Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 70: The Truth Exposed

As soon as the Ye family entered, another motorcade arrived. 

Qin Guanye stepped forward once more to greet them. 

This time, it was the Li family’s patriarch, Old Master Li, who emerged from the car.  

“Guanye, today’s quite the lively affair. You’ve worked hard,” Old Master Li said indifferently.  

Qin Guanye smiled. “I’m truly sorry to trouble you for taking time out of your busy schedule, Elder Li.”  

Old Master Li shot him a sharp look. “I’ve watched you grow up, boy. How many tricks you’ve got up your sleeve—I know them all. Save the sweet talk. Whether they should’ve come or not, everyone’s here for Old Qin’s birthday. If I didn’t show up, wouldn’t that make me terribly ungrateful?”  

Qin Guanye gave a dry chuckle, tactfully ignoring the remark about who should or shouldn’t have come. “Elder Li, shall we head inside, or…?”  

Old Master Li waved a hand. “No rush. I received word on my way here that Elder Jiang is on his way and should arrive soon. I’ll wait here a moment. If you have matters to attend to, go ahead.”  

A strange expression flickered across Qin Guanye’s face as he quickly grasped the underlying tension. He had naturally heard of the conflict between Li Yuanjue and Jiang Feng. Moreover, he knew that after Li Yuanjue’s leg—previously broken by Jiang Feng—had finally healed, it had been broken again, this time even worse.  

Old Master Li waiting here for Old Master Jiang? Qin Guanye didn’t believe it was for friendly reasons. But whatever the old man intended wasn’t his business. Instead of leaving, he stayed by Old Master Li’s side, making small talk.  

*****  

Inside the State Guest House, many distinguished guests had already gathered, yet the atmosphere remained orderly and dignified.  

Those who had received an invitation from the Qin family were all figures of renown—high-ranking officials, business magnates, and other elites.  

These were people the common folk usually only saw on television or in newspapers. Yet here, every one of them behaved with restraint, humbling themselves. Everyone understood that anyone they might bump into here was a person of immense influence. No one dared offend another. Instead, whether they knew each other or not, warm smiles adorned every face.  

The moment Old Master Ye appeared, countless eyes turned toward him.  

Those who recognized him immediately brightened with excitement. Old Master Ye glanced around before striding inside, where a hearty laugh greeted him.  

“Haha! Old Ye, you’ve finally arrived!”  

From the main seat, a stooped old man rose to his feet. His back was hunched, his hair sparse, and his face deeply lined like dried tangerine peel. Yet despite his frail appearance, the moment he stood, an imposing aura radiated from him—one that commanded respect. This was none other than the host of today’s birthday banquet: Old Master Qin, Qin Zheng.  

“Hah! How could I miss the birthday of an old fossil like you?” Old Master Ye laughed, stepping forward to shake Qin Zheng’s hand firmly.  

“‘Old fossil’—well said! Aren’t we both just stubborn old men refusing to fade away?” Old Master Qin chuckled. “At our age, still making a spectacle of ourselves, we’re bound to be the butt of jokes. But today, with everyone gathered here, I’ll take the ridicule gladly.”  

Though he said this, not a single person present dared laugh at him.  

“Heh, Brother Qin, I feel like Brother Ye’s words were aimed at me,” a leisurely voice interjected. Another elderly man stood from the table.  

Tall and robust—a stark contrast to Qin Zheng—this man had thick, salt-and-pepper hair and long eyebrows that couldn’t mask the shrewdness in his eyes. It was Old Master Bai.  

“I speak my mind. If the shoe fits, wear it,” Old Master Ye teased.  

Old Master Bai smiled. “Brother Ye, arriving right on time, neither early nor late—you’re clearly well-prepared. I won’t argue with you now, lest people say I’m jealous. But later, I’ll make sure to drown you in drinks.”  

Old Master Ye huffed. “Bring it on. Let’s see who backs down first.”  

