Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Qin Chuan and his son had been living peacefully in the Seven Martial Sect, with everything going smoothly and no conflicts arising as they had initially anticipated.

Of course, Qin Chuan knew that with his son's propensity for causing trouble, it was only a matter of time before something happened.

The fact that nothing had happened so far was likely due to his position as an elder, which had warded off most potential issues.

After all, in most cases, the initial conflicts for a true protagonist stem from a lack of backing, leading to provocations and ridicule by minor antagonists.

Then comes the inevitable face-slapping, escalating the conflict.

But now, with his son having a powerful elder for a father, those minor antagonists naturally didn't get the chance to make a move.

However…

A true protagonist naturally attracts resentment. Just because nothing has happened yet doesn't mean his son has been getting along well with everyone in the sect.

Many people might already harbor ill feelings towards his son, but their anger hasn't reached a boiling point yet—it just hasn't erupted.

So why didn't he just have his son provoke the strong directly?

For example, he could have his son insult the elders to their faces, challenge the Sect Master, throw rocks at the Grand Elder, or even unbutton his pants and urinate on the statue of the sect's founder…

Because that wouldn't work! First, his son had his own sense of judgment and wouldn't engage in such blatant nonsense. If Qin Chuan forced him to act that way, it would likely lower his son's opinion of him.

Second, if his son took the initiative to cause trouble, he would lose the moral high ground. If his actions sparked widespread anger, the sect's senior figures might crush him!

And the system wouldn't be of much help either.

If people targeted his son, Qin Chuan would grow stronger, but what if they didn't target his son and instead directly passed judgment on him?? As the saying goes, "If a child is not taught, the fault lies with the father."

It's like if your child steals fruit from Uncle Wang next door. If Uncle Wang directly hit your child, you could claim, "He's just a child," and then your power would soar, allowing you to retaliate against Uncle Wang.

But the problem is…

Uncle Wang is unlikely to hit your child; instead, he might catch him in the act and bring him back to you, demanding compensation.

What would you do then?

Could you still retaliate?

Of course not, because you would be in the wrong!

Imagine the scene.

Qin Zi is dragged before him by several elders, and then a Tongtian Realm Grand Elder questions him, asking why he instructed his son to engage in such unreasonable behavior.

How could he respond?

If he denied it and said his son acted on his own, unrelated to him, his image in his son's eyes would crumble.

But if he adopted the stance of an invincible strongman and declared, "I, Qin, have never needed to explain my actions to anyone," he'd likely get beaten senseless on the spot, and that would be even worse!

In conclusion.

Even if they wanted to stir up trouble, they couldn't do it proactively or in an overly blatant manner. They had to follow the principle of passive provocation.

Whether it was setting traps or intentionally luring opponents, the key was to make sure the antagonists initiated the conflict and struck first!

Only then could they ensure they held the moral high ground, preventing themselves from being caught speechless in the face of accusations.

In this world, there aren't many true reasons to argue, but most people still prefer to "reason things out."

The key lies in… the argument itself.

The actual facts aren't as important; as long as you can refute your opponent's points with logic and confidence, then you are in the right! "Elder Qin, something terrible has happened—Qin Zi has caused trouble!"

At that moment, a panicked voice rang out. Qin Chuan turned his head to see a burly young man, panting heavily.

Qin Chuan recognized him; he was a new friend Qin Zi had made in the sect, the grandson of another elder, named Niu Mang.

"What happened?"

Qin Chuan asked calmly.

"Elder Qin, Qin Zi… he broke a few of Elder Wu's grandson Wu Xiu's ribs, and it seems… his dantian might be damaged!"

Niu Mang said anxiously.

"Why did they fight?"

Qin Chuan remained as calm as ever.

"It seems that Wu Xiu's lackeys were bullying a pair of siblings who had just joined the sect, and Qin Zi stepped in to teach them a lesson."

"When Wu Xiu heard about it, he came to demand an apology from Qin Zi, but instead, Qin Zi berated Wu Xiu for failing to discipline his men, saying the rotten roof corrupts everything beneath it… and then they started fighting."

