NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157: Chapter 81: Leaving the City!
"Uncle, think carefully again, and don't say I didn't give you a chance,"
What does he want?
Zhou Jishan's sweat fell like rain, and he began to struggle internally.
He looked up to see Zhou Xintong's seemingly smiling expression, and his expression paused.
That's right.
Attitude.
The truth doesn't matter.
What he wanted was my attitude of subordination.
Realizing this, Zhou Jishan moved his dry throat and said, "My little sister was previously abducted by the Eagle, and then I found out that the Eagle was killed by Shen Qing. Her death is probably linked to him."
This was a fact he had established long ago, but whether Zhou Yu was killed by Shen Qing had no clues or evidence whatsoever.
But at this moment, he could not care about that much, firstly pulling out a scapegoat would do.
"What background does this Shen Qing have?"
"A hunter from a village who recently killed a tiger demon and gained the County Magistrate's favor."
That meant he was someone without a background.
A corner of Zhou Xintong's mouth lifted; his uncle was on the right track, knowing what he wanted.
He gently set down the teacup, creating a faint sound, yet it struck Zhou Jishan's heart like a heavy hammer.
Zhou Xintong slowly stood up, walked over to Zhou Jishan, and said, "Uncle, I am very heartbroken about the death of Aunt Twelve. Although Lord Jiu and others are not from our main family, they still represent the face of our Zhou Family, and not everyone can touch them. Now, since we have found out the truth, it's good. Uncle Tai, please take a trip for me."
"Yes, young master." The old servant silently walked out of the private room and descended from the boat.
The private room immediately became quiet.
"From Uncle Wu's sudden cardiac illness leading to his unfortunate death, I also feel deep sorrow. I hope, uncle, you will contain your grief. The Yongzhou's Zhou Family has a great business, and I still look forward to forging achievements with you, uncle. Please do not disappoint me." Zhou Xintong patted Zhou Jishan on the shoulder and walked out of the private room.
After Zhou Xintong left, Zhou Jishan's strength seemed to be drained from his body, and he felt dazed.
He looked at his brother who had now become a corpse, his face suddenly void of happiness or sorrow, showing no expression at all.
In the Great Zhou, the main family often had a tilt in the distribution of Martial Arts cultivation resources; their cultivation was always much higher than that of the side branches.
Martial power is authority.
Unless someone from the side branches emerged with outstanding cultivation potential, attentively nurtured to uphold the family's reputation,
they, these side branch members, were inevitably seen as lesser in the face of the main family, with no possibility of turning the tables.
After this fierce lesson from Zhou Xintong, Zhou Jishan resigned himself to fate.
It was not just him resigning; his father Zhou Dingwen, and their entire branch would do so too.
Zhou Jishan bent over to pick up his brother's corpse, his expression wooden as he left the private room.
...
In the courtyard.
"Have the Zhou Family left yet?"
"They've left. I saw them off personally, their carriages are gone."
"We shouldn't delay. Prepare yourself, we are also setting out," Shen Qing told Tian Xiaohu.
Tian Xiaohu pointed at the packages by the door and said, "I have already brought the stuff over; I can leave immediately."
Shen Qing smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so quick. Xiao Hu, go to Linfeng Hall and notify our Hall Master, we'll leave the city in a moment."
"Alright, brother," Shen Xiaohu put down what he was working on and dashed out.
Although Shen Qing had risen quickly during this period, he hadn't actually accumulated much wealth apart from some money.
And there was even less to say about his uncle's family; apart from pots, pans, and bedding, there wasn't much left.
Shen Qing bought a horse carriage from the city, and together with a donkey cart, these two vehicles with people and possessions just fit.
Under Shen Qing's arrangements, Tian Xiaohu and Shen Xiaoshan led out a nag and a donkey, each hitching up their harnesses.
Tian Xiaohu had learned to drive, so he eagerly took the front seat of the horse carriage.
Uncle Shen Er was driving a donkey.
