76: Chapter 76 Han Yan's Melancholy

At noon the next day, sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the office floor.

Han Yan had just finished her morning vocal training and was sitting on the sofa resting with Qin Shiyu, holding a cup of ice-cold lemonade, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the side of the cup, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

Watching her distracted appearance, Qin Shiyu gently set down her teacup, her tone gentle yet carrying a hint of inquiry:

"Han Yan, your talent is truly beyond reproach; you learn every technique I teach on the first try, so why have you been so distracted today? You even messed up the most basic breath control twice."

Hearing Qin Shiyu's question, Han Yan snapped back to reality, her fingertips trembling, causing a few drops of water to spill from the cup.

Whenever she thought of the words Chen Hao had left her with yesterday, "I will not give up," she felt a wave of irritation and unease, terrified that he might run to the milk tea shop to harass her again today.

However, she didn't want to trouble Qin Shiyu with her personal affairs, so she could only force a faint smile and mumble, "It's, it's nothing, just a bit tired from my part-time job yesterday and didn't rest well."

"Really?" Qin Shiyu raised an eyebrow, her gaze clear and sharp, seeing through her pretense at a glance.

Feeling guilty under Qin Shiyu's gaze, Han Yan lowered her head and had to bite the bullet and say, "Really, Teacher Qin, I'll be fine after a rest."

Just then, the office door was gently pushed open, and two figures walked in one after the other. Walking in front was Lin Wanqing, wearing a white spaghetti-strap mini skirt that revealed her slender, fair legs, her features delicate and lively, and she was carrying two shopping bags printed with designer logos.

Following behind her was Qin Yi, dressed in a simple black short-sleeved shirt that outlined his smooth, lean muscle lines, his posture upright, with a hint of nonchalant laziness in his eyes.

Because Qin Shiyu had to instruct Han Yan in the morning, the two of them had nothing to do, so Lin Wanqing had dragged Qin Yi to explore a newly opened shopping mall, only returning at lunchtime.

As soon as they entered, Lin Wanqing saw the distressed Han Yan on the sofa and the helpless-looking Qin Shiyu, so she immediately leaned over curiously, blinking her large eyes as she asked:

"Sister Shiyu, Han Yan, what's wrong with you two? Why do you both look so miserable?"

"It's all because of Han Yan," Qin Shiyu sighed, pointing at Han Yan, "She was absent-minded throughout the entire training session today. When I asked her what was on her mind, she insisted it was because she was tired."

"Teacher Qin, I'm really fine..." Han Yan defended herself softly, her cheeks turning slightly red.

Qin Shiyu didn't speak, just gave Lin Wanqing a look that said, "See for yourself."

Qin Yi leaned against the side of the sofa, his gaze sweeping calmly over Han Yan.

Seeing Han Yan's anxious state, he understood immediately: judging by this state, she had either encountered the returning Asura or was being pestered by that so-called Venerable Red Sun.

He couldn't be bothered to watch them beat around the bush, so with a slight movement of his fingertips, a faint wisp of Nascent Soul Stage spiritual sense silently brushed across Han Yan's mind, causing her no harm, but temporarily lowering her psychological defenses.

In the next second, Han Yan's eyes glazed over slightly, and she spoke involuntarily, recounting everything: how Chen Hao had come to the milk tea shop to hit on her yesterday, how he had privately investigated why she didn't attend military training, and how he had pestered her and made threats after being rejected.

As her voice fell, the atmosphere in the office went quiet for a moment.

"That's too much!" Lin Wanqing was the first to bristle, her cheeks puffed up with anger, "She made it so clear she didn't like him, yet he investigated her and still pestered her! This isn't pursuing her; it's clearly hooliganism!"

Qin Shiyu also frowned tightly, her face full of worry, "So you spent all last night worrying that he would come to find you again today, didn't you? Silly girl, how could you keep this to yourself?"

Han Yan came to her senses and realized she had blurted everything out. She felt embarrassed, lowered her head, and said softly, "It was just a small matter; I didn't want to affect you all because of this..."

"How can this be a small matter!" Lin Wanqing waved her hand domineeringly, pulled out her phone, and prepared to dial, "Dare to bully our people? This young lady will make one call to the principal and have him pack his bags and get out of Haishi University immediately! Let's see how he can pester you then!"

"Wait, Wanqing." Qin Yi finally spoke, his voice low and magnetic, carrying an unquestionable power.

Lin Wanqing stopped her action and looked at him in confusion, "What's wrong, husband?"

Qin Yi walked over to the sofa and sat down, his gaze falling on Han Yan, his tone calm but with a certainty that suggested he saw through everything, "I know why he is pestering you so persistently."

As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of Qin Shiyu, Lin Wanqing, and Han Yan all turned towards him in unison.

"Huh?" Lin Wanqing blinked, her face full of confusion, "Isn't he just a lecherous creep? Does he have some other motive?"

