Chapter 30

Under Mo Qingcheng's care, Qin Wentian gradually regained some color in his face and his complexion improved, but he remained unconscious.

The snow dog would sometimes lie beside Qin Wentian, and at other times jump into Mo Qingcheng's arms, making her smile continuously. This little guy was too cute.

"Nuolan, can you guess what kind of beast he is?" Mo Qingcheng asked.

"Who knows, maybe just an ordinary wild animal, incapable of self-cultivation," Nuolan replied.

"Where are there such intelligent wild animals? But this little guy is really too small," Mo Qingcheng said with a bright smile, which made Nuolan lose herself for a moment. "You seem to be in a good mood these days. I haven't seen you smile in front of others."

"Since there's no one else around," Mo Qingcheng shrugged.

"What about him?" Nuolan pointed to the lying Qin Wentian. "You even carried him."

Mo Qingcheng's face flushed slightly, and she gave Nuolan a glare before looking at Qin Wentian, examining him carefully. "He seems quite handsome."

"Ye Wuchen is also very handsome, but you've never paid attention to him. It's said that Ye Wuchen has already gone to Tianyong City to become engaged to a woman. He probably knows that pursuing you is hopeless," Nuolan said with a pout. "By the way, we're near Tianyong City. The Ye family should be done with the Qin family by now."

Mo Qingcheng sighed, sighing for the Qin family.

"Someone is coming," Mo Qingcheng said. "He should be waking up soon. We should leave."

As she spoke, Mo Qingcheng walked out of the thatched cottage and said to the snow dog in her arms, "Little guy, do you want to come with me?"

The snow dog looked at her, then rubbed against her face, but jumped out of her arms and returned to the side of the thatched cottage, squatting there and looking at her.

"Alright, I won't force you. Since you like him, stay by his side," Mo Qingcheng said helplessly, then left quickly with Nuolan. The snow dog watched her leave, seemingly reluctant.

After Mo Qingcheng and Nuolan entered the forest, a group of people indeed approached. They were three young people, two men and one woman.

"What a cute little guy," the girl ran over to the snow dog, but the snow dog seemed uninterested in her and turned to enter the thatched cottage.

"Brother, there's someone here, and he seems to be unconscious," the girl approached the thatched cottage and saw Qin Wentian lying unconscious. She took out her water flask and gave Qin Wentian a sip of water.

"Yan'er, Tianyong City is just ahead. We'll rest for a day and continue our journey. Don't meddle in other people's affairs," the young man said, looking weary from the journey. They had exhausted several horses on their way to the imperial city and planned to buy new horses in Tianyong City.

"Understood," the girl stuck out her tongue, looking very charming.

"Cough, cough," at this moment, Qin Wentian coughed and opened his dazed eyes, seeing a beautiful face with a youthful aura.

"You're awake," Liu Yan said with a gentle smile when she saw Qin Wentian regain consciousness.

Qin Wentian sat up, realizing that apart from feeling weak, he was otherwise fine. In fact, he felt that he had broken through to the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage, but there was no trace of star power in his body. The battle that day had been too intense, controlling the berserk ape's body had almost cost him his life. Fortunately, he had broken through his limits and regained consciousness.

"No wonder Black Uncle told me not to use it unless it was a matter of life and death," Qin Wentian thought to himself. However, he considered it a blessing in disguise, having taken a step forward by breaking through his limits. He didn't know that the elixir from Mo Qingcheng was the most important factor in his recovery to the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage; otherwise, it would have taken him at least a couple of months to recover.

"Thank you for saving me," Qin Wentian thanked the girl, clearly mistaking her for someone else.

"It was nothing. Is this little dog yours? He's so cute," the girl said with a smile. Qin Wentian then noticed a fluffy, snow-white dog beside him. When Liu Yan tried to pick it up, the dog jumped directly into Qin Wentian's arms.

"Liu Yan, it's time to go," another young man outside urged.

"Alright," Liu Yan responded, then said to Qin Wentian, "This little dog is very smart. No wonder he waited for you. Since you're awake, I'll be off. My name is Liu Yan. Maybe we'll meet again."

She gave Qin Wentian a sweet smile and turned to leave.

"My name is Qin Wentian."

Standing up, Qin Wentian carried the snow dog out. Liu Yan waved at him and slowly left. Qin Wentian saw the charred wood and broken jars in the thatched cottage, with a faint medicinal smell still lingering.

"Thank you," Qin Wentian said softly to Liu Yan as she left. In the distance, two pairs of eyes were still watching, belonging to Mo Qingcheng and Nuolan.

"Alright, now that he's safe, but he seems to have mistaken the person who saved him. Do you want to go out and explain?" Nuolan smiled at Mo Qingcheng.

"Let's go," Mo Qingcheng smiled and turned to leave.

