Some people had already started to resent Yu Qing, this sect leader. Clearly, he could have gone to Kuilei City to gather intelligence, yet he insisted on waiting here to play tough with others. You have the ability to protect yourself, but what about us?
Such is the way of the world. Sharing hardships is not easy.
Fortunately, after looking all around, they did not see many members of the Flying Eagle Sect arriving. They only saw the few people ahead, the two scouts and the group of five led by Duan Yunyou.
What does this mean? The Scorpion Sect members were filled with suspicion and uncertainty, not daring to relax their vigilance of the surroundings.
Tong Zaitian, who was also pretending to be vigilant, was secretly observing Yu Qing’s reaction. He saw that Yu Qing wore a calm smile, looking like a highly skilled person with great courage.
Meanwhile, Mu Aotie was secretly on guard against him, preventing this person from ambushing Yu Qing just as he had assassinated Xu Fengji.
The two scouts stopped in their tracks, while the group of five led by Duan Yunyou headed straight for the Scorpion Sect members, stopping four zhang away to maintain a safe distance.
Yu Qing was the first to speak, shouting, “Duan Yunyou, I did not come looking for you, so you should be secretly rejoicing. You have some nerve, daring to deliver yourself to my door.”
Duan Yunyou also feigned surprise and doubt, asking, “Where did the temple go?”
Yu Qing said arrogantly, “As long as you surrender, you can know whatever you want. I will tell you everything.”
Duan Yunyou’s gaze, however, fixed on Gong Ziting behind the Scorpion Sect members. “The spies reported that the temple disappeared. It seems this trip was not in vain.” His voice suddenly grew much louder, and he shouted, “Left Protector, we have been looking for you so bitterly. We did not expect you to have fallen into their hands.”
Hearing this, the group turned to look at Gong Ziting. For internal communication only, strictly prohibited from external distribution.
Gong Ziting cried out sorrowfully in response, “Sect Leader, save me!”
Whether this cry was an act or a genuine outpouring of emotion, it was truly heartbreaking, filled with desolation in its tone. Duan Yunyou shouted back loudly, “Left Protector, it is not that I am unwilling to save you, but you know the reality of the situation. You have fallen into the hands of people you should not have.”
Gong Ziting yelled, “Is the Sect Leader going to stand by and watch me die?”
Duan Yunyou replied, “It is not standing by and watching you die, but being powerless to help. I have finally understood why they would linger at this temple. I am afraid it has something to do with you.”
The implication was simple. He was questioning whether Gong Ziting had said things he should not have said.
In short, after finishing his words, he waved his hand and turned around, looking as if he was about to leave.
The Scorpion Sect members immediately looked at Yu Qing’s reaction. After all, he was the one waiting for Duan Yunyou, intending to snatch something from him. They all felt that a great battle was imminent.
However, Yu Qing did not rush to act. Instead, he watched coldly from the sidelines.
He truly was not in a hurry. Since the other party had arrived exactly as he had anticipated, there was nothing to rush about. He might as well see clearly what kind of trick they were playing.
As it turned out, it was not his turn to be anxious. Gong Ziting had already roared, “Sect Leader Duan, are you going to ignore the life and death of your own uncle? If you dare to stand by and watch me die today, I will definitely send someone to deliver a message to your father. Let us see how you will explain this to him when you return.”
Duan Yunyou’s retreating steps suddenly halted. For internal communication only, strictly prohibited from external distribution.
“Own uncle?”
“This guy is Sect Leader Duan’s own uncle?”
A wave of astonishment immediately rose from the Scorpion Sect side, and they began to whisper among themselves. Own uncle? Yu Qing was a bit confused. He turned his head in surprise to look at the righteously indignant Gong Ziting, then turned back to look at Duan Yunyou, who had his back to them and seemed frozen. He could not resist turning back to ask Gong Ziting, “You are Sect Leader Duan’s own uncle?”
Gong Ziting said indignantly, “That is right. His father is my own brother!”
Yu Qing let out a meaningful “oh”, looking as if he had suddenly realised something. He had been unable to figure out how the Duan family would handle this, but he did not expect them to produce an own uncle. He suddenly understood Duan Yunyou’s trick. A smile at the corner of his mouth could barely be contained. He realised that this Sect Leader Duan was truly capable, truly willing to use any means to achieve his goals.
Not to mention this side, even the members of the Flying Eagle Sect opposite them felt shocked. They never dreamed in their wildest dreams that the Left Protector was the Sect Leader’s own uncle.
