Volume 10, Chapter 658 – Time to Tell the Truth, Sect Master Qin

“Stolen?”

When Qin Quan heard this, his old face instantly turned ashen, darker than a corpse. He knew that if this was true, then that Golden Fate Blossom seed was stolen property.

“Now you understand, don’t you? That Golden Fate Blossom seed is stolen goods. The contract you signed is naturally invalid. Hand it over immediately.”

The pale-faced middle-aged man demanded aggressively.

Qin Quan’s aged face showed a troubled expression, and he could only cast a pleading glance at Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“Can I ask for some details? How exactly did he steal it? And what’s his relationship with you?”

Qi Huang asked after a brief pause for thought.

“No comment!”

The pale-faced middle-aged man coldly refused without the slightest concession.

“Heh, and you expect us to take your word for it? You say it’s stolen property, and we’re just supposed to believe you?”

Qi Huang’s tone sharpened immediately.

“That’s right, you guessed it. I said it’s stolen, so it’s stolen. Even the Heavenly Kings themselves couldn’t change that.”

The pale-faced middle-aged man replied with arrogance.

“Is that so? If even the Heavenly Kings can’t change it, perhaps I can.”

Qi Huang challenged him.

“I thought you said you were going to look for more Golden Fate Blossom seeds. Why bother arguing with him over this?”

Cheng Hongling’s doubtful voice came through a mental transmission.

“Ah? Sorry, I got carried away pretending for a moment!”

Qi Huang suddenly came back to his senses.

“What an arrogant little girl! With just early-stage Divine Realm cultivation, do you really think you’re that strong? Today, this old man will show you what it means to be a frog at the bottom of a well!”

The pale-faced middle-aged man finally lost his patience and slowly drew his treasured sword.

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“Wait, wait! If you say it’s stolen property, then fine, it’s stolen property!”

Qi Huang immediately changed her tune, then turned to Qin Quan and said, “Sect Master Qin, you heard him, didn’t you? That Golden Fate Blossom seed is stolen property. Hurry up and return it to him.”

“Ah, at least you know when to bow to the situation.”

The pale-faced middle-aged man smirked with contempt, sheathing his sword again.

“Uh…”

Qin Quan spread his hands helplessly, forcing a smile uglier than a cry. He thought bitterly to himself, ‘My lady, wasn’t that thing eaten by your main body? Where exactly am I supposed to get it from now?’

“That Golden Fate Blossom seed was eaten by me! If you want the seed, there isn’t one. If you want a life, you can take mine instead.”

At that moment, Shen Yuan, unable to hold back her temper, stepped forward.

“It wasn’t her who ate it, it was me!”

Yun Fei quickly interjected, unwilling to fall behind.

“You? You ate it? Do you even carry the scent of the Golden Fate Blossom on you as strongly as I do?”

Su Qingying brazenly lied without blinking, her naturally cold temperament making it difficult for her to overcome her discomfort. Still, she forced herself to cling closely to Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang despite her embarrassment.

“Report! Mine’s the strongest!”

Miao Xiang timidly raised her small hand. She wasn’t lying; because of her harmless appearance, she often got more chances to get close to Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“What are you all arguing for? Could any of you even touch that Golden Fate Blossom seed? It was in my grandfather’s hands! So, obviously, I’m the one who ate it.”

Ruan Lingyu retorted logically and firmly.

The surroundings fell silent instantly, everyone completely baffled by the chaos.

“Sect Master Qin, did they really eat the Golden Fate Blossom seed?”

The pale-faced middle-aged man’s expression twisted with rage.

“I ate it. Your cultivation is strong; you should be able to sense who carries the strongest Golden Fate Blossom aura, right?”

Cheng Hongling said flatly.

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The pale-faced middle-aged man’s eyes darted rapidly before he sighed and said, “Ah, I’m getting old… I really can’t tell who’s telling the truth. Seems I’ll have to take all of you back for investigation.”

“Yes! That’s perfect! What an excellent decision!”

Ruan Lingyu and the other four senior sisters cheered happily, as if celebrating the New Year. To them, even if they couldn’t replace their little junior sister, being able to go along with her was still a good outcome.

“You want to take them away? Then I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here forever.”

Cheng Hongling’s cold voice made everyone instinctively take three steps back.

“You insolent brat, you—”

The pale-faced middle-aged man started drawing his sword again.

“Don’t! Don’t fight! I’m scared of you, alright? Take them along with you.”

Qi Huang quickly “conceded” again.

Cheng Hongling frowned deeply, wanting to speak but stopping herself halfway.

“Can’t you at least let me finish drawing my sword before you give in? This… this is unbearable, you know?”

The pale-faced middle-aged man trembled as he put the sword back into its sheath once more.

“My apologies for that!”

Qi Huang apologized promptly.

