Chapter 106: He Always Works the Fastest

Outside Qingzhou, Da Shun Zhai.

Outside the second floor, a small table was set with two cups of green tea.

Li Xinhan sat with an icy expression, Li Mujin standing behind him; the brother and sister looked quietly toward the seat opposite.

A lean, goateed middle-aged man wore a faint smile: "You two needn't be so tense. I've only been asked by Young Master Kangyun to come along and sit for a while, that's all."

"Hmph."

Li Xinhan let out a cold laugh and said mockingly, "Within Outside Qingzhou, you still need to bring a Nascent Core Realm retainer just to go out. You wastrels' guts really do get worse with every passing year."

"What's the rush? I only called you out for a cup of tea."

Zhao Kangyun raised an eyebrow slightly and turned to look at the distant city wall.

The men he had stationed outside the city had caught a whiff of news today, so he had hurriedly invited a clan-protecting retainer and, unable to wait, called the Li siblings out.

As legitimate heirs of first-rate powers, a real fight was out of the question.

But at the very least, he had to smash that bench from that day back at them, exactly as it had been.

"Tap tap tap…"

As time passed, footsteps grew more frequent. The younger generation who had been present that day soon arrived at the second floor, packing the corridor wall to wall.

None of them spoke, all staring at the distant city wall with blank indifference.

"…"

The Li siblings exchanged a glance; they had a rough idea of what was going on.

Who else could gather this lot in one place besides Shen Yi?

But wasn't this far too fast?

The other party had only been gone from Outside Qingzhou for two days at most, and the round trip alone would eat up a day and a half.

With only half a day left, to investigate the cause, obtain evidence, and capture the abbot of the Jin Gang Sect — relying on the mere hundred-and-something men Shen Yi had brought — no matter how you thought about it, it didn't seem possible.

Most likely, this lot had come with the same thought in mind, which was why that Zhao fellow was acting so arrogant.

"I told you, don't rush. Sit tight for me."

Zhao Kangyun withdrew his gaze, idly fanned himself, and looked at the siblings with a teasing grin: "Serves you right for leaving the house without bringing anyone. Try to learn a lesson next time."

They were all people of standing. That day they had been far too careless; the other side had leaned on Shen Yi for support and left them no face at all. Today they had come fully prepared, waiting only for the situation to turn so they could reclaim their ground.

The Zhao family retainer smiled faintly, unwilling to get involved in these youngsters' petty squabbles, and lifted his teacup for a small sip.

Coming to Da Shun Zhai actually carried the family's intent as well.

Zhen Mo Si had always acted high-handedly, but rarely slipped up. Having finally run into a young, hot-headed, inexperienced newly-appointed attendant who handled things so sloppily, of course they had to seize this chance — draft a complaint, deliver it to the Zhen Mo Si government office, and remind these hounds not to be so overbearing.

Clearly, the news Zhao Kangyun had received was fairly accurate.

The sun had just climbed to the center of the sky.

A group of riders had already halted outside the city, dismounting to enter as usual.

Zhao Kangyun's sharp eyes counted them: a hundred and twenty-four had gone out, a hundred and twenty-three had returned, every face blank and at a loss.

The corners of his lips rose of their own accord — exactly as he had guessed.

No casualties, yet back so quickly, not a single Jin Gang Sect disciple caught — most likely they had come up empty.

Hong Lei walked at the very rear, leading a yao-horse, and on its back the murderous figure from last time was nowhere to be seen.

"Feeling ashamed, won't show his face, I see."

Zhao Kangyun dropped all pretense. With a snap he closed his fan, rose, reached for the wooden bench that had been set aside long ago, and weighed it in his grip: "I think, after causing such a disaster, Young Master Li probably doesn't have the nerve to go back and tattle, does he?"

The disciples of the other noble houses and sects kept staring outside.

They had come for Shen Yi, yet none of them dared be dragged into the feud between the young masters of the Li and Zhao families.

But listening to Zhao Kangyun's words, though their expressions didn't change, a faint, elusive sense of vindication still rose in their eyes.

Zhen Mo Si was ruthless, to be sure — not only toward outsiders but toward their own people as well. With such a grand display, and lives lost to boot, to wrap things up so sloppily in the end, they would have to offer some explanation.

Li Xinhan's face hardened; he lifted his gaze and stared at the other man: "Enough crap. I'm still expected back to report for duty."

"Tough talk."

Zhao Kangyun's face split into a grin; then a savage glint flashed in his eyes, and he brought the bench smashing down head-first!

Mid-motion, a lean hand closed around his wrist.

The Zhao family retainer said softly, "Young Master, it's time to go home."

"What do you mean!"

Zhao Kangyun whipped his head around, a stifled fury lodged in his chest that he couldn't vent.

What — Zhao family people could be insulted at will, but Li family people couldn't suffer the slightest grievance?

Just then, he caught the look in the retainer's eyes and followed the direction indicated. He saw Hong Lei leading the yao-horse closer, and on its back a leather sack was tied, swaying in the wind.

Looking closely, the flat leather sack had all four limbs, and a bald head dangling from it.

If it wasn't the abbot of the Jin Gang Sect, who else could it be?

Zhao Kangyun was struck as if by lightning; the hand gripping the bench froze in midair.

The disciples of the other noble houses all lost their breath, a flash of horror passing through their eyes.

In Outside Qingzhou, a so-called second-rate power meant the household possessed a strong practitioner on par with the Nascent Core Realm — whether by some lucky encounter or by unorthodox means, as long as they could dominate the Jade Liquid Realm, that counted.

As for first-rate powers, besides needing more true Nascent Core Realm experts to hold the line, they also needed a stable path to breaking through to the Nascent Core Realm — such as the Sword Pool of Qingfeng Mountain — so they wouldn't suffer a talent gap and their position could remain secure.

The Jin Gang Sect had only just crept into the second-rate precisely because of the abbot's great leap in realm.

And now, this newly famous expert had, in just two days, been bound to the back of a horse, his aura completely gone — no harder than going to Pingkang Mountain to slaughter a chicken.

It really made one suspect Shen Yi had prepared the corpse in advance, staging this grand show specifically to intimidate them.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Li Mujin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fucking tired of sitting in a chair — can't I swap it for a bench to stretch my legs?" Zhao Kangyun slammed the bench onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"Last time Lord Shen rode back on horseback, it was because the other side was Qingfeng Mountain. What does the Jin Gang Sect count for? A demonic sect he wiped out in passing — you think that warrants him showing up in person? I really don't know what you lot of pig brains are mulling over."

Li Xinhan wore the look of a man who had long since had everything figured out, sweeping a contemptuous glance across the crowd.

"…" Li Mujin shot him a wordless, exasperated look.

Hearing the uproar drifting down from upstairs.

Hong Lei lifted his head slightly, then drearily pulled his gaze back. Turning, he looked at the colleagues behind him and found they were hardly any better off than himself.

General Chen Qiankun took over a month when he moved against Qingfeng Mountain.

Shen Yi personally led his Captains to exterminate the demons — a brutally simple affair: go up the mountain, slaughter the old monk, come back down. Start to finish, it took no more than two hours.

More relaxed and easy than going out for a meal — the dishes probably hadn't even all been served before the whole thing was already over.

If they hadn't had to notify the local government office to take over the drugged commoners, he might have come back even faster.

This merit… is honestly a bit hot to handle.

(End of chapter)