consider the owner. Chu Yan clearly didn't take him seriously at all.

"Chu Yan, you are the benefactor of the Liu family, but you have nothing to do with my Qin family. According to the rules, you should have your limbs severed for hitting my subordinate as punishment. However, for the sake of Qingcheng, if you apologize now, I can pretend nothing happened. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Chu Yan interrupted Qin Feng before he could continue, "Are you going to kill me? Do you dare?"

Qin Feng's fists creaked as he clenched them, and a flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes as he finally lost his temper.

"Hehe, I won't kill you; that would be too easy for you. I will sever your limbs and make you wish you were dead!"

"Boom!"

Qin Feng spoke fiercely, and a wind stirred beneath his feet. Stars began to shine on his forehead, one, two, three, four. When the fourth star brightened, his body trembled, and he had reached the fourth level of the Mortal Realm. He lunged at Chu Yan with a powerful punch.

Zhao Tu was anxious and wanted to intervene, but it was too late. Chu Yan and Qin Feng were too close, and Qin Feng's strength was slightly higher than his.

However, Chu Yan remained unmoved in the face of such an attack, a hint of mockery on his lips. He suddenly said calmly,

"What, are you going to keep watching? If your Qin family hurts me, you should know the consequences!"

Chu Yan was talking to himself, but the next moment, a gale swept through the entrance of the Liu family, and a middle-aged man leaped from a distance. With a wave of his hand, he dispersed Qin Feng's punch.

"It's a Qin family member! Qin Xuan, the second elder of the Qin family!"

Everyone was slightly startled at the sight of the middle-aged man. At this moment, Zhao Tu's old eyes widened. Qin Xuan, the second elder of the Qin family, had five-star Life Body, a genuine Dust Stirring Realm expert.

Most importantly, what had Chu Yan just said? Did he know Qin Xuan was nearby all along?

Qin Feng was also startled when his punch was suddenly blocked, and his brows furrowed when he saw Qin Xuan.

"Uncle, what are you doing? He just hit a member of the Qin family and spoke arrogantly, insulting our ancestors. Move aside, I'm going to kill him!"

"Brat, shut up!"

A fierce look flashed in Qin Xuan's eyes, and then he looked at Chu Yan with a serious expression. "Young Master Chu, it's my fault for failing to discipline my son, who offended you. I hope you won't take it to heart!"

"Young Master Chu?" Everyone was shocked to hear Qin Xuan address Chu Yan this way. They weren't fools; they could see that Qin Xuan was wary of Chu Yan.

Chu Yan glanced at Qin Xuan. "It's fine. Ignorance is bliss, but is your Qin family really so arrogant now?"

Qin Xuan trembled in fear and then, in front of Chu Yan, he hurriedly bowed.

"Forgive me, Young Master Chu!"

Qin Feng was stunned when he saw Qin Xuan bow to Chu Yan. "Uncle! What are you doing? He hit a member of the Qin family, how can you apologize to him?"

"Shut up!" Qin Xuan glared at Qin Feng, his heart racing. "Apologize to Young Master Chu right now! Otherwise, be prepared to face the family law when you get home!"

"I...!" Qin Feng was filled with anger but remained motionless.

"Hehe, Second Elder Qin, it seems your nephew doesn't want to apologize. No matter, I don't value insincere apologies. If you want to resolve this, he can stay, and you can leave. I'll pretend nothing happened!" Chu Yan said calmly, then pointed at the disciple who had insulted him.

The disciple was terrified and fell to his knees. He wasn't a fool; Qin Xuan was a genuine Dust Stirring Realm expert, and the fact that he respected Chu Yan so much indicated how powerful Chu Yan's background must be.

"Master, Master, I've followed you for ten years, save me, save me!" The subordinate clung to Qin Feng's pants.

Qin Xuan glanced at the subordinate, intending to plead for mercy, but when he met Chu Yan's gaze and saw the deep killing intent in his eyes, he changed his mind.

"Feng, let's go!"

Qin Xuan grabbed Qin Feng and left, leaving the subordinate behind at the Liu family.

Seeing Qin Xuan leave, everyone at the Liu family was stunned. What had just happened?

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it. The Qin family, actually suffering a loss at the Liu family?

Most importantly, at the hands of this "waste" son-in-law?

Chu Yan remained calm, his gaze sharp as a knife, and a sharp blade appeared in his hand.

