Ye Qiu stepped out of the door, glanced back at Wang Chun Tower, then at the token Gongsun Yang had given him, his mind awhirl with doubts.
“You little brat, why was Gongsun Yang so good to you, even giving you his personal token?” the long-browed immortal asked.
Ye Qiu shook his head: “I have no idea.”
“I know why.” Lin Da Niao said: “Mr Gongsun must have seen Brother Chang Sheng’s noble bearing and handsome talent, hence treating him differently.”
The long-browed immortal looked utterly horrified: “Da Niao, do you mean Mr Gongsun fancies the little brat… in that way?”
Lin Da Niao looked baffled: “What do you mean, in that way?”
The long-browed immortal explained: “It is…”
“Do not spout nonsense.” Ye Qiu shot the long-browed immortal a glare, frowned, and said: “Old man, earlier inside, I do not think I mentioned my name, did I?”
The long-browed immortal said: “No.”
Ye Qiu asked: “Then do you two remember what Mr Gongsun said before we left?”
Lin Da Niao said: “Mr Gongsun said, Young Master Ye, Young Master Lin, I have urgent matters to attend; I shall not detain you.”
Ye Qiu said: “Since I never said my name before Mr Gongsun, how did he know I am surnamed Ye?”
The long-browed immortal was baffled too: “Yes, how did he know?”
“Perhaps you know him?” Lin Da Niao asked.
Ye Qiu said: “I met him for the first time today.”
Lin Da Niao grew puzzled too and said: “Brother Chang Sheng, let me sort it out for you.”
“First, you do not know Mr Gongsun; you have never met before, right?”
Ye Qiu nodded: “Right.”
“Today is your first meeting, and he gives you his personal token, right?”
Ye Qiu nodded again: “Right.”
Lin Da Niao said: “That is strange; first meeting, yet he not only knows your name, but gives you his personal token; he treats you overly well!”
The long-browed immortal said: “Quite so; we went to see Mr Gongsun together, and he gave the little brat a token, while I got not a hair.”
Lin Da Niao said: “What of that; I gave him twenty-two million spirit stones.”
Ye Qiu laughed scoldingly: “You two, stop prattling; help me analyse it.”
Lin Da Niao said: “My father once told me that if someone is good to you without reason, there are but two cases: either they scheme for something from you, or they are truly fond of you.”
Ye Qiu said: “I am but a minor cultivator; what could Mr Gongsun scheme for from me?”
“Then it is the second; he is truly fond of you.” Lin Da Niao said: “I think it is the second too; otherwise, he need not give you his personal token.”
Ye Qiu remained doubtful: “The question circles back; why treat me so well?”
The long-browed immortal advised: “Little brat, I say do not overthink; when the time comes, all riddles will unravel.”
Lin Da Niao nodded, fully agreeing with the long-browed immortal, and said: “My father also said, too much thinking harms the mind; better to sleep.”
“Fine, no more thinking; back to sleep.” Ye Qiu laughed heartily, leading the long-browed immortal and Lin Da Niao back to the inn.
They did not notice that in a nearby corner, Xu You Rong and Uncle Tian were quietly watching them.
Xu You Rong said: “Uncle Tian, do you know why I stopped you from slaying them earlier in Wang Chun Tower?”
Uncle Tian shook his head: “This old servant knows not.”
Xu You Rong said: “Because Gongsun Yang was present.”
“This auction was hosted by Rong Bao Pavilion, with Gongsun Yang presiding personally; had you struck, you would likely have been slain by him before finishing them.”
“Gongsun Yang is one of Rong Bao Pavilion’s chief stewards, high in rank and formidable in cultivation; even the sect master grants him face; should he kill you during an auction he hosts, the sect master would not avenge you.”
“Besides, the Yin Yang Sect has business ties with Rong Bao Pavilion; the sect master would not offend Gongsun Yang for your sake.”
Uncle Tian broke into a cold sweat at these words and said gratefully: “Many thanks for saving this old servant’s life, miss.”
“You are my man; naturally I could not stand by and watch you die.” Xu You Rong glanced towards where Ye Qiu and the others had vanished, and said chillingly: “That dead fatty dared toy with me before so many; such reckless lust.”
Uncle Tian said: “Miss, you said earlier his identity is…?”
“He hails from the veterinarian clan, the Lin family.” Xu You Rong said: “Moreover, he is the only son of the current Lin family head.”
Uncle Tian was startled: “No wonder he is so wealthy and dares challenge us; so he is of the Lin family.”
“Miss, shall we let this matter rest?”
“I shall not.” Xu You Rong said disdainfully: “A mere second-generation scion of a veterinarian clan, worthy of a smile from me? Absurd.”
Uncle Tian scented the killing intent and grasped Xu You Rong’s intent at once; he barked: “Men!”
“Here!” At once, eight maids stepped forth.
Uncle Tian instructed: “In a moment, find that dead fatty; ruin his face, cut out his tongue, and castrate him; spare his life, nothing more.”
“Yes!” The eight maids acknowledged and prepared to depart.
“Wait.” Xu You Rong halted the eight maids and said: “That dead fatty is of the Lin family; leaving him alive sows hidden peril; show no mercy, kill him outright.”
“As for his two companions, eliminate them too.”
“Right, that other lad holds a sword form; bring it back to me intact.”
“And their corpses must vanish utterly, not a bone left.”
“Understood?”
“Yes!” The eight maids chorused.
“Go!” Xu You Rong waved her hand, and the eight maids vanished into the night.
Uncle Tian said: “Miss, perhaps I should go personally; in case those maids are no match for the fatty and his lot…”
Xu You Rong raised a hand to cut Uncle Tian off and said: “No need for you to go.”
“I observed earlier; the Lin fatty is but at the King realm peak, while the other lad and that Daoist are Golden Core peaks; my eight maids are all Golden Core peaks; slaying those three is child’s play.”
“Uncle Tian, with the Blood Rainbow Spirit Bamboo secured, our great task takes precedence.”
“We go first to the city lord’s mansion.” Xu You Rong finished, leading Uncle Tian and the remaining maids away.
…
Meanwhile.
Ye Qiu and the others had reached the inn’s entrance.
“Da Niao, tell poor Daoist honestly; how many spirit stones do you have left?” the long-browed immortal asked.
Lin Da Niao said: “None.”
“None?” The long-browed immortal exclaimed in shock: “You spent them all?”
“Yes.” Lin Da Niao said: “When I ran away from home, I secretly took my father’s dragon pattern gold ring; it held thirty million spirit stones in total; along the way, I spent quite a bit on food and drink; the rest, I gave all to Mr Gongsun today.”
The long-browed immortal was furious: “Da Niao, not to mince words, you truly are a wastrel.”
Lin Da Niao retorted: “Daoist, you are wrong.”
“Spending twenty million spirit stones for a smile from Saintess You Rong; to me, it was utterly worth it!”
“What if Saintess You Rong is moved by my sincerity and consents to wed me; would you still call me a wastrel then?”
With your bearish looks, would Xu You Rong wed you?
Dream on!
The long-browed immortal cursed inwardly and said: “I fear you gave her the Blood Rainbow Spirit Bamboo, and she feels not a whit moved, but rather murderous towards you.”
“Daoist, jest not; Saintess You Rong is fair as flowers and kind of heart; how could she kill me?” No sooner had Lin Da Niao spoken than chilling killing intent swept over them.