They immediately felt that this matter was troublesome. The Left Protector said he would tell the Sect Leader’s father. Given the Left Protector’s current condition, who else could he send to tell the Sect Leader’s father? He would definitely entrust it to the people of the Scorpion Sect. In other words, the Left Protector was going to reveal the Sect Leader’s father’s address to the Scorpion Sect.
From another perspective, this was no different from exposing the Sect Leader’s background completely.
What was everyone’s purpose in coming to Tianji Mountain? It was to get rich. For internal communication only, strictly prohibited from external distribution.
Seeking wealth in times of danger, the vast majority of people had concealed their origins and backgrounds, not wanting to bring enemies home. Since its establishment, the Flying Eagle Sect had accumulated a lot of blood debt, such as the likes of Xu Fengji. Once people knew where the Sect Leader’s home was, what would happen?
Open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to defend against.
The key question was, how could they save him? They could not sacrifice their own lives for this, could they? The Flying Eagle Sect members began to feel a headache on behalf of their Sect Leader.
Fan Jiu swiftly moved forward, grabbed Gong Ziting, and dragged him to the front for guarding. Such an important figure naturally could not be too far from everyone, to avoid any mishaps.
Yu Qing shifted his gaze away from Gong Ziting and slowly turned his head to stare at Duan Yunyou. His face almost bloomed with joy, his white teeth showing in a wide grin, and his little moustache curling up at both sides. He wanted to see how Duan Yunyou would continue his act.
Seeing the other party’s acting skills were excessively good, remaining shocked and delaying turning around, unwilling to dawdle any longer, he immediately called out, “Sect Leader Duan, your uncle is calling you.”
After having his back turned for a long time, Duan Yunyou finally turned around slowly. With a gloomy face, he shouted at Gong Ziting, “Left Protector, do you know what you are saying?”
Sitting on the sandy ground, Gong Ziting pointed at his own legs and replied loudly, “To protect you, I ended up like this. What do you think you should say?”
Duan Yunyou took a deep breath, and his gaze fell upon Yu Qing. “May I ask for your honoured name?”
Yu Qing smiled and said, “Zhu Qing.”
Duan Yunyou nodded. “So it is Brother Zhu. Nice to meet you! Speak, what will it take for Brother Zhu to release the person?”
Yu Qing chuckled. “Release the person? I think what you need to consider now is whether you can escape yourself.”
Duan Yunyou said calmly, “If we scatter in all directions, are you sure you can catch all of us? Will you split up to chase us? Do you want to guess in which direction I have placed an ambush? Since I dare to come here in person to check the situation, I naturally have my precautions.”
Yu Qing said, “No matter how many ambushes you have, catching just you will be enough.” For internal communication only, strictly prohibited from external distribution.
Duan Yunyou shook his head disdainfully. “If we fight, I admit I might not be your match. But if it comes to running speed, that is not necessarily the case. Not to mention you might not be able to catch me, even if you do, so what? Obviously, our Left Protector has already leaked the secrets of our Flying Eagle Sect. But what does it matter if you know the secrets? As long as one of us escapes from here and spreads the news, you can imagine the consequences yourself. Therefore, there is no need to be impulsive. What is there that cannot be discussed properly?”
At this moment, sitting on the sandy ground, Gong Ziting was both expectant and nervous, not knowing what method the Sect Leader would use to rescue him.
Yu Qing remained silent for a while, seemingly considering the other party’s words. After a long time, he asked, “What could we possibly have to discuss?”
Duan Yunyou said, “We actually have no grudges or enmity. There is no need for a fight to the death. Anything can be discussed. Let me state my conditions first. As long as you release the person, I guarantee that I will not leak your secrets.”
Yu Qing scoffed. “Who cannot make a promise with empty words? Should I believe you just because you say it?”
Duan Yunyou replied, “You are overthinking it. We went to great lengths to find this temple, and we certainly will not give up that treasure easily. You must be the same. Therefore, I do not even need to make any promises. As long as you do not force me into a desperate situation, I have no need to leak secrets. You want the treasure, and we want it too. Let us each rely on our own abilities later. What do you say?”
Yu Qing said, “Then it sounds like I am the one at a disadvantage. Your man is in my hands. Why should I give him to you for nothing?”
As soon as the words fell, Fan Jiu leaned close to his side and whispered a reminder, “Sect Leader, that notebook in his hands.”
Yu Qing glanced at him sideways, thinking, do I need you to remind me of this?
However, with so many people watching, he might as well act as if he received this reminder. He nodded slightly.
Duan Yunyou said, “He has already said what he should say. What use is it for you to keep him?”
Seeing him still acting and beating around the bush, Yu Qing did not want to play along anymore. He spoke bluntly, “Cut the crap. If you want him, bring something to exchange.”
