Chapter 230: Helping Fist
Cui Mansion, southwest side, the courtyard where Qin Ziling lives, the east wing.
Qin Ziling took the hot towel handed over by Shao E, wiped his face and asked, "Are the old lady and the others awake?"
"Everyone is up and waiting for the young master to have breakfast together." Shao E replied.
"Why are you waiting for me to have breakfast? Didn't I tell you last night that everything is up to you. I don't have a fixed schedule." Qin Ziling frowned slightly and handed the towel to Shao E.
"The old lady also said so, but the old man and the others disagreed and said they must wait for you." Shao E placed the towel on the face plate and went to get a blue coat for Qin Ziling to put on.
In the cave of Xisheng Mountain, Qin Ziling was somewhat accustomed to Xia Yan's service, so when he saw Shao E taking the coat and helping him put it on, he hesitated for a moment and then let her do it.
Shao E's movements were very gentle, and she was beautiful with a good figure. Although Qin Ziling did not have any improper thoughts about her, he still enjoyed the feeling of having such a gentle woman serving him.
"Oh, I've fallen!" Qin Ziling quickly noticed the change in his mentality and couldn't help but sigh secretly.
"Good morning, Master Qin!"
As soon as Qin Ziling stepped into the main hall, where they had their meals, he saw more than a dozen people, big and small, men and women, bowing and greeting him, with awe in their eyes. Only his grandfather and his mother, Cui, did not move from their seats.
"Good morning, uncle, aunt! Good morning, cousins! Let's all sit down and have dinner together." Qin Ziling hurriedly returned the greeting upon seeing this.
But no one sat down.
"Zi Ling, you're here. Please sit next to grandpa." At this time, Cui Baihan waved to Qin Zi Ling.
Qin Ziling strode forward, greeted Cui Baihan and Cui Shi first, and then sat down next to Cui Baihan.
"Everyone, please sit down." When Cui Baihan saw Qin Ziling sitting down, he waved to his children and grandchildren.
Everyone then took their seats.
"Grandpa, we are all family, there is no need to be so formal." Qin Ziling said somewhat unnaturally when he saw this.
"Etiquette cannot be abolished! Now that grandpa is gone, these useless children and grandchildren will be entrusted to you. You will be their head of the family! Their master!" Cui Bohan said with a serious face.
"Grandpa, don't say such unlucky things so early in the morning. You are only sixty-four years old this year. It's just that something went wrong in your practice, coupled with the hardship you have been living in recent years, that's why you got sick. I have a lot of good health-preserving things on hand. As long as grandpa takes some every day and takes good care of himself, he will definitely be able to..." Qin Ziling said hurriedly.
"No need! Ever since your grandmother passed away, I've been living like a zombie. Now that I can see that evil woman getting punished, and that you're so successful, and Kuncheng and the others have someone they can trust, I'm already very relieved.
The only thing I'm worried about now is that the evil woman's father and the Hou family will definitely not let it go and will come to seek revenge. As long as I can see you and your great grandfather handle this matter, I will feel at ease to reunite with your grandmother and the others. They have been lonely underground for too long. " Cui Bohan interrupted Qin Ziling before he finished speaking.
Cui Bohan's other two concubines could not bear the humiliation and died one after another in the past few years.
Qin Ziling moved his lips, wanting to persuade her, but found that he had no idea where to start.
If a person's heart is already dead in this world, what's the point of forcing him to survive?
"Grandpa, don't worry. As long as I'm around , I will never treat my uncle and his family unfairly." Qin Ziling suppressed the sadness that was welling up in his heart and said seriously.
"Okay, okay! I feel relieved after hearing your words. But you don't have to praise them too much. I don't think they can become successful. It will be enough if you can give them food to eat in the future so that they don't have to wander the streets and get bullied." Cui Bohan said with tears in his eyes.
"My uncle, aunt, and my aunt are already past the age of training, so there is basically no hope for them. My cousins are still teenagers, and even if their talents and physiques are a little lacking, with my current family background, I can always train a few martial artists among them, and it will be easy for them to have the ability to protect and support themselves in the future. As for whether they can go further, that depends on themselves." Qin Ziling told the truth.
"That's good enough, that's good enough! If the Wen family and the Hou family were not still seeking revenge, with what you said, grandpa could leave with a smile on his face." Cui Baihan said excitedly.
Cui Kuncheng and others were extremely excited when they heard this, with tears welling up in their eyes.
