Chapter 411 - 224: Where Will You Run?

Chapter 411: Chapter 224: Where Will You Run?

He frowned slightly. Why did one of them look so familiar?

"Brother Qian, thank you for making the journey from Yongyang," one of them said.

Another, more indifferent voice replied:

"Since that Xie Yuan has shown his face in Jinling, it’s only natural that I come to see for myself."

’Brother Qian?’

’He came for me?’

Xie Yuan’s brow furrowed. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he realized why the figure looked so familiar.

’Mr. Qian!’

"Huie Jue of Prajna Temple must have truly arrived; Duke Ning already saw him during the day. But to say that Xie Yuan is stronger than Huie Jue... that..."

"I also find it hard to believe, but Xie Yuan’s strength truly cannot be underestimated. It’s not impossible for him to have improved again in such a short time," Mr. Qian said slowly, his voice a bit grave.

"Sigh, this young man doesn’t know his place. He insists on ruining our plans and pursues the matter relentlessly. It seems we must get rid of him soon."

"Have you sent people?"

"We sent out all of our experts to search for him during the day, but unfortunately, they found nothing in the city. That’s why I’m starting to doubt if he’s even here."

"You can’t even catch one junior in your own Jinling City?"

Hearing the veiled accusation in Mr. Qian’s tone, Yao Qinglai fell silent for a moment before saying:

"Brother Qian, no one has actually seen him. Who knows where he is?"

"Never mind. Just make sure you search properly."

But Yao Qinglai couldn’t help but continue:

"The Young Hidden Dragon Tournament is about to begin, and the city is filled with all sorts of people. Every major power in the Great Li has sent representatives. It’s already chaotic enough, and then there’s that whole mess with the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect. Their people are relentless. Li Xingtuo’s eldest disciple is asking questions everywhere, day after day, and there’s nothing we can do about him... Brother Qian, I just don’t understand. Why did you have to go after them? Do you have any idea how much pressure the Sword Sect is putting on me for you killing Wang Zhiyi?"

At this, Xie Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply.

’Mr. Qian killed Steward Wang?’

Mr. Qian’s tone held a hint of mockery:

"Brother Qinglai, does a mere Cloud Mountain Sword Sect truly put pressure on your great Yao family of Jinling? It shouldn’t."

Yao Qinglai fell silent again for a moment, suppressing his anger as he said:

"Brother Qian, Wang Zhiyi didn’t die in Yongyang. If he had, and Li Xingtuo had come personally, do you think Elder Yongyang, in his declining years, could have handled Li Xingtuo’s sword?"

Mr. Qian said coldly:

"As long as my Fourth Grand-Uncle is still around, my Qian family will always have such an expert. But your Yao family... even if you wanted one, where would you find a top-tier Grandmaster to hold the line? Hmph. You can’t even find Xie Yuan. For all you know, he could have already snuck into your estate, and you’d be none the wiser!"

This time, Yao Qinglai was silent for much longer, so long that Xie Yuan and the others began to wonder if the two men had fallen asleep. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said:

"Brother Qian, if you’ve come here to use our families’ cooperation as a way to suppress my Yao family, then let’s not even discuss it."

Mr. Qian said nonchalantly:

"Our two families have been on good terms for a long time; of course we’ll work together. However, it is my Qian family that is taking the lead in this matter. That is beyond doubt."

Yao Qinglai gave a noncommittal response and simply continued:

"Brother Qian, I’ll ask you one more time: why did you have to kill Wang Zhiyi? He couldn’t have possibly found anything."

"You don’t need to know the specifics. It was originally related to Xie Yuan, but now that he’s here... heheh."

Mr. Qian suddenly gave a cryptic laugh, causing Xie Yuan, who was listening outside, to frown.

"Fine. Since you’re here, what do you plan to do?"

"It’s late today. Tomorrow, I’ll inspect your arrangements and then decide on a plan."

