97 Rumors 1

As it turned out, the welcome for the Hunters returning to the Heaven Sword School was a lot warmer than the previous occasion. And Qin Feng didn't miss the presence of some more senior Inner School disciples, apparently observing the proceedings from the side. And all of these seemed to show a distinct warmth towards Elder Ming Guanhe.

Who didn't bother to reveal the contents of his inter-spacial ring to the ones doing the inspection. And those same fellows did nothing more than give the medicine basket that Qin Feng was carrying more than a cursory glance.

From the look of things, it was rather clear that Ming Guanhe's status within the Heaven Sword School was no longer as simple as it used to be. And anyone associated with him looked like they were similarly going to rise as well.

Qin Feng wondered about that as he picked up his medicinal herbs, and made ready to head back to his own field. This was not something that he had expected, when he headed out with Elder Ming. Who was now surrounded by all those fawning Inner School disciples, so much so that he hardly had any time to deal with the rest of the group that had just returned from the Hunt.

None of them seemed to have noticed Qin Feng, however . So he didn't waste any time, and started to creep away from the Gate. He wanted nothing more than to hurry back to the medicine fields, well away from where all the gossip and rumors were originating. This looked to be something far more complex than what he had expected.

Unfortunately, things did not turn out as he had hoped.

He was almost out of the Square, that Elder Ming suddenly called out to him. And in a manner that hinted that their relationship was not as simple as everyone had thought!

"Feng'er ah! Don't forget to come over tonight for dinner. I'll be telling my daughter to include your share, so don't you dare be late! At sunset, remember? Otherwise, I'll let her deal with you herself!"

Qin Feng froze under the weight of the stares at once. Every eye in the area within the Gate was clearly focused on him, and he could do nothing but nod his head and promise the Elder that he would be at the Elder's Court on time.

Then he turned and fled the scene at once. How had things turned out like this?

By the time that he got back to his own medicine field, word had already spread. And continued to spread, as he concentrated on his gains, putting them away inside his little house. But no matter how quickly he moved, he was barely half-way done with his clean-up when someone came calling at his small farm.

It was Lingxi, and she had a rather agitated expression on her face, as she shouted out at him, drawing his attention. And she didn't waste any time either, running over the last stretch of the path, to interrogate him at once, about the rumors that had been floating around for the last hour or two.

Which ranged from him being Elder Ming Guanhe's personal disciple to being his choice of a son-in-law, meant to marry his only daughter. And it was clear that the latter story was the most popular. With the most versions being spread about:

Like how he had managed to win the old man over, with his performance at his medicine field, and with his outstanding performance during the Hunts that he had taken part in. Not to mention his knowledge of the weird and unusual herbs that Elder Ming Guanhe was fond of bringing back.

Indeed, how Elder Ming had shared his gains from the last Hunt with him was already making the rounds again. A sign that he was determined to nab Qin Feng for a son-in-law?

There were even some tales that involved the other Elders as well. Like how Elder Ming was stepping in first, before Elder Xuan put in his claim, for his own daughter's sake. After all, hadn't Xuan Mei been seen, helping to tend his injuries, just a short while back?

Lingxi, naturally, didn't waste any time telling Qin Feng all about these variations, as she demanded to know what was really going on. Which had the young man holding his own head, and groaning at the idle disciples of both the Inner and Outer Schools. Didn't they have anything else better to do than gossip about this?

"So, is it true? That you are helping Elder Ming Guanhe to look for herbs to help his daughter deal with her illness? And that she has fallen head over heels in love with you already? Have you even met her? Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I haven't met her! All of that is nothing but a story that somebody made up! Elder Ming just wants me over to talk to me about some medicinal herbs that we found together!" Qin Feng moaned.

Lingxi sniffed as she gave him a look that said that she didn't altogether believe him. And she couldn't avoid teasing him either. "So, you have already pulled Elder Ming to your side already, to the point where you are asking him for advice about medicinal herbs now? So it is true, huh? He's already looking at you as a potential son-in-law. What else could it be?"

"His son-in-law?"

Qin Feng gave her a glare as soon as he heard that. "What nonsense are you talking about? I haven't even seen his daughter once! How can I suddenly be a potential son-in-law?"

"Well, you don't have to meet her at all, you know. So long as he approves of you, the deal is as good as done. Besides, I doubt that his daughter would refuse the son-in-law that he has picked. Especially when he has proved himself so capable in handling herbs in the wild."

She sniffed at him again then, as if a little jealous. Whether it was because of the attention that he was drawing, or because she did not care to have him stolen away by an Elder's daughter, he certainly did not have a clue!

But it was enough for him to drag up a simple excuse, so that he could get away from her surmises and her questions.

"Enough of this! Could you please leave now? I still have to get myself cleaned up so that I can get over to Elder Ming's. Have you forgotten that I'm supposed to go for dinner at the Elders' Court with him?

"And there isn't very much time for me to get ready, is there?"

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