"You little girl, how rude! I was a strong cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage in my lifetime, and I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. How could I be useless!"
"Senior, you've eaten so much salt, doesn't that mean you're like a salted fish?"
Hearing this, the old man was furious that the girl dared to call him a salted fish. His long hair transformed into several whips, lashing out at Xiao Man. Xiao Man dodged repeatedly, but the old man's attacks were tricky. Even with her extreme speed, she still took several lashes, and the places hit by the old man burned fiercely.
Xiao Man stared warily at the elder. She had initially thought a spirit body couldn't harm anyone, but she had been careless. A wound had already appeared on her wrist, bleeding. The blood dripped from her wrist onto the bare ground, and was instantly absorbed. Countless flowers and plants grew from the previously empty ground, adding a splash of color to the barren space.
The elder stared at the flowers and plants growing on the ground, his face full of surprise. After a moment, he teleported in front of Xiao Man and expertly grabbed her wrist.
Xiao Man's heart leaped in alarm. The dagger hidden in her sleeve instantly appeared in her hand, slashing towards the old man's chest. The old man sneered, unfazed. How could such a mortal object harm him!
However, Xiao Man's dagger had indeed wounded him. As a spirit body, he wouldn't bleed, but his body became transparent. The old man immediately let go of Xiao Man and put distance between them.
"What is that dagger in your hand?"
"This?" Xiao Man held up the dagger. "It's just an ordinary dagger."
"How could an ordinary dagger wound me?" the old man's face contorted with rage. "And your... girl, what is your name?"
"My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Man," Xiao Man said calmly.
"What is your relationship with the Qin family?"
"Which Qin family?" Xiao Man asked with a bewildered expression. Did the Qin family have something to do with her maternal lineage?
"The Cang Xuan Qin family, possessing the bloodline inheritance, the Myriad Poison Golden Body."
Xiao Man's expression became even more confused, but her heart was in turmoil. So the ancient Qin family had indeed traveled from the Cang Xuan continent to her original world. This meant she could also return, as long as she found a way back. As for why the Cang Xuan Qin family went to the continent she was on, it was probably to escape calamity!
"Senior, this junior does not know what you are talking about."
"You don't know?" the elder asked in surprise. A person possessing the Myriad Poison Golden Body didn't know they possessed it. Could this girl be the illegitimate daughter of some scoundrel from the Qin family?
"The Qin family, one of the Six Great Clans of Cang Xuan, have you not heard of them?"
"Senior, Cang Xuan only has Five Great Clans, not six. And there is no Qin family among the Five Great Clans." Xiao Man told the elder what she knew. This person had survived in the Tongtian Tower for too long and likely didn't know that the outside world had already undergone drastic changes.
"No Qin family among the clans?" the elder asked incredulously. "Where did the Qin family go?"
"They were likely wiped out. Perhaps a few survivors were captured by some force and used as blood slaves," Xiao Man's voice sounded exceptionally calm, as if the people being used as blood slaves were not her kin.
"How could this be?" The elder was clearly devastated, unable to comprehend how the once glorious Qin family had fallen to such a state. "Has the Qin family truly no one left?"
"My mother should be from the Qin family, but she was captured. To this day, I don't know her whereabouts, nor do I know who captured her." Xiao Man looked at the elder, observing his emotional changes to try and guess if this person had any connection to the Qin family.
"How many Qin family members are left?"
"I don't know. On the Cang Xuan continent, Qin family members are not people but medicine, desired by all. Therefore, my ancestors led the Qin family to flee Cang Xuan continent for another continent. However... the people here did not let us go. The Qin family that fled to another continent was also annihilated. To this day, only I have survived."
"Damn it, truly damnable!" the elder was furious. His long hair, reaching the ground, stirred without wind due to his anger, as if wanting to vent all his hatred.
"Senior, are you a member of the Qin family?" Xiao Man asked cautiously. The Tongtian Tower was something left by her ancestors. This person being trapped in the Tongtian Tower would only have two identities: a member of the Qin family or an enemy of the Qin family. Based on the elder's reaction, this person must be a Qin family member.
"I am Qin Aotian."
"Never heard of him," Xiao Man said with a blank expression. She truly hadn't heard of him. After all, her mother was captured the moment she was born, and anyone who knew about the Qin family's past affairs had been killed.
The elder choked, glaring at this impudent junior. "I am the Qin family's ancestor!"
"All the Qin family members are dead, and you, ancestor, have become a spirit," Xiao Man's sharp tongue pierced directly into the elder's heart. The elder immediately felt a pang. He wanted to teach Xiao Man a good lesson, but he worried about her injuring the girl if he wasn't careful, as Qin family blood was precious and shouldn't be shed carelessly.
"Girl, do you know who destroyed the Qin family?"
"I don't know, but this junior is investigating, and will find out one day." Xiao Man's expression turned cold. "When I discover the mastermind behind it, I will certainly not let them off!"
"Anyone capable of annihilating the entire Qin family must be a powerful being on the Cang Xuan continent. With your cultivation, seeking revenge? You wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth!" Old Qin snorted. "The Qin family has truly declined. A direct descendant with the bloodline inheritance is only at the seventh stage of Qi Refining. I am so ashamed I can't even face anyone."
Xiao Man shrugged. "Ancestor, I'm someone who just crawled out of the Land of Nowhere. Don't be too harsh on me."
"Is it me, your ancestor, who is harsh on you?" Old Qin was quite pleased with Xiao Man calling him ancestor. This little thing finally knew to respect her elders. "It's your enemies who are harsh on you. If your enemy were a powerful cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage, how would you seek revenge?"
"Don't I still have you, ancestor?" Xiao Man grinned and leaned towards Old Qin. "Ancestor, you are a strong cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage. Even as a spirit, you are a Nascent Soul stage spirit. Those people outside are all ants before you, not worth mentioning. With your guidance, I have no doubt I will achieve great things."
Old Qin stroked his long beard, his face showing undisguised pride. "Naturally. You should see who I am."
"Ancestor, as a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse, how did you become a spirit?" Xiao Man asked cautiously. A Nascent Soul stage cultivator lives for three thousand years. Unless their lifespan was nearing its end and they couldn't traverse the spatial rifts to higher realms, how could they become a spirit?