Chapter 29: Unexpected Wealth

Sun Qian's face showed a hint of fear and humility.

「Hundred-household officer... I'm just a petty beggar—how could I be waiting for someone? 」

「Sir... could it be... a misunderstanding? 」

Sun Qian's disguise was excellent; his voice and expression were full of obsequiousness and humility.

But as soon as he entered this street, Shen Qing's innate sixth sense caught the killing intent and hatred in Sun Qian's eyes.

Even if the killing intent was extremely faint and fleeting, under the boost of his innate sixth sense it was infinitely magnified.

Shen Qing chuckled: "Yo, that's a pretty novel excuse—maybe go explain it in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison."

A beggar dares to show killing intent toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Which beggar has that much gall?

Besides, daring to show killing intent toward Shen Qing? Even if you were a dog, he'd kick you twice.

「Sir, sir, it really is a misunderstanding. 」

Sun Qian said while shrinking back, a look of fear, but in the next instant his expression turned unusually ferocious, his right hand's two fingers forming a blade like a sword, stabbing toward Shen Qing's neck.

Sun Qian knew today couldn't be resolved peacefully, so he chose to strike first; moreover, Shen Qing daring to get this close obviously underestimated him.

But the next second, Sun Qian's expression froze—his two fingers had somehow been gripped tightly in Shen Qing's palm.

With slight force, Sun Qian's two fingers assumed a strange twisted posture.

Crack—crack—crack...

A grating bone‑crunching sound rang out, and Sun Qian's two fingers were crushed into fragments.

Throughout this whole process Shen Qing maintained a gentle smile.

Only then did Sun Qian realize Shen Qing hadn't underestimated him—he simply looked down on him.

Shen Qing exerted a little force with his hand, heard a loud thump, and Sun Qian was slapped to the ground, flung about in a messy heap.

Blood trickled from Sun Qian's mouth, his mind racing as he tried to think of an escape.

But Shen Qing wouldn't oblige him; the next instant his right foot came down hard on Sun Qian's knee, crushing it.

「Stop hitting, stop hitting... I surrender. 」

Sun Qian kept bleeding from his mouth, yet he muttered his surrender; the vicious malice in his eyes was replaced by deep fear, and he desperately braced himself with one careful hand, continually backing away.

Shen Qing gave a cold snort; he couldn't care less—the opponent's moves were killing blows, and if he couldn't win, he didn't want to just stop fighting.

Shen Qing stepped forward, repeated the move, breaking Sun Qian's other leg, then grabbed one of his arms and flung him hard, slamming his whole body into the wall.

The force was just right—it didn't break the wall, but it embedded Sun Qian into it like a fresco.

Just as Shen Qing was about to interrogate him, he noticed something off: Sun Qian's jawline had inexplicably gained a crease.

A human skin mask?

Shen Qing reached out and effortlessly pulled a mask from Sun Qian's face, revealing the originally aged visage underneath.

「Quite a few dirty tricks, huh? 」

At that moment, Fang Ming came running up from the street corner.

「Sir, sir, I've finally found you—there's new intel: Sun Qian has already fled Longwater Street, and a junior flag officer spotted his escape direction, which is our side. 」

「Hey, who is this old guy? 」

Originally he had some doubts, but now Shen Qing could be certain: this old coot is the lone cultivator who stole the treasure.

「An unexpected joy—this is Sun Qian. 」

Fang Ming stepped forward two paces, took a close look, and a flicker of doubt appeared on his face.

「No way—although he looks a bit familiar, he doesn't match the portrait either. 」

Then he saw the human skin mask in Shen Qing's hand and suddenly understood.

「Oh, it's a human skin mask—but that still doesn't make sense; why would I find this face familiar? 」

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow: "For a chief flag officer to find this face familiar, he must have seen it on a wanted poster."

Looks like my good fortune today isn't over yet.

「Old man, you talk. 」

「Of course, you also have a choice. 」

「First, obediently tell me where the treasure is, then explain the details clearly, and I'll give you a good death. Second, go to the prison, suffer endless torture, and then tell me where the treasure is. 」

Just thinking about the various tortures in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison, Sun Qian gave up struggling, sighed, and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

「Cough cough... I never imagined that after all these twists and turns I'd end up in your Embroidered Uniform Guard's hands. 」

「Time... fate... thinking back eight years... 」

Before he could finish, Shen Qing greeted him with a hard slap that twisted his mouth.

「When I'm chatting with you? 」

「Still talking about eight years ago—why don't you start from your birth? 」

「Speak! What's your name! 」

Sun Qian's face quickly swelled, and even his voice shrank a bit.

