Chapter 336: Chapter 335: No Longer What He Once Was, Fair in Rewards and Punishments

"Old Zuo is here?" Qin Feng’s eyes lit up. ’Doesn’t that mean that girl Honglian has arrived too?’

Qin Feng got up and walked toward the mountainside.

Luan Xiaochuan, Zhao Yuan, and Xu Jie quickly followed him.

In the Guest Welcoming Pavilion on the mountainside, Qin Feng saw two familiar, elderly figures.

Zuo Song and Master Hall.

Beside the two masters, Qin Feng saw a few familiar figures: Honglian, and standing by her side like guards, Qin Shou and Qin Gang.

After just two months, Honglian had lost her initial frailty. The young woman now had a fiery figure, her tall frame carrying the gallant air of a blazing rose.

Her red clothes were like fire.

Observing her closely, a smile touched Qin Feng’s lips. In less than two months, the girl had already advanced from the Martial Arts First Realm to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer.

Her pace was staggering.

"Young Master!" Seeing his familiar figure, the young woman’s beautiful eyes lit up. She fluttered over like a red butterfly, and with a rush of fragrance, a tall, lovely, and graceful figure landed in Qin Feng’s arms.

’Her Martial Dao Cultivation has really helped her develop,’ Qin Feng thought. ’Her figure is absolutely stunning.’

Holding the young woman’s slender body, Qin Feng’s heart skipped a beat. ’I haven’t seen her in a few months, and she’s developed so well.’

"Honglian, did you miss your Young Master?" Qin Feng asked, holding her slender waist. He looked down at the girl in his arms, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Mhm," she hummed, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. Her face flushed red as she wrapped her arms around her Young Master’s strong waist. Inhaling his pleasant scent, a soul-stirring, hazy look filled her beautiful eyes.

The young woman felt as if she were in a dream spanning lifetimes. She remembered their dilapidated little courtyard in the Qi Yang Mountain Range.

A single lamp in the twilight, a run-down courtyard exposed to the elements, a master and a servant depending solely on each other to survive.

’The world is so fickle,’ she thought. ’Who could have imagined that the frail Young Master from back then—lying on his deathbed, so weak that a gust of wind could have killed him—would undergo such an earth-shattering transformation?’

’If the Clan Leader knew of the Young Master’s current fortune, he would probably regret it enough to kill himself!’

A rare gentleness appeared in Qin Feng’s dark, cold eyes. Holding the young woman, his mind grew unusually calm.

Perhaps she was the only one who could bring a true change to a heart that had weathered the vicissitudes of life.

Zuo Song and Master Hall watched this scene with broad smiles.

The two old men snickered, acting rather undignified for their age.

Qin Feng shot the two old men an irritated glare.

"Young Master!"

Qin Gang and Qin Shou walked over, their faces weather-beaten and their expressions emotional.

They could hardly contain their emotions.

Thinking of the news they had gathered about their Young Master at All Stars Academy, they couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

’Who could have imagined that in less than half a year, the Illegitimate Son who had been ostracized by the Qin Family in Shanghe Town could have come this far?’

Elder of the Cyan Dragon Academy at All Stars Academy.

An Official Mystic Master of the Mystic Master Guild.

A Fourth Grade Alchemist of the Alchemist Guild.

Chief Alchemist of the Medicine King Hall.

...

Their bodies trembled with excitement. Any single one of those titles was enough to make a family like the Qin Family of Shanghe Town look up to him in awe.

Qin Feng patted the shoulder of the young woman in his arms. Honglian pursed her lips, her pretty face blushing as she hastily scrambled out of her Young Master’s embrace.

Though the young woman was usually poised, she was quite embarrassed now and stood with her back to the group.

Luan Xiaochuan, Xu Jie, and Zhao Yuan had followed them long ago and were watching the scene from outside the pavilion. Their gazes fell upon Honglian, and the three of them exchanged a look.

’It seems this will be the future mistress of Heavenly Red Peak.’

