"Alright, Second Brother, don't take it to heart. I've been with the Qin family for so many years, and I'm tired. I just want to live quietly on my own. No matter what, in my heart, you'll always be my second brother."
Qin Yuanzhi stood in silence, then pulled out a stack of silver notes from his robe. "Third Sister, here's some money. Take it for now."
"No, Second Brother, I can't accept it."
"Please, take it." Qin Yuanzhi pressed the notes into Qin Yuechi's hands. "I know you have little savings. Living in the capital requires money for everything. Even if you're fine, what about Chen'er? Where will you stay tonight without this?"
His final words silenced Qin Yuechi's protests. As a mother, how could she bear to let her son suffer?
"Second Brother, thank you," she said softly.
"Don't say that. If you face any trouble in the future, come to me. If you can't find me, find Ying'er. Don't struggle alone, understand?"
"Mm." Qin Yuechi nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Nearby, Qin Ying studied her younger cousin with curiosity. "Qin Chen, why do I feel like you're different now?"
"Am I? You must be mistaken, Sister Ying," Qin Chen replied with a smile, showing no trace of worry or despair over leaving the Qin family.
"You are different—much more confident. Before, you were always so timid around me, barely saying a word."
"That's because you're too beautiful, Sister Ying. I used to get shy just looking at you."
Qin Ying was undeniably stunning. At eighteen, her figure was perfectly proportioned—curves in all the right places, complemented by long, slender legs that were both toned and graceful.
A faint blush colored Qin Ying's cheeks. "You little rascal, teasing your sister now, are you?" she huffed playfully.
"Me? Tease you? Never!" Qin Chen protested with mock innocence.
Watching the two banter, Qin Yuechi's lips curved into a gentle smile, her heavy heart lightening.
"Chen'er, let's go," she said.
Qin Yuechi and Qin Chen blended into the bustling crowd.
Leaving the Qin family brought Qin Yuechi little sorrow. Beyond concern for Qin Chen's hardships, she felt an unexpected sense of relief.
Their immediate priority was finding a place to live.
They headed to the property exchange, the capital's hub for buying and selling homes. The prices listed on the notice board made Qin Yuechi gasp. The capital's land was exorbitantly priced—mansions cost upwards of a million silver coins, sprawling over acres. Even modest homes demanded tens of thousands. At the bottom of the board, she found a few properties priced at just a few thousand silver coins, located in the west city where commoners resided.
Even so, without Qin Yuanzhi's silver, she couldn't have afforded even the cheapest. After viewing several options, Qin Yuechi gritted her teeth and spent six thousand silver coins on a small west city house. It was modest but clean, with a tiny courtyard.
They spent half the day cleaning, and by the time they finished, night had fallen.
"Chen'er, it's late. Rest now," Qin Yuechi said, her voice warm with concern.
"Mm."
Qin Chen nodded.
As his door closed, Qin Yuechi surveyed the sparse furnishings, sighing softly. She resolved to find work soon. The remaining silver wouldn't last long, especially with Qin Chen's cultivation needs.
The adage "poor scholars, rich warriors" held true—without ample resources, how could Qin Chen keep up with his peers at Tianxing Academy?
In his room, Qin Chen didn't sleep. Sitting cross-legged, his eyes gleamed with determination.
"The humiliation Mother endured—I'll make the Qin family pay tenfold. They'll regret casting us out."
His gaze sharpened as he sank into thought. "The academy assessment is approaching. My priority is to boost my strength and awaken my bloodline before the exam. Without a bloodline, I'll never reclaim my past life's peak, let alone exact revenge."
Qin Chen understood the importance of bloodlines better than any martial artist in Great Qi.
"But how can I maximize my chances of awakening my bloodline?"
His mind churned, sifting through methods to enhance bloodline awakening. Ideas flickered and coalesced.
"I've got it."
The next morning, Qin Chen asked his mother for a thousand silver coins and visited the medicinal market. He purchased herbs and concocted several bottles of grayish-brown liquid.
This was Pulse-Awakening Elixir, a common preparation in the Martial Domain, unknown in Great Qi. For martial artists whose bloodlines were too dilute to awaken naturally, the elixir could stimulate their bloodline concentration, significantly boosting their chances of awakening.
Unless a martial artist had no bloodline whatsoever, the elixir virtually guaranteed success.
Over the next few days, Qin Chen trained relentlessly, consuming the elixir daily. Qin Ying visited twice, and aside from brief meetings with her, he devoted every moment to cultivation.
Five days later, he finished the last of the elixir.
Opening his eyes, Qin Chen's gaze flashed with resolve. "It's time to awaken my bloodline."
The Sacred Bloodline Grounds stood as a majestic edifice in Great Qi's capital, rivaling the Artifact Hall in grandeur, perhaps even surpassing it. When Qin Chen arrived at noon, the entrance was a hive of activity, thronged with people.
Most were armored martial artists exuding formidable auras. Others were teenagers, roughly Qin Chen's age, accompanied by parents as they entered the grounds.
Qin Chen knew these youths were here to awaken their bloodlines.
Tianxing Academy, Great Qi's premier institution, invited bloodline masters from the Sacred Grounds annually to awaken students' bloodlines. But for common youths who hadn't gained entry to the academy, the Sacred Grounds was their only option.
Though hiring a bloodline master was costly, even impoverishing families would spare no expense for their children's futures.
Gazing at the familiar emblem of the Sacred Bloodline Grounds, Qin Chen's heart stirred with emotion. His eyes hardened with resolve, and he stepped inside.