Chapter 8: Embarking on a New Path—The Enigmatic Capital City
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After finishing a bowl of wine and eating half a roasted chicken and a roast duck, Qin Anyu noticed that Qin Youqin hadn't finished her half of the roasted chicken. He snapped fiercely, “If you don’t finish it, you’re not allowed to come into the mountains with me.”
She widened her eyes and quickly took a couple of bites, but it barely made a dent. Seeing him staring at her, she pitifully said, “Young Master, I’m already full.”
Seeing her expression, Qin Anyu decisively turned around and began packing his things, saying, “Finish eating quickly. Once you’re done, we’ll set off.”
Watching Qin Anyu’s back, Qin Youqin smiled brightly. “Young Master, actually, you don’t look scary when you’re angry… hmm, you even look a little cute.”
This girl, in a better mood, was even joking now.
Qin Anyu didn’t look at her and asked while packing, “Can you ride a horse yourself?”
As a maid who served him exclusively, she used to frequently ride to deliver supplies. But now, with one arm injured, it wasn’t so certain.
Qin Youqin asked in surprise, “Young Master, you’re not going?”
He snapped, “I’m not going. How would you know where to go otherwise?”
She blinked wide-eyed. “There’s only one horse… Oh! You mean I’ll lead the way?”
Qin Anyu was speechless.
When a celestial emperor meets a mere mortal, communication is almost impossible.
“Just say whether you can handle it or not.”
“I think I can.”
“Then ride first. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure something else.”
If he had to ride, there were plenty of horses in the Eagle Gang—they could just bring another one.
While Qin Anyu packed, Qin Youqin chattered nonstop, moving items from the kitchen: “Pots and pans, bedding and flints, staple food and salt, knives, pestles, chopsticks… Oh, no need for chopsticks, I can make some from bamboo or wood sticks once Young Master heals my hand.”
“The Young Master needs to cultivate and teach me cultivation. We’ll need lots of herbs. Without silver to buy them, we’ll have to gather herbs in the mountains… digging herbs needs a hoe, so bring one.”
“Right, it’s pitch black in the mountains, so bring a lamp…”
As her rambling went on, their bundles grew from two to three, and finally four… not counting the wrapped plaque.
Looking at the courtyard now half-empty of goods, Qin Anyu smiled wryly. “You’re really shameless. This courtyard belongs to Gu Su.”
He felt a deep frustration.
Without storage, carrying so many things was a hassle.
But they truly needed to eat or they'd starve. Bringing all this would make life a bit more comfortable.
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She giggled, “Gu Su is your good friend, Young Master. He won’t mind.”
With everything arranged, what else was there to say?
In the glow of the sunset, Qin Wuji led a horse by the right hand, letting her walk on his left side. After locking the courtyard, they headed out of the city.
Once outside, he had Qin Youqin mount the horse. Watching her expertly guide the steed, he ran ahead, calling, “Follow me.”
Seeing Qin Anyu run so far ahead, Qin Youqin was momentarily stunned. Her expression flickered. She wanted to call out but didn’t, finally gripping the horse with her legs and chasing after him.
Inside a large mansion within the city, a middle-aged man sat on a grand chair while a frail old man knelt before him.
“You say the Eagle Gang has already disbanded?”
“Yes. Brother You Xikun is dead, and more than half the gang members have perished.”
“He was clearly a useless fool. Why this sudden change?”
“I find it strange as well. He still looks like a silly, clueless person, but his methods are ruthless, completely different from before.”
“Arrange for the remaining Eagle Gang members to be gathered.”
“That might be impossible. After I investigated again, I couldn’t find a single squad leader. They clearly have fled.”
“They dare to run? Damn it… Stand up and respond.”
The kneeling frail man rose—it was Manager Wang.
He stood, bowing respectfully. “Thank you, sir.”
The middle-aged man asked, “Do you think the Qin Mansion… well, it can’t be called Qin Mansion now… is still worth supporting?”
“That depends entirely on your will, sir.”
“You’re sly, no wonder they call you the Fox King. Well, she’s a distant cousin, and with no one else available, if she can take the mansion head’s position, that’s not bad. It’s just a pity our forces were weak lately, letting him escape and destroying an Eagle Gang.”
“Sir, why capture him across borders instead of killing him on the spot?”
“I don’t know. I only follow orders. Enough of this. Continue searching for men and bring him back.”
“Sir, if I may suggest, why not send one or two Qi Cultivators? That would be simpler.”
“Qi Cultivators are all busy now. If You Xikun hadn’t been cowardly and fled, but fought head-on, he probably wouldn’t have lost so easily… Qi Cultivators can’t be spared, but those at the Nourishing Qi third stage are easier to find.”
“Understood, I’ll search for them now.”
“No, you don’t need to get involved further.”
“Thank you for your consideration, sir.”
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After leaving the mansion, the once spirited Manager Wang hunched again like an old man, walking unsteadily while muttering, “No support, only orders, willing to do anything for the goal. How can such an organization grow? Just holding our relatives hostage?”
“You think I don’t know? You’re a Qi Cultivator.”
“And how do you know those squad leaders fled on my suggestion?”
“By the way, Qin Anyu is strange too. He fell off that deadly cliff gravely injured, yet now he’s unharmed and his combat style and speech have changed. Could it be related to that thunderstorm? The lightning seemed to cover the whole Tanzhou Prefecture, but I feel the core was in that direction. Did he encounter a fortune there?”
“Enough, I’m just a sixth-stage Nourishing Qi cultivator who can think a bit. Fighting isn’t for me.”
What he didn’t know was that after he left, a secret door in the room opened, and a robust middle-aged man stepped out—also a Qi Cultivator.
The man approached the middle-aged one and calmly said, “I think it’s safer if I handle it personally.”
The middle-aged man shook his head. “No rush. At his level, and with a maid in tow, he can’t get far. Don’t trust that old fox too much. His seeming strength is just because Tanzhou is remote and martial skills are low.”
The robust man shook his head. “You’re overconfident. Anyone who can disable a ninth-stage with one strike at the fifth stage is a genius anywhere.”
After a moment of thought, the middle-aged man said, “Then I’ll leave him to you. But our arrival has alerted some forces in the city and the province is watching us. Be cautious.”
The robust man thought for a moment, then said, “Then I’ll go pursue him myself.”
The middle-aged man smiled, “Two major incidents happened today in this city. You think you can leave? I think you should visit the Qin Mansion, reassure them, and send a message to those forces. Fine, send two Nourishing Qi cultivators with you.”
The robust man left, not through the secret door but the main entrance, heading toward the former Qin Mansion.
At this moment, the Qin Mansion was heavy with tension; gloomy clouds darkened everyone’s faces.
Just now, Zhang Qili announced that all disabled persons must leave the mansion.
She then ordered all wounded, awake or unconscious, to be thrown out—except for Zhang Fuyuan and Qin Datong.
This move sparked anger among the injured and fear among the remaining servants.
After all, these people had been harmed because of her son and brother, and most of the actions were carried out by Zhang Qili herself. To discard them so callously was ruthless.
When someone questioned the appropriateness of this, she scolded them harshly.
Calling him useless for failing to control his foolish nephew; saying he only became acting head thanks to her distant cousin and had no real connection to the Qin family; warning him against mercy since all the mansion’s funds had been seized by Qin Anyu, and they were now in deficit…
He could only endure her scolding, watching her spit fly, and after her anger subsided, he left dejectedly.