Chapter 0007 Mark
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"Mr. Kuang, could you please persuade your junior brother? My brother has malaria, which could be fatal. Please let me take him away."
"This man has malaria, why are you holding him? Let someone take him to the doctor quickly," Kuang Zhiliang waved to the man.
"Just following what others say, without any thought of your own," Qi Tian huffed.
"How dare you! You think you can tarnish Mr. Kuang's reputation?" The man who had just been trying to persuade Qi Tian reprimanded him. He was acting like a cat being stepped on its tail, completely agitated.
Kuang Zhiliang waved his hand and said, "I'm quite curious about how I'm just following what others say. Junior brother, I, Kuang Zhiliang may not be extraordinary, but my reputation is not something anyone can trample on. You better give me a convincing explanation, or else... Humph."
The threatening intent of Kuang Zhiliang was clearly communicated.
Qi Tian ignored him and said, "If I remember correctly, one of the duties of our National Master Manor is to ensure the safety of the people. If there is a case of malaria in the North Capital, which carries a risk of infection, we can't just stand by. Whether this person truly has malaria, why don't we take him to the National Master Manor and have our doctor examine him? That should settle the truth."
When Qi Tian offered this proposition, not only did the man who had been firmly restrained by Qi Tian turn pale, but even Kuang Zhiliang's face took on a bitter expression.
The man who had been trying to persuade Qi Tian said, "The divine doctors at National Master Manor are busy people. Our trivial matter doesn't deserve to trouble them."
"Who doesn't know the high healing skills of our National Master Manor's doctors? They have the ability to revive the dead and mend severe injuries. Countless nobles and high officials would rather spend a fortune to have our doctors heal them. How come when it's your turn, when there's a chance to have a free examination, you are hesitating? Is there something fishy?" Qi Tian retorted coldly. "You guys got some nerve, daring to deceive the National Master Manor. Believe it or not, I can take you to the National Master Manor, send you to the Enforcement Hall, and charge you with fraud."
The man who had previously tried to persuade Qi Tian quickly kneeled down and begged Kuang Zhiliang for help: "Mr. Kuang, please save me."
Kuang Zhiliang coldly said, "You, a mere peripheral disciple. Do you really think that the Enforcement Hall of the National Master Manor exists to serve the likes of you? Do you think they would heed your exaggerated demands?"
Qi Tian said, "Fraud is not enough, what if I add a charge of stealing money from a disciple of the National Master Manor?"
"Theft? Qi Tian, don't think you can blatantly frame people just because you're a peripheral disciple of the National Master Manor." Kuang Zhiliang's face hardened as his brotherly pretense with Qi Tian ended.
Qi Tian said, "Want to prove if what I said is true? It's easy. Brother Kuang, why don't you ask him how much money he has on him?"
Kuang Zhiliang's face turned even grimmer. He had been drinking at the City Gate Tower just before, all matters regarding Qi Tian were indirectly linked to him. He was well aware of the pettiness his subordinates were getting up to, but what he never saw coming was how swiftly Qi Tian would react. Xiao Wen, who was responsible for the theft, was no cultivator, but his skill at thieving amazed even Kuang Zhiliang. He was so adept he could peel an egg or pull chestnuts out of a fire with one hand without getting hurt. Kuang Zhiliang had thought of many possibilities, but he never expected him to be spotted so quickly.
The reason why they chose the city gate as the setup location originally was due to its high traffic characteristic. They thought being out in the open and amongst the crowds would create an external environment that most favours them. However, it had now become a binding rope for Kuang Zhiliang, forcing him to cooperate with Qi Tian's questioning. Right now, Kuang Zhiliang was feeling a bit regretful. If he'd known Qi Tian would be so difficult, he would have isolated him in a remote and desolate area, suppressing him with his cultivation state that was on the verge of reaching Qi Cultivation 3rd Level. Wouldn't Qi Tian have to beg for mercy then?
"How much money do you have on you? Speak truthfully because if you tell even one lie, just watch how I'll waste you." Kuang Zhiliang coldly stared at Xiao Wen, wishing at this moment that he could kill him. If Xiao Wen hadn't mess up, he wouldn't be in such an inescapable situation now.
