Cockcrow and Dog Theft, Put Everything to Use

"What is going on?"

Liu Huai's slightly aged voice came from outside. Amid hurried footsteps, Liu Huai and Liu Yue, father and son, hurried through the gate.

From afar, they had seen their front gate standing wide open and quite a few people in the courtyard. Knowing something was wrong, they rushed over. The moment they entered, they saw Qiu Yan surrounded by several men, while their wife, sister, and the others huddled in a corner of the yard with frightened faces.

"You ruffians dare cause trouble in my home!"

At the sight before him, Liu Huai's anger surged. Ignoring Liu Yue's attempt to stop him, he was about to charge forward.

But before he could, a figure flashed before him. Qiu Yan had stepped in front of him.

"Uncle, there is no need to be angry. These men are all my friends. They came to ask me out for a drink."

Liu Huai froze upon hearing this. "Yan'er? What do you mean by that? Are they extorting you, or threatening you?" His gaze shifted, landing on Li Bo in his soldier's attire among the crowd, and his heart skipped a beat. "Could it be that the matter of fleeing disaster has been exposed? That is no great concern. Do not be afraid. You are originally from Yuanning Prefecture; you have reason to stand wherever you go. You clearly have a residence in the city, so there was no need to go to that shelter."

"Uncle, you truly misunderstand. If you do not believe me, ask this soldier Li. He did not come here with ill intent this time, did he?" Qiu Yan directed those final three words at Li Bo and the gang of ruffians.

Under his gaze, Li Bo and the others felt a chill run down their backs, panic rising in their hearts. Recalling the unexpected methods Qiu Yan had displayed earlier, they felt as though he had seen straight through them.

Cold sweat trickled down Li Bo's forehead. He gave a dry laugh, then clasped his hands toward Liu Huai. "That is right. We came to invite Young Master Qiu out for a drink. Disturbing the peace of your household was truly not our intention."

Liu Huai was taken aback. Having served at the Pan Household for so many years, he had some skill at reading faces and weighing words. Naturally, he could see from Li Bo's expression and tone that the man did not mean what he said, and that he was plainly afraid.

What is going on? This man seems to be afraid? This is the first time a soldier has ever treated me with such respect. How strange. He is clearly the leader of this gang. He came knocking with so many people behind him, strong in numbers—what could he possibly fear?

As the steward of the Pan Household, Liu Huai had dealt with soldiers before. Those who lived off military rations, even mere idle troops in the city, might show Pan Yuanwai every courtesy, but they would never take an ordinary steward seriously. Liu Huai had only managed the household's daily affairs. Yet now that he had left the Pan Household and lost its backing, Li Bo was actually saluting him. He could not help but feel puzzled.

But before he could come to his senses, Qiu Yan exchanged just a few words and led Li Bo's group out of the courtyard, leaving behind the unsettled Liu Huai and Liu Yue.

"What exactly did those people come for? Wang Qiao'er and the others are notorious ruffians, always swaggering about and bullying the weak. Since when did they become so easy to reason with?"

Once he had calmed down somewhat, Liu Huai turned to question his wife and sister.

"When that group arrived, they looked vicious as demons. But after Yan'er spoke to them for a few moments, all their earlier fierceness vanished. Perhaps they really are his friends." Liu-shi spoke uncertainly. The women had been so frightened by the scene just now that they had lost their wits; how could they have noticed what Qiu Yan and those men had said?

"What nonsense are you talking about? Yan'er spends his days reading and writing, never stepping beyond the front gate or second door. How could he possibly know such ruffians and scoundrels?" Liu Huai was half-convinced, half-dubious, feeling that his nephew had become somewhat unfathomable. "What sort of people are they? Soldiers and ruffians! Even if they are friends, that is hardly reassuring. They would not place a scholar without scholarly honors in their eyes."

Suddenly, a spark of Spiritual Light flashed through his mind.

"In the plays, scholars who have read their way into great learning know the heavens above and the earth below. They can commune with ghosts and gods, turn Heaven and Earth on their axis. Yan'er has studied so diligently all these years. Though he did not pass the Imperial Examinations, perhaps he has long possessed profound learning..."

After suffering great upheaval and losing his livelihood, then running into walls everywhere for several days, Liu Huai had deeply felt the misery of having neither power nor influence. His way of thinking had changed somewhat, and he had gained a new understanding of his nephew's single-minded devotion to study. That was why such thoughts arose now. Yet he still could not set his mind at ease, and in the end sent Liu Yue out to follow Qiu Yan. Should the situation turn unfavorable, he would be able to respond in time.

