Chapter 185: Stirring Up Trouble
Chapter 185: Stirring Up Trouble
The next day, Mo Hua was drawing formations in the forge when troublemakers from the Qian family took the opportunity to cause trouble outside.
With the outer wall of the forge still under construction and the formations incomplete, the Qian family saw their chance to strike.
Several Qian family cultivators disguised themselves as ordinary loose cultivators and sneaked into the forge. Finding a secluded corner, they began their destructive work when no one was looking.
They smashed through walls, shattered foundation stones, chopped through wooden beams, and even smeared and ruined the freshly drawn formations.
When a few craftsmen discovered them and tried to stop their vandalism, they were brutally beaten.
Some demon hunters came to the rescue and engaged the culprits in battle. Sensing that the situation was turning sour, the Qian family cultivators fled the scene.
In the afternoon, the Qian family returned, and despite eventually being driven away by the demon hunters, they managed to cause significant damage to the unfinished structures.
Master Ban's worries came true, and he couldn't hide his dismay.
Upon learning of this incident, Elder Yu flew into a rage. He pretended to go out but secretly returned, blending in with a group of artisans to observe and identify the culprits who dared to stir up trouble under his nose.
Soon enough, the group of cultivators reappeared.
Assuming they hadn't been noticed, they proceeded to replicate their previous actions, preparing to smash walls and chop beams.
However, every move they made was within Elder Yu's spiritual sense perception.
Before they could cause further damage, Elder Yu leaped into action, striking each one of them with a palm, sending them crashing to the ground and spitting blood.
Elder Yu held back and spared their lives.
The leader of the group, his face covered, possessed the cultivation of the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. Seeing Elder Yu, he turned and tried to flee.
But being merely at the Qi Refinement stage, how could he possibly escape from Elder Yu, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage?
Within a few breaths, Elder Yu caught up to him. The leader barely managed to put up a struggle before a slap from Elder Yu knocked him to his knees, his shoulder throbbing in agony from the broken bones.
Elder Yu tore off the black cloth covering the leader's face and cursed, "Qian Shunzhi, so it's you, you little brat and good-for-nothing!"
Gritting his teeth, Qian Shunzhi said, "Now that I've fallen into your hands, do as you please..."
Elder Yu gripped his shoulder tightly, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Stop pretending to be a hero," Elder Yu sneered. "What are you but a worthless coward? Do you think I don't know your true nature?"
Qian Shunzhi hastily said, "Elder Yu, whatever you say goes. You are a magnanimous person. Can you please let me go?"
Elder Yu coldly smiled, "What nonsense are you dreaming about? Even if you hadn't fallen into my hands, I would still hold your entire family accountable for this. Now that you've provoked me, do you think I'll let you off the hook?"
Elder Yu called for some men, who bound Qian Shunzhi and the others before dumping them at the entrance of the Qian family's residence.
"Qian Hong, you spineless turtle! Hiding in the shadows and plotting behind closed doors, are you still a man? If you're not, then change your wife's surname and let your son carry another man's name!" Elder Yu shouted curses.
The Qian family residence remained tightly shut, with no response.
Elder Yu continued his tirade, hurling insults from the lowest member to the highest, finally directing his abuse at the Qian family's elder, accusing him of being ungrateful, shameless, and a despicable villain.
Finally, the Qian family could no longer tolerate the insults. A Foundation Establishment stage elder emerged and rebuked Elder Yu, "Yu Changlin, this is the Qian family's residence. Stop slandering us!"
Unfazed, Elder Yu asked, "Where is that old turtle, Qian Hong?"
The Qian family elder frowned, "The family head is not present. If you have any matters, you can discuss them with me."
Elder Yu scoffed, "How could he not be here? He's probably hiding in some woman's bed, too afraid to show his face."
There were plenty of issues to deal with back at the forge, and he was quite busy himself.
Elder Yu said, "Your Qian family members will go to my place and cause trouble."
The Qian family elder tried to shift the blame. "How do you know it was our Qian family?"
Seeing that Elder Yu was about to launch into another tirade, the Qian family elder quickly added, "Alright, what do you want?"
Whether or not they were from the Qian family, both parties knew the truth, so there was no point in beating around the bush.
"I want spirit stones!" Elder Yu demanded straightforwardly.
The Qian family elder frowned. "How many?"
Elder Yu made an exorbitant demand, quoting a random number.
"You're pushing your luck!" the Qian family elder exclaimed angrily.
Elder Yu smiled. "We're negotiating. Don't worry, I'm not done yet."
In the end, they settled on a hundred spirit stones per person. The Qian family redeemed their people with the stones, and Elder Yu agreed to let the matter drop.
Elder Yu returned with nearly a thousand spirit stones in his pocket.
A portion of these spirit stones would be distributed to the injured craftsmen and demon hunters for their medical treatment and as a token of consolation.
Elder Yu planned to use the remainder to buy wine and meat to reward and calm everyone's nerves.
However, he knew that the Qian family wouldn't let the matter rest.
The Qian family elder brought Qian Shunzhi back and scolded him. "You're useless! How could you be so careless?"
Qian Shunzhi replied helplessly, "Elder, it's not my fault. Who would've thought that old man Yu Changlin would be so cunning? I only started after seeing him leave the forge, but who knew he would sneak back in, disguise himself as a craftsman, and hide among the crowd. It was impossible to tell at a glance."
The Qian family elder sighed. "That old man Yu is indeed crafty."
The most crucial thing was that he had no shame, his face thicker than the refining furnace.
Qian Shunzhi asked, "Elder, what should we do now?"
"We'll proceed as planned before," the Qian family elder said. "But be more careful. It's best to go at night or when they're resting, causing a ruckus and disturbances. Don't let them stop work, but at least we can delay their progress."
"What about Elder Yu?" Qian Shunzhi asked.
"He's an elder of the demon hunters. He can't possibly stay at the forge all the time. There will be times when he's away or negligent."
"But... what if he finds out?" Qian Shunzhi whispered.
The Qian family elder replied nonchalantly, "If we're found out, we'll take a beating, and at most, we'll compensate him with some spirit stones. He can't really kill us, or he won't be able to explain it to the Dao Court."
Qian Shunzhi was somewhat displeased.
Being beaten by a Foundation Establishment cultivator was no trivial matter...
His body still ached, his shoulder bones were broken, and the stagnant spiritual energy left by the strike of a Foundation Establishment cultivator felt like maggots in his flesh, causing him unbearable pain.
And this was with Elder Yu holding back; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived.
The Qian family elder was displeased. "What are you afraid of? You have no guts!"
Qian Shunzhi lowered his head and remained silent.
The Qian family elder continued, "Rest assured, the family head has already said that you won't be treated unfairly if you succeed. If you make outstanding contributions, you might even be rewarded with some Foundation Establishment pills."
Qian Shunzhi's eyes lit up. "Did the family head really say that?"
"Of course. Do you think I'd lie to you?"
Qian Shunzhi's heart burned with ambition. "Good! This disciple will risk his life to complete the task."
The Qian family elder nodded. "Go. This is like a weasel stealing chickens; it takes patience. There's a reason for the saying 'a thousand days of being a thief, but not a thousand days of guarding against one.' They won't be able to hide their weaknesses forever. As long as you're patient and watchful, you'll find an opportunity."
Qian Shunzhi cupped his hands and said, "I will follow your instructions."
(End of Chapter)
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