Chapter 26: The Patriarch's Illegitimate Child?

Qin Chuan and Lan Jin returned to the Lan family estate, where Lan Weimin had prepared a sumptuous lunch for them. He personally accompanied the meal, bringing along several of the family’s most trusted inner circle. In just two days, Lan Weimin’s complexion had transformed; the once pallid cheeks now bore a healthy flush. Unless one was an expert physician, it would be impossible to tell that he was gravely ill.

Lan Weimin’s miraculous recovery put the entire upper echelon of the Lan family at ease. Some were genuinely close to him and deeply concerned for his wellbeing. Yet most had worried that, should Lan Weimin pass, the many relationships he maintained would collapse in an instant, the Lan family would fall from grace, and their rivals would devour them whole.

Today, those Lan Weimin summoned to dine with them were all his most loyal confidants—the very people he had been grooming to support the family’s next leader.

“Mr. Qin, once again, thank you for saving my life. Come, let us all raise a glass in your honor,” Lan Weimin said with a genial smile.

The title “Mr. Qin” was something he and Qin Chuan had agreed on in private; after all, if everyone started calling him “Great-Granduncle,” Qin Chuan felt it would only make this handsome young man seem ancient.

Qin Chuan raised his glass and drained it in one go.

The Lan family’s core members were all inwardly astounded. The patriarch’s attitude toward Qin Chuan could only be described as deferential—almost fawning. Even if one had saved his life, usually a generous reward would suffice; where was the need for such humility?

Lan Weimin noted their expressions with an inward, mocking sneer.

“A bunch of short-sighted fools—no sense of the bigger picture.”

He had no intention of explaining things to them. Since Qin Chuan clearly did not wish his true identity to be revealed, Lan Weimin dared not let anything slip.

The lunch was a convivial affair, and after the meal, Qin Chuan retired to his room, issuing strict orders that no one was to disturb him under any circumstances, not even if the sky fell.

While several people were still grumbling about Qin Chuan’s high-handedness, Lan Weimin had already dispatched dozens of bodyguards to form an impenetrable security cordon around Qin Chuan’s room.

“Anyone who dares disturb Mr. Qin will be thrown into the bay to feed the sharks,” Lan Weimin said coldly.

The others were stunned into silence.

Lan Weimin was famed for his gentle and modest demeanor; he had never spoken so harshly to his core staff. Now, to threaten death for the sake of an outsider—it was simply unfathomable.

“Who is this Qin Chuan, really?”

“Who knows? The patriarch’s behavior has been downright bizarre.”

“Do you suppose Qin Chuan could be the patriarch’s illegitimate son?”

That suggestion was a revelation.

Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. It was well known that Lan Weimin’s branch of the family was small; he’d fathered a child late in life, but his son died young, leaving only his granddaughter, Lan Xin. His brothers, by contrast, had many children, making Lan Weimin’s situation all the more desolate.

Perhaps for this reason, he doted on Lan Xin, indulging her every whim. He had even gone against the wishes of the clan elders to groom her as the next head of the family.

Yet Lan Xin had refused. As she put it: “Being the family head is too much trouble. I’d rather be a carefree scion.”

“No wonder Miss Lan is so nonchalant—she must have known all along about the illegitimate son,” one person remarked, and the others nodded in agreement.

Lan Jin happened to be passing by and nearly choked on her own indignation.

Illegitimate son? Your whole family are illegitimate children!

“If you’re so bored, go bang your heads against the wall,” she snapped.

“Aha, we were right!”

“See? Miss Lan’s already furious—she’s embarrassed!”

None dared linger another second; in a flash, they all scattered.

“Illegitimate son, my foot. What wild imaginations these people have,” Lan Jin grumbled, then suddenly froze.

Come to think of it, I’ve called him “dad” more than a few times… That really does sound a bit like—

Her lips twitched uncontrollably. She looked up at the ceiling and stomped her foot, exclaiming, “What a mess!”

Inside his room, Qin Chuan was supporting himself with his left hand, standing on one arm, while his right hand formed a mysterious seal. His legs kicked out at an angle, perfectly straight—his posture was nothing short of bizarre. He had maintained this position for over two hours without the slightest sign of fatigue.

After another couple of hours, he switched to a seated meditation pose.

Exhaling a fiery red breath, he thought, My body feels like a volcano about to erupt.

If he failed to suppress the energy of the Nine Suns, he would be utterly destroyed, not even his bones remaining.

Where on earth is the girl with the Mysterious Yin constitution?

Qin Chuan gazed heavenward in exasperation, his longing for dual cultivation growing ever more urgent.

At this rate, he wouldn’t even care if the girl was unattractive—once the lights were out, it was all the same!

What am I thinking? This is madness!

He quickly gathered his thoughts and took a cold shower.

When he opened the door, he was startled to find the corridor full of people.

“What are you all doing here?” Qin Chuan asked, puzzled.

“Grandfather was just worried you’d be disturbed, that’s all,” came Lan Jin’s voice as she approached.

Qin Chuan rubbed his nose awkwardly. Old Weimin was being a bit dramatic.

But why should he be the only one embarrassed? Someone else ought to share in it.

“You’ve come at just the right time. I was about to treat your body odor! Let everyone keep standing guard out here.”

He decided to drag Lan Jin into the awkwardness—if two people were embarrassed, it wouldn’t be so bad for him.

“Qin Chuan, I’ll get you for this!” Lan Jin lunged at him, teeth bared and claws out.

“One minute you beg me for help and call me ‘dad’; the next, you’re out for my blood. What a world, huh?”

Lan Jin froze mid-attack, mortified as all the bodyguards stared at her. She wished the earth would swallow her whole.

So embarrassing! Curse you, Qin Chuan—I’ll get you for this!

“Let it all end!” she howled, launching herself at him again.

She was determined to go down fighting, even if it meant perishing with the man who had just exposed her biggest secret.

Why is she so worked up? Qin Chuan thought, delighted by how well his plan to drag someone else into the awkwardness had worked.

He deftly dodged her attacks, then, in a flash, swept her up in his arms and carried her back into the room.

“No one is to disturb us without my permission. Disobey at your own peril.”

Bang!

With that warning, he slammed the door shut.

The bodyguards looked at each other in shock, struggling to process the implications of what they’d just heard.

Wait a minute… Miss Lan’s been carried into the room by Qin Chuan—could he be planning to have his way with her?

“Hurry… Hurry and report to the patriarch!” the captain ordered, not daring to interrupt them himself. Better to let the old master decide how to handle it.

Whatever happened next would be none of his concern.

The captain congratulated himself on his quick thinking.