Chapter 7 - A Fugitive

H. Chapter 07

Qin Jia used his Qi to remove the dirt on Liu Ye. A minute later, Liu Ye managed to get up. He went to have a bath and relaxed. 

"How did you advance to the fourth layer of the body tempering realm so quickly? And where did you get those high-grade spirit crystals from?" Liu Ye was faced with these questions from Qin Jia as soon he entered the house. He already anticipated him to ask about them. 

"Do you see this green line above my knuckles?" Liu Ye raised his left hand towards Qin Jia to show him a thin tattoo on it. "This is what I got from the Old Mausoleum ruins. I triggered the collapse of the ruins on that day." 

The origins of the Old Mausoleum Ruins were unknown. The ruin was opened fifty years ago. No one died due to the ruin before it collapsed. It was even deemed as safe for mortals to enter. The crumbling ruins contained the information about a long-lost kingdom. The mausoleum belonged to a famous general of that kingdom. The mausoleum walls recorded the glory of the kingdom, the general's expeditions, his triumph returns. 

Liu Ye entered it with his sister and Qin Jia. He researched the runes inscribed in the mausoleum and understood them faster than other rune-masters. He studied all the runes and entered the central area, where few rune-masters reached. Liu Ye studied the runes along with some rune-masters who researched them for decades.

The runes in the mausoleum were inscribed entirely by a family of rune-masters. The ruins in the central area, where the tomb of the general rests, describes the attack of an Evil beasts horde on the kingdom. The kingdom declined after the horde receded. 

The general left behind a small storage space filled with details about the Evil beasts and the horde, these are all the personal observations of the general. His original writings were left inside the storage space along with his wealth. The copies were dedicated to the kingdom and the people, but their access was lost to the public with the decline of the kingdom, and time.

"Is it safe? Did you show it to your parents?" Qin Jia asked while observing the tattoo.

"They have seen it and assured that it is safe." Liu Ye answered.

"What about the potion? Wasn't it spoiled?" 

"Given by my sister." Liu Ye lied.

"Okay." Qin Jia believed it.

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The shopping street is illuminated by the street lamps as the dawn folds. A slight chill is permeated in the street. The air carries scents from various shops in the market. 

The sounds of random footsteps, running, could be heard as the city patrol guards were chasing a figure in the darkness.

Some of them reeked of the smell of alcohol, and they were swaying because of the lack of balance. Their steps were not coordinated and unsteady.

The homeless men, who were snoring on the side of the road, woke up due to the commotion. People who were gathered around a fire and discussing some casual matters and life, drinking alcohol, tried to block the figure who was being chased, but failed to even touch the fugitive when he jumped over them to escape. They became a hindrance for the patrol guards instead. 

At the entrance of the shopping street, a silhouette was walking towards its usual destination, yawning.

His face was hidden under a hood and he was holding some fishing instruments.

The patrol guards chased to the entrance of the street and asked the hooded figure, "Have you seen anyone running from this street just now?"

The hooded figure pointed towards an alley behind a shop, "A person ran into that alley."

Before any of them could react, a figure blitzed past them. And a wave of qi hit them. The hooded figure, who was the main target, was pushed back to a long distance on the straight road, he slipped and rolled on the stone road.

"Get compensation at the guards' office." A patrol guard accurately threw a token on the hooded figure. He trailed behind the other guards, who weren't fazed by the attack and started chasing after the fugitive.

The street fell into silence once again except for the whimpers from the hooded figure.

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The secret guards assigned by the city lord chased the fugitive secretly. One of the secret guards had gone to the city lord mansion to report the situation and receive the city lord's orders.

The patrol guards managed to attack the fugitive and hurt him. But they failed to capture him. 

The fugitive managed to shake off the patrol guards, but he was unaware of the secret guards following behind him. He rushed towards Miss Lan's temporary residence. He wasn't afraid what the guards will do when they track him to this place.

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The city lord was angry when he was woken up, but calmed down after listening to the secret guards report.

He ordered the secret guard, "Injure him seriously and throw him into the prison if the patrol guards are still chasing him. If he managed to shake them off, just follow the previous orders. We don't have to offend Miss Lan."

He asked him, "What did he steal from the Su family's shop?"

"A breath holding pill."

"Heh! He can an even steal from his lover's shop." Yao Shi snickered. "I want to know what will be the Su family's attitude, when they know about this."

"You can go now."

After the secret guard left, he asked his assistant, "Let's meet Miss Lan today, I want to ask her whether she couldn't afford to give her follower a breath holding pill."

"Yes, city lord." The assistant replied excitedly. He was in a bad mood from the moment Lan Yue entered their city. It irritated him as her presence affected his work under the city lord. 

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"You don't have to open the shop today. Take a good rest for the day." Qin Jia advised Liu Ye.

"It's boring to stay at home."

"You will then complain that staying at the shop is boring."

"I will get this feeling that I am responsible for the shop. It's a slight hope in fighting the boredom. But there's no hope staying here."

"You don't need to be serious about managing the shop. You can also employ someone to look after the shop." Qin Jia said, "Start cultivating seriously. We need to become stronger. You need to become stronger."

"When cultivating, rest is important." Liu Ye retorted.