Chapter 27: Intimidation
After learning Shangguan Hong was unwell, Elder Ling retracted his aura.
Everything in the living room returned to normal.
Only then could Shangguan Hong breathe a sigh of relief.
'An aura like that... even in the Empire, few could compare.' He looked at Elder Ling, his face filled with awe.
This old man was even stronger than he had imagined.
The intelligence he'd received stated that Elder Ling had effortlessly slain Qin Gang.
Back then, he'd thought Elder Ling might be an expert at the Celestial Spirit Perfect Realm.
But now, it was clear this old man was unfathomable.
Despite Shangguan Hong's extraordinary background and his own considerable strength, he was now forced to be cautious.
He had to choose his next words with extreme care.
"To be frank with you, Elder Ling, this humble one is here regarding the Qin Mansion incident. The Divine Guard Bureau has sent me to get a better understanding of the situation," Shangguan Hong said, his eyes flickering as he looked at Elder Ling with a faint smile. His tone and attitude had completely shifted; he was now presenting himself as a junior, deliberately lowering his own status.
He was clearly here to investigate, yet he merely said he was here to "understand."
Evidently, he had abandoned his high-and-mighty posture.
Beside him, Shangguan Qingmu's earlier indignation had vanished.
He, too, had sensed the shift in his uncle's aura moments ago.
This left Shangguan Qingmu utterly stunned.
The old man before them was, without a doubt, a true expert.
Proud as Shangguan Qingmu was, he knew how to weigh a situation.
One must never be arrogant when facing an expert.
"Oh?" Elder Ling raised an eyebrow. "And what has Lord Shangguan come to understand?"
"Ahem."
Shangguan Hong cleared his throat and said, "This matter is entirely the fault of the Qin Mansion. That Qin Gang, despite being a Divine Guard, failed to fulfill his duties. He encouraged depravity and was a scourge upon this region. He is a disgrace to our Divine Guard Bureau, and it was our oversight that allowed such a menace to remain. Fortunately, Elder Ling took action to rid the people of this pest."
"On behalf of the Divine Guard Bureau, this humble one must apologize to you, Elder."
As he finished speaking, Shangguan Hong rose and bowed deeply to Elder Ling in apology.
Seeing this, the nearby Shangguan Qingmu furrowed his brow, completely baffled.
They were supposed to be here to investigate—high and mighty authorities, holding the power of life and death.
Yet here his uncle was, apologizing?
What was this all about?
'Is he still an Inspection Envoy of the Divine Guard Bureau?' he thought, speechless. He could barely watch.
"Your bureau would do well to pay more attention to these matters in the future. Do not let a few degenerates tarnish the name of the Divine Guard." However, Elder Ling remained perfectly calm. His eyes flashed as he spoke lightly, his tone carrying a hint of questioning—or perhaps a warning.
"Yes. After this, I will certainly report this to my superiors and see to it that things are rectified." The more Elder Ling acted this way, the deeper Shangguan Hong's awe became.
He could feel the aura of someone in a position of supreme authority.
Facing Elder Ling was like facing a Monarch.
This elder would be considered a top-tier expert even in the Great Tang Empire.
"That is for the best," Elder Ling nodded slightly.
"Additionally, I must thank you, Elder, for taking action and ridding the people of that pest," Shangguan Hong said.
"It was merely a last resort," Elder Ling said with a dismissive wave.
"This was entirely our fault," Shangguan Hong said with an apologetic expression before taking his seat.
His eyes darted about, unsure of what to say next.
He had originally wanted to witness the elder's power for himself, having heard that he had easily crushed Qin Gang.
But now, just from the pressure of the man's aura, he felt he couldn't hold his own—and the elder hadn't even made a move.
The gap between them was obvious at a glance.
Therefore, Shangguan Hong gave up any notion of testing him.
The atmosphere in the living room grew a little awkward.
"I heard your esteemed son is quite talented. Does he by any chance possess a Cold Essence Spirit Body?" After an awkward pause, Shangguan Hong turned his gaze to Ling Fei.
At this point, he was just looking for a way to save face.
"Haha, Fei'Er's talent is indeed quite good. You could say he has a Cold Essence Spirit Body," Elder Ling said with an ambiguous smile.
