Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Shen Chen immediately looked up at Qin Pi: "Boss Qin, who drew the lots for the hunting ceremony?"

Qin Pi said, "This lottery was drawn by several of us leaders together. There were six of us: the chief, Zhuang Fu, Zhao Ying, Tang Long, myself, and Luo Xiong."

His gaze sharpened: "You mean the person who plotted to assassinate you is among these leaders?"

Shen Chen nodded: "Very likely."

He calmly pondered: "It's impossible for the chieftain and Qin Pi to be involved. If Zhuang Fu wants to take back those salt wells, he might target me. Luo Xiong and I have a grudge, so it's also possible. Tang Long... is also suspected of targeting me because of my Thousand Cloud Hand technique."

He considered it for a moment, but then noticed something amiss: "If Zhuang Fu was after the salt wells, he should have turned against me long ago. Why wait until now?"

"Luo Xiong is a man of principle, able to bend and stretch. He even knelt before Qin Pi that day. Is he really going to target me like this for such a small grudge?"

"The assassin I fought clearly didn't expect me to know the Thousand Cloud Hand technique, and I killed him just now. If it really is Tang Long, he couldn't possibly not know this..."

After thinking it over carefully, he said, "Brother Qin, please spread the word that I was attacked and killed while hunting, and I was seriously injured, but I still have a breath left."

Qin Pi nodded: "Okay."

Soon, news of Shen Chen's assassination while hunting and subsequent paralysis spread throughout the mountain stronghold.

Upon hearing the news, Zhuang Fu immediately got up and headed towards Zhuang Man's room.

He had just stepped outside when he saw Zhuang Man rushing over.

The two exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Brother, your methods are too simplistic!"

Both of them were taken aback upon hearing this.

"Tell me, are you still thinking about Shen Chen taking your leadership position and hiring someone to kill him?" Zhuang Fu angrily questioned Zhuang Man.

Zhuang Man cried out in protest, "How could it be me? I don't have that kind of ability! Brother, it's you who's in the picture. Are you still holding a grudge against Shen Chen because the salt well was taken away?"

"Bullshit! How could I be so petty?" Zhuang Fu cursed. "I didn't send anyone to do it!"

The two brothers looked at each other for a while, then Zhuang Fu said in a deep voice, "Let's go and see how Shen Chen is doing."

The two then went to Qin Pi's residence. After explaining their purpose, they entered the room and saw Shen Chen on the sickbed.

Shen Chen's head was wrapped in bandages, with bright red blood seeping from them.

"Is it a head injury? Tsk tsk... This is going to be tough," Zhuang Fu thought to himself.

Zhuang Man gritted his teeth and asked Qin Pi, "Master Qin, may I ask who injured Shen Tou?"

"I don't know, we're still investigating." Qin Pi's face was dark. "If I catch him, I don't care who he is, I'll take his heart and liver to make a soup with his wine."

Zhuang Fu observed Shen Chen, whose breathing was weak, on the bed, sighed, and took out a medicine box from his bosom: "This is a hundred-year-old ginseng. You can make soup for Brother Shen. I hope he recovers as soon as possible."

After the Zhuang brothers, Zhuang Fu and Zhuang Man, left, Zhao Ying and Fang Xue arrived.

He looked at Shen Chen, who appeared to be partially paralyzed on the bed, his face icy: "Who did this?"

"I don't know, we're still investigating," Qin Pi said.

"I'll go check," Zhao Ying said briefly, leaving behind a precious healing medicine before departing.

Fang Xue said to Qin Pi, "Brother Qin, the day before yesterday I gave Brother Shen the family's secret manual, Thousand Cloud Hand. Tang Long has always coveted my family's martial arts, and I suspect that he is the one who attacked Brother Shen."

Qin Pi's expression was icy: "I've noted it down."

Half an hour after Fang Xue left, a towering figure entered the room.

He was tall and had red hair. He had a black dragon tattooed on his forearm. He was Tang Long, the fourth leader of the mountain stronghold.

Tang Long rushed over and looked at Shen Chen on the bed. He sighed, "I really don't know which villain took Brother Shen's life."

"Tang Long, what are you pretending for? I think you attacked him because of the Fang family's secret manual!" Qin Pi shouted.

Tang Long paused, then shrugged: "What Fang family secret manual? I don't understand what you're talking about, Seventh Brother!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Everyone knows what you did to the Fang family back then for the sake of Qianyun Shou," Qin Pi said coldly.

Tang Long's face darkened with anger: "Qin Pi, stop spouting nonsense!"

After arguing for a while, Tang Long said again, "Even if I really wanted the Thousand Cloud Hand technique, I wouldn't use such methods right away. I'm not stupid!"

Having said all he could say, Tang Long turned and left.

After that, several more people came to visit Shen Chen, including Shen Chen's henchmen and Qin Pi's subordinates. Everyone sighed at Shen Chen's plight.

The last to arrive was Luo Xiong. Seeing Shen Chen on his sickbed, he asked Qin Pi, "How is Brother Shen doing now?"

Qin Pi said, "I'm still on my last breath, but I don't know if I can make it through the night."

"What a pity." Luo Xiong shook his head, looking regretful.

He said, "Master Qin, this matter has nothing to do with me. I have been working with my men outside these past few days and there is absolutely no way I would do anything to Brother Shen again."

"I hope so." Qin Pi stared at him. "If it really was you who did it, no matter how much the chieftain tries to persuade me, I will kill you this time."

Luo Xiong sensed the seriousness in Qin Pi's words and his face twitched: "It can't be me, Boss Qin. I wouldn't make such a fuss over such a trivial matter last time."

After Luo Xiong left, Qin Pi closed his doors to visitors.

Shen Chen, who had been lying on the bed barely breathing, straightened up, removed the bandage from his face, and got out of bed.

He went behind the screen, where a girl was sitting in a chair, holding a notebook made of Qin paper.

"What do those people think?" Shen Chen asked Bai Li softly.

Bai Li waved the notebook in her hand: "I've written it all down for you. Remember to cook me delicious food."

"That's natural."

Shen Chen took the notes and began to read them one by one.

Zhuang Fu: "It seems this kid is really going to die, but his death won't do me any good. Qin Pi will still be in charge of the salt well. It's a pity about the money I gave him to curry favor with him..."

Zhuang Man: "I wonder who attacked Shen Tou... Sigh, but if he's really dead, shouldn't the leadership position be mine?"

Zhao Ying: "This kid is probably faking illness to observe the visitors' reactions. Humph, how cunning."

Fang Xue: "It must be that beast Tang Long's doing! I should never have given Brother Shen the Thousand Cloud Hand technique; it's led to this disaster..."

Tang Long: "I need to clarify things right now. Damn it, thank goodness I didn't go to that kid for 'Thousand Cloud Hands' yesterday, or I'd be in deep trouble..."

Luo Xiong: "This kid looks badly injured. Sigh, if it weren't for Boss Mo forcing me to come and check on him, I wouldn't have dared to provoke Qin Pi. That idiot would have skinned me alive..."

Seeing Luo Xiong's thoughts, Shen Chen's eyes flashed, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

Is the Eighth Master Mo Yuancai?