Xie Qing felt as if he was the only viin in this situation, although, in essence, he was not to me…


    Yin Jinhua looked as if her heart had been torn apart. Well, it seemed that this "secret" could greatly affect the reputation and future growth of the Yin family. The young man pondered.


    His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, creating a charming melody that even brought the girls into a state of prostration. Finally, after a few minutes, he spoke.


    "I need a girl with a preserved Yin Source…" the young man said calmly, in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were talking about vegetables in a garden.


    "This…"


    Of course, his demands were outrageous to Yin Jinhua. The head of the Yin family narrowed her eyes behind her veil, and her eyebrows furrowed.


    The Yin Source, simply put, is virginity. In the Yin family, virgin girls were highly valued, for the longer she preserved her virginity, the stronger her talent would be in the future.


    And therefore, few were willing to give up their Yin Source, especially if it concerned the younger generation of the Yin family, who valued their virginity and were not willing to exchange it even for hundreds of thousands of spiritual stones.


    "You understand… the value of the Yin Source in our family, right?" Yin Yu Chen said, frowning. Her hands clenched into fists as she raised her voice when she saw Xie Qing nod: "And you still insist, knowing this? Are you willing to offend our Yin family?"


    "Offend?" Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard a funny joke, and then shrugged, remaining nonchnt. His voice was calm, with a certain hoarseness: "With all due respect, I did not initially n to tell the story of the ancestor of the Yin family to the public. However, Lady Yin considered me weak and even dared to threaten me. And here the question arises – who offended whom?


    Do you consider yourselves invincible? Hmph!"


    The young man snorted, waving his right hand, and a terrifying Qi emerged from his body. The pressure was unbearable, so much so that Yin Jinhua and Yin Yu Chen fell to their knees. Even Xian Jue was affected.


    However, when the young man sighed, the pressure disappeared, as if it had never been there! This level of control… was terrifying!


    "And, so that you do not consider me some kind of bastard, I will add from myself – I will not force anyone. However, I possess high-quality Yang Qi, which can bring benefits to you," the young man said calmly, exining his point of view and borating on his intentions: "Moreover, I have a special technique that will help me and my partner raise our level and even improve our attribute.


    Isn''t that good?"


    "I… don''t even know how to respond…"


    Yin Jinhua sat back in her chair and pondered. Although it was unpleasant for her to realize that in the current situation they were in a losing position… hearing the young man''s words, she felt that there was not a trace of deceit in them.


    As cultivators, they could read each other''s Qi flows and thus easily determine whether the speaker was lying or not. And all this time, Xie Qing''s Qi flow was calm, like a river''s surface.


    And after that, the question remained – who exactly would be this man''s partner?


    "Mother… I am willing to make the sacrifice!" Yin Yu Chen suddenly volunteered, stepping forward. She ced her hand on her chest, looking up high and appearing as if she were a martyr taking on the burden of the mortal world.


    "My daughter… u-u-u…"


    Yin Jinhua and Yin Yu Chen embraced. The young man was at a loss for words.


    "What a performance! I feel like a viin now," Xie Qing shook his head, expressing his thoughts aloud: "Again, I am not forcing anyone. So stop acting like martyrs, pff…"


    Yin Jinhua stopped pretending and sat back in her ce. Yin Yu Chen approached Xie Qing and bowed.


    "Master, if you do not mind, I will be your partner for tonight…" she said, clutching the hem of her dress, feeling shame and irritation.


    In fact, she did not just decide to sacrifice herself. Yin Jinhua had sent her a mental message that if she made this sacrifice, she would be given a precious resource – the Ice Lotus.


    The Ice Lotus was a special treasure for cultivators with the Yin attribute; it could help strengthen the Yin attribute in the body. Therefore, the Yin family preserved it as a vital resource and kept it for the most valuable talents.


    "Although it will be a pity to lose my Yin Source… in exchange, I will receive a valuable treasure!" Yin Yu Chen''s eyes lit up.


    On his part, Xie Qing simply observed the entire situation with a neutral expression. He had long since lost his ability to speak due to the acting of these two women.


    ***


    The next steps involved signing a contract. Although it was not as strict as the Heavenly Oath, it still had a binding force that not even Immortals could possibly defy.


    "Master, this is the ''Blood Oath'' contract. We can be assured of your words only after your signature…" Yin Jinhua presented a yellow parchment on which nothing was written.


    From the outside, it looked like an ordinary parchment, but… as soon as Xie Qing dripped his blood onto it, words began to appear on the parchment.


    [Blood Representative #2 agrees to keep the secret of the Yin family and never reveal it. Blood Representative #1 agrees to…]


    In general, it was a rather long contract, imposing restrictions on both sides. Xie Qing was satisfied.


    "Very well, I have seen your sincerity. You can be assured that not a word about your secret will leave my lips," the young man said casually, sping his hands behind his back and strolling like an old Daoist. He approached the door and opened it, saying as he left: "Oh, by the way, I live in the ''Silver Moon'' inn, I will be waiting for you as my guest, Miss Yin Yu Chen."


    "Ah, yes… of course…" the girl replied with a rather forced smile behind her veil.


    The young man nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Almost immediately, Yin Jinhua and Yin Yu Chen acquired a cold aura, looking irritated.


    "Damn! Damn! If it weren''t for my hasty steps… that bastard!" Yin Jinhua gritted her teeth, then looked at her daughter and sent her a mental message: "Make sure he can''t get out of bed! I will pass on a secret technique to you!"


    "Yes, Mother!"


    ***


    Xie Qing strolled casually through the capital. Lu Yin was at the inn with her fellow disciples, so it might be a bit tricky to get there.


    Nevertheless, today''s auction had truly amused him. Surprisingly, everything went quite smoothly, and he even got the opportunity to obtain the Yin Source.


    Although for him, as a man, the Yin attribute was considered poisonous, thanks to the Dual Cultivation technique he had long possessed, his cultivation level could be raised to a new stage.


    "Although, from the outside, it sounded as if I were the viin…" Xie Qing twisted the corners of his mouth: "But they are to me. These women from the Yin family love to humiliate the weak and fawn over the strong. Moreover, such amusing threats towards me… I don''t even know how to react…"


    He shook his head. The Yin family was influential in the Dynasty, but who was he? An Imperial Censor, the heir to a sect, and a talented cultivator. Who would want to offend him for the sake of one mere Yin family?


    ***


    "Your Majesty…"


    In a luxurious garden, on a bench by the river where swans sshed, sat a woman of unearthly beauty.


    Silver hair tied in a ponytail… silver eyes filled with boredom.


    And a beautiful white robe.


    This was Her Majesty the Empress, ruler of the Huanglun Dynasty.


    And approaching her was a servant dressed in a gray outfit. She bowed to the ground, never stopping her report for a second.


    "The person you asked to be followed is in the capital, Your Majesty. It seems he had some business with the Yin family. He is currently strolling through the capital…"


    "Hmm?"


    The Empress made a curious hum, turning to the servant. She narrowed her eyes, hearing her words.


    "Xie Qing, huh? He hasn''t appeared for a whole year, and that bitch Xu Mei didn''t even want to answer my calls. How annoying. It seems he still doesn''t trust me," she thought, feeling a slight offense.


    And especially remembering that this rude young man only contacted her when he needed help… The Empress frowned and issued an order in a cold voice.


    "Have hime to me in the garden. Immediately."


    "As Your Majestymands!"


    The servant stood up and bowed, then disappeared in a sh. Yu Longfeng snorted, returning to her observation of the swans.


    "Hmm? Is this… a mating dance?"


    The Empress was at a loss for words.