Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 94 The Visit

Meng Zhaoting took a step forward, his eyes filled with anger, and stared directly at Qiu Tang: "The court establishes officials to protect the people, not to allow a military man like you to abuse your official position to insult scholars and act arrogantly."

Qiu Tang's eyes darkened. He tilted his head and glanced at him sideways. "Say it again."

Meng Zhaoting rolled up his sleeves: "I can't stand by and watch you humiliate Mr. Wei Ting like this, as a fellow martial artist."

Before he could finish speaking, a violent killing intent surged in Qiu Tang's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew his knife with his right hand, and in a flash of cold light, the blade cut through the air.

His movements were extremely fast; the knife struck Meng Zhaoting's neck with such precision that it severed most of the neck.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining the bluestone slabs beneath their feet red.

Meng Zhaoting's anger had not yet subsided, and the sternness in his eyes was clearly visible. There was even a hint of stubbornness on the corner of his mouth, but he didn't even have a chance to groan before his body fell to the ground with a thud.

Hearing the commotion, many Confucian scholars came out of the hall. They stared at the scene before them with expressions of disbelief.

"Is this what you call a martial arts practitioner?"

The tall, thin man next to him chuckled.

Qiu Tang slowly sheathed his sword, wiping the blood from the blade with his fingertips: "Are there any other martial artists?"

Everyone around was so frightened that they fell silent, and no one dared to utter a sound.

Only Wei Ting remained stunned for a long time before slowly squatting down and closing Meng Zhaoting's eyes.

Qiu Tang sneered: "I, Qiu, am fighting the barbarians on the front lines, risking my life every day. I won't tolerate your gossip. If anyone speaks nonsense, my knife will teach you a lesson."

After saying that, he ignored the corpses on the ground and led his men away.

******

The news spread quickly.

Meng Zhaoting was no ordinary person. As a disciple of the Panshi Martial Arts School, this matter had a significant impact on the martial artists in the county.

According to custom, when inner disciples of martial arts schools go out, they can report the name of their martial arts school. If they are bullied or insulted for no reason, the martial arts school must step in.

Even if the county garrison troops attack local martial artists, the head of the martial arts school must go and negotiate, otherwise the impact would be equivalent to kicking the school over.

As two of the three major martial arts schools, when an outsider bullied Xiao Hua, Master Chong of the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School was the first to step forward and sent someone to ask Xiao Hua how to handle the matter.

Local militia members have a sense of territory and tend to band together.

For the wealthy households in the county, they were more concerned about why the Su family of Gaoliu County was wiped out by the General Who Conquers the South.

As the news gradually spread, some inside information shocked families large and small in Songxiang County, causing widespread panic.

It is said that the General Who Conquers the South wiped out the refugee camp of the Heavenly Mother Sect and discovered that some families in Gaoliu County were involved in collusion with the Demonic Sect. A few people disobeyed orders and tried to break through the Songjiang Pass to secretly escape from Yizhou Prefecture.

Therefore, this cavalry captain named Qiu Tang executed the fleeing rebels in the street.

Subsequently, they received some more information: the Demonic Sect was making a deal with the Taiping Merchant Guild, and the private medicines sold by the Taiping Merchant Guild contained banned drugs.

Selling illicit medicines is tantamount to evading taxes from the imperial court, but buying and selling prohibited drugs is a capital offense.

For a time, many families in the county were in a panic because they learned that Guangzhilin was related to the Taiping Chamber of Commerce.

Many families have traded with Guangzhilin.

Is it Qiu Tang?

More than these messages, Ye Ci was concerned about this valiant cavalry captain.

He owes me three hundred taels of silver.

Ye Ci never expected to run into this former centurion in Songjiang County.

Qiu Tang was able to gain Zhang Guan's appreciation and be brought from the Wolf Tribe to the Leopard Tribe, which shows he had ability.

Whether it's accumulating wealth, flattery, force, or intelligence, this person should be considered an outstanding individual.

