Return of the Celestial King

Seeing the confused expressions on the other three Elders’ faces, the Grand Elder explained,

"Look closely. This Qin Tuo’s close combat ability is extremely strong. If he were a Warlock, it would be impossible for him to have such powerful hand-to-hand fighting skills!"

After hearing this, the other three Elders nodded deeply in agreement.

It was common knowledge that close combat was always a Warlock’s weakness.

But Qin Tuo’s close-quarters fighting was practically invincible; he was clearly not a Warlock!

The more the four Elders thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became, and a deep sense of dread filled their hearts.

The Grand Elder slowly put away the bronze mirror and said,

"How about this: we’ll go back and report to the Pavilion Master first. We’ll plan our next move carefully, and then decide how to deal with this Qin Tuo."

The other three Elders nodded without hesitation in agreement.

Originally, they had planned to take down Qin Tuo directly!

But after seeing Qin Tuo’s performance at the Martial Arts Tournament, they immediately changed their minds.

They realized that even with their combined insight and wisdom, they couldn’t see through Qin Tuo’s background or origins.

Under these circumstances, they were uncertain and didn’t dare to make a rash move against Qin Tuo.

Otherwise, if they failed again like before, the four Elders wouldn’t know how they could face their Pavilion Master.

Like phantoms, the four of them silently vanished from the Martial Arts Tournament grounds. No one had even known they were there.

...

Early the next morning, Huang Junkai drove over to pick up Qin Tuo.

"Mr. Qin, shall we head to Hongshan now?"

Huang Junkai said enthusiastically as he entered the villa.

Qin Tuo nodded, his heart filled with anticipation for Hongshan.

If he could really find a massive amount of Spirit Stones there, it would permanently solve his current problems.

However, just as Qin Tuo was about to leave with Huang Junkai, he suddenly received a phone call.

’Oh, it’s a call from Mom?’

Qin Tuo was a little surprised. His mother, Luo Xianglan, was calling him at a time like this.

He hadn’t been in contact with Luo Xianglan for quite some time, so he had no idea what she wanted to tell him.

After answering the call, Luo Xianglan asked earnestly,

"Son, have you been well? And how are things with you and Manni?"

A warmth spread through Qin Tuo’s heart, and he smiled.

"Mom, I’m doing great, and things with Manni are good, too. How about you?"

After a few pleasantries, Luo Xianglan revealed her true purpose for calling.

"Son, it’s like this: your cousin is getting married. Do you have time to come back for a visit soon?"

Qin Tuo was stunned.

He remembered that his cousin, Jiang Wanyu, wasn’t very old. How could she be getting married already?

Thinking of this, Qin Tuo immediately asked,

"Mom, what’s going on? Isn’t Jiang Wanyu still just a young girl? Why is she suddenly getting married?"

Luo Xianglan gave a bitter laugh and said,

"Wanyu is already eighteen. She’s not a little girl anymore. She’s old enough to get married."

Even though that was true, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but frown and ask,

"Eighteen is just old enough to start college. Why would she get married so early?"

In Qin Tuo’s memory, Jiang Wanyu was a positive, ambitious girl who hoped to change her fate through education.

Given her personality, it didn’t seem right that she would choose to drop out of school and marry someone at this point in her life.

Qin Tuo instinctively felt that there must be something more to the story.

But Luo Xianglan shook her head, sighed, and said,

"Son, you don’t know the whole story. Wanyu has already dropped out of school. Your second aunt immediately arranged a marriage for her, and they’re planning to hold the wedding in two days!"

Qin Tuo understood now. This was a common phenomenon in the countryside. Many young people who didn’t continue their education at this age were pressured by the villagers to get married.

This was especially true for girls, who could easily become the subject of gossip.

So even his cousin, Jiang Wanyu, had been unable to withstand the societal pressure and chose to rush into marriage to get it over with.

However, there was still one thing Qin Tuo couldn’t understand.

As far as he knew, Jiang Wanyu had been a top student since she was young, and her home was filled with countless awards and certificates.

Moreover, everyone in his second aunt’s family was counting on her to be successful. So why had she dropped out of school at just eighteen?

Luo Xianglan added,

"Son, you should find the time to come back. After all, she’s your cousin, and you two were quite close when you were little. It wouldn’t be right for you not to come."

Qin Tuo nodded. He was definitely going back.

But he wanted to find out the real reason why his cousin Jiang Wanyu had dropped out of school and was suddenly getting married.

Normally, Qin Tuo wouldn’t want to meddle in other people’s business.

But he had practically raised Jiang Wanyu. They often played together as children and had a deep bond.

They had gradually lost touch after Qin Tuo moved to the big city, but the bond between them, like that of a brother and sister, was still there and wouldn’t easily change.

So, Qin Tuo decided that he absolutely had to get involved in this matter!

After he hung up, Huang Junkai, who was waiting at the side, couldn’t help but ask again,

"Mr. Qin, shouldn’t we get going? It’s getting late."

But Qin Tuo shook his head and said with a wry smile,

"Young Master Huang, I’m afraid I can’t go to Hongshan anymore."

Disappointment immediately washed over Huang Junkai’s face.

However, he understood that Qin Tuo was likely tied up because of the phone call.

Qin Tuo thought for a moment and said,

"How about this: you go to Hongshan first and bring back a batch of high-quality raw stones. I need to make a trip back to my hometown first."

Huang Junkai didn’t dare say more. He nodded quickly and said with a smile,

"Alright, Mr. Qin. Since you have something to take care of, please go ahead!"

Then, Huang Junkai hurried off to Hongshan, not wanting to waste any more time.

After Huang Junkai left, Qin Tuo planned to call Chen Man Ni to let her know what was happening, and then he would head straight to his hometown.

But just then, Chen Man Ni happened to arrive at the villa.

"Manni, you’re just in time! I need to talk to you about something!"

As soon as Qin Tuo saw Chen Man Ni, he pulled her over to sit beside him.

"Oh? Qin Tuo, what’s going on?"

Seeing Qin Tuo’s serious expression, Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but feel curious.

Qin Tuo said seriously,

"Manni, it’s like this. My cousin is getting married, so I have to go back to my hometown right away. You should stay home for the next few days and not go anywhere."

However, when Chen Man Ni heard that Qin Tuo was going back to his hometown for a wedding, her eyes immediately lit up with interest.