Chapter 489 – Every Family Has Its Own Troublesome Sutra

Hearing those words, Valley Master Nie’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile as he said; “Xiao Qiang, I already gave you an answer to this matter several days ago. Must this old man repeat himself again and again?”

A trace of imperceptible anger flashed across Qiang Sheng’s eyes, yet his face remained unusually warm and respectful as he replied, “Father-in-law, please judge fairly. This matter isn’t really a difficult one. Besides, Qiang Shi isn’t an outsider—he’s my nephew, practically raised under my watch. He’s no good at martial arts, but he does have some wit. If you don’t lend him a hand, his future will truly be in jeopardy.”

Valley Master Nie gave a cold snort. “The Giant Whale Gang is a renowned faction in the martial world. Your nephew could easily find some means of livelihood within the gang itself. Why go out of your way to trouble others?”

Hearing this, Yue Zhonglin was surprised. His father-in-law had always been kind and approachable. Whenever he had personal matters—or even issues within his gang—Valley Master Nie had always been accommodating and generous. Although Spring Rebirth Valley’s attitude toward the Giant Whale Gang was not as close as with the Deer Cry Gate, all the sons-in-law were treated equally. Surely he wouldn’t be stingy toward Qiang Sheng. What matter could it be that had made his father-in-law refuse repeatedly?

He was just about to speak when his sleeve was tugged by Nie Qianrong. Turning to look, he saw his wife subtly shaking her head.

Qiang Sheng cast a sidelong glance at Nie Qianxiu and fell silent. Nie Qianxiu, however, spoke in grievance: “Father, Qiang Shi is also my nephew. He shows me respect every day and conducts himself quite well. Before returning home, I already promised my father-in-law that this matter must be accomplished. Look at the gifts I brought back—they are all offerings from the Giant Whale Gang. Please, for your daughter’s sake, agree to it.”

But Valley Master Nie still shook his head without hesitation. “If it were anything else, this old man would have agreed long ago. Though you’ve married into the Giant Whale Gang, you are still my daughter. How could I not consider your dignity? But this matter truly carries great importance—I cannot act recklessly.”

After taking a sip of tea, he added: “You came back in the dead of night, and by early morning were already asking me about this. Didn’t I refrain from rejecting you outright at that time? Yet after much thought, this concerns the reputation of our Spring Rebirth Valley—I dare not decide it on my own.”

Seeing this, Nie Qianxiu turned to Mu Qingxuan and Fei He for help. But ever since the two had entered the Spring Rebirth Hall, they hadn’t said a word—completely absorbed in savoring the tea, as though they had never tasted such a marvelous brew. Nie Qianxiu had no choice but to look toward Nie Qianyu.

Nie Qianyu, still annoyed by her earlier words about Zhang Xiaohua, pouted in irritation and refused to meet her gaze. She merely waved her finger in the air before her, sketching something aimlessly. Nie Qianxiu, thinking she was just fooling around, grew all the more upset. If Zhang Xiaohua had been present, however, he would have recognized that what Nie Qianyu was tracing was precisely the Grand Evolution Five Elements Formation Diagram.

The entire Huichun Hall instantly fell into an awkward silence.

Yue Zhonglin could not hold back any longer. After all, in this hall, only he and Qiang Sheng were sons-in-law. If he remained silent now, he would seem to lack proper courtesy and righteousness. So he gave a light cough and said, “Well, Father-in-law, although the Giant Whale Gang is indeed a major faction, it’s still the place where Qiang Shi grew up. If he remains there his whole life, it’s inevitable that his outlook will be narrow and limited. If he could come to Spring Rebirth Valley, it would broaden his horizons and allow him to learn other skills—surely that would be a good thing. Moreover, two years ago, Qiang Shi came with Second Sister to our Deer Cry Gate. I found him to be well-mannered and steady. Wouldn’t you consider giving him a chance…”

Valley Master Nie looked at his eldest son-in-law, half amused and half helpless. “Zhonglin, do you really think that if Qiang Shi were merely coming to my Spring Rebirth Valley, the Giant Whale Gang would be sending me carts of gifts? Do you think I would have refused them time and again if that were the case?”

Yue Zhonglin was left speechless. Nie Qianrong chuckled and said, “Father, don’t blame Zhonglin. He only means well—he just wanted to help Second Sister and didn’t understand the full situation. But even I’m rather confused about it.”

Valley Master Nie sighed. “You only returned this afternoon, so naturally you don’t know the reason behind it. What Qianxiu and Qiang Sheng are asking me for is the very same thing you two asked me for six years ago.”

At these words, Nie Qianrong and Yue Zhonglin’s expressions both changed slightly. They exchanged glances and fell silent.

Valley Master Nie continued: “If Qiang Shi were merely coming to my Spring Rebirth Valley, I would have no objection—indeed, I’d welcome it. But his intention is the same as your cousin’s back then—he wants to try his luck by entering the Incense Spreading Sect. Do you think being an herbal attendant there is so easy? Over the years, not a single one has ever returned. If Qiang Shi goes, who knows when—or even if—he’ll ever come back…”

Before he could finish, Qiang Sheng spoke up, “Father-in-law, please be at ease. Before coming here, I already explained everything clearly to my father and brothers. They all believe that joining the Incense Spreading Sect means a new opportunity. Whether he returns or not doesn’t matter. If he can distinguish himself there and rise in status, he’ll bring glory to our family and restore the prestige of the Giant Whale Gang.”

Valley Master Nie gave a bitter smile. “Not a single herbal attendant we’ve sent from Spring Rebirth Valley has ever returned. Each year we hear that they are treated well in the Incense Spreading Sect, but since we never see them in person, there’s always the possibility that something is amiss.”