"Do you know? If you had just insulted me, I wouldn't have cared. I'm used to being insulted over the years. But when you called me a bastard, you were insulting my mother. In this life, anyone who insults my mother must die!" Chu Yan said calmly.

"Mercy, Young Master Chu! Mercy!"

"Some things can be forgiven, but some cannot."

Chu Yan's sword fell, and blood stained the glazed tiles in front of the Liu family.

Chu Yan directly killed a Qin family disciple, and the news quickly spread throughout Tianyong City, shocking everyone.

A "waste" had actually forced back Qin Xuan of the Qin family. This led many to speculate about Chu Yan's true identity.

There were all sorts of rumors, some saying Chu Yan was a prince of Changlong Kingdom, others that he was the illegitimate child of a sect master. However, no one knew Chu Yan's true identity.

Inside the Liu family, Zhao Wu and Zhao Liu followed Chu Yan, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Son-in-law, you were so cool just now!"

"Indeed, the Qin family has risen quickly in recent years, suppressing our Liu family. We haven't had such a moment of pride in years," Zhao Liu said excitedly.

Chu Yan smiled. "Now you know how powerful I am. Follow me well, and you'll have all the delicacies you want!"

"We swear to follow you to the death, Son-in-law!"

Zhao Wu and Zhao Liu felt as if spring had finally arrived. Chu Yan had brought them more surprises than they could count.

---

While some were happy, others were worried.

At the same time, at the Qin family, Qin Feng's eyes were bloodshot, filled with intense killing intent.

"Uncle, what's going on? He's just a waste, why did you show him such respect?"

Qin Xuan sighed, looking at his nephew. "Feng, remember, Chu Yan himself is not scary; he's just a waste. But the force behind him is one we, the Qin family, absolutely cannot provoke!"

"How powerful? Our Qin family is a distinguished family in Changlong Kingdom, and our ancestors were once high-ranking officials. Could the force behind Chu Yan be even more powerful than Changlong Kingdom?"

"Yes!" Qin Xuan said firmly, then, as if remembering something, he added, "Feng, remember, that force is absolutely untouchable. They could, if they wished, turn Changlong Kingdom to ashes overnight."

"Overnight destruction of Changlong?" Qin Feng was stunned, his throat constricted, unable to speak. What kind of terrifying force could that be?

"Do you understand now why I stopped you? If they knew Chu Yan was hurt by our Qin family, you and I might already be in our graves." Qin Xuan said with lingering fear. "In any case, remember, never harm Chu Yan in public, and always show him respect!"

Qin Feng was silent for a moment after hearing Qin Xuan's words. The implications were clear: if not in public, then in private?

"Does that mean I can... in a place where no one can see?" Qin Feng asked, making a throat-slitting gesture.

Qin Xuan frowned slightly, then smiled. "I didn't say that, but... if he dies by misfortune, it will have nothing to do with our Qin family. When that happens, the Liu family will have a headache. Without the protection of that force, the balance of power among the three families in Tianyong City can be broken."

A flash of intense killing intent appeared in Qin Feng's eyes, followed by a greedy look. "Chu Yan! Liu Qingcheng! This is your fault, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"

---

Chu Yan didn't know about Qin Feng's thoughts. After forcing back Qin Feng, he returned to his room under the escort of Zhao Wu and Zhao Liu.

At night, Bao'er prepared warm water for Chu Yan and looked at him with a smile. "Master, you were really impressive today!"

"Impressive? You haven't seen the best of me yet," Chu Yan said with a mischievous smile.

Although Bao'er was young, she understood some things about men and women, so Chu Yan's words made her face turn red with embarrassment.

"Master, you're bad! No wonder they call you a 'elegant rogue' outside!"

"Elegant rogue?" Chu Yan laughed bitterly. He hadn't expected to gain such a reputation in Tianyong City, but he didn't care. After ending his conversation with Bao'er, he began to bathe.

Because he had instructed her, Bao'er had added some herbs to the warm water. The formula was prepared by Chu Yan himself, mostly consisting of herbs to replenish his vital energy and strengthen his body.

Soaking in the herbal bath, Chu Yan began to circulate his vital energy. After a day, his vital energy had settled, but during his confrontation with Qin Feng, he clearly saw his own shortcomings.

It was only because Qin Xuan was nearby and intervened in time that he didn't take a hit from Qin Feng.

"The third level of the Mortal Realm is still too low. I must improve my strength as soon as possible."