By the time Liu Yue left the house and began looking around for traces of Qiu Yan's group, Qiu Yan and the others were already seated in the well-known Immortal-Envy Tower in the city.

Inside a private room, the atmosphere was grave.

The dishes had yet to be served. Qiu Yan, Li Bo, and the others sat around the table, heads lowered as they stared at the wine cups before them. No one spoke.

After a while, Wang Qiao'er, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up. "Qiu... Young Master Qiu, what exactly are you planning?"

Qiu Yan lifted his wine cup and tapped its rim with a finger. "You disturbed Qiu's relatives. That debt must be settled."

Here it comes!

They had followed him here already aware that this matter would not be easily put to rest. Their only concern had been what conditions he would demand.

Qiu Yan once again took a sheet of paper from his robes and spread it across the table. It bore a long list of names, each followed by a number.

"This is...?"

"A list." Qiu Yan took a sip of wine. "The numbers after each name are the amounts in silver. Pay according to the figures on it, and use money to avert disaster. As for who pays more and who pays less, that is for you to decide among yourselves."

"This..." Seeing the amounts listed, Li Bo and the others' eyelids twitched. Though they wondered why Qiu Yan had prepared such a thing in advance, they knew that was not the issue before them. "The sum is too large. Could you lower it somewhat?"

"I am not negotiating with you." Qiu Yan shook his head. "This is also a warning. I hope you will turn over a new leaf from this day on. If you continue to run rampant through the countryside, today you may merely lose money. In the future, you may find yourselves unable to sleep night after night, your bodies and minds tortured."

Li Bo and the others exchanged glances, all finding themselves unable to speak. They had always been the ones extorting others. Who would have imagined that today, they would be driven to this point by a scholar who looked too weak even to truss a chicken? It would have been a lie to say they did not feel stifled. Yet this scholar had method after method up his sleeve, wearing an unfathomable air that filled them with fear. They did not even dare offer a rebuttal.

In the end, Li Bo spoke. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine. We agree!"

Qiu Yan took in their unease and knew that these men would not let the matter rest so easily. But he also knew that even if he repaid resentment with kindness, nothing would change. They might even see him as weak and easy to bully.

"If high officials or great generals bestowed favors upon these ruffians and military louts, they might naturally receive a hero's repayment. But this avatar of mine is merely a scholar. Showing kindness would only be taken for weakness."

"Still, such cockcrow-and-dog-thieving creatures are more useful alive than dead. There is no need to kill them, but neither can I treat them as a scab or ringworm ailment and relax my guard. They must be kept in hand at all times. Better to keep applying pressure and knock them into line now and then."

"That is it. Everyone in this world has their private thoughts. Since I must both fulfill this body's ambitions and gather the incense of People's Wishes, I will inevitably have to command Human Thoughts. These few make fine test subjects."

Qiu Yan did not feel there was any need to kill Li Bo and the other mortals over the present matter. Besides, if so many people died at once, and all had come into contact with Qiu Yan and the Liu Household, trouble would surely follow afterward.

"The true self and the avatar are relatively independent. It is best that the avatar's Karma does not stain the true self. Better to put these people to full use."

Great Rui was a unified dynasty with sound laws. One could not simply kill people at will. If the scholar avatar killed someone, not only would the Imperial Examinations be out of reach, even survival would become a problem. If his divine true self acted instead, it would easily draw the City God's attention and entangle him in karmic debt and baleful force. The loss would outweigh the gain.

"However, since I am going to test the methods of the Divine Path on these men, they will have a few experiences ahead of them. Before long, the signs will emerge."

Setting aside these thoughts, Qiu Yan put down his wine cup.

"Very well. Since we have reached an understanding regarding the money to calm your fright, let us discuss other matters."

Under Li Bo and the others' astonished and angry gazes, Qiu Yan continued, "You dared come looking for me, which means you already know that I have no connection with General Lang. You must also possess quite a bit of information. What I want now is every piece of news you have concerning that general."

Qiu Yan looked over the stunned crowd, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Come. Tell me everything you know, in full detail, without leaving out a single word."

PS: There will still be only one update today. Actually, the computer at home broke down the night before last. Since it was already fairly old and repairs would take time, I decided to upgrade it directly. I just picked up the parts from a friend. Once I get home tonight, I should be able to finish setting it up. Update speed will return to normal tomorrow; I hope everyone understands.