The two men, one in front of the other, cracked their whips one after another.
With a crisp crack of the whip, the sluggish horse began to trot, twisting its hindquarters.
Shen Qing placed the heavy bow on the horse's back and rode Zhuifeng at the very front.
After passing through a street, he arrived at the agreed place and successfully met up with Li Linfeng.
Li Linfeng had quite a large family; this trip back to his hometown included quite a few people, with three horse-drawn carriages in total.
Among them, Shen Qing unexpectedly saw a familiar face.
This familiar person was none other than Xiao Zhi.
He spurred his horse forward and, smiling, approached Xiao Zhi, "Brother Xiao, have you made up your mind?"
Xiao Zhi scratched his head and replied, "Lately, for some reason, the shopkeeper hasn't been too fond of me. I figured there's no point staying here, so why not join you to the county town? It's going to be a long journey, and you'll probably need a cook."
"Hahahaha, we were just worrying about that. With you around, we'd certainly suffer less on the road."
"As long as you don't mind my terrible cooking."
Xiao Zhi gave a naive smile and climbed onto Shen Qing's donkey cart.
After greeting Li Linfeng and his aunt, Shen Qing joined Li Linfeng's caravan as they headed towards the city gate.
"Lord Shen, where are you headed?"
As he approached the city gate, Shen Qing heard a shout and looked in the direction of the voice.
Recognizing the man by his appearance, he recalled that he was the official who had once delivered a message to him on behalf of County Magistrate Du Yuntong. They had met before, and he was very cordial.
Glancing at the caravan leading the way, not wanting to complicate matters, he hurriedly claimed, "My master is returning to his hometown to repair the ancestral grave, and I am escorting them."
Quan Helin suddenly understood, and as if recalling something, he advised, "Right, Lord Shen, it's been a while since you last visited the government office to see the Lord County Magistrate. The Lord County Magistrate has expressed some displeasure towards you; you should make some time to see him."
Shen Qing showed an embarrassed expression, "Thank you for the reminder, sir. I have been so engrossed in my training recently that I forgot about this. I will definitely visit the Lord County Magistrate after seeing off my master today."
"It's good that you remember, Lord Shen."
"Then I'll take my leave; I need to go, farewell."
Meanwhile, Wang Family, sitting inside a carriage, was rummaging through the luggage.
"Mom, what are you looking for?" Shen Xiaohu, also sitting in the carriage, asked curiously.
"Looking for a mirror."
"A mirror?"
"Eh, I'm sure I brought it with me; could I have left it in the house?" Auntie frowned.
Speaking of which, this was the first curious item Shen Er had given her over these years.
Although she verbally expressed her dislike the other day, she was genuinely delighted inside.
Now that it was lost, her face suddenly turned gloomy, and she felt greatly disappointed.
Seeing everything, Shen Xiaohu said, "Mom, we haven't gone far, how about I go back and get it for you?"
"Never mind. Let's not delay your brother's journey; it's just a mirror, a small item."
Shen Xiaohu could tell from his mother's tone that she meant the opposite, "It's no problem. I've been practicing martial arts for so long and have achieved some cultivation in Qi-Blood, making me a martial master. I can run very fast. Just tell brother and the others to slow down, and I'll catch up after I get the mirror."
Without waiting for Wang Family to say more, he jumped down from the back of the carriage and ran off like a flying bird.
Wang Family poked her head out from the carriage and told Tian Xiaohu about Shen Xiaohu going to get the mirror.
Tian Xiaohu then shouted to Shen Qing, which unwittingly slowed their pace.
After quite some time, Li Linfeng's caravan had already far outstripped them, yet there was still no sign of Shen Xiaohu.
Even if he were walking, he should have made the round trip by now.
Shen Qing flicked the reins of Zhuifeng and said to the others, "Catch up with my master; I'll go check and return immediately."
"Go!"
Shen Qing lashed the whip and turned back towards Taiping County.