Chapter 38

Last night, she had already sent someone to keep an eye on Yu Qing, and they had been watching him until now. Xu Fei and Chong'er had overheard some of the names used to address Yu Qing and confirmed that there were only three people nearby, which ruled out any immediate risks, so they finally revealed themselves.

Upon hearing this and seeing the situation, Yu Qing's heart sank as he instantly understood something. The friendly attitude of last night was just to麻痹 him, making him let down his guard.

He was just a bit puzzled as to why, if they intended to harm him, they had waited until today.

"Shiheng Gongzi" was clearly a name Chong'er used to address him. Yu Qing knew he had been overheard and felt a bit embarrassed. When he turned around, he found that the other three from last night had already appeared, clearly surrounding them. He immediately tried to explain, "Misunderstanding, this is just a misunderstanding..."

The woman in the straw hat cut him off directly, "We have no kinship or enmity, and you haven't provoked us. Yet you suddenly appeared and lied to me right away. Do you think I would still believe you?" She tilted her head and gave a signal.

The three immediately moved, and Xu Fei and Chong'er were powerless to resist, being taken down instantly.

Yu Qing was shocked and quickly drew his sword, but before it even left the scabbard, it was knocked away by the plain-looking man, hitting a rock and causing his internal organs to churn violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. Before he could get up, the man had already stepped on his face, pinning half of it to the ground, and warned coldly, "If you move again, I'll crush your skull."

In the exchange, Yu Qing realized the huge disparity in strength; the man was a Xuan-level expert.

He was already pinned to the ground by the man's foot, unable to move.

Xu Fei and Chong'er were stunned and terrified.

The woman in the straw hat lifted her chin at them and said calmly, "Take them away and question them."

The woman took Chong'er away, while Xu Fei was carried off by the slightly overweight man. They were taken separately for questioning.

Yu Qing was also pulled up, and the cuts on his face from the rocks showed that the man had used considerable force.

Once he could speak again, Yu Qing immediately tried to explain, "Misunderstanding, this is really a misunderstanding..."

Slap! The man slapped Yu Qing, making him dazed, "Did I give you permission to speak?"

With a buzzing in his ears, Yu Qing had no choice but to shut up and was pressed against the rock, spread out in a '大' shape, to be searched.

The man pulled off the bag Yu Qing had tied to his body and poured out a pile of items. The twenty small bags of spirit rice were immediately recognized by the woman in the straw hat and the man, but the man still pinched each bag to check.

There were also several hundred silver taels in banknotes, a bundle of 'rainbow silk,' some emergency medicines, a metal cylinder, and most importantly, a small bottle of demon-detecting dew.

The man picked up the bottle of demon-detecting dew, opened it to confirm, and raised an eyebrow.

He then opened the metal cylinder, poured out a rolled-up painting, and spread it out. It was only half a painting, and he looked at the woman in the straw hat.

The woman in the straw hat approached, took the half painting, and examined it but couldn't figure out anything special. It seemed to be an ordinary painting, but only half of it, and stored in a metal cylinder, clearly indicated that it was not ordinary and must have some hidden meaning.

She immediately shook the painting and asked Yu Qing, "What is this half painting?"

Yu Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "It's not half, it's one-third of a painting, used for dividing the family estate. My ancestors divided their descendants into three branches, and each branch's head holds one part. I passed the imperial examination and will manage one branch, so I keep one part. This time, I'm going to the capital to combine the three parts and then, according to tradition, divide the family business profits. This year, it's estimated to be around 100,000 silver taels. I am willing to offer it to you as compensation."

What a mess, the woman in the straw hat frowned, roughly understanding.

The man fiddled with the items and indicated to the woman in the straw hat, "This bottle is Xuan-level demon-detecting dew, this is the bowstring from the Shadow Bow, these medicines are for emergencies while traveling, and these are spirit rice. Madam, a normal person going to the capital for the examination wouldn't carry these things, especially with his cultivation and the fact that he lied to us last night. His words are mostly unreliable."

Madam? Yu Qing's heart skipped a beat.

The woman in the straw hat stared at Yu Qing, "Are you really a candidate going to the capital for the examination?"

Yu Qing smiled bitterly, "Last night, I just used the name of Jieyuan to save face. Apart from that, everything I said is true."

The man said, "Then how do you explain these things?"

Yu Qing blinked. He wanted to continue lying, but the problem was that Xu Fei and Chong'er had been taken away for questioning, and the truth might not be hidden. He sighed, "I'm not just a bookworm. I also practice cultivation and carry some emergency medicines. These spirit rice and demon-detecting dew were rewards from a riddle game organized by the Prefect of Liestate, Lu Jikui, where a spirit plant master and a demon solver from Liestate gave out prizes. This bowstring is from a dead Great Archer's bow, which I removed during an attack on the examination convoy."

The woman in the straw hat and the man exchanged glances, unable to determine if Yu Qing was telling the truth, and could only wait for the results of the questioning of the other two.

