Chapter 172

This place is simply quiet.

The busy scholars were only a few small white blocks in the distance. The two became quiet. Pei Ye looked at the small boats drifting by the lake and spoke first: "I feel... Miss Qi is very different from the two times we met before."

"... It is truly unfortunate," Qi Zhaohua smiled. "Both times my disheveled appearance was seen by you, Young Hero."

"How is that matter at Moon-Catching Lake now?"

Qi Zhaohua was silent for a moment and sighed lightly: "He who travels a hundred miles covers ninety as half; the last ten miles are the hardest to walk."

"If there is any place where help is needed, Miss Qi can come to me. If I take it on, I will definitely help you complete it."

Qi Zhaohua was stunned, bowed, and said: "Young Hero is kind-hearted; every time we meet, I understand it more deeply."

Pei Ye leaned on the railing and smiled: "The first two times were just a small effort."

"Is this time not?"

"This time is a promise," Pei Ye tilted his head and said seriously. "Regarding the lake modification, as long as it is within my power, I will definitely contribute."

"... Thank you."

After a moment of silence, Pei Ye suddenly said: "Excuse me, just now, I heard a tail."

"Hmm?"

"Miss Qi let Brother Fang cooperate with you to build momentum for Qijiao Shang Huaitong?"

"... Young Hero's tail is also too long."

"Brother Fang doesn't look very happy," Pei Ye pretended not to hear and continued.

"Yes, but he is still willing to do it," Qi Zhaohua looked down at her hands. "People are really very different... like him, I can make him do whatever I want."

Pei Ye frowned fiercely upon hearing this, but when he turned his head, the woman beside him did not have that kind of annoying expression on her face. She looked at the Moon-Catching Tower from afar, and the expression on her face was very faint; if he had to say it, it was more like a kind of sigh.

"Miss Qi's way of thinking is not good," Pei Ye said seriously.

"But sometimes it is really necessary to have others help do some things."

"You can uprightly request people's help."

"What if people are unwilling to do it?" Qi Zhaohua smiled. "So one must always see what means are available around one; after all, getting things done is the most important thing."

Pei Ye was about to frown and speak, when Qi Zhaohua smiled again and changed the subject: "Did Young Hero come to me just to ask about the Moon-Catching Lake?"

"No, I saw that you, Miss Qi, seem to be very close to Qijiao Shang Huaitong," Pei Ye said directly. "Has Miss Qi never heard of his evil deeds?"

"What evil deeds?" Qi Zhaohua frowned.

Pei Ye told her about the matter of Zhang Junyu.

Qi Zhaohua burst into laughter: "Young Hero has been deceived. This was a conspiracy by Zhang Junyu and Gu Guang to frame him, tricking him into throwing a match so they could report him and deprive him of his qualifications to compete; it is a despicable trick through and through."

Pei Ye frowned: "Who said this?"

"Hmm? Except for the two counties and Cuiyu, everyone says so," Qi Zhaohua leaned against the pillar and smiled. "As for me, he told me himself."

"... Miss Qi, do you believe whatever Qijiao Shang Huaitong says?"

Qi Zhaohua raised her eyebrows: "Then what Young Hero said, did you see it with your own eyes back then?"

"..."

Pei Ye was speechless for a moment—what he had heard naturally only came from Zhang Junxue.

He certainly believed Zhang Junxue absolutely, but perhaps just as Qi Zhaohua also believed Qijiao Shang Huaitong absolutely.

For a moment, Pei Ye thought of Zhang Junyu.

Pei Ye was silent for a moment: "Facts are always facts; lies will be exposed sooner or later. Miss Qi, my words are useless; I only hope you keep this matter in your heart and think about it carefully in your spare time."

"Thank you for your warm heart, Young Hero," Qi Zhaohua nodded.

After saying this, she looked over Pei Ye's shoulder to the back, her lips curling into a bright smile.

Pei Ye turned his head and saw a fluttering black cloak carrying a heavy table walking over, placing it among the goods on the side.

Beside him was a green-robed attendant following with quick steps, a helpless and anxious smile on his face.

"You see..." Seeing the two people's gazes move over, regardless of whether they knew him or not, the emotions in his heart finally had a place to be vented. The green-robed attendant said, "I was waiting for a hand, and Young Master Shang saw it again, and without a word, he moved it over."

"It's just a matter of catching my breath," Qijiao Shang Huaitong straightened up and smiled. In fact, with the man's deep true Qi, he hadn't even breathed heavily. "If there is any work in the future, just call me when you see me."

