"Mm. My master is a reclusive expert from the Heavenly Sword Sect. She happened to pass by the Martial Arts School and saved me. From now on, I'll be following her to cultivate..."
"Junior Brother Qin, thank you for saving me... I'm leaving..."
Jin Qiao'er looked at Qin Shuang, gratitude shining in her beautiful eyes.
"You're leaving?... Then I'll return the Divine Intent Diagram..."
Qin Shuang looked at Jin Qiao'er and said after a brief pause.
Since she was leaving and he had already mastered the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill, he had no use for the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Diagram. He might as well give it back to her.
"Junior Brother Qin, you can give me the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Diagram after you've learned it. Once I've made progress in my cultivation, I'll come back to see you."
Jin Qiao'er hurriedly waved her hands.
"Very well."
Qin Shuang nodded.
"I'm off. My master is over there."
Jin Qiao'er looked toward the Parasol Tree by a path behind the alley. Beneath it stood a beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties. She was dressed plainly and carried an ancient sword on her back, giving her an otherworldly air.
"Take care!"
Qin Shuang waved at Jin Qiao'er.
"Take care!"
Jin Qiao'er waved back and walked toward the woman. In the blink of an eye, both she and the woman had vanished.
"That was fast. What level of cultivation does her master have?"
Qin Shuang rubbed his eyes in utter shock. He had seen only the Parasol Tree's leaves swaying in the breeze. Jin Qiao'er and her master had disappeared without a trace, as if they had never been there.
"First, I'll find out where Liang Chang lives."
Qin Shuang put his thoughts aside, picked up the cage, and turned down Long Street.
He knew that with the Simplification System, one day his strength would rival Jin Qiao'er's master's!
Carrying the cage with the dragonfly, Qin Shuang headed for East Gate Wharf.
As far as he knew, the East Gate Wharf branch under Liang Chang's control handled shipping, Good Fortune Casino, restaurants, shops, and marketplaces. Liang Chang often stayed at the wharf, so the best way to find his residence was to look around nearby.
As Qin Shuang reached East Gate Wharf, he spotted a burly man wearing a black eyepatch emerging from a hall with three Flying Eagle Gang disciples.
"Huh? Young Shopkeeper Qin, you still have the mood to walk your bird around here? Have you got my thousand taels ready?"
"Less than four days left!"
Liang Chang spotted Qin Shuang at once. He walked up to him and spoke with a smug air.
"Don't worry, Hall Master Liang. I'll mortgage the restaurant to Timely Rain Pawnshop and pay you back on time at the end of the month." Qin Shuang smiled faintly.
He had already activated the Blood Locking Art at the proficient level, locking away all his Qi and Blood. At that moment, he looked like an ordinary boy.
"What? You're going to pawn the restaurant for a thousand taels?"
Liang Chang's brow furrowed at Qin Shuang's words, and he grew anxious. "You idiot! Are you out of your mind? If you pawn the restaurant and can't repay the money, the pawnshop will take it! And the interest is sky-high. You'd be better off giving me the restaurant. I'll give you an extra hundred taels to live on. What do you say?"
Liang Chang knew Timely Rain Pawnshop was a famous business in Tianchu. It had branches in every major city across the Sixteen Prefectures of the Tianchu Dynasty. If Fusheng Restaurant ended up in its hands, he could forget about getting it.
As a Flying Eagle Gang hall master, he couldn't possibly compete with a behemoth like that.
That dog Qin Shuang was ruining his whole plan!
At Liang Chang's foul words, killing intent rose in Qin Shuang's heart. He cupped his fist and said, "Hall Master Liang, how about this? I'll think it over and give you an answer tomorrow. How does that sound?"
"Fine. Think it over tonight. If you can't pay me back, you might as well pawn it to Timely Rain for a thousand taels and give me the restaurant instead. I'll give you an extra hundred taels. I don't have to explain which is the better deal, do I?"