"'You could say?'" Shangguan Hong's brow furrowed, and he couldn't help but glance at Ling Fei again.
'He either has it or he doesn't. What does 'you could say' even mean?' Shangguan Qingmu grumbled to himself.
'Does he really have a Cold Essence Spirit Body?' Shangguan Yurou's eyes, however, lit up. As her eyelashes fluttered, her gaze on Ling Fei was clearly filled with newfound interest.
A Spirit Body...
Someone with that kind of constitution was destined to leave everyone else in the dust on the path of cultivation and become a true prodigy!
"I wonder, Elder, do you plan to keep him by your side or send him to an academy?" Shangguan Hong asked, his eyes flickering.
"A fledgling eagle must leave the nest if it is to soar through the heavens. How can it ever learn to fly if it remains forever under an elder's shadow?"
Elder Ling smiled. Though he hadn't said it outright, he had made his attitude clear.
"You speak the truth, Elder. As it happens, I am from the Celestial River Academy in Celestial River County, and I intend to select a few youths for enrollment during my visit. Would you be willing to let your esteemed son join our Celestial River Academy?" Shangguan Hong asked. In truth, he had wanted to gauge Ling Fei's talent from the start.
If the boy was truly talented, he had no intention of pursuing the Qin Mansion affair.
After all, a Spirit Body was an extremely rare sight, even at the Celestial River Academy or within the entire Great Tang Empire.
Such an individual must be nurtured.
This was the perfect opportunity to use the offer to smooth over the relationship between them.
Otherwise, if he left just like that, it would feel like he was retreating with his tail between his legs.
"Haha, that would be excellent. Fei'Er is still young, so I hope Lord Shangguan will look after him in the future," Elder Ling chuckled.
"A Cold Essence Spirit Body is an exceptional talent. To have such a student is a blessing for the Celestial River Academy. We will naturally do everything in our power to nurture him."
Shangguan Hong laughed.
In the living room, Elder Ling and Shangguan Hong chatted and laughed, the earlier tense atmosphere completely gone.
Elder Ling seemed quite satisfied with Shangguan Hong's attitude.
At least the man was sensible.
"I observe that your Gang Qi is in conflict, Lord Shangguan. It seems there has been a mishap in your cultivation," Elder Ling remarked suddenly, his eyes flickering as he spoke with a faint, knowing smile.
"This..." At his words, the color drained from Shangguan Hong's face.
"'Gang Qi in conflict?'" The nearby Zhang Quan, Shangguan Qingmu, and the others were all visibly shaken.
For a Cultivator, this was an extremely serious problem!
'No wonder Lord Shangguan reacted that way earlier,' Zhang Quan realized, recalling Shangguan Hong's condition just moments ago.
Clearly, he had tried to circulate his Gang Qi with all his might, but something had gone wrong.
Shangguan Qingmu, however, looked at his uncle with a questioning gaze, apparently unaware of his cultivation problem.
"Heh, it's rather embarrassing," Shangguan Hong said with a bitter smile. "While Refining Gang, I carelessly absorbed some Evil Qi. Now, my Innate Gang Qi and the Evil Qi coexist within my body. Despite trying every method I can think of, I've been unable to neutralize or expel it." This had become a constant source of anxiety for him.
If this continued, he would find it difficult to advance his Cultivation any further.
He couldn't even use his full strength in a fight.
"Your Evil Qi is almost like Gang Qi itself. For now, it's only hindering your Cultivation progress. But if this goes on, it will begin to damage your internal organs and threaten your life,"
Elder Ling stated.
"It's that serious?" Shangguan Qingmu frowned.
"Father!" Shangguan Yurou's voice choked with emotion as her eyes began to mist over.
She had never imagined that her father, who always seemed so strong and resolute, was actually in such grave danger.
Shangguan Hong fell silent, saying nothing more.
It seemed he already knew just how terrible his situation was.
"Elder, do you have a solution?" After a moment of contemplation, Shangguan Hong looked up at Elder Ling, his gaze hopeful.
Very few people knew of his condition.
Yet this elder had diagnosed it with a single glance.
This showed just how extraordinary he was.
Perhaps he had a solution.
After all, experts of his caliber were vastly more knowledgeable and experienced. Solving such a problem would surely be easier for him than for a Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivator.