Compromise

In the stillness,

the mountain spring water on the low table gradually came to a boil, bubbling away.

Nie Junyue drew a deep breath and said slowly,

"I need to consider this matter."

"Of course."

Qin Yi nodded and said softly, "But before long, I may once again fall into confusion because of my brain ailment. When I awaken again, I hope you can tell me about it. I will incorporate it into your Immortal Guest House."

"Fine."

Nie Junyue nodded in agreement, then turned sideways and took out a foot-long wooden box from a corner of the carriage, setting it on the low table.

Qin Yi glanced at it but did not move.

Nie Junyue's tone softened again as he asked,

"Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Qin Yi was not surprised in the slightest. He knew the methods of people like the old proprietor, and answered with a smile,

"There is nothing worth seeing in the Zhou Family head's skull. Once he is dealt with, any leads you have for killing me should be cut off."

Nie Junyue fell silent for a moment, then repeated himself. His voice remained gentle, yet carried an unquestionable pressure,

"I said, open it and take a look."

They met each other's eyes in silence.

This time, Qin Yi did not yield to that coercive pressure demanding obedience. Maintaining his faint smile, he stared into the man's eyes, his tone unchanged.

"Proprietor, I just gave you the first reason not to kill me. Would you like to hear the second?"

"Speak."

"Once Ruan Su escapes, with her potential, your whole family will probably end up like that male ape."

"..."

After a brief silence,

there was no anger on Nie Junyue's face as he said,

"For you to say something like that proves you still do not understand Immortal Guest House well enough."

Qin Yi glanced at the wooden box containing the head.

"To kill the patriarch of a prominent local clan without fearing retaliation from the other families, then judging by the distance between Yellow Bamboo Town and Qi County, perhaps you have already infiltrated most of the counties and towns around Compassion Mountain."

Following Qin Yi's gaze to the documents and wooden box beside them, Nie Junyue narrowed his long, slender eyes slightly. After pondering for a while, his brows suddenly twisted together!

He suddenly became certain of one thing.

The brain ailment the other party had mentioned was real.

Luo Liuyi,

that gift upon meeting,

Immortal Guest House's organizational structure,

and even now, this topic regarding Immortal Guest House's sphere of influence.

Throughout the entire negotiation, nearly every bargaining chip this child had offered was derived from information he had exposed today.

This monster wearing human skin

had been using intelligence snatched on the spot to negotiate with him!

The carriage fell silent once more.

As time passed, something in Nie Junyue's eyes gradually dimmed. Yet he still asked as though making idle conversation,

"Since you know all this, why do you still think I cannot even kill Ruan Su?"

Qin Yi replied in the same casual manner,

"You would most likely be able to kill her, but you probably would not abandon a win-win outcome to take this dangerous road."

Hearing this, Nie Junyue smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed faintly.

"Indeed, I would not. Compared to stifling a genius, investing for a win-win outcome is the road I would choose.

"Boy, you won."

Seeing this, Qin Yi clasped his hands and bowed.

"Qin Yi thanks you here for your appreciation, Proprietor."

Nie Junyue no longer put on airs. Rubbing his brow, he leaned back against the cushioned couch behind him.

"I thought you would choose to hide your talents. At the very least, I did not expect you to bare your edge so sharply."

Upon hearing that, Qin Yi picked up the boiling kettle. As he poured tea for them both, he said softly,

"If I did not reveal my edge, how could I cooperate with you?"

"Cooperate..."

Nie Junyue savored those two words, then sighed softly. A sense of helplessness born from the barrier of talent finally made him let go of the unrealistic desires born from greed in his heart.

"Very... well."

People like this were destined to be only passing travelers to him.

If he wanted to keep climbing higher, it was better to gain benefits while forging a good connection than to take risks and make an enemy, inviting destruction.

After a pause, Nie Junyue's voice was no longer gentle, but it carried solemnity.

"Let last night's matter end here. What do you say?"

"Have I not already answered that?"

