Stance

Chu Qing had no idea what Xia Wanshuang was thinking. In truth, he hadn't given her a second thought.

Women were like drifting clouds to him at this point in his life.

And he certainly wasn't going to claim that reward.

The system's rewards were what mattered most to him.

If only he'd met Xia Wanshuang sooner. Then wouldn't Mei Qianluo and Ge Jingchun have become his rewards too?

Now, the only question was how to find Cheng Sihai.

As Chu Qing pondered this, he went over and hoisted Ge Jingchun up. Then he turned and headed out of the courtyard.

Xia Wanshuang stared at him in surprise.

"Where are you going?"

"Miss, I'm a fair man. I only collect payment after I've killed someone."

Without looking back, Chu Qing continued, "So I won't be staying the night here."

Was that what I meant?

Xia Wanshuang couldn't help asking, "If you leave, what am I supposed to do?"

"Figure it out yourself."

Chu Qing spoke as he walked. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the darkness.

Xia Wanshuang stared blankly at the spot where Chu Qing had vanished, speechless for a moment.

She understood that she and Chu Qing were strangers, and he had no reason to help her... But she'd made that deal with him, and he still wasn't even willing to lend her a hand?

Couldn't he at least have helped her out of danger?

"Heartless... cold-blooded... despicable!"

Muttering to herself, Xia Wanshuang struggled to her feet. After glancing at Mei Qianluo's headless corpse, she picked up her sword from the ground and limped out of the courtyard.

Only after she had gone a long way did Chu Qing emerge from the darkness.

He glanced back at the courtyard, then at Ge Jingchun. "Looks like it really was just the two of you here. What a shame..."

Ge Jingchun felt a chill run through him.

This guy really was no good. He'd deliberately left early to use Xia Wanshuang to test whether there were any other spies nearby.

If there were, he could follow the trail and find Cheng Sihai.

If there weren't... he had nothing to lose.

Where had this man come from, anyway?

That night, at the Chu Family.

When Chu Qing appeared before Chu Tian with Ge Jingchun slung over his shoulder like a corpse, Chu Tian nearly jumped out of his skin.

His first thought was that Chu Qing had gotten into trouble and come to ask him to dispose of a body!

But once he recognized the person lying on the ground, Chu Tian's expression turned grave.

"Ge Jingchun of the Shashen Gang? What happened?"

Ge Jingchun had completely passed out. He had lost a great deal of blood and suffered severe injuries.

The fact that he was still alive was a testament to his formidable Internal Energy Technique and strong vitality.

Chu Qing nodded, then poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table as if it were none of his concern.

"Besides him, there was Mei Qianluo."

He briefly recounted what had happened that night.

"Wen Rou was poisoned? Plum Blossom Needles..."

Chu Tian gave Chu Qing a strange look.

"That girl really does like picking up all sorts of odd things. I didn't expect it would nearly get her killed."

"So you should tell Second Brother to talk to her. She can't keep treating every little thing she finds like a treasure..."

Thinking of how she'd once picked up his bowl, Chu Qing felt a little exasperated.

If she hadn't been Chu Fan's junior sister, he might have killed her to silence her.

"...I heard he's tried," Chu Tian said with a laugh.

"Her master has talked to her too... But it doesn't seem to have done any good."

"Speaking of which, what kind of background does she have?"

Chu Qing asked, "Can she really distinguish people by their scent?"

"It's not just a matter of scent..."

Chu Tian said, "I asked your second brother about it before. He said Miss Wen has a special constitution.

"She's been like this since birth.

"And Miss Wen comes from a remarkable family. She wasn't supposed to be sent to Taiyi Sect to learn martial arts... It's just that when she was little, she kept finding the private money her father hid and handing it to him in front of her mother.

"After a while, her father... Well, in Miss Wen's words, rage welled up in his heart and wickedness emboldened him, so he sent her to Taiyi Sect."

"..."

Chu Qing thought it over and suddenly understood Wen Rou's father's despair.

He shook his head and changed the subject.

"Big Brother, I need you to take care of something for me."

"Go ahead."

Chu Tian went over to Ge Jingchun and felt his pulse. After a moment's thought, he took a small bottle from inside his robes, removed a pill, and slipped it into Ge Jingchun's mouth.

"Find a few sharp-eyed people and have them watch his residence," Chu Qing said.

"We should be able to follow the trail and find Cheng Sihai."

Chu Tian looked back at Chu Qing.

"What about Mei Qianluo?"

"She's dead."

"I'll handle the rest?"

Chu Tian asked tentatively.

Chu Qing shook his head without hesitation.

"You can deal with the Four Great Protectors, but Cheng Sihai is mine."

"Why?"

Chu Tian was puzzled.

"What grudge do you have against him?"

"Someone paid me to kill him," Chu Qing said with a smile.

"Don't ruin my business."

Chu Tian nodded in understanding.

"Fine.

"But can you handle Cheng Sihai on your own?

"His Yueshan Jue is not to be underestimated.

"Why don't I go with you?"

Chu Qing considered it, then said without fuss, "We'll see how things look when the time comes. If there are outsiders around, I'll handle it myself.

"If there's no one else there, the two of us can take him out together."

"Good."

Chu Tian agreed once more.

Seeing that Chu Tian had agreed to everything he'd asked, Chu Qing felt conflicted. He waved a hand.

"All right, I'll get going.

"Wen Rou was poisoned by the Plum Blossom Needles. I need to take her the antidote."

"Got it."

Chu Tian nodded, then asked, "Aren't you going to take this chance to see Dad?"

"There are probably plenty of eyes watching this place right now. If the old man suddenly came back from the dead, he'd scare a few people to death."

Chu Qing smiled.

"If we're going to scare anyone, it should be someone like Gu Qianqiu. These lackeys aren't worth using our ultimate weapon on."

"Hahaha."

Chu Tian was amused by Chu Qing and could only nod.

"All right. Be careful.

"Oh, and if there's a good opportunity, tell your second brother who you are.

"It's painful to watch him stumble around like a headless fly all day..."

Chu Qing thought it over.

"We'll see. Second Brother can't keep a secret. Not knowing about me is probably better for him.

"All right, I'm off."

Chu Tian didn't try to stop him. He watched Chu Qing leave the courtyard, leap into the air, and disappear from sight before turning back to Ge Jingchun.

The Shashen Gang's appearance in Heavenly Dance City had taken Chu Qing by surprise, but it had also left Chu Tian utterly baffled.

And according to what Chu Qing had just said, Luoyu Hall had been the one to make it happen...

So what side was Tang Yinfeng, who was still in the City Lord's Mansion's dungeon, really on?

Why had he kept his silence about it all along?

"Something worth hiding even at the cost of your life... Could it really be only for the so-called fame and fortune?"

Chu Tian murmured to himself, then sighed.

"Looks like I won't be getting a good night's sleep again."