73. It Might Be Fatal
The object in the girl’s hand was a wooden plaque, severely decayed by time.
Only one character was faintly visible—”禾” (Hé).
Initially, Gong Yiling thought it was a name, that the person’s name was something like He.
But on second thought, such plaques usually displayed a person’s surname, rarely their given name.
And the position of the character was in the lower middle, and the font was relatively small.
All things considered, this seemed to be a “秦” (Qín) character, just that the upper part had faded away.
Seeing this wooden plaque, Qin Huaiqiu’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked with confusion, “Ling’er, where did you find this?”
“Is it really yours, Dad?”
“It is, but—”
“I found it at the other end of the tunnel, the one that runs through the mountain.” Gong Yiling, holding the plaque, had already figured out what had happened.
“Dad, it wasn’t that you didn’t want to come back then. Someone trapped you in that cave, and you tried other methods, even digging through the entire mountain, to get out, right?”
Hearing this, Qin Huaiqiu took the plaque, his eyes filled with a nostalgic longing for the distant past.
Including regret, and a silent rage.
After a long time, he finally sighed.
“Back then, when I learned that your mother’s identity had been exposed and she was surrounded, I wanted to rush to her side immediately, but…”
In the eyes of the elders, they felt it was necessary to correct this “mistake,” to guide this “wayward” young genius back to the right path.
So, Qin Huaiqiu’s master did just that.
He thought Qin Huaiqiu had been bewitched by the demonic woman and had lost his way. So, to correct him, the first thing he did was to make him reflect in a cave, to cultivate in seclusion.
However, there was no right or wrong in matters of love. So, Qin Huaiqiu, even with his talismans disabled and his body severely injured, dug through the entire cave and crawled out.
This plaque was dropped at that time.
However, although his master couldn’t completely trap him, his purpose had been achieved.
It had been five days since Gong Muzhi was ambushed. It was too late for Qin Huaiqiu to rush back.
Not to mention, his exit pass had been taken away. He practically dragged his heavily injured body through the checkpoints, and by the time he got out, he was at the end of his rope.
After receiving the half-true news that his child had died in the duel and Gong Muzhi was missing, the last string of his sanity snapped.
“I knew you wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing, Dad.” Gong Yiling, hearing this, felt a great sense of relief.
“But why didn’t you explain this to Mom when you met her last time?”
Qin Huaiqiu smiled wryly. “Silly child, don’t you know your mother’s temper?”
“She’s been angry at me for over a decade. She probably wants to scatter my ashes. It was my fault for not being able to save her. I accept that.”
“But… if your mother knew I tried, she would surely bring up the past again.”
“Her old injuries haven’t healed yet, and she’s prone to anger. I might be summoned away at any moment. I’m afraid she would recklessly fight those elders.”
“I really don’t want to… see that happen again…”
From Qin Huaiqiu’s perspective, his words were reasonable.
Gong Yiling crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then slapped the table. “That’s not a concern anymore.”
“What?”
“Dad, you don’t know. Mom’s old injuries should be completely healed by now.” Gong Yiling smiled. “The girl who appeared that day, she also healed my meridians.”
“The girl who appeared that day?”
Qin Huaiqiu was secretly surprised.
But that girl looked to be around the same age as Ling’er. How could she have such impressive medical skills at such a young age?
“When Mom comes over, you two can talk things out.” Gong Yiling gently patted Qin Huaiqiu’s shoulder and stroked her chin. “You’re an old married couple. Why be so stiff? Whoever caused you to be separated for over a decade, just get your revenge.”
“Even you, Dad, still resent what happened back then. It’s not good to keep it bottled up.”
Qin Huaiqiu didn’t give an answer, but he smiled and rubbed his daughter’s head. “My dear girl, you’ve learned to be as fierce as your mother.”
“It’s not bad to be like Mom.” Gong Yiling stuck out her tongue. “And being a demon lord is much cooler than any other title.”
“You girl.”
Qin Huaiqiu shook his head with a wry smile, but the satisfaction and joy in his eyes were undeniable.
His daughter, with her peerless beauty, confidence, and unrestrained spirit, had her mother’s “good” temper, and unparalleled talent. What more could a father ask for?
The only thing left to worry about was some pig trying to steal her away. He would have to bury that pig alive.
“Oh, right.” As he was speaking, Qin Huaiqiu suddenly remembered something. “The Eight Desolations Sword Alliance, how much are you involved, girl?”
“How much?”
“The Returning Heaven Sect wants to find evidence that the Baiyao Dynasty is behind these incidents and expose them to the public, to avoid any further gossip.” Qin Huaiqiu said, “If you two are just here to find me, then after I’ve completed the Grand Elder’s task, the rest has nothing to do with me.”
“As for this Eight Desolations Sword Alliance matter…”
“Dad, about that.” Gong Yiling couldn’t help but ask, “If your surname is Qin, then grandpa’s should also be Qin. But what is grandma’s surname?”
“Why are you suddenly asking this?” Qin Huaiqiu answered, puzzled. “But girl, you might not know, I’m actually an orphan.”
“An orphan???”
“Yes.” Qin Huaiqiu poured himself a glass of wine and explained, “I was an orphan taken in by the Grand Elder of the Returning Heaven Sect. I grew up under his care, then was later transferred to Elder Gu and became his disciple.”
“But the Grand Elder has always treated me like his own son. So, in a way, he can be considered your grandfather.”
An orphan… this identity was indeed worth pondering.
But to confirm her previous guess, the simplest way was…
“Dad, I want to give you a welcome gift, one that might be fatal.”
