Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

“Most importantly, his abilities are extraordinary. I believe you can definitely find a way to deal with him!” the old man said to Yang Ling. Yang Ling understood that the old man clearly wanted him to let Qin Zhen go, so he replied:
"Senior, what you're saying is that you want me to let him go, right? Why is that? I don't want to miss such a good opportunity!" Yang Ling had already made up his mind. Why couldn't he deal with Qin Zhen? He was unwilling to be suppressed by Qin Zhen forever.

“He already knows my secret. If it gets out, it will definitely cause me a lot of trouble in the future, which is definitely not a good thing for me. So I absolutely cannot let him go easily!” Yang Ling said, word by word. Yang Ling’s words made the old man fall into deep thought. After thinking about it carefully, what Yang Ling said made a lot of sense, but for some reason, it made him feel uneasy. Since Yang Ling had made up his mind, he couldn’t stop him anymore, so he waved his hand at Yang Ling.

"Alright, then I won't say anything more. Go!" Just as Yang Ling was about to deliver a fatal blow to Qin Zhen, suddenly, a golden light flashed before his eyes, so bright he couldn't open them. For a moment, he wondered if it was just his imagination; why was it so different from what he had expected?

He rubbed his eyes and looked up again. Sure enough, the situation was no small matter.

"This is!"

"You actually injured my son!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful force sent Yang Ling flying.

In an instant, a white light shone around Yang Ling, and this light seemed to contain endless pressure, as if it wanted to completely suppress them.

Yang Ling's pupils suddenly contracted, his face filled with disbelief. How could this be?

A figure slowly emerged from the light. The moment that figure appeared, an aura of awe swept over them, unforgettable. Even more astonishing was the continuous flow of spiritual energy emanating from him, as if the entire world was under his control. In just an instant, Yang Ling felt a profound sense of powerlessness. He gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on.

"You actually managed to injure my son like this?" The man frowned slightly, clearly surprised that Qin Zhen had been injured. In his view, although Qin Zhen had not yet reached a very high level, he was still considered one of the best among the younger generation, while Yang Ling was just an ordinary person. For him to be able to injure Qin Zhen like this, he must have something to rely on.

Yang Ling suppressed his dissatisfaction. He knew that this old man couldn't have appeared here for no reason. He must have left a fragment of his soul in Qin Zhen to protect his precious son, which was why it appeared at the crucial moment to save his life.

Yang Ling fell into deep thought.

"The swordsmanship you just used, and the abilities you displayed, all belong to the Qin family. It must have been my son who taught you. You've actually mastered it to such a level, even on par with them!" The man turned his gaze to Yang Ling, his expression becoming serious. Yang Ling's lips twitched slightly. What could he say? He couldn't very well claim it was taught by his master.

"Every technique in the Qin family is extremely important; not just anyone can cultivate it. And you, not only are you physically strong, but you can also cultivate multiple techniques simultaneously. I've heard your physique is extraordinary, which means your cultivation level is destined to be higher than others!" The man praised Yang Ling without reservation, leaving Yang Ling stunned by these seemingly random words. The old man and the female protagonist standing to the side also held their breath, feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on them, after all, the strength of the person before them was completely on a different level.

"When you first joined the Qin family, I didn't see your true abilities, so I always thought you were just average. Now it seems you've really surprised me!" The man paused deliberately, then continued, "Since that's the case, I misjudged you. Why don't you return to the Qin family? I'm willing to take you as my disciple and teach you the strongest techniques. Once you've become strong enough, I'll definitely help you reach the pinnacle!" His expression was calm, but his emotions were unusually excited. Yang Ling had been somewhat worried, but upon hearing his words, those worries vanished instantly.

Yang Ling sneered as if he had heard a joke.

"Old man, you've come here now saying you want me to become the head of the family. Who knows what you're really up to? Besides, no matter how good my talent is, it's nothing special. You're actually willing to abandon your son to help me reach the peak?" Yang Ling replied seriously.

"I always keep my word and would never lie. Besides, don't you trust me?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem strange. You went to such lengths to choose Qin Zhen as the family heir back then, wasn't it because he was more important? Why are you choosing me now? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?" Yang Ling's words carried a hint of sarcasm. The man naturally understood the implication in Yang Ling's words, but he wasn't angry.

"Your talent is remarkable. We need someone with both talent and ability. Only someone like you can secure my position and status, and naturally, I will wholeheartedly nurture you!" His words sounded sincere, clearly serious, and the ambition in his eyes was undisguised. Yang Ling coldly replied:

"I have a blood feud with your son, so I won't let him off easily!" He thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just this. The man felt mostly disdain; it was just a human life.

"You want his life? I can help you. As long as you do what you promised me, I'll take care of that life for you. What's the big deal?" He said, each word distinct, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination. Yang Ling frowned slightly, not expecting him to be such a cold-hearted person.

"That's your son, and you seem to like him quite a bit, don't you? You said in front of so many people that you wanted to make him the future head of the family, and now you're saying this? Aren't you afraid he'll be disappointed when he finds out?" Yang Ling looked at Qin Zhen lying on the ground, who had already lost consciousness. After a moment, he looked away and said coldly.

"So what if he's my son? A good-for-nothing is destined to be useless. You're better!" His inherent coldness left Yang Ling speechless.

It seemed like a deep father-son bond, but the reality was that there was profit to be made.

