Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"Huang Ran, what do you think you're doing? Don't you know fighting is forbidden within the sect?"

Su Xueqing stared coldly at Huang Ran.

Huang Ran's expression shifted, and he awkwardly chuckled, "Senior Sister Su, you're joking. I was only planning to spar a little with Junior Brother Lin."

"Sparring should take place on the martial stage. And with your much higher cultivation, do you really need to 'spar' with him?"

Su Xueqing responded lightly.

"Well… haha…"

Huang Ran, at a loss for words, could only force a laugh before his expression darkened.

"Since Senior Sister Su sees through it, I won't beat around the bush. Lin Yi made it so my brother couldn't enter the inner sect. I must settle this score with him!"

"Don't you dare!"

Su Xueqing's eyes flashed with icy determination.

"Hmph, Senior Sister Su, there's no need to threaten me. I address you as 'Senior Sister' out of respect for the Sect Master. But if I take action, I'm not sure you'll be able to stop me."

Huang Ran sneered.

He knew very well that Su Xueqing had only been brought back by the Sect Master two years ago. Though her status was high, her strength was no match for his.

And besides… the Sect Master didn't particularly favor Lin Yi. If Huang Ran were to discipline him, the Sect Master would probably be pleased in secret.

"You!!"

Su Xueqing glared at Huang Ran, her anger flaring, but she couldn't refute his words. He was right.

Moreover, her pride wouldn't allow her to ask her father for help in such matters.

"Senior Sister, I appreciate your kindness, but it's best if you don't get involved in this."

Lin Yi stepped out from behind Su Xueqing, standing tall as he fixed his gaze on Huang Ran, his voice firm, "I want to see what he thinks he can do to me today!"

"How arrogant!"

Huang Ran sneered and, with a flash of movement, charged at Lin Yi like a streak of yellow lightning.

Boom!

Huang Ran's aura surged, like a lion engulfed in flames. Even before reaching Lin Yi, his oppressive energy hit first.

"Mountain Suppressing Fist!"

Lin Yi roared, throwing out both fists in a powerful and grand move, like two dragons rising from the sea.

Bang!

However, the moment their fists collided, Lin Yi felt as if a mountain had crashed into him. His bones shattered instantly, and the overwhelming force sent him flying like a broken kite.

"Five Animals Palm!"

As Lin Yi was thrown into the air, Huang Ran unleashed a palm strike. Five spectral birds emerged and flew toward Lin Yi, tearing through his body.

"Ugh!"

Lin Yi coughed up blood, his internal organs felt as if they were shattered, and he fell to the ground in a miserable heap.

"Junior Brother Lin!"

Su Xueqing's face turned pale as she hurried over to help Lin Yi up.

Lin Yi, pale-faced with blood trickling from his lips, stared at Huang Ran with eyes filled with unwavering determination, despite his injuries.

"Hmph, this was just a lesson. If you dare cross me again, you won't be so lucky next time."

Huang Ran sneered, turning to leave with a smug expression.

But as he turned, he found himself colliding into a figure. His entire body froze, consumed by a sudden sense of dread!

Slowly, he looked up to see a young yet stern face looking down at him.

"Next time, what do you plan to do?"

Qin Chuan's voice was cold.

Huang Ran's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, "I… I…"

"Scram."

Qin Chuan placed a hand on Huang Ran's shoulder and casually flung him backward. Huang Ran's body shot out like a yellow streak of light.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the blink of an eye, Huang Ran crashed through three mountain peaks before embedding himself in the fourth, motionless.

His life and death remained uncertain.

"This…"

Both Lin Yi and Su Xueqing stared in shock at the mountains, where dust and rubble now billowed from the peaks struck at the same height.

"Are you okay?"

Qin Chuan turned toward Lin Yi and asked calmly.

"Thank you, Senior, I'm fine…"

Lin Yi tried to respond, but before he could finish, his vision darkened, and he passed out.

"Junior Brother Lin! Junior Brother Lin!!"

Su Xueqing panicked, looking to Qin Chuan for help. "Senior, please save him!"

"Let me take a look."

Qin Chuan's brow furrowed as a golden light emitted from his forehead, enveloping Lin Yi and revealing the full extent of his injuries.

"His injuries aren't too severe. His organs are damaged, his bones are mostly broken, his meridians are severed, and his dantian has several cracks…"

Qin Chuan explained calmly.

"What?!"

Su Xueqing's body trembled as if struck by lightning, her face draining of color, tears almost welling up.

She and Lin Yi had met outside the sect. Though they hadn't known each other long, he was the only person in years who had managed to touch her heart… and soul.

"I'll take him inside to heal him. You stand guard outside. No one is to enter. If any sect elder comes to investigate, tell them Qin Chuan is inside. If anyone dares to enter, they will be killed on the spot."

Qin Chuan spoke resolutely as he carried Lin Yi inside and shut the door behind them.

"This…"

Su Xueqing was momentarily stunned but eventually followed Qin Chuan's instructions.

Though confused, she couldn't shake the authoritative tone in Qin Chuan's voice, one that brooked no argument.

Moreover, she knew Qin Chuan—she had met him a few days prior and understood he was an immensely powerful figure. If he had ill intentions toward Lin Yi, one thought would suffice.

Not long after, an elder of the Eastern Victory Divine Sect arrived.

The elder retrieved Huang Ran from the mountain and approached the courtyard with anger, eager to find the troublemaker.