However, the thought that he was a hidden expert made Ye Ci feel better.

The first item was sold by inserting a label.

Huang Guoshu has come several times in recent days, saying that now that Master Yang is not here, many people are watching Xiao Hua, wanting to see how he will handle the situation.

Before the General Who Conquers the South entered the city, Qiu Tang was staying at the Commandant's Mansion, and Xiao Hua went to visit him.

The other party refused to even meet with them.

I was rejected several days ago.

The weather has been bad lately.

The rain lasted for four or five days, drizzling and continuous, and the air was very cold and damp.

Since Yao Yao couldn't play with the children outdoors, she brought them all to Tingzhuxuan, where they ran around the house making a lot of noise.

Fortunately, Ye Ci practiced his skills in the courtyard, so he wasn't affected much.

What really bothered Ye Ci was that the young lady Shen Xin often came to chat with him.

"I heard that Lord Qiu visited each of the four major families one by one, but our Shen family had no dealings with Guangzhilin, so we should be able to escape this calamity."

She used the word "calamity" to imply that this was a calamity for the other four major families.

As a result, her mouth seemed to be poisoned.

Around noon, someone stepped into the Shen residence.

Qiu Tang came alone.

Ye Ci thought he would go to see Master Shen, but unexpectedly he directly asked to see "Master Ye".

Since you are looking for yourself, there is naturally nothing to be afraid of.

Ye Ci stood in the study, holding a teacup, waiting for him to come in.

Qiu Tang was dressed in a purple brocade robe. In his forties, when he took off his black robe, he looked less like a soldier and more like a wealthy merchant.

Upon entering Tingzhuxuan, Qiu Tang glanced around and smacked his lips twice.

"A good place."

As they spoke, their gaze fell on the eaves, where a middle-aged man in a blue robe was sharpening a knife, which looked rather strange.

Qiu Tang walked into the study with his hands behind his back.

For some reason, when he connected Ye Gongfeng with that returning soldier, Qiu Tang suddenly felt much happier.

Upon entering the study, he saw Ye Ci and immediately grinned, "Little Ye Ci, in just three days, you've become a wealthy servant, living better than my family."

As he spoke, he spoke with a flippant tone, looking down at Ye Ci with a condescending gaze: "You still owe me seven hundred taels of silver."

"7

"Yes, did you bring the IOU?"

Ye Ci lifted the teacup and took a small sip.

In the study, Qiu Tang paced a few steps, walked to the bookshelf, casually flipped through the books, and said regretfully, "It was lost during the war. Who would have thought that a common soldier like you would actually have to pay back the money one day? But since I'm here, I'm sure you won't renege on your debt."

When Qiu Tang said that the quota for returning home should be worth a thousand taels of silver, Ye Ci wrote an IOU without saying a word. In Qiu Tang's opinion, this boy had always been a straightforward and sensible person.

"I keep track of all the accounts," Ye Ci replied.

"That's good."

Qiu Tang reclined in his armchair, propping his feet up on the table. He didn't seem to mind that the other party hadn't served him tea, and simply said leisurely, "Now, I no longer care about seven hundred taels of silver, so I'll just give it to you as a reward. But I've come today to discuss business with you."

Tell me about it.

"Today, while buying grain for the general, I met a woman who said she was your second aunt. Her shop is quite large, with a thriving business, and it's all under your name. I suppose I did you a huge favor by letting you return to your hometown. So, I'm thinking of taking over your business at a discounted price. What do you say?"

"How cheap?"

"I won't let you suffer a loss. Three thousand taels of silver—don't forget, I only took three hundred taels from you before letting you go back to your hometown, and now I'm waiving the remaining seven hundred taels."

"One should know how to remember kindness."

'

Ye Ci narrowed his eyes: "I'm at a bit of a loss."

It's not just a small loss, it's practically dirt cheap.

He understood what Qiu Tang meant. This wasn't a business transaction at all; the other party was clearly eyeing the grain shop's business.