Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1527 - Qin King Manor, The Strange Qin Relative

Qin Qing laughed at Qing Shui’s words, “I don't know about that. My father's a nice man who never tries to offend anyone.”

“Just because he's nice doesn't mean he’s not strong. When a nice person unleashes his powers, he'll be even more powerful than an evil person like me.” Qing Shui laughed along.

“Why do you speak in such a manner? Careful, my father just might beat you up.”

“I promise I won't retaliate.” Qing Shui chuckled.

“Alright, that's enough. Let us head in!” Qin Qing led the way into Qin King Manor.

“Young Mistress is back.” The guard at the door greeted Qin Qing respectfully. From the looks of it, she must be high in status within the Qin Clan.

“My little sister is back!” Approaching from afar, a handsome and mature-looking man laughed when he saw Qin Qing.

“Big brother, you're at home!” Qin Qing broke out in laughter as well.

Observing from the sidelines, Qing Shui concluded that the relationship between the siblings must be decent. The man was mature and very good looking, He turned to look at Qing Shui, “Aren't you going to introduce your friend?”

“He's Qing Shui. Qing Shui, this is my eldest brother, Qin Chuan!”

“Nice to meet you, Brother Qin!” Since Qing Shui already had his heart set on Qin Qing, calling him Brother Qin wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

“Nice to meet you, Qing Shui. My younger sister’s standards are higher than the sky; this is the first time she has ever brought a man home.” Qin Chuan spoke enthusiastically, and the words divulged a little more information to Qing Shui.

The reason why Qing Shui was special was because he had a unique ability. He could sense certain aspects about a woman. For example, this included her body constitution, whether she was inexperienced, the absolute truth…

He knew that Qin Qing had never dated anyone, and her body was pure. Still, when the words left Qin Chuan, Qing Shui felt a surge of glee, “Hehe, Brother Qin is a remarkable person; you are the most handsome man I've ever met.”

“You're spouting nonsense, Big Brother. I'm going to have a chat with sister-in-law.” With that, she threw an annoyed glance at Qing Shui as well.

“Heh, why don't you stay for lunch? I will go get them. Let's get to know each other.” Qin Chuan laughed awkwardly before leaving.

“There’s truly no good man in the world.” Qin Qing sighed.

From their conversation, Qing Shui figured that Qin Chuan must have other women apart from his wife, of whom he was clueless about. Qin Qing, on the other hand, was well aware of the situation.

“Why don't you eliminate all of them? I'll be the only exception.” Qing Shui could be pretty shameless from time to time, and it was in such a way that he preferred to tease Qin Qing.

“Mr. Qing Shui, in that case, can you tell me how many wives you have now?” Qin Qing smiled at Qing Shui.

“About that… Actually, the goodness of a man can't be measured by the number of women he has, and even if we're going by that measurement, then we should judge him on whether his women love him. Between a man who's loved by one woman, and a man who's loved by a hundred, who do you think is the good guy?” Qing Shui replied seriously.

“What an absurd reasoning. Going by your logic, the more women this man has, the better he is?” Qin Qing was as amused as she was frustrated.

“Of course not. Although if both parties are equally willing, then putting it that way wouldn't be too far-fetched either.”

The two of them walked as they talked, and the hall appeared just ahead of them. From the hall, a young man who's just as good looking came out. Even though Qing Shui had deduced that her family must be as beautiful as she was, he still felt a sensation akin to a severe blow at that sight.

Qing Shui had always thought himself as handsome, and it wasn't like he was ugly either, but in comparison to the men of Qin Clan, he really was inferior. They hadn't relied on appearance alone, too. Both men and women of the Qin Clan placed even more emphasis on their disposition and in being cultured.

Qing Shui wasn't sure if he could be considered cultured or if he had their disposition, but he did remember that he still had Canghai Mingyue, Yehuang Guwu, and other stunning beauties who loved him. It seems like he did still have his own brand of charm after all…

As he was beginning to regain his confidence, the changes to his demeanor did not escape Qin Qing’s eyes. Unknowingly, the corner of her lips tugged into a smile; this young man was really gaining favor in her books.

“Sister, you're back.” The younger man’s gloomy expression was replaced with one of delight when he saw Qin Qing, and he began to walk towards her.

“What happened, Qin Shan? Did you get reprimanded by the old man again?” Qin Qing laughed.

“Hehe, Sis, who's this?” Qin Shan's eyes glinted with mischief when he looked from Qin Qing to Qing Shui.

“You rascal, what kind of expression is that? This is my friend, Qing Shui. He's very proficient in his medical skills.” Qin Qing introduced.

“Sis, to be honest, the two of you look pretty compatible standing together like that.” Qin Shan fled hurriedly after saying that, but continued on as he walked away, “Mr. Qing, nice to meet you! Let's have lunch together this afternoon. Isn't my sister great? You will have to buck up!”

“Nice to meet you too. You're the most handsome man I've ever met!” Qing Shui replied hastily.

Qin Qing was speechless, “Can you at least change your compliments? Who's the most handsome one exactly? That’s two within this short while.”

“Hehe, actually, I'm the most handsome." Qing Shui snickered. He didn't know why the two family members of Qin Qing had been so supportive of his courting her. Could it be that he was just that well-liked?

Qing Shui couldn't decipher it on his own, “Sister Qin, your family’s really in sync.”

“Did it give you the impression that they are having difficulty marrying me off?” Qin Qing had a smile on her face when she looked over at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui shook his head, “How can that be? On the contrary, I think there hasn't been anyone who’s gotten your attention. Your family must be afraid that you'll be alone for the rest of your life.”

