He heard the last sentence.
Qin Jiu's pupils contracted slightly.
"How did he know?"
"How did I know?"
As if he knew what Qin Jiu was thinking, Li Yuan smiled and said, "The internal energy surging through you is indeed powerful and profound, but it hasn't yet merged with your qi and blood. I'm standing this close to you. If I couldn't sense it, I'd be a useless fool, wouldn't I?"
"The heightened senses of Internal Strengthening are beyond your imagination."
"Of course, I wasn't certain before, which is why I tested you with those questions."
"Judging by your reaction now..."
"What did you mean by people from a great sect, Hall Master Li? Could you explain?"
Qin Jiu didn't dwell on the previous question.
Instead, he asked about what had been troubling him.
Beyond wanting to know why people from a great sect had come, what he most wanted to understand was the calamity Li Yuan had mentioned.
"With Ning'an withdrawing its troops behind the pass, the two strongest sects in this prefecture naturally won't stay outside it. And the lands within the pass aren't safe for sects, either. To establish themselves, they'll inevitably clash with the sects and powerful families already there. If they rely only on their disciples, they may end up depleted after a single contest, with their ranks in tatters."
"That's where you come in handy."
Qin Jiu fell silent.
Li Yuan didn't stop. He merely glanced at him, then continued, "It may sound cruel, but if you remain in the county town—or, for that matter, anywhere in Ning'an Prefecture—you'll only meet your death."
"In circumstances like these..."
"Even if you want to become a great sect's lackey, not just anyone will qualify."
"As for the calamity you asked about..."
As he spoke, Li Yuan shook his head. "All I can say is that demons aren't the calamity."
"Demons aren't the calamity?"
Qin Jiu frowned, wanting to press him for an explanation.
But Li Yuan was unwilling to say more.
A short while later,
he prepared to take his leave.
"The internal energy and true qi in Wang Yue's body have dissipated. He only needs to rest for a few days, and he'll wake on his own. Give him one of the pills I left every other day. Also, Wang Yue overexerted his vital essence in his battle. He likely has less than five years left to live."
"If he fights someone again, he could die of old age on the spot."
"Make sure he understands that."
"Many thanks for your help, Hall Master Li."
Qin Jiu cupped his hands. "Once Elder Wang wakes, I'll have someone deliver the secret formula to Four Seasons Pharmacy."
After seeing Li Yuan off,
he summoned Qin Xuanzhou.
"Uncle Wang has survived the brush with death. Find some people to look after him. Once he wakes, have someone notify me. Also, there may be some unfamiliar faces in the city over the next few days. Keep a close eye out, and come tell me immediately if you spot anyone."
"Unfamiliar faces?"
Qin Xuanzhou was taken aback.
But he quickly nodded.
Two days passed in a flash.
On this day,
the sky was blanketed by thick clouds.
Qin Jiu stood in the courtyard of the East Wing, holding a long saber. Snowflakes drifted onto his shoulders, but he stood as immovable as a mountain.
Fine snow swirled through the air.
As time passed, frost and snow gradually gathered on his hair and eyebrows.
At a certain moment,
"Boom!"
A powerful gust roared.
The snow on the ground was instantly swept up into the air.
"Qi Rushing to Shaoyang—Three Refinements complete!"
Qin Jiu opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of foul air. It shot from his mouth like an arrow, traveling nearly a yard before slowly dissipating.
His face showed neither joy nor sorrow.
He felt little excitement at having reached Internal Energy Meridian Clearing.
After internal energy merged and circulated with qi and blood, ordinary people had to cautiously control it to open all their meridians. But with Withered Wood Meets Spring, even if every meridian in his body were severed, he could repair them at once.
Three Refinements Meridian Clearing.
Qin Jiu was confident he could open all his meridians with internal energy
in the shortest possible time.
"But after reaching Three Refinements, I'll have to use internal energy to nourish my organs. Withered Wood Meets Spring can't help with that process. I'll need to find a talent related to nourishing the organs. Otherwise, Internal Strengthening will take a very long time."
Qin Jiu shook his head to himself.
Then he shook the snow from his eyebrows.
And strode out of the East Wing.
"How is Elder Wang?"
He went to a side room in the Inner Mansion and asked a servant standing at the door.
The servant was shivering, head bowed as he repeatedly cupped his hands and blew on them. At the question, he looked up, immediately straightened, and replied, "Reporting to the master, Steward Wang still shows no signs of waking."
"I see."
Qin Jiu nodded slightly.
He was about to turn and leave when he heard a cough from inside the room.
He froze, then walked straight in.
"Master..."
Inside the room,
Wang Yue saw him enter and tried to struggle upright.
Qin Jiu hurried over and pressed him back down. "Your injuries are severe. Don't move around just yet."
"Thank you, master."
"If you hadn't warned this old servant that day, I'd have died out there."
Wang Yue's voice was weak.
Qin Jiu nodded and asked, "What happened to you?"
"We followed the County Magistrate to hunt down a great demon. After several days, we finally found a few clues. Then several experts above Internal Strengthening appeared out of nowhere and fought the County Magistrate. The experts from the prefecture had originally joined the County Magistrate in fighting off the enemy, but for some reason, one of them suddenly turned traitor and attacked him from behind."
"At the same time, the master of Canghai Martial Arts Hall suddenly attacked me."
"Even though I'd taken precautions..."
"I was still caught in the shockwaves of the battle between the County Magistrate and the others. I had no choice but to take a palm strike head-on and flee. I was barely holding on, hoping to make it back and deliver the news, but... As for the County Magistrate and the others, their fates are unknown. Only Han Zheng, the head of the Han Family, had bad luck. A powerful expert pursuing the County Magistrate casually cut his head off."
After finishing, Wang Yue's breathing grew ragged.
It was hard to tell whether it was mostly from lingering fear or from his injuries.
"Dead?"
Qin Jiu was stunned.
He hadn't expected the first news of someone's death
to be that Han Zheng of the Han Family had died.
He had once considered a marriage alliance with him, hoping they could join forces. Though it had ended badly, Han Zheng had been decisive enough to offer a Third-Order Spirit Beast on the verge of a breakthrough as an apology.
Now that he'd heard this news,
Qin Jiu felt a tangle of complicated emotions.
"How long was this old servant unconscious?"
Just then,
Wang Yue asked.
Qin Jiu came back to himself and said, "You've been unconscious for three days, counting from when you returned to the Qin Family."
"By the way..."
"Is the strange weather outside related to the County Magistrate and the others?"
"The weather? What strange weather?"
Wang Yue was confused.
Only then did he notice that some burning charcoal had been placed in the room.
Seeing this, Qin Jiu paused before saying, "Don't worry about that for now. Rest for the next few days. If you need anything, ask the servant outside to take care of it."
He gave a few more instructions.
Then he left the side room and headed for Hundred Beasts Garden.
But just then,
Qin Xuanzhou hurried after him.
"Reporting to the master, I have some leads on what you asked me to watch for. This morning, some unfamiliar faces entered the city. One was at the Internal Strengthening level, and the others were at Three Refinements. They've all entered the Han Family's estate in the Inner City."
"Also, it seems Han Zheng is dead."
"I heard the County Office just brought his body back."
"Oh?"
Qin Jiu's eyes flashed.
"Our Qin Mansion has always been on good terms with the Han Family. Arrange a carriage at once. I'm going to pay my respects at the Han Family's estate."
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