Chapter 61

After stepping out of Tianxiang Tower, Jin Ancheng looked at the splendid lanterns on either side and listened to the noisy shouts of people playing drinking games nearby. A sense of indescribable satisfaction welled up in his heart.

This was his territory, the success of the first half of his life!

And all of this, he had built with his own hands and feet!

He lowered his head, looking at his own plump, white hands, and the smile on the corners of his mouth became more evident. Don't be fooled by these hands that look like those of a true merchant; in Tian Ding City and the surrounding three provinces, they were known as the "Yanluo Pursuit Hands," having crushed the throats of countless people.

Just as he was immersed in the memories of the past, a young monk suddenly appeared before him, hands clasped, and with a serious face, said:

"Amitabha, this benefactor, I see that your forehead is dark."

After a brief moment of shock, Jin Ancheng's heart was filled with boundless anger. When did monks start to dabble in fortune-telling? The last person who toyed with him was now lying in the乱葬岗 outside the city!

"Little Master, tell me where my forehead is dark," Jin Ancheng said with a forced smile, while raising his hand to stop the guards from stepping forward. He wanted to personally leave an unforgettable memory for this little monk.

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze suddenly focused, as he saw four more people standing where the little monk had come from, two of whom were not people he could afford to offend.

What is this monk's identity?

Meng Qi said with a half-smile, "I just wanted to kindly remind you, benefactor. As for why it is so, it cannot be revealed."

Are you a monk or a Taoist! Jin Ancheng cursed inwardly, but his face was full of smiles: "Miss, your presence here is a great honor."

"Master Jin, I was just passing by," Cui Jinxiu said with a smile, having understood that the atmosphere was not right.

Meng Qi no longer looked at Jin Ancheng and turned to walk back to Cui Jinxiu and the others.

Jin Ancheng smiled and escorted Cui Jinxiu, Meng Qi, and the others to the side street, then his face turned cold, and he said in a cold voice, "Investigate the background of that monk and see what his relationship with the young miss is."

If it's just a casual relationship, don't blame me for being ruthless!

The nickname "Yanluo Pursuit Hands" not only indicates martial arts skills but also shows that I never let a slight go unpunished!

Jin Ancheng was not ashamed of this but rather quite proud.

"Yes, Master," two of the guards who followed him stepped forward and tiptoed in the direction Cui Jinxiu and the others had left. It wasn't that they dared to follow Miss Cui, but they knew her destination would definitely be the City Lord's residence, so they planned to wait there to see if the monk stayed at the City Lord's residence or in an outside inn. If the latter, it clearly indicated a shallow relationship.

After giving the order, Jin Ancheng collected his thoughts and walked toward his own residence. As he walked, the words "forehead is dark" began to echo in his mind, making him somewhat uneasy.

"Could something disastrous happen soon?"

"Don't overthink it, a monk knows nothing about fortune-telling? He's clearly a fraud!"

"Better safe than sorry, should I go to the Xian'an Temple outside the city to get a protective charm..."

He was a martial arts expert who had experienced countless battles and seen many predecessors, who were stronger and smarter than him, die violently. The fact that he had survived had some element of luck, so he believed in supernatural things to find peace of mind.

...

"Amitabha, four benefactors, all things come and go, my purpose has been achieved, I will take my leave first," Meng Qi said, clasping his hands.

Cui Jinxiu said a bit disappointedly, "I was planning to invite the master to stay at my residence and ask more about the immortals."

He Bo coughed and looked at the ground, "In the middle of the night, unless it's an acquaintance, it's not suitable to bring guests in."

He was reminding Cui Jinxiu of the rules at home.

Since it was their first meeting, if he showed too much enthusiasm, it would easily raise suspicion, so Meng Qi paid no heed to Cui Jinxiu's invitation, recited a Buddhist chant, and said with a light laugh, "If we have the chance, we will meet again. At that time, I hope Miss Cui will treat me to a vegetarian meal."

At that time, he would be investigating the connection between Cui Jinhua and Duan Mingcheng's disappearance.

After saying this, without waiting for Cui Jinxiu's response, he turned and walked into the nearby street.

Looking at Meng Qi's back, Cui Jinxiu sighed, "Although Master Zhen Ding is young, he has the demeanor of a high monk. If it were someone else, they would be excited to be invited to the City Lord's residence."

"Jinxiu, although monks do not lie, supernatural things often appear in Buddhist scriptures. Don't take his stories about immortals too seriously," Li Xinyu said with some concern, as Master Zhen Ding was full of mysteries, making her uneasy.