Han Yan also raised her head, looking at Qin Yi in bewilderment. She had always thought Chen Hao was interested in her looks; after all, ever since she was young, there had been no shortage of boys hitting on her because of her appearance, but no one had ever been as paranoid and difficult to shake off as Chen Hao.

Qin Yi sat down and spoke calmly, revealing the truth, "Because your constitution is the Nine Yin Mysterious Meridians, which is rare in a thousand years, and that Chen Hao is not an ordinary university student; he is a martial arts expert at the late Grandmaster Realm."

"What?!"

Three exclamations rang out simultaneously.

The three of them all widened their eyes, faces full of disbelief, their expressions all different.

Lin Wanqing and Qin Shiyu had delved into ancient martial arts since childhood and knew well the immense difficulty of martial arts cultivation.

For ordinary prodigies to step into the Grandmaster Realm, even with day and night of arduous practice and endless opportunities, they would still need to struggle until they were over forty. Even the heirs and holy sons of those top ancient martial arts families and holy lands in the ancient martial arts world had never produced a Grandmaster under the age of thirty. (Except for people from the Qin Family.)

An eighteen-year-old at the late Grandmaster Realm—such heaven-defying talent could not be found anywhere in the entire Chinese martial arts world, besides Qin Yi. Just thinking about it felt shocking.

Han Yan, however, had never been exposed to ancient martial arts cultivation and didn't know the difficulty of it; she only knew that a Grandmaster was very strong and definitely not someone ordinary people like them could provoke. At this moment, she felt only pure panic and shock.

She was just an ordinary female university student, yet she was being pestered by a powerful martial arts Grandmaster. What the other party was after wasn't her appearance, but the Nine Yin Mysterious Meridians within her body, which she hadn't even known about. A sense of inexplicable fear instantly enveloped her.

Lin Wanqing came to her senses, covering her small mouth with her hand, her face full of amazement as she couldn't help but say, "My god, in my life, besides my husband, this is the first time I've seen someone with such terrifying talent. To become a Grandmaster at eighteen, and at the late Grandmaster Realm at that—it's truly terrifying. In the ancient martial arts world, this is simply a monster among monsters!"

Qin Shiyu's expression became slightly grave. As a member of the Qin Family, she knew the rules of the ancient martial arts world well and understood where top geniuses belonged. She immediately looked at Qin Yi and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Yi, Chen Hao has such cultivation at a young age. Could such a peerless genius have already been recruited by those above?"

Qin Yi's expression was calm and indifferent; he didn't put Chen Hao in his eyes at all. He replied softly, "Rest assured, he hasn't, and his cultivation wasn't gained through his own practice at all."

As soon as this was said, Lin Wanqing became interested. She quickly leaned forward and asked curiously, "Not gained through his own practice? Then how did he get his Grandmaster cultivation?"

"It was through power transmission—others forcibly instilled cultivation into him," Qin Yi slowly revealed the truth.

Qin Yi had specifically gone to watch the freshman military training yesterday. As everyone knew, university military training was the perfect occasion for a Child of Destiny to show off their prowess, but he hadn't seen anyone displaying great power at the time.

However, he was still puzzled; could it be that the Child of Destiny hadn't appeared yet? But suddenly, he sensed a fluctuation of cultivation power.

Qin Yi used his spiritual sense to investigate the source of that aura, and then he discovered the origin of it in the dormitory of the head instructor in charge of the military training—it was indeed Chen Hao.

After discovering Chen Hao, Qin Yi heard the system's notification sound. He then opened the system panel to check Chen Hao's information, and that was how he found the first Child of Destiny to come to Haishi University—the protagonist of "Venerable Red Sun," Chen Hao.

After listening, Qin Shiyu and Lin Wanqing suddenly realized, and most of their previous shock dissipated.

Lin Wanqing let out a sigh of relief, pursed her lips, and said disdainfully, "I thought he was some real ancient martial arts genius; it turns out he was just artificially boosted by others passing on their power. There's nothing to be afraid of now. Having cultivation without the corresponding mindset is nothing at all."

Han Yan was still anxious. Seeing that Qin Yi had finished speaking, she quickly raised her reddened eyes and asked eagerly, "Assistant Teacher Qin, Chen Hao is already a powerful martial arts Grandmaster, so why does he insist on pestering me and finding the Nine Yin Mysterious Meridians?"

Looking at Han Yan, whose eyes were full of panic, Qin Yi gently explained, "Because the cultivation technique he practices is completely contradictory to his own constitution."

"He practices the core technique of the Red Sun Sect, the 'Red Sun Sutra.' This technique is extremely rigid and yang-aligned; it is only suitable for those with a yang-aligned constitution. But Chen Hao is just an ordinary mortal, so it is not suitable for him at all."

"By forcibly practicing this domineering technique, he has caused a large amount of unresolvable fire poison to accumulate in his body. Every half month, he has to endure the pain of being burned by fire, and he can only find a woman with a pure yin constitution for dual cultivation to temporarily alleviate the backlash of the fire poison."