「I'm not Sun Qian—I'm Sun Yun... 」

Fang Ming suddenly let out a startled cry: "I remember, Sun Yun—you're Tan Yun Shou Sun Yun."

「I saw your wanted notice a couple days ago while sorting the case files—no wonder you looked familiar. 」

Immediately afterward, Fang Ming turned, clasped his fist before Shen Qing, and dropped to one knee.

「Congratulations, Sir! Congratulations, Sir! Capturing this Sun Yun will surely add a notch to your achievements! 」

「Eight years ago, this Sun Yun repeatedly committed thefts in Ning Prefecture—sects, hundred-household offices, chief flag offices, magistrates, and generals' mansions were all visited by this old coot. 」

「All told, the amount comes to tens of thousands of taels of silver, 」

「The Investigation Bureau even posted a bounty worth three thousand taels for this Sun Yun! 」

Shen Qing chuckled, not expecting that double blessings would still come his way.

Fang Ming's gaze at Sun Yun grew ever hotter, as if he were staring at a great achievement emblazoned on a wall.

Not bothering with anything else, Fang Ming rose and walked over, slapping Sun Yun directly across the face.

"Speak! Where did the silver go! Those tens of thousands of taels of silver!"

Sun Yun, dazed from the slap, then glared furiously: "Shen Qing hitting me I could accept, but how dare you, a mere Acquired Realm cultivator, slap me!"

But immediately a chill swept over him, his gaze cleared again, and he lowered his head.

Shen Qing snorted: "Alright, we'll ask about these matters later."

"First tell me where the treasure is."

Explaining clearly those tens of thousands of taels of wealth is also a hassle; it can't be finished in a short while, and if we finish the interrogation here, even the daylilies would be cold.

"That treasure isn't on me either; I've already sold it to Peng Chun of the Blackwater Gang for four thousand taels of silver, and Peng Chun promised to help me escape Luo Shui City."

"So you mean the treasure is now in Peng Chun's hands?"

"I don't know; I should say I'm not clear..."

Fang Ming grabbed Sun Yun's collar in one hand, seeing another big slap about to fall, Sun Yun immediately shouted.

"Listen to me, listen to me: the treasure is a sheet of gold paper, and I hid it using a special method on a disciple of the Blackwater Gang."

"What's that disciple's name! Speak quickly!"

"His name is Wang Xiu! The mad swordsman Wang Xiu!"

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere instantly quieted; Sun Qian looked at the two, noticing that Shen Qing and Fang Ming's expressions were unusually strange.

Finally, Fang Ming couldn't help laughing: "Congratulations, sir! Indeed this treasure rightfully belongs to you!"

Shen Qing also couldn't hold back, laughing: "Fate, this thing, is simply wonderful."

There's a saying that when one encounters joyous events, one's spirit refreshes; Shen Qing also asked a few more questions.

"Speaking of which, why did you choose the Blackwater Gang for the trade? Their reputation in Ningzhou's martial world isn't good; aren't you afraid they'll get the treasure and silence you by killing?"

Sun Yun straightened his chest slightly: "How could I say I've escaped eight years under pursuit by the Embroidered Uniform Guard; how could I be so careless?"

"They don't know I hid the treasure on Wang Xiu; according to our agreement, when I escape I will record the transaction information in a special way on paper and toss it out, then Peng Chun will deliberately open a gap to let me flee, and will also send a disciple to meet me here; after confirming the treasure information, they will send a carrier pigeon to the meeting disciple to help me escape via the secret passage."

"Of course, I also fear the Blackwater Gang silencing me; moreover, I estimate that at least two elders will be waiting at the secret passage exit. Last night I risked sneaking into the Blackwater Gang's stronghold, overheard that the meeting disciple is Wang Xiu, so this morning I secretly found an opportunity to hide the treasure on Wang Xiu."

"Once Peng Chun deciphers the paper's message, Wang Xiu will already be in my hands; Peng Chun can only grit his teeth and send me out through the secret passage, and even after we're outside the passage, they won't easily cause trouble."

Shen Qing listened for a while, then pointed out a loophole: "Why go through all that trouble to hide the treasure on Wang Xiu? Keeping it on myself or on him isn't any different."

Sun Yun explained.

"Peng Chun practices a strange technique; his nose is extraordinarily sensitive, and during the ancient tomb treasure heist he took the opportunity to sprinkle a kind of powder on the treasure, which he can smell when he gets close."

"If I were fleeing with the treasure on me, Peng Chun would definitely not let me go."

Shen Qing nodded: "That makes sense, the explanation works."

Fang Ming also nodded thoughtfully, showing an expression of deep scheming yet unable to figure it out.

In his heart there was only one thought.

This martial world.

It's still too treacherous.