Yang Ling had personally witnessed how he drove his son away, and now he was putting on a show of father-son betrayal, abandoning his own son. Yang Ling didn't find this admirable; on the contrary, he felt disgusted. If he could abandon Qin Zhen for someone more outstanding today, he would surely abandon himself for someone else tomorrow. Such a treacherous villain, yet he was a top-tier expert—it was utterly laughable. What face did he have to stand here? Once his strength grew, he would definitely take his place. Yang Ling said:
"Thank you for your kindness. Since I can't kill him now, I'll wait for another opportunity. Anyway, I'll be able to kill him sooner or later!" The old man before him was no ordinary person; several powerful families were wary of his strength. Not only that, but his abilities in various aspects were also extraordinary, making him no easy opponent. But Yang Ling's words were very firm.

The man seemed surprised that Yang Ling would refuse; his eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked as if he had misheard.

"Are you rejecting me? Don't you know my identity and capabilities? If you're willing, I can certainly help you!" He was somewhat regretful; he was truly disappointed...

Yang Ling's gaze remained indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

"In my eyes, all cultivation techniques are the same, and there is no such thing as the strongest. Besides, as long as you don't take shortcuts in the early stages of cultivation and just cultivate steadily, isn't that enough?"

He twitched the corner of his mouth. To be honest, Yang Ling's words surprised him quite a bit, but that didn't diminish his appreciation for Yang Ling.

The man looked away.

"Since that's the case, I still hope you'll have the opportunity to return to the Qin family in the future. Don't worry, I'll always keep this position for you. I'll wait for the day you regret it!" After saying that, he turned and left with Qin Zhen, his speed astonishing, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Yang Ling watched his departing figure, lost in thought.

After he left, the old man quickly walked up to Yang Ling and teased, "You're quite something, kid. You've managed to get that old guy to look at you differently. In my opinion, this might be a good opportunity." Yang Ling thought the old man was making fun of him. If this good fortune were given to the old man, would he want it?
"Forget it. I think that although his abilities are extraordinary, he has fallen into a state of obsession and will eventually suffer the consequences!" The old man thought Yang Ling's words made a lot of sense, and his expression became serious.

“You’re right. Qin Zhen’s strength is not to be underestimated, and you can see the reason for that to a large extent.”

"Our strength isn't weak either, otherwise we wouldn't have achieved what we have today!" The old man smiled; after all, the difference in ability between the two sides was undeniable, incomparable. Yang Ling frowned deeply. The matter involved was complex and required them to explore it slowly; it couldn't be understood overnight. What exactly caused such a drastic change?
He racked his brains but couldn't find an answer, so he simply stopped worrying about it. The reason he hadn't been able to eliminate Qin Zhen this time was because that old man had intervened; otherwise, Qin Zhen would have been dead long ago, not still alive. Of course, the main reason was that Yang Ling didn't dare to scheme against him lightly. If he offended someone with a higher cultivation level than himself, no one could protect him then.

So Yang Ling led the group away. They walked outside and retraced their steps. At this time, some members of the Qin family were still there, eagerly waiting for Qin Zhen to come out. They were chatting amongst themselves, completely unaware of Yang Ling.

"When do you think the patriarch will come out? We've done so much for him, shouldn't he reward us handsomely?"

"That's right, the patriarch has a lot of good stuff on him, he'll definitely give us some pills and cultivation techniques."

"Just take whatever they give us. When will it be our turn to be picky? Besides, this kind of good thing doesn't happen every day."

"That's right, it's all Yang Ling's fault for being so reckless and offending our family. Our family is powerful, far beyond what Yang Ling can compare to!" They were talking excitedly when Yang Ling's lips twitched. He thought to himself: You're really going to be disappointed. He swaggered up to these people.

"Judging by your excited expressions, you're waiting for Qin Zhen, aren't you?" One of them paused slightly when he saw Yang Ling. Before the others could react, one of them blurted out, "Where did this bastard come from, ruining our mood? When our patriarch comes out, he'll be the first to wipe you out!" When the man looked up, they were all dumbfounded. Yang Ling didn't give them a chance to react, and directly ordered the old man to deal with them. The old man, seeing Yang Ling's matter-of-fact actions, couldn't help but complain, "You brat, do you really treat me like a tool? When did I become someone you can summon and dismiss at will?" Yang Ling ignored him, and after dealing with this rabble, he led everyone out.

The outside was bustling with activity, with many people standing around. They had thought they would find something of value, but the inside was empty, and many items were locked. They searched for a long time but couldn't find any openings.

Worse still, a large number of puppets surged out, terrifying them to the point of death. Yang Ling stood aside, listening to the complaints of those people, while Qin Yixian pretended not to see them.

"That's so unfair! We went in and got nothing, and even lost so much money for nothing. How outrageous is that!"

"That's right. None of you have benefited. Shouldn't you give some compensation to those of us who came from all over the country?"

"That's right, your Yun family has so many good things now, it's not unreasonable to share some with us to compensate for our losses, is it?" Seeing that they hadn't received anything, they made exorbitant demands, clearly very dissatisfied with Qin Yixian's behavior. Before Qin Yixian could even speak, the Yun family disciples couldn't hold back anymore. These people were simply shameless; they were supposed to be disciples of a prominent family, yet they acted like bandits and robbers.

"You are all ridiculous. Did our Yun family hold a knife to your throats and force you to go in, or did you have to die if you didn't go in?"

"You insisted on going in, and we kindly let you in. Now you're trying to smear us. Do you really think the Yun family is easy to bully?"

"Even if our entire Yun family went all out, we couldn't match the eloquence of you gentlemen! That stench can be smelled from a mile away!" The Yun family disciple's words left them speechless; it was a blatant slap in the face. They had hoped to gain some advantage, but the Yun family disciple showed no mercy, utterly humiliating them. One of them looked extremely displeased. (End of Chapter)