He left with quite a bit of grace. Even at a time like this, he did not forget to gently close the outer door when he went out.
The two people inside the room stared blankly after him, unable to recover their senses for a while.
After a good while, Hu Niu finally looked at Lian Yu and asked, “Proprietress, he said he could handle the matter of the Liang family from Haishi, and could even get that Tanhua scholar to write an inscription for the inn. Is that what he said?”
Lian Yu hesitated and hummed in agreement, “I suppose so.”
Hu Niu said, “If he truly has such ability, then your suspicions are correct. To dare to impersonate the Mountain Carrier, there must indeed be something complicated behind it. No wonder he dared to catch Liang Ban and beat him severely.”
Lian Yu tilted her head and looked at the crushed stones on the ground. “Logically speaking, that is indeed the case, but there is one point I cannot figure out. If he truly has such ability, would it not be simple to take over Bronze Sparrow Lake? Why would he use a honey trap on me? Besides, the quality of this honey trap is indeed too hasty. I am completely confused, full of fog, and cannot understand what is going on at all. Or is it that his level is too high, and he is playing with things we cannot understand?”
Hearing this, Hu Niu also shook her head. Thinking about it, it was indeed quite overwhelming. On one hand, it seemed they had grasped the movements of the Scorpion Gang, yet on the other hand, they could not understand it at all. No matter how they looked at it, it was unreasonable. Looking back and forth, they instead felt like fools. What exactly was the situation?
She thought for a moment and asked, “Proprietress, regarding the matter of the Scorpion Gang recruiting fifty spies, should we tell them?”
Lian Yu said, “If he truly has the ability to suppress the Haishi Liang family, he might not even take these spies seriously. Perhaps they are already under his control. We will hide behind the scenes and watch coldly to see what is really going on. Do not alert the snake in the grass. You just keep a close eye on their movements.”
Hu Niu had just agreed with a hum when someone knocked on the door outside. She went to open it and saw it was an inn waiter, bringing tools to clean up.
On the circular corridor outside, there were obviously more inn waiters looking around.
Those waiters also saw Mu Aotie, but they only looked a few more times and did not take any action against him.
Mu Aotie walked quite fast, anxious to see Yu Qing. Although he had said with his own mouth that he would hold up the falling sky, he was still somewhat uncertain in his heart about exactly how to hold it up. He had to hurry and give the fifteenth brother a heads up, as he was also afraid of causing any unexpected trouble.
He did not take the rope ladder but walked down the stairs. His pace slowed down when going downstairs because he saw the blood on his knuckles and the bloodstains on his clothes. Thinking about seeing the fifteenth brother later, he did not quite know how to explain it.
Yu Qing had asked him to find Lian Yu to finalise the matter of helping with the competition. After meeting Lian Yu in person, not to mention the delay caused by the unexpected incident, he was actually a bit too ashamed to bring it up. He had even forced himself a bit and failed to reveal Liang Ban’s background.
He had his own pride as well. Earlier, when Lian Yu hosted the banquet, the table was full of gang leaders, and he alone was nothing. His subsequent strange and stubborn behaviour, which almost made it impossible for Yu Qing to wrap things up, was precisely because of this wounded pride.
This time, it was also his pride acting up, and his actions echoed those words, I will hold up the falling sky!
In order to appear responsible, and also to show that he was not incompetent, perhaps it was to make Lian Yu think he was capable.
But deep down, he did not admit it. He had reasons to comfort himself. How could he know Liang Ban’s background? How could he have found out Liang Ban’s background in such a short time? He was afraid of arousing suspicion from others.
Whether this reason was plausible or not, he did not want to think about it too much, and it was no longer important.
What was important was that after coming to Lian Yu’s place, not only did he not open his mouth to discuss business, but he also beat up Liang Ban. The task was not accomplished, and he even caused some trouble.
And it was not just causing a little trouble. He had also actively taken on some trouble by asking the fifteenth brother to write an inscription for Lian Yu.
He actually knew very well that the fifteenth brother strongly resented writing inscriptions under the guise of A Shiheng, and greatly disliked others treating him as A Shiheng.
