Uninvited Guests!

"Y-you, are you telling the truth?"

When Qin Dashan learned that his grandson had been stripped of his status as a "mine slave," his old eyes widened like bells as he asked blankly.

"Would your grandson joke with you about something like this?"

Qin Yao smiled and pointed at his ankle. "Didn't you notice? This time when I came home, I didn't have to wear shackles anymore."

"It really is true!"

Old Master Qin finally set his mind at ease. His aged eyes even reddened slightly with excitement at this heaven-shaking good news.

"Wow, wow, wow!"

His younger sister, Qin Lan, danced with delight, hopping up and down. "That's wonderful, wonderful! Big Brother won't have to wear those heavy iron chains and work himself to the bone in the mines anymore!"

Qin Yao fondly rubbed his sister's bun-shaped hair. "Your brother did have it hard in the mines, but it wasn't quite as exaggerated as 'working himself to death.'

"I even had time to help some people.

"For example, this little brother here..."

As he spoke, Qin Yao warmly patted Little Liuzi on the shoulder.

"Yes. If not for Brother Qin's righteous helping hand back then, I'm afraid this kid would have long since left his bones buried in that mine pit."

Little Liuzi answered honestly.

Qin Yao recalled lying amid a pile of rubble, pretending to be dead. Among all those mine slaves, quite a few had received help from him before, yet every one of them had shrunk back in fear, utterly unmoved.

Only Little Liuzi had thrown caution to the wind and rushed out of the crowd to pull him out.

Checking his heartbeat, feeling for his breath...

That alone made Qin Yao resolve to befriend him deeply.

After chatting for a while longer and becoming more familiar with one another, Little Liuzi was no longer as nervous as before.

Qin Yao then told him of his plans. "Now that your foot injury has fully healed, you must take even better care of yourself in the mines from now on.

"Also, I plan to meet your elder sister."

The moment he said this, his grandfather and younger sister raised their heads almost at the same time.

They both stared at Qin Yao with faintly smiling expressions that plainly said, "Our boy's grown up—he knows how to court someone now."

Meanwhile, Little Liuzi wore an expression that seemed to say, "Alright, Brother. I'll feel completely at ease handing my sister over to you."

Seeing this, Qin Yao's mouth twitched. "Uh... what are these two groups even thinking?"

He hurriedly explained his true purpose. "Liuzi, you know that I have to report to the village office early tomorrow morning. For the time being, I've got myself a decent livelihood.

"The main reason I want to meet your sister is to discuss arrangements for your future, and while I'm at it, see whether there's anything I can help with."

"Ah, so it's because of me..."

The expectation in Little Liuzi's eyes dimmed.

He truly felt too embarrassed to owe the other man another favor, so he shook his head. "There's no need to go to so much trouble, Brother Qin. I can take care of myse—"

"Don't be so quick to refuse. I'm not helping you for nothing."

Qin Yao said with a solemn expression, "Once you've served out your sentence, I'm counting on you to become my right-hand man!

"After all, in the entirety of Tang Village, aside from Grandfather and my sister, you're the only one I can trust.

"You wouldn't refuse me, would you?"

"I-I definitely won't refuse!

"No, more than that—I should say I'm delighted beyond words!"

Little Liuzi froze for a moment, then became so excited that his words tumbled over one another.

After all, a lowborn young man like him who had committed a crime had neither martial skills nor scholarly credentials, and did not even possess much of a trade.

After being released from prison, he would usually only be able to serve as a slave or servant, doing the bitterest and most exhausting work. He would wish he could split a single steamed bun into two meals, let alone speak of "freedom" or "dignity."

Yet now, Qin Yao neither held his background against him nor looked down on him for his lack of ability, and was willing to regard him as his right-hand man...

For Little Liuzi, this was the sort of good fortune one could search for with a lantern and still fail to find!

Afterward, the young boy thanked him profusely, trying to kowtow and swear oaths one after another. Qin Yao could not stop him no matter how he tried.

All he could do was sigh softly in the depths of his heart. Sigh, I'm sorry, Little Liuzi. I have no choice but to deceive you.

It's only because I know Qin Yuwei's character all too well.

As long as I, the wronged party, remain alive, Qin Yuwei—the proud daughter of heaven hailed as accomplished in both letters and martial arts—will remain uneasy and unable to find peace!

That bitch's killing intent toward me is like a sharp blade hanging over my head. I have no idea when it will come crashing down...

So I must leave Tang Village as soon as possible.

But before I go, I will do everything in my power to secure your futures!

The reason I suggested meeting your sister is also so that, after telling her the truth, I can leave behind enough money to support you until your sentence ends, and let you live comfortably afterward as well.

And I'll compile my insights and experiences from cultivating the Tiger-Fighting Fist into a manual.

"If you join Tiger Head Martial Hall in the future, you can use this booklet to verify the two against each other. Only then will your cultivation yield twice the result with half the effort."

Little Liuzi had no idea what Qin Yao was truly planning.

He even had thoughts of playing matchmaker between his own sister and Brother Qin!

So as they chatted, the topic circled back to Little Liuzi's sister.

Only then did Qin Yao learn that this big boy, two years younger than himself, was named Li Liu. Later, after everyone at the mine kept calling him that, it became "Little Liuzi."

His sister was named Li Qin.

After their parents met with disaster and the family fell on hard times, this elder sister, only seven or eight years older than Little Liuzi, silently took on the burden of supporting the household. She truly lived up to the saying: an elder sister was like a mother.

Little Liuzi, talking with growing excitement, failed to notice that about three breaths earlier, Qin Yao's ears had twitched and his fists had silently clenched.

"One time, my sister had someone bring me a letter. She said regular customers often came by her little stall selling sugar figurines, and that life was getting better day by day.

"She told me to serve my sentence at the mine in peace. Once I was released, she'd take me to eat the braised pig trotters and fried cakes I'd been dreaming about..."

"Cough, cough!"

Before Little Liuzi could finish, a burst of coughing suddenly came from the courtyard.

It was followed by a low call: "Qin Yao, open the door!"

"That voice... Captain Yang?"

Little Liuzi looked utterly confused. "Why is he here?

"And how did he appear in the courtyard without making a sound?

"When I followed Brother Qin in, I clearly remembered him locking the courtyard gate.

"Could it be... Captain Yang climbed over the wall to get in?!"

As Little Liuzi was thinking this, Qin Yao gently pressed down with one hand, signaling him, his grandfather, and his younger sister to stay calm.

He himself rose and went to open the door.

"Creak~"

"Bang!"

The door had barely opened a crack before Yang Yongchao shoved it wide open.

Qin Yao staggered back several steps.

At last, as though his heel had caught on a raised patch of uneven ground, he dropped onto the floor with a "thump."

"Ding! Skill 'Acting' proficiency +1"

Yang Yongchao failed to see through the boy's deliberately feigned embarrassment. He smiled smugly.

After striding into the room, he slammed the door shut behind him and snarled, "Damn it, you took so long just to open a door. What, you don't welcome me?!"