Looking at the spot where Dugu Jian had just sat, Ye Shishi let out a long sigh, then reluctantly turned her gaze towards the direction of Longdu.
She had no idea what would unfold in Longdu next, but she could surmise that the future would be fraught with turmoil. All she hoped for was that Dugu Jian and Shen Lang could both return to her side, safe and sound, and whole.
While Ye Shishi was sighing, Qin Cangjing, Qin Lianyue, and Ye Ziling had already returned to Longdu, appearing before the entrance of an ancient quadrangle house.
A large plaque hung above the entrance, bearing two characters—Qin Fu.
In this day and age, only the Five Great Families dared to refer to their residences as "Fu." Not even the Zhou family from the south or the Rong family from the southwest would dare, as compared to the centuries-old foundations of the Five Great Families, they still fell short.
"Big Brother, what is this place?"
Ye Ziling had never imagined such a grand and imposing quadrangle house existed, comparable in size to an ancient royal manor. It made her feel intimidated, and she asked Qin Cangjing, "What is this place?"
"This is my home, and from now on, it will be your home too," Qin Cangjing said with a gentle, kind smile. "From now on, you will no longer be an orphaned child. You will be the seventh young lady of the Qin family in Longdu. Both Lianyue and I are your family."
After speaking, Qin Cangjing tilted his head slightly towards Qin Lianyue and smiled, saying, "Go ahead, go inside and tell everyone that I, Qin Cangjing, have returned. From today onwards, I will take charge of the Qin family."
"Alright, Big Brother, I'll go in right away."
Qin Lianyue seemed to have been waiting for this moment for years. Her heart was filled with inexpressible excitement. She then strode into the quadrangle house, passed through a long corridor, and finally arrived at the family's assembly hall.
Many people were gathered in the assembly hall, including seventy-year-old elders, young men and women in their twenties, and middle-aged men and women in their forties and fifties. However, at this moment, everyone's face was filled with solemnity and tension.
"Lianyue, you're back?"
Upon seeing Qin Lianyue enter the assembly hall, everyone seemed to have an expectation, and they called out.
"Esteemed grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, Lianyue is not only back, but I have also brought my Big Brother Qin Cangjing back from Nanling. He is at the door right now. I am a straightforward and forthright person. All I want now is to hear one sentence from all of you: are you going to let him in?"
Qin Lianyue's gaze swept across the crowd, and she continued, "Those who support my Big Brother's return to the Qin family to be the patriarch, please stand to my right. Those who oppose my Big Brother's return stand to my left. I have spoken, and you have one minute to consider."
"Lianyue, what are you doing? Are you trying to force your way in?"
After Qin Lianyue finished speaking, Qin Lianyue's sister, Qin Lianxing, rebuked sharply, "Qin Cangjing betrayed the Qin family over twenty years ago and was long ago expelled. By what right does he return to be the patriarch?"
"Exactly! Qin Cangjing is a disgrace to the Qin family. Back then, he used the snowstorm of the entire city at the Star Picking Tower for a single sword, killing one hundred and thirty-eight Qin family powerhouses. Our father was so enraged that he vomited blood and died of grief two years later."
"Qin Cangjing is unbenevolent, unjust, disloyal, and unfilial. He is worse than a beast. What right does he have to return to the Qin family, let alone become its patriarch?"
After Qin Lianxing spoke, Qin Lianyue's second brother, Qin Tianxia, angrily added.
Having spoken, Qin Tianxia looked at Qin Lianyue and sighed, "These past few years, the Qin family has developed very well, and your annual dividends have not been small. Why are you still not satisfied? Lianyue, in the end, we are family."
"A covetous heart is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Qin Lianyue, you are a traitor who bites the hand that feeds you."
After Qin Tianxia finished speaking, Qin Lianyue's uncle, Qin Chunqiu, said, "She simply dislikes that the Qin family gives her too little, which is why she wants to bring back this traitor Qin Cangjing. Her intention is to cause internal strife within the Qin family so she can profit from it."
"Eldest Sister, Second Brother, Third Uncle, I am not the kind of person you describe. The reason I want to bring my Big Brother back is not for myself, but for the Qin family."
Qin Lianyue looked at the three of them and said, "Since Father's death, the Qin family has been embroiled in infighting for twenty years. The three of you have formed your own factions, constantly fighting amongst yourselves, leading to internal depletion of the Qin family. Once the strongest of the Five Great Families, the Qin family, is now far inferior to the Ye family, the Zhao family, and the Qi family, and even lags behind the Kong family. If this continues, the Qin family will eventually be removed from the Five Great Families."
"Frankly speaking, none of you have the talent or virtue to be the patriarch. Therefore, if any of you were to lead the Qin family, it would ultimately become even weaker than it is now."
"The Qin family needs a true powerhouse to lead it, and that person is my Big Brother. Only he can lead the Qin family to reclaim its former glory."
Speaking to this point, Qin Lianyue looked at the others and said, "Elders and brothers and sisters, you must all have deeply felt the decline of the Qin family over these years. If you do not want the Qin family to continue to weaken and eventually be devoured by the other four great families, I hope you will stand with me."
"This..."
Upon hearing Qin Lianyue's words, everyone except Qin Lianxing, Qin Tianxia, and Qin Chunqiu had troubled expressions and began to waver.
However, before they could speak, at that very moment, a figure in white appeared at the entrance of the assembly hall, and then, a handsome face, though over forty, came into everyone's view.
The Qin family members originally thought that after twenty years, they would be able to see this face without any emotional disturbance. However, upon seeing it again, everyone's emotions began to stir—some with excitement, some with surging passion, and others with fear and jealousy.
"Everyone, it's been over twenty years since we last met. How have you all been?"
Qin Cangjing, clad in white, his face no longer showing the cold indifference of the past, but rather a composure that came from having seen through the vicissitudes of life. He held Ye Ziling's hand and walked step by step into the assembly hall, then directly took his seat in the patriarch's position at the north.
"Cangjing, you... you're back?"
Upon seeing Qin Cangjing's return, several elders in the assembly hall could not hide their excitement and stepped forward to speak.
"Yes, I am back," Qin Cangjing said with a smile to the elders. "I have returned to reclaim what belongs to me. I am now seated in the position only the patriarch can occupy. I declare that from this moment on, I am the patriarch of the Qin family. Who agrees, and who opposes?"
"Qin Cangjing, you are not qualified."
After Qin Cangjing finished speaking, Qin Chunqiu roared, "Anyone in the Qin family is qualified to sit in this seat except you, because you are the unfilial son of the Qin family, and you were expelled from the family long ago."
"Oh, who do I see? It's Third Uncle. It's been twenty years, and you're still as obnoxious as ever," Qin Cangjing said, looking at Qin Chunqiu with a lazy smile. "You say I'm not qualified, yet here I am, seated. What can you do about it?"