latelenovela Chapter 354 Dingming City
Chapter 354 Dingming City
"Senior sister, you really don't need to do this for me..."
Senior Sister Yingyue raised a finger to stop Cheng Jiu from speaking: "Shh! Junior Sister, we're not here to cause trouble. There's no need to bother with a nobody like him!"
"What do we do after that? Do we come back?" Wen Sishu asked.
"Wait for someone to come and invite us! If no one comes, then just take a look from afar at the burial to fulfill my master's kindness!" Cheng Jiu said calmly.
"Okay!" The two of them had come with Cheng Jiu, so there was naturally no problem!
Three generous guests have recently appeared in Dingming City!
They are generous and never haggle.
Dingming City, which was in the midst of a severe cold and unable to communicate with the outside world, was truly a rare treasure with such an honored guest!
The inn where the God of Wealth was located was surrounded by merchants who came to make friends, bringing all sorts of Dingming City specialties and begging their distinguished guests to buy them!
All the prominent families in the city wanted to host a banquet for these three distinguished guests, but they were all refused!
More importantly, two of these three distinguished guests were alchemists!
Dingming City is remote and has a harsh environment. High-level alchemists and weapon refiners would never set foot in this bitterly cold place!
To obtain these resources, the only option is to purchase them from caravans during the monthly warming season!
But in a small city like Dingming, where would those large chambers of commerce get involved?
The caravans that came were all small merchants. What valuable resources could these small caravans possibly have?
Dingming City is very poor, even poorer than Hailian City, where Cheng Jiu was born.
If it weren't for the abundance of special medicinal herbs found in this frigid region, and the relatively rich resources due to its proximity to the polar edge,
Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain the establishment and expenses of a city!
In the eyes of the powerful forces in Dingming City, Yingyue and Wen Sishu, these two alchemists, were practically gods!
They prayed that one or two pills would slip from their fingertips.
During their time in Dingming City, the two of them were fawned over wherever they went, and no one dared to offend them. As a result, Cheng Jiu also received a lot of preferential treatment!
"Master Meng, Master Meng! You haven't supplied any pills for a month! Please, please give me some! If I run out of pills, my shop will have to close down!"
The old manager of the Qi family jogged up to an alchemist surrounded by protectors and pleaded in a low voice.
"I haven't been in good shape this month and haven't produced many pills, so don't bother coming!" Master Meng said in a flat tone, not even glancing at the obsequious shopkeeper!
He gestured with his eyes to the guardian next to him to drive the old shopkeeper away!
"Third Grandfather!" Qi Minghao helped the old shopkeeper, who had been pushed to the ground by the protectors, to his feet.
"Young Master!"
"Three grandpas!"
"Young Master, please beg Master Meng! For the sake of the Master, Master Meng will surely agree!"
"Don't worry about me! If we run out of pills, this shop won't be able to stay open. What will you and your wife do then?" The old shopkeeper gripped Qi Minghao's hand tightly, his voice filled with sorrow and urgency.
"Three grandpas!"
"Qi Minghao, I advise you not to waste your time! Master Meng is too kind-hearted! That's why he allows you to be so presumptuous in front of him!"
A young man adorned with gold and jade walked out of the Medicine Alliance, surrounded by a group of lackeys, his tone laced with sarcasm!
"Wang Xiang!" Qi Minghao practically spat out those two words through gritted teeth!
"Hey! My former good-for-nothing brother-in-law! Qi Minghao, without your father, you're nothing!" Wang Xiang laughed as he spoke, "My sister's getting married soon, I'll treat you to a few drinks!"
"Young Master Wang, given Young Master Qi's pride, why would he come to a wedding banquet?"
"Hey, hey, you're wrong! Once Second Master Qi takes control of the family, everything will be gone, and this wine will be a delicacy!" someone next to him said in disagreement.
As they talked, everyone burst into laughter.
Qi Minghao's ears turned red with anger. He felt as if these words were branding irons, wantonly trampling on his face! A strong sense of humiliation surged from the bottom of his heart, and he let out a low growl.
"You people have gone too far!"
“That’s going too far, where is it going too far?” Wang Xiang lowered his head: “Isn’t your father a great man? Why didn’t anyone speak up for you and your mother?”
You think you could be engaged to my sister if it weren't for your powerful father? What a pipe dream!
"Young Master Qi, do you know where all of Master Meng's pills have gone these past few months?"
"Could it be?"
"Young Master Qi, you're not stupid! Today I'll teach you a lesson: a good bird will perch on a good tree!" Wang Xiang said, letting out a mocking laugh.
Qi Minghao suddenly looked up at Master Meng, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Meng! Uncle Meng!"
Master Meng avoided his gaze, his tone cold: "Don't come here again! And don't call me Uncle Meng. My father is dead. Just call me Master Meng or Master Meng the Alchemist!"
