Ye Qiu’s heart jolted at Cao Yuan’s words.
The thing he’d feared most had finally happened.
Cao Yuan’s tone shifted, “But you don’t need to worry too much, only one of the old freaks from the Forbidden City has emerged this time—Long Liu.”
Bloody hell, that scared me.
Ye Qiu grumbled, “Nine Thousand Years, can’t you just say it all at once next time? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“If you were afraid of a scare, you wouldn’t have grown to where you are now,” Cao Yuan chuckled, “I’ve looked into it, Long Liu’s got a hot temper, I’m worried he might come after you.”
“I’m planning to send Qinglong over to protect you.”
“Qinglong’s skills might not match yours, but if you two team up against Long Liu, you might just take him down.”
Cao Yuan was like a chess master, always planning ahead, preparing for danger even in peace.
“Nine Thousand Years, thanks for the thought, I appreciate it,” Ye Qiu said, “If Long Liu comes for me alone, I’ve got a way to deal with him.”
“Better keep Qinglong by your side, you and I are the Witch God Cult’s top targets after all.”
Cao Yuan asked, “You’re really sure you can kill Long Liu?”
“Dead certain,” Ye Qiu replied confidently.
“Alright, just be careful,” Cao Yuan said, “I’ll have Diaochan keep an eye on Long Liu’s movements, the moment he leaves Beijing, I’ll let you know.”
“Cheers, Nine Thousand Years.”
No sooner had Ye Qiu hung up than his phone rang again—it was the War God.
Ye Qiu guessed the War God was likely calling about Long Liu’s emergence too.
Sure enough.
The moment he picked up, the War God said, “Long Liu from the Forbidden City’s out.”
Ye Qiu replied, “I know, Nine Thousand Years just told me.”
The War God said, “One Long Liu’s not a big deal, what worries me is the other old codgers from the Forbidden City might not be far behind.”
“Based on mine and Ye Wudi’s earlier guess, that lot wouldn’t emerge for another three to five years.”
“But now Long Liu’s out early, it means our prediction was off.”
“I reckon the remaining five old relics will all be out within two years.”
“Ye Qiu, you’ve got to hurry and boost your cultivation, we’re running out of time.”
The War God’s voice was heavy.
Clearly, Long Liu’s early appearance had put some pressure on him too.
“I’ll do my best,” Ye Qiu said, then added, “Take care of yourself, don’t stay up too late, get some rest.”
“Good lad,” the War God said, pleased to hear Ye Qiu’s concern, “I’m worried Long Liu might come for you, watch yourself.”
“Don’t worry, if he dares come alone, I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave alive.”
A thought struck Ye Qiu, and he said, “Chief, I’m heading to Dali in a few days, can you leak that info for me?”
The War God, sharp as ever, caught on instantly, “You want to lure Long Liu into attacking you?”
“Exactly.”
Ye Qiu admitted openly, “This could be a chance. If all the Forbidden City old freaks come out together, we’re in deep trouble, but if they emerge one by one like Long Liu, we can pick them off individually.”
“That’s a solid plan, but Long Liu’s been in seclusion for years, his skills must be freakishly strong, facing him alone could be dicey,” the War God said, “How about I call Wudi back?”
“No need to keep troubling Third Uncle, I’ll handle Long Liu myself!” Ye Qiu said, “I also want to use this to see just how big the gap is between me and the Forbidden City’s top dogs.”
“No need to fret, Chief, I’m mainly going to Dali to visit Tianlong Temple and study the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual.”
Tianlong Temple?
The War God chuckled at that, “You sly little devil, so you’re after Monk Kongjian, eh? Trouble is, he’s detached from worldly affairs, might not lend a hand.”
“No worries, I’ve got a plan.”
Ye Qiu was brimming with confidence.
“Fair enough, just take care.”
After hanging up, Ye Qiu stepped into the hall.
When he entered, no one had started eating yet, all seated around the eight-immortals table.
Old Man Qian sat at the head, with Qian Weidong, Guo Yuting, and Qian Duoduo to his left.
To Ye Qiu’s surprise, Qian Bowen’s youngest daughter, Qian Shiyu, and her daughter were there too.
To Old Man Qian’s right were Qian Jinglan and Lin Jingzhi, with an empty spot between them, clearly saved for Ye Qiu.
“Qiu’er, come sit, everyone’s waiting,” Qian Jinglan called, waving him over as he walked in.
“Sorry, got held up by a call, delayed everyone’s breakfast,” Ye Qiu said, taking a seat beside Qian Jinglan.
“Let’s eat.”
Qian Weidong gave the word, and servants promptly brought out breakfast, laying it on the table—over a dozen dishes, porridge and pastries, all finely made Suzhou-Hangzhou specialties.
Qian Weidong served Old Man Qian a bowl of porridge, saying respectfully, “Father, please.”
Old Man Qian held the bowl and said, “A bowl of porridge, a grain of rice, remember how hard it is to come by; a thread, a strand, always think of the toil behind it.”
“Keep that in your hearts.”
“Dig in!”
Only then did everyone start eating.
The Qian family had strict rules—no noise allowed during meals, making the atmosphere a bit stifling.
Ye Qiu noticed even Qian Duoduo, the lickspittle, was unusually quiet.
Doot doot doot—
Suddenly, a phone rang.
Heads turned toward Qian Shiyu.
“Sorry,” Qian Shiyu apologised, quickly hanging up.
Everyone resumed eating.
A moment later, Qian Shiyu’s phone rang again, the sound jarring against the silent table.
Smack!
Old Man Qian set his chopsticks down, his face showing displeasure.
Qian Shiyu hurriedly rejected the call.
“Grandpa, don’t get upset, maybe Sis Shiyu’s got something urgent,” Ye Qiu chimed in to smooth things over.
Since Qian Bowen’s death, and with Cao Yumei and Qian Rong kicked out, Qian Shiyu’s position in the family had grown awkward.
Doot doot doot—
Her phone rang again.
“Shiyu, if it’s something pressing, go handle it outside,” Old Man Qian said, his face stern.
“Yes.”
Qian Shiyu left the table, stepping quickly outside.
Ye Qiu ate a bit more, then put down his chopsticks, “Grandpa, I’m done, take your time.”
“Hm,” Old Man Qian gave a faint grunt.
Ye Qiu got up and left the hall.
This no-talking-while-eating rule was pure torture for him.
“I’m done too.”
The moment Ye Qiu left, Qian Duoduo bolted after him.
As they stepped out of the hall, they saw Qian Shiyu crouched by the wall, sobbing uncontrollably.
What’s going on?
Ye Qiu and Qian Duoduo exchanged a look, both puzzled.
