Chapter 502 - 498: You Dog

"Sir, are you... a merchant caravan?" The waiter hesitated for a long while before finally coming over to ask. This group of people... if they were a caravan, they had no carts and weren’t carrying large amounts of goods.

Furthermore, even the uniformly dressed young disciples carried a very particular air about them. One look and you could tell they were no ordinary people. The waiter was afraid they were a group of foreign nobles who didn’t understand the situation in the Dianchi Kingdom. It would be a tragedy if they were to lose their lives here out of ignorance.

Qin Suo smiled faintly and said, "We’re not a merchant caravan. We’re just passing through."

’Just as I thought,’ the waiter said to himself. ’How could those people in the caravans have the same refined air as this group? They’re clearly from wealthy and powerful families!’ Glancing at the empty restaurant, the waiter lowered his voice and said, "Sir, you look like a man of status. If you don’t have any pressing business, you should leave the Dianchi Kingdom as soon as possible..."

Qin Suo sighed internally. ’This sort of thing really does happen everywhere.’ Along their journey, they had already heard about the Dianchi Kingdom’s situation from no less than twenty people. Hailing from a Mysterious Land himself, Qin Suo knew very well that this must be the work of a power from another Mysterious Land that had entered the mortal world and taken control of this nation.

If he were a hot-blooded young Martial Artist, he would surely be thinking about how to drive these evil things away. But alas, he was the head of a family!

He bore the heavy responsibility of ensuring his family’s growth and prosperity. He could not easily put himself in harm’s way, let alone casually drag the entire family into a dangerous situation.

However, the thirty elite disciples of the Qin Family he had brought with him were not as thoughtful as their young patriarch. They were already filled with righteous indignation. If not for the years of training that had ingrained in them the discipline to obey orders without question, some of them would have likely already gone to seek justice for the people of the Dianchi Kingdom.

The waiter repeated what Qin Suo and the others had already heard, then glanced cautiously at Qin Li’s table. Shangguan Shiyu, She She, and Leng Yao were all women of devastating beauty. Such people would draw attention wherever they went, but here in the Dianchi Kingdom, they were truly far too conspicuous.

Although they had veiled their faces, one could tell from their graceful figures, fair, radiant skin, and noble bearing that behind those veils must be peerless beauties. Not to mention, the veils were translucent, and a careful look could reveal the features of their faces and eyes.

"Sir, you’re with those female guests, aren’t you?"

Qin Suo nodded.

The waiter sighed softly. "Then you should leave tonight, under the cover of darkness. The Dianchi Kingdom isn’t what it used to be! It’s too dangerous to travel with women like them! And don’t think I’m being nosy, everything I’m saying is true."

Qin Suo nodded again, smiling. "I know. Thank you!"

The waiter noticed that while these guests were polite to him, they seemed to already know about the situation in the Dianchi Kingdom, and showed no fear on their faces. He could only sigh in his heart. ’You haven’t seen the power of the current Dianchi Royal Family, so of course you aren’t afraid. When you do, you’ll surely regret not listening to me and leaving earlier.’

Regardless of what the waiter was thinking, Qin Li and the others had overheard the entire conversation. They exchanged glances, and She She casually set up a sound-insulating barrier, then said coldly, "The new Dianchi Royal Family deserves to die!"

Bai Zhongshan also nodded with a furious expression, in a rare moment of direct agreement with She She. He said in a low voice, "They certainly do. People like that are worse than Spirit Beasts!"

Among the Three Monkeys, Bai Zhonghuo had a disposition most similar to a human’s and was the most mild-tempered of them. But even Bai Zhonghuo couldn’t help but say angrily, "We’ve heard a lot about the Dianchi Kingdom on our way here. I have a guess. Didn’t the Young Master say the Iron-blooded Hall is near the Dianchi Kingdom? Do you think they’re the ones who slaughtered the original Dianchi Royal Family?"

Shangguan Shiyu, who was beside him, nodded gently. "I was thinking the same thing."

After Shangguan Shiyu finished, Leng Yao also expressed her agreement.

At this, everyone turned to look at Qin Li, who had been silent the whole time. But Qin Li just seemed to be sitting there in a daze, as if he hadn’t heard a word anyone was saying.

Just as Shangguan Shiyu was about to nudge Qin Li and ask why he was spacing out, he suddenly snapped back to his senses. He grinned at Shangguan Shiyu and said, "I just went to take a look at the new Dianchi Royal Family. And guess what I discovered?"

The group had long since experienced Qin Li’s uncanny abilities, so no one doubted whether he was telling the truth. They all turned their heads toward him at once.

Leng Yao asked, "Don’t tell me the new Dianchi Royal Family is connected to the Iron-blooded Hall?"

Qin Li nodded lightly, a look of incredulity in his eyes. "Not only are they connected to the Iron-blooded Hall, but do you know their real purpose for controlling the Dianchi Kingdom and cultivating Blood Hemp?"

She She rolled her eyes at Qin Li. "Hurry up and say it! Stop leaving us in suspense!"

