Chapter 8: Make It Official!

“Grandpa, isn’t that too soon?” Ye Junyao panicked.

“Too soon? I want to see the certificates today.” The old man glared, ready to be angry if she refused.

In truth, his sharp eyes had already spotted the flaws in their story. Even the way they looked at each other was awkward. Clearly, she had found Qin Dong at the last minute to put on a show for him.

But so what? Qin Dong was a gifted physician and, more unusually, a decent young man who respected his elders and valued loyalty. A prospective grandson-in-law like that was hard to find. Now that he had appeared, Grandpa Ye had no intention of letting him go. Even if the relationship had started as a lie, he would make it real today.

Seeing his stubborn expression, Ye Junyao opened her mouth, then gave up. “All right. We’ll go now.”

She sighed inwardly and led Qin Dong out of the room.

Outside the sanatorium, she stopped and looked at him in amazement. “How do you know medicine? And how did you learn those Nine Needles of the Heavenly Dao Doctor Cao was talking about?”

According to her investigation, Qin Dong was an ordinary university student whose major had nothing to do with medicine.

Without missing a beat, he said, “My grandfather taught me. He used to be a village doctor.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “He must have been a master living in seclusion.”

Then she looked at him with gratitude. “You saved my grandfather. I owe you a favor. Come on, let’s go to the civil affairs bureau.”

“Wait, Ms. Ye. We agreed I’d pretend to be your boyfriend. Nobody said anything about registering a marriage.”

Her expression changed. “But you heard what Grandpa said…”

“Could we get a fake certificate?”

“No. Grandpa is very sharp. Don’t let his age fool you; he’d spot a fake immediately.” She looked at him almost pleadingly. “What if we register for real, then divorce in a month, once he’s recovered?”

Qin Dong refused at once. “How can I do that? I’d be divorced!”

“You’re wealthy and well-born, Ms. Ye. You won’t have trouble finding a man. But I’m poor and have no connections. If I’m divorced, finding a wife later will be difficult.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ll give you ten million yuan.”

“It’s not about money. Marriage is a major life decision. Being divorced can damage a man’s reputation. The emotional loss can’t be measured in—”

“Twenty million,” she interrupted coldly.

He broke into a grin. “Deal.”

She stared, then regarded him with disdain. “When I offered you five million before, you refused every penny. Why take it now?”

He cleared his throat. “The two things are different. That five million was to keep me, and I don’t accept being kept. This time I’m putting in the work of marrying you, so I should be paid.”

Ye Junyao was speechless. “Come on. Once we have the certificates, I’ll transfer the money.”

An hour later, they emerged from the civil affairs bureau side by side, each holding a bright red marriage certificate.

“Give me your bank account number,” she said coolly.

He rattled it off. She took out her phone and tapped the screen. Soon a message arrived on his phone: ten million yuan had been deposited.

“That’s half. I’ll pay the other ten million after we complete the divorce in a month.”

“No problem. Very generous, Ms. Ye.”

“I’m going back to see Grandpa. Take a taxi home.” She climbed into her car and drove away. Qin Dong hailed a cab.

…

Halfway back, Ye Junyao received a call.

“Ms. Ye, we’ve learned that the Three Fiends of Dongying have secretly entered Nanjiang City, but their whereabouts are unknown. The Nine Gates may have hired them to kill you. It’s dangerous here. Should you leave immediately?”

Her eyes narrowed, but her voice remained steady and commanding. “No. Send Ling Shuang to protect me. My plans in Nanjiang City will not change.”

…

An hour later, Qin Dong sat cross-legged on his bed in the apartment near the university district. He opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.

He had just refined a strand of Mystic Yin Qi absorbed from Ye Junyao during their dual cultivation. His cultivation had officially reached the first level of the Qi Refining Stage.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. An unfamiliar sense of strength filled his body.

The Flower-Transference Manual described four major realms of cultivation: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, returning spirit to the void, and merging the void with the Dao. The first corresponded to the Qi Refining Stage, which had twelve levels.

Ordinary cultivators grew stronger by patiently absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, a long and tedious process. Qin Dong was different. With his Sacred Dragon Physique, he could unite with women possessing one of ten rare physiques and refine their qi to accelerate his cultivation. In Ye Junyao’s case, that qi was Mystic Yin Qi.

His phone rang. The moment he answered, his boss Zheng Youwei burst into laughter.

“Young Qin, you’ve done us a tremendous service! Ms. Ye just sent someone to complete the paperwork. She bought all three Yunding Tiangong Villas outright!”

“Excellent work! Come to the office. I have to give you a big bonus today!”

After hanging up, Qin Dong marveled at it. The three villas cost well over a hundred million yuan, and Ye Junyao had bought them without blinking. She really was rich.

He showered, went out, and took a taxi. They hadn’t gone far when he sensed something wrong. Since reaching the first level of Qi Refining, his senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s. He could tell a black van was following close behind.

His eyes hardened. He told the driver to change routes.

More than twenty minutes later, they reached an abandoned, unfinished building on the outskirts of Nanjiang City. Qin Dong paid the fare and watched the taxi leave.

“You’ve followed me all this way. Come out!”

Three figures appeared before him like ghosts, each radiating a fearsome, predatory presence.