However, upon hearing Su Xueqing mention Qin Chuan, the elder immediately softened, chuckled awkwardly, and quietly slinked away as if afraid of being caught.

Inside the room.

Qin Chuan produced a violet pill with eight rings of markings and looked at Lin Yi, smiling, "Lucky kid."

He placed the pill in Lin Yi's mouth.

Surprisingly, Lin Yi didn't swallow it. Qin Chuan had to prop him up and slap him a few times until the pill finally went down.

He then laid Lin Yi back down.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Soon, Lin Yi's body began to emit a violet glow, and he floated several inches above the bed.

The violet light was so intense that it illuminated his body from the inside out, revealing the medicine's power flowing through his meridians, mending bones, aligning organs, and repairing his shattered meridians and dantian...

"Ugh…"

Lin Yi groaned softly as his eyes fluttered open. He found himself floating and glowing with violet light.

Glancing inside his body, he saw his fatal injuries healing at a visible pace. He was left speechless in shock.

"This… this…"

Taking several deep breaths, Lin Yi turned to Qin Chuan, filled with gratitude. "Thank you for saving my life, Senior. I will never forget your great kindness!"

Lin Yi was knowledgeable enough to recognize that Qin Chuan had used an extremely rare and valuable elixir to heal him.

It was likely an eighth-tier pill!

Such a high-level pill was worth a fortune, and even then, they were incredibly rare.

"Haha, as long as you're alright."

Qin Chuan smiled, gazing at Lin Yi with a peculiar, almost distant expression, as if lost in thought.

"Senior… Senior."

Lin Yi called out twice, puzzled by Qin Chuan's dazed expression.

"Oh, haha, sorry. Seeing you just reminded me of someone from my past. It made me lose focus for a moment."

Qin Chuan laughed softly, his expression tinged with awkwardness before he composed himself once more.

"Do I resemble this person from your past?" Lin Yi asked, curious.

"Resemble? No, that's not important. What matters is… the blood you carry."

Qin Chuan shook his head, his voice tinged with a mysterious sorrow and frustration.

"You!"

Lin Yi's body trembled violently. He stared at Qin Chuan, his voice quaking as he asked, "You knew my mother?!"

Instantly, Lin Yi pieced together a "truth."

Given his father's meager cultivation, it was impossible that he knew a senior of such unfathomable strength.

Moreover, the sorrowful, regretful look in Qin Chuan's eyes was undoubtedly related to his mother.

"Heh… did I know her? Oh, it was much more than that."

Qin Chuan let out a deep sigh, his face full of self-mockery.

But before Lin Yi could respond, Qin Chuan's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes filling with violent fury, as if he wanted to tear the world apart.

"Senior, you—"

Lin Yi's face went pale, his body recoiling.

"Do you know… that when I first saw you, my instinct was to tear you apart? To obliterate you!!"

Qin Chuan leaned down, his gaze filled with an indescribable madness that sent chills down Lin Yi's spine. "Because... you're her son, but at the same time, you're also the son of a useless man!"

"She, so radiant and dazzling, ended up with a worthless man! There are so many beautiful things in this world she could have embraced, so many wonders she deserved, yet she chose a failure, a worthless nobody, an ant!!"

His voice was hysterical, full of murderous intent.

It was as if he pitied her misfortune, as if he was enraged at her poor choices, or perhaps... it was a sadness rising from the depths of his heart.

But in that dangerous moment, Lin Yi spoke. He glared at Qin Chuan and roared,

"Don't you dare insult my father!!"

Qin Chuan's frenzied expression suddenly froze, his body trembling as if shocked. The madness in his eyes slowly faded.

He took a deep breath and asked in a calm voice, "Are you telling me I'm wrong? Your father had the best woman in the world, yet he couldn't protect her. Doesn't that make him a failure??"

Lin Yi was silent.

His expression shifted multiple times before he finally raised his head, his gaze resolute as he looked directly into Qin Chuan's eyes.

"I will rescue my mother. But please, do not insult my father. No matter how you look down on him... he is still my father."

Qin Chuan was taken aback for a moment. Then, the fury in his eyes softened, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Yes... no matter how much I despise your father, you are still... your mother's flesh and blood."

As he spoke, he unconsciously reached out and gently patted Lin Yi's head, his voice barely a whisper, as if he were talking to himself, "Why... why aren't you my child…"

Lin Yi's body trembled slightly, as if he had been struck by lightning, but he didn't shy away.

For some reason, a strange feeling stirred within him. It was a mixture of guilt and... something else.

He could feel the sorrow deep within this man, the pain of loving someone he could never have, the bitterness of unfulfilled desires...

At this moment, even without anyone telling him, Lin Yi finally understood who this man was. If he still couldn't figure it out, then he would be a fool.

This man was not only someone from his mother's past but also someone who had deeply loved her.

The love this man held for his mother was no less than what his father had felt, perhaps even deeper and more profound...

This man despised and looked down on his father, yet he adored Lin Yi's mother. That affection even extended to him, an extension of his love for her.

When this man placed his hand on Lin Yi's head, Lin Yi felt that love—a love that wasn't quite paternal, yet in some ways, surpassed it.

"How... should I address you?"

After a long silence, Lin Yi asked quietly, feeling a strange sense of awkwardness.

Qin Chuan smiled bitterly, shaking his head with a hint of helplessness. "My name is Qin Chuan. You can call me... Uncle Qin."

Lin Yi pressed his lips together, then softly called out,

"Uncle Qin."

He understood why this man was filled with such regret, but what's done is done, and there are no second chances in this world...