The night was deep.
A figure arrived at the back door of the Tong Family Courtyard and was soon welcomed inside by Steward Cheng.
Steward Cheng managed all the Tong Family's miscellaneous affairs, and he was Tong Yuanwai’s trusted confidant.
Before long, the two entered the study in the back courtyard and saw the main person.
In the brightly lit room, Tong Yuanwai, dressed in plain white inner robes, leaned casually on a luohan bed.
He was about forty years old, fair and plump, with a perpetually smiling face, much like a Maitreya Buddha in a temple.
“Qin Wuye, well done.”
Seeing the newcomer, Tong Yuanwai praised him and gestured forward:
“Have some tea.”
The candlelight flickered, illuminating the face of the newcomer, who was none other than Qin Wuye, who was supposed to be recuperating at home!
At this moment, he was radiant and full of vigor, completely different from before.
“Thanking the Master for the reward.”
Qin Wuye bowed slightly, carefully took out a palm-sized tiger cub from his embrace, cradled it in his hand, and presented it forward:
“Fortunately, I did not fail in my mission; this tiger cub has been retrieved.”
The tiger cub had not yet opened its eyes and was sound asleep.
It had a layer of soft fur, yellow and black, with a ‘Wang’ character pattern on its forehead.
On its back, a yellow talisman was conspicuously affixed.
“Good! Good! Good!”
Tong Yuanwai repeatedly exclaimed, “Good!” After taking it, he examined it for a moment, overjoyed, and thought to himself:
“With this item, my son will be able to stand firm in front of Young Master Zheng!”
Not long ago, Young Master Zheng, the county magistrate's son, needed to refine a furnace of “tiger marrow yang warming pill” and was missing a key ingredient.
This key ingredient was the bone marrow of a suckling tiger that had not yet opened its eyes.
Tong Yuanwai’s youngest son had just been taken on as a retainer by Young Master Zheng, and eager to prove himself, he readily agreed to the task.
His son had agreed readily on the spot, but it had ended up causing trouble for his father.
Although there were large beasts in Black Wind Mountain, how difficult was it to obtain a suckling tiger?
And one that had just been born and hadn't opened its eyes yet was even more difficult.
Fortunately, the Tong Family had some influence in the local area, and after spending hundreds of taels of silver, they finally obtained accurate information.
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Through some shady dealings, which cost over a dozen lives, they finally succeeded.
He placed the tiger cub into a jade box that had been prepared beforehand, with several layers of white brocade lining the box, and a yellow talisman affixed to conceal its Qi.
Then, he turned to Qin Wuye and asked seriously:
“Are there any loose ends?”
“All the others who knew are dead.”
Qin Wuye licked the corner of his mouth, a fierce look flashing across his face, then hesitated:
“...Zhao Lei was originally supposed to join us today, but he suddenly had something to do, so he didn't go into the mountains. He shouldn't know about what happened in the mountains...”
“You mean Zhao Lei, the one who is close to Liu Sheng’s family?”
Tong Yuanwai straightened his body, his fat rippling like waves, and turned to Steward Cheng, who was waiting beside him, asking in surprise:
“I remember, last time during the land survey, Liu Sheng’s grandson was whipped and didn’t die?”
“He was almost dead, but somehow, he pulled through...”
Steward Cheng responded, his eyes flickering as he recalled the news he had heard these past two days.
“Pulled through? He truly has a tough life...”
Tong Yuanwai clicked his tongue, paused for a moment, and chuckled softly:
“You find some time to go check on those two families...”
He emphasized the words “check on” and then gave Steward Cheng a meaningful look.
Steward Cheng’s eyes shifted, and he immediately understood his Master’s intentions, nodding in agreement.
“Master, tigers have always held grudges...”
At this moment, Qin Wuye spoke softly, stating that based on his understanding of tigers, if this matter wasn't handled properly, there would be a lot of trouble later:
“That Tiger Demon has lost its cub, and it probably won't let the matter rest!”
“No matter. At most, it will go mad and eat some people. After some time, when it can't find it, it will naturally retreat.”
Tong Yuanwai waved his hand dismissively, then chuckled and praised:
“Qin Wuye, you handled this matter well. Tomorrow, I will let your son come to learn martial arts.”
Saying this, he tapped the small square table in front of him and said solemnly:
“This matter must be kept secret. You must not reveal it to anyone else!”
“This humble one understands...”
Qin Wuye nodded quickly, patting his chest to guarantee:
“Even my son, I will not tell.”
“Mm.”
Tong Yuanwai withdrew his gaze, hummed, and then picked up his teacup.
Seeing this, Qin Wuye wisely stood up and took his leave.
When Steward Cheng returned after seeing him off to report, Tong Yuanwai picked up the boiled tea and drank it in one gulp, his tone calm, almost indifferent:
“Afu…”
“Master!”
Steward Cheng’s scalp tingled, and he quickly lowered his head.
Having served his Master for over a decade, he feared this indifferent tone the most.
Because it often meant...
Someone was going to die!
“This concerns Haor’s future; there can be no mistakes. After much thought, I am still a little uneasy.
