Chapter 495: Behemoth

Seeing Hong Yuanzheng’s astonished expression, Kong Lianqing smiled and quickly explained,

“Teacher, you might not be aware, but Mr. Qin is a Cultivator himself. Although, according to Mr. Qin, he’s only just set foot on this path.”

Qin Tuo gave a slight smile and a nod, tacitly confirming Kong Lianqing’s words. He was, indeed, a Cultivator.

Hong Yuanzheng finally understood. It all clicked into place—so that’s why Qin Tuo was so powerful.

He was a powerful Cultivator!

The miraculous technique he’d used to exterminate the Puppet Insects and save his grandson… it all made perfect sense now.

Upon learning that Qin Tuo was a Cultivator, Hong Yuanzheng’s respect and admiration for him deepened, coming straight from the heart.

Qin Tuo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell that Hong Yuanzheng knew a fair bit about these matters.

Qin Tuo himself was eager to find out just how many Cultivators there were in the Capital City, where they were located, and what their power levels were.

All of this held a tremendous fascination for Qin Tuo.

So, he quickly asked,

“Elder Hong, could you tell me about the Cultivators in the Capital City?”

A troubled expression crossed Hong Yuanzheng’s face. Qin Tuo was the savior of his precious grandson. Logically, since he had made a request, Hong Yuanzheng should tell him everything he knew without reservation.

But this was a topic he found difficult to broach.

After a moment of silence, Hong Yuanzheng finally waved his hand dismissively and said, his tone apologetic,

“Mr. Qin, I actually don’t know very much myself. And what little I do know is classified—top secret. It cannot be shared. I hope you can understand my difficult position.”

Kong Lianqing quickly nodded in agreement, chiming in.

“Yes, Mr. Qin! We truly are in a bind. Please understand!”

Since they both put it that way, Qin Tuo felt helpless and could only nod in understanding.

Kong Lianqing suddenly recalled how eager Qin Tuo had been to return home.

After a moment’s thought, he guessed Qin Tuo’s true concern and said with a smile,

“Mr. Qin, are you in a hurry to get back to Ming City because you’re worried the Liu Family will retaliate? You can rest assured, with me here, the Liu Family won’t dare to make any rash moves!”

Before Qin Tuo could answer, Hong Yuanzheng, who was standing nearby, asked in surprise,

“Oh? Mr. Qin, you’ve come into conflict with the Liu Family?”

Qin Tuo nodded. “Yes. The Liu Family and I have had quite a few disagreements.”

Qin Tuo himself didn’t seem to care much, but Hong Yuanzheng was quick to make a promise.

“Mr. Qin, rest assured. I will go to the Liu Family and mediate to resolve the grievances between you. I’m confident that if I’m the one to ask, the Liu Family will give me enough face to drop the matter.”

Hong Yuanzheng had finally found an opportunity to properly repay Qin Tuo, so his offer was incredibly earnest and sincere.

But Qin Tuo just waved his hand dismissively and said with a sneer,

“It’s fine. A trifling little family like the Lius isn’t worth my concern. If they want revenge, let them come!”

The sheer confidence in Qin Tuo’s voice took Hong Yuanzheng by surprise.

It had been years since he had seen a young man as bold and domineering as Qin Tuo!

Still, seeing Qin Tuo’s fearless demeanor, Hong Yuanzheng thought for a moment before saying with a grave expression,

“Mr. Qin, you may not realize it, but the Liu Family’s power is not to be underestimated!”

Qin Tuo frowned and asked,

“Oh? How so?”

Hong Yuanzheng sighed and said gravely,

“If this grudge isn’t resolved before the head of the Liu Family comes out of seclusion, then once their leader, Liu Zhenshan, emerges… I’m afraid even my intervention will be useless!”

Hearing Hong Yuanzheng’s increasingly dire warnings, Qin Tuo was rather taken aback. He asked,

“Oh? Where does the Liu Family get off being so powerful? Elder Hong, you’re not just trying to scare me, are you?”

‘From Qin Tuo’s perspective, given Elder Hong’s prominent status, the Liu Family shouldn’t be able to act so arrogantly in his presence.’

‘But seeing Hong Yuanzheng’s expression, it didn’t seem like an act. This made Qin Tuo even more curious. What kind of power was the Liu Family truly hiding?’

Sure enough, Hong Yuanzheng heaved a deep sigh and said with a grave expression,

“Mr. Qin, the Liu Family you’ve encountered is merely a branch of the true Liu Family. Compared to the behemoth backing them, they are utterly insignificant.”

Hearing the gravity in Hong Yuanzheng’s tone, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but feel a sharp jolt of surprise.

He was only now learning that the Liu Family who had opposed him time and again was nothing more than a minor offshoot of a much larger clan.

‘It’s terrifying to imagine what kind of mysterious power is backing them!’

‘Just the tip of the iceberg is enough to establish one of the most prominent families in the Capital City.’

‘When I think about it, what kind of entity will my true opponent be?’

Fearing that Qin Tuo still wasn’t taking this seriously, Hong Yuanzheng added another earnest warning,

“Mr. Qin, the Capital City is not as simple as you think. Everything you’ve seen so far is utterly insignificant. The truly great families are ones that ordinary people have likely never even heard of!”

Even for a heavyweight of Hong Yuanzheng’s caliber, there was a trace of lingering fear in his voice as he spoke.

Even with his status, he might count for nothing in the eyes of those mysterious titans.

As the Pavilion Master of the Security Pavilion, Kong Lianqing had also encountered such terrifying powers during his missions.

Hearing his teacher speak of them now, he nodded with a look of lingering fear.

At this, Qin Tuo fell silent.

He had to admit, he was beginning to feel an invisible pressure closing in on him.

‘It seems I haven’t even met my real opponents yet,’ Qin Tuo thought.

But even so, this didn’t frighten him.

He still had unparalleled confidence in his own strength!

Now that he had reached the Grain Avoidance Realm, Qin Tuo felt as if he had entered a whole new level of existence.

He was also eager to find some suitable opponents to gauge what level he had truly reached.

Seeing Qin Tuo fall silent, lost in thought, the master and student pair, Hong Yuanzheng and Kong Lianqing, exchanged a worried glance.

After a long moment, Qin Tuo slowly nodded.

“Alright. In that case, I’ll stay in the Capital City for now.”

He also wanted to see if he could run into any other Cultivators in the Capital City.

Hearing this, a look of delight instantly appeared on the faces of the two men before him!