In the quiet thatched cottage and by the stream, only Qin Wentian and the snow dog remained. Qin Wentian looked curiously at the snow dog in his arms. The little guy was completely white, with soft, fluffy fur, and his beautiful eyes seemed to have a spirit of their own, looking up and examining him.

"Did you wait for me?" Qin Wentian felt a bit strange.

The snow dog's eyes narrowed, as if smiling at him, making Qin Wentian wonder if the dog could understand him.

"I need to cultivate now. Go home," Qin Wentian said to the snow dog, but the dog kept rubbing against him.

"Alright, if you don't want to leave, you can stay with me for now," Qin Wentian said with a bitter smile, then sat down in a meditative posture, placing the snow dog on the ground and beginning his cultivation. He wanted to know the situation in Tianyong City, but he needed to recover his strength first to protect himself.

Starlight from the fifth heaven descended upon Qin Wentian. The human body is a container that can hold star power. The higher the realm, the greater the capacity of this container. In the Body Tempering stage, star power is stored in the limbs and bones, used to strengthen the body and increase strength. When one reaches the Meridian stage, the body's acupoints are activated, and nine meridians are opened, storing star power in the acupoints, which can be released during battles to unleash immense power.

By nightfall, Qin Wentian felt a sense of comfort, even better than his prime before he was injured. His body was full of strength, not only due to his realm's advancement but also because of Mo Qingcheng's elixir. Of course, Qin Wentian didn't know he had taken a second-grade superior elixir.

Standing up, Qin Wentian looked around. This seemed to be the forest outside the west gate of Tianyong City. He had once hunted in the forest's depths with Qin Chuan and others when he was young, so he recognized the place.

After washing in the stream, Qin Wentian left, with the snow dog following him, which he found quite surprising.

...

Although it was night, Tianyong City was brightly lit, with lanterns hanging everywhere. The ancient city remained vibrant, and the lives of ordinary people continued as usual. They still enjoyed sitting in teahouses and taverns, discussing ancient and modern events, and toasting to the heroes of the world.

Qin Wentian stopped at an open-air tavern, hearing the conversation inside about the information he wanted to know.

"The Qin family is truly pitiful. The old patriarch Qin Hao and the family head Qin Chuan were captured and taken to the imperial city. It's said they have been thrown into the imperial prison and may be executed at any time. Even if they aren't executed, they will be killed by the Ye family."

"Not necessarily. The Northwest Army is stationed outside Tianyong City. It's said they will set out tonight and rush to the imperial city. Reliable sources say that not only the Northwest Army, but three of the eight border armies of our Great Chu have set out. The border is now empty, and people are in a state of panic."

"How dare they be so bold?" someone exclaimed.

"Bold? Their predecessors were all related to the Martial King. Now that the emperor has moved against the Martial King's descendants, who knows when the fire will reach them? These people are smart, always maintaining their alliance and not voluntarily giving up their military power to come to Tianyong City like the Qin family. Instead, they have remained on the border, and the emperor knows the border situation, so he hasn't acted rashly. Otherwise, the consequences of border unrest would be severe."

"This time, the three armies are marching to the imperial city under the banner of clearing the emperor's side, claiming that the emperor has been deceived by the Ye family and is killing loyal ministers. With the three armies, Qin Hao and Qin Chuan's lives are still safe. If the three armies fail, the emperor will have no more reservations and will order their execution."

"Who would have thought that after the Martial King unified the world, the Chu Kingdom would experience such turmoil again? The defeat of the three armies is just a matter of time, probably not lasting three years. And after the Martial King, the Qin family has produced another genius, Qin Wentian, but in three years, it will be difficult for Qin Wentian to rise."

"Speaking of Qin Wentian, he is indeed rare. If not for his summoning the demon ape to kill Ye Mo, the Qin family's direct line would have been completely destroyed before the Northwest Army's arrival. But the second son of the Qin family, Qin He, also showed great courage. Although he lost a leg in the Tianyong City incident, he still took control of the Qin family and the Northwest Army, and expelled Qin Wentian from the Qin family, showing great resolve."

"He did show great resolve. By expelling Qin Wentian from the Qin family, he severed Qin Wentian's ties to the Qin family, making Qin Wentian unrelated to the rebel army. This way, Qin Wentian can still enter the Imperial Star Academy in the imperial city to cultivate. With the power of the Imperial Star Academy, Qin Wentian will be safe. This is a long-term game, and it remains to be seen whether Qin Wentian can rise before the three armies are destroyed."

"Indeed, the Qin family has high hopes for Qin Wentian. After all, this is a world of martial arts, where only the martial arts masters who dominate the world can control its fate. If one has enough strength, imperial power is nothing. My word is the law, and my anger can make rivers of blood flow. This is ultimately a world of martial artists."

These people, excited by their drinks, momentarily forgot themselves. Though they were ordinary people, they still fantasized about becoming martial arts masters, overlooking the world, and controlling the fate of all living beings.

Qin Wentian, standing nearby, heard all of this, feeling a mix of emotions.