Chapter 030: A Sudden Turn of Events

Speaking of tonight’s meal, it was stewed young pheasant with black potatoes. The taste was fine, but something felt off. The flavors just didn’t harmonize—the chicken and the black potatoes didn’t really complement each other, Qingzhen remarked with a hint of regret.

“I agree, that dish was a bit mismatched. Fourth Brother, next time see if you can hunt some birds. Doesn’t matter what kind, as long as it’s a ferocious beast or bird,” Qing Xiaohu chimed in. “My tongue caught onto it right away, so I mostly ate the potatoes and left the chicken alone.”

“So those chicken pieces you handed me during dinner were all ‘accidental’ picks? You just didn’t want them yourself?” Qingjin asked, face darkening. “Here I thought you were showing your respect to your big brother.”

Xiaohu immediately pressed her palms together, bowing for mercy in embarrassment.

Qingzhen couldn’t help but burst into gleeful laughter.

This time, Qing Xiaohu had truly tripped herself up.

Ning Qi and Zhou Ji also laughed together, thinking to themselves how entertaining this little Shen sister was.

Old Zhao showed no mercy, letting out a pig-like snort of laughter. He thought to himself, so that’s why Xiaohu was so filial today—she just didn’t want to eat the chicken, so she passed it to her brother.

“But back to the matter at hand, what are we going to do about the Cangji?” Ning Qi asked with a smile.

“We’re in the Eastern Wastes now. Whenever there’s something delicious, we’re bound to run into it. Are we supposed to just stare at rare delicacies and not eat them? I think you all worry too much. Look at us—whatever we want to eat, we eat. Who cares if it’s some rare treasure? Scarlet Origin Fruit, Blue Beauty Mussel, or Cangji—they’re all just food in the end,” Qing Xiaohu said, feeling everyone was far too tense.

Qingjin poked Xiaohu’s forehead, speechless. “You’d better go rest. Let us handle these matters.”

Fine, thought Xiaohu, she had no say here. Let her brothers deal with the troublesome stuff; she would just keep quiet.

“In truth, Xiaohu makes a good point,” Qingjin continued. “We can’t change others—only keep growing stronger ourselves. From now on, whether it’s a spirit treasure or a rare delicacy, we eat it.”

“But—”

“No buts. Any of these things would only bring us trouble if we tried to sell them. Better we eat them ourselves,” Qingjin decided.

“Xiaohu, you can go now.”

With that, Xiaohu obediently took her leave.

Once she was gone, Qingjin turned serious. “From now on, don’t talk about spirit treasures or rare delicacies in front of ordinary folk. Just use your made-up country names—black potato, green ear, river mussel, and so on.”

At this, Zhou Ji felt a sense of foreboding. “Will this really work? Are we really going to keep eating these things?”

“Of course,” Qingjin replied.

***

“The more we eat, the faster we’ll grow stronger. I’m already at the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining. If I keep this up for another four or five days, I feel I’ll reach the ninth level,” Qingjin said.

“That fast?” Zhou Ji was stunned.

“It must be because I’m a water-element cultivator. These spirit and rare treasures are especially beneficial for me,” Qingjin said with a gentle smile.

“I feel like you’re the one who’s profiting most from all this,” Zhou Ji grumbled.

“It’s fate. I’m just lucky,” Qingjin replied with a laugh.

At that moment, a voice came from outside the door: “Young Master, I have urgent news to report.”

“Come in.”

A young cultivator in his twenties entered. He had thick brows, large eyes, and a strong, regular face—nothing remarkable, but solidly built.

“What’s the urgent matter?”

In response, the young man threw down a man whose face bore a half-ghostly mask, then placed a thick, foul-smelling stick before Qingjin.

“What is this?” Qingjin’s face darkened.

“From my investigation, it seems to be something crafted by some unsavory cultivators—a special incense to lure beasts,” the young man replied. “This man was the one sneaking around lighting it. I caught him off guard and managed to capture him.”

“Well done. Go to Uncle Zhao later and collect five spirit stones.”

The young cultivator’s face lit up in excitement. “Thank you, Young Master!”

Spirit stones were precious, highly condensed crystallizations of spiritual energy. Even a ninth-tier stone, which was what Qingjin was offering, was rare and worth at least a year’s salary to him. Besides, even with a year’s salary, there was nowhere to buy spirit stones.

Ning Qi glanced at the half-masked man on the ground, then yanked the filthy sock from his mouth.

“Speak. Who sent you?”

The man sneered in silence, refusing to answer.

“How much did the Ren family give you to pull off something so despicable?” Qingjin asked suddenly.

***

The man froze, clearly surprised by Qingjin’s words, which meant he must have no connection to the Ren family.

“So it’s not the Ren family. Who sent you, then?”

“You really are blessed by fate, aren’t you?” the man jeered. “I tried to set you up, but your people caught me. Hmph, you may have escaped today, but there’s always tomorrow.” With that, he bit down hard, and poison took his life.

He’d been hiding poison in his tooth.

“So ruthless—who does that remind you of?” Zhou Ji blanched.

“Secret Army,” Qingjin said.

Thud. Old Zhao accidentally kicked a chair leg, splitting it in his agitation.

“Qingjin, what’s going on here?”

“When I was traveling outside, I must have offended someone from the Dao Court. They won’t let it go and keep sending the Secret Army to kill me. The last time, they chased me all the way to the outskirts of Meishan County. This time, they’ve come after me here in the Coiling Serpent Domain.”

Old Zhao’s face turned grim. “Something this serious, and you didn’t tell your father? I’ll be writing to him. If you don’t want a scolding, you’d better write out a detailed account yourself.”

Qingjin looked sheepish.

“Who could it be, hounding you like this?” Old Zhao wondered aloud. The trouble with the Ren family wasn’t even resolved, and now Qingjin had brought back another mess. He wondered what Old Shen would think when he found out—surely he’d believe his son was nothing but a walking disaster.

Alas, poor Old Shen, thought Old Zhao. I’ll light a candle for him in my heart.

“We don’t know yet, but it’s certainly not someone ordinary,” Ning Qi said.

“No kidding. Repeatedly deploying the Secret Army? Not something just anyone could do,” Zhou Ji muttered, picking up the beast-luring incense. “This stuff can’t be left exposed to the air for long. I’ll seal it up.”

With that, he took out a wooden box and sealed the incense inside.