The life they had lived outside the city these years was even worse than Cui Yun's. Cui Yun at least had maids and servants to serve her, and was considered the wife of a wealthy family. They were driven out of the city and had been working on the fields for these years.
Cui Kuncheng originally inherited Cui Bohan's handsome looks, but now his skin is rough and dark. He doesn't have the temperament of a child from a wealthy family at all. He is just a simple farmer.
Now that Qin Ziling said he wanted to train a few martial artists among their children, how could they not be extremely excited?
"Dad, please stop saying these unlucky things. Let's eat. The children must be starving!" Cui Yun said, secretly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Okay, let's eat." Cui Bohan nodded with a smile.
Not long after the whole family had finished their meal, Cui Baiming and Cui Shanhe, grandparents and grandchildren, came together.
"Wen Chuansen and his wife and Cui Kunhu have already rushed to the county town from Taihuang Mountain!" Cui Baiming said in a deep voice.
"Are we going to fight?" Qin Ziling asked, gently turning the teacup in his hand.
"Not so fast. The Cui family, the Hou family and the Biyun Sect are the three top forces in Qinghe County. They are too involved. If they really want to fight, they must build momentum first and test the attitudes of the other major forces. They also need to find help to support them.
This is to prevent one side from bullying the minority with its large numbers, or refusing to admit defeat, or becoming angry and ignoring the agreement. Therefore, this matter will take at least seven or eight days. " Cui Baiming replied.
"My great grandfather and cousin came to see me early in the morning. I thought the war was about to start!" Qin Ziling laughed when he heard it.
"Zi Ling, are you really sure?" Cui Baiming couldn't help but ask worriedly when he saw Qin Zi Ling looked relaxed, without any tension before the battle.
"I said I'm sure, do you believe it, great grandpa?" Qin Ziling asked instead of answering.
Cui Baiming was stunned by the question, then said: "How about you and Shanhe have a fight?"
"At this point, no matter what the result of the competition is, the arrow is on the string and has to be shot. It will affect our state of mind, so there is no need to do anything unnecessary." Qin Ziling waved his hand.
"No wonder you have such skills and abilities at such a young age. With your mentality, I am not as good as you." Cui Baiming said with a slight emotion.
Qin Ziling smiled.
My strength is there, so how can I not have a strong mentality?
Of course, Qin Ziling definitely couldn't say this.
"Since you are not going to compete with me, you don't have to worry about other things. Leave it to me and grandpa." Cui Shanhe took over the conversation and said.
"I'm just an unknown guy, and I have no idea about other things, so you can decide. But my grandmother's reputation and grave relocation must be done in a grand manner, so I'd like to trouble my great grandfather and cousin to help." Qin Ziling said.
"Of course." Cui Baiming and Cui Shanhe replied with a serious face.
Next, Qin Ziling ordered Shao E to invite Cui Bohan and his mother Cui Yun to discuss the matter of rehabilitating his grandmother's name and relocating her grave.
Back then, Su Bingqian was demoted to a concubine. Not only did she die of depression, but her grave was not allowed to be buried in the Cui family cemetery after her death.
This matter must be done while Cui Bohan is still alive, to put his worries to rest.
…
In a blink of an eye, seven days passed.
During these seven days, many bars and teahouses in Qinghe County were talking about Cui Bohan divorcing his wife, clearing her name, and burying her with great fanfare. There was also the matter of the Cui family arranging a battle with Elder Wen of the Biyun Sect and the Hou family to settle their grudges in one go.
The Cui family has been low-key for many years, but suddenly they became so high-profile, which caused a big sensation.
Some people gave a thumbs up to Cui Baiming and his grandson, believing that they were not afraid of the strong and dared to stand up for Cui Baihan to challenge the two major forces of the Hou family and Elder Wen of the Biyun Sect.
Many more people believe that the Cui family overestimated their own capabilities, acted on impulse, and was willing to take any possible measures. After this battle, they will probably be completely ruined.
After all, the strength of both sides is there. The Hou family now has two great martial artists in the late stage of bone refining, and nine great martial artists in the early and middle stages of bone refining. Elder Wen Chuansen of the Biyun Sect is a great Qi refining master in the late stage of Zhenyuan. Although his wife Hou Hanxue is far less famous than Wen Chuansen, she is actually also an elder of the Biyun Sect and a great Qi refining master in the middle stage of Zhenyuan.
