Outmaneuvering Him

Unexpectedly.

The young man, who had barely said a word until now,

frowned and spoke bluntly. The elderly martial arts instructor beside him twitched so hard his eyelids fluttered, cursing inwardly.

"You're right."

Qin Jiu nodded in satisfaction.

The man hadn't been brushing him off after all.

Thinking this, he turned to glance at the young man and asked, "Which of the mansion's martial arts do you practice?"

"Reporting to the family head, I study the Mountain-Opening Fist."

"In that case, teach me the stance training for the Mountain-Opening Fist during this period."

Qin Jiu got straight to the point.

The Dragon-Tiger Health-Nurturing Stake was missing its forms, so he had no choice but to practice another martial art.

He still couldn't practice the Tyrant Blade Technique.

But practicing a lesser martial art shouldn't be a problem.

As for the Dragon-Tiger Health-Nurturing Stake, he could only use it to temper his blood and qi.

"This..."

The young man was dumbfounded.

The old martial arts instructor, meanwhile, shot him a gleeful look.

Seeing this, Qin Jiu said to him calmly, "Old Mr. Huang, Qin Xudong is still young. If he leaves anything out while teaching me, I'll be counting on you to point it out."

The old martial arts instructor was named Huang Jing, and he came from a street gang.

He had joined the Qin Family already trained in martial arts.

Qin Xudong, on the other hand, was a legitimate member of a collateral branch of the Qin Family. Ever since he began martial arts training, he had traveled far and wide with the guards. His skill was slightly superior to the old instructor's, but he still lacked the older man's experience.

Qin Jiu recalled what Instructor Xu had said earlier.

Then,

Qin Xudong spoke in a deep voice. "Family head, watch closely. The Mountain-Opening Fist has thirty-six stances. Each one has its own way of guiding the breath and regulating it. This is the first stance, 'Finding the Way'..."

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, the sun sank below the mountains.

In the small courtyard,

Qin Jiu had managed to memorize the Mountain-Opening Fist's forms, but not the breathing method.

He wanted the other man to demonstrate it a few more times.

But before he could speak, someone interrupted him.

"Young master, there's news about the Cold Jade Marrow."

Wang Yue had returned.

He hurried into the courtyard, but when he saw the two other figures there, he tactfully said nothing more.

"Steward Wang."

Qin Xudong and Huang Jing both started in surprise, then bowed to Wang Yue in unison, their eyes filled with respect.

Seeing this, Qin Jiu sent the two men away first.

Only then did he turn to Wang Yue.

"What did you mean when you said there's news about the Cold Jade Marrow?"

"Your servant learned today at the Four Seasons Pharmacy that its deputy hall master owns a piece of Cold Jade Marrow weighing five jin. But he refuses to sell it, and won't trade it even for something of equal value." Wang Yue's brows creased with helplessness. "As for the Weapon-Forging Shop and the Treasure Pavilion in town, neither has any of this material."

"The Four Seasons Pharmacy's deputy hall master..."

Qin Jiu frowned deeply.

There were two mysterious powers in Songshan County: the Weapon-Forging Shop and the Four Seasons Pharmacy.

It was said that both shops had powerful backing.

They usually avoided competing with others and kept a low profile. Even the Six Gates didn't want to provoke them.

Yet the Cold Jade Marrow he needed was in the hands of the Four Seasons Pharmacy's deputy hall master.

"There's one more thing."

At this point,

Wang Yue continued, "All the Three Refinements martial artists in the mansion have returned. How would you like to assign them?"

"Also, about Qin Xiong..."

"The spies you planted reported that Qin Xiong sent word to the Fisher Gang and Chai Gang today. They're gathering men and preparing to move against the Qin Mansion."

"Have you found out who's behind those two gangs?"

Qin Jiu's brows drew together even more tightly.

The leaders of the Fisher Gang and Chai Gang were only Three Refinements martial artists, no threat to the Qin Family.

What he truly cared about was the people behind them.

Every faction, great or small, in Songshan County had a tangled web of connections behind it. Even a small Beggar Gang couldn't establish a foothold in town without someone backing it. And even the major gangs outsiders knew of—without powerful patrons, how could they claim the profits from the forests and fisheries?

The reason he had let Qin Xiong go fishing back then wasn't because he coveted anything.

He had wanted to follow that lead and find out whether Qin Guihong's death had been an accident or a murder.

The chief suspects

were the factions that had rushed to move against the Qin Family after Qin Guihong's death.

"Chai Gang is backed by the Han Family."

Wang Yue spoke, a hint of hesitation crossing his face. "As for the Fisher Gang, your servant narrowed it down to two families: the Zhao Family and the County Office."

"Which one?"

"I can't confirm."

He said plainly that if they pursued the matter further, they might end up opposing the County Magistrate.

Qin Jiu's eyelid twitched.

"How did this get tied to him?"

"Your servant believes the Zhao Family is behind the Fisher Gang. If that baleful star, the County Magistrate, were involved, the Qin Family wouldn't have enjoyed such peace these past few days."

"I hope you're right."

Qin Jiu rubbed his brow. "At this point, I'd rather the Zhao Family be the invisible hand behind this."

"As for Qin Xiong..."

"With things as they are, there's no use keeping him alive."

Night.

The first watch of the Hai hour.

The Fisher Gang's Incense Hall in Songshan County's Outer City.

The hall was brightly lit. Two imposing figures were talking.

One of them paced back and forth as he spoke,

looking extremely agitated.

If any members of the Fisher Gang had been present, they would surely have been shocked to learn that their leader's guest was none other than the Chai Gang's old leader.

"What exactly does the big shot want us to do?"

"Things are going so well, yet he won't let us make a move. We're practically wasting our opportunity."

"Don't get worked up."

The Fisher Gang leader sat calmly in the place of honor and watched the pacing figure. "The big shot has a long view. We only need to wait patiently. Our moment to act will come."

"Patiently? How can I be patient?"

"I told you already, tonight's our best chance to strike. If we work with Qin Xiong from the inside..."

"Fool."

The Fisher Gang leader snorted. "The Qin Mansion has Sick Tiger Wang Yue. The two of us together couldn't withstand a single slash from him. Do you really believe that fool Qin Xiong can outmaneuver him?"

The figure pacing back and forth stopped at once.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"I've already given Qin Xiong my word. If we don't act tonight, won't I be breaking my promise?"

"Old Ghost Feng, quit pretending."

The Fisher Gang leader glanced at him and said coolly, "There's no place for you in the Qin Family's secret method for breeding spirit beasts. The four great families are no more than little stones in our way. If you ruin the big shot's plans over this, you'll wish you were dead."

"You..."

The man's pupils contracted slightly.

In the end, he didn't dare continue.

At the same time.

In the Qin Family's reception hall,

five figures with powerful auras had gathered. Qin Xiong was among them, sitting expressionlessly in a chair. Every so often, his gaze swept toward the hall entrance, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

The others wore equally solemn expressions.

None of them chatted or discussed anything.

The hall was so quiet they could clearly hear the candle flames crackling.

"Tap, tap."

Suddenly,

several footsteps approached from a distance.

A strange look immediately flashed through everyone's eyes.

"Thank you for waiting."