Come When You Please, Leave When You Please?

Qiu Yan was not surprised to see the man before him.

A few days earlier, Wang Qiao'er had led Qiu Yan into the city, watching him all the way. When he returned, however, the effects of Divine Power had made him forget Qiu Yan's name. This angered the gate soldiers, and he suffered a beating, drawing the mockery of the other street toughs and becoming a source of shame.

He nursed the grudge but did not dare trouble the soldiers, so he shifted his hatred onto Qiu Yan. In his eyes, Qiu Yan had caused all of this. If not for him, Wang Qiao'er would not have needed to guide anyone, much less be cursed and beaten for forgetting a name.

With hatred lodged in his heart, Wang Qiao'er hatched a plan. That day, he had seen Qiu Yan's cousin, Liu Yue, but his memories were equally hazy. So he patiently loitered outside the Pan Household, making inquiries. Before long, he had learned the details of several estate stewards, then called in his connections and finally uncovered Qiu Yan's origins and identity. Without another word, he came straight to Qiu Yan's door.

"Qiu Yan, Young Master Qiu, you claimed you had returned from traveling and studying, but as far as I know, that is not the case. You are clearly from Qingchang County, and when the bandit troops crossed the border, you were living in a village outside the county! Once this gets out, there will be one more fair-skinned scholar among the refugees."

Wang Qiao'er spoke with a cold sneer, malice in his eyes and threats filling his words. For a street tough like him, gathering information was no difficult matter. Once he had identified a target, it did not take long to grasp the general details. Especially now, with the Marshfolk invasion and its terrible death toll drawing everyone's attention, digging into the matter was easy enough.

In truth, he had come this time to reveal the matter and enjoy the sight of Qiu Yan's fear, thus avenging his humiliation. Better yet, he might extort something from him, then report back to the soldier surnamed Li. One arrow, three birds.

"Oh? Not saying anything? Scared? Good! You ought to be scared! Don't you know who your young master is? You dared trick even me?" After staring at Qiu Yan for a few moments, the smile on Wang Qiao'er's face grew broader. He stepped forward as though he were about to teach Qiu Yan a lesson.

Street toughs like them knew when to advance and when to retreat; they understood whom they could afford to provoke. Though Qiu Yan had a relative who was a steward in the Pan Household, he himself was merely a student without even an academic title. There was not much to fear.

Moreover, to prevent Qiu Yan from taking revenge in the future, the best course was undoubtedly to ruin his prospects and leave him with no hope in the Imperial Examinations. Thus, Wang Qiao'er had already planned to embellish the tale when he made his report.

Yet in the face of the threat, Qiu Yan remained remarkably calm.

"Your arrival is timely," he said lightly, looking at Wang Qiao'er. "I happened to have something to discuss with you."

"What?" Seeing Qiu Yan's composed face, Wang Qiao'er's thoughts became muddled. He actually says he has something to discuss with me? Does he not know why I came? "If you know what is good for you, hand over a few taels of silver. Your young master might consider sparing you and not reporting this matter. Otherwise, not only you, but even the Liu Household will suffer with you! You might all be dragged in with the refugees! Your whole household could be ruined!"

He simply laid everything bare.

To his surprise, Qiu Yan nodded. "In that case, I need not deliberate any further. The Sages said that some matters need only be considered twice. When dealing with petty men, it is better to be straightforward. It will settle your mind and make our conversation easier."

"What did you say? You dare call me a petty man? You're courting death!" Wang Qiao'er's expression changed. Though he knew his conduct was crude, how could he endure being called a petty man to his face? He was about to explode at once.

But before he could move, Qiu Yan had already taken a step forward. With a kick off the ground, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string. Raising his hand, he drove his fist straight into Wang Qiao'er's face.

A burst of agony erupted across Wang Qiao'er's face. Then his lower abdomen flared with pain as Qiu Yan rammed a knee into it.

Wang Qiao'er felt his stomach churn and foul air rise up. It seemed as though last night's meal was about to come back out. But Qiu Yan suddenly reached out, clamped a hand over his jaw, and trapped all that foul air in his throat. Then he shook his arm and forced him down with a hard press. With a smack, Wang Qiao'er's face slammed into the ground, his flesh squashed out of shape.

Buzz!

That impact left Wang Qiao'er dazed, nearly unconscious. Only one thought remained in his mind—

Is this man really a scholar? How is he slicker in a fight than I am? And his strength is freakish!

As a street tough, Wang Qiao'er had gotten into no shortage of brawls. Yet those few blows had left him unable even to strike back. Qiu Yan had not only been fast, but immensely powerful—stronger by far than an ordinary burly man. Such strength in a scholar was naturally bizarre.

Naturally, he did not know that Qiu Yan had absorbed and purified a drop of blood, giving his physique and strength far beyond those of ordinary people.

"Urgh!"

As the thought passed through his mind, Wang Qiao'er suddenly felt a sour swelling in his throat, as though it were about to burst. The foul air Qiu Yan had trapped earlier was now surging upward.

At that moment, Qiu Yan crouched down and whispered beside Wang Qiao'er's ear, "Swallow it. Do not dirty the ground."

A simple sentence, paired with Qiu Yan's indifferent expression and calm tone, sent a shiver through Wang Qiao'er. He hastily turned his vomit into a swallow and forcibly gulped it down, though his face reddened from the strain.

"Good. Not bad." Qiu Yan praised him, but did not rise. Instead, he continued, "You came to threaten me? You chose the wrong target. Think about it—the bandit troops were so powerful. How could a scholar like me possibly survive alone? To tell you the truth, there is an important figure standing behind me, someone you cannot afford to offend. If you know what is good for you, hand over all the money on you. Then I may consider overlooking today's affair. Otherwise, you had best flee the city at once. If you remain at home, bear the consequences yourself."

"A-an important figure?" After being thoroughly beaten, forcibly swallowing his foul air, and now hearing Qiu Yan's words, Wang Qiao'er was so confused that he could barely speak. "What important figure?"

The corner of Qiu Yan's mouth lifted slightly. "There is no harm in telling you. Think about it yourself—what important figure has come to the city recently?"

"Recently?" Wang Qiao'er's face changed. "Could it be General Lang Shilang, under the military governor of the Song Kingdom?"

A cold glint flashed through Qiu Yan's eyes. "Oh? From your tone, it seems you do not believe it. If you do not, investigate as you please. Men like you have the quickest ears. There is nothing you wish to uncover that you cannot uncover."

For no reason, a chill rose in Wang Qiao'er's heart. He felt a presence emanating from the scholar at his side that made his heart tremble, and he hurriedly replied, "I believe it! Of course I believe it!"

At a time like this, he naturally would not argue. Better to believe it existed than risk that it did not. His urgent task was to escape his current predicament. Still, once he was free, he would inevitably investigate the matter afterward. Otherwise, would he not have suffered for nothing?

"I know you do not believe it, and that you will investigate afterward. That is fine. Investigate all you like." Qiu Yan extended a hand. "But you must still receive a small punishment today. Pay money to avert disaster, and let it teach you a lesson. In the future, weigh the gains and losses before acting. Though I, Qiu Yan, am merely a commoner, I cannot let people come when they please and leave when they please."

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