My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

To be fair, Su Yun was indeed very good to Qi Ran, but now that he's become like that, Qi Yu doesn't dare let Qi Ran follow him anymore.

Qi Ran was whittling a piece of wood, seemingly preparing to carve something.

His half-brother stood beside him, looking him up and down with great curiosity, while Liu Qian was feeding the chickens and ducks.

The scene was so warm and cozy, it seemed like something out of a painting, and Qi Yu was almost reluctant to break it.

However, Qi Yu did not see Zheng Wenhao at all, and he could not even detect Zheng Wenhao's figure in Qi Yu's domain.

Qi Yu's current domain can extend fifteen miles. The fact that he didn't find Zheng Wenhao can only mean that Zheng Wenhao is no longer within a fifteen-mile radius.

His secret accomplices told him that something seemed to have happened to Zheng Wenhao and Liu Qian recently, which is why he decided to come and check on them.

Now it seems there are indeed some problems.

Zheng Wenhao is a truly frail scholar; he should be preparing for next year's provincial examination.

Moreover, what was he, a frail scholar, doing walking at least thirty miles round trip every day?

Most importantly, the person he arranged didn't even know what he was supposed to do, which is quite intriguing.

Qi Yu watched from outside the courtyard for a long time. By the afternoon, Zheng Wenhao still hadn't returned, so Qi Yu decided not to wait any longer and to go and ask about the situation.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Qi Yu knocked on the two large doors made of tissue.

Soon someone came to the door, and sure enough, it was Qi Ran.

Behind Qi Ran, his half-brother waddled over with a duck-like gait.

"Second Uncle? What brings you here?" Qi Ran asked in surprise when he saw that it was Qi Yu.

Qi Yu was speechless. This face was clearly very cute, and he would definitely grow up to be a handsome man like himself, since their genes were similar.

But with a cold face, and imitating Su Yun's noodle stall, when he asked why he was there, Qi Yu even felt disgusted.

"What? Can't I come?" Qi Yu retorted.

Qi Ran shrugged, made way, and then shouted into the house.

"Mother, Uncle is here!"

After Qi Ran finished shouting, Liu Qian came out of the house with her hands still wet, as if she had been washing something.

"Uncle, you're here! Come in and have a seat!" Liu Qian said warmly after her initial surprise.

Qi Yu's hair is now longer than hers, and Qi Yu's demeanor has changed significantly since she came more than a year ago.

Qi Yu nodded and then walked into the courtyard.

Zheng Wenhao and Liu Qian's child was a little afraid of Qi Yu, so he hid behind Qi Ran and held onto Qi Ran's hands tightly.

Qi Yu looked at himself and could only smile bitterly.

I can't really call myself a good person now, after all, I've killed so many people.

It is said that children are innocent and can see things that adults cannot. Maybe he can even detect the smell of blood on his own body?

After sitting down in the hall, Liu Qian brewed a pot of tea, filled Qi Yu's cup, and then sat down opposite him.

"Did Uncle come all this way just to see Qi Ran?"

Qi Yu knew that his arrival would create distance and discomfort between Liu Qian and Zheng Wenhao, so he usually wouldn't come.

After thinking about it for a while, Qi Yu decided to ask for clarification.

"Sister-in-law, do you know what Brother Zheng has been up to lately?"

Liu Qian glanced at Qi Yu in surprise, wondering why Qi Yu was asking about Zheng Wenhao.

"Uncle, why are you asking this?"

Qi Yu lowered his eyelids slightly and slowly said, "Sister-in-law, do you know what I'm doing right now?"

Qi Yu is now a celebrity; almost everyone knows him, and he is a household name.

Liu Qian nodded, indicating that she understood.

She never imagined that her brother-in-law, who used to only know how to study, would become such a powerful figure who could decide the fate of the world with a single word.

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Chapter 102 Unusual

"Recently, a man came looking for you, my lord. He's from the imperial court! His name is Li Minghai!"

Liu Qian revealed the name of the person Zheng Wenhao had been frequently meeting with recently.

Upon hearing the name, Qi Yu raised an eyebrow. Li Minghai?

Is this guy still alive?

Back then, Li Minghai was Li Ming's bodyguard, and he was also the commander of the Imperial Guards.

He had protected her for a period of time, but later she and Li Ming drifted apart, and Li Minghai never appeared again.

I thought this guy was dead. After all, he's not very bright, and there's a high chance he'd be tricked to death by someone as hypocritical as Li Ming.

But I didn't expect this guy to still be alive, which is quite interesting.

Zheng Wenhao was just a frustrated scholar, and a mere student at that.

However, due to its own reasons in recent years, the Dayun Dynasty implemented a military examination system and added many other tests.