When Hou Hanxue joined the Biyun Sect, she was considered a leader among the younger generation. Wen Chuansen was not as good as her at that time, but he surpassed her later and became a great Qi-refining master in the late Zhenyuan stage.
They both have some powerful disciples.
In addition to so many powerful people in these two families, Cui Kunhu has now clearly made it clear that he wants justice for his mother. In this way, the Hou and Wen families have one more great Qi-refining master in the middle stage of the True Yuan.
As for the Cui family, since Cui Baiming's eldest son and second son passed away one after another, Cui Baiming is the only great martial artist in the late stage of bone refining. There are only six great martial artists in the early and middle stages of bone refining, and the strength at the top level varies greatly.
And this time the fight is exactly at the top level!
As for Qin Ziling who appeared from the Cui family, no one outside was talking about him.
Firstly, Qin Ziling didn't want to be high-profile, so the Cui family could only handle it in a low-key manner and try their best to help block the news.
Secondly, Qin Ziling, an unknown young man, not only beat Wen Hongfeng into a fool, but also destroyed her cultivation. This was a huge shame and humiliation that the Hou and Wen families were too embarrassed to talk about. What's more, Wen Chuansen was planning to bully the weak and personally suppress Qin Ziling, a junior. If this news were to get out, it would be a shame for both the Hou and Wen families.
Therefore, both the Hou family and the Wen family intentionally or unintentionally blocked the news about Qin Ziling.
As a result, Qin Ziling, the most crucial person behind this incident, was dramatically not mentioned by anyone.
…
Cui Mansion, hall.
The heroes gathered.
The people from the Cui family, including Qin Ziling, sat in a row on the left, and the people who were invited to help or to support them sat in a row on the right.
On the Cui family's side, sitting at the top was Cui Baiming, followed by the family head Cui Shanhe, then Qin Ziling and two clan elders who were in the middle stage of Bone Refining and were over 70 years old.
Opposite, sitting at the top seat was the Golden Sword Sect's supreme elder Jian Bailou. Sitting below Jian Bailou was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick back, a majestic figure, thick eyebrows and hair, and who looked to be around forty years old.
Although this big man is only in his forties, his cultivation has reached the late stage of Bone Refining, and his aura is extremely powerful. Just sitting there gives people a feeling of being a towering mountain, unshakable.
Sitting below this big man was Xiao Qing, the governor of Fangshuo Prefecture. Below Xiao Qing was a middle-aged man with a goatee, a delicate face, and a refined temperament. This man was at the middle stage of the Bone Refining Realm.
The four people on the right who were helping out all focused their eyes on Qin Ziling.
Jian Bailou and Xiao Qing's looks were subtle.
Jian Bailou didn't know that Qin Ziling was there before he came. He and Cui Baiming had fought side by side when they were young, and the situations of the two families were similar, so it was natural for the two families to join forces to fight in the dragon vein last time.
This time, Cui Baiming went to Jinjian Mountain in person to invite him to help support the Cui family. At that time, he even played the victim, saying that the other party was powerful and he was worried that they would bully others and cheat, so they needed him, a master of swordsmanship, to support them. Jian Bailou didn't care about his face and agreed to come.
As a result, Jian Bailou never expected that his disciple Qin Ziling was also in the Cui family camp.
Jian Bailou felt very strange when he thought about how Qin Ziling killed three underworld messengers in a row that night, especially when he killed the second one as if it was as easy as chopping vegetables.
With Qin Ziling around, Cui Baiming has nothing to worry about. He should be worried about the Wen family and the Hou family!
Xiao Qing knew that Qin Ziling was involved in this matter.
Because Cui Shanhe mentioned Qin Ziling when he invited her, Xiao Qing came without saying a word.
Just looking at Qin Ziling's attitude as if he was not familiar with him, and thinking of his methods, Xiao Qing wanted to laugh and began to mourn for the Wen and Hou families early.
He must be looking for death to challenge her big brother to a fight!
The big man and the elegant man were simply surprised that Qin Ziling was so young and yet he was sitting above the two elders of the Cui family!
"Zi Ling, you are a newcomer. Let me introduce you." Cui Baiming said at the right time, "This is Jian Bailou, the Grand Elder of the Golden Sword Sect . If he had not been injured in the sneak attack by the Demon Sect twenty-one years ago, he would have been a master by now. Brother Jian, this is Qin Ziling, the grandson of my brother Bai Han. The cause of this incident is also related to him. He is the real main force in this fight."
