Ling Hanyan seemed to have anticipated this matter.
After the engagement was brought up, she slowly stood up and said calmly, "Uncle Qin is my savior. I am deeply grateful and need no thanks. However, I have no intention of finding a partner at the moment. I only want to pursue martial arts for the rest of my life."
Ling Hanyan's answer was very calm, but everyone present could see that she had rejected the marriage proposal to Qin Fan.
Qin Ba was also surprised by Ling Hanyan's decisive answer, and his expression turned slightly unpleasant. Before he could offer any words of advice, Qin Fan spoke first.
“Father, I think Sister Hanyan is right. We are still young, so let’s talk about the engagement later.”
After saying this, Qin Fan gave Qin Shuzhen a wink, and she immediately understood his meaning, saying, "Father, let Fifth Brother and the others decide their own affairs. Anyway, I've always considered Sister Ling as my fifth sister-in-law."
After Qin Shuzhen finished speaking, she immediately hugged Ling Hanyan's arm, and the two appeared very intimate.
Ling Hanyan instinctively resisted the sudden title of "Fifth Sister-in-law," but with so many people present, directly refuting it would inevitably cause some embarrassment, so she remained silent.
"In that case, we'll listen to you young people," Qin Ba said with a smile, turning his gaze to Ling Hanyan and saying gently, "Come back and visit more often in the future."
“Okay, Uncle Qin.” Ling Hanyan replied calmly and then sat down at the banquet.
Qin Fan and Qin Shuzhen sat down next to her.
"Sister Hanyan, this engagement was Father's decision, so don't take it too seriously."
After taking their seats, Qin Fan began to explain.
Ling Hanyan nodded calmly without saying anything.
Qin Shuzhen, who was standing to the side, suddenly said with some regret, "It's a pity that Fifth Brother and Sister Ling won't be able to see the grand occasion of the Central Plains Pill Gathering this time."
"Hmm? What's wrong? Did you do something wrong and get grounded?" Ling Hanyan turned to Qin Shuzhen and asked.
Before Qin Shuzhen could speak, Qin Fan said directly, "This girl is fearless and reckless; who in the family can keep her at home?"
"Now that Shuzhen is eighteen years old, she needs to learn about the family's businesses and go to some towns to study for a period of time. This is something that every member of the Qin clan must go through."
Ling Hanyan nodded; she had naturally heard of this rule of the Qin clan.
In this Central Plains, there are many large families. Because of their large size and numerous towns and industries, many family members are sent to learn how to manage as soon as they come of age. After reaching a certain age, the family will eventually hand over some of the industries to them based on their performance.
Although Qin Shuzhen was reluctant to go, this was the strictest rule in the entire Qin clan. If she ran away to travel, it would not only affect her future status in the family, but also have a great impact on her father's lineage.
Now, within this vast Qin clan, the open and covert struggles between the three major lineages have begun to intensify. The lineages that have been sent out to take over, as well as many collateral lineages that are dependent on the Qin clan, have all begun to choose sides. At this critical juncture, any mistake would mean losing the opportunity to compete for the future leadership of the Qin clan.
Ling Hanyan had lived here for quite some time and was naturally aware of some of the circumstances surrounding the Qin clan, but she did not want to become a victim or pawn in this kind of internal family struggle.
Qin Fan is a man of exceptional talent, and his position within the Qin clan is also quite good. He would be an excellent choice for many women, but Ling Hanyan is not interested. She only wants to find a place where she can settle down and refine pills, but that is slowly becoming a luxury.
This banquet was ostensibly to welcome Ling Hanyan, but its true purpose was to let the other two major sects know that their Grand Elder's lineage had a seventh-grade beginner alchemist who was not only a disciple of the Tianxuan Sect but also an elder of the Tuocang Mountain Alchemy Academy.
With such a status, even if their branch doesn't become the head of the family in the future, the other two branches won't dare to be negligent. After all, Ling Hanyan is so young, and as long as she is still alive, it is unknown how far she can grow in the future.
If they can successfully advance to the eighth-grade alchemist level, it will be a great thing for the entire Qin clan, and the influence of the Qin clan on the entire Tianxuan Continent will become even stronger.
After the banquet ended quickly, Ling Hanyan bowed and then went to rest with Qin Shuzhen.
After seeing his clansmen off, Qin Ba called Qin Fan into his study. The father and son dismissed all the servants around them, seemingly worried about overhearing their conversation.
"Fan'er, the marriage is about to be settled, why did you suddenly give me that wink?"
Qin Ba didn't quite understand Qin Fan's actions. After all, he had saved Ling Hanyan's life, which was equivalent to being her second parent. He felt that as long as he was firm, even if Ling Hanyan was unwilling, she would agree to the marriage.
Qin Fan smiled and said to Qin Ba, "Father, don't worry, I will hold onto what I set my sights on firmly."
“Using such forceful methods may backfire. Although Ling Hanyan’s personality is very cold, I believe that as long as we slowly entangle her, we can easily win her over.”
"She owes us a favor, so we should make good use of it."
After their conversation, the father and son looked at each other and laughed. Qin Ba couldn't help but praise his son, saying, "It seems you've learned a lot from your grandfather lately."
"Although this alchemy competition is mainly a bet between the alchemy academy of Tianque City and the alchemy of Tuocang Mountain, you should still work hard and achieve good results at this grand event. This will increase your influence and give you more say in the clan in the future."
Qin Fan nodded slowly. He was naturally aware of this matter. Now a sixth-grade advanced alchemist, he was confident that he would shine brightly in this alchemy competition.
"By the way, Father, it seems that the Second Elder's lineage also sent people to the Eastern Wilderness."
"I heard that many of the spies we planted there have died. My cousin Qin Yi returned looking disheveled, but he seems to have suffered some serious injuries and is recuperating in the clan."
Qin Ba was naturally aware of these disappearances, and they had previously arranged for Qin Hongbing to join the Qin Clan of Tianyuan City in the Eastern Wilderness. However, that guy was too much trouble and died there. And what they were looking for had not been found.
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