The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Xu Qingyue stared at the ethereal woman before her.

She was mesmerized, yes, but she also felt strangely at ease the moment she looked at the woman before her.

It was as though her very presence could soothe the unease in her heart.

"Do you... have some kind of charming technique?" Xu Qingyue finally asked.

Qin Xishu’s lips curved into a faint smile, and she gave a slight nod.

"I do. I cultivate the Beguiling Heavenly Maiden Art."

"Heavenly..."

Xu Qingyue quietly repeated the word, her eyes fixed on Qin Xishu.

Silence filled the room and for nearly a full minute, neither of them spoke and only maintained eye contact.

There was simply too much for Xu Qingyue to process.

How was she still alive?

Why had Qin Xishu sent her father and the Xu Family elders to their deaths?

How was her martial root still intact?

After remaining silent for a long moment, Xu Qingyue finally asked the one question that mattered to her the most.

"Did my family offend you before?"

Qin Xishu slowly shook her head.

"No."

Xu Qingyue’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Then may I know why you brought about the destruction of the Xu Family?"

"You’re pointing your finger at the wrong person," Qin Xishu replied evenly. "The one you should be hating isn’t me, it’s Lin Xuan."

Xu Qingyue merely smiled.

"I hate him, yes, but I hate you just as much."

That response sparked a deep curiosity in Qin Xishu, prompting her to ask, "Why me?"

Xu Qingyue met her gaze without hesitation.

"You used me to bring about the downfall of my family. Or should I be thanking you for that instead?"

Qin Xishu let out a soft chuckle and gave a slight nod.

"Fair enough."

She folded her hands before her and studied Xu Qingyue with interest.

"But if you truly hate me, where is your hostility? I don’t sense even the slightest killing intent from you."

"Killing intent?"

Xu Qingyue let out a pained smile before slowly leaning back against the bed.

"As much as I detest you, there’s something I want from you."

Qin Xishu raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I’ll help you obtain it?"

"I was supposed to be with my father by now," Xu Qingyue replied calmly. "Instead, you saved my life. So I’m assuming you want something from me. Let’s negotiate."

"Negotiate?"

Qin Xishu couldn’t help but chuckle at the suggestion.

She had not expected such words from Xu Qingyue. After all, the girl had not even reached her teenage years.

The more Qin Xishu looked at her, the more interesting she found her.

A faint smile appeared on her lips and she gave a slight nod.

"Very well, let’s negotiate our terms."

———————————————————

Azure Willow City:

Lin Xuan stood at the harbor, his calm gaze sweeping over the group of troublemakers gathered before him.

Without another word, he took out a scroll and tossed it toward the middle-aged man.

"Here’s the Body Tempering Pill recipe you wanted."

The middle-aged man hurriedly caught the scroll before it could fall to the ground.

His eyes immediately swept across its contents before he slowly raised his head.

"Patriarch Lin, if this recipe is genuine, then make a Dao Oath that every word written on this scroll is true."

Lin Xuan immediately frowned.

A Dao Oath was a sacred vow witnessed by the Heavenly Dao itself. Once sworn, breaking it would invite heavenly retribution, with consequences ranging from shattered cultivation to death, depending on the severity of the violation.

His gaze lingered on the middle-aged man.

How does he even know about Dao Oaths?

He’s supposed to be nothing more than a mere mortal.

Without another word, Lin Xuan raised his hand and the middle-aged man suddenly felt an overwhelming force seize his body.

Before he could react, his feet left the ground.

"W-What—?!"

He struggled frantically as his body flew through the air before stopping directly in front of Lin Xuan.

The sudden display of power silenced the entire shoreline.

The workers stood frozen and the group that had come with the middle-aged man turned deathly pale.

Their minds went blank as they watched a living person suspended in midair with nothing but a wave of the patriarch’s hand.

Not a single person dared utter another word.

In the meantime, Lin Xuan was staring straight into the man’s eyes.

"Tell me who’s backing you. If you answer truthfully, I’ll spare your life."

The middle-aged man’s face turned pale, yet he continued shaking his head.

"No... no one... I don’t know what you’re talking about. We only came because we wanted compensation."

Lin Xuan gave a slight nod and a moment later, his spiritual sense surged into the man’s sea of consciousness.

He had no intention of wasting any more time.

Soul Search.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The middle-aged man let out a bloodcurdling scream as his entire body convulsed violently in midair.

His face twisted in agony, veins bulging across his forehead as though his soul itself were being torn apart.

The spectators had no idea what Lin Xuan was doing.

All they saw was the man floating helplessly before the patriarch, screaming in unbearable pain without Lin Xuan laying a single finger on him.

The screams continued for another five seconds before abruptly stopping.

Lin Xuan released his spiritual qi.

The middle-aged man’s body dropped from the air before crashing onto the ground.

Without another glance, Lin Xuan flicked his sleeve, sending the limp body sliding back toward his companions.

A charm technique huh....

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.

It also explained why a group of ordinary mortals had somehow found the courage to obstruct the construction of a cultivation family’s project.

His gaze swept across the terrified crowd and then pointed toward the scroll lying on the ground.

"Take him and the scroll, and never return here again."

The group did not dare utter a single word.

Several people hurriedly lifted the weakened middle-aged man onto their shoulders while another picked up the scroll.

Without even looking back, they fled the construction site as quickly as they could.

Lin Xuan watched them disappear into the distance before clicking his tongue.

"Tsk. I still have twenty batches of Grade Two Blood Coagulation Pills waiting to be refined."