Chapter 81: Qiu Qianhai’s Fate
Several decades ago.
Old Blind Qin was not yet old, nor was he blind. He had a refined and scholarly name—Qin Shu.
That was the year he had just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation, and it was also the year that changed someone else’s destiny.
He still remembered clearly that it was a foggy morning when he, as usual, invited a friend to go out on a boat together.
Moreover, that day they ventured into the deep-water area.
Whether it was good luck or bad luck, he couldn't tell.
The two of them encountered a storm while out on the boat.
In a panic, they swam aimlessly underwater and eventually stumbled into an underwater cave.
It was there that they discovered a corpse.
The corpse emitted a glow in the dim underwater environment, indicating it was something extraordinary.
Besides the corpse, there was also a jade slip nearby.
Before finding such treasures, they were close friends, but upon discovering them, things changed.
Both wanted the treasures.
Unable to decide, they agreed to play rock-paper-scissors.
The winner would choose first between the corpse and the jade slip.
Qin Shu was lucky and won, so he took the jade slip.
His friend got the corpse but was dissatisfied and plotted to kill Qin Shu to have both treasures.
Coincidentally, Qin Shu had the same idea.
After the storm passed, the two fought immediately.
In the end, Qin Shu won but injured his eyes in the process, leaving him with a lifelong ailment.
Later, when Qin Shu examined the jade slip, he found it empty.
In contrast, the corpse was indeed a treasure—indestructible and capable of intimidating demonic beasts.
Even late-stage first-level demonic beasts dared not move when faced with this corpse.
Qin Shu, now known as Old Blind Qin, could guess that the corpse was undoubtedly the remains of a powerful cultivator, but he couldn't harness its full potential.
He could only rely on its residual pressure to subdue demonic beasts, making them easy prey.
The corpse was a valuable item, but it was missing a finger bone.
Old Blind Qin believed that his friend had removed a finger bone before dying and left it in that water area.
He returned to search but found nothing.
After extensive inquiries, he learned that a few days after the storm, someone had gone fishing in that area.
That person was Qiu Qianhai’s grandfather.
At that time, he was also a fifth-level Qi Cultivation fisherman.
Old Blind Qin found him and tried to coerce him into handing over the finger bone.
But no matter what Old Blind Qin said, Qiu Qianhai’s grandfather claimed he had seen no such finger bone.
He had no idea what Old Blind Qin was talking about.
Frustrated, Old Blind Qin returned to the area to search meticulously.
After several days without success, he killed Qiu Qianhai’s grandfather and took his storage bag, but found nothing.
Old Blind Qin thought he had killed the wrong person, but fortunately, no one knew.
Moreover, the incomplete corpse was still useful, so he didn't pursue the matter further.
Years later, Old Blind Qin became truly blind, and the Qin family became the Qin Residence.
By chance, he learned that Qin Long had killed a pair of fishermen, and the man happened to be surnamed Qiu—a mid-stage Qi Cultivator and the son of the man he had killed years ago.
That was not all.
Old Blind Qin didn't pay much attention to it at first, as his remaining lifespan was limited, and he focused solely on the corpse.
He hoped to find a way to build his foundation or extend his life through it.
But he achieved nothing.
Just as he was losing hope, he heard that the grandson of the man he had killed—Qiu Qianhai—had also reached mid-stage Qi Cultivation!
Even Old Blind Qin, despite his blindness, realized something was amiss.
Three generations of a family, each reaching mid-stage Qi Cultivation without any familial support, relying solely on their own efforts.
Could this be explained without some fortuitous encounter?
Therefore, the missing finger bone was almost certainly with Qiu Qianhai!
However, Old Blind Qin was already advanced in age. He considered having his family members act, but unexpectedly, it led to numerous complications.
Logically, if mid-stage Qi Cultivators couldn't handle Qiu Qianhai, they should have sent late-stage Qi Cultivators like Qin Long or He Laosan.
But Old Blind Qin knew that if Qiu Qianhai had other means and both Qin Long and He Laosan perished, what then?
