Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

The corner of Qin Peng’s mouth and the corners of his eyes twitched violently. He looked at Qin Feng, his eyes filled with bewilderment. If he hadn’t known what kind of person his cousin was, he would have thought Qin Feng was deliberately mocking him.

Qin Feng had been the pride of the family since childhood, raised as the center of attention. Aside from developing a somewhat arrogant personality, he was always honest and had almost never deliberately bullied his peers. So, Qin Peng’s eyelid twitched as he said, "Young Master, are you saying I’m no match for that little brat?"

"Little brat?" A faint, mocking smile touched Qin Feng’s lips, not directed at Ling Xiao, but at this boorish cousin beside him. "The ’little brat’ you’re talking about is only slightly weaker than me!"

As he said this, Qin Feng’s eyes shone with confidence. Although he was from a hidden family and had long lived on an island, he was still very well-informed about the upper echelons of the Lanyue Empire’s nobility.

He wasn’t like many others in his family who believed people from the Mortal World were worthless. Many in the family didn’t even consider the Bauhinia Clan—the Qin Family’s branch in the Mortal World—to be relatives. Whenever they were mentioned, their tone was filled with disdain.

But Qin Feng didn’t think that way. He believed that the so-called "hidden families" were just a name given to them by the people of the Mortal World over thousands of years.

These great families had never truly "hidden" themselves. While many families lived in deep mountains and ancient forests, and some, like the East Sea Qin Family and the Sea Domain Song Family, occupied one or several islands, they simply didn’t interact with ordinary people. At least, Qin Feng never considered his Qin Family to be some lofty "hidden family."

Therefore, many of Qin Feng’s actions seemed unconventional to his family. For instance, he was always polite to people from the Bauhinia Clan, including Qin Jian, who had visited last year. Qin Feng had even personally given him a great deal of guidance. At the same time, he had learned a lot of interesting information about the Mortal World from Qin Jian.

The rise of one young nobleman from the Mortal World had particularly piqued Qin Feng’s interest: Ling Xiao.

In fact, when he saw Ling Xiao with Song Mingyue yesterday, Qin Feng had already guessed that the man beside Song Mingyue must be the renowned Ling Xiao from the Lanyue Empire.

Although he had never seen what Ling Xiao looked like, Qin Feng had heard about him. He was also well aware that many families and sects had entered Penzes City, intending to get a piece of the pie from the resources Ling Xiao controlled.

The Qin Family, however, hadn’t paid it much mind and hadn’t even sent anyone. They were observing, wanting to see just how big of a splash the Ling Family’s third young master—a man who was still a Celestial Vein Master just a year ago—could make in the south of Lanyue.

If a powerful force was backing Ling Xiao, the Qin Family’s rash entry could raise their guard and easily lead to misunderstandings. If the Ling Family had no powerful backing, then sooner or later, the Qin Family would be able to get their piece of the pie anyway.

As for the small and medium-sized families and sects that had already made their move... the Qin Family didn’t even give them a second thought.

But the Sea Domain Song Family, which Qin Feng had been watching, had also gotten involved. This was something Qin Feng hadn’t expected. Although the Song Family wasn’t as powerful as the Qin Family, they shouldn’t have been so impulsive as to meddle before they had a clear picture of the strength behind the Ling Family. Later, Qin Feng learned that the person the Song Family had sent was none other than Song Mingyue, who was treated like a princess in her family! Then Ling Xiao had gone out to sea with Song Mingyue, claiming his prospective father-in-law had suffered a cultivation deviation...

Honestly, no one in the Qin Family, from top to bottom, believed this story. They were certain it was a conspiracy by the Sea Domain Song Family to trick Ling Xiao and extract his secrets. Because of this, the Qin Family even felt a little regretful. ’If only we had sent someone to get involved back then,’ they thought, ’we could have logically taken a share for ourselves.’

Fortunately, Qin Feng had a marriage contract with the young lady of the Song Family. After the two families were joined by marriage, their power would be unprecedentedly strong. Although they would still be weaker than the super-families, from then on, no one, not even the current first-rate families, would dare to provoke them lightly.

So, as a direct-line young master of the Qin Family, Qin Feng knew far more than most people imagined. He had seriously analyzed the many rumors, both true and false, about Ling Xiao. The conclusion he reached was this: Ling Xiao was very strong!

There had always been a saying on the continent that once a Celestial Vein Master managed to open their meridians, their strength would increase at a terrifying rate, and they would surely grow into a figure of stunning, peerless talent.

But from ancient times to the present, there had never been such an example. So, gradually, people had started to become skeptical. After all, not all ancient sayings were necessarily true.

But from Ling Xiao, Qin Feng sensed that the sayings about Celestial Vein Masters were true!

