Chapter 287: Chapter 206: Even Bandits Dream of Spring
The storyteller babbled on, sharing with the audience the things he knew. Suddenly, a figure entered through the door, swept his gaze around, and walked directly towards Young Master Qin’s corner.
"Young Master." Cao Zhengchun clasped his fists in greeting.
They hadn’t seen each other for a while, and it was evident that this guy’s External Forging Skill had advanced considerably. Qin Yuesheng could clearly observe some changes in him; his physique had become more robust.
"Young Master, while you were away from the manor, a courier from the court came to deliver this to you." Cao Zhengchun placed a wooden box wrapped in iron corners on the table and then stood respectfully to the side.
The box was clearly made from costly materials and exquisitely crafted. The surface of the box was emblazoned with the image of a toad.
Qin Yuesheng knew at a glance that this item was definitely related to the Seven Stars Bureau, as the Exorcism Toad was their distinctive emblem.
Taking the box onto his lap, Qin Yuesheng reached out and opened it.
Instantly, under his gaze, lay a thick layer of red silk padding. Upon removing it, a copper Exorcism Toad and a copper toad official token greeted Qin Yuesheng’s eyes.
Zuo Zonghao had finally sorted out his promotion.
"The Great Tang’s empire is unstable, who knows how long I’ll remain a fourth-rank official." Qin Yuesheng silently chuckled.
The sword of the previous dynasty cannot cut an official of the current dynasty, and the official token of the current dynasty naturally cannot be used for the new dynasty.
Touching the box, Qin Yuesheng asked, "Has Lord Xun visited the manor lately?"
"Frequently, he’s been currying favor with the master." Cao Zhengchun responded in a low voice.
"The situation is unstable, everyone is becoming uneasy." Qin Yuesheng placed his wooden toad back in the box, took out the copper toad and copper toad official token and replaced them in the Celestial Demon waist pouch.
"Take this box back to the manor for me, I have some matters to attend." Qin Yuesheng said as he stood up.
"Yes."
Although rebellion was widespread, it had not yet affected Cyan Yang City; overall, the situation in the city seemed harmonious.
Leaving the tea house, Qin Yuesheng headed straight for the Flood Dragon Gang’s base.
With the Fierce Tiger Gang annihilated, the Flood Dragon Gang easily swallowed up their territory, being a small boost in power. This was satisfactory enough for Fang Haijiao. But to Qin Yuesheng, it was merely petty gain; the world was vast with plenty of territories to annex.
He wasn’t harboring rebellious intentions, but he was quite happy to build the Flood Dragon Gang into a renowned gang in Jianghu.
As he walked, Qin Yuesheng’s ears suddenly perked up. With his keen senses, he detected someone steadily approaching him. Judging by the footsteps, this person seemed light, likely small in stature.
Thus, Qin Yuesheng turned and pointed with two fingers, hitting the person’s forehead.
Looking down, it was a familiar face.
"Brother Yuesheng!" Su Lanyin cheerfully exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Ah, it’s you. Here I thought it was someone else." Qin Yuesheng withdrew his hand and laughed.
"Brother Yuesheng, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I heard from your household servant that you went to Yangzhou Prefecture."
"Yes, my cousin went to the capital for exams, and I accompanied him for a while. I took the opportunity to handle some matters in Yangzhou Prefecture." Qin Yuesheng rummaged through the Celestial Demon waist pouch and eventually took out a pill wrapped in paper and handed it to Su Lanyin: "I forgot to buy you a gift, so I’ll give you this."
Su Lanyin curiously took the pill, inspecting it with interest: "Brother Yuesheng, what’s this?"
"A Beauty Pill, it’ll make you even prettier." Qin Yuesheng casually concocted a story.
Previously, Qin Yuesheng extracted ten Hundred Poison Immunity Pills from the Demon Core of the millennia-old Manggu Zhuhab. The one he gave to Su Lanyin was one of them.
Such treasures, of course, couldn’t be measured in money; no matter how much money others offered, Qin Yuesheng wouldn’t sell it. Su Lanyin, as his fiancée, deserves his generosity.
"Miss, I’ve finally found you. Even if you’ve met Young Master Qin, you shouldn’t run off without telling us, what if you accidentally encounter some villains on the way?"
At that moment, a group of female guards ran from afar, the tall woman leading them walked beside Su Lanyin with a sigh.
For the most part, their young lady was impeccable. It was just that when she saw Qin Yuesheng, she’d lose her composure, a behavior that left the guards and maids following Su Lanyin feeling utterly helpless.
"I’m sorry, Sister Pan." Su Lanyin stuck out her tongue and mischievously pulled a face at the woman, but it was playful and cute.
Faced with their young lady’s antics, the tall woman was utterly helpless.