You tell me, what if Qin Wuye talks too much after drinking, or becomes greedy and is bribed by someone, revealing the details…
Our Tong Family’s reputation would be ruined!”
Tong Yuanwai sighed, saying with a helpless expression:
“You take a hundred taels of silver to Master Wu and ask him to act… to send Qin Wuye’s entire family on their way.”
—
In a daze, screams and dog barks seemed to echo.
Liu Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, quietly got out of bed, and peered out the window.
He saw firelight and thick smoke rising from the west side of the village.
However, everyone was sleeping soundly and had only just been startled awake, so they hadn't had time to organize fire fighting.
For fellow villagers, fire fighting was a mutual obligation; otherwise, if the fire spread, no one would escape.
He frowned, about to go out to fight the fire, when he suddenly remembered the screams he had vaguely heard, and immediately stopped.
Something was fishy; it was better to eliminate the danger first.
“Transform!”
Liu Sheng’s heart stirred, and a white mist rose from his feet. He had already transformed into a Blade-tailed Finch and flew out of the window.
Originally, the Sparrow Incarnation’s 【Magpie Eyes】 talent would be greatly affected in dim light at night, but after the Incarnation upgraded, this deficiency was completely compensated, making things as clear as seeing a fire.
In less than a breath, Liu Sheng flew to the scene and was startled to see the raging fire.
For an ordinary house fire, the flames shouldn't have risen so quickly!
More importantly, he saw a figure rapidly retreating from the scene, their face covered by a black cloth, running tens of feet in the blink of an eye, heading straight for the village entrance.
And at the village entrance, there was only one household!
“Is he going to deal with the Tong Family, or…”
Liu Sheng’s heart stirred, and he immediately flapped his wings, following from dozens of feet away.
“Who’s there?!”
Just then, the person seemed to sense something, let out a low growl, and suddenly shot up from the ground, a cold glint flashing as a ring-bladed saber in his hand slashed through the air towards Liu Sheng!
In an instant, it was as if a fierce tiger had extended its claw, and a The fishy wind.
It's him!
Liu Sheng was horrified. He flapped his wings, suddenly accelerating upwards and instantly disappearing into the night sky.
“So it was just a Blade-tailed Finch. I thought it was…”
The person flipped and landed, his right sleeve dangling empty. He shook his head, looking in the direction Liu Sheng had left, and then departed.
A moment later.
Liu Sheng returned home, released his transformation, and stood by the window, sweating profusely.
The person’s low growl earlier, though muffled, had allowed him to recognize their identity.
Especially his one-armed figure; there was no one else like him in the entire Baishui Village…
Master Wu of the Tong Family Courtyard!
This person’s Realm was unknown; he could leap eight or nine zhang with ease, and his perception was keen, his saber technique terrifying. A single strike from dozens of feet away sent shivers down Liu Sheng’s spine.
Liu Sheng had the “Magpie Eyes” talent, giving him terrifying vision, yet he still couldn’t clearly see the movements of his saber strike!
This person was not to be provoked!
“But why would he kill and set fire in the middle of the night? It couldn't possibly be for money, could it?”
Liu Sheng stroked his chin, vaguely feeling as if he had grasped something.
Just then, Liu Apo was awakened by the commotion outside and stumbled out in the dark.
Upon learning of the fire, she immediately urged Liu Sheng to go help put it out:
“Water and fire are merciless; saving others is saving yourself…”
Liu Sheng responded, picked up two wooden buckets, and headed straight for the west side of the village.
On the way, he coincidentally met Zhao Lei, who was also coming out to help fight the fire.
By the time they reached the location, villagers who had arrived earlier were already organizing the fire fighting, bustling with activity.
“It’s Qin Wuye’s house!”
Zhao Lei was stunned for a moment, then turned to Liu Sheng, his face full of strangeness.
In the evening, Liu Sheng had just warned him to be careful of Qin Wuye, and then in the middle of the night, Qin Wuye’s house caught fire…
What a coincidence.
“It’s actually Qin Wuye’s house?”
Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow, his confusion deepening.
Why would Master Wu kill Qin Wuye?
No matter how capable Qin Wuye was, he was just a hunter. What could he have that would be worth a Second Realm martial artist's attention?
Or rather, was it Tong Bapi who truly wanted to kill Qin Wuye?
Liu Sheng’s head hurt from thinking, so he immediately cast it aside. It had nothing to do with him anyway, so he wouldn't get involved.
About half an hour later, the fire was completely extinguished.
Everyone entered to take stock. Qin Wuye’s family of six had all perished in the fire.
Everyone sighed, then handed over the remaining matters to Steward Cheng, who had come to represent Tong Yuanwai.
Tong Yuanwai himself also served as the village head, and fire fighting and disaster relief were among his responsibilities.
On the way back, Zhao Lei remained silent, as if he had been stimulated by something.
It wasn't until they were almost home that he pulled Liu Sheng aside and whispered:
“The fire at Qin Wuye’s house is a bit strange; it looks like someone deliberately set it…”