Tension ran high in Qin Yun's courtyard as his stepmother and a regiment of guards burst through the front gate uninvited. Yun Jingfei had been practising her swordplay since early morning and wasn't too thrilled to be disturbed in the middle of it, especially since she wasn't in a habit of wearing her mask while at home.

In a motion quicker than lightning, she donned the mask before the intruders could see her features. Then, with a light wooden sword in hand, she prepared herself for the eventual clash before being reined in by Qin Yun. Although Yun Jingfei was acquainted with the woman leading the charge, she could honestly say she didn't have a good first impression of her.

While they met during the banquet, all she received from her was contempt and derision; she didn't even try to seem amiable even before the Yun Clan. Yun Jingfei could only shake her head, thinking that this woman's haughty nature would eventually bite her when she crossed someone she couldn't afford to.

Knowing when to push forth and when to fold was paramount in this world. Yun Jingfei had been made painfully aware of it through her recent circumstances. As such, she understood Qin Yun's intentions. It wouldn't do to antagonize this woman any further, yet she couldn't help but feel her blood boil as they so brazenly strutted into their haven as if they owned the place.

She could barely keep herself from cutting them down where they stood. Qin Yun, knowing her inner turmoil, gently wrapped his arms around her slim waist, restraining her. Feeling his touch in public, Yun Jingfei couldn't help but blush slightly under her mask. While they had been intimate multiple times already, doing so in front of others simply wasn't in her nature.

Seeing the calmness on Qin Yun's face, despite being surrounded, his stepmother couldn't help but frown. Her look was that of extreme scorn, and she barely bothered to mask it. Despite being subservient to his family, even her men looked at them both with contempt. It was apparent none of them acknowledged him as a member of the Qin Clan. Also, it seemed Yun Jingfei's matter had already been known for some time.

“Mother, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Qin Yun asked in an inviting tone.

While the woman despised him to her core, he, on the other hand, felt no strong emotions for her, one way or another. She was utterly inconsequential in his plans. Still, he would always remain cordial, even when she was blatantly provoking him, which only infuriated her further.

Of course, Qin Yun was aware of this, which was precisely why he did it. This was his small revenge. While he could ignore most of her outbursts, sending assassins after him rubbed him the wrong way. While he didn't want to cut ties with the clan then, he had to remind them that he wasn't to be messed with. Unfortunately, his warnings tended to fall on deaf ears.

The woman herself was youthful and alluring; it was no wonder why his father would want to marry her. Still, she was only his third wife and also the mother of Qin Yun's young brother and sister. As far as he knew, his father's first wife had died of illness shortly after this woman was brought into the household. Then, shortly after, Qin Yun's mother disappeared, leaving Qin Yun alone.

While there was no conclusive evidence, Qin Yun figured this woman was responsible for both. Or at least the family on this woman's side had to be involved.

Her name was Ma Mingzhu, formerly of the Ma Clan, which had been rivals with his family ever since they migrated to Jin City. As for why a marriage between the two families had been arranged, Qin Yun had heard some rumours but wasn't interested enough to find out. As far as he knew, Ma Mingzhu had been the one to push for it; something about how smitten she had been with Qin Yun’s father ever since he rescued her in his younger years.

Anyway, her arrival at this time couldn't bode well for the couple.

“The clan decided to build a new workshop, and my husband has graciously offered them this courtyard," Ma Mingzhu said, sneering maliciously. "You must move out immediately as we need to begin demolition."

Qin Yun's eyebrow rose slightly as a broad smile graced his visage, yet such a smile seemed eerily creepy. Yun Jingfei, on the other, could barely contain herself as she had grown fond of their small haven of tranquillity where she could immerse herself in the path of the sword. She would hate to see it go, especially since her husband had put so much care and attention into making it so that she would be comfortable here. Still, Qin Yun wouldn’t let her loose just yet.

“Where should we relocate then?" Qin Yun asked calmly, not bothering to entertain their obviously hostile demeanour.

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“How is that any of the clan’s concerns?” Ma Mingzhu said, filled with contempt so thick, one could liken it to honey, yet it had none of its sweetness. “Wherever you go is none of our business, but the clan had no more space for you.”

Qin Yun knew this was a lie since the clan had many vacant buildings. Still, he expected this stepmother of his to have been thorough in her scheme.

“I expect you made sure of that,” Qin Yun replied, still unconcerned.

Ma Mingzhu deeply despised this nonchalant attitude and her expression reflected as much. Without bothering with further dialogue, she motioned for her men to begin the demolition process. Seeing the home she had found after so long being destroyed, Yun Jingfei couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

She sprung from Qin Yun’s embrace, brandishing her wooden sword. Ma Mingzhu's guards, as if expecting this reaction from them, brandished their own weapons and met her head-on. Yet, what they met was akin to a hurricane.