"Alright, I have some matters to attend to elsewhere, so I’ll take my leave. Little Lanyin, you must consume this entire pill, don’t lose it." Young Master Qin pinched Su Lanyin’s cheek gently, then turned and left.
Watching Young Master Qin’s back, Su Lanyin couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, "Although Brother Yuesheng is now willing to talk to me and often smiles, he’s still as busy as ever and doesn’t have time to stay by my side, accompany me, or take a walk and chat."
The tall woman bowed her head and said, "Miss, we should return to the house. Didn’t you arrange for Chef Yang to teach you how to make Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork?"
"Oh right! I almost forgot about that. Let’s go quickly."
...
Arriving at the Flood Dragon Gang’s stronghold, the place was much the same as the last time Young Master Qin visited, except for a couple of lanterns hung at the entrance. Using his Lightweight Skill, he leaped inside effortlessly, unnoticed by anyone.
The Carefree Heavenly Travel Skill was a transcendence beyond Divine Skill, allowing not just walking in the sky but landing silently and moving like a ghost. Young Master Qin floated through the Flood Dragon Gang’s stronghold like an ethereal being, enveloped by red clouds underfoot, akin to an Immortal.
He soon reached the innermost part of the base, where Gang Leader Fang Haijiao resided.
Young Master Qin’s ears twitched slightly; within several dozen steps, any footstep sound could not escape him. He quickly evaded a few passing Flood Dragon Gang members and reached the rooftop of Fang Haijiao’s residence in one swift move.
"Master Fang, with the world in chaos, wouldn’t it be wonderful to cooperate with us to seize Cyan Yang City and establish yourself as a king?"
Just as Young Master Qin was about to jump down from the rooftop, the conversation inside instantly caught his attention.
This voice was unfamiliar; Young Master Qin had never heard it before.
"The bandits within Meteor Mountain are scattered like loose sand, and you want to capture Cyan Yang City? Dream on," Fang Haijiao said disdainfully.
"Hehe, Master Fang, you might not know this, but we of Meteor Mountain have long united into a force, far beyond your outdated understanding. Believe me, the strength we can unleash now is far greater than you can imagine."
"You’ve united?"
"Hehe, that’s why if you ally with us, we can certainly take Cyan Yang City by storm tonight, and then with this city we can establish ourselves as kings and start conquering Jiangnan. What others can do, we can do as well."
Fang Haijiao fell silent then, and after a long time, he slowly said, "Please leave, I have no interest in this matter."
"Master Fang, this is your last chance. Once we take Cyan Yang City, you’ll find it difficult to avoid misfortune as well. I’m offering you a chance to enjoy wealth and prosperity."
"I, Fang, am not interested."
"Hm, ungrateful."
The room door swung open, and a scrawny man in plain clothes stepped out.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came striking, catching him off guard. A foot landed precisely on his shoulder, shattering his shoulder bone instantly as he cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.
Young Master Qin jumped down silently, swiftly grabbing the man and coldly commanding, "Tell me everything you know about the Meteor Mountain bandits."
Fang Haijiao stood by the door inside, initially planning to deliver a fatal blow to ensure the man couldn’t leave the Flood Dragon Gang alive. But before he could make a move, he was stunned to see a figure descend from the sky, instantly subduing the bandit.
"Young Master?" Seeing the familiar golden mask, Fang Haijiao was immediately startled, breaking out in a cold sweat.
So this person had been here all along. Had he agreed to the bandit’s offer, his fate would likely be dire as well.
"I, I’ll talk, I’ll talk." Under Young Master Qin’s relentless grip, the bandit couldn’t seal his lips, fearfully confessing everything he knew.
It turned out that when news of rebellion spread across Jiangnan, these bandits hiding within Meteor Mountain also began to have ideas of their own.
The strongest bandit gangs agreed to meet, organized an alliance assembly, intending to consolidate all bandits in Meteor Mountain under one unified force, creating a bandit army that could emerge out of nowhere.
With an army naturally comes the need for a city, to give the rebellion the appearance of legitimacy. Thus, these bandits set their sights on Cyan Yang City.
One had to commend the ambition of these bandits. Amidst the signs of chaos, they dared to imagine carving out a piece of this turmoil for themselves. Young Master Qin admired their courage.
However, it was merely admiration; these bandits were utterly clueless about the immense strength needed to support a rebellion. Having many people to form a ragtag army doesn’t grant one the right to join this game.
"Have your bandits gathered together already?" Young Master Qin asked.
"Yes, yes, everyone is currently gathered together, preparing to seize Cyan Yang City soon and use it as our main base," the bandit replied, his face contorted with pain under Young Master Qin’s grip.
"Interesting." Young Master Qin nodded, "I will spare your life for now. When the time comes, you will guide me to Meteor Mountain."
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