Following Qian Yuhan, Qi Xiu remained silent throughout the journey.
Formulating yet another escape plan in his mind.
"How did the Eldest Young Master know I escaped from the Second Young Master?" Halfway through their walk, Qi Xiu suddenly asked.
"Simple, just have someone watch over Yu Chuan’s courtyard. I had originally planned to sneak you out while Yu Chuan was away. I didn’t expect Mr. Qi to be so clever as to escape on his own. I am also very curious how Mr. Qi managed to escape," Qian Yuhan said, turning his head to look at Qi Xiu, his eyes inquiring.
"Uh, I took advantage of the guard’s nap and sneaked out," Qi Xiu replied casually, waving his hand.
With a nod that seemed loaded with meaning, Qian Yuhan chuckled lightly. "Mr. Qi is quite lucky."
They continued on their way.
As they approached the eaves of the corridor next to the banquet area, they heard the joyous music coming from behind a wall.
Curious, Qi Xiu peered through the lattice of the wall.
The guests were dressed in their finest attire, the gentlemen in brocade robes and the ladies in embroidered gowns and lavish accessories.
Lion dances, dragon dances, and other traditional performances began.
Fireworks burst into the sky, and firecrackers sounded, filling the entire scene with laughter and festive joy.
At the main table at the forefront, an old man wearing a large red longevity robe, his hair and beard all white, watched the scene before him with a smile.
Guests would occasionally stand up to offer him a toast, to which he would politely stand and respond.
Having visited the Qian Residence so many times, this was the first time Qi Xiu had seen the head of the Qian Family.
Turning slightly to glance at Mr. Qian at the main table, Qian Yuhan nodded. "Sort of."
Sort of? Qi Xiu froze, completely taken aback by Qian Yuhan’s response.
For the rest of the walk, Qian Yuhan became much quieter. Aside from the constant TAP-TAP sounds of his short staff, there was no more dialogue between them.
More than ten minutes later, Qi Xiu followed Qian Yuhan to his private courtyard.
Compared to Qian Yuzhe’s elegantly quirky red-walled courtyard and Qian Yuchuan’s rough and spacious training field, Qian Yuhan’s courtyard exuded a tranquil simplicity.
The courtyard was enclosed with high walls, overgrown with climbing ivy, which reflected the greenery under the sunlight.
Crossing through the courtyard gate, a winding stone path led in, lined with various flowers and plants on the low walls on either side.
There was also a small bridge in the courtyard, constructed in an arched shape with bluestones.
Beneath the bridge, a crystal-clear stream flowed, its gentle motion producing a soothing sound.
"Please, Mr. Qi," Qian Yuhan said.
As soon as Qi Xiu entered Qian Yuhan’s courtyard, the "Suppress" Character hidden in his chest reacted.
Indeed, it was a tiger’s den through and through...
With matters having reached this point, no matter how much he resisted internally, Qi Xiu had no choice but to follow Qian Yuhan inside, steeling himself.
They entered a room in the inner hall.
A faint scent of medicinal herbs entered Qi Xiu’s nostrils.
"Perilla Frutescens, Thyme?"
Qi Xiu had frequented the herbal medicine shops often while practicing the Black Sand Palm not long ago. During his last visit, the shop had just received a substantial amount of these two herbs. Therefore, he was very familiar with their scent.
"Does Mr. Qi also understand medicine?" Seeing Qi Xiu immediately identify the two herbs upon entering the room, Qian Yuhan showed a look of surprise.
"Not at all, not at all. It’s just that a former neighbor liked to use them, so I often smelled them," Qi Xiu explained stiffly with a forced smile, frowning slightly.
If he remembered correctly, both of these herbs were used for preservation.
Could it be that the herbs the shop collected were all delivered here?
In one corner of the room, a black curtain was hanging.
Covering his mouth and coughing lightly twice, Qian Yuhan walked over, leaning on his short staff, and lifted the mysterious curtain.
As the curtain was drawn, the scene revealed caused Qi Xiu’s pupils to constrict instantly—the "Suppress" Character on his chest heated up, reacting violently.
A white jade Bodhisattva statue, as tall as a person, stood inside the room.
In front of it sat an old man with his eyes tightly shut, firmly seated on a Taishi Chair.
A hand of the Jade Bodhisattva pressed against the old man’s head.