This is not good news for scholars, as it means that these already scarce positions will be given up, making the competition even more intense.

At this moment, Li Minghai actually got involved with Zheng Wenhao, which made Qi Yu suspect that this was a trick devised by Li Ming.

Although he tried his best to avoid suspicion and not let anyone know about his relationship with Liu Qianqi, it seems that he still gave himself away.

He already held the Su family's trump card against Su Chengying and Su Yue, and since he wasn't a member of the Su family, he knew he could be ruthless if necessary.

Therefore, he set his sights on his blood relatives and those around him, and Zheng Wenhao was undoubtedly the most suitable entry point.

Not many people probably know that Qi Lin is still alive, and it's unrealistic to expect him to be caught.

But Qi Ran and Liu Qian, no matter what, were once family, and Qi Ran was Qi Lin's son, his nephew, and blood relatives.

Li Ming is still as insidious and hypocritical as ever, utterly disgusting!

Looking at Qi Yu's ever-changing expression, Liu Qian frowned and asked, seemingly lost in thought:

"Uncle, what do you want to do?"

The uncle standing before me now is not the same uncle he once was. He is now the leader of the sect, a powerful figure who can decide the life and death of others with a single word.

Qi Yu snapped out of his daze, turned to look at Liu Qian, and said, "Sister-in-law, I have some grudges with the current royal family. Li Minghai, who was in contact with Brother Zheng, is the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard."

"He must have been ordered by Li Ming to come and win over Brother Zheng. If I'm not mistaken, he should promise to give Brother Zheng an official position and then take you to the capital."

"You will become pawns in Li Ming's hands, used to control and threaten me!"

Liu Qian's expression remained largely unchanged, clearly indicating that she had already considered this point.

After all, the matter between Qi Yu and the Li family of the Dayun Dynasty was basically an open secret.

During the battle at Changsheng Temple, Li Qing led his troops to surround the temple, but many civilians witnessed it.

“My husband has already told me everything you said, Uncle!” Liu Qian said calmly.

Qi Yu raised an eyebrow. Zheng Wenhao knew about his relationship with the Li family, but would he still go to see Li Minghai?

"What are your thoughts?" Qi Yu asked.

Liu Qian turned her head, looked calmly at Qi Yu, and asked, "If I told you that our decision is to accept the imperial court's rewards, what would you do?"

After thinking for a moment, Qi Yu said, "I will take Qi Ran away. Even if we are in the capital, I will be able to bring Qi Ran back to the academy safely."

"As for you and Brother Zheng, this is your choice, and I respect it. To put it bluntly, you have remarried and are no longer considered a member of the Qi family."

"If Brother Zheng chooses to side with Li Ming, I have no objection or dissatisfaction. After all, my only connection with you is Qi Ran."

"All I need to do is take Qi Ran with me!"

Everyone has their own choices, and Qi Yu will not interfere with other people's choices.

Positions are relative; if he sides with Li Ming, then he is the enemy.

He had no connection with Zheng Wenhao; the only link between them was Qi Ran. So even if Qi Ran was unwilling, he would forcibly bring her back to the academy.

Liu Qian fell silent, because Qi Yu's thoughts were already very clear: he only valued Qi Ran.

After a long while, Liu Qian raised her head, looked at Qi Yu, and said calmly, "My husband is right. You don't have the talent of an emperor. At most, you are just a schemer."

"Although he has some cleverness, he is not capable of becoming the ruler of the continent!"

Qi Yu was somewhat surprised. Was this Zheng Wenhao's evaluation of him?

Some clever, scheming types?

It seems Zheng Wenhao still has expectations for himself!

Because disappointment only comes with expectation, Liu Qian's tone clearly carried a sense of disappointment.

"Hehe, Brother Zheng, you have a keen eye! He's right, I cannot become the ruler of the mainland." After a pause, Qi Yu laughed, "But I never wanted to become the ruler of the mainland anyway."

"My ideal is to live a quiet life with my wife, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, living a life that belongs to us."

"But Li Ming, Nan Yutian and the others just don't want me to live a peaceful life, they want to kill me."

"Since they don't want me to live a peaceful life, then I will do as they wish."

"Everything I've done is not for the purpose of becoming the ruler of the continent. I don't have that kind of ambition."

Zheng Wenhao had expectations of Qi Yu, but Qi Yu had no reason or obligation to respond to them.

Whether he is disappointed or not is none of my business.

Liu Qian stopped talking, because she didn't know what to say anymore.

She was just a woman and didn't understand these things. She had never even left Qinghe County.

Talking to her about things in mainland China is too far removed from our lives.

"If Qi Ran is willing to go with you, I won't object!"

Liu Qian stood up, said this sentence, and then turned and walked into the kitchen.