Not to mention anything else, just based on the fact that whatever good deeds were done, all the praise went to A Shiheng. No matter how he mingled in the martial world, he could not build his own reputation. Mingling around, it was all for that civil and martial dual perfection A Shiheng. Even if he said he was not A Shiheng, no one would believe him, and he could not reveal his true background. Therefore, the fifteenth brother was truly distressed, often sighing that his path in the martial world of the cultivation realm had not started well.
People said that when others entered the martial world, they seemed to start from scratch, whereas he seemed to have reached the end as soon as he stepped into the martial world.
Others walked the martial world to make a name for themselves, while the fifteenth brother often sighed that his life was dark and he felt he would never see the light of day.
The distance between the upstairs and downstairs was not far. No matter how slow his footsteps were, he eventually returned to his own room.
Inside the room, Yu Qing was pacing back and forth, waiting for Mu Aotie to bring back good news. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he immediately ran over to welcome him, his face full of hope and ready to speak. However, before the words could leave his mouth, his expression froze. He was not blind, after all.
Staring at Mu Aotie’s bloodied appearance, his face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, “Who did this?”
Mu Aotie was a bit embarrassed. As he walked inside, he replied, “Someone else’s blood.”
“Hmm?” Yu Qing paused for a moment. Someone else’s blood meant their own people had not suffered a loss, so it was fine. His face immediately returned to normal, and he chased after him to ask, “Who did you fight with? It was not Liang Ban, was it?”
He was highly suspicious. Given the reputation of this inn, within Kulei City, how many people would dare to cause trouble here? Naturally, his guess went straight to someone like Liang Ban.
Mu Aotie stopped in his tracks, speechless. He was still hesitating about how to explain it, not expecting the fifteenth brother to guess it directly.
Seeing his reaction, Yu Qing immediately slipped in front of him, widened his eyes, and asked in shock and suspicion, “You beat up Liang Ban?”
Mu Aotie nodded and hummed in agreement.
Yu Qing asked in confusion, “Why beat him up? If he dared to be arrogant again, could you not just hint at his background to put him in his place? Why resort to physical force? Did he attack you first?”
Qing Ya’s letter had also mentioned that, after all, he was a member of the Liang family. Even when beating a dog, one must consider the master’s feelings. If a matter could be resolved with words, it was naturally best to avoid physical conflict.
He had shown the letter to Mu Aotie so that Mu Aotie would have a way to respond, to avoid suffering a loss, and also to avoid escalating the matter. It was not so that he could go and beat up the Liang family’s descendants.
Of course, for him, if he was attacked and fought back, that was another matter. Even if the sky fell, he would have to hold it up.
After a moment of silence, Mu Aotie confessed frankly, “He made the first move to harass Lian Yu. I could not just sit by and watch.”
“You…” Yu Qing stared, not knowing what to say. Ultimately, he could only sigh. “True, if you watched Lian Yu being harassed and did nothing, it would indeed be unjustifiable, and it would be hard to ask Lian Yu for help. A man must act like a man. Um, you did not beat Liang Ban too severely, did you?”
Mu Aotie thought for a moment. “It should not be a major problem. He might have a couple of broken ribs.”
“Sigh.” Yu Qing shook his head. “Since it started because of Lian Yu anyway, she will have to settle this matter. Did you tell Lian Yu about Liang Ban’s background?”
Mu Aotie lowered his eyes and said, “No.”
Yu Qing was stunned, thinking he had misheard, and gradually widened his eyes. “What the hell? If you do not tell her, let alone Lian Yu, even Nie Rifu would not dare to offend Liang Ban. If you do not let Lian Yu settle this, are you going to carry the burden yourself?”
Mu Aotie brought out the excuse he had thought of on the way back. “I think it is better not to leak Liang Ban’s background to the outside world for now. His family background can make Nie Rifu fear him, so it can naturally make the other gangs participating in the Bronze Sparrow Martial Affairs fear him as well.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Qing’s eyes lit up, and he instantly understood the meaning. If they held the card of Liang Ban well and utilised his arrogant nature properly, it would have a suppressing effect on the other participating gangs. That would absolutely be a great help, and it might even force the other gangs to yield directly.
