Chapter 353: Explanation

At this moment, the old man also noticed Qin Sang, who was also in the Foundation Establishment stage, and looked over warily. Qin Sang ignored the warning in the old man's gaze, stepped forward, removed his cloak, and said, "Daoist Han, do you still remember me?"

"Careful, Family Head!" The old man, who had been guarding against Qin Sang, immediately leaped to block the Han Family Head when he noticed Qin Sang's movement.

So, he had become the Han Family Head. Qin Sang stopped and observed the Han Family Head. As the saying goes, 'environment shapes character and status refines one's bearing.' Compared to his initial youthfulness, the Han Family Head now exuded a certain gravitas befitting a person of high status.

He vividly remembered that back then, his cultivation level wasn't high, and he almost perished with a demonic cultivator. Now, he was the head of a clan. Qin Sang, on the other hand, had cultivated with the help of the Yama Pennant, skipped the Foundation Establishment step with the Dragon Ginseng, and consumed a thousand-year-old spiritual herb to reach his current cultivation. This person's talent must be considerable.

"General Qin!" The Han Family Head clearly remembered Qin Sang, and a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face. He quickly reached out to stop the old man. "Elder Liu, please calm down! General Qin saved my life!"

The Han Family Head stepped past Elder Liu and hurried forward, his face full of pleasant surprise. "General Qin, is it really you? When did you return to Youshan Market City? Why have you been out of contact all these years..." Mid-sentence, the Han Family Head's expression suddenly froze. He finally realized something was amiss: not only had Qin Sang's appearance changed little, but his cultivation level was also comparable to his own! At the same time, he also saw the Shaohua Mountain token Qin Sang had produced.

"Shaohua Mountain? Qin... Daoist Qin, are you now a disciple of Shaohua Mountain?" The Han Family Head's voice was filled with shock, but his brows slowly furrowed. Qin Sang nodded. "It was my good fortune to obtain a Shaohua Mountain sword intent decree. Through a series of coincidences, I became a disciple of Shaohua Mountain. This time, I happened to be passing by Youshan Market City and came in to revisit old memories. I didn't expect to encounter Daoist Han."

The Han Family Head's brow was deeply furrowed. He had vaguely guessed something and muttered, "Daoist Qin, your spiritual root..." Qin Sang's cultivation was clearly visible before him, undeniably in the Foundation Establishment stage. However, he remembered very clearly that back when the Immortal Crane delivered the imperial seal to the Great Sui and the Holy Emperor was canonized, Zhen Ming had gone on his behalf to test Qin Sang's talent, and the reported conclusion was clearly that Qin Sang had no spiritual root! Because of this, Qin Sang had been single-mindedly devoted to cultivation, pleaded earnestly, and faced many twists and turns. "If he truly had no spiritual root, how could he have been accepted into Shaohua Mountain and possess such a high cultivation level? Unless..."

Qin Sang hummed, looking into the Han Family Head's eyes, and said calmly, "I do possess a spiritual root, though my talent isn't ideal. Back then... perhaps Daoist Zhen was negligent and failed to detect it."

"Impossible!" The Han Family Head stated flatly. "For a cultivator to make such a simple mistake as detecting a spiritual root, it means they've wasted their cultivation!"

The Han Family Head's face was filled with murderous intent, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes. Even with his composure, he was barely able to suppress the burning rage in his chest. One was shame towards Qin Sang, the other was fury at being deceived. The Han Family Head turned to the old man and said, "Elder Liu, you are in charge of the remaining matters. If there aren't enough people, mobilize clan elders in my name as the Family Head. I must return to Han Family Fortress immediately." The old man was confused and didn't understand why, but seeing his Family Head's furious expression, he dared not say more and unhesitatingly obeyed. "As the Family Head commands."

Then, the Han Family Head took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed his anger, and looked at Qin Sang with profound apologies, saying earnestly, "Daoist Qin, it was my fault back then! I never imagined he would dare to be so audacious... If Daoist Qin has time, would you be willing to return to the Han family with me? I will certainly give Daoist Qin an explanation!"

Qin Sang had been observing the Han Family Head's expression. Seeing that he didn't appear to be feigning, he thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. Qin Sang was also curious why Zhen Ming would harm him, as they had no prior grievances. However, his feelings towards Zhen Ming were complex. He had nearly had his path to immortality cut short by Zhen Ming, and should have been furious. But Qin Sang reflected on his experiences over the years and had to admit that if not for Zhen Ming, he wouldn't be where he was today.

Because Zhen Ming had definitively stated he had no cultivation talent, he was forced to travel north to Youshan Market City and eventually joined Shaohua Mountain. Though he endured countless hardships and dangers, often on the brink of death, it had led to his current cultivation and several exotic treasures. If he had joined the Han family back then, he would only have been an outer disciple. Without the Dragon Ginseng or Foundation Establishment Elixir, given his talent, he would likely have remained stuck at the tenth level of Qi Refining even in his sixties or seventies. He would then have faced reality, given up on immortality, married and had children, and died of old age in Han Family Fortress, living an ordinary life. At most, he would have lived a few decades longer than a mortal. It would be impossible for him to be like he was now, with a future of limitless possibilities. One could only say that fate played tricks on people.

The group left Youshan Market City. The Han Family Head gave a few more instructions to his subordinates, then conjured a flying boat and invited Qin Sang aboard. They then sped off directly towards the southwest. It was only on the flying boat that they had a chance to catch up.

"When Daoist Qin rescued me back then, that demonic cultivator and I were both severely injured and exhausted. Not only was I critically wounded and my spiritual energy depleted, but all my elixirs were also used up. It was only thanks to those few Water Dew Pills that I barely clung to life and managed to return to my family, where I sought help from the elders. I spent eight years in seclusion to fully recover. The canonization of the Great Sui Holy Emperor happened precisely during a critical phase of my recovery. Had I known, I would have risked a relapse of my injuries and gone down the mountain myself. I would never have entrusted it to that scoundrel, Zhen Ming!" The Han Family Head lamented, his face filled with bitter regret.

Qin Sang knew that the Han Family Head's words were true. Although he was inexperienced back then, he could tell that the Han Family Head's injuries were extremely severe. He was probably just enduring, afraid that mortals would notice something amiss and harbor ill intentions. "Daoist Han, Daoist Zhen Ming and I were complete strangers. Back then, I was always cautious in my words and actions and never offended him. He shouldn't have had a reason to harm me," Qin Sang said, implying something.

The Han Family Head's expression darkened. After a long period of thought, he slowly shook his head and said, "To be honest, Daoist Qin, although there is competition within Han Family Fortress, our family values are generally good. Everything is decided by strength, and there aren't many schemes or tricks. Moreover, Zhen Ming and his closest relatives could not, and would not, go against my lineage. This person has always understood the rules and never acted out of line. That's why I felt comfortable entrusting him with receiving Brother Qin. I never imagined he would dare to act so audaciously behind my back." Hearing this, Qin Sang nodded slightly. He thought it made sense; Zhen Ming targeting him wouldn't affect the competition for the Family Head position. In the cultivation world, strength ultimately reigned supreme. Since there were no family feuds involved, it seemed very likely that Zhen Ming had acted on a sudden impulse. Qin Sang couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He had always been careful and cautious, so how exactly had he offended Zhen Ming?