Duan Yunyou frowned and said, “We cannot accept excessive demands. What do you want?”
Yu Qing said, “Your uncle said you have an ancient notebook regarding Tianji Mountain. I will not make excessive demands. I will give you the person, and you give me that ancient notebook. This exchange is a profit for you.”
Hearing the demand for that notebook, Gong Ziting lowered his head with some guilt. He did not yet know that this was something Duan Yunyou had anticipated.
At this moment, Duan Yunyou was straightforward. “Fine, I will comply with Brother Zhu. Release the person first.”
“Release the person first?” Yu Qing raised an eyebrow and sneered. “If I release the person and you do not give the item, what then?”
Duan Yunyou said, “Brother Zhu is overthinking it. If I break my promise and run while carrying a living person, can I run fast? Would that not be seeking death? Among the people around me, who has the ability to escape with a living person?” He took out an oil paper wrapped booklet from his bosom, opened it, and displayed it. It was indeed an old parchment book. “Release the person, and I will give it to you.”
Yu Qing could not help but give him a thumbs up. He truly praised him from the bottom of his heart, realising that this guy was indeed a talent. No wonder he could raise the banner of the Flying Eagle Sect in Tianji Mountain. Hmm, this ability was comparable to his own.
However, he still shook his head and said, “What if you do not actually want to save him, but just want to prevent him from revealing your family’s situation, and you silence him instead? I should verify first whether this notebook is real.”
Duan Yunyou paused briefly, then said loudly, “Brother Zhu, it is best not to break your word. Otherwise, the secret of the Qilin Ginseng will truly be lost.” After giving this serious reminder, he wrapped the parchment book in the oil paper, cast a spell, and threw it directly over.
Yu Qing caught it in his hand and opened it to check on the spot. He found that it was indeed an ancient notebook and did not look fake. The time available would not have been enough to forge it anyway. He focused his check on whether there were any signs of torn pages. Only after flipping to the last page and looking at the content did he turn his head and signal, “Send Protector Gong back.”
Fan Jiu immediately grabbed Gong Ziting and pushed him flying out with a palm strike.
Duan Yunyou from the opposite side personally reached out, caught Gong Ziting, and smoothly handed him over to his subordinates for support. He replied loudly, “I would like to see who can find the treasure first. Brother Zhu, we shall meet again.”
His gaze swept across Tong Zaitian’s face without any pause, and he turned around directly, leaving gracefully with his people.
Tong Zaitian secretly sighed with emotion. The Sect Leader is indeed the Sect Leader. His methods are as brilliant as ever.
Mo Li, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. She had promised to spare Gong Ziting’s life and was wondering whether to break her promise. Now it was fine. She had fulfilled her promise.
Gong Ziting, being supported and led away, felt somewhat uneasy. Previously, he had thought about being rescued. Now that he was truly rescued, he felt somewhat afraid instead. Looking at the Sect Leader’s expression, he said apprehensively, “Sect Leader, regarding the notebook, I had no choice in order to survive at that time…”
Duan Yunyou interrupted him. “Forget it. It is in the past. Since I could tell you, it is not a major secret. It was my mistake to speak it out first. The fault is mine first. You had no choice.”
Although he said this, a trace of imperceptible killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Things had come to this point, and he had indeed figured it out. It was just a notebook. For internal communication only, strictly prohibited from external distribution.
The entire notebook’s true value lay in its content. The reason he had tossed and turned from last night until this moment today before appearing was to transcribe the contents of the notebook. After all, he could not remember the entire content at once.
Of course, being an antique after all, he felt a certain amount of regret in his heart. But if it could smoothly help those people find the Qilin Ginseng for him, then it would be worth it.
Watching him depart into the distance, Yu Qing could not help but click his tongue twice. Looking at the ancient notebook in his hand, he thought about how this Sect Leader Duan had played his cards so flawlessly just to hand over such an item and avoid arousing suspicion.
First, there was the act of Tong Zaitian infiltrating their Scorpion Sect, and now this scene before his eyes. He had a deep impression of the departing Sect Leader Duan’s style of doing things.
Turning back, he waved the notebook at Mu Aotie, showing off not without pride. “See that? The item is obtained just like this, delivered right to our door.”
Mu Aotie had a deadpan face, expressionless.
Who knew this would be met with a disorganised chorus of praise from Fan Jiu and the others. “The Sect Leader is wise!” “Haha, haha…”
Yu Qing suddenly threw his head back and laughed endlessly, laughing freely and wildly, his laughter full of triumph.
Tong Zaitian curled the corner of his mouth, feeling contempt in his heart. As for laughing like this? Indeed, young and frivolous. You will have time to cry later.