"The Iron-blooded Hall is actually a subordinate power of the Hai Family! All its upper echelons are from the Hai Family! In other words, the Iron-blooded Hall is a true branch of the Hai Family, and a very loyal one at that!" Qin Li said, then sneered. "Do you know how the Hai Family controls its high-level Outer Sect members and those who are disobedient?"

Shangguan Shiyu gasped, covering her mouth. "Don’t tell me they use this Blood Hemp?"

Qin Li nodded and sighed. "I never imagined the Hai Family would be so vicious. They mix the juice of the Blood Hemp into Elixirs that enhance one’s strength. Of course, the dosage is very small, but after long-term accumulation, once a person becomes a true master, they can no longer live without Blood Hemp! Originally, the Blood Hemp was one of the Hai Family’s greatest secrets; it would have been impossible for them to cultivate it so openly. But the Hai Family has expanded too aggressively recently, and a formidable ancestor has emerged—the kind of ancestor who can intimidate anyone who might have doubts. So they had the Iron-blooded Hall handle this matter directly."

After Qin Li finished speaking, everyone at the table was stunned. On their way, Leng Yao had seen what the Blood Hemp looked like. The fields where it was grown were all guarded by troops. Those soldiers were clearly not ordinary people; even the weakest among them were Martial Artists at the Celestial Shattering Realm!

They just never imagined that the Iron-blooded Hall was cultivating Blood Hemp in service of the Hai Family, and that the Hai Family was actually using this substance to control others. It was utterly despicable.

’This reminds me of the opium from my previous world,’ Qin Li thought, a great sense of alarm rising in his heart. ’Could the Hai Family’s sudden large-scale cultivation of Blood Hemp have the same purpose?’

’The Elixir business accounts for a significant portion of the Hai Family’s various enterprises. If they add this Blood Hemp to their Elixirs, over time, won’t they be able to control everyone who buys them? Then, while reaping astonishing profits, they’ll have unknowingly brought countless families and Sects under their control!’

’The Hai Family must be eliminated!’

’And this Blood Hemp in the Dianchi Kingdom must not be allowed to remain! I absolutely cannot let the Hai Family have this chance again. Moreover, I should find an opportunity to spread word of this throughout the Land of the Far West!’

’This kind of thing... it’s just like the rumors the Hai Family spread about me. Rumors have never needed proof!’

As Qin Li was thinking, his expression suddenly shifted. He whispered, "Someone’s coming!"

She She immediately dispersed the barrier and put on a charming and delicate facade, pretending to eat with the air of a perfect lady.

Even the good-natured Bai Zhonghuo couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, ’The way you looked back then, your mouth covered in blood from devouring other Spirit Beasts, was much better than this!’

However, to an outsider’s eyes, She She’s behavior was that of a gentle and well-mannered young lady from a good family.

A slight commotion arose outside the restaurant, and then a large group of people entered. Like stars orbiting the moon, they flocked around a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

This young man had rosy lips and pearly teeth, a face like polished jade, eyes like bright stars, and sharp brows that slanted towards his temples. He wore a Hair-Binding Gold Crown, a white robe edged with gold thread, and had a tall, slender figure. His eyes were incredibly sharp, yet they had already reached a level of restraint, showing no glint of light. Still, one look was enough to tell that this young man was no ordinary person.

The young man saw the thirty or forty people sitting in the restaurant’s main hall and frowned slightly; he disliked such noisy scenes. However, when his gaze swept over Shangguan Shiyu, She She, and Leng Yao, a flash of astonishment appeared in his eyes. He said nothing, though, and gracefully led his entourage to the second floor. The restaurant’s Shopkeeper personally came out, bowing and scraping as he led the group upstairs.

Seeing this group, the waiter also adopted a subservient expression, only letting out a long breath after they had all gone to the second floor.

Qin Suo glanced at the group and quietly asked the waiter, "Who are they?"

The waiter raised a finger to his lips, hushing him, then whispered, "That young man is a big shot. You must not offend him. Sir, I’m not trying to chase you away, but after you finish your meal, you should leave quickly. He seemed very interested in those female guests just now. He’s from the royal family!"

Just as the waiter finished speaking, an attendant came downstairs, looked at the crowd in the hall, and said indifferently, "Waiter, put their bill on my young master’s tab and have these people leave. It’s too noisy, it’s disturbing the peace."

With that, he glanced at Shangguan Shiyu and the others again and said, "As for those young ladies, my young master invites you upstairs for a drink."

The waiter’s face fell. He looked helplessly at Qin Suo’s group, then back at the attendant, and said with difficulty, "My lord... this, this isn’t right, is it?"

"Who do you think you are! Just do as you’re told! What, you think my young master can’t afford to treat these ladies?" the attendant said coldly, his expression full of entitlement.

"Pah!"

She She’s eyes glinted with cold, murderous intent. She stared icily at the attendant who stood looking down on them from the stairs, and parted her red lips. "You lackey. Who the hell does your master think he is?"