Shangshu Tianye staggered off to rest, Qin Chu put away the Jade Human Head Cup, nodded to Shangshu Yu, Qin Lingxi, and Qingyi, then returned to his room.
"Drinking from a large cup... it's really exciting!" Qingyi muttered to himself, looking at the white jade cup Shangshu Tianye had left behind.
After Cultivating all night, Qin Chu got up early to practice his swordplay.
Shangshu Tianye, dressed in a casual robe, also came out, "Getting drunk once, I slept really well!"
"Uncle is up!" Qin Chu greeted him while swinging his sword.
"Hmm, your alcohol tolerance is good, young man. I'll get used to the large cup, and we'll have another round someday." Shangshu Tianye put away the white jade cup that hadn't been collected last night.
Qin Chu was still the same; after breakfast, he went to the Alchemist Guild to sell Medicinal Pills and collect Spirit Stones. He intended to continue this, as he could practice Alchemy, gather rare Materials, and earn Spirit Stones.
While Qin Chu was performing Alchemy at the Alchemist Guild, Qi Qingqing arrived. She brought the Materials for Heavenly Origin Medicinal Pills and asked Qin Chu to perform Alchemy.
After handling the orders at hand, Qin Chu refined the Heavenly Origin Medicinal Pills for Qi Qingqing.
After finishing the Alchemy for Qi Qingqing, Qin Chu also closed his stall.
"Alchemist Qin, would you like to have a cup of tea?" Qi Qingqing asked Qin Chu.
"Sure!" Qin Chu smiled and nodded.
Leaving the Alchemist Guild, Qin Chu and the others headed straight for the teahouse opposite the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan's stronghold.
When looking for a seat, Qi Qingqing deliberately chose a two-person table, so Qianxun and Qingyi could only sit at other tables.
Qin Chu and Qi Qingqing chatted casually. Qi Qingqing was an experienced Jianghu practitioner, with good control, never revealing her true thoughts, and she chatted very happily with Qin Chu; Qin Chu was the same, if they were going to chat, then they would chat clearly.
After finishing a pot of tea, Qi Qingqing got up, "Let's have a drink together another day!"
"Alright! Then let's make plans for another time." Qin Chu nodded.
Qi Qingqing left, and Qin Chu, Qianxun, and Qingyi returned to the Alchemist Guild.
On the street, observing Qin Chu and the two others entering the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan's stronghold, a smile appeared at the corner of Qi Qingqing's mouth, "I will separate the three of you."
After Qin Chu and the two others entered the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan's stronghold, Qianxun went to his living area, while Qin Chu and Qingyi returned to their own courtyard.
In Qin Chu's courtyard, Shangshu Tianye, Shangshu Yu, and Qin Lingxi were chatting.
After Qin Chu and Qingyi sat down, Shangshu Yu poured tea for them.
Qin Chu told Shangshu Tianye and Qin Lingxi about the day's events.
"If there's an opportunity, get closer to her. There's no doubt she has an agenda. Continue to play along with her, follow her lead, and when she makes her move, that's when we deal with her." Shangshu Tianye said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu nodded. Qi Qingqing gave off a gentle and amiable impression, with dignified manners, and coupled with her captivating beauty, she could indeed disarm any man's guard, but some things were too suspicious and couldn't be explained.
After a few words, Shangshu Yu invited Qin Lingxi to go shopping, as shopping was the best way for women to communicate.
Qin Lingxi took out a green jade human head cup and placed it in front of Qingyi before leaving.
Looking at the large green jade cup in front of him, Qingyi was somewhat surprised.
"Qingyi, some things shouldn't be initiated by women." Shangshu Tianye said to Qingyi.
Qingyi sighed, "The Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan is still not very stable, so we can only talk about it later."
It wasn't time to drink, so after a few words, Qin Chu went to tease Little Golden Claw.
"Qingyi, what do you think of that woman?" Shangshu Tianye asked Qingyi.
"If I hadn't known beforehand, it would be really hard to be on guard against her. Her approach and calculations are just right." Qingyi said.
"Soon, when she thinks she can shake you off, that's when she'll make her move. She's very likely the woman who pursued Qin Chu last time, only she used special methods to conceal her Cultivation and Qi." Shangshu Tianye said.
"Her eyes... her eyes are very familiar, it's her!" Qin Chu, who had returned from teasing Little Golden Claw, remembered some issues after hearing Shangshu Tianye and Qingyi's conversation.
After several encounters, Qin Chu felt that Qi Qingqing had something that made her familiar, but he never knew why. Now, after hearing Shangshu Tianye's words, he understood: it was her eyes. At that time, Qi Qingqing was wearing a veil, so he couldn't recognize her face, but he was familiar with the eyes outside the veil.
"Are you sure?" Shangshu Tianye asked Qin Chu.
Closing his eyes, Qin Chu imagined Qi Qingqing in front of him, extended his left hand to block the lower part of her face, then nodded, "It's her."
"Since you're sure, then give her a chance. I'll make some more arrangements on my end." Shangshu Tianye said to Qin Chu.
With a decision made, Qin Chu's interactions with Qi Qingqing increased. They almost had tea together every day and even had a drink once.
"Tomorrow, I won't be going to the Alchemist Guild to perform Alchemy; I need to go out and collect some herbs." Qin Chu said to Qi Qingqing while having tea.
"Then when you come back, find me for tea!" Qi Qingqing said with a smile. She felt her opportunity had come. Leaving Tianjian City, even with Qingyi protecting Qin Chu, she would have a chance.
After bidding farewell to Qi Qingqing, Qin Chu, Qingyi, and Qianxun returned to the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan's stronghold.
"Qin Chu, I still have some Medicinal Pill Materials here, why don't you take them first!" Qianxun said to Qin Chu.
"No need, I'll tell you some things later." Qin Chu said to Qianxun. Qianxun had been unaware of some matters, mainly because everyone was worried that Qianxun might be too straightforward and wouldn't be able to keep secrets from Qi Qingqing.
Qin Chu felt somewhat guilty about keeping things from Qianxun; there shouldn't be any secrets between brothers.
"Okay, you go collect Medicinal Pills, and I, Bai Yu, and Yan Yi will go to Tianjian Mountain to Cultivate." Qianxun said to Qin Chu.
After returning to his courtyard, Qin Chu told Shangshu Tianye about going out tomorrow.
"Good, if she makes a move, that's our chance to deal with her. I've already made arrangements." Shangshu Tianye said.
"Then I'll trouble you with everything, Uncle." Qin Chu clasped his fists at Shangshu Tianye.
"The matter is finally going to be resolved. Let's celebrate first. Someone, bring the wine!" Shangshu Tianye took out the large white jade cup.
After a moment of hesitation, Qingyi took out his green jade human head cup, and finally, Qin Chu did the same.
The servants brought some dried meat and several jars of wine, pouring for the three of them.
After several jars of wine, Shangshu Tianye reached out and patted his forehead, "Still a bit lacking. Qingyi, why are you fine?"
"Me? I've been practicing when I had nothing to do these past few days!" Qingyi exhaled a breath of alcohol and said.
"Damn it... you're dishonest!" Shangshu Tianye slid down from his chair under the table; he couldn't take it anymore, already feeling dizzy and lightheaded.