Chapter 211: Yin Jinhua (Part 1)
The Yin Family. When someone mentions them, it is impossible to avoid a complex expression. Being an ancient family, their reputation has long been established in the Dynasty.
Of course, the reputation of these folks was not crystal clear. It would be more accurate to say that it was quite ambiguous. In general, most people would not want to interact with their family for too long.
As the name suggests, the Yin family is matriarchal. Almost all members of the family are descendants with a pronounced Yin attribute. They are all talented cultivators and are considered geniuses across the board.
Xie Qing’s interest was piqued by them for one reason – their past. Yin and Yang have always been opposing energies, but who said they cannot be united?
And indeed, in their history, there was a time when they practiced Dual Cultivation. But now, this tradition is no more due to conflicts with the Yang family.
However, Xie Qing had a valuable Dual Cultivation technique in his possession. In everyday life, he could not use it because Xu Mei was too strong, and his mother and Yu Yang’s cultivation levels were significantly lower than his, so it was of little use.
And to increase his cultivation level, Xie Qing decided to find suitable women for this task – those with a pronounced Yin attribute.
And who would be more suitable for this role than a member of the Yin family? Correct, no one.
“Please forgive the long wait, esteemed one. I am Yin Jinhua, the head of the Yin family. It is a pleasure to meet you,” said Yin Jinhua with a rather polite tone, nodding and sitting down in a chair, then introducing her daughter, “And this young lady is my daughter, Yin Yu Chen. Yu Chen, greet the sir.”
“I greet you, esteemed one.”
Yin Yu Chen bowed, but there was no trace of politeness in her eyes, despite the sweet and flattering words. Xie Qing did not object and nodded.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ge Hong,” Xie Qing said with a polite smile under his mask.
“Ge Hong…? Please do not take offense, but this name seems somewhat… familiar. Could you reveal your identity?” Yin Jinhua asked curiously, narrowing her eyes behind her veil. She truly felt that she had heard of this name somewhere, but nothing came to mind.
“Oh? My humble name must have reached your lovely ears, Lady Yin. You might have heard of the alchemist who works with Commerce ‘Silver Moon’,” Xie Qing replied calmly, sipping wine – thanks to the functions of his mask.
“This…!”
Yin Jinhua did not need much time to put two and two together, and she immediately recalled the rumors that had reached her. At the time, she did not pay much attention because they had plenty of alchemy masters.
“So it is you, Master Alchemist! Please forgive Yin Jinhua for her rudeness!” Yin Jinhua apologized, clasping her hands in front of her and slightly bowing her head.
“Lady Yin is too polite. My identity is not that important, if we are to compare,” Xie Qing laughed, speaking casually, and then changed the subject: “Although it is pleasant to converse with you, the head of the Yin family must have much work to do. Therefore, I would like to be bold and ask – why did you request a meeting with me?”
“Master, please call me simply Yin Jinhua!” the woman said, speaking with flattery, and then continued: “Actually, you are right. I am sure you also have much work to do. Therefore, I will ask a question… where did you obtain our family’s relic?”
“Hm? So that is why…”
Xie Qing nodded understandingly. Of course, he had expected this outcome, as his initial intention was to attract the attention of the Yin family. He smiled.
“It is quite a long and boring story. Does Lady Yin still want to hear it?” he said, swirling the wine in his glass.
“From your lips, any story will sound divine, master,” Yin Jinhua replied with slight impatience.
“Very well…”
The young man smirked and did not delay. He simply told the fabricated story, repeating it fully and not omitting any details.
By the end of the story, the Yin family was in deep shock, so much so that they could not even speak.
Xian Jue observed the expressions of the two women with a faint smile, in which one could see disdain. It seemed she found the state of Yin Jinhua and Yin Yu Chen rather pitiful.
“This woman is so arrogant. She had exactly the same reaction when I first told this fabricated story…” Xie Qing rolled his eyes.
However, to his great surprise, Yin Jinhua did not shout.
“Please keep this a secret. If you do, my Yin family will not remain indebted to you!” Yin Jinhua said seriously, slightly releasing her aura as if threatening them.
“Lady Yin, do not be hasty. We were merely discussing a fun tale composed by some bard,” Xie Qing said with a smile, leaning back in his chair: “And a tale is something made up, which certainly does not exist. Correct? Or am I mistaken?”
“N-no, of course not… Master is very wise!”
Yin Jinhua withdrew her aura and politely nodded, hearing Xie Qing’s words. Although she very much wanted to get rid of the extra witnesses… Xian Jue was sitting next to the man.
“If it weren’t for her… this woman is stronger than me,” Yin Jinhua gritted her teeth, feeling bitterness: “This guy clearly won’t leave our Yin family alone. I cannot allow this story to be heard by the outside world. Otherwise, there will be trouble! I cannot back down!”
In fact… the records of the relationship between the two ancestors of the Yin and Yang families had been discovered long ago by Yin Jinhua. As the most talented head of the family in the past few hundred years, she had access to a higher-level inheritance.
And there were ancient letters preserved by a special formation. And in these letters, one could see a love confession from the ancestor of the Yin family.
Moreover, the pendant that Yin Jinhua snatched from the Yang family was made within the Yin family. This is indicated by a special forging technique.
“However, only I know about this! Even that bastard Yan Jin can only guess!” Yin Jinhua frowned.
Xie Qing said nothing, merely observing with curiosity. Yin Yu Chen frowned, realizing they had dug their own grave.
“Master Ge Hong… you understand that spreading this story… would not be the best decision?” Yin Jinhua finally said calmly, regaining her composure.
“Oh? What are you implying, Lady Yin?” Xie Qing said with a smile. He seemed not at all worried.
“Let’s not beat around the bush… I need you to take the Heavenly Oath not to spread this story!” Yin Jinhua said in the same calm voice, but with a hint of coldness.
“Heh.”
The young man was not surprised. From all the stories he had heard about the Yin family, he had formed the impression that they were a rather strict and conservative family. They literally lick any small wounds and do not allow dirt to settle on their reputation.
Sometimes their methods can be cruel. And more often than not, threats come into play.
“Lady Yin, my personal advice – do not bite off more than you can chew. Your threats sound quite amusing to me, understand?” Xie Qing said with a laugh, not pretending to be weak: “Your cultivation level is certainly not bad, but do you consider yourself invincible?”
“What do you mean?” Yin Jinhua asked, increasing the pressure of her aura.
Yin Yu Chen, her daughter, also followed her mother’s lead and released her aura.
For some, this pressure could be fatal and lead to death, but Xie Qing only felt a slight cold breeze. The furniture in the room began to frost over, and the only reason it did not freeze was Yin Jinhua’s self-control.
“There is no hidden meaning in my words. I just want to remind you that reckless actions like this… are not particularly appreciated by me,” the young man replied and released his aura in response.
“Kh! C-cultivator… Soul Integration!” Yin Yu Chen exclaimed.
She fell to her knees, unable to withstand the pressure. Even Yin Jinhua was affected, feeling a slight pain in her head.
“You…”
The head of the Yin family was shocked. This seemingly weak man was actually at the same cultivation level as her! Even Xian Jue looked surprised.
The young man chuckled, seeing their shock.
“Oh, did you think I was foolish to come here without protection? Everyone knows the vengeful reputation of the Yin family. Therefore, when I accepted your request, I was already prepared for such amusing situations,” Xie Qing replied, looking disdainful: “Now, let’s return to the method of dialogue and stop using force. In this case, you will lose miserably.”
What could Yin Jinhua do? Nothing. Against her were two opponents who surpassed her in strength.
So she plopped down on the sofa and asked wearily, “What are your demands?”