Cui Jinxiu retorted, "Am I so easily deceived? I won't truly believe until I see wind and rain summoned and other divine deeds."

"That's good, that's good," Li Xinyu sighed in relief and then said with a smile, "Jinxiu, you're already of marriageable age. Has Uncle Cui found you a good match?"

"Absolutely not! My husband must be able to defeat me in martial arts and be witty and humorous..." Cui Jinxiu said in one breath, but seeing Li Xinyu's teasing expression, she became both embarrassed and angry, her face turning red, "In short, I must choose myself!"

"Since you're the only daughter in the family, Uncle Cui treats you like a pearl. He will definitely agree," Li Xinyu said, not wanting to continue joking because of Cui Jinxiu's status, and thus went along with her.

Cui Jinxiu suddenly paused, pursing her lips, "Actually, Father had already planned to arrange a marriage for me."

"Oh, who is the lucky young man?" The girls' conversation left Zhang Zongxian and He Bo with nothing to say, so they could only walk in silence as Li Xinyu asked.

Cui Jinxiu said softly, "It's Duan Jia Ge Ge (Duan Family Brother)."

"The son of 'Leisurely Hermit'?" Li Xinyu confirmed in surprise, then frowned, "It's said that Duan Dashi is obsessed with fine wine and gambling, likes to call friends and drink, and is quite wasteful, but his martial arts are quite ordinary."

Cui Jinxiu shook her head, her expression complex, "I have seen Duan Jia Ge Ge in action. His martial arts are not as poor as rumored. He is probably on par with my brother, and, and, I always feel that his dissolute behavior has some deeper meaning..."

Li Xinyu glanced at Cui Jinxiu and secretly pursed her lips, probably because you have a crush on Duan Mingcheng, you feel this way.

This topic interested Zhang Zongxian, who sighed, "Rumors are always exaggerated and inaccurate. I didn't expect Duan Dashi's martial arts to be so formidable."

Cui Jinhua was hailed as the most promising young martial artist to open the human body's secret treasures and become a grandmaster. For Duan Mingcheng to be on par with him in Cui Jinxiu's words, his skills were indeed remarkable.

In this regard, he trusted Cui Jinxiu's judgment. First, her family background gave her a high standard, and second, she would not deliberately belittle her own brother.

"Given that, Duan Dashi is handsome and skilled in martial arts, making him a good match. Jinxiu, what more could you want?" Li Xinyu said with a chuckle.

Cui Jinxiu looked down at her toes, her left hand gripping the hem of her red dress, and said in a distant tone, "Duan Jia Ge Ge has disappeared, with no trace. Because of this, Uncle Duan and Father had a falling out."

"What, Duan Dashi has disappeared?" Li Xinyu and Zhang Zongxian were shocked. That was the son of one of the seven grandmasters, "Leisurely Hermit," and it happened in Tian Ding City!

After obtaining the treasure map, they had been hiding, so they were unaware of current events.

...

On the roof of a large house, Meng Qi sat cross-legged, smiling as he watched the guards who had lost him return to Jin Ancheng's residence to report.

"I was afraid you wouldn't send anyone to follow me; otherwise, it would take me several days to find out where you live in such a big city..." Meng Qi thought happily. The information provided by Duan Xiangfei described Jin Ancheng with eight words: "Can bend, can stretch, holds grudges."

But then Meng Qi became a bit troubled because he didn't have a night suit, making it easy to reveal his identity when investigating and interrogating. Especially since he had to pretend to be "Shen Hou" to see if he could lure out other gods of the zodiac—he didn't know how to contact them or where to go to contact them. To complete the side mission, he could only use brute force.

"I need to borrow a set somewhere..." Meng Qi thought, and suddenly his eyes lit up as he saw a man in a night suit stealthily moving away on the opposite roof.

...

The man in black carefully approached the target residence, his heart burning with passion. If this frame-up and murder went smoothly, no one would suspect him of the lost cargo.

"You can die in peace. I will take good care of your orphaned children..." Under the mask, his lips curled slightly as he was about to jump into the courtyard.

Suddenly, a sharp pain came from the back of his head. He was shocked and tried to turn his head but was powerless. His vision went dark, and he fainted completely.

"In the middle of the night, you bring me a night suit, you're really trying hard, there's still true human emotion in the world..." In a corner of the street, Meng Qi, while putting on the night suit, casually teased the unconscious man in front of him.

Since he didn't know what the man was doing, he didn't use excessive force, just knocked him out with the back of a knife.