Qin Yi sat kneeling perfectly straight, his words gentle and unhurried. "If I intended revenge, I would not have exposed myself before you."

Nie Junyue smiled in relief.

"Talking to a little brat like you is more exhausting than talking to those royal nobles in the capital."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Hmph. It is indeed a compliment."

Nie Junyue gave a soft snort. "However, I have a proposal you may consider."

"I would like to hear the details."

"I can withdraw my marriage proposal to Ruan Su, but I have a daughter around your age."

"..."

Qin Yi's expression became somewhat strange.

"You wish to marry your daughter off to me?"

Nie Junyue nodded, but his words were thick with helplessness.

"I do not think it would be marrying down. Whether she becomes your wife or concubine will depend on her own ability... Forget it. If she does not end up as a maid discarded by you, that alone will count as her ability."

"..."

Qin Yi fell silent. Sensing the other party's change and the respect in his words, he gave him enough face and said softly,

"If your daughter does not mind, then I would naturally be willing."

"Hehe."

Nie Junyue stared at Qin Yi's face and smiled teasingly.

"With a face like yours, saying such things does not count as modesty. Someone like you is destined to head for a grander world. From today onward, I will gradually begin investing in you siblings. As for returns, I will not ask for them. Consider it compensation for my plot to ambush and kill you last night."

"..."

Qin Yi gave him a sidelong glance at that tactic of retreating in order to advance.

Incense smoke curled beside the window lattice.

One old and one young exchanged a smile.

Once they had finished smiling,

a soft rustle of knocking came from the carriage door at just the right moment.

They had arrived at Immortal Guest House's headquarters.

Nie Junyue opened the window lattice, his voice gentle and steady.

"Understood."

Qin Yi pushed a cup of freshly poured fragrant tea before him.

"Proprietor, may I ask one final question?"

Nie Junyue picked it up and took a light sip. The fragrant bitterness on his tongue slightly surprised him with Qin Yi's skill at tea-making, but considering the boy was such a monster, he soon accepted it and replied,

"Of course."

Qin Yi also took a sip of tea and asked softly,

"Just now, I noticed your emotions fluctuated rather intensely. May I ask why?"

Nie Junyue laughed soundlessly.

"Did I frighten you?"

Qin Yi shrugged and casually lied along with the man's words.

"Of course. After all, I do not want to die, and in my impression, you are not that kind of person."

Nie Junyue grew somewhat interested.

"Oh? What kind of person am I in your eyes?"

Qin Yi answered honestly,

"Rational. Someone who will stop at nothing to climb higher, and who can choose to cooperate temporarily for profit even if the other party is his own enemy."

Nie Junyue had already gone numb. He said faintly,

"That is quite a high appraisal..."

"After all, it was the basis of my judgment in choosing to appear before you."

"And what if I am not?"

"..."

Nie Junyue had expected the other party to fall silent, or at least hesitate. But the boy opposite him spoke as evenly as ever, without the slightest fluctuation.

"Proprietor,

"what you consider a risk is already the optimal solution I can reach by exhausting everything I have."

Nie Junyue's fingertips tightened slightly. In silence, he set down his teacup, looked out through the translucent window lattice, and remained quiet for a moment before finally speaking softly.

"The answer to your question is actually very simple.

"Ten years ago, I met a girl. She was very much like you, even about the same age. At the time, I did not possess the power I have now, and then some conflict arose between us..."

Nie Junyue did not continue after that.

Because what followed went without saying.

Silence.

A few breaths later,

Qin Yi suddenly asked,

"Was that when your wife passed away?"

Nie Junyue did not answer.

Seeing this, Qin Yi drained the fragrant tea in his cup in one gulp, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and flashed a brilliant smile at the middle-aged man opposite him.

"It seems you now have a third reason not to kill me."

Nie Junyue raised his eyes to look at him, seeming somewhat weary.

"Just say it."

Light filtered through the window lattice into the carriage. Qin Yi's eyes gleamed brightly, and the smile in his voice was as though he were remarking on fine weather.

"If I meet her someday, I will kill her for you while I'm at it."