Despite his bluster, his expression betrayed unmistakable smugness.  

Soon, Old Master Tang and Old Master Chen arrived as well. Finally, Old Masters Jiang and Li entered together, their faces taut. Everyone could guess something had happened outside, but no one dared mention it in this setting.  

With Old Master Qin’s eightieth birthday, all seven major families of Yanjing had sent representatives—and not just any representatives, but the reclusive elders themselves. The grandeur of the occasion left many in awe.  

In all of China, only the Qin family could command such respect and unity. No matter the covert rivalries among the seven families, every one of them had to honor Old Master Qin’s standing.  

It was enough to make them sigh inwardly: As long as Old Master Qin lives, the Qin family’s position remains unshakable.  

*****  

Jiang Feng slowly opened his eyes. 

With a deep exhale, a long, almost tangible breath escaped his lips. His gaze was now clear, sharp as winter stars.  

A faint smile touched his lips. Since discovering this Hundred-Fruit Tree, his cultivation had progressed remarkably. In just a few days, he had reached the late stage of the second layer of Body Refinement. With the abundant spiritual energy here, breaking through to the third layer wouldn’t take much longer.  

Only then did he notice how dark it had grown outside. His empty stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten in hours. Sighing, he got up and headed inside.  

After searching the house, he found no sign of Zhao Wuxia. She likely wouldn’t return tonight. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge—inside, a prepared meal awaited him.  

Tossing a container into the microwave, he paused, struck by a sudden thought. When did I start relying so much on Zhao Wuxia? This isn’t good.  

A wry smile tugged at his lips. ‘In her eyes, I must seem like a shut-in, no different from a deadbeat. She probably never had a high opinion of me to begin with.’  

After a quick meal, he returned to the Hundred-Fruit Tree in the backyard, sitting cross-legged beneath it. He aimed to break through to the third layer of Body Refinement as soon as possible.  

*****  

Meanwhile, on the eastern outskirts of Yanjing, two figures moved swiftly through the night, following a small black bird. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a small mound of earth.  

The bald middle-aged man and the scar-faced woman stopped, examining the site carefully. The man thrust his hand into the soil, grabbed a handful, and sniffed it. His brows furrowed.  

“Is this the place?” the woman asked.  

“It should be. But it seems Shen Bin was killed,” the man said coldly.  

“Either way, we dig. Even if he’s dead, we need to confirm it’s him,” the woman replied.  

Without hesitation, she grabbed a nearby branch and began digging.  

Ten minutes later, the mound was cleared, revealing Shen Bin’s corpse. The two stared at it in silence.  

“You’re right. He’s definitely dead,” the woman said flatly. She crouched, rifling through his pockets. “There’s a card here—the payment from the Li family. It wasn’t taken, so this wasn’t a robbery.”  

“It’s not that simple. Let me see how he died.”  

The man knelt, inspecting the body closely. Soon, he found a tiny black dot on Shen Bin’s forehead—so small it was nearly invisible.  

“This is the fatal wound. Killed by something like a needle piercing his brain,” the man said grimly.  

“What kind of weapon is that? I’ve never heard of it,” the woman muttered.  

“Just because we haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We’ll need to be more cautious from now on.”  

“So what now?”  

“We avenge him. Whoever did this must die,” the man snarled.  

“Agreed. No one who dares defy the Qihuang Sect’s authority lives,” the woman said, carefully retrieving a luminous bird from her robes. She released it, and the bird swiftly flew off into the night.  

After a brief wait, the bird returned. The man’s eyes gleamed.  

“Before, we only thought to find Shen Bin. But now that we know he was killed, and the killer didn’t account for our sect’s tracking methods, they must have left traces. Release more birds. We’ll follow their lead—the killer won’t escape.”  

As he spoke, the man sprinkled a powder over the corpse. Within moments, the body dissolved into a pool of liquid. Without another word, the two sprinted off, guided by the luminous birds into the darkness.