Chapter 109: The Heart of Blackbeard

That year, the Black Tiger family's New Year's banquet was as lively and joyful as ever. Although the conflict between Lin Qi and Arthur cast a faint shadow of bloodshed over the event, Lin Qi’s return to the family to attend the celebration was enough to outweigh any negative impact.

Thus, the banquet ended successfully and everyone left in high spirits, their moods soaring far above that of the past three years. After all, Lin Qi, who had grown up under their watchful eyes, mischievous and troublesome since childhood—embodying the worldview and values of every member of the Black Tiger family—was back. That was undeniably a cause for great joy.

As for Arthur, who had been beaten bloody by Lin Qi on New Year’s Eve, almost no one paid him any mind. After all, as Black Beard’s adopted son, Arthur, no matter how handsome his face, could not compare to Lin Qi in importance or closeness. Moreover, that handsome face had been disfigured by Lin Qi—how endearing was a one-eyed pretty boy?

Surrounded by countless delighted family members, Lin Qi once again gloriously succumbed to drunkenness, just like Enzo, and was supported back to his room by the servants.

Late at night, Lin Qi lay drowsily on the bed, feeling a warm current flowing continuously from his chest through his entire body, cleansing his meridians. This heat penetrated his muscles and bones, reaching deep into his internal organs. His whole body was aflame; thick sweat seeped from his pores, and his body twitched rhythmically, accompanied by a light, almost ethereal sense of ease.

The intoxication was completely dispelled by this warmth, and regaining his clarity, Lin Qi opened his eyes to find Black Beard standing by his bed. His right palm pressed against Lin Qi’s chest, and the comforting heat came from the palm of Black Beard’s hand.

“Father!” Lin Qi breathed softly.

Black Beard rolled his eyes and plopped down onto the stool beside the bed. Crossing his legs, he lit a cigar and took a deep drag before pointing to a bowl of black medicinal soup on the bedside cabinet. Lin Qi picked up the bowl, large enough to hold a human head, and swallowed the pungent, bitter concoction in one gulp. Immediately, a roaring surge of heat burst from his stomach, coursing through the freshly cleared meridians Black Beard had opened for him.

Lin Qi wasted no time. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he quietly practiced the family’s ancestral martial art, the "Mysterious Tiger Qi," guiding the intense heat throughout his body. The endless warmth circulated three times inside him before transforming into a powerful, dense fighting spirit stored in his dantian.

After three hours of channeling the energy, Lin Qi fully absorbed the heat. His body felt light as if it could float on the breeze, yet when he clenched his fist, he sensed an infinite reserve of strength, as if one punch could easily fell a bull. Though his fighting spirit had yet to break into the intermediate Heavenly Realm, its grandeur had at least increased tenfold, and his physical strength had also improved significantly.

Even more thrilling was the fact that all his meridians were now perfectly clear. With his current level of power, he detected no blockages anywhere. Gently shaking his body, his joints crackled like thunder. Taking a deep breath, Lin Qi nimbly leapt off the bed and bowed slightly to Black Beard. “Father.”

Black Beard blew a thick plume of smoke toward Lin Qi, who didn’t hold back either. He pulled a large cigar from Black Beard’s pocket, lit it, and settled beside the bed, the two exchanging puffs in quiet camaraderie.

Black Beard hummed softly. Sweat glistening moments before had vanished as if it had never been there; his previously rapid breathing had steadied. In a deep voice, he said, “It took some effort, but I’ve cleared all the meridian blockages preventing your fighting spirit from reaching the intermediate Heavenly Realm. From now on, as long as you work hard, your fighting spirit will flow there unhindered.”

Lin Qi nodded vigorously without a word.

Black Beard pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “As for the grudge between you and Arthur... hmm...”

Lin Qi replied calmly, “If I get the chance, I will definitely take him down.”

After a long silence, Black Beard glanced surreptitiously to the sides and lowered his voice. “He can never threaten you. Remember, he’s much older than you, yet his fighting spirit hasn’t even broken into the intermediate Realm.”

Lin Qi looked at Black Beard in surprise. “I remember you once praised his fighting spirit aptitude when we were kids!”

Black Beard rolled his eyes and sneered coldly. “Of course. In front of all our brothers along the northern coastline, I had to praise him properly. And I wasn’t exaggerating—his aptitude was only slightly worse than yours.”

He gave a few cold laughs, exhaled a plume of smoke, and said in a low voice, “But when he was fifteen, I secretly helped him clear all his meridians, just like I did for you today.”

Lin Qi stared at Black Beard in shock, gritting his teeth. “Wait, you helped him clear all his meridians, and he...?”

Black Beard gave Lin Qi a mysterious look and said coldly, “But he’s not my biological son. Wolf cubs can never be fully tamed, that much I know. So, I did clear all his meridians, but... I accidentally cleared too many. More precisely, his meridians now have many tiny holes. He trains hard every day, but nine out of ten parts of the fighting spirit he cultivates leak away.”

Lin Qi looked at Black Beard in bewilderment. This revelation stunned him to the core. Black Beard had always treated Arthur exceptionally well. Many times when Lin Qi wanted to eliminate Arthur, Black Beard had intervened to save him, and Lin Qi had even been severely punished for those attempts.

Lin Qi never dreamed that Black Beard had covertly crippled Arthur back when he was fifteen. No wonder Arthur’s fighting spirit cultivation lagged behind Lin Qi’s despite his age. Whenever they clashed, Lin Qi was always the one who came out ahead.

“That kid,” Black Beard sneered, “wanted money, I gave him money; wanted women, I gave him women. He lost his virginity at thirteen and grew up surrounded by women. Even if I hadn’t tampered with his meridians, his fighting spirit would never have broken through to the Heavenly Realm.”

Black Beard took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing with a flicker of cold light that made Lin Qi dare not meet his gaze.

He said indifferently, “After all, he’s an adopted son, the only child of an ally. I had to take him in and care for him well. But he’s not my blood. Taking care of him doesn’t mean he can surpass my son, nor does it give him the right to covet the Black Tiger family!”

Lin Qi silently raised two thumbs. Impressive—truly impressive. Black Beard had adopted Arthur and invested heavily in him from childhood. The world praised Black Beard for his loyalty, saying that having such a brother meant dying with no regrets. But who would have known that Arthur was cunningly trapped by Black Beard himself?

Such a strategy—masterful beyond measure.

Damn!