The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Bashan City, Ye Mansion.

"Have you heard? That cheap son-in-law of our family head has returned."

"You mean the one engaged to the young lady since childhood? What kind of person is he? Does he even deserve our Miss Ye?"

"What can we do? The family head likes him! He left without a word four years ago, and now that he sees Miss Ye has joined the Divine Sword Sect, he wants to come back?"

"A toad lusting after a swan! Does he even know who he is?"

The maids cleaning the courtyard of the Ye Mansion whispered among themselves, their faces full of disdain.

Suddenly, their expressions froze. They quickly lowered their heads and dispersed, staring at the fallen leaves and dust on the ground.

Not far away stood a young man dressed simply, clearly having overheard their conversation.

"Am I the toad?" the young man muttered to himself, letting out a light chuckle.

This young man was none other than Lin Qian, the fiancé of the Ye family's young lady, whom the maids had just been gossiping about.

Lin Qian paid no mind to their words and walked away calmly.

The Ye Mansion was vast, housing the main and branch families along with nearly three thousand servants. Even though it was intricate and complex, Lin Qian, who had been away for four years, navigated it with ease.

His destination was the Inner Court, the council hall where the family's major affairs were discussed.

As Lin Qian approached the entrance of the council hall, he coincidentally encountered three people walking out.

The middle-aged man leading the group had a handsome appearance, sported a small mustache, dressed in luxurious attire, and carried himself with a dignified air.

This man was none other than Ye Nanxin, the current head of the Ye family and Lin Qian's future father-in-law.

Beside Ye Nanxin were two proud-looking sixteen-year-old youths, dressed in snow-white training robes covered by black cloaks.

Upon seeing Lin Qian, Ye Nanxin smiled and nodded slightly before leaving with the two youths.

Lin Qian watched Ye Nanxin depart, flexing his fingers, lost in thought.

Soon after, the council hall became noisy, with many people streaming out, passing by Lin Qian who stood at the entrance.

But as they passed him, their gazes were full of disgust, disdain, contempt, and scorn.

Even amidst the crowded flow of people, a space of half a zhang (approximately 1.66 meters) around Lin Qian remained conspicuously empty.

It was as if they felt that getting close to Lin Qian was a disgrace.

"They said you returned, and I didn't believe it, but here you are," a crisp voice called out from the right. Lin Qian turned to see a fourteen-year-old girl glaring at him.

"Ye Lin?" Lin Qian carefully observed the girl, recognizing her as his fiancée's cousin, the daughter of his future father-in-law's younger brother.

"My cousin is now a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect. You, a useless pretty boy, are not worthy of her," Ye Lin said disdainfully, looking at Lin Qian with contempt. "If you have any self-respect, you should break off the engagement yourself. Do you think returning now will allow you to cling to my cousin and rise to glory? Stop dreaming."

After finishing, Ye Lin turned and walked away but after taking a few steps, she looked back. "Only someone like Bai Ren, the City Lord's son and a prodigy, is worthy of my cousin. The City Lord has already proposed marriage, and Young Master Bai will soon return to Bashan City. Stop foolishly clinging to our Ye family."

Lin Qian crossed his arms over his chest, watching Ye Lin with interest but said nothing.

Seeing that Lin Qian didn't even respond, Ye Lin's disdain deepened. "Coward!"

As Ye Lin walked away without looking back, Lin Qian chuckled softly and turned to enter the council hall, standing out starkly against the flow of people leaving.

When Lin Qian stepped into the council hall, which could accommodate hundreds, it was already empty, with no one left inside.

On the front wall of the council hall hung a calligraphy piece with a single large character: "静" (Serenity).

Lin Qian casually found a seat in the council hall and sat down, quietly waiting, his expression unreadable.

Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the council hall. Lin Qian looked up to see Ye Nanxin rushing in.

"Uncle Ye!" Lin Qian quickly stood up and greeted with a smile as he saw Ye Nanxin enter.

Ye Nanxin hurried forward, grabbed Lin Qian's hand, and led him out of the council hall. "Qian'er, Uncle has an opportunity for you now. You must seize it."

"Uncle Ye, what kind of opportunity could make you so anxious?" Lin Qian withdrew his hand from Ye Nanxin's grasp with a bitter smile.

"Bashan City is under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Image Sect, which opens its doors every three years to recruit disciples. I want to send you to try."

"This world's martial artists rely on martial souls. I'm a useless person without a martial soul. How could I enter the Myriad Image Sect?" Lin Qian spread his hands helplessly upon hearing Ye Nanxin's words.

"Every time the Myriad Image Sect opens its doors, they send an inspector disciple to patrol the cities and families under their jurisdiction and allocate spots. Our Ye family, as usual, has three spots, plus one guaranteed spot."

"The guaranteed spot allows the holder to enter the sect regardless of their condition or aptitude. I want to secure this spot for you."

"The allocation of the guaranteed spot is entirely up to the inspector disciple. This time, the inspector disciple from the Myriad Image Sect is staying with our Ye family. I've arranged for you to stay in the courtyard next to theirs. You've always been clever and eloquent; make a good impression on them, and I'll be able to help you."

"Uncle Ye, there are three inspector disciples: one is the actual inspector, and the other two are merely assistants. I suspect that the one staying at our Ye Mansion is not the inspector but just one of the assistants. If that's the case, pleasing them won't help at all!" Lin Qian responded with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"The City Lord's son, Bai Ren, a genius, joined the Myriad Image Sect three years ago at the age of only fourteen. I've heard that he'll return soon. There's a high probability that he is the inspector this time. I have a good relationship with the City Lord, and I'll personally ask him for help." As Ye Nanxin spoke, he and Lin Qian had already reached a courtyard.

Standing at the courtyard gate, Ye Nanxin took a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to Lin Qian.

"This is a gift I've prepared. Go in and make a good impression on the two Myriad Image Sect disciples." Ye Nanxin patted Lin Qian on the shoulder. "Uncle Ye can only help you this much."

"Also, our girl writes home every month, asking if you've returned. She misses you very much." After saying this, Ye Nanxin nodded to himself and turned to leave.

Lin Qian stood at the courtyard gate, watching Ye Nanxin's departing figure in silence.

"How the rest of the Ye family treats me, what does it matter?" Lin Qian glanced at the storage bag in his hand and sighed. "As long as my future father-in-law and my future wife treat me well, that's enough!"

Tossing the storage bag in his hand, Lin Qian pushed open the courtyard gate and walked straight inside.

Bang!

Lin Qian shut the courtyard gate behind him, and the noise alerted the two proud youths from the Myriad Image Sect within the courtyard.

The two Myriad Image Sect disciples moved in a flash, using some unknown technique, and appeared instantly before Lin Qian.

Upon reaching Lin Qian, the disciples of the Myriad Image Sect showed no arrogance on their faces, cupping their fists and bowing in salute.

"Senior Brother Lin!"