The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3069 Just What I Want
Five people, carrying backpacks, slowly stepped onto the iron chain bridge, while the martial artists three hundred meters away watched them in astonishment.

No one had given prior notice, so it wasn't until they saw Ouyang Nan and his group of five step onto the iron chain bridge that they realized they were on another reconnaissance mission. However, these people were truly unfortunate, tasked with scouting ahead and clearing the way for the main force—a truly dangerous situation.

Fortunately, it was these few people who carried out this mission; otherwise, they would have had to select people from among them to carry out this mission.

So, although they were a little surprised, they were also happy that they were relatively safe and didn't have to do any suicidal reconnaissance missions.

Qian Ying was followed by Qian Wantong. The two stood by the building by the lake, watching the five people embark on the unknown road. It seemed as if they were seeing them off with their eyes, or perhaps supervising them as they carried out their mission.

However, when Qian Zhenghao stepped onto the iron chain bridge, he saw Qian Ying and Qian Wantong watching them from the side. He cursed inwardly, but fortunately, he still showed a slight smile on his face and waved goodbye to the two of them, as if he had no resentment at all.

Qian Zhenghao's resentment towards the Qian family is now immense.

Every expedition mission was assigned to him without any consideration of whether to replace him. Even if it's about taking advantage of someone, you can't just take advantage of one person at a time.

This valley is incredibly dangerous; you never know where or when danger might strike unexpectedly. For a martial artist at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm, dealing with these dangers is extremely difficult.

But he's the only one who gets sent to his death; he's utterly inhuman!
Therefore, it is understandable that he harbored some resentment.

Unfortunately, in Qian Wantong's mind, Qian Zhenghao was merely a expendable resource. And wasn't Qian Zhenghao's participation in Ouyang Nan's squad also a form of expendable resource? If the entire squad were to perish during the preliminary reconnaissance, that would truly suit his purposes.

However, what Qian Zhenghao didn't know was that Qian Ying was a master of innate abilities. Although her mental strength wasn't high and she wasn't particularly sensitive, she was still much more perceptive than others.

When her gaze swept over Qian Zhenghao's expression, her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't show anything, continuing to watch Ouyang Nan and the other five people walk further and further away.

“Elder, you must have had a long night. You should get some rest now. I’ve already had the tent set up over there, about 300 meters away. Would you like to go and rest there now?” Qian Wantong whispered in Qian Ying’s ear.

Qian Ying, watching the backs of Ouyang Nan and the others, asked, "Manager Qian, has Qian Zhenghao been behaving strangely these past few days?"

“Abnormal behavior?” Qian Wantong was a little unsure how to put it. After thinking for a moment, he realized that it seemed that since the canyon, Qian Zhenghao had rarely returned to the Qian family. Instead, he told him to keep an eye on Ouyang Nan and the others at all times and to report any abnormal behavior to him immediately.

But last night, he specifically inquired about it and heard nothing unusual. When Ouyang Nan and the others had nothing to do, they only cultivated, and even their conversations were quite pleasant.

After hearing this, Qian Wantong felt that Ouyang Nan and the others were behaving similarly to the other martial artists in the group, so he didn't think much of it and let Qian Zhenghao continue to keep an eye on them.

Of course, Qian Wantong had never mentioned Chen Mo's covert observation to Qian Zhenghao; he simply instructed him to keep an eye on the four people. Now, hearing Qian Ying's question, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

After all, Elder Qian's question was definitely pointed at something, but he really didn't know what it was.

So, Qian Wantong recounted all the recent developments regarding Qian Zhenghao. He didn't know if Qian Ying was implying anything, but as long as his behavior was clearly described, Qian Ying would point it out if she told him.

Sure enough, after hearing what Qian Wantong said, Qian Ying immediately became suspicious. She thought that Qian Zhenghao must have some resentment in his heart, which was why he was acting outside the Qian family's group.

After pointing out his own guesses to Qian Wantong, he said, "Tell me, does Qian Zhenghao harbor some resentment towards us? Does he feel that his heart has already turned away from us?"

"This..." Qian Wantong really didn't know what to say at the moment. After all, he understood what Qian Zhenghao would face if he really said this.

“Elder, Qian Zhenghao is a member of the Qian family. He may have some grievances, but he should not have any intention of rebelling.” Although Qian Wantong was somewhat ruthless towards outsiders, he still took good care of the younger generation of the Qian family.

After all, it was Qian Wantong who recommended Qian Zhenghao to join Ouyang Nan's team. Now, Elder Qian suspects that Qian Zhenghao has a disloyal heart. He should give him a little more help and observe him carefully after he returns to see if the boy really has a disloyal heart.