I'm letting this slide today because of your father, but don't blame me for being ruthless tomorrow!
"Meng Zhifu! Don't forget, if it weren't for my father, you'd still be struggling to survive in the slums!" Qi Minghao roared.
"So what? It was thanks to your father's training that I was able to become an alchemist and achieve what I have today!"
But that doesn’t mean I’m your family’s servant. Over the years, I’ve been refining pills for your Qi family, and I’ve made up for all the debts I’ve owed you!
So who told you this idea? Old Master Qi or Second Master Qi? I owe the Qi family nothing!
Why did your father raise me? Both your father and I know perfectly well.
Qi Minghao couldn't quite listen to Master Meng's words. What? He and his father knew perfectly well? In his eyes, this was betrayal, blatant betrayal!
The target of his betrayal was none other than his arch-enemy, the Wang family!
Qi Minghao couldn't accept it at all. He looked at Wang Xiang and Master Meng and sneered, "Fine, fine, fine. A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. It seems that my Qi family will not be a place for you, a good bird, to settle down!"
"Isn't this the truth? Master Meng is a phoenix, and what is your Qi family? Rotten wood. How can rotten wood attract a phoenix?" Wang Xiang mocked!
Stunned by Wang Xiang's blunt words, Qi Minghao could no longer bear it and abandoned the elderly shopkeeper, running away!
"A good-for-nothing! I don't know how someone like Master Qi could have such a useless son!" Wang Xiang said sarcastically.
Master Meng, not wanting to openly criticize his former boss like Wang Xiang, took his leave.
But inwardly he couldn't help but feel a bit sarcastic. It was just a case of a son imitating his father; Old Master Qi wasn't much smarter!
Master Meng felt no burden whatsoever after abandoning the Qi family.
Cheng Jiu and his two companions witnessed a farce.
"The Qi family is a bit complicated!" Wen Sishu exclaimed.
"Otherwise, Master wouldn't have called me here!"
The three of them overheard it, sighed a few times, and then didn't take it to heart!
The main reason is that no one from the Qi family has come in the past three days. The funeral is almost over, and since the host family didn't invite them, they don't want to meddle.
The inn facing the street was as lively as ever. The merchants who had been bustling about a few days ago had gradually dispersed under the cold treatment of Yingyue and Wen Sishu!
The main reason was that he sensed that the three distinguished guests were somewhat uninterested in the matter, and not wanting to offend them, he wisely left so as not to disturb their peace!
The storyteller on stage spoke with great enthusiasm, recounting those old, worn-out stories that had come from outside.
Although they had heard it several times, the guests in the audience were still very supportive, cheering continuously!
The aroma of fermented rice permeated this lovely street-facing seat!
"You said it's been half a month since Grandpa Qi died, why haven't we seen any signs of his coffin being erected yet?"
Then I heard some more chatter from the seats next to me.
"It seems that Madam Qi is waiting for some distinguished guest!"
"Distinguished guests? Could they be as distinguished as the three guests staying at our inn?"
After three days of high-profile activity in the city, Cheng Jiu and his two companions, unable to bear the harassment any longer, quietly lowered their presence. Those whose strength was not as high as the three of them could not detect their aura at all!
It's a very basic trick, but it'll be enough in Dingming City!
"I think these are the three distinguished guests we've been waiting for!"
What does this mean?
"Haven't you noticed? The Zhou family has been completely silent lately!"
"What's so strange about that?"
"How is it not strange? Old Master Zhou is like a wolf! Wouldn't he want to take a bite of the Qi family's exposed fat meat?"
The Zhou family used to be the most active! Now they're quiet, isn't that strange?
"You're right, why is that?"
"The reason why we haven't taken action against the Qi family is probably because Grandpa Zhou feels the benefits and risks are not balanced!"
"Tell me, who in this city can make Old Master Zhou so wary?"
"The City Lord's Mansion?"
"Bah! The City Lord's Mansion is just a money-grubbing organization. The City Lord and Master Qi don't have much of a relationship. How could he possibly stand up for the Qi family and offend the Zhou family!"
"You mean?"
"Besides those three distinguished guests upstairs, who else in Dingming City can make the Zhou family wary?"
"Hiss! The Qi family has really climbed the social ladder! Many families have come these days, but why haven't we seen the Qi family pay a visit?"
"They wouldn't dare! Guess whose name these three distinguished guests were invited on? Second Master Qi is eyeing the Qi family covetously! Why would he want anyone to stand up for an orphan and widow!"
Young Master Qi is such a useless good-for-nothing! Madam Qi is a good person, but she's currently overwhelmed by Second Master Qi and has no chance to manage anything!
