"I... I was just joking. I was joking with my niece, Qin Ya. Don’t take it the wrong way, Qin, please don’t..."

Facing Elder Qin’s sharp gaze, Dong Jingshan’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

Although he was also one of the Celestial Spirit Realm Elders, Elder Qin was, after all, the true founder and master of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. In this regard, he was inherently a step below.

Moreover, while it was true that Elder Qin’s strength was at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm, he was also a Spirit Level Alchemist.

Across the entire Great Xia nation, and even the entire Northern Domain, Alchemists were extremely rare and precious compared to the vast number of Martial Artists.

In Great Xia, there were even specific regulations dedicated to the protection of Alchemists.

The entire reason the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower had become the number one trading company in Lianshan County, the reason it was qualified to work with the super-guilds of the Imperial City, all came down to the prestige of Elder Qin as a Spirit Level Alchemist.

Regardless of their personal strength, a Spirit Level Alchemist possessed a status absolutely comparable to that of a typical King Realm Expert—and in places where Alchemists were in short supply, their status was even higher!

One only had to look at the Ye Family, also in Lianshan County City, to see this. Ye Tianyao’s status within the Ye Family was in no way inferior to that of their King Realm Clan Leader.

It could be said that all the wealth, prestige, and grand enterprises the four of them now possessed had been granted to them by Elder Qin.

Otherwise, with their strength at the Celestial Spirit Realm, the most they could have hoped for was to establish a second-rate family or become guest elders for another clan.

It was a far cry from their current situation, where they not only had their own families but could also leverage the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower’s reputation to get whatever they wanted in the County City.

So, the moment Elder Qin reappeared, fully recovered and radiating power, the four Celestial Spirit Realm Elders instantly deflated.

Under Elder Qin’s cold, severe gaze, each of them, though deeply unwilling, helplessly lowered their heads in submission.

"Grandpa!"

Seeing her grandfather restored to health, Qin Ya felt a sting in her nose and rushed into his arms, beginning to sob softly.

"Don’t cry, Ya. Grandpa’s here now. No one will ever think of bullying you again..."

Elder Qin patted her shoulder, comforting her in a low voice.

At that moment, Dong Jingshan and the other three, their heads still bowed, exchanged glances. Finally, all four fixed their gazes on Chu Qingyun and gave a cold, sinister nod.

"Ahem, Qin, there’s actually a reason the four of us came to see our niece Qin Ya today. You might not know this, but while you were... ill, she took it upon herself to find a fiancé—this fellow named Chu Qingyun. We were simply worried she was being deceived."

Dong Qianshan stepped forward again, directing the blame toward Chu Qingyun. It was a ploy to divert the disaster, aiming to shift Elder Qin’s attention from the four of them onto Chu Qingyun.

They were all well aware of how much Elder Qin doted on Qin Ya. If they could just convince him that Chu Qingyun was a swindler who was deceiving her, the four of them could escape his wrath.

Chu Qingyun, however, just rolled his eyes, speechless. ’Some people just have a death wish.’

He had personally pulled Elder Qin back from the Ghost Gate. For them to try a stunt like this... what was it if not courting death?

"Oh? Ya is being deceived?"

A peculiar look entered Elder Qin’s eyes.

"Yes, yes, exactly, Qin! As far as I know, this Chu Qingyun is just some poor kid from one of the lesser cities. A moment ago, he was even putting on an act, claiming he wanted to discuss some business with our niece Qin Ya. If that’s not a swindler, what is? What business could he possibly have that would be worthy of a personal discussion with her?"

After speaking, Dong Jingshan shot Chu Qingyun a smug glance.

Cold sneers also appeared on the faces of the other three elders.

They knew Chu Qingyun and Qin Ya likely had a good relationship, but so what? The key to the situation was Elder Qin.

As long as Elder Qin believed Chu Qingyun was the type of person to deliberately approach Qin Ya with ulterior motives, their scheme would succeed. They might even be able to play the part of concerned elders, claiming it was only a deceived and ungrateful Qin Ya who refused their help.

However, just as the four of them were gloating internally, Elder Qin’s expression suddenly turned fierce.

"The four of you are... spouting utter nonsense!"

"Young Master Chu is the one who saved my life, and you dare call him a swindler? It seems to me you’re the ones with ulterior motives!"

"If I still looked old and on the verge of death, would you be pressuring Ya right in front of my face? Do you think I didn’t hear what you said before!?"

Elder Qin unleashed a tirade, thoroughly raking the four of them over the coals.

Yet, they could only bow their heads and listen, not daring to utter a single word of protest.

But when they heard that Elder Qin’s recovery of Primordial Qi was thanks to Chu Qingyun, they all involuntarily fixed their gazes on him. ’So, this brat was behind it all...’

After the verbal lashing, much of Elder Qin’s anger had subsided.

However, his gaze suddenly grew deep and serious. "The four of you, listen to me and listen well. This is the last time. If you dare to target Ya or Young Master Chu again, then... don’t blame me for disregarding our past history."

He spoke these words in a perfectly calm tone.

Yet Dong Qianshan and the other three elders heard the chilling undertone within them.

The previous scolding, which had seemed like a Gale and Torrential Rain, was merely Elder Qin venting his anger. He hadn’t been truly serious.

These words, however, despite their calm delivery, were a final warning—a clear declaration of his bottom line.

If they dared to cross Elder Qin’s line again, the result would be a total, ugly separation—a fight to the bitter end.

In response, Dong Jingshan and the other three all nodded, their expressions grim.

The two sides had, without completely severing ties, reached an accord.

Having dealt with Dong Jingshan and the others, Elder Qin suddenly grew curious about the business they mentioned between Chu Qingyun and Qin Ya, so he asked about it.

Qin Ya, who had calmed down from her earlier emotional state, stood beside her grandfather. She glanced at Chu Qingyun, then at Dong Jingshan, unsure if she should speak.

Chu Qingyun, however, wasn’t bothered. He directly explained that he had been looking for Qin Ya to arrange a wager with her.

Hearing this, Dong Jingshan was utterly astonished.

He had only issued that life-and-death challenge on a whim while in a fit of anger, acting on a subordinate’s suggestion. He never actually expected Chu Qingyun to go through with it.

In fact, they were all prepared to immediately change their story the moment the Great Xia Dragon Guards came knocking. They would clarify that the whole thing was a misunderstanding; they would have been satisfied with just tarnishing Chu Qingyun’s reputation a little.

But now, from the look of things, Chu Qingyun was actually planning to go!

And he was planning to win!