"It turns out to be Senior Jian. I have heard of your great name for a long time!" Qin Ziling quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Jian Bailou.
"It turns out to be Mr. Qin. The young are really formidable!" Jian Bailou looked at Qin Ziling bowing all the way and pretending to be serious. The corner of his mouth twitched and he quickly stroked his beard and said.
"This is Guo Weijie, the chief disciple of Sect Master Zhen of Feixing Sect. He was a close friend of your late uncle." Cui Baiming then introduced the big man sitting at the bottom of Jianbai Tower.
When Qin Ziling heard that the big man in front of him was actually the eldest disciple of Donnie Yen, one of the three great martial arts masters of Xiyun Province, he did not dare to neglect him and quickly bowed to him.
"This is Xiao Qing, the prefect of Fangliao County. The Xiao family has some relationship with my Cui family." Cui Baiming continued to introduce.
Because there are outsiders present, Qin Ziling and Xiao Qing’s relationship must not be exposed.
"I've heard of County Magistrate Xiao's name for a long time. Now that I see him, I realize that he is indeed a handsome man!" Qin Ziling bowed.
Seeing that Qin Ziling's legs were obviously weak when he saw the beautiful woman, Guo Weijie couldn't help but frown slightly, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Qing naturally pretended to return the gift, but secretly gave him a blank look.
"This is Master Ma Zhangbing, the academician of Xiyun Prefecture. He was a colleague and friend of your late second uncle in the prefecture capital."
"Thank you, Lord Ma, for accepting the invitation!" Qin Ziling bowed.
"Nephew Qin, you are too polite. Your second uncle and I were as close as brothers back then. If the Cui family has any business, please come forward." Ma Zhangbing replied.
After introducing both parties and exchanging greetings, everyone sat down again.
"For this competition, both sides have agreed to fight five rounds. Shanhe, Ziling, and I will definitely fight, and the rest will depend on the battle situation. If the battle situation is not favorable to our side, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble County Magistrate Xiao to fight on behalf of my Cui family. Although my two cousins are in the middle stage of Bone Refining, the foundation they laid back then was average. Now they are old, and their fighting power is definitely not as good as County Magistrate Xiao." Cui Shanhe bowed to Xiao Qing.
"It is my duty as a junior!" Xiao Qing said with a serious face and bowed his hands, but he curled his lips in disapproval in his heart.
With my big brother here, he can sweep the place by himself, why would he need me to take action?
Seeing Xiao Qing agreed without hesitation, Jian Bailou looked at Xiao Qing and Qin Ziling thoughtfully, while Guo Weijie and Ma Zhangbing both showed a hint of surprise, and their eyes towards Cui Baiming suddenly became a little different.
People outside say that the Cui family has fallen, but they are still very powerful.
Cui Shanhe is already a mid-stage bone refining great martial artist, with a solid foundation and in his prime, and his strength is comparable to that of an ordinary late-stage bone refining great martial artist. Although Qin Ziling's strength is unknown, judging from Cui Baiming's serious attitude, his strength is probably not inferior to Cui Shanhe, and the key is that he is young!
Now looking at Xiao Qing's attitude, she is following the Cui family's lead. In this way, the Cui family will have Fangliao County as its rear base.
On the surface, the Cui family has little chance of winning this battle, but if the Cui family really wins, with so many up-and-coming talents, I'm afraid the Cui family will be able to take advantage of the situation!
Next, Cui Baiming said some polite words, and around the end of the Si hour, everyone set off for the Dong family's martial arts training ground outside the East City.
The middleman who presided over this fight was none other than Dong Batian, the head of the Dong family, one of the four major families in Qinghe County and also the prefect of Qinghe County.
The Dong family's martial arts training ground outside the East City covers an area of 100 acres and is surrounded by blue brick and stone walls.
When everyone arrived, the outside was already heavily guarded and no one was allowed to approach.
Dong Batian lives up to his name, with a tall and strong build, a full beard, and looks extremely powerful and domineering.
As a middleman who upholds justice, Dong Batian also invited the head of the Han family in Qinghe County, as well as several other leaders of relatively large forces to watch the battle and serve as witnesses.
When these people saw Cui Baiming and his group coming, they all stood up and bowed to greet them.
Only the people from the Hou family and the Wen family remained motionless.