Vivid crimson, unsettling blood vessels intertwined, connecting the two as one.
The scene was eerie and ominous.
And this old man was none other than the main character of today’s grand feast at the Qian Residence.
"This..." Pointing at Mr. Qian, who had his eyes tightly closed, Qi Xiu let out a short sigh. "This must be the real Mr. Qian."
"That’s right. The one outside is but a body double, COUGH COUGH COUGH."
After a bout of violent coughing, Qian Yuhan sat down on a chair nearby, gesturing for Qi Xiu to sit as well, and slowly said, "In fact, I invited Mr. Qi this time because I truly have something to ask of him. Two years ago, my father contracted a strange illness. We invited all known doctors, but his condition never improved. In the absence of any other options, I learned from a wandering healer about a place that could possibly cure my father. And that place was Huayu Observatory on Qingtan Mountain."
Qingtan Mountain? That was the place Qian Yuzhe had gone to.
Listening to Qian Yuhan’s narration, Qi Xiu’s expression grew solemn as he seemed to perceive a looming cloud of darkness.
"Desperate, Yu Ze and I went to the Huayu Observatory. Daoist Wu there indeed had Divine Skills. Without us saying a word about our purpose, Wu had already known why we were there. Afterward, he gave us this Jade Bodhisattva. He explained that my father suffered from a severe illness, caused by malevolent spirits invading his body and evil chi taking possession. He assured us that as long as we brought the Bodhisattva home, my father would immediately recover. And indeed, just as he said. Once we brought the Bodhisattva back home, my father truly recovered and even became healthier than before. I thought it would all be over, but I never imagined... that was just the beginning of the nightmare."
"One month after we brought the Jade Bodhisattva home, my father fell into a deeper unconscious state, his condition even more critical, his breath nearly gone. In our panic, Yu Ze and I immediately went back to the Huayu Observatory to consult Wu."
Qian Yuhan’s exhausted eyes revealed a trace of unmistakable fear, his hand unconsciously gripping the short staff more tightly.
"’There must be sacrifice for gain in this world. If we wanted the Bodhisattva to continue working, we had to replenish its Divine Power. This is the Dharma Gate for replenishing Divine Power—think it over carefully. However, I must warn you upfront, if you cannot replenish the Bodhisattva’s Divine Power, given Mr. Qian’s condition, he will unquestionably die within three days!’"
The indifferent and chilling tone of Wu echoed in Qian Yuhan’s mind as he let out a long sigh. "From then on, everything spiraled out of control."
"The method of replenishing Divine Power that Wu mentioned was..." Frowning, Qi Xiu asked.
"To gain, one must give up; one thing in exchange for another. If one wishes to extend a life, naturally, another life must be taken in exchange."
"So you’re saying that those who met with tragic deaths were all because of you..." Qi Xiu abruptly stood, his expression stern, about to say something when his face suddenly changed.
No, that’s not right! If Mr. Qian had been relying on this strange thing to extend his life all along, and if Qian Yuzhe knew about it from the start, then the so-called calligraphy for Mr. Qian’s birthday was never a genuine consideration. By involving me... Did he intend to use me as material to extend his father’s life!
"Qian Yuzhe involved me just to replenish this cursed thing’s Divine Power, right?" Qi Xiu’s expression turned cold as he directly addressed Qian Yuhan.
The color on Qian Yuhan’s face dimmed further as he slowly nodded. "Yu Ze has always been closest to our father since he was young; for our father’s sake, he would do anything. Too many house servants died; we were struggling to keep the situation under control. If the authorities were to find out, we wouldn’t be able to cover it up. You, alone in the world, with no parents or relatives, would not cause anyone to question your disappearance. And a brilliant and astute person was sure to be more effective in replenishing the Divine Power of the Jade Bodhisattva. It was for these reasons that Yu Ze... deceived you into coming."
After hearing the truth, anger surged in Qi Xiu’s heart. If not for the concern that this Eldest Young Master Qian might have other tricks up his sleeve, he really wanted to smash his damn head with one blow!
"So this time you asked me here, do you still intend to use me as a sacrifice?" Qi Xiu asked coldly, suppressing his anger.
"No, this time I asked Mr. Qi here, it is to ask you to stop this thing from continuing to harm people."