Qin Jue’s group of four had their cultivation restricted and were imprisoned in the underground water prison of Jian Yuan Mountain.
The lighting was dim, and the water in the iron cage reached their waists.
Liu Piaopiao walked over from the wooden bridge walkway, stopping in the middle of the row of cages, looking down from above at Qin Jue soaking in the water inside the cage.
Qin Jue also looked up at her, “Great Commander, how about it? Was my token useful?”
Liu Piaopiao took out that token, extended her hand above the cage, and let go. The token fell, clanging against the iron cage, and dropped inside.
Qin Jue inside scrambled to catch it, then asked again, “Could you let us out?”
Liu Piaopiao stared at him, “Such confidence. No wonder you dared to break into Jian Yuan Mountain with a false identity. You were certain Jian Yuan Mountain couldn’t do anything to you.”
Qin Jue, “Great Commander, you exaggerate. I absolutely meant no offence. I also do not wish to harm the harmony, so you see, we obediently allowed ourselves to be captured without the slightest resistance?” He gestured with both hands at his appearance of being locked in a cage soaking in water.
Liu Piaopiao, “Then why don’t you try resisting?”
Fine. Qin Jue had no choice but to soften, “I spoke improperly. Great Commander, please forgive me. I wonder how Great Commander intends to deal with us?”
Liu Piaopiao, “Stay here for a few days. We will notify the people from You Ya to come pick you up.”
Hearing these words, Qin Jue’s expression changed drastically. Cui You in the adjacent cell also splashed close to the cage wall to watch this side.
“Great Commander, we know the way back to You Ya. There is no need to trouble You Ya to come for us.” Qin Jue’s face was full of politeness.
Liu Piaopiao, “Third Master said, a small punishment as a great warning. Let You Ya give us an explanation.”
Qin Jue’s face darkened, “Great Commander, we have no grievances or enmity. There is no need to go to extremes, don’t you agree?”
Liu Piaopiao, “I said, this is the meaning of Third Master of Qianliu Mountain. If you feel Third Master’s approach is inappropriate, you may voice your opinion. For the sake of Chilan Pavilion’s face, I guarantee to relay your complete message to Third Master.”
Qin Jue’s breathing grew heavy for a while. In the end, he gritted his teeth and yielded, “Thank you for Third Master’s kindness. We shall proceed according to Third Master’s wishes.”
Liu Piaopiao turned and left.
The four in the cell watched her depart.
Qin Jue’s face looked terrible. He was very clear that once this matter was reported to the You Ya side, Jian Yuan Zhai would be finished.
You Ya’s consistent style was that they did not care about your murder and plunder outside. If you had the ability to do it, you must have the ability to not let people catch you with evidence. If no one knew, then You Ya would not know either. Otherwise, no amount of pleading would be of use.
He had not expected that even Chilan Pavilion’s token could not make the demon realm side relent.
What he did not know was that originally someone had wanted his life. Chilan Pavilion’s token had already saved his life.
A few days later.
The jailer opened the cage and released them. They finally climbed out of the water.
No matter how much of a cultivator one was, soaking in water for several days was unpleasant.
Once outside, a demon cultivator leader helped them undo the restrictions on their bodies, then warned, “From today onward, Jian Yuan Mountain no longer welcomes you. Do not come again in the future. Go, immediately get lost back to your Youjiao Bu.”
Not seeing Liu Piaopiao, Qin Jue was somewhat puzzled and tried asking, “Weren’t people from You Ya supposed to come?”
The leader said, “We did notify You Ya, but You Ya sent word back saying that if true evidence was obtained, we may dispose of you as we please. If we are unwilling to dispose of you, then let you return to You Ya yourselves to give an account. You Ya cannot be bothered to come pick you up.
“Oh right, You Ya specifically reminded us that if we release you to leave, we must inform you all that from the moment the message is received, no matter what method you use, you are limited to three days to reach You Ya. Otherwise, the consequences are yours to bear!”
Without a word, Qin Jue cupped his hands, turned, and left.
The group hurriedly departed Jian Yuan Mountain, rushing to the nearest city, contacted a flying mount, spent a great sum of money, and took a sea route in a circle to make an emergency return.
Since You Ya had limited them to three days, he had to arrive within three days. He dared not delay a single moment.
There was a saying: if you violate You Ya’s rules, honestly face it and honestly accept the punishment. Do not run, and do not harbour侥幸心理. Because from the day You Ya appeared, not a single person had been able to escape You Ya’s sanctions.
Not a single exception!
This lack of exceptions alone was a powerful deterrent!
Some said that You Ya treated people with tolerance, yet absolutely made no exceptions!
The sky was high, the clouds vast, the blue waves boundless, the night sky filled with stars.
There was no need for three days. On the second day, Qin Jue arrived at Youjiao Bu, then went straight to You Ya.
The face-to-face meeting did not last long. Half a shichen later, he came out from You Ya.
Outside that great bridge, Cui You waited until he came over and hurriedly asked, “Great Shopkeeper, has the verdict come down?”
Qin Jue sighed, “A great fortune within misfortune. The people are fine. The shop is abolished. The real estate at Youjiao Bu is confiscated. The things inside can be moved out. From now on, there will be no more ‘Jian Yuan Zhai’ at Youjiao Bu, and we are not permitted to open a shop at Youjiao Bu again. We were given three days to pack our things, settle all accounts, and after three days hand over all personnel’s Youju tokens and leave.”
Cui You sighed, “Alas, how do we explain this to the Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper?”
Qin Jue smiled bitterly, “They don’t even have Youju tokens anyway. They were just nominal. Jian Yuan Zhai was just something to pass the time for them. Losing it won’t affect them much. I will explain this matter to them myself. Let’s go, back to pack.”