After parting with the green-robed attendant, he patted the dust off his hands, walked forward, and looked at Pei Ye with a smile: "Little brother, we've met several times, but we haven't exchanged names yet."

The tall man who was his target stood right in front of him, his wide black cloak obscuring much of the sunlight. Pei Ye was no more than three feet away from him; the other party's long breathing and faint scent were already pressing in, and given the Sixth Life cultivation, he didn't know if his words just now had been heard by him.

But Pei Ye was calm enough to surprise even himself; his body and heart did not feel the slightest tension. He cupped his hands: "Fenghuai, Pei Ye."

"Oh, Fenghuai," Qijiao Shang Huaitong returned the salute, shook his head as if thinking, and smiled. "A good place; I've met a Fenghuai man, very tough-boned."

Qi Zhaohua had already walked past Pei Ye and stepped forward, helping him pat the dust off his front: "Why did you come down?"

"The elders in the sect are discussing some things," Qijiao Shang Huaitong said casually, then glanced at the goods. "These all need to be moved over, right?"

"Hmm, yes."

"Aren't there empty boats over there?"

"..." Qi Zhaohua tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes turning for a moment.

"Shall we go open one?" Qijiao Shang Huaitong lowered his head and asked softly.

"Hmm, alright then... as long as it doesn't delay your time."

Qijiao Shang Huaitong smiled gently: "This is the thing that delays time the least."

Qi Zhaohua turned around to move things, but the curled corners of her mouth still leaked out. Qijiao Shang Huaitong stepped forward and held her wrist: "Hey! Let me do it."

Finally, the two said goodbye to Pei Ye, each holding some things, and walked toward the lake talking side by side.

Pei Ye looked at their backs with a slightly furrowed brow, when a voice suddenly came from his shoulder: "Sweet."

Pei Ye frowned and turned his head, meeting the black cat's pair of clear green eyes.

"What's sweet?"

"This pair, aren't they your friends?"

"... This man is Qijiao Shang Huaitong."

"... Oh," the black cat nodded. "Sorry, because I felt your body was quite relaxed just now—is this man very bad?"

"Very bad, can't you tell?"

"... I don't have this way of distinguishing men."

Then it tilted its head and looked at the young man's face, its brows slightly furrowed: "Hmm, do you like this Qi Zhaohua?"

"... What kind of nonsense is that?"

The black cat sighed faintly: "Because I'm still not quite used to it—I closed the door to practice for a few days, and when I came out, you told me you wanted to kill someone."

"..."

"Does that person have any conflict with you—but I remember you are not the kind of person who kills people over a little conflict."

"..." Pei Ye was silent for a while, then suddenly grabbed a handful of his hair. "You've made me waver again—he is very bad, and he is right at my hand. Is this reason not sufficient?"

In front of this companion, the young man did not hide his hesitation and confusion. He had not intended to regret it after making this decision, but the bit of unease in his heart had never disappeared—this was the first time he had decided to actively deprive a person who had nothing to do with him of their life.

The black cat tilted its head: "Oh, so, has that 'meddlesome' habit of yours become more severe?"

The tone of these words was cold, but Pei Ye and the Immortal Hunter had been together for many days, and there were few misunderstandings in the communication between the two—at this moment, he could hear that there was no sarcasm or opposition in these words, but rather a kind of cold, interesting banter.

"Ah, perhaps, but let's talk seriously, okay? Do you think my reason is sufficient?"

"... Who are you asking, Pei Ye?" The black cat's tone seemed to carry some laughter. "Does this little thing really make you so conflicted?"

It tilted its head curiously to look; the young man's face was clear and young, indeed carrying genuine hesitation.

"Alright, then let's talk seriously," the black cat said. "My serious answer is—if you think it's sufficient, then it's sufficient."

"..."

"You are walking on the road and see a grasshopper eating crops by the roadside," the black cat said. "Isn't this the situation you are facing?"

"..."

"You can ignore it, because walking in the scorching sun is already very tiring. You can also casually drive it away, catch it, or spend a little effort to crush it to death," the black cat said. "As long as you don't stupidly stand in front of it and stare blankly, and then start thinking about whether a grasshopper's life counts as a life or something like that."

"..." Pei Ye's face turned a little red. "So..."

"So it's just some trivial matters that don't matter," the black cat sighed. "Whatever you think is fine, do whatever you want. Even if you think the reason isn't sufficient but you just find him unpleasant, we can just slaughter him together. Because taking care of the flowers and plants by the roadside is not your task; I only hope you can take a little more time to look at the long road ahead of you—walking it to the end is what we really need to do."

"..."

