Outside the Beiji City, in a remote village, under the big banyan tree in the north.
This place is desolate and uninhabited. Although there is a banyan tree standing there, it has already withered, leaving only a bare trunk. Around are some remnants of the past village's broken walls. The cawing of crows in the sky makes the place even more eerie.
Qin Qichao wore a black suit with a hood that covered most of his face. He leaned against the big banyan tree, vigilant of his surroundings.
Today is the day when Qin Qimu made an appointment with that mysterious man - every fifteenth day at noon, the man would wait for him under this banyan tree, and the man would only wait for three months. Qin Qimu made a mark on the calendar in the original residence and left this information.
The shadow of the withered tree is getting shorter and shorter, and Qin Qichao can't help but feel a little nervous, clenching the hem of his clothes.
"You're here."
A deep voice suddenly sounded from beside his ear.
Qin Qichao's eyes under the hood suddenly widened. This person must know some martial arts, and he didn't even feel his footsteps!
But Qin Qichao quickly regained his composure, turned around, and looked at the man. That man was just like when he first met him, covering his face, leaving only a pair of eyes.
"Huh?" When the man saw him, he uttered in confusion, and then became more vigilant. "It's you? Where's your brother?"
Qin Qichao had practiced in his heart for ten thousand times and knew exactly how to deal with this.
"My brother... is dead... I'm here instead of him." Qin Qichao's voice was somewhat hoarse, and his tone was filled with sadness.
"Dead?" The man narrowed his eyes and asked in an interrogative tone, "How did he die?"
"Stealing the account book... He was discovered. Liudu City doesn't tolerate traitors, so he was killed..." Qin Qichao appropriately showed the fear and hatred of a teenager.
"Oh? Then why are you, the accomplice, still alive? And you brought the thing here?" The man was even more suspicious. He took a step forward and scrutinized the teenager.
But he didn't see any sign of lying in Qin Qichao's eyes, so he believed it somewhat for the time being.
"He gave the account book to me, and I escaped. When they interrogated me, I got myself out of it... I, I pushed my brother out and said that it was all his doing! I didn't do anything wrong! I just want to live! I want money!" Qin Qichao's pupils trembled, and he gradually became excited. He took out the crumpled account book from his arms and handed it to the man to show him. That appearance was as if he was driven crazy by the desire to survive. For the sake of living and for money, he could do anything.
The man was not surprised by his reaction. He had seen many people who were struggling to survive, and he had also seen many greedy people. Who wasn't desperately pursuing money and paying the price for it?
The man sneered in his heart and reached out to take it.
Just at this moment, Qin Qichao suddenly pulled the account book back. He lowered his head and raised a pair of sinister eyes, and the eyes that restrained hatred startled the man.
"How can I trust you?" Qin Qichao suddenly said.
"What do you want to believe?" The man sneered.
"Money, or power. I haven't seen anything that can make me believe. Why should I give it to you?" Qin Qichao hugged the account book in his arms and looked at him warily.
"Ha, kid, are you bargaining with me?" The man suddenly got angry and grabbed Qin Qichao's collar. "Be careful that I'll make you die here!"
"I have more than this..." Qin Qichao looked at him, with the appropriate fear in his eyes and the sincerity that belongs to teenagers. "I got in touch with Tianyi Pavilion in Liudu City and got a lot of things, including the map of Liudu City. I believe you are not satisfied with just getting this one account book."
The man stared at him for a while and then let go.
"You're quite something, kid. Okay, you hold onto it." The man took out a money bag from his waist and threw it into Qin Qichao's arms. "Fifteen days later, at the same time and place, come with everything. I will take you out of Liudu City and give you everything you want."
Qin Qichao took the money bag, his eyes lighting up. He quickly opened the bag to see the glittering treasures inside, and carefully put it into his arms. Only then did he hand the account book to the man.
Seeing that he was so greedy for money, the man sneered, snatched the account book, and roughly flipped through a few pages.
The handwriting in the account book was indeed Feng Tingliu's - they had studied Feng Tingliu for a long time from various clues and would neverAdmit your mistake. The man put away the account book, extremely satisfied.
"Do a good job, and you won't be left out." The man said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Qin Qichao suddenly called out to him.
"What else?" The man was a little impatient and frowned at him.
"I have a request..."
"I said, don't bargain with me anymore!"
"My brother was killed by Feng Tingliu! Please! Help me kill Feng Tingliu! Avenge my brother!"
The teenager's hysterical shout didn't seem fake, and the hatred and anger in it could be clearly felt.
The man laughed at his naivety and madness. Clearly, it was him who pushed his brother out, but now he actually wanted to kill Feng Tingliu to avenge his brother. But it was fine, as this was the same as their purpose.
The teenager's strong hatred was just right to be used as a pawn for him to manipulate.
The man curved an evil smile and took out a paper bag from his arms and threw it to Qin Qichao.
"This bag of poison is lent to you. Whether you have the ability or not depends on yourself." The man took the account book and left using lightness skill.
Qin Qichao held the poison in his hand and was stunned for a while.
His red eyes were filled with paranoid hatred, and he didn't come to his senses for a long time.
After a long time, he put the hood on properly, turned around, and left in a hurry.
Qin Qichao didn't return to Liudu City immediately. He got into a nearby dilapidated temple, which was where he and his brother once stayed when they were wandering.
He got behind the dilapidated statue, sat on the ground, took off his hood, curled up his body, and panted heavily. His eyes trembled in fear, and his hands holding the poison and the gold and silver were also shaking non-stop.
He was afraid, he was extremely afraid!
He was afraid of being discovered by the man! Afraid of being killed on the spot by the man! Afraid of not being able to get the intelligence that was beneficial to the Feng Mansion!