However, with a change of thought, he looked Mu Aotie up and down with some suspicion. This sudden display of shrewdness from the ninth brother was quite unexpected, and he felt something was not quite right, a bit strange.
But it was indeed a good method, so he asked immediately, “Where is Liang Ban now?”
Mu Aotie said, “He ran out of Lian Yu’s room. I do not know where he went.”
Yu Qing picked at his little moustache and paced around. “That fellow probably will not swallow this insult. I do not know what trouble he will cause. I am not afraid of other things, as we hold his weakness. I am just afraid that fellow will run to the Gongshan Hall to file a complaint. Once the City Lord’s Manor sends people to arrest us, I hope Lian Yu can help you settle the matter, considering you played the hero saving the beauty.”
He was not actually very worried. After all, they held Liang Ban’s weakness here. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.
Seeing him face it so calmly, Mu Aotie felt much more relieved. “I hope Qing Ya was not wrong, and as long as we do not provoke people from the Liang family, it will be fine.”
Yu Qing snorted. “If Qing Ya is talking nonsense in his letter, and people from the Liang family come, we will push all the responsibility onto him. We know who is behind him, and he must bear it.”
Feeling that Qing Ya would not deliberately harm them, he turned around, leaned in, and asked, “Let us talk about business. Regarding the matter of helping with the competition, what did Lian Yu say?”
His face was full of hope and great expectation. If they could get Lian Yu’s help with one hand and use Liang Ban to suppress the other participating gangs with the other, then Bronze Sparrow Lake would be absolutely certain for them.
Mu Aotie said seriously, “As soon as I arrived, I bumped into Liang Ban molesting Lian Yu. It happened suddenly, and there was no time to speak of it. After the incident, the situation was not suitable for bringing up that matter again.”
“Is that so…” Yu Qing stroked his beard, lowered his head, and muttered. Thinking about it, it made sense. He smacked his lips. “Forget it. Let us wait until your matter of beating someone is settled before talking about it. You wait here, and I will go out to scout the situation first.”
Saying this, he was about to leave.
However, Mu Aotie reached out and stopped him. “There is one more thing.”
“What? Can you not say it all at once?”
“Lian Yu seems to appreciate elegant matters. When arguing with Liang Ban, she mentioned something. She said Liang Ban promised to help her find a Tanhua scholar to rewrite an inscription for the inn’s signboard, but he never managed to do it. I guess since we are away from home, the people Liang Ban sent could not find us. Lian Yu seems to have been using this as a shield to reject him.”
Seeing him stop at that point, Yu Qing, who already had an expressionless face, asked, “And then?”
“Seeing the situation, I naturally had to stand up for Lian Yu, and I promised that I could get her the Tanhua scholar’s inscription.”
“And then?”
“It is just a matter of a few characters. Can you not just write one?”
“Are you out of your damn mind? If you want it written, write it yourself. Do not bother me.” Yu Qing waved his arm away and strode off.
Who would have thought that Mu Aotie would suddenly grab him by the back of his collar and forcefully drag him back, making him stumble. “With my terrible handwriting, even if I took it out, someone would have to be willing to recognise it. The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are all ready here. It is just a matter of a few characters. I made a promise. If I cannot fulfil it, how can I open my mouth to ask for her help?”
Yu Qing shook his head, swung his arms, and turned around to break free from the pulling behind him. He sprayed saliva right onto Mu Aotie’s face. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Why did you promise blindly? Do you not know that wherever we go, we are easily targeted? And you want to help her write a signboard inscription? Do you believe that as soon as the signboard is hung up, it might attract all sorts of shady characters? Is there water in your brain?”
He pushed Mu Aotie away and strode off once again.
Seeing him walk to the door, Mu Aotie, with a struggling expression, suddenly blurted out, “Name your price!”
Yu Qing instantly stopped in his tracks. The hand he had reached out to open the door also froze, with a few fingers twitching.