Xiao Wen, firmly controlled by Qi Tian, shivered. As an ordinary person who had attached himself to Kuang Zhiliang, he had already served Xiao Wen for over a year and was fully aware that his cultivator master was not someone to be messed with. If he didn't cooperate today and fix things, he was in for some serious trouble.
Being fairly quick-witted, Xiao Wen pointed at the rest of the team and said, "I have some modest fortune, and these people here are my comrades. They lost money gambling and set their sights on me. They planned to falsely claim that I was sick, and then send me to quarantine so they could take the opportunity to seize my wealth to pay off their gambling debts. Fortunately, I found out about their plot, and so I took all my silver and silver notes with me, intending to lay low for a few days. I didn't expect to inadvertently bump into the young master Tian."
Kuang Zhiliang decided to nod silently. Xiao Wen's lie was well fabricated, giving a plausible explanation of their previous actions. But just as he was about to voice his agreement, to make a statement, Qi Tian snorted coldly and said, "I don't want to hear your made-up stories. Just answer my brother Kuang's question directly. How much money do you really have on you?"
"I didn't get a chance to count it properly, so I only know approximately. Loose change and copper coins total to about ten or so tales, while for silver notes, they're more than two thousand." As a thief, Xiao Wen had a seasoned touch. With just a feel, he could ascertain based on the tactile feedback how much a silver note was worth and how many there were.
Qi Tian continued to press on, "Does your money have any distinguishing markings? For instance, which year were the copper coins issued? Which money exchange does the silver belong to? And which bank issued the silver notes?"
Xiao Wen was stumped. He never thought Qi Tian would drill in so much detail. He thanked his lucky stars that his silver and copper coins were originally his own, and he knew them well. Although the silver notes were lifted from Qi Tian, he had glimpsed at them briefly and remembered there were notes from the Changsheng bank. He quickly said, "The silver and copper coins are common and I didn't pay much attention to them, but vaguely remember seeing some from the Changsheng and some copper coins issued in King Wu's era. For silver notes, they should all be from the Changsheng bank, valued at 200 tales each."
"Is that all? Don't your silver notes have any special marks? Like a hole punch or a corner cut?" Qi Tian asked.
Xiao Wen shook his head and replied, "To the best of my knowledge, I didn't do any markings. Although I'm not sure if my wife went behind my back to make some." His answer was crystal clear, allowing for plausible denial and leaving a backdoor open for himself.
Qi Tian chuckled, "You truly are an excellent material for a thief. With others, they might have been conned by you. Yet it is unfortunate that you've run into me. Today, I will show you how I, Qi Tian, am the nemesis to all thieves."
Due to past experiences of being robbed, Qi Tian had a bone to pick with thieves like Xiao Wen.
He said, "I lost a total of 1900 tales in silver notes just now. Among them, eight notes were 200 tales each and three were 100 tales each. These three were all sandwiched between the 200 tales notes and none were placed side by side. I also made a mark on the eleven notes, writing my name 'Qi Tian' on them in charcoal. Moreover, I can recite off the names of the banks for these notes. Do you want me to spell it out for you?"
Xiao Wen's face instantly changed color. He never anticipated that Qi Tian would make so many marks on the silver notes. Moreover, he hadn't expected Qi Tian to respond so quickly. Normally, he would have passed the stolen silver notes to his accomplices amidst chaos. This way, even if he were frisked, he could continue to deny the theft. But Qi Tian didn't give him a chance to pass off the stolen silver notes. Each time one of his accomplices tried to approach him, Qi Tian would send them flying. So it ended up that the silver notes he'd stolen from Qi Tian were still on him.
Qi Tian coldly looked at Xiao Wen and said, "So, are you handing over the silver notes voluntarily, or should I beat you half to death before you cough them up?"
"Master Tian, I…I…" Xiao Wen was so out of sorts, he didn't know what to say.
"Don't tell me you have an eighty-year-old mother to feed, along with a suckling baby." Qu Tian retorted. "Enough talk, just hand over the silver notes you stole from me."
Xiao Wen didn't dare to say anymore, quickly taking out the silver notes. As he glanced down at them, he indeed spotted two lightly marked characters in one corner of the notes - 'Qi Tian'.