Chapter 10: Refusing to Travel Together
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Qin Xingchen turned toward the sound and saw two figures approaching.
They were a young man and woman, both appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.
The man was tall and slender, dressed in black brocade robes, with a handsome face.
The woman wore a long red dress. She had a delicate figure and carried a longsword in her hand.
Although she was not quite as beautiful as Su Jingya, she was still quite attractive.
Su Jingya introduced them to Qin Xingchen. “Young Master Qin, this is Chen Lixue, the eldest daughter of the Chen family of the Celestial River Dynasty. This is Lu Zitian, the eldest son of the Lu family. They are both good friends of mine. We were planning to enter the Sunset Shade Mountains together to gain experience.”
Qin Xingchen was slightly taken aback.
The eldest daughter of the Chen family!
The eldest son of the Lu family!
The Chen family and the Lu family.
Were they not two of the three most powerful clans in the Celestial River Dynasty?
Qin Xingchen knew that the Celestial River Dynasty possessed three great clan powers: the Su family, the Chen family, and the Lu family.
These three clans were filled with experts, possessed profound foundations, and wielded tremendous power.
They were even stronger than the Moonwatch Sect.
Aside from the two most powerful first-tier sects in the Celestial River Dynasty, they stood at the very pinnacle.
Qin Xingchen could also discern the cultivation levels of the two newcomers.
Chen Lixue was at the fifth level of the Blood Accumulation Realm.
Lu Zitian was at the sixth level.
And Su Jingya, who stood before him, was actually friends with people from families as prominent as the Chen and Lu clans.
Clearly, Su Jingya’s identity was far from ordinary.
Wait…
Su Jingya. Su Xiaonuan.
The surname Su?
Qin Xingchen suddenly understood. He turned to Su Jingya and asked, “Miss Su, are you a member of the Su family?”
Su Jingya froze.
Before she could answer, Su Xiaonuan had already grinned brightly. “Wow, Big Brother is so clever!”
Su Jingya gave a slight nod. “That’s right.”
Qin Xingchen nodded in return but said nothing more.
Su Jingya then looked at Chen Lixue and Lu Zitian. “Lixue, Zitian, let me introduce you. This is Young Master Qin Xingchen. He just saved Xiaonuan’s life, so he is Xiaonuan’s savior. That is why I invited him to enter the mountains with us. You two don’t mind, do you?”
Chen Lixue and Lu Zitian exchanged a glance before both shaking their heads.
“Jingya, since he is a new friend of yours, naturally we won’t mind.”
As she spoke, Chen Lixue turned toward Qin Xingchen. “Young Master Qin, you certainly have an impressive bearing. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Qin Xingchen gave a slight nod in polite response.
At that moment, Lu Zitian also looked at Qin Xingchen and smiled. “I didn’t expect Young Master Qin to be so young, yet already possess the cultivation of the first level of the Blood Accumulation Realm. You are indeed a rare young genius. May I ask who your master is, and what kind of background you have?”
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Clearly, he had also noticed Qin Xingchen’s cultivation level.
Qin Xingchen replied indifferently, “An outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect.”
He was indeed an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect. In fact, he had once been the strongest outer disciple in the entire sect.
However, one year earlier, Lu Wenfeng had ambushed him and shattered his dantian. Overnight, the strongest genius among the outer disciples had fallen into a cripple despised and scorned by everyone.
The moment Lu Zitian heard that Qin Xingchen was an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect, the smile vanished from his face, and he no longer spoke to him.
In his eyes, Qin Xingchen’s talent might be decent, but the Moonwatch Sect was merely a second-tier sect in the Celestial River Dynasty. It was not worthy of the Lu family’s attention.
What was more, Qin Xingchen was nothing more than an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect.
Such a lowly status did not qualify him to be treated as an equal.
On the other side, Chen Lixue’s attitude changed immediately as well after learning that Qin Xingchen was an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect. Her reaction was exactly the same as Lu Zitian’s.
Qin Xingchen naturally noticed the disdain and contempt in both their eyes.
Yet his expression remained calm.
He knew that most scions of great clans considered themselves noble.
Whenever they encountered someone whose status and position were not equal to their own—or worse, inferior to theirs—they instinctively assumed themselves superior. Their every gesture revealed the condescension of those accustomed to standing above others, as though everyone else were beneath their notice.
In Qin Xingchen’s eyes, their behavior could not exactly be called right or wrong.
It was simply human nature.
But he would never curry favor with people like them.
After all, he would never debase himself by offering warmth to those who responded with coldness.
Besides, in his previous life, he had been a Saint of the Upper Realm, a supreme figure who had ruled over an entire region and looked down upon all living beings. He had been revered by countless people.
There had been more than enough supreme powers eager to curry favor with him. They would have had to line up for tens of thousands of miles.
Therefore, he had no reason to pay attention to petty fools like Chen Lixue and Lu Zitian, who thought far too highly of themselves.
