Chapter 537 - 300: Qiushi Manor
Chapter 537: Chapter 300: Qiushi Manor
Chu Qing did not beat around the bush; after all, now in Lingbei, there was no one who knew him.
Even if a few people occasionally came over from South Ridge, knowing the name of the Third Young Master, hardly any knew who Han San was.
Therefore, Chu Qing went directly to visit.
Anyway, in the Martial World, it is only natural for Rangers to visit some long-famous seniors.
But unexpectedly, upon arriving at the residence of Little Blade King, even Wang Kuan could not be seen, as the guards informed him that Little Blade King Li Shengxing had gone to attend a meeting at the invitation of Han Yiren from Xiao Han Valley.
This was a wasted trip.
However, since Li Shengxing was not there, it was more convenient.
After all, his original purpose for coming here was not to find Li Shengxing.
He was just unclear about this person’s background, and came to take a look, now unable to find him, he would simply come at night and seek out Wang Kuan.
Before that, he still needed to see this person, to avoid finding the wrong one later.
Thus, he wanted to ask the guards to introduce him to the butler Wang.
As a result, the two guards exchanged a glance and told Chu Qing that Butler Wang was currently not in the mansion but had other matters at an out-of-town villa.
Chu Qing, upon hearing this, bid farewell, planning to visit that villa at night.
So, left without business during the daytime, he wandered the streets of Tongyao City with Wu Qianhuan and Gentle.
It felt as though the customs and habits of Lingbei were indeed different from South Ridge, not knowing if the entire Lingbei was like this, but at least in Tongyao City, people’s temperament was indeed fierce.
City residents would resort to fighting over a disagreement.
From time to time, a crowd could be seen brawling in the streets, neither side being mere ordinary folks without any Martial Arts skills, albeit not very advanced, but still with some tactics.
Chu Qing learned from the crowd that these people were fighting to seize territory.
Once acquired, the vendors on that street had to pay them some Respectful Silver every month.
If not... they would smash the shops.
Chu Qing sighed inwardly, understanding now that despite the Three Mansions, Three Gates, and Three Schools, dividing all of Lingbei, leaving no room for small forces to survive.
There were still gangs forming cliques, relying on some Martial Arts skills to commit misdeeds and bully the common folk.
Furthermore, seeing them act so openly, it was clear that this was done with the tacit approval of the Ouyang Family from Liaoyuan Mansion.
Maybe there’s secret support from the Ouyang Family behind these small gangs, thereby achieving another angle of exploiting the people.
After all, as local rulers, they could already levy taxes from the people.
Through these small gang structures, they could exploit from another aspect, maximizing their benefits...
Of course, this is just Chu Qing’s guess and remains unknown.
Thus spent the afternoon wandering, leading Wu Qianhuan and Gentle to lose interest.
There were too many things in Tongyao City that they didn’t like, chaos rampant without anyone addressing it.
Gentle was a bit better, always maintaining a calm demeanor, regardless of what she saw.
Wu Qianhuan, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel indignant.
Being a local ruler, if this happened in Celestial Dance City, Wu Ganqi would have long wielded his axe against them.
How could they allow such arrogance?
But disliking aside, they were ultimately outsiders, even if they could manage things with a burst of righteous indignation temporarily... could they manage for a lifetime?
In this place, they were ultimately just travelers passing by.
But ultimately these circumstances affected Wu Qianhuan’s emotions, so much so that when Shopkeeper Zhou invited them to the Celestial Flavor Tower to taste the famed Snowy Fragrant Meat that evening, they declined.
Chu Qing, seeing this, also refused politely. Shopkeeper Zhou was regretful but dared not insist, instead taking Elder Sun and others to the Celestial Flavor Tower.
Thus time passed, and midnight arrived.
Shopkeeper Zhou and others returned only then, drunk and singing praises of the Snowy Fragrant Meat and Drunken Immortal.
Chu Qing had already changed into black clothing, quietly leaving the inn.
Wu Qianhuan and Gentle followed at his side, the three having already inquired during the daytime that Little Blade King Li Shengxing indeed had a villa outside the city, named ’Qiushi Manor.’
The location had been tracked down, and the trio used Lightweight Technique to leave the city, heading straight to Qiushi Manor.
Originally thinking Qiushi Manor would be just a simple summer retreat, upon arrival, Chu Qing discovered the place’s defenses were far stricter than anticipated.
However, strict defenses are relative, for Chu Qing... it was nothing.
The three easily entered the manor, searched for a while but couldn’t find the chief steward Wang Kuan.
For a moment, Chu Qing felt perplexed, and Wu Qianhuan couldn’t help but ask:
"Could the guard have deliberately deceived us earlier?"
Back in Heaven-Reaching Town, Chu Qing had revealed his identity to obstruct those Jianghu People capturing Niao Shisan.
Chu Qing shook his head at her words:
"If that were the case, the guard leading us here should have set an ambush.
"Otherwise, couldn’t hide forever, could he?"
Wu Qianhuan found reason in this and was planning to suggest a thorough search of Qiushi Manor when Gentle suddenly pointed:
"There’s someone over there."