The woman in the straw hat still held the half painting, trying to see if there was any hidden meaning.

After a while, Xu Fei and Chong'er, still in shock, were brought back. The woman smiled, "Miss, this fellow is named Shi Heng, and he is indeed a candidate." She pointed to Xu Fei, "He is also a candidate, there are two candidates."

The woman in the straw hat said, "Oh," quite surprised, and her gaze fixed on Chong'er.

The woman said, "This is a book boy."

The woman in the straw hat immediately stopped talking, walked away, and let the wind carry away the half painting.

The man who had injured Yu Qing immediately picked up the banknotes from the ground and put the demon-detecting dew and rainbow silk into his own pocket.

Yu Qing suddenly felt the atmosphere was wrong, realizing that offering 100,000 silver taels was not enough. He made a quick decision and abruptly said, "The task you are on, I can help you."

He had already prepared his words, but found that the group no longer verified the origin of the items with Xu Fei and Chong'er. They seemed to be satisfied with confirming that they were candidates, and didn't care about the rest. Especially when he saw them start to take his possessions, he suddenly sensed danger and spoke up.

Upon hearing this, the four from Miaqing Hall were all stunned and slowly turned to look at him, including the woman in the straw hat.

Seeing that his words had an immediate effect, Yu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had guessed right. These people were indeed troubled by something.

It wasn't just a guess; there was a reason. Last night, he had noticed that the woman in the straw hat seemed preoccupied, and she had casually mentioned having an important task. He had pondered what important task people from Youjiao Wharf could have in the ancient tomb wasteland.

Xu Fei and Chong'er were still in shock and hadn't noticed anything else.

In any case, the four from Miaqing Hall all focused on Yu Qing. The woman in the straw hat turned to face him and asked, "You help us? Do you know what we are doing?"

Yu Qing: "I have a basic understanding of divination. This time, I have divined that I will face a crisis and that I will form a bond with a woman who will help me escape the danger. From what I see, this woman is most likely you." He spoke with a definite tone to the woman in the straw hat.

Such a ridiculous statement left not only the four from Miaqing Hall but also Xu Fei and Chong'er completely stunned, wondering if Yu Qing knew what he was saying.

The woman in the straw hat couldn't help but laugh, "You are a new imperial candidate, a cultivator, and even a fortune-teller. What else do you want to do?"

Yu Qing stared at her, "If I haven't miscalculated, the task you are on is very important to you, more important than it is to them!" He spoke with a definite tone.

The woman in the straw hat immediately met his gaze, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

The slightly plump and fierce-looking woman suddenly shouted, "Nonsense, if it wasn't important, why would we come here? Miss, this boy is not honest, don't be fooled by him."

Because of her words, Yu Qing immediately said to the woman in the straw hat, "Your husband is in trouble!" He had another sentence ready in case he was wrong.

Upon hearing this, the four from Miaqing Hall were completely stunned.

Indeed, the woman in the straw hat's husband was in trouble.

The woman in the straw hat was named Tie Miaqing, the madam of Miaqing Hall in Youjiao Wharf.

The slightly plump and fierce-looking woman was named Sun Ping, the manager of Miaqing Hall. The slightly overweight man who looked a bit like her was her husband, named Zhu Shangbiao. The plain-looking man who had injured Yu Qing was named Cheng Shanping, and he and Zhu Shangbiao were both employees of Miaqing Hall.

The boss of Miaqing Hall, Tie Miaqing's husband, was named Yan Xu, who was already poisoned and in critical condition. The entire Miaqing Hall was at a loss for how to save him. Suddenly, the ruler of Youjiao Wharf, Youya, issued a task, giving Tie Miaqing hope. If she completed the task first, she could make a request to Youya, who could save her husband.

So she brought her people to the ancient tomb wasteland.

Miaqing Hall didn't have many people. Apart from the two left behind to take care of the poisoned Yan Xu, she brought everyone else, the three people in front of her.

Suddenly, it was quiet. Xu Fei and Chong'er saw something in the reactions of the four and exchanged glances, both feeling that 'Shi Heng' had suddenly become a bit mysterious.

Clang! Tie Miaqing suddenly drew her sword, the blade suddenly at Yu Qing's throat. She glanced at Xu Fei and said coldly, "You don't look like candidates. You're not a candidate, so who sent you?"

She instinctively suspected that Yu Qing was sent by a shop in Youjiao Wharf, which is why he knew so much about Miaqing Hall. Otherwise, how could an unfamiliar candidate going to the capital know that her husband was in trouble? If he really had such divine divination skills, he wouldn't be trapped in the ancient tomb wasteland!

Seeing the reaction, Yu Qing knew he had guessed right. Even with the sword at his throat, he was not at all panicked, "Tell me what you are doing. If I can't help you, you can kill me later. There's no loss in telling me."

Cheng Shanping shouted, "Shut up! You can't even safely leave the ancient tomb wasteland, yet you dare to boast about helping us. Madam, this man is a smooth talker and must be up to something. Kill him immediately to avoid being deceived!"