Pei Ye didn't think human life was a trivial matter, but the black cat's consistent firm spirit of "even if it buries the entire Bowang Prefecture" indeed made his heart much more open.

"... Thank you."

The black cat nodded: "You're welcome, you can decide these trivial matters as you please, I will always support your attitude."

"Oh," Pei Ye felt a little warmth in his heart, and then realized and asked, "Then, what about the big things?"

"I decide the big things."

"..."

"..."

"Alright," the black cat looked away under Pei Ye's intense gaze and raised a small claw. "Then for big things, you also have thirty percent of the decision-making power."

Pei Ye nodded with satisfaction.

Then he reached out and picked the black cat up from his shoulder: "Since that's the case, there is a small matter right now that you need to do."

The black cat cast a puzzled look.

"You thought I brought you here to get some air," Pei Ye smiled and looked up; Yang Yan was walking over.

"I found out, the Seven Serpents' private pavilion is in the first pavilion on the east side of the sixth floor," he said.

——

Moon-Catching Tower.

Yesterday's turmoil had not yet passed; Bowang Garden was actually loose on the outside but tight on the inside, with some plainclothes officers wandering around the building.

Magistrate Zhao finished the affairs of the prefectural office before taking the time to come and inspect. Since the time had arrived, he naturally took the opportunity to have lunch in the building. As for where he ate, it was not something for outsiders to notice.

First pavilion on the east side of the sixth floor.

This was the exclusive pavilion with the best location on the entire sixth floor. The tall trees could no longer block the view. Sitting by the window, even half of Bowang Garden, including the garden gate, could be easily taken into view. An incense burner was burning in the pavilion, and a parrot was jumping around on its perch.

The man walked in, took off his blade, and sat down. Opposite the desk, a one-eyed man in his forties had been sitting and waiting.

"How is it? This side has already been planned. Leaving today, all four gates will be used; it's impossible to track our traces," he asked somewhat urgently.

The man slowly finished a cup of tea and said in a flat voice: "Discussed, not leaving."

"..." The man frowned fiercely and looked up at the man. "Didn't you say last time that the day the 'fruit' matures is not yet known, so we should be conservative?"

"The new reply from above says that side has become involved in troublesome things. Now that more and more people are paying attention, even being conservative makes it difficult to hide. It's better to turn defense into offense, use speed to compete with speed, and take some risks to complete this side."

"But whether it's fast or not is not up to us; doesn't it depend on when that fruit matures?" The man said in a deep voice.

"As long as this person is resolved, we will gain at least five more days," the man said. "And this fruit has very good aptitude, I estimate it's enough; by then we can also find ways to guide it."

"..." The man twisted his teacup with a dark face and didn't speak.

The room was quiet for a while, until the sound of scratching wood suddenly sounded by the window.

Both turned their heads violently at the same time, only to see a small cat with a completely jade-black body poking its head out, having climbed onto the window sill from outside the building. It looked at the parrot on the perch, making a move to pounce.

The parrot seemed to feel the murderous intent and flew to a high place with a *flutter*.

"I'm not discussing this with you," the man looked away and said. "This matter must be pushed forward like this."

"... Fine," the man took a deep breath. "Then let's do it, when?"

"No rush, wait for the other side to move first. The later they make a move, the longer we can wait."

"... I don't know if one thing counts as a move; that little girl from Cuiyu has been making a huge noise these past two days, with yellow jade and ascension pills..." the man frowned. "But I don't know if it's real or fake."

"..." The man tapped the table lightly.

"Originally, whether it was real or fake, we wouldn't pay attention—if it's real, naturally leave it to little Shang; if it's fake, it's clearly a trap. Who has the patience to take their tricks?" The man frowned tightly. "But according to what you said, we have to respond instead—can't we just continue to ignore it? Wouldn't that be waiting a few more days?"

"No. If we ignore it this time, the fruit side will have to bear the pressure," the man said. "It is precisely for you to take over this pressure and clear it away in one fell swoop."

"... Easier said than done," the man sighed.

"Eating meat and doing work is only natural."

"... Yes," the man finished his tea in one gulp. "So in the final analysis, in the next few days, any challenge from any place, we will take them all and win, right?"

"Exactly."

"Good," the man exhaled, all his emotions disappearing, and said with a calm face, "Fighting and killing, the Seven Serpents are indeed experts."

He poured the remaining tea on the table and reached out to draw two circles, one large and one small.

"This round..." he looked at these two circles expressionlessly, not knowing what he was thinking in his mind.

Literary scenes are really hard to write; I've been struggling, it's late, sorry (although it seems there are few times when it's not late).

(End of chapter)