Niu Mang explained carefully.

Hearing this, Qin Chuan nodded in satisfaction. As expected of a true protagonist, his son always managed to take the moral high ground when causing trouble!

That's the hallmark of a true protagonist.

As long as the initial intent was to uphold justice, no matter what followed, it could be justified!

Even if it eventually led to exterminating an entire family, onlookers would still cheer, because… they were rooting out evil.

But in reality, many people hide behind the guise of justice to act out, taking the opportunity to vent their own violence.

Isn't online bullying just like this? Some people, dark and repressed inside, have no outlet for their emotions, so when they hear any rumors online, they seize the chance to lash out, striving to ruin someone's life completely.

In the end, a person might be driven to suicide over something that may not even be true, and these so-called righteous people still think they're in the right…

"Human nature is so ugly."

"And I'm just as ugly."

Qin Chuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, then stood up and said, "Where are they? Lead the way."

"Follow me!"

Niu Mang turned and hurried off.

…

In the mission square.

A large crowd had gathered, but no one dared approach the center. They all stood at the edges, forming a large circle.

In the middle of the square were two figures.

One was a handsome young man curled up on the ground, clutching his abdomen. His face was pale, sweat the size of beans dripping from his forehead, but he bit his lip, refusing to cry out in pain.

The other was Qin Zi, standing a short distance away, looking somewhat at a loss.

He hadn't expected that after half a month of intense training, he'd become so powerful that he lost control when using his strength.

Now he was in a dilemma.

He couldn't run because running would not only make him look weak, but it would also seem like he was fleeing in guilt—something he couldn't afford to do.

But just standing there and waiting was a torment because the other party's family was about to arrive.

He had injured someone this badly; how was he supposed to explain it when the other person's elders showed up?

To be honest, he had indeed gone a bit too far this time, so he felt somewhat guilty.

When you're in the wrong, even if you're facing an old man who can't even kill a chicken, you'll feel apprehensive.

"Xiu'er!"

At that moment, an elderly voice called out, and the crowd immediately parted to create a path.

An old man in luxurious robes hurried over and knelt down, lifting the young man's head onto his lap.

"Grandfather…"

Wu Xiu loosened his clenched teeth, his voice trembling slightly. It seemed speaking had aggravated his broken ribs, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Hurry, take this Third-Grade Bone Mending Pill."

Elder Wu produced a milky-white pill and without hesitation, placed it into his grandson's mouth.

After swallowing the pill, Wu Xiu's face suddenly turned red, his body convulsing as if he were having an epileptic seizure.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Rapid, intense sounds emanated from his chest, as if his broken ribs were quickly realigning.

It took a while for the convulsions to stop. Wu Xiu lay there, exhausted, breathing heavily, his eyes vacant…

Seeing this, Elder Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

At least his grandson's life had been saved!

Then he laid Wu Xiu gently on the ground, slowly turned to face Qin Zi, and began to rise to his feet.

His slightly wrinkled face grew darker and darker as he coldly asked, "How do you explain this?"

Whoosh! Under the intensity of Elder Wu's gaze, Qin Zi's body tensed, as if every pore was being pricked by needles.

"I… I didn't mean to."

Qin Zi replied weakly.

Even though his father was an invincible strongman, his own confidence faltered, after all… he had shattered the man's dantian!

"Destroying someone's dantian, ruining their future… does an apology suffice?"

Elder Wu asked coldly.

"Then… what do you want?"

Qin Zi asked, steeling himself.

"Hmph, an eye for an eye!"

Elder Wu's eyes flashed with a cold light as he raised his withered right hand and pointed it at Qin Zi's abdomen!

Whoosh! A streak of cold light shot out, incredibly fast, carrying a force so sharp it could pierce anything.

If it hit, Qin Zi's dantian would be destroyed!

The issue is, Uncle Wang next door is unlikely to hit your child.

That's a big problem