Qin Qing was caught off guard by his answer. “Mmh, you figured it out. That was why they thought it unbelievable to see me bringing a man home. Don't you think too much about it though. It's not that I like you. If you want me to marry you, you'll have to have the ability.”

“I'm a man. I definitely have the ability, so don't worry about it.” Qing Shui replied earnestly.

Qin Qing realized that she couldn't get an edge over Qing Shui when they spoke, and there was a strong insinuation on the double meaning behind his words. Her face was tinted red, even though he hadn’t been joking this time around. It infuriated her, and with a huff, she headed into the hall.

Qing Shui snickered again before following her lead.

There weren't many people in the Qin King Manor. Even taking into account the maids who were in charge of tidying up the place, there were still rather few people living within. However, the Qin King Manor was luxurious and covered a vast area, which must mean they had a high standing in the dynasty. With the number of people here being low, it seemed like the people who lived here valued tranquillity.

In addition, the infrastructure of the Qin King Manor had an element of unique elegance within its grandeur, fitting for a family of scholars. There were also quite a number of things that looked simple and unsophisticated.

Walking into the hall, it seemed more like a temple. It was tall and huge; one could feel the spaciousness the moment they walked in. Once they were in the room, they could see a man writing at a desk in the distance.

The hall was empty. There weren't many facilities built in and it looked more like an arena. It was simple on the inside, a stark contrast against its extravagant exterior.

The reason why it looked this extravagant on the outside was because they were at the Qin King Manor, a part of the royal family.

“My girl is back!” The stranger spoke as he lifted his head. The refined man looked a lot stronger than Qin Chuan, but his strength came from the way he held himself.

They always said that men at forty were comparable to wine. The man in front of Qing Shui was the epitome of that, and relative to that metaphor, he was still in the process of aging. With just a glance, he could convince anyone that there was nothing he couldn’t do, that nothing would be too difficult for him.

“Father!” Just like a little girl, Qin Qing rushed forward and hugged the man in exhilaration.

Qing Shui was in disbelief that this strong and confident woman had this side to her as well. His mind wondered how it would feel to be on the receiving end of such treatment…

“We still have a guest. Aren't you afraid of being mocked?” The man smiled.

“I don't even care about that.” Although those were the words Qin Qing said, she still loosened her grip on the man.

“My girl, aren't you going to introduce us?” Setting aside the items in his hand, he followed Qin Qing as they approached Qing Shui.

His eyes weren't clouded; with just one look, he could tell that Qing Shui had immense potential and a unique body composition. He had also felt his own daughter's changes earlier, but he didn't let his expression show.

“He's Qing Shui, a pretty decent physician.” Qin Qing laughed.

“Just that?” The man laughed along.

“Not you too, Father.”

“Haha, I just thought that perhaps my daughter had grown capable of bringing a man home now.” His bouts of laughter were unrestrained.

“Nice to meet you, Qing Shui. I'm Qin Baifo.” With a warm smile, he extended a hand towards Qing Shui.

Qing Shui was slightly overwhelmed, and took his hand in a hurry, “My name is Qing Shui. I'm currently working hard in pursuing Sister Qin, and hope to receive your blessings.”

Qing Shui thought it ridiculous to ask for support in pursuing the man’s own daughter. If it had been the past, Qing Shui would have never spoken these words.

“Ah, this young lad is frank and outstanding. I support you, but don't you dare bully my daughter.” Qin Baifo chuckled.

“I would never. I would much rather bully myself than Sister Qin.” Qing Shui replied sincerely.

“Be mindful or I'll kick you out of this manor if you continue with your nonsense! Father, how could you do this to your own daughter?” Qin Qing huffed. Her expression had a sort of cuteness that couldn’t be properly conveyed in words, unique in its own way.

Qing Shui was mesmerized by it. His dazed expression caused the reddening of Qin Qing’s cheeks, and she was itching to give him a beating for it.

Qing Shui did it on purpose. Catching the man’s writing, he couldn't hide the glint in his eyes, “Oh, you write beautifully!”

“Oh? How beautiful?” Qin Baifo laughed lightly.

“It’s a perfect compromise between strength and delicacy, skilfully precise with an element of natural elegance. There’s gracefulness between the lines with its own brand of understated charm.” Qing Shui said as he described the characters he saw, from the moment he stepped into Qin King Manor to the words he was looking at now.

“Haha, well said! It seems like Qing Shui has extraordinary accomplishments in calligraphy as well. Why don't you give it a try?” Qin Baifo laughed.

“I shouldn't embarrass myself.” Qing Shui said while shaking his head.

“Hmph, you're not going to write after saying that much? Could it be that you're all bark and no bite?” Qin Qing laughed.

Qing Shui got up and walked towards the desk, “Why don't I draw a portrait of Sister Qin!”

Qing Shui had a steady hand and was quick in his drawing. After all, he was at the level of Soul Drawing Realm. He would glance up at Qin Qing from time to time, before dipping the ink onto paper.

When the drawing of Qin Qing took shape, even she was unable to maintain her calm façade. The resemblance between her and the drawing was uncanny. One must understand that Qing Shui’s skills had far surpassed even the photography of his previous life; photographs were lifeless, while his art seemed to come to life with its vividness. This was the power of drawings.

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Note: Dear patreons, we will be slowly transiting advance chapters to in-house during the month of may. The transition is supposed to come fully online at the start of june.