“Hmph.” The little girl snorted lightly.

“If you help me find my sister, I’ll thank you. But if you cheat me, you’ll be the second and third bad guys, and I’ll never forgive you.” She threatened loudly, but her restless eyes betrayed her fear.

“The second and third bad guys?” Lin Bei asked curiously. “Who’s the first bad guy?”

“The number one bad guy is a cultivator who used to disturb our lives in our original home.” Liu Xiaoyu spoke with a resentful tone, “He…”

She glanced at Chu Liang and said, “He looks a bit like you, but he’s uglier than you. He’s tall and skinny with a twisted, fat body, like a big monster. He’s very scary.”

“When I increase my power, I think that if I meet him again, I will definitely beat him up!”

“Okay.” Chu Liang smiled. “If we meet that big bad guy again, we’ll help you beat him up. You can rest assured that we Shu Mountain disciples will never be bad people.”

That night, they arranged a room upstairs for the little girl with the help of the people from the Li family.

Chu Liang kept an eye on her, wondering if she might be lying or trying to escape overnight. But she slept soundly until dawn, showing that she was quite carefree.

The next day, they found Cui, the steward.

“Ah!” Cui woke up and was overjoyed when he heard that the two had not only caught a demon but also two of them. “You two young heroes have shown the nine-day style of Shu Mountain! In just one night, you’ve solved all the problems of my Li family’s village. You’re really amazing!”

“It’s just luck.” Chu Liang smiled and then explained in detail what happened last night.

When he mentioned the cultivator who was playing tricks, Cui was naturally indignant. “Jingyue Pavilion is really despicable. They can’t compete with us, so they resort to these crooked ways.”

When he mentioned Liu Xiaoyu’s sister, he was also a little confused. “A fish spirit? We’ve definitely never seen one here. We’ve only dealt with demons once in so many years.”

“It may not be a demon. Her sister may have come here in the guise of an ordinary woman.” Chu Liang reminded him.

“Okay, I’ll help you find out.” Cui was also easy to talk to.

Lin Bei asked, “Now that the demon matter is resolved, do we have a plan for the performance at Nan Yin Fang?”

“Hehe, it’s almost certain.” Cui laughed.

“Then let’s stay a few more days and watch the performance before we leave.” Lin Bei smiled.

“Of course.” Cui quickly agreed.

Chu Liang glanced at him and shook his head. He had figured it out from the beginning that this guy was just using the excuse of a business trip to travel at public expense.

What demon-slaying? It was just an excuse.

…

Jingyue Pavilion.

They did business on a painting boat on the Qin Nan River, with food, drink, entertainment, and similar establishments like brothels, which were also a gathering place for literati and scholars in Nan Guan City.On this day, the largest painted boat in the Jingyue Pavilion was rented out. A luxurious private room was holding a feast.

Although there were many people at the banquet, there were only two guests of honor.

Sitting in the host’s seat was a young man who looked very young. He wore a brocade robe and a jade belt, with red lips and white teeth, and a handsome appearance.

Opposite him was a rough-looking man who looked tall and strong. Although he also wore luxurious clothes, he could not hide his decisive and ruthless martial arts style, let alone the deep scar on his rough face.

Except for these two people, everyone else was just accompanying guests.

“I have long heard of the name of the Dongjing Gang. Today, I am honored to meet Brother Xue. You are indeed full of heroism, which is admirable.” The young man smiled slightly, picked up the jade cup in his hand, and toasted lightly.

The rough man laughed and drank the wine in his cup without hesitation, then said with a smile, “I am a rough man and cannot speak those beautiful words. If there is any breach of etiquette, please do not blame me, Young Marquis.”

“Hey, Brother Xue is a guest. How can a guest make a mistake?” The young man known as Young Marquis smiled again, with a gentle voice.

“Recently, there has been a lot of wind in our Jing Gang. The people from the head of the gang are watching us closely. Our Dongjing Gang’s Lord Jiang has ordered us to converge all our underground businesses. So Master Cheng dare not come, and can only send me to negotiate.” Xue explained again, “There is absolutely no disrespect to Lord Ding Shan.”

“We have also heard of the situation in the Jing Gang recently, which is understandable.” The Young Marquis nodded.