“Forget it. Seeing as you know your place, this immortal elder won’t bother fussing. You all come along with us.”

The pale-faced middle-aged man said magnanimously.

“Fine, but you’ll have to give us a little time to prepare our belongings, won’t you?”

Qi Huang frowned slightly. Not only did she need to prepare luggage, but she also had to “settle accounts” with Qin Quan.

“Alright, you get half an hour. But don’t even think about running away. Otherwise, after today, the entire Honghua Sect will vanish from the cultivation world.”

The pale-faced middle-aged man threatened.

Qi Huang simply smiled faintly and led the way back to the sect.

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“What’s wrong with you? Why bring them along?”

Cheng Hongling found an opening to scold Qi Huang’s doppelgänger angrily.

“Do you think I don’t have the strength to protect them?”

Qi Huang retorted. With her eighth-layer Heavenly Tribulation Realm cultivation, she was practically invincible in the cultivation world. Protecting a few senior sisters was hardly difficult.

“This isn’t about strength. Why drag them into my affairs?”

Cheng Hongling argued.

“But they don’t see it that way. Look how happy they are.”

Qi Huang gestured toward the cheerful group of senior sisters.

Cheng Hongling turned her head and saw that they were indeed brimming with excitement, practically dancing with joy.

“They’ve been burdened by guilt over the Golden Fate Blossom seed for so many years. If you don’t untie this knot in their hearts, even if this matter ends, they’ll regret it for the rest of their lives.”

Qi Huang reminded her solemnly.

Cheng Hongling froze, then fell silent.

Qi Huang then turned to confront Qin Quan directly: “Sect Master Qin, isn’t it time to tell the truth now? The Golden Fate Blossom seed was clearly rented by you, so why did you claim someone else had left it with you?”

Everyone’s eyes immediately turned hostile as they glared at Qin Quan. The old man had lied and deceived them all.

“I… I’m sorry, everyone. I did lie.”

Qin Quan admitted honestly, then began to explain slowly: “You all know that people from Huangtian County have always been discriminated against in the cultivation world because of our height. Even our Honghua Sect has suffered because of it! So when I became sect master, I’ve been searching for a solution. The only way was to obtain a Golden Fate Blossom seed.”

Qin Quan first explained his intentions before sighing: “You all know that for ordinary cultivators, the only way to get a Golden Fate Blossom seed is by participating in the Evergreen Conference. But with Honghua Sect’s strength back then, getting even one seed was nothing but a fool’s dream. So I had to think of alternatives, like buying one.”

“But there was another problem. Huangtian County has hundreds of thousands of people. With thousands of babies born every year, I couldn’t possibly afford to buy that many Golden Fate Blossom seeds.”

Hearing this, Qi Huang’s hostility toward him softened slightly. Although Qin Quan lied, at least his intentions weren’t malicious.

“Then, by chance, I heard a rumor that a certain genius in the Central Continent had managed to successfully plant a Golden Fate Blossom seed after the Evergreen Conference. That gave me hope!”

Qin Quan’s eyes lit up with renewed determination.

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“That’s impossible. The Golden Fate Blossom seeds rewarded by the Immortal Alliance are always boiled. They wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.”

Qi Huang immediately questioned him.

“Yes, I thought so too. But when people are desperate, they cling to unrealistic hopes. So, I gathered a large sum of money and traveled to the Central Continent, hoping to buy a Golden Fate Blossom seed. If I could successfully cultivate one, it would solve Huangtian County’s problems once and for all.”

Qin Quan’s gaze burned hotter with every word.

“And then?”

Xu Mei pressed him for more.

“Then, I did find someone in the Central Continent selling Golden Fate Blossom seeds. That man was Pi Lao. Who would have guessed he was so greedy? He refused to sell, only rented them out, and the price was outrageous. The rent was ten thousand taels of silver per month. For the sake of Huangtian County, I gritted my teeth and rented it for twenty years straight. I figured, if the seed wasn’t boiled, we’d have enough time to succeed.”

Qin Quan spoke through clenched teeth.

“Twenty years?! That’s over two million taels of silver! My heavens!”

Someone nearby exclaimed in shock.

“Unfortunately, the heavens are cruel. After four or five years of nurturing, I still couldn’t make it sprout. In the end, I had to store it with Elder Ruan. You all know the rest.”

Qin Quan said helplessly.

“So that’s how it was!”

The crowd nodded one after another. This explanation sounded far more reasonable than his earlier lies.

“Sect Master, I don’t understand. If you had so much silver, why didn’t you rent more Golden Fate Blossom seeds? Even for shorter terms, it would’ve been better than putting all your hopes on one seed.”

Xu Mei questioned.

“I wanted to, but he said he only had the one.”

Qin Quan explained.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Since you rented it, why claim someone else left it in your care?”

Qi Huang, unwilling to be fooled, pressed him further after a moment of thought.