Stop pretending, I'm a security guard, a five-star general!

"Your subject Qin Qingshan has come to apologize to Your Majesty!"

Qin Qingshan, shirtless and carrying a bundle of thorns on his back, walked solemnly to the Emperor of Great Xia and knelt down with a thud.

Upon seeing this, the Great Xia Emperor couldn't help but sneer:

"If your grandson dared to kill my son, then you, as his grandfather, would dare to kill me too. How dare I ask you to come and apologize to me? It should be me apologizing to you."

Upon hearing this, Qin Qingshan trembled violently and immediately knelt down and kowtowed:

"Your Majesty, I would never dare!"

Despite saying that, Qin Qingshan felt a little relieved.

After all, given His Majesty's character, logically speaking, he shouldn't have said much and should have just slapped him to death.

But now, he's willing to chat nonsense with him.

This means there is still room for maneuver!

With this in mind, Qin Qingshan spoke again, requesting:

"Your Majesty, I failed to properly discipline my grandson, leading him to commit such a heinous crime. I do not ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness, but only that Your Majesty exchange my life for a chance for my grandson to reform and serve the Great Xia!"

"Qin Qingshan, your grandson committed a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. Your name was already on the death row, so how can you say you're changing it?"

The Great Xia Emperor gave another cold laugh.

Qin Qingshan: "..."

A deathly silence fell over the imperial study.

After an unknown amount of time, the Great Xia Emperor leaned back lazily on his dragon throne, his expression indifferent, and said:

"Alright, Qin Qingshan, you old fool, it's not like you can't say it, why pretend to be confused?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister truly does not know what Your Majesty is referring to, and begs Your Majesty to enlighten me."

"You old fox."

The Great Xia Emperor chuckled softly:

“You saved my life and were a key minister who helped me ascend the throne. Considering these favors, I can’t possibly kill you directly.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Qingshan kowtowed again:

"Your Majesty, this old minister has absolutely no intention of seeking favors in return!"

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense."

The Great Xia Emperor waved his hand: "You are my confidant, so I won't beat around the bush with you. I'll get straight to the point and ask you, what's the story behind your grandson's strength?"

Qin Qingshan shook his head upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, this old minister does not know."

"You're his grandfather, don't you know that?"

The Emperor of Great Xia suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Didn't you teach your grandson?"

Qin Qingshan gave a wry smile: "Your Majesty, this old minister has no such ability."

"Oh? Then I'm quite curious."

The Emperor of Great Xia raised an eyebrow slightly:

"Since you didn't teach him, where did your grandson learn his incredible strength? He couldn't have just sprung out of a rock like Sun Wukong, could he?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister, um..."

Qin Qingshan hesitated for a moment, his expression showing some inner conflict.

Seeing Qin Qingshan's expression, the Great Xia Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them:

"You old scoundrel, is there something you're hiding from me?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister dares not!"

Qin Qingshan quickly shook his head: "However, this matter is simply too unbelievable..."

"Stop dawdling and get to the point."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is what happened."

Qin Qingshan coughed lightly, a look of reminiscence on his face, and slowly said:

"When my grandson was born, he was afflicted with some strange illness and was unable to cultivate spiritual power. No matter how many doctors we consulted or how many elixirs we took, it was all to no avail."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Great Xia nodded slightly; he was aware of the matter as well.

"Then, just when the old minister was about to give up hope, a ragged old beggar suddenly came to the door, saying that he could cure the old minister's grandson's strange illness."

"At first, I didn't believe it and wanted to drive him out."

"But this old beggar simply waved his hand, and this old minister was directly suppressed to the ground, unable to move!"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across the eyes of the Great Xia Emperor.

Only a Martial Venerable-level expert could easily suppress this old scoundrel with a wave of their hand.