At that moment, Su Jingya stepped in to smooth things over. “All right, let’s enter the mountains.”
“Wait!” Lu Zitian suddenly called out.
Su Jingya asked, “Zitian, what is it?”
Lu Zitian glanced at Qin Xingchen before looking away. “I’m sorry, Jingya, but I refuse to travel with this brat.”
He had gone from calling him “Young Master Qin” to calling him “this brat.”
The disgust Lu Zitian felt was written plainly across his face.
“So do I.”
Chen Lixue stepped to Lu Zitian’s side. She did not even seem willing to look at Qin Xingchen.
Su Jingya hurriedly said, “Zitian, Lixue, didn’t you just say that you had no objection to Young Master Qin joining our group?”
Lu Zitian folded his arms across his chest and arrogantly turned his face aside. “I’m sorry, Jingya. That was then, and this is now. I simply don’t want to enter the mountains with this brat.”
At first, he had assumed that anyone Su Jingya acknowledged as a friend must possess a status and position no lower than those of the three great clans.
He had never expected that Qin Xingchen would be nothing more than a lowly outer disciple of a second-tier sect.
Hmph!
To travel and gain experience alongside someone like that would simply be an insult to their identities.
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They would never agree.
When Su Jingya heard Lu Zitian say this, her expression immediately darkened.
Chen Lixue then turned to Qin Xingchen. “Young Master Qin, I’m sorry, but I think you should enter the mountains on your own. Given your status, you truly are not qualified to travel with us, much less accompany Jingya. I know that you saved Xiaonuan’s life because you wanted to win Jingya’s favor, but you should understand that Jingya is the eldest daughter of the Su family and the goddess of countless young heirs from prestigious clans. With the status of an outer disciple like you, you have no chance of pursuing her. So I hope you understand your own position. Don’t force me to make myself any clearer and wound your pitiful pride.”
Qin Xingchen replied indifferently, “The two of you may be overthinking things. To be honest, I have no desire to travel with you either.”
“What did you say?” Chen Lixue frowned slightly.
Qin Xingchen could not be bothered to entertain her further. Instead, he cupped his fists toward Su Jingya. “Miss Su, since your two noble friends do not wish for me to travel with you, I would be shameless to insist and ruin your mood. I shall take my leave.”
“Wait!”
Su Jingya panicked and hurriedly said, “Young Master Qin, I’m sorry. That was not what I meant. Please don’t misunderstand!”
At that moment, Su Xiaonuan grabbed one of Qin Xingchen’s arms, her face filled with reluctance. “Big Brother, stay and come with us. Xiaonuan doesn’t want you to leave!”
Qin Xingchen said nothing.
He merely smiled faintly, reached out to ruffle Su Xiaonuan’s hair, and then glanced at Su Jingya.
“Farewell.”
With that, he turned around and entered the Sunset Shade Mountains alone. Before long, his figure vanished from their sight.
Seeing this, Chen Lixue gave a disdainful laugh. “Hmph, he certainly left quickly. At least the brat knows his place.”
Lu Zitian snorted coldly. “A mere outer disciple of a second-tier sect actually wants to travel with us? He really thinks too highly of himself. Jingya, your judgment in people isn’t very good either.”
“Have the two of you said enough?”
Su Jingya’s expression was ugly, and she spoke angrily. “I already told you that Young Master Qin saved my sister’s life. Out of gratitude, I invited him to join us in entering the mountains. Yet the two of you acted like this and made me look like the same kind of snob in his eyes. If this is how you insist on conducting yourselves, then I, Su Jingya, can do without the two of you as friends. I don’t want to travel with either of you now. Take care of yourselves!”
With that, she took Su Xiaonuan’s hand and entered the mountain range as well.
“Hey, Jingya, don’t leave yet!”
Seeing Su Jingya depart in anger, Chen Lixue grew flustered.
She then looked at Lu Zitian. “This is all your fault. You made Jingya angry. What if she really cuts ties with us because of this?”
Lu Zitian merely smiled, unconcerned. “Relax. Jingya is only venting. After all, friends as distinguished as us are rare in her life. She won’t truly sever ties with us.”
“You’re right!” Chen Lixue agreed. “Then let’s hurry and catch up with Jingya.”
“Mm.”
“Jingya, don’t walk so fast! Wait for us!”
…
Meanwhile, in Black Mountain City, inside the City Lord’s Estate.
The Council Hall.
“Commander, I was beaten up!”
The muscular man looked toward the black-robed man seated at the head of the council hall and complained with an aggrieved expression.
“What?”
The black-robed man’s face darkened. “Someone actually dared to beat my man in Black Mountain City? They must have a death wish! What was the attacker’s cultivation level?”
The muscular man stammered, “I… I don’t know either. But he was a boy of about sixteen, and he was extremely powerful. I exchanged only one punch with him, and my right hand was crippled outright.”
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