Nie Qianxiu remained firm. “Father, there’s no need to worry. We only promised to send him to the Incense Spreading Sect. As for his fate—whether he returns or not—that’s beyond our control.”

Valley Master Nie scolded sharply, “Qianxiu, you’re being foolish. Matters of your husband’s family are matters of Spring Rebirth Valley. Qiang Shi is practically one of our own. There’s clear danger involved, and there are other paths he could take. Why insist on crossing such a narrow, risky bridge?”

“Father, over all these years, I haven’t asked anything of you. Consider this the one time I am asking—you should just agree.”

Valley Master Nie still shook his head. “There’s one more thing. The Incense Spreading Sect has always maintained close ties with Spring Rebirth Valley, even supporting us openly in the martial world. We treat them sincerely—each time they come to select people, we receive them honestly, offering them the herbal attendants we have carefully trained. There is never any deception. You must understand: the Incense Spreading Sect has made it clear that they will only accept herbal attendants cultivated by Spring Rebirth Valley. If I allow Qiang Shi to go first, wouldn’t that be falsifying the truth?”

Hearing this, a trace of anger surfaced on the faces of Qiang Sheng and Nie Qianxiu. However, they still restrained themselves and did not erupt, instead softening their voices as they pleaded: “Father, although Qiang Shi is not one of our own herbal attendants, he is still Qiang Sheng’s nephew. Compared with the attendants of our valley, he is someone whose background we know inside and out. He truly is not an outsider. What, then, is there for Father to be worried about?”

The word “outsider” was enunciated with deliberate clarity.

Valley Master Nie shook his head and said_ “If exceptions could be made, I would have made one years ago for Zhong Lin’s cousin. Why would I have waited until now? You should think of some other way.”

At this point, Nie Qianxiu truly could not hold back any longer. She stood up and said: “Father, it is not that your daughter wishes to make things difficult for you. Since you insist on safeguarding the propriety of the medicine attendants, then you should not include outsiders at all. You must treat everyone the same. On the one hand, you want to send an outsider into the Incense Spreading Sect as a medicine attendant; on the other, you repeatedly block the prospects of your own people. How could your daughter not have other thoughts about this?”

Upon hearing this, Valley Master Nie’s face also darkened with anger. He frowned and swept his gaze toward Yue Zhonglin.

Yue Zhonglin was startled and hastily said: “Honored Father-in-law, although this son-in-law also came to receive the emissaries of the Incense Spreading Sect, I only returned to the valley this afternoon. It was here in the Spring Rebirth Hall that I first met Second Sister and Second Brother-in-law.”

Nie Qianxiu sneered. “Father, there are no walls in this world that do not leak. Since you intend to send Ren Xiaoyao into the Incense Spreading Sect, you should not fear others finding out.”

Then she glanced at Nie Qianyu, who was also wearing a look of astonishment, and continued: “From the day I saw that Ren Xiaoyao, I felt there was something off about him. Fine—say he acted out of righteous impulse and helped when he saw injustice. Help is help. Once the matter was over, why didn’t he leave? Why did he linger in my Spring Rebirth Valley, all the while claiming he needed no repayment from us? I even thought he was truly noble. Heh—turns out he simply looks down on the foundations of Spring Rebirth Valley. His wishful calculations were already laid out: aiming for the great super-sect of the Jianghu, the Incense Spreading Sect. It may well be that he had already made these plans when he rescued Little Yu. Hmph—he might even have been sent by a rival faction, with everything carefully arranged from the start.”

Nie Qianyu said angrily, “You—Second Sister, how can you slander Brother Ren like this? On that day, he didn’t even know what Spring Rebirth Valley was!”

Nie Qianxiu sneered coldly: “That’s even more nonsensical. Although our Spring Rebirth Valley cannot compare to the Incense Spreading Sect in terms of fame across the Jianghu, for a martial artist to have never even heard of Spring Rebirth Valley—there must definitely be something wrong with that. Little Yu, you must not let yourself be blinded in the eyes or deceived in the heart. If someone sells off Spring Rebirth Valley, you’d still be helping them count the money!”

“Silence!” Valley Master Nie was also furious. “What kind of person Young Hero Ren is, this old man sees clearly. He has already stayed in our Spring Rebirth Valley for several months. If he had any moral flaws or ulterior motives, would we truly not have noticed? Moreover, your Eldest Martial Brother and Second Martial Brother have both interacted with him, and all speak highly of him. Do you think we are all blind?”

Fei He and Mu Qingxuan were hearing for the first time that Zhang Xiaohua was to go to the Incense Spreading Sect, and were quite astonished. However, upon hearing their master speak this way, they immediately nodded. “That’s right. This Young Hero Ren is indeed an open and upright man, not as you imagine.”

Nie Qianxiu did not retreat, saying instead: “You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. I’ve only met him once myself, but just from the fact that he wants to go to the Incense Spreading Sect, I already know his purpose in saving Little Yu was not so pure. And Father, Ren Xiaoyao is, after all, an outsider. He has not truly formed marital ties with our Little Yu. Since you can let him masquerade as a medicine attendant and enter the Incense Spreading Sect, why can you not also help Qiang Shi, letting him seek a fine future there as well?”

Valley Master Nie sighed. “Sigh… these two matters are clearly not the same.”

Nie Qianxiu sneered again. “What difference is there? It’s nothing more than wanting to cling to the thigh of the Incense Spreading Sect and make arrangements for one’s own future.”

Seeing Valley Master Nie still shaking his head, Nie Qianxiu clenched her teeth. “If Father will not agree, then no one will go. If you allow that fellow to enter the Incense Spreading Sect, then don’t blame your daughter for what comes next…”