But he succeeded!
The account book given to the man was naturally fake. It was written and made to look old by Feng Tingliu just yesterday.
What he said to the man was half true and half false. The matter of Qin Qimu was true, but the hatred for Feng Tingliu was false.
Only by saying this could he gain the man's trust and obtain more intelligence!
Qin Qichao even admired himself a bit. Fortunately, he had changed many jobs and had plenty of experience. He knew what those greedy andfear death people should look like and was able to deliberately act like that. This time, he felt that he could even go to the stage to work as an underling who serves tea and water without any problem.
When Qin Qichao's breathing became steady, he stood up, put the things the man gave him away properly, wiped the sweat on his palms on the hem of his clothes, and then left the dilapidated temple.
He ran towards a farther place and found the horse he rode when he came at the foot of a hidden mountain. He got on the horse and hurriedly rode towards Liudu City.
In the Feng Mansion, Feng Tingliu and Feng Che were playing chess in the pavilion.
Yu Chi Feng stood behind Feng Tingliu, fanning him and sometimes pouring cold tea for the two of them.
"When are you leaving." Feng Tingliu dropped a piece, forcing Feng Che into a dead end, and suddenly asked.
"No way, no way. You're going to abandon me after using me? How cruel!" Feng Che said with a grin while calculating the situation on the chessboard and responding to Feng Tingliu's attack leisurely.
"You lost -" Feng Tingliu dropped the last piece, determining the outcome of the chess game, and looked at him smugly. "Stop pretending. I know you received a secret letter, and you won't stay here for long."
"Oh, you found out." Feng Che casually leaned against the wooden railing, leisurely putting his feet on the chair, sitting in a sloppy manner. "Yes, I'm going to the Imperial City for a while."
"The Imperial City?" Feng Tingliu looked at him in confusion. "Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"What am I afraid of? I have the Fifth Prince covering for me."
"What are you going to the Imperial City for?"
"There's news from the palace that the Second Prince is making a move, and there might be changes. This might also be related to the actions of the Zhu Xie Hui and the old faction of the Devil Cult. I have to go and check it out."
Feng Che's tone suddenly became serious. He put the pieces away and picked out the black pieces mixed in the white ones - just like those Devil Cult members mixed in the ordinary people and the villains mixed in the righteous people.
The Imperial City is majestic, but it still can't stop the infiltration of those with ulterior motives. If the Second Prince is connected with both the Zhu Xie Hui and the old faction of the Devil Cult, then the current Imperial City is like a pot of mixed stew with all kinds of ingredients.
"Really? I thought you were going to be a prince consort." Feng Tingliu said leisurely and took another sip of tea.
"Pfft..." Yu Chi Feng couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
"What are you laughing at!" Feng Che glared at him angrily, but unexpectedly, his ears turned red. "Nonsense!"
Yu Chi Feng, with his sharp eyes, noticed his red ears and was stunned.
Could it be that he really could be a prince consort?
"Why can't I say it?" Feng Tingliu raised his eyebrows and asked teasingly.
"That's a prince. How dare you talk nonsense! You're just a kid. You don't understand!" Feng Che glared at him and turned his head away, ignoring him.
That's a prince, and he might be the one who will sit on the throne in the future.
He, a leader of the Devil Cult, is fine with having casual affairs in bed, but how dare he think about being a prince consort or an imperial consort!
Feng Tingliu saw his reaction and just smiled without saying anything.
Just when Yu Chi Feng wasAftertasteing the conversation between the two and thinking about the meaning, Qin Qichao returned to the Feng Mansion.
Seeing that he was unharmed, Feng Che was rather proud and said, "You came back just in time! How did the matter go?"
Feng Tingliu also looked at him, his eyes filled with importance for him.
Qin Qichao immediately straightened his back, handed the money bag and the bag of poison up, and honestly told them the whole process of what happened.
After Feng Tingliu heard the whole story, he nodded in approval: "Not bad. You go and rest first. Take this bag of poison to Yu Ji and ask him to see what's in it. Keep this money bag. You can take the gold and silver inside."
"Yes." Qin Qichao put the bag of poison back but didn't touch the gold and silver in the bag. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't need this money..."
"Stupid kid, take it if it's given to you. Don't waste the money of those hypocrites!" Feng Che looked at him with aI hate iron but cannot make steel expression, stepped forward, opened the money bag, took the broken gold and silver in his hand, and stuffed them into Qin Qichao's pocket.
"I...!" Qin Qichao was rarely flustered. He wanted to cover the bag, but it was too late. The small pocket was immediately filled with broken gold and silver.
"Keep it. In the city, you still need gold and silver for transactions." Feng Tingliu smiled.
"Well, to put it simply, you, the Lord of the Feng City, don't need this little money either." Feng Che patted him on the shoulder as an encouragement.
Only then did Qin Qichao feel at ease and accept this unexpected windfall.
"Feng Che is leaving. But your martial arts skills can't be neglected. From now on, Yu Chi Feng will guide you. How about that?" Feng Tingliu said.
Hearing this, both of them were stunned. They looked at each other for a long time.
They both knew very well that no matter what, the other person had a big problem with them. But this proposal was surprisingly acceptable to both of them.
"Okay." They said in unison.
Feng Tingliu smiled with satisfaction. "Go. Ask Yu Ji to check carefully what's in that poison."
"Yes!"
Qin Qichao held the poison in his arms and turned to run towards the Baiyao Workshop.
In just three days, news came from Yu Ji.
That bag of poison was ground into powder, which was indeed difficult to identify, but he still tried his best to distinguish some components.
After all, this bag of medicine, rather than being called "poison", it would be more appropriate to call it "gu".