Chapter 47: Stance
Chu Qing had no idea what Xia Wanshuang was thinking, nor did he care.
Women, to him at this stage, were nothing more than passing clouds.
He certainly didn't intend to claim that kind of reward.
What mattered most to him was the system's reward.
If only he had met Xia Wanshuang earlier, Mei Qianluo and Ge Jingchun could have been turned into rewards too.
For now, his only concern was how to find Cheng Sihai.
As he pondered, Chu Qing lifted Ge Jingchun's unconscious body and turned toward the courtyard gate.
Xia Wanshuang froze. "Where are you going?"
"Miss, I'm a fair man. I only collect payment after I've killed the target," Chu Qing said without looking back. "So I won't be staying here tonight."
Is that what I meant?
Xia Wanshuang couldn't help asking, "If you leave, what about me?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Chu Qing replied casually as he walked away, disappearing into the darkness in just a few breaths.
Xia Wanshuang stared blankly at the place where Chu Qing had vanished, momentarily at a loss for words.
She knew they were strangers, and he had no reason to help her. But still—after making such a deal, shouldn't he at least have helped her out of danger?
Couldn't he have carried her to safety, just a little?
"Heartless… cold-blooded… despicable!" she muttered through gritted teeth.
Muttering curses under her breath, she forced herself up, limping toward her sword after glancing at Mei Qianluo's headless corpse. She took the weapon and hobbled out of the courtyard.
Only after she was far gone did Chu Qing emerge once more from the shadows.
He glanced around the courtyard, then at Ge Jingchun. "So it really was just the two of you. What a pity…"
A chill ran down Ge Jingchun's spine.
So this man really wasn't a good person. He'd left deliberately—to use Xia Wanshuang as bait, to see if anyone else was lurking nearby.
If there were spies, he could follow the trail straight to Cheng Sihai.
If not, he lost nothing.
Where did this man come from?
…
…
That night, at the Chu residence.
When Chu Qing arrived carrying the half-dead Ge Jingchun, Chu Tian was startled.
His first thought was that Chu Qing had killed someone outside and come to him for help hiding the body.
But when he saw who it was lying there, his expression turned grave.
"Ge Jingchun of the Divine Sand Gang? What's going on here?"
Ge Jingchun had already fallen into deep unconsciousness. He had lost a great deal of blood and suffered terrible wounds.
That he was still alive at all was a testament to his formidable internal strength and resilience.
Chu Qing nodded, pouring himself a cup of tea from the pot on the table. "Aside from him, Mei Qianluo's dead too."
He briefly explained everything that had happened that night.
"Wen Rou was poisoned? The Plum Blossom Needles…"
Chu Tian gave Chu Qing a strange look. "That girl does love picking up strange things. I never thought it would one day get her killed."
"Exactly. You should tell Second Brother to advise her—stop treating every oddity she finds like treasure."
Chu Qing sighed, remembering how she'd once picked up his bowl.
If not for her being Chu Fan's junior sister, he might've silenced her permanently.
"I heard he's tried," Chu Tian chuckled. "Her master did too… but it doesn't seem to help."
"Speaking of which, what's her background anyway?"
Chu Qing asked, "Can she really identify people by scent?"
"It's not just about scent," Chu Tian replied. "I asked your Second Brother once—he said it's because Miss Wen has a very special constitution."
"Since birth, she's always been that way. And this Miss Wen's background isn't ordinary. Originally, there was no need to send her to Taiyi Sect for training. But when she was little, she kept finding the private money her father hid and handed it to her mother right in front of him.
Over time, her father… well, as she puts it, anger rose from his heart, courage from his gall. In the end, he sent her to Taiyi Sect out of sheer fury."
"..."
Chu Qing thought for a moment and suddenly understood Wen Rou's father's despair.
He shook his head and changed the subject. "Brother, I need you to help me with something."
"Speak."
Chu Tian walked over to Ge Jingchun, checked his pulse, and after a moment of thought, took a small bottle from his robe and slipped a pill into the man's mouth.
"Find a few sharp ones to keep watch over his residence," Chu Qing said. "We can probably trace the trail and find Cheng Sihai."
Chu Tian turned to look at him. "What about Mei Qianluo?"
"Dead."
"You want me to handle what comes next?"
Chu Tian asked tentatively.
Chu Qing shook his head decisively. "The Four Guardians can be yours, but Cheng Sihai is mine."
"Why?"
Chu Tian frowned. "What grudge do you have with him?"
"Someone paid me to kill him," Chu Qing replied with a smile. "Don't ruin my business."
Chu Tian nodded in realization. "Fine. But are you confident in taking him alone? The art he cultivates—'Yue Mountain Technique'—is formidable. How about I come with you?"
Chu Qing thought for a moment, then answered without pretension. "We'll see when the time comes. If others are around, I'll act alone. If not, we'll kill him together."
"Alright."
Chu Tian agreed readily.
Seeing how his elder brother accepted everything without question, Chu Qing felt a strange heaviness in his heart. He waved a hand. "Alright then, I'll be off. Wen Rou was poisoned by the Plum Blossom Needle—I need to deliver the antidote."
"Got it."
Chu Tian nodded, then asked, "You're not going to visit Father while you're here?"
"There are probably plenty of eyes on this place already," Chu Qing said with a grin. "If the old man suddenly 'rose from the grave,' he'd scare a few people to death."
"If he's going to scare someone, he should at least scare a few like Gu Qianqiu. These small fry aren't worth such a big move."
"Hahaha."
Chu Tian laughed at that and nodded. "Alright, be careful out there. Oh, and if you get the chance, you should tell your Second Brother who you really are. He's been running around like a headless chicken—it's pitiful to watch."
Chu Qing paused for a moment. "We'll see. Second Brother can't keep secrets. Not knowing might actually be better for him. Alright, I'm going."
Chu Tian didn't try to stop him. He simply watched as Chu Qing left the courtyard, leapt into the night sky, and vanished from sight. Then he turned back toward Ge Jingchun.
The Divine Sand Gang's sudden appearance in Tianwu City had surprised not only Chu Qing, but Chu Tian as well.
And according to Chu Qing, this entire affair had been orchestrated by Luoyu Hall.
So what of Tang Yinfeng, still imprisoned in the City Lord's dungeon—what was his true allegiance? Why had he remained silent all this time?
"To keep a secret even at the cost of one's life… could it really just be for fame and fortune?"
Chu Tian muttered softly, then sighed. "Looks like I won't be sleeping well tonight."
(End of Chapter)
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