Their expressions turned reverent, and they looked at Honglian with newfound respect.

Qin Feng’s gaze fell upon Qin Shou and Qin Gang. He hadn’t seen them for several months, and they had already broken through to the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven. It seemed they had gained some benefits from following Zuo Song and Master Hall.

"Qin Gang, Qin Shou, you two have done well. Stay here on Heavenly Red Peak for a while. Your Cultivation has fallen behind, but Heavenly Red Peak is rich in Spiritual Qi. Cultivate here and strive to break through to the Condensing Vein Realm as soon as possible!"

"As for Martial Techniques and Skills, Elixirs, and Spirit Wine, I will prioritize your supply. I hope you will focus on your Cultivation so that you can serve me without worry in the future!"

"What? The Young Master is going to help us break through to the Condensing Vein Realm?"

Qin Shou and Qin Gang felt as if they’d been struck by lightning, and the ecstatic joy in their eyes was impossible to hide.

They were utterly shaken. To think that even at the height of its power, the Qin Family of Shanghe Town only had one Condensing Vein Realm expert: the Patriarch.

And now, Qin Feng had just promised to help them reach the Condensing Vein Realm. It was simply unimaginable.

The surprise left them shaken, but it also filled them with a sense of inadequacy.

They were well aware of their own aptitude; it was average at best. Worse, they had consumed many inferior elixirs in their early days, causing Pill Poison to accumulate in their bodies.

By their own estimations, reaching the Peak of Martial Arts Sixth Realm was the absolute limit they could achieve in this lifetime.

Breaking through to the Innate stage of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven would be an unimaginable stroke of luck.

As for the Condensing Vein Realm, that was something they could only dream of.

Glancing at his two followers, a smile touched Qin Feng’s lips. "Don’t worry," he said. "Your aptitude may be average, but I will help you transform it. As long as you have the will to pursue the Dao, breaking through to the Condensing Vein Realm won’t be difficult with my help."

Qin Feng currently possessed several Spiritual Springs. The Seven-Star Dragon Spring, the Spring of Life, and even the Earth Core Stone Spring from the Bishui Cave Mansion all had the effect of Washing Marrow and Peeling Fur.

Furthermore, Qin Feng was a Fourth Grade Alchemist. For him, refining a few elixirs capable of completely remolding a person’s body was a trivial matter.

"Thank you for your patronage, Young Master!" Qin Shou and Qin Gang said, suppressing their delight as they stepped to the side.

Luan Xiaochuan, Zhao Yuan, and Xu Jie exchanged an envious glance.

’Those two must have some incredible ancestral karma to receive such dedicated support from the Peak Master.’

Watching the scene with amazement, Zuo Song clicked his tongue. "Qin Feng, you brat, it looks like you’ve had some fortuitous encounters these past few months. You’re practically rolling in it!"

Zuo Song knew full well that treasures capable of altering one’s aptitude were priceless.

For Qin Feng to use such treasures on two subordinates without batting an eye... this went far beyond simply being rich and overbearing.

"I just made a small fortune, that’s all," Qin Feng said. "Elders, please, come up Heavenly Red Peak. Since this is your first time here, allow me to give you a tour of my peak..."

As he spoke, Qin Feng led the group toward Bishui Cave at the summit.

Zuo Song and Master Hall followed behind him. Along the way, they exchanged a glance, and Zuo Song sent a voice transmission.

"Old friend, you can relax now. Judging by the kid’s attitude, the matter you came here for is practically in the bag."

"Not necessarily. This concerns the Great Dao, and the path to great things is never smooth," Master Hall replied, his voice filled with apprehension.

Having cultivated to his realm, Master Hall had long ago tempered his heart to be as unyielding as refined Vajra. If this didn’t concern the very Dao of life and death, his composure would never have wavered so violently.

"No matter. Worst-case scenario, you just have to swallow your pride and beg him a little. We’ve both established a good rapport with him. I doubt the kid will be hard-hearted enough to refuse you!"