"And your Nine Yin Mysterious Meridians is the most yin-aligned constitution in the world. Only by dual cultivating with you ten times can he completely cure the fire poison in his body and advance his cultivation further."

As his words fell, the three women understood the purpose of Chen Hao's persistent pestering. Originally, they just thought he was paranoid and obsessed, but now they knew his true intention.

At this moment, Qin Yi added another sentence, "Not only that, the Nine Yin Mysterious Meridians is a top-tier cultivation sacred body in the world. If one practices ancient martial arts and grows up, one can easily break through to the Heaven-Human Realm, and the future prospects are limitless."

After listening, Han Yan felt not a shred of joy, but rather full of sorrow. She couldn't help but whisper to herself, "I didn't expect that such a secret was hidden within me. I never wanted any peerless constitution. This constitution hasn't brought me good luck, but instead has invited so many disasters. This Chen Hao is probably only the first person to have designs on me..."

Seeing Han Yan's fearful and anxious appearance, Qin Shiyu immediately leaned in, reached out to gently hug her, and comforted her tenderly, "Silly girl, don't be afraid. You are my student; as long as I am here, no one can hurt you in the slightest."

"And your teacher is a member of the Qin Family. In the entire China, no one dares not to give the Qin Family face. If anyone dares to harbor evil intentions against you, Teacher will definitely make those people pay the price!"

Lin Wanqing also leaned over, nodding vigorously with a righteous face, and added domineeringly, "That's right, that's right! Han Yan, don't worry, we will all protect you! Our Lin Family isn't to be trifled with either. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just report my name, and I guarantee no one will dare to trouble you again!"

Listening to the comfort from Qin Shiyu and Lin Wanqing, Han Yan's eyes reddened. The original panic and unease in her heart dissipated completely, and a thick sense of warmth filled her heart.

Her nose tingled, and she said with emotion, "Thank you, Teacher Qin, thank you, Senior Sister Wanqing. Having you here makes me feel really at ease."

After speaking, she turned to look at Qin Yi, stood up, and bowed sincerely to thank him, "Thank you, Assistant Teacher Qin. If it weren't for you, I would never have known in my life that such a big secret was hidden within me."

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible Han Yan before him, Qin Yi spoke softly and gently, "No need to thank me; you should have known the secret that belongs to you."

He added, "Since you have been afraid of Chen Hao continuing to pester you, just leave this matter to me. I have my own ways to ensure he will no longer have the heart or the guts to harbor any thoughts about you."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope lit up in Han Yan's eyes, and she asked eagerly, "Assistant Teacher Qin, do you really have a way to make him stop pestering me?"

"Of course." Qin Yi's expression was calm, "Rest assured, just leave it all to me to handle."

Han Yan's heart, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed completely. She bowed to Qin Yi again, full of gratitude, "Thank you so much, Assistant Teacher Qin!"

Then, Qin Yi looked at Qin Shiyu, Lin Wanqing, and Han Yan, and instructed softly, "You all go out and find a place to have lunch. I'm going out, and I'll be back soon."

After speaking, Qin Yi turned and left the office.

Arriving outside, Qin Yi's aura sank slightly, and his vast spiritual sense at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage spread out without reservation, like an invisible net, instantly covering the area of dozens of kilometers around Haishi University.

In just a moment, Qin Yi captured Chen Hao's aura, but this aura was far weaker than what he had sensed yesterday, intermittent, like a flickering candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any moment.

"Oh? So weak, huh."

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but then he didn't think too much about it. With a thought, the space around him twisted slightly.

In the next second, his figure disappeared into thin air on the spot, leaving behind only a faint ripple in space.

When he appeared again, Qin Yi was already standing in the deep mountains where Lord Asura Ye Tianhan and Chen Hao had fought yesterday.

The midday sun was scorching and blinding, casting dappled shadows through the dense leaves. The ground was baked hot, and the air was filled with the hot, dry scent of grass, trees, and earth mixed together.

In the open space not far away, there was gravel everywhere, broken trees lay scattered about, and the hideous cracks on the ground were still clearly visible, proving the traces of the great battle that had taken place here yesterday.

And under a crooked tree, Chen Hao was curled up, lying on the scorching ground, his eyes tightly closed, his face pale as paper, his lips dry and peeling, his whole body soaked in hot sweat, and his forehead covered with mud and grass clippings.

His left arm was wrapped with a torn T-shirt, soaked with dark red bloodstains. His entire aura was weak, and his chest rose and fell slowly, obviously because the backlash of the forbidden technique yesterday was too severe, causing him to remain in a coma until now without waking up.

Qin Yi walked slowly to Chen Hao, slowly raised his right hand, a wisp of golden spiritual energy swirling around his fingertips, and gently tapped it on Chen Hao's brow.

This spiritual energy invaded Chen Hao's sea of consciousness, and like taking something out of one's pocket, it wantonly flipped through all his memories.