"I'm saying that with that idiot Second Master Qi, the Qi family is the same whether it's in his hands or in his sister-in-law's hands!"
How long does he think the Qi family can survive without their support? With his useless son and stupid brain, what's the difference between the Qi family and pork on a chopping board!
It's better to curry favor with important guests! At least as long as the Qi family lives, he won't lack a single meal!
"Who can argue with that? It's all thanks to him and his brother having such a good father who trained such a loyal older brother for them!"
"Well, what can you do when someone's just born lucky? Enough chatting, let's have a drink!"
"Let's have a go!"
Cheng Jiu and the other two exchanged glances, "Ah, this!"
When they saw Qi Minghao on the street, they never imagined that the Qi family had fallen into such a state of depravity!
Has the lady of the house actually been placed under house arrest?
It's only been half a month!
Cheng Jiu even began to wonder if the deceased Grandpa Qi was a fool!
How could it have fallen so quickly!
However, judging from what those two said, it seems that Grandpa Qi is indeed quite unpopular!
"Junior sister, what do you suggest we do?" Yingyue and Wen Sishu looked at Cheng Jiu and the others, listening to her!
"If we sneak into the Qi residence at night and what those two said is true, we must rescue Lady Qi Daojun!" Cheng Jiu said.
What else could we do? Save them first!
"Okay!" The two nodded.
Tonight is a moonless night!
Dingming City is located in a frigid area. Although the city is protected by array formations, you can't feel anything during the day!
But the temperature drops rapidly at night!
Almost no one goes out at night! Everyone stays indoors to keep warm!
The three of them had been to the Qi residence before, so they knew the way very well!
Why does everyone feel that the Qi family is a declining branch? You can see signs of decline just from the defenses of this mansion!
The security was extremely lax; it seemed that the guards were just servants and odd jobs in the mansion, and there wasn't even a single capable guard!
At the beginning of the courtyard, the strongest person was only at the Nascent Soul stage, and their aura was extremely weak, as if it had been forcibly boosted by resources!
There isn't even a respected elder to oversee things! No wonder they're called pork on a chopping board that anyone can take a bite out of!
With this kind of ability, even a child carrying gold in the street is a sin!
With no powerful cultivators around, the three of them were practically swaggering around the Qi residence, searching for their target room by room!
No one spotted the three people!
"Not found! How is that possible?" Yingyue was completely baffled!
After walking around for a while, the three of them still couldn't find their target.
That shouldn't be the case. If Master Qi and his wife aren't at the Qi residence, then where have they gone?
Moreover, these past few days have been the days when Master Qi's body lies in state, and as Master Qi's wife, I must attend. If I don't show up, the news will definitely spread throughout the city!
"Who are you looking for?" The door opened slightly, and a peaceful, aged voice rang out.
"Ah!" The three of them jumped up in surprise!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an elderly woman nearing the end of her life!
The three of them calmed down, but their hearts were still pounding wildly.
"This...madam, do you know where Madam Qi's courtyard is?" Cheng Jiu sized up the old woman before him, and after careful consideration, gave her an appropriate address.
"Do you need her for something?" The old woman asked with a calmness that belied her age.
"It's like this, I am a highly accomplished disciple of Immortal Lord Qingxu! Madam Qi entrusted a letter to my master, and I came to visit on his behalf!" Cheng Jiu stated his purpose.
"Since you've come to visit me, please come inside and take the bus!"
"Uh-huh?"
"what?"
The three of them looked completely bewildered and astonished!
"I'm sorry to have made you see me so rude!" The old woman didn't seem to mind, her face showing some apology.
The room has a minimalist style, with only a desk and a bed as the main pieces of furniture.
But the brilliance that the furnishings inadvertently revealed was extraordinary, unlike any room they had seen before.
This is clearly very much in line with the owner's status!
Xiao Jin specially brought out two small stools for Cheng Jiu and the other two to sit on.
He started brewing tea, pouring the hot tea into teacups and handing them to the three of them!
"Thank you!"
Cheng Jiu and the other two accepted the tea and thanked him profusely.
In her room, Wen Sishu lowered her brows and looked silently at the tea in her cup, not daring to look around.
Seeing that the three of them had accepted the tea, Bai Jin finally spoke, his tone unusually frank and straightforward: "No need to be surprised! If you have stayed in the city for a long time, you should have heard that I met Qi Lang six hundred years ago."
He should have died long ago, but he's been taking elixirs all these years to maintain his lifespan and appearance!
"We apologize for our rudeness!"
"Not at all!" Xiao Jin's eyes shone with pure gratitude and tenderness: "It is our good fortune that you were willing to come!"
"I was entrusted by my master to come and take care of you after Qi Daojun's death because I was worried that you would be bullied!"
"Is there anything I can help you with, Madam?" Cheng Jiu asked bluntly.