Gathering and Scattering Quicksand, Untraceable in Life and Death!

Lotus Town was different today.

There was no bustling market, and the shops lining the streets had their doors and windows tightly shut.

The broad main road, however, teemed with figures.

They were neither hawkers peddling their wares nor boys selling newspapers, but soldiers clad in heavy iron armor, carrying spears and other weapons.

Judging by their uniforms, they did not seem to serve the local county magistrate. They looked more like better-equipped regional troops.

Their presence cast a pall of unspeakable fear and gloom over the little town.

He Hua had just hurried home and had not even had time to pick up her younger sister, He Nian.

Then she heard the neighbors talking.

"Did you hear? County Magistrate Qian's son is dead! Treasure Abundance Hall has closed!"

"Yes, I heard... nearly a hundred people died, inside and out!"

"Nonsense! It was one or two hundred! Every thug working for Qian Zhao died, including some of those men from the grasslands he paid a fortune to hire!"

"Hiss... that many?"

"Looks like our little town is about to be turned upside down... I heard even the regional troops have come!"

The neighbors drew sharp breaths and whispered among themselves.

Hearing this, He Hua immediately ran over.

"Excuse me..."

But before she could ask anything, the neighbors all shut their doors.

They seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further. Unease filled every heart.

Holding her younger sister, she looked toward Treasure Abundance Hall.

Qian Zhao was dead.

The debts her gambling addict of a father had incurred were wiped clean, too.

No one would ever force them to repay those debts again, much less sell them to a brothel to settle them.

Better days were coming for them.

But from now on, she would never see those two again.

He Hua understood why Ning Que had killed Qian Zhao.

But was doing it just for her really worth it?

Or perhaps it had not been for her, but merely for taking him in that night.

And.

That half bowl of steaming rice gruel.

Even fine wine was best enjoyed in moderation.

Ning Que took only a few sips of the excellent Daughter's Blush before sealing it again with its clay lid and putting it in his travel pack.

Yin Jiuyou, on the other hand, drained an entire bottle of Daughter's Blush.

Northerners loved their wine. With wine in their bellies, they killed all the more fiercely!

Yin Jiuyou brought the horses over and prepared to mount.

But Ning Que stared ahead and smiled. "Can we still leave?"

The county office seemed to be making a major move, posting heavy guards at every entrance to the town.

"Seems we have no choice but to fight them..."

It was not really about playing the righteous hero. Someone had simply reached out and pulled him up when things were at their worst.

He had been given a bowl of steaming rice gruel.

That was all.

"Juzi, you may not know this, but Lotus Town is also an important strategic location that we in Flowing Sand intend to take..."

Yin Jiuyou then gave Ning Que a rough outline of Flowing Sand's plan to overthrow the Great Li Dynasty.

A single spark could set the plains ablaze.

They only needed to plant Flowing Sand strongholds in every prefecture, every city, and every county in Dali.

Once the time was ripe, one call would bring a hundred responses.

"Gathering and scattering quicksand, untraceable in life and death."

Yin Jiuyou spoke coldly.

Ning Que listened quietly.

It was a good idea, but far too naïve.

A dynasty's fall inevitably had its causes, but it could never be toppled simply because an underground organization had spent generations painstakingly preparing.

Heaven's timing, favorable terrain, and unity among the people-not one could be lacking.

Of course, there were easier, more direct methods as well. For instance... a background with connections reaching all the way to heaven?

Treasure Abundance Hall.

That was where the soldiers and constables were heading.

Heavy guards had been posted throughout a hundred-meter radius around Treasure Abundance Hall.

Not even a fly could get in.

A middle-aged man wearing dark blue official robes and the official hat of a Principal Seventh Rank strode inside.

Looking at his son's corpse on the ground, County Magistrate Qian's face darkened to the extreme.

He knew neither of his sons was any good, but at least his eldest had made something of himself.

His younger son, however, was an expert at drinking, feasting, whoring, and gambling.

But what could he do? That was his son.

When a son died, his father naturally had to avenge him.

The goateed adviser spoke with considerable apprehension. "Magistrate, word has come from Capital City that two vicious wanted criminals have fled here. Could they have done this?"

County Magistrate Qian naturally knew about the two wanted criminals. They were precisely why the regional troops had appeared.

"If it was them, Magistrate, I think we would be better off staying out of it..."

Before the adviser could finish, an icy gleam flashed through County Magistrate Qian's narrow eyes. "Are you trying to get me killed? Informing the regional commandant would inevitably bring an investigation down on my Lotus Town. Could this little place of ours withstand that scrutiny?"

The adviser immediately thought of something. Terror appeared on his face, and he shut his mouth.

"Have Kuidou come back. It's time to put him to use!"

Qian Kuidou was County Magistrate Qian's eldest son. He had possessed tremendous strength since childhood and was said to have been born with divine might.

But instead of becoming a constable as County Magistrate Qian wished, he had gone into the mountains and become a bandit.

He made his living robbing travelers crossing the mountains and merchant caravans.

County Magistrate Qian had always been ashamed to acknowledge him as his son. Yet, to his surprise, Qian Kuidou's influence kept growing, and he took in more and more followers.

He was now the chief of a mountain stronghold.

Any faction that developed to such a scale was a force that could not be ignored.

But rather than send troops to suppress the bandits, County Magistrate Qian secretly cooperated with them.

His eldest son handled all the matters that could not bear the light of day.

This time, whether it was Qian Zhao's killer or the two wanted criminals, he still intended to let Qian Kuidou deal with them...

Meanwhile, Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou found an inn and settled in.

"Juzi, I've already sent word of our location. The brothers from the Qingzhou Branch should be able to meet up with us tomorrow or the day after..."

Ning Que murmured an acknowledgment. With a thought, a panel visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Ning Que]

[Background Editing: Son of the former Juzi of Gathering and Scattering Quicksand (Current progress: 5%)]

[Current Karma Points: 226 (Karma Points required for the next Background Editing: 1,000).]

[Current techniques: Back-Penetrating Fist (Proficiency: 20%), Demon-Subduing Saber Technique (Proficiency: 20%).]

Ning Que did not mind how few Karma Points he had gained. Right now, there were only him and Yin Jiuyou.

Once they reunited with the main force and had more people, the points would shoot up...

His gaze settled on the progress bar in the Background Editing field.

Five percent? What does that mean? Does an edited background have a mission completion rate, too?

[Ding! Host, this system is responsible only for Background Editing. The circumstances, situation, and objectives of each edited background must be resolved by the host personally. The system will score the host according to background completion. The higher the progress score, the better the rewards.]

Ning Que: "..."

Isn't that just opening a dungeon and making me clear it?

Take Gathering and Scattering Quicksand, for example. Although he had the background of Flowing Sand's Juzi, the current Flowing Sand was not whole, but fractured.

He would have to unite it himself.

[Ding! Since the host currently lacks sufficient Karma Points for another Background Editing, and exchanging them for items is also not recommended, the system suggests: a prize draw! Take a chance, and turn your bicycle into a motorcycle!]

At this, Ning Que acted on a thought.

"Prize draw."

[Ding! The first prize draw is free. Congratulations, host, you have drawn...]