The changes in the Jing Gang recently have been known throughout the land. Lord Jiang Shenting of the Dongjing Gang has four powerful subordinates, all of whom are his right-hand men and famous figures in the eastern region of the Yu Dynasty. One of them is named Cheng Gan.

The man in front of them, named Xue Hu, is Cheng Gan’s capable assistant.

“But…” The Young Marquis changed the subject, “You were asked to transport goods to the south. It has been windy or rainy for so many days already. Do you need to give us an explanation? It can’t be that Master Cheng is too embarrassed to come, so he sent you to bear the burden.”

“Master Cheng’s intention is to put our business on hold after this trip,” Xue Hu said with a wry smile. “Now is a critical period, and we cannot give the head of the gang any excuse. If we do, neither the head of the gang nor Lord Jiang can spare us.”

He explained it very clearly.

Now Lord Xu Bashan of the Jing Gang and Lord Jiang Shenting of the Dongjing Gang are in a fierce struggle. As one of Lord Jiang’s subordinates, if Cheng Gan does something wrong and is caught, it is very likely that he will be used by the enemy as a bargaining chip, which is very serious.

But the Young Marquis showed a puzzled expression.

“Brother Xue, isn’t this the time when you need support the most?” he said slowly, “Isn’t it not good to cut off our business at this time?”

“It’s not cut off, just temporarily put on hold. After this matter is over and Lord Jiang takes over, Master Cheng will naturally contact the Marquis again.” Xue Hu replied.”If Jiang becomes the leader, I’m afraid that Master Cheng will naturally rise with the tide and may not be interested in doing business with us anymore, right?” Young Marquis asked with a smile.

“How could that be…” Xue Hu immediately waved his hand.

“Master Cheng may not know, but our business has been growing bigger and bigger in recent years. More than a dozen royal families and nobles from the southern region of the Yu Dynasty have joined in, and our Lord Ding Shan’s mansion is just a representative.” Young Marquis said, “If we suddenly lose your East Whale Gang’s connection, we will definitely not be able to find a second partner like you for a while. This will make things very difficult for us, won’t it?”

“Haha, please forgive us, Young Marquis.” Xue Hu showed a troubled expression, “Master Cheng only asked me to pick up this last shipment and discuss this matter with you. With the current situation, it is temporarily on hold, but there is still a possibility of restarting in the future. If we continue to go against the wind, no matter who catches us, there will be no good outcome. You should also consider our difficulties. It’s hard for me to handle the pressure you’re giving me.”

“Difficult?” Young Marquis sneered, “Then don’t do it.”

He suddenly stood up and said, “Brother Xue, you’d better send a letter back to Master Cheng, explaining our intentions clearly. Business is not something you can do or not do as you please. It’s not that easy to suddenly withdraw.”

With that, he turned and left the table.

Xue Hu was left sitting in his original position, his face changing between dark and bright.

…

Young Marquis led his men off the boat, then took a carriage all the way into the city, arriving at a mansion within the South Gate.

Lord Ding Shan’s mansion.

The mansion was grand and majestic, with the streets in front of it clean and dust-free.

He walked into the deep courtyard and asked as soon as he entered, “Has my father returned yet?”

“Lord Ding Shan has not returned yet.” Someone immediately replied.

Young Marquis nodded, said no more, and went straight to the back garden. He turned around the corridor and came to the door of a room, gently knocking on it.

“Xia An? Is that you?” A joyful female voice came from inside.

“It’s me.” Young Marquis replied.

With a creak, the door was immediately opened, revealing a surprised face. The girl inside had snow-white skin.

“Why were you gone for so long…” The girl welcomed Young Marquis in, her tone slightly coquettish, “I don’t know anyone here, and I want to find my sister…”

“The affairs of the mansion are busy, my dear. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack for you to find her alone in such a big city like South Gate. I’ve already sent people to help you search for your sister’s whereabouts throughout the city, and there will be news soon.” Young Marquis said softly, comforting her.

“Alright…” The girl nodded gently, then asked worriedly, “You’re out for so long every day, will you meet many other girls? You won’t fall in love with someone else, will you?”

“How could I? Silly girl.” Young Marquis held her hand and said softly, “You are the most special girl I have ever met. I will only love you for the rest of my life.”