Although Qin Peng’s face showed clear defiance, he didn’t talk back to Qin Feng. ’The Young Master says I’m not as good as him? Hmph, when I get the chance, I’ll test him and find out for myself! I refuse to believe a seventeen or eighteen-year-old brat can have that much power. Besides, the Young Master said he was still a Celestial Vein Master last year!’

’Damn it, you’re telling me one year of his practice can match my thirty years of training?’

...

On the deck, Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue stood side-by-side, watching the bow of the ship cut through the water as it moved swiftly forward. A gentle sea breeze swept by, and seagulls cried out endlessly, their bodies rising and falling as they played.

"Do you blame me for being too harsh and offending the Qin Family?" Ling Xiao asked the beauty beside him with a light laugh, his gaze fixed on the endless azure sea.

"How could I?" Song Mingyue said with a dazzling smile. "I actually understand why you did it. I also suspect that Qin Feng knew your identity and deliberately had someone make things difficult for you. In reality, whether they’re from a ’hidden family’ or the Mortal World, aren’t they all just ordinary people? Even if they live a little longer, they’re not gods. What’s so special about them? A lot of the time, I really don’t get it. I used to hear that being called a ’hidden family’ was very rude because it implied you were reclusive, backward, and ignorant. But now, it seems to have become some kind of honor. Especially for many of the smaller families and sects. They’re clearly deeply involved with the Mortal World and have constant dealings with it, yet they proudly proclaim themselves to be ’hidden families.’ It’s laughably absurd. I have no idea what those people are thinking. I think what you did was great, husband!"

"You silly girl." Ling Xiao affectionately tapped Song Mingyue’s nose and shook his head slightly. ’Song Mingyue is sharp as a tack,’ he thought. ’How could she not see that I was defending my dignity as a man? On a deeper level, I was defending my dignity as a Cultivator!’

’She knows I’m unwilling to use the Song Family’s influence to back me up, but instead of calling me out on it, she uses other reasons to validate my actions... How could a man not love such a thoughtful woman?’

With that thought, Ling Xiao gently wrapped his arm around Song Mingyue’s shoulders and said, "Thank you."

"Hee hee, I’m your woman. Why are you thanking me?" Song Mingyue said playfully, resting her head on Ling Xiao’s shoulder.

Their cabin was the best on this large ship, so naturally, the dining area was also quite exquisite.

In the evening, the two of them walked hand in hand to the restaurant. It wasn’t crowded, with only a dozen or so people inside, most of them young men and women. When they saw Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue enter, many just glanced over before turning their faces away.

The people here all came from families or sects that were at least second-rate. Moreover, these young people were mostly the most outstanding and top-tier disciples of their sects. Every one of them was arrogant to the bone, as if actively greeting someone would lower their own status.

However, Ling Xiao was handsome and carried an air of natural refinement, while Song Mingyue was stunningly beautiful. Their appearance still made the people in the restaurant inwardly applaud.

The maids in the luxurious restaurant were all pretty and vivacious, with excellent attitudes. After Ling Xiao and his companion ordered a few light dishes, the maid departed with a smile.

The food arrived quickly. The two didn’t speak, savoring the taste of the dishes. The Qin Family was truly extraordinary; even the chefs on this ship were of an extremely high caliber! The flavor of the food was no worse than that of the Royal Family’s imperial chefs.

Song Mingyue whispered, "When it comes to putting on a show, the Qin Family outdoes the Royal Families of any nation! This is nothing. I expect they’ll be even more ostentatious once we get to the island."

Song Mingyue’s voice was very soft, but a man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight at a nearby table overheard her. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint, mocking sneer as he looked at Song Mingyue and said, "Your words sound quite sour. Are you jealous? I really wonder how you managed to sneak your way up to this level. To say something like that, comparing a hidden family to a Royal Family of the Mortal World... aren’t you ashamed?"

Although the young man’s voice wasn’t loud, there were only a few people in the small, luxurious restaurant, and everyone immediately looked over.

Song Mingyue’s elegant brows furrowed. She glanced at the handsome but frivolous-looking young man and said coolly, "If interrupting others’ conversations is also a source of pride for hidden families, then what do I have to be ashamed of?"

"Hmph. It is your honor that I deign to speak to you. Seeing as you have some good looks, I’ll give you a kind reminder. Not... everyone from the hidden families is as kind and easygoing as I am. This isn’t the Mortal World. Don’t try to bind me with the vulgar rules of that place."

As the young man spoke, he gave Song Mingyue a wicked smile. "However, your looks are indeed quite impressive, miss. If you’re interested in advancing your prospects with a great family, I am a direct-line young master of the East Sea Zhao Family."

Ling Xiao’s eyebrow twitched. ’The East Sea Zhao Family? I remember they sent people to Penzes City a while back, but I don’t recall much about them. It seems Ye Zi was the one who communicated with them later. This probably isn’t the same person; I have no memory of him at all.’