Ultimately, he would have to act himself.
If he had to send people one by one, he might as well handle it all at once.
Old Blind Qin first went to Qingbo Pond and searched diligently for three days without success.
He then returned to the Qin family in Zengtou Market and instructed Qin Long and He Laosan to contact various marketplaces in Yunyu Marshlands, spend more spirit stones, and deploy more manpower, determined to find Qiu Qianhai.
***
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
These three months were extremely peaceful for Ji Yuan.
Apart from cultivation, he had no other matters to attend to.
As he was already in the late stage of Qi Cultivation, there were no safety concerns in Zengtou Market.
On the contrary, he was respected wherever he went.
Even Luo Tong took the initiative to visit him, first offering praise, and then bringing out the magical boat that belonged to Ji Yuan’s father.
Only then did Ji Yuan recall this matter.
After Ji Yuan’s father was killed by Liu Zi, the magical boat fell into Luo Tong’s hands.
Luo Tong had said that Ji Yuan could buy it back once he reached mid-stage Qi Cultivation.
Later, with so many things happening, Ji Yuan had forgotten about it.
Now, Luo Tong returned it voluntarily.
Ji Yuan didn't let Uncle Luo suffer a loss. After confirming the price, he repurchased the magical boat with an equivalent amount of spirit stones.
Although he couldn't use it, it was still a family heirloom, worth keeping as a memento.
During these three months, Yao Jingfeng organized a gathering of four people.
The reason was that news had come from the last meeting: the friction between the Water Dragon Sect and the Joyous Palace had intensified, resulting in several deaths and injuries among Qi Cultivators.
Foundation Establishment cultivators had already gone to the battlefield.
There were no other matters.
Ji Yuan took this opportunity to return the favor to the three of them.
He didn’t give much—just over a tael of Blood Essence to each of them.
Its value was roughly equivalent to the three meeting gifts he had received earlier.
In addition, late-stage Qi Cultivator Du Kang from Zengtou Market and cultivator Hu Fang from Jingde Market came to him, saying they had discovered a late-stage first-tier demonic beast somewhere in Yunyu Marshlands.
They asked if Ji Yuan was interested in joining them to slay it.
Three late-stage Qi Cultivators against one late-stage first-tier demonic beast.
A guaranteed victory—basically just go and wait to divide the spirit stones.
But Ji Yuan still declined politely.
With a Level 2 Fish Pond, Cave Dwelling, Chicken Coop, and Pigsty at his disposal, he had no need to risk his life outside.
Even cultivating at home every day with spirit stones, he could still save some up daily.
In terms of techniques, he had finally mastered the second layer, “Mirror Stacking,” of the Azure Wave Sword Technique, and had begun trying to comprehend the third layer, “Burst Storage,” of the Water Drop Finger.
He estimated that this third layer, “Burst Storage,” might even be stronger than Water Bombs.
Once he fully understood it, coupled with his other techniques, he might even become unrivaled among late-stage Qi Cultivators.
In terms of formations, he had spent spirit stones through Manager Wu to acquire many filthy materials and, sparing no expense, cultivated for three months. He finally raised the two Yin Ghosts to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation.
With their feedback, the power of the Yin Ghost Formation was also gradually increasing.
He believed it wouldn’t be long before it could trap even late-stage Qi Cultivators.
The summer peaches in the front yard had ripened. Ji Yuan picked them as promised and sent them to Wen Ling’er, but she stopped eating after one bite.
Too sour.
The kind of sour that made your teeth ache.
Ji Yuan secretly tasted one himself, then prepared to bury some Spiritual Eggshells under the peach tree to see if next year’s peaches would taste better.
As for the Spiritual Field, Ji Yuan didn’t let it go to waste either. He planted a good amount of spiritual wheat there.
He was determined not to waste even a scrap of resources.
During these same three months, Old Blind Qin received several pieces of information, each claiming to have spotted Qiu Qianhai.
The information pointed to Heishui Market, Huaiyin Market, and Jingde Market. Every time, Old Blind Qin personally went, but either found nothing or got the wrong person.