The two turned and walked.
They had not walked far when Cui You suddenly said, “Oh right, Great Shopkeeper, the people keeping an eye on Tie Miaoqing said that after Miao Qing Tang was abolished, Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping moved into an inn. It seems they have no intention of leaving Youjiao Bu, so they couldn’t make a move either.”
Without the identity of a merchant at Youjiao Bu, Tie Miaoqing had lost a layer of protection. The Jian Yuan Zhai side no longer had many scruples.
But speaking of this, Qin Jue was somewhat furious. If not for that woman, how would Jian Yuan Zhai have fallen to such a state? He snorted, “Inns at Youjiao Bu aren’t cheap. If they have the ability, let them stay here for a lifetime and never leave!”
After the two returned to Jian Yuan Zhai, they immediately ordered the shop closed and began the final inventory.
Send away what should be sent away, sell off what should be sold off. After casually fussing about, two or three days passed.
The signboard removed, the doors closed, Jian Yuan Zhai thus disappeared.
Having collected all personnel’s Youju tokens, Qin Jue and Cui You went to You Ya again.
The two entered the underground cavern beneath You Ya. In a circle of blazing firelight, that fat, shrivelled old man with skin like a dove, who was specifically in charge of such affairs, was still dozing behind the long desk, as if he could never sleep enough.
Cui You went over and knocked on the table, stating their purpose.
The old man opened his eyes. His blue eyeballs swept over the two, then he casually picked up his cane and knocked on the ledger on the table, “Just put down the corresponding items.”
The two looked and discovered that Jian Yuan Zhai’s page had already been opened and was waiting for them here.
Cui You poured out several dozen Youju tokens from his sleeve with a jingling clatter, “They’re all here. Please count.”
The old man’s blue eyeballs wandered over the Youju tokens a few times, then his cane thumped the table again, “Why are three tokens still missing?”
Cui You sighed, “Three are indeed missing. Those three people are already dead. According to the rules, dead people’s tokens need not be handed in.”
The old man, “That doesn’t seem right. I checked Jian Yuan Zhai’s situation early this morning. Based on the existing numbers, all people are alive. There are no dead.”
Qin Jue and Cui You simultaneously froze, exchanging glances.
Qin Jue then stepped forward, “Elder Lan, are you certain those three people are still alive?”
The old man, “For those who have left their essence blood here, once a person dies, their matching Youju token will naturally produce a corresponding reaction with the magical artifact here. Whether they are dead or alive, you cannot fool us. We are crystal clear here.”
Qin Jue frowned, muttering to himself, “Not dead? They actually didn’t die!”
“Forget it, the shop is already abolished. Whether they’re dead or alive doesn’t matter anymore. In a moment, when your shop token is melted down, those three Youju tokens will also be useless. I won’t make things difficult for you.” The old man waved his cane, signalling them to leave and not disturb his sleep.
Cui You tugged Qin Jue’s sleeve, and only then did the two bid farewell and leave.
“Pressed under that and still didn’t die. They didn’t die…”
After leaving You Ya, Qin Jue was muttering and pondering this matter the entire way. Cui You was likewise inconceivable.
You Lan Xuan Inn.
It could not be considered the best inn at Youjiao Bu, but it was absolutely the largest.
Sun Ping hurriedly ran into the inn, barging straight into a small courtyard deep within the secluded courtyard.
The courtyard was extremely small. The yard was only as big as one room. A small pavilion took up nearly half the area. There was also a tree in the corner.
Tie Miaoqing sat in the pavilion sipping tea. Seeing Sun Ping’s appearance, she asked, “Ping Niang, what is it?”
Sun Ping quickly stepped in to urgently report, “Miss, Jian Yuan Zhai has been abolished. Jian Yuan Zhai has been abolished by You Ya.”
Tie Miaoqing was surprised, “With their business strength, how could they be abolished?”
Sun Ping, “I don’t know. When I heard the news, I hurried to check and indeed found the doors closed and the signboard removed. There was also a transfer seal posted by You Ya on it.”
Tie Miaoqing wondered, “How could this happen?”
“Isn’t it all because of that Tanhua Lang friend of yours!”
Qin Jue’s voice suddenly came from outside, and his figure subsequently appeared at the courtyard entrance.
Tie Miaoqing somewhat nervously stood up, “Senior Brother, what do you want?”
Qin Jue asked, “Junior Sister, may I come in and talk with you?”
Tie Miaoqing immediately refused, “No, there is nothing to talk about between us. Please leave immediately.”
Sun Ping, standing guard before her, also said sternly, “Qin Jue, if you don’t leave, I shall call for people!”
Qin Jue’s face darkened slightly, but in the end he did not dare to force his way in. This was a guest’s private space. If he intruded without permission, the inn would hold him accountable. Even though he was now also a guest here, he could not barge into someone else’s residence.
If the inn couldn’t handle him, there was still You Ya. The business here was protected by You Ya.
“Hmph!” In the end, he could only snort coldly and leave with a flick of his sleeves, looking extremely displeased with Sun Ping.
Tie Miaoqing also dared not sit in the small courtyard anymore and quickly moved back into the room.
Sun Ping, who followed her in, suddenly asked, “Miss, did Qin Jue just mean that Jian Yuan Zhai being abolished was A Shiheng’s doing?”
Tie Miaoqing had been somewhat shaken, but upon hearing these words, she was slightly startled, “It was A Shiheng?”
Sun Ping, “Does your Tanhua Lang friend have anyone else?”
Tie Miaoqing thought about it and agreed, but she somewhat did not understand how A Shiheng could have gotten Jian Yuan Zhai abolished?
Sun Ping carefully observed her expression and试探道, “Miss, is that Tanhua Lang helping you?”