If he truly harbored rebellious intentions, then Qian Wantong was certainly capable of wielding a large sword. Even if he had no intention of betraying Qian Zhenghao, he would still advise him to carry out the mission diligently, thus earning Qian Zhenghao's gratitude and gaining him a favor. "As for Qian Zhenghao, I think we should observe him closely after this mission. If it's confirmed that he has rebellious intentions, I will definitely teach him a lesson," Qian Wantong continued to say to Qian Ying.

Qian Ying recalled Qian Zhenghao's micro-expressions and nodded, saying, "Yes, you're right. Perhaps it's because young people are too ambitious, so it's understandable that they harbor some resentment. After he returns from his mission, observe him carefully and let me know."

Although his observation of Qian Zhenghao's expression was probably accurate—he definitely harbored thoughts of betrayal—every martial artist in this valley was useful. Even if they had turned their backs on the Qian family team, they should still be used if they could be employed. At most, they could be eliminated after their usefulness was over.

As for the younger generation of the Qian family, Qian Ying wanted obedient and useful people, not young people who would harbor resentment if given a task. Using too many of these kinds of people would definitely cause trouble.

As for telling Steward Qian to observe carefully and then inform him later, it was also to see if Steward Qian was perceptive and shrewd. If a young man like Qian Zhenghao couldn't understand Qian's thoughts here, then he would no longer pay attention to Qian Wantong when they left the valley and returned to the family.

After all, a manager who lacks foresight should never be employed, otherwise it means he has a problem with his judgment and selection of personnel.

Qian Wantong was unaware of Qian Ying's thoughts and was already testing him, thinking about how to give him some pointers after Qian Zhenghao returned.

"Alright, go back and rest for a bit. Arrange for people to take turns on guard duty here, and set up more warning bells in the lake area so that the guards can detect any unusual activity in the lake in time." Qian Ying stopped talking about Qian Zhenghao and instead spoke to Qian Wantong about the guard duty at the lake.

After all, the most important thing right now is safety. He's already at less than 30% of his strength, so being able to react in time to any danger is the most crucial thing.

"Also, we need to deploy more personnel to guard other directions of the rest area. After all, although we've been here for several days, I'm still a little worried about this lake," Qian Ying instructed Qian Wantong again.

To be honest, after Qian Ying first came to this lake, she had a feeling that there was a hidden danger in the lake, but she didn't know what that danger was.

While dealing with the two strange beasts, one with a single horn and the other without, he had a feeling that the subtle threat did not come from these two beasts, but that the danger still existed in the lake.

In fact, if Qian Ying and Chen Mo could communicate, they would know that their feelings were the same; they both sensed a subtle danger in the lake. However, Qian Ying's perception was somewhat weak, while Chen Mo's was very strong.

Unfortunately, the lake was very large, and its waters were very deep, so dark that the depths were unknown. Therefore, even if the danger came from within the lake, it was impossible to find it.

Perhaps only when the danger emerges from the lake will they understand what kind of danger it truly is.

It was because of this feeling that Qian Yingcai specifically instructed Qian Wantong to properly arrange the personnel on duty.

"Remember, go and arrange for guards to be on duty now. There should be guards in all directions, and those defensive structures should also be put into use by the guards. This way, the guards will have some cover, and if there is any danger, it will also provide some protection," Qian Ying said again.

Actually, Qian Ying's purpose was to provide the guards with a protective shield so that they could survive longer in case of danger. This would give them more time to react.

Everything he did was to protect himself. After all, when he recovered from meditation, he would be at a relatively weak point, so it was natural to be on guard.

"In addition, when assigning personnel to duty, we should also give more consideration to those who need care," Qian Ying gave a brief reminder.

Since entering the valley, many members of the Qian family have died. Therefore, it would be better to assign the more dangerous posts to martial artists from other families, and to give the Qian family martial artists safer positions.

However, this arrangement cannot be too obvious, otherwise, if other families have objections, it will be difficult to arrange guard duties in the future.

Although Qian Wantong was somewhat confused about Qian Zhenghao's situation, he understood the meaning behind Qian Ying's words and immediately nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Elder. I will make proper arrangements for today's duty shifts and ensure that each duty point is assigned properly."

Furthermore, you and Elder Zhou have already been to this lake and spent the night here, so there shouldn't be any danger here. The night watch here will be assigned to other families, while I will consider assigning the more dangerous areas in other directions to my Qian family members.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Ying was immediately pleased, for the Third Steward's arrangement suited his wishes perfectly.