Liang Chang's gaze flickered. He nodded at Qin Shuang's words.
There were still four days. He couldn't let the duck that was practically in his mouth fly away.
"No need to wait until tonight!"
Watching Liang Chang and the others leave, Qin Shuang's gaze turned icy. He quietly followed them.
"Hall Master, that bastard Qin wants to pawn the restaurant. If he can't pay the money back, it'll be as good as selling it to the pawnshop!" Xiao Guizi followed at Liang Chang's side, fawning over him.
Xiao Guizi's real name was Chen Gui. He and Hall Master Liang Chang came from the same village. He had joined the Flying Eagle Gang alongside Liang Jiyao and served under Liang Chang.
"That bastard's got rocks for brains. Once we get the restaurant's deed, we'll sell him to Pushen Hall. He's young and soft-skinned—he should fetch twenty taels!"
Liang Chang spoke with a smirk, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
He had pulled this sort of dirty trick plenty of times. It had taken him only a few short years to claw his way up to hall master, and he had amassed quite a fortune along the way.
As expected of the hall master—what a brilliant plan!
Chen Gui gave Liang Chang a fawning thumbs-up.
Liang Jiyao's courtyard lay five li from East Gate Wharf, among a row of Blue Brick Tiled Houses. It was the third courtyard along. A row of Willow Trees stood at the entrance, their green branches hanging like silk ribbons, with dragonflies occasionally darting among them.
Liang Chang had Chen Gui pick the lock on Liang Jiyao's door, and they went inside to look around.
"Strange. Nothing's been touched, and the bedding hasn't been folded... but he's nowhere to be seen..."
Standing in his nephew Liang Jiyao's room, Liang Chang looked at the disordered space, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
"Help... Ugh..."
At that moment, a cry for help came from the kitchen. The voice managed only one word before falling silent.
"A Zhen?"
Liang Chang drew his long saber, his eyes flashing sharply. He cautiously backed out of the room and went into the main hall, looking toward the kitchen. Just now, he had heard his younger brother Su Zhen cry for help from there.
The kitchen was silent.
Liang Chang remembered that Su Zhen had gone to check the kitchen. He immediately turned to Chen Gui and another subordinate. "Chen Gui, Big Head, go check the kitchen!"
As a hall master, Liang Chang was cautious by nature. Even though he had reached the Bone Forging Realm and possessed Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke, he didn't dare get cocky. He knew all too well that in the Jianghu, one careless move could capsize your boat.
Using his subordinates to test the waters was something he did often.
"Yes... yes, Hall Master!"
Chen Gui and Big Head trembled as they approached the kitchen. They reached the doorway and saw nothing. After exchanging a glance, they entered under Hall Master Liang Chang's pressuring gaze.
"You... Ugh..."
Chen Gui stepped into the kitchen and immediately saw a familiar face appear from behind the door. He was about to speak when a large hand clamped around his throat and lifted him like a chick. He couldn't get another word out.
At that moment,
Chen Gui's heart roared like a stormy sea. He had never imagined that the one attacking him would be Qin Shuang, the young shopkeeper of Fusheng Restaurant!
The boy they had all dismissed as a useless pushover!
He grabbed Qin Shuang's arm with both hands and struggled desperately, but it felt as hard as iron. He couldn't budge it!
Crack!
Crack!
Two sharp snaps rang out as Qin Shuang crushed the necks of Chen Gui and Big Head. Their heads lolled against their shoulders, terror and despair in their eyes.
"Xiao Guizi!"
Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, Liang Chang felt a chill creep through him. He slowly backed away. Just then, a familiar figure appeared in the kitchen doorway.
"Liang Chang, I'm here to send you on your way."
Qin Shuang looked at Liang Chang and spoke calmly, a blade-cold killing intent rising in his eyes.
"You!"
Shock filled Liang Chang's eyes as he stared at Qin Shuang. He murmured, "So Jiyao really did die at your hands!"
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