"Very well. In that case, Brother Qian, please rest in the guest courtyard. I’ve already had the servants prepare it for you."

"No need to trouble yourself. I’ll just return to my family’s villa here in Jinling."

The candlelight in the study flickered. Mr. Qian and Yao Qinglai emerged and started walking outside.

Xie Yuan, hiding nearby, widened his eyes, trying desperately to get a good look at Mr. Qian’s face. However, he could only see the man’s back and couldn’t make out his features at all.

The three of them exchanged a silent glance from behind the pillar. Once the two men were a short distance away, Zhang Junyi whispered:

"What do you guys think we should do?"

A glint flashed in Xie Yuan’s eyes.

"We follow Mr. Qian. Straight out of here."

Huie Jue and Zhang Junyi understood immediately and nodded. This time, with Xie Yuan leading, they tailed Yao Qinglai and Mr. Qian from a safe distance.

Following the same path, the two groups, one after the other, moved quickly. Still, it took them some time to finally exit the Yao family’s main gate.

’It seems that although these two families are cooperating, their relationship is anything but friendly,’ Xie Yuan thought to himself.

Whether it was Mr. Qian’s aggressive push to take the lead or his refusal to stay, choosing instead to take a roundabout way home, it all indicated that while the two families had a secret partnership, they were far from being as close as kin.

That was to be expected. The eight great families were, in reality, fierce competitors. If not for Xue Ming River and the Demon Sect Saintess forcing them to unite, they likely wouldn’t have reached their current state of apparent harmony.

After Yao Qinglai saw Mr. Qian off and returned with a somber expression, Mr. Qian walked alone down the long street, seemingly lost in thought.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped, noticing the long shadows cast on the ground by the moonlight.

Mr. Qian looked up and found a young man blocking his path.

The young man had clear, handsome features and a tall, slender frame. With his excellent looks, he could have passed for a noble prince. It was none other than Xie Yuan.

Mr. Qian’s face froze for a second. He subconsciously glanced behind Xie Yuan, then, realizing, a strange smile crept onto his face.

"Xiaoxie, is it? You actually came to block my path. That girl certainly wouldn’t dare come here. Without her, you dare to stand in my way alone?"

Xie Yuan looked at the handsome man before him and had to admit that the scions of the great families were all quite good-looking.

But beneath such a handsome exterior, who knew what a foul and cruel soul was hiding.

Thinking of the more than one hundred victims who had just escaped death only to be poisoned, and of the people of Wu River who had watched their newly-found relatives die in their arms, their heart-wrenching cries echoing in his memory, Xie Yuan’s expression turned grim.

"Qian! Do you really think you can run today?"

"Run? This is Jinling. Why would I need to run from you?"

Mr. Qian chuckled, his eyes glinting.

"You’re the one who should be running! I’d like to see—last time, you borrowed someone else’s power to chase me for so long. Today, let’s see if you can outrun me!"

"Amitabha. This benefactor’s words and actions are so tyrannical. This humble monk finds it quite disagreeable."

Suddenly, a fair-skinned monk walked out of a nearby alley. His figure was illuminated by the silvery moonlight as he stood with his palms pressed together, a look of pure innocence on his face.

Mr. Qian’s expression shifted as he looked at Huie Jue, who had appeared out of nowhere. Just as he was about to speak, his head snapped to the other side.

In the moonlight, a young Daoist with sword-like brows and star-like eyes, carrying a wooden sword on his back, blocked his other escape route. He announced in a clear voice:

"So this is the hidden hand of the great families? Today, this humble Daoist will apprehend him!"

Mr. Qian’s expression changed dramatically as he looked at the three young men surrounding him.

Although he could sense that their cultivation levels were all lower than his... ’Why does this situation feel so dangerous?’

Xie Yuan slowly drew his Long Sword and pointed it at Mr. Qian.

"Qian. Today, where do you plan to run?"