Chapter 247: Leaving One's Hometown Brings Disgrace

"Lord Fan, actually there's nothing..."

"Ni Qiu wore a mournful look; Hutou Gou naturally had a secret, and this secret was precisely related to why he had run from Qingyang County Seat to Fengyin Prefecture Seat."

"Those who leave their hometowns become lowly."

"He went to Qingyang County Seat to make a living in his early teens, and now he's over twenty; one can't say he has made something of himself there, but at least he has taken root and sprouted in Qingyang County Seat."

"If possible."

"He would be willing to spend his whole life developing in Qingyang County Seat, so how could he be willing to go to Fengyin Prefecture Seat, a place utterly unfamiliar to him?"

"It's simply because he did something wrong and was driven out of Qingyang County Seat."

"Fan Hongwei interrupted: 'If you don't want to say it, then pretend I never asked!'"

"Ni Qiu looked at Fan Hongwei's sinister expression, not daring to take his words seriously, his whole body trembling, he whispered weakly:"

'"Lord Fan, actually this is an embarrassing matter, but since you want to know, I won't hide anything."'

'"Originally I was living well in Qingyang County Seat, but I ended up offending someone I shouldn't have."'

"Fan Hongwei interrupted again: 'Be specific—I know you offended someone, and more specifically, you offended the Luo family, a major clan in your county, which is why you ran to the prefecture seat. I want to know why you offended the Luo family!'"

"The Luo family of Qingyang County Seat and the Luo family of Fengyin Prefecture Seat are closely connected, so when Ni Qiu went from Qingyang County Seat to Fengyin Prefecture Seat to develop, letting people know he had offended the Luo family, he ended up getting bruised all over in the prefecture seat."

"Like a jinx, hardly anyone was willing to associate with him."

"Back then."

"When this damned thing found him, he paid it no heed and was even preparing to drive it away."

"The Luo family of Qingyang County Seat, although merely a branch of the Luo family of Fengyin Prefecture Seat, still bore the Luo name."

"He was merely an insignificant cultivator; how could he dare provoke the Luo family of Fengyin Prefecture?"

"Although."

"He wasn't without an organization behind him!"

"Cultivators like them, wandering cultivators, if they want to develop—even in a small place—need to band together for warmth; otherwise, going it alone leaves them with no foothold."

"In the organization he barely counted as having some status; his organization was decent, but it would certainly not cause a conflict with the Luo family over him."

"Naturally, he did not want the damned thing to cause the Luo family of the prefecture seat to hold a grudge against him."

"Who would have thought."

"Just as the damned thing was about to be driven away by him, it told him that it knew there was a spirit beast there, and swore that if it deceived him, it was willing to be chopped into minced meat by anyone—or by him."

"Only then did he believe the damned thing's words, and he accompanied it on a trip to Qingyang County."

"Never would have thought..."

"And indeed he encountered a spirit beast!"

"Spirit beasts differ from demonic beasts; demonic beasts retain their wildness, while spirit beasts can be tamed. I don't know how many young ladies and gentlemen hope to raise a spirit beast."

"Once this spirit cat is sold to a suitable patron, its value may not be priceless, but it could certainly bring a tidy sum—perhaps even more than he earns in a year and a half."

"After using every means and finally capturing this spirit cat, he wondered why the damned thing had run from Qingyang County Seat to Fengyin Prefecture Seat to develop; it was very likely related to this spirit cat."

"Initially."

"He suspected that the damned thing had designs on this spirit cat, which happened to belong to a young master of the Luo family; when the Luo family found out, it slunk away from Qingyang County Seat to Fengyin Prefecture Seat."

"Otherwise."

"If he were a step slower, who knows how he'd die! Although the court's laws are strict, without some status background he's just an ordinary person; if he dies at the hands of a wealthy family, the wealthy need only grease a few palms, and the court—some officials—will turn a blind eye."

"Just."

"When he finally captured the spirit cat, he discovered it didn't seem to have an owner—no, wait, at least it wasn't the Luo family's."

"If it were a spirit cat raised by a young master or young lady of the Luo family, how could it possibly be allowed to leave Qingyang County Seat, hunting mouse after mouse in village after village granary as food?"

"The Luo family of Qingyang County Seat is a major clan in Qingyang County Seat and a branch of the Luo family of Fengyin Prefecture Seat; it is not so impoverished as to be unable to prepare food for its own spirit beast, or to not know what its spirit beast likes to eat."

"Clearly, there is a secret here that he does not know!"

"Perhaps..."

"Or perhaps it is a great secret, which is why he pressed the damned thing for answers."

'"Lord Fan, hear me out..."'

"Ni Qiu put on a fawning smile; seeing Fan Hongwei's displeased look, he snorted coldly, obviously not wanting to hear his nonsense, and hurriedly spilled the whole story."

"After a long while, upon hearing Ni Qiu's account, Fan Hongwei seemed to think of something good; his eyes lit up instantly, suppressing his inner excitement, he said:"

'"You mean this spirit cat was drawn to a newborn child in your Hutou Gou, and that child is a reincarnation of the Great Benevolent Person?"'

"This novel you arrive"

'"How dare I deceive you, sir—exactly so!"'

"Ni Qiu nodded and said: 'I told the Luo family young master about the spirit cat in the Hutou Gou Wang Family; as a result, the Luo family young master was disciplined by his father, whose father then took a liking to that child, preparing to make him his son-in-law. Having no choice, I could only leave Qingyang County Seat and come to Fengyin Prefecture Seat.'"

"Saying this, Ni Qiu's words were full of resentment and anger."

"He had originally hoped to gain some benefit from the Luo family young master through this news, but who would have thought it would end up being a case of losing the wife and losing the army?"

"It left him unable to stay even in Qingyang County Seat!"

"He knew about the affairs of Hutou Gou not because he came from there, but because he would go home every few days, not to visit his parents, but to extract some benefits from home."

"Don't look at him having a job in Qingyang County Seat; his boss looks down on him as a country bumpkin, his wages are low, and he has a peculiar hobby."

"He doesn't care about food or clothing; he can endure hardship himself, but he will absolutely not let his brothers suffer."

"Thus, most of his monthly wages go to supporting some widows who keep their doors half ajar."

"It was when he returned home to ask for money that he heard this news; having loitered in Qingyang County Seat for many years, he was quick-witted, realized the importance of the news, and went to find the Luo family young master who had patronized their shop."

"The Luo young master was also pleased, saying that once the spirit cat was caught, he would certainly give him a satisfactory reward."

"Who would have thought."

"The reward was gone, and he could no longer stay in Qingyang County Seat."

「Ni Qiu—no, Ni Qiu brother, big brother, I have something I'd like to ask you to help with! 」

As he spoke, Fan Hongwei's thoughts stirred, and a ten‑tael silver ingot appeared in his hand, which he handed to Ni Qiu.

Ni Qiu's face flushed with excitement; he eagerly took the silver ingot Fan Hongwei had handed him, and he would divulge when the spirit cat would appear next, and that he would accompany Fan Hongwei here to capture the spirit cat—not for the silver.

Originally, after much persuasion, Fan Hongwei had only agreed to give him five taels of silver; he never expected to actually give him ten taels directly.

Ni Qiu stared at the ten‑tael silver in his hand, swallowed, this was a huge sum he had never seen before; instinctively he blurted out: 「Fan Sir, whatever the matter, just say it—even if I have to climb knives' mountain or plunge into a sea of fire, I won't frown! 」

(End of chapter)