Chapter 67: The Secret of One's Birth

  What is your father's name?

  This question is really hard for Qin Yun to answer, because his grandfather Qin Yang had entrusted him before his death that he must not expose his own identity, lest he invite trouble.

  He wanted to say that his parents had passed away early and he wasn't clear about it himself, but for some reason, he felt that such a lie would absolutely not deceive the unfathomable Qin ancestor in front of him.

  As he hesitated, Lao Zu didn't press him, but instead smiled faintly: "Hand your sword over to me..."

  This time Qin Yun did not hesitate again and immediately took off the Qing Feng sword with both hands.

  As an elder's identity and status, it is absolutely impossible to have any greedy thoughts, but he was even more confused in his heart.

  The old ancestor took it over and looked at it, then reached out and pulled out a long sword.

  Clang!

  The sword hummed with a clear sound, its slender body rippling with dazzling sword light like a pool of autumn water, and the sharp air pressed in on people.

  The old ancestor tapped his finger on the sword lightly and sighed, saying: "Twenty years have passed, I didn't expect to see this Qinghua Sword again."

  What?!

  Qin Yun was shocked at once.

  The old ancestor smiled, but in the smile, there was a hint of sadness and bitterness: "You don't need to be surprised. Actually, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the child of Yuanfeng and Mingyue."

  "This Qinghua sword was personally forged by me back then, using three catties of cloud mother's fine gold. It was meant as a gift for Yuanfeng, but unfortunately..."

  "Grandfather, you and my father..."

  Qin Yun was shocked and almost speechless. He had never imagined that his father, whom he had never met, would have a connection with Lao Zu.

  "Yuanfeng is my youngest disciple, he was born in a collateral branch, but his talent and temperament are outstanding, among his peers there is no one more excellent than him!" The old ancestor said slowly: "But due to the family's rules, I can only secretly accept him as a disciple, hoping that he can revive the Qin family's collateral branch."

  "But heaven didn't follow human wishes, your father met your mother, perhaps this was an inevitable calamity in his life, and coincidentally I was in seclusion at that time, by the time I came out everything was too late."

  The white-haired old man's eyes flashed with sorrow and a hint of regret: "After the event, I sent someone to collect your father's remains and had people search everywhere, but unfortunately, we couldn't find any trace of you. All we knew was that your mother was under house arrest in the palace."

  "Old ancestor, then you know where my father is buried now?" Qin Yun asked with red eyes.

  "He was buried in the Qin family tomb, don't go to pay your respects now, because you still need to keep your identity hidden." The old ancestor said: "Wait until the day when you can rescue your mother and then openly bring back your father's remains to the ancestral hall!"

  "Although I am a veteran of the Qin family, many things are also beyond my control. You will understand later."

  Qin Yun detected a hint of helplessness in his voice, and although he still had many doubts in his heart, he didn't want to go against Old Ancestor's intentions.

  The ancestral tomb is a cemetery where ordinary members of the Qin family are buried, while only important family members have the qualifications to be buried in the ancestral hall, and the meanings they represent are vastly different.

  Even Lao Zu couldn't bury Qin Yun's father's remains in the ancestral temple, there must be a reason for this.

  "Old ancestor, then when can I rescue my mother?"

  This problem had been lingering in Qin Yun's mind for a long time.

  "The Great Yan imperial family has many powerful experts, and there are even more who are stronger than me. Even within the Forbidden Palace, there are strong cultivators sitting in meditation!" The Old Ancestor warned: "If you want to rescue your mother, you must at least reach the Realm of Transformation, achieve the Thunder Sound Sword Qi or refine your sword into silk, otherwise going in would be a futile death!"

  "I understand!" Qin Yun nodded vigorously: "I will definitely work hard!"

  No matter how many difficulties and dangers there are, he must complete Qin Yang's last wish and rescue his own suffering mother!

  Lao Zu asked him again about what happened before he came to the Qin family, and Qin Yun recounted it in detail.

  Of course, he still concealed the secret of the Qian Kun Supplementing Heaven Stone.

  After listening, Lao Zu sighed: "Your grandfather Qin Yang's original name should be called Han Fang. He was an old servant who had always followed your father and was rarely so loyal. What a pity..."

  Looking at the resolute young man in front of him, Lao Zu's gaze softened: "Filial piety is the first of all virtues. I'm delighted to see that you have the thought and determination to save your mother and fulfill your filial duties. With your talent, that day won't be too far away."

  He stretched out his hand and took out an old-fashioned wooden box from under the table.

  Open the lid, revealing a book with yellowed leather cover inside.

  "This volume of Xuan Gong secret book was written by me twenty years ago, recording the cultivation method of the first three layers of Jiu Yang Xuan Gong. After mastering it, you can break through the pre-heavenly boundary!"

  Qin Yun's spirit was suddenly lifted, his strength had made a breakthrough that could be described as astonishing, breaking through the fifth heaven and reaching a bottleneck, wanting to continue advancing with the fierce heart method was already beyond his power.

  This Xuan-level heart method is absolutely suitable.

  "He couldn't help but ask: 'Old Ancestor, you recognized me, so that's why you wanted to give this Nine Yang Mystical Technique as a reward, right?'"

  "Of course," Lao Zu chuckled. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have secretly passed on the mysterious art to you, disregarding the family's rules."

  "This scroll of secret skills you should carefully comprehend and memorize, then destroy it afterwards. Remember, under no circumstances can it fall into the hands of others."