That day, the Qin family received another tip, claiming Qiu Qianhai had been seen at Qingbo Pond.
He Laosan held the information in hand, unsure whether he should pass it to Old Blind Qin.
In the end, Qin Long made the call. He sighed and said, “Give it to him. Killing Qiu Qianhai is Father’s obsession. As his children, we should follow his wishes.”
As expected, not long after He Laosan delivered the message, Old Blind Qin left alone on a flying boat.
After parting ways with Ji Yuan, Qiu Qianhai had gone straight back to Qingbo Pond.
First, he found a chance to kill Deng Lang, and for safety, he also slaughtered Deng Lang’s good friend, Sun Dazhi.
After the killings, he settled down at Qingbo Pond.
When he ran out of spirit stones, he went mining.
After digging up a few jin, he sold it at the nearby markets, then returned to continue cultivating.
Life was relatively stable, but the more peaceful it was, the more panicked he felt inside.
He often woke up startled from nightmares.
His gut told him—someone was probably still after him.
In that case, he couldn’t stay at Qingbo Pond any longer.
Following Ji Yuan’s previous advice, he also ruled out Heishui Market.
That left switching to a different market.
Qiu Qianhai decided to head to Jingde Market.
Since he was preparing to move, he needed to save up more spirit stones. So he planned to mine with all his might for three days.
After three days, no matter how much Cold Iron Sand he had, he’d leave.
But unexpectedly, after just the first day of mining, he returned to find an extremely old man sitting in his home.
The moment he saw him, Qiu Qianhai knew—there was no escape.
A mid-stage Qi Cultivator facing a peak-stage Qi Cultivator—what could he do?
Run? Run where?!
“To think I, Qiu Qianhai, would force the Qin family’s old patriarch to come personally to kill me… I suppose it’s worth it, even if I die.” Qiu Qianhai said as he slowly stepped back.
He remembered what his father had told him before dying.
That had also been passed down from his grandfather.
The grudge between the Qiu and Qin families.
So the finger bone that could locate Cold Iron Sand—no matter what, it must not fall into the Qin family’s hands.
As Qiu Qianhai took a step back and stepped onto the sandy ground, he discreetly transferred the small finger bone from his storage pouch to under his foot. With a slight press, he embedded it in the ground.
That was as far as he could go.
“If you don’t want to die, that’s still possible.”
Old Blind Qin, sitting on a stone chair, spoke slowly. “As long as you hand over the finger bone, I’ll spare your life.”
Qiu Qianhai thought, “As expected,” but kept a calm face and asked, “What finger bone?”
“So be it. You Qiu family folks are all stubborn to the bone. Words are pointless.”
Old Blind Qin shook his head and stepped forward.
In an instant, he appeared behind Qiu Qianhai.
Before Qiu could react, the old man sent a palm strike forming a water dragon shadow that blasted him into the house.
“Boom—”
Qiu Qianhai, heavily thrown to the ground, tried to get up—only to see a blood-red flying sword floating in front of him.
There was no escape.
Old Blind Qin returned to his original seat.
“Your grandfather died for that finger bone, your father too. Now you’re willing to throw away your life over a bit of fate as well?” His voice held a hint of puzzlement, as if truly confused.
“I… I really don’t know anything about a finger bone…”
Spitting blood, Qiu Qianhai gave a bitter smile, looking completely wronged.
But as soon as he spoke, something drifted before his eyes.
It stunned both him and Old Blind Qin.
Floating before him was—the finger bone!
The bone spun ceaselessly, then with a crisp “snap!”
Like someone had snapped their fingers behind him.
With that sound, Qiu Qianhai suddenly found he couldn’t move.
Immediately afterward, a bright, cheerful voice echoed in his ears, distant and near, laced with an enchanting rhythm.
The voice said:
“A soul brimming with hatred, a master ready to guide him, and a tragic opening straight from a classic—hee, that’s how you craft a peerless genius.”
“Only… the hatred isn’t quite enough, and Cangluo Continent is way too small—”