While not experts in their own rights, the guards were still a force to be reckoned with, with the weakest being at the 9th level of the Qi Refinement Realm. Yet, they stood no chance against Yun Jingfei's fury.

She danced with her wooden sword while her blue dress fluttered in the wind with each movement she made. Her steps were graceful as she ran amok on this improvised battlefield. Yet, her blows were overbearing, shattering her prey's armour with every strike despite her weapon being a mere wooden blade.

The men surrounded her, limiting the space she could use, yet such actions were futile as she simply plowed her way through with overwhelming might.

While her path had only just begun, Yun Jingfei had already walked farther than most, and her display showed as much. Still, Qin Yun was critical in his observations. His wife's display was worthy of the Sword of Hardness, as every blow made the men buckle under the pressure. Yet, he found her motions much too straightforward.

It was expected, as most cultivators could only determine the victor through overwhelming might. Usually, Realm is the only deciding factor between victory and defeat. Experience and tactics are secondary. As such, most wouldn't waste their time studying this.

Yet, experience was paramount for a Sword Cultivator. How could one hope to prevail against someone able to engage the world's Qi with merely a sword in hand if not for tactics and deception? While the sword alone was mighty, the one holding it would also need to be.

There was an old saying Qin Yun had encountered in one of his previous life. For a sword cultivator, there is no such thing as realm. There are only those you can kill and the rest. While some nuance was lost in translation, Qin Yun deeply agreed with it. Nothing could resist your will as long as you were intent on cutting.

Still, Yun Jingfei was still far from that realm. While she possessed the talent, her journey on that path was much too shallow to understand its intricacies. She would need much more time to delve deeper. Still, this event could prove useful moving forward. She could know her own inadequacies and mend them.

As such, Qin Yun stood back and only watched his wife deal with them. The fight intensified. While the group had been in control at first, as they outnumbered her, and the battle had been at a standstill, Yun Jingfei soon reclaimed the initiative.

With each blow, her strikes became faster and much more deadly. Still, at Qin Yun's insistence, she did her best not to take any lives and only chose to incapacitate them. Slaughtering them would be counter-productive as Qin Yun had no doubts that his stepmother would find a way to hold it against them, even if they clearly knew that these men weren't part of the Qin Clan.

In fact, Qin Yun was sure these men were hired thugs loaned to his stepmother from the Ma Clan. While she was now a Qin, she still retained quite a lot of influence as she was the granddaughter of the Ma Clan’s patriarch’s older brother. One word from her could make Qin Yun’s life annoying.

While she usually didn't bother with that, as she thought of Qin Yun as a tiny insect that she could easily crush, if Qin Yun were to push her too far, he would have to do much more than simply ignore her. He would probably have to crush her whole family. Still, he wouldn't be averse to doing so if they pushed him too far.

Seeing the men collapse as Yun Jingfei's sword blows rained on them, the man standing next to Ma Mingzhu chose to enter the fray. He was tall and burly, standing two heads taller than Yun Jingfei herself. He held a large black halberd and donned a sturdy golden armour. Above his head rotated a dark brown Lotus Platform possessing ten leaves.

"Don't bother; you cannot match her. Leave her to me!" the man yelled, prompting his men to disengage.

While Yun Jingfei wished to pursue them and make them pay for damaging their house, the man's aura prompted her to stop. While she had once been in the same realm as this man, she was now far from her former peak. Still, this wouldn't mean she would back down.

She lightly swung her wooden sword in front of her, verifying its structure's integrity, before pouncing again, not letting the man take the initiative. Unfortunately, her charge was thwarted. The man slammed the butt of his halberd into the ground, destroying her foothold. She stumbled slightly at this unexpected move but quickly regained her balance.

In her frustration, she kicked a stone tile, aiming straight for his jaw, yet the man effortlessly swatted it away with the back of his hand. With a slight mocking grin, the man stepped forward, spreading an oppressive aura in his surroundings. She felt her legs grow heavy yet resisted while gritting her teeth. Knowing a protracted battle would leave her at a disadvantage, she chose to gamble it all on one blow.

She crouched slightly, putting all her weight into a single foot before lunging forward, using her legs as springs. Her feet dug deeply into the now uncovered dirt before launching into the air from the impact. With her sword pointed forward, she sped like an arrow, aiming straight for the man's neck.

Her speed was too overbearing for the man to react, and her aim was true; the point of her wooden weapon met its mark. Sadly, a golden aura radiated from the man's armour, stopping her blow mere millimetres from its target.

With all the force of the impact being concentrated into a single point, the wooden sword couldn't handle the strain and shattered into countless shards, tumbling to the ground as if rain. With her weapon lost and her hopes all but crushed, the man burst into laughter and swung his black halberd downwards.