  He handed the sword case and Qinglian Sword to Qin Yun at the same time: "This sword has a fate with you, the spiritual sword embryo is already formed. As long as you nourish it day and night with true energy, it will surely break out of its shell and become a spirit. It will be very helpful to your future."

  "My lifespan is almost up. Three days later, I will re-enter seclusion to impact the boundary. This time, the seclusion will last at least three years, and it's possible that I may never be able to break through again. So from now on, you can only rely on yourself for your journey."

  After a warrior refines his breath, his lifespan will increase. Advancing to the Pre-Heavenly Boundary can extend one's life by twenty or thirty years. Upon reaching the Realm of Transformation, each advancement in heavenly ranks can add ten years to one's lifespan.

  But even for those who pursue immortality and cultivate to the realm of unity with heaven and man, they can't live more than five cycles.

  The elegant and refined are often ruined by the rain and wind, no matter how heroic you are for a lifetime, in the end, you can't escape being reduced to a cup of yellow earth!

  "Today your sharpness is too strong, if you continue to stay in the Qin family, I'm afraid that one day you will expose your identity."

  "This October, the Tian Cheng Sword Sect will reopen its mountain gate. I have some connection with Qing Yunzi of Tian Cheng, and you can use the letter of introduction I give you to join his sect!"

  I'll join the Tiancheng Sword Sect!

  Qin Yun's heart was racing with excitement, this was the only way he could fulfill his wish.

  Qin Yun originally thought he would have to struggle in the Qin family for a few years before having any chance, but unexpectedly, his ancestor paved the way for him, and this favor is absolutely enormous.

  He immediately put down the Qinghua sword and the secret book, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times: "Thank you, Grandfather, for your help!"

  "Don't be too happy too soon..."

  The old ancestor stretched out his hand and gently lifted Qin Yun: "You can only become an outer door disciple at most, and it's inevitable that you'll have to suffer a bit. The sect has many talented disciples emerging one after another, whether or not you can learn the Supreme Sword Dao depends on your own efforts."

  Although it was so, Qin Yun's joy in his heart did not decrease by half.

  He never expected to rise to fame overnight, and being able to join the Tiancheng Sword Sect was already extremely fortunate.

  As long as he has the opportunity to learn the Supreme Sword Dao, he is willing to endure any hardship!

  "One more thing, three days later is the birthday of an old friend of mine from Fang's family, you go on my behalf to celebrate his longevity, the congratulatory letter, gift and that letter of recommendation are all in the wooden box."

  "Yes sir!" Qin Yun bowed again.

  "Alright, you can go!" The old ancestor waved his sleeve and said in a deep voice: "Remember what I told you today, don't mention it to anyone."

  "Remember! The path of martial arts and swordsmanship, proceed with a sincere heart!"

  Qin Yun's heart was severely shaken, and he had a faint feeling that he might never see this kind and strict old ancestor again after this!

  With a mix of reverence, excitement and melancholy, Qin Yun left Lingyun Pavilion.

  He probably wouldn't have thought that he would set foot here again after a very, very long time in the future.

  In the attic, Old Ancestor remained silent for a long time, until the tea in his cup had gone cold, before he let out a soft sigh.

  ……

  The night fell quietly, and the first day of Qin's family new promotion assessment came to an end.

  This day's new disciples' trial undoubtedly had many topics to talk about, such as the old ancestor and six hall masters coming in person to watch, such as the opening Qin Suifeng and Qin Chongyang's wonderful competition, and several martial arts hall disciples emerging from the crowd and becoming famous overnight.

  But what people talked about most was still the life-and-death duel between Qin Yun and Qin Jun.

  No one would have expected that Qin Yun, who was initially completely underestimated, would burst out with astonishing combat power and defeat his opponent, a five-year veteran, as a newcomer of only half a year.

  This battle was indeed thrilling, with a process full of twists and turns that exceeded everyone's expectations, and the final outcome was unpredictable.

  Qin Jun's humiliating defeat became the object of many people's scorn, and those who had bet on him couldn't wait to see him crushed to ashes. On the other hand, it made many young masters who had set up gambling dens and bet on Qin Yun winning burst out laughing.

  Qin Yun gained the favor of Lao Zu due to this battle's victory, and was bestowed with the Nine Yang Mystical Technique, which also attracted countless envy and jealousy.

  He was a sensation in the Qin clan and Moyang Dao, becoming the focus of attention for many people, and wherever he went, there were people pointing and talking.

  This made Qin Yun quite annoyed, because he didn't like it.

  Some people were delighted, while others were disappointed. There was a rumor that Qin Wenbing, the second son of the direct descendant of the third house, flew into a rage after Qin Jun's death in battle and smashed a thousand pieces of ancient porcelain at home, and severely beat several servants who made small mistakes, making everyone in the third house feel insecure.

  There are also rumors that the master of Xing Tang, Qin Lie Hai, who is also Qin Wen Biao's father, lost 20 pieces of top-grade spirit jade and may look for trouble with Qin Yun and Wai Shi Tang because of this.

  But no matter how much rumors are circulating outside, it can't affect Qin Yun.

  After returning from Lingyun Pavilion, he invited Qin Mingzhu, Fang Yi and others to gather at Longqing Wine House.

  As for the matter of Lao Zu summoning him, Qin Yun only briefly mentioned it and finally brought up the Fang family's birthday banquet three days later.

  Fang Wei listened and then said with a flash in her eyes: "Qin Yun, I'll go with you."

  Qin Yun suddenly remembered that she was indeed a member of the Fang clan.