Chapter 184: Stirring Trouble_1
The next day, Mo Hua was drawing Formations in the Refinery Shop when the Qian Family sent people to cause trouble.
The Refinery Shop’s outer wall was not yet complete, and the Formations were not fully drawn, giving the Qian Family an opportunity to exploit.
Several Qian Family Cultivators disguised as Loose Cultivators infiltrated the Refinery Shop. Finding a corner where no one was around, they began their sabotage.
They toppled a few walls, shattered several foundation stones, cut a few wooden beams, and smeared over some of the newly drawn Formations.
When some craftsmen discovered them and tried to intervene, they were beaten by the saboteurs.
A few Monster Hunters came to help and engaged them in a few rounds of combat. Seeing the situation turn sour, the Qian Family Cultivators immediately fled.
In the afternoon, the Qian Family came again and, although they were ultimately driven off by the Monster Hunters, they still caused considerable damage to the construction.
Master Ban was left with a worried frown as the thing he feared still happened.
Upon learning of the incident, Elder Yu was furious. He first pretended to leave, then stealthily returned to hide among a group of craftsmen, wanting to see who dared to cause trouble right under his nose.
Not long after, that group of Cultivators returned.
Thinking they were undiscovered, they started to repeat their actions, preparing to smash walls and cut beams.
But all their movements were under the watch of Elder Yu’s Divine Sense.
Before they could act, Elder Yu leapt up, slapping the Cultivators to the ground one by one, making them spit out blood.
Elder Yu held back, sparing their lives.
The leading Cultivator, his face covered and with a Qi Refinement Level Nine cultivation, ran as soon as he saw Elder Yu.
However, he was at the Qi Refinement level; how could he possibly escape from Elder Yu, who was at the Foundation Establishment Stage?
A few breaths later, Elder Yu caught up with him. After managing to counter a few moves, the Cultivator was also slapped to the ground by Elder Yu, his shoulder in severe pain, his bones shattered.
Elder Yu tore off the black cloth from his face, cursing, “Qian Shunzhi, so it was you, you little bastard son of a bitch!”
Qian Shunzhi, gritting his teeth, said, “Having fallen into your hands, kill or flay me…”
Elder Yu pinched his shoulder harshly, and he screamed in agony.
“Pretending to be a tough guy, do you think I don’t know exactly what you are?” Elder Yu scolded.
Qian Shunzhi quickly said, “Elder Yu, Elder Yu! Let’s talk this out, I only… followed orders!”
Qian Shunzhi didn’t say.
Elder Yu spat, “It’s none other than Qian Hong, that old turtle son of a bitch’s orders, what’s so hard to say about that?”
Qian Shunzhi smiled bitterly, “You already know, why ask?”
“I want to see if you are actually being honest,” Elder Yu said.
“Elder Yu, whatever you say goes. You are magnanimous, can you let me go?”
Elder Yu laughed coldly, “What are you dreaming of? If you hadn’t fallen into my hands, I would still come looking for trouble with you guys. Now you come to provoke me, do you think I would let you go?”
Elder Yu called for some people and had Qian Shunzhi and the others tied up, then dumped them at the Qian Family’s front door.
“Qian Hong, you shrinking turtle, not daring to show your face in public, plotting misdeeds in the shadows, are you still a man? If you’re not a man, then just let your wife remarry and have your son change his surname!” Elder Yu cursed out loud.
The Qian Family’s doors remained tightly closed, with no response.
Elder Yu continued to curse, starting with the younger and moving to the elders, finally cursing the Qian Family ancestors, accusing them of being ungrateful, shameless, and despicable.
The Qian Family could no longer bear it, and an Elder at the Foundation Establishment Stage came out to accuse, “Yu Changlin, this is the Qian Family; do not slander without proof!”
Elder Yu didn’t care and asked, “Where’s that old turtle Qian Hong?”
The Qian Family Elder frowned and said, “The Family Head is not here. If you have something to say, just tell it to me.”
Elder Yu snorted coldly, “He’s not here? Probably hiding in some woman’s bed, afraid to come out.”
“Yu Changlin!” the Qian Family Elder shouted angrily.
Elder Yu decided to take what he got and leave, as he didn’t specifically come to hurl insults—just to casually throw out a few.
There was a pile of matters to attend to at the Refinery Shop; he was indeed busy.
So Elder Yu said, “Your Qian Family people have been causing trouble at my place.”
The Qian Family Elder deflected, “How do you know they were our Qian Family people?”
Seeing this, Elder Yu was about to curse again, but the Qian Family Elder immediately said, “Fine, what do you want?”
Whether they were Qian Family people or not, both sides knew very well; there was no need to beat around the bush.
“I want Spirit Stones!” Elder Yu put it simply and directly.
The Qian Family Elder frowned, “How many?”
Elder Yu asked for an exorbitant amount, tossing out a figure on a whim.
The Qian Family Elder snapped, “Don’t push your luck!”
Elder Yu chuckled, “Then let’s haggle, don’t be in such a hurry.”
Eventually, they agreed that for each person, one hundred Spirit Stones would be paid by the Qian Family to redeem them, and Elder Yu would not pursue the matter further.
Elder Yu left with nearly a thousand Spirit Stones in his pocket.
Some of these thousand Spirit Stones were to be shared with the injured craftsmen and Monster Hunters to treat their wounds and placate them.
The rest Elder Yu planned to spend on wine and meat to reward everyone and calm their nerves.
But he knew that the Qian Family would not let matters rest there.
The Qian Family Elder took Qian Shunzhi back and scolded, “You’re utterly useless, how could you be so careless in your actions?”
Qian Shunzhi spoke helplessly, “Elder, it’s not my fault. Who would have thought that old rascal Yu Changlin could be so cunning? I personally saw him leave the Refinery Shop before I made my move. Who knew he’d sneak back in, dressed as a craftsman, blending into the crowd, indistinguishable at a glance.”
The Qian Family Elder let out a sigh, “That old Yu is indeed crafty.”
The key was that he had no shame, his skin thicker than an Artifact Refining Furnace.
Qian Shunzhi asked, “Elder, what should we do next?”
“Proceed as we planned before,” the Qian Family Elder said. “But be more cautious. It’d be best at night, or when they’re resting, to cause disturbances, ensure they can’t stop working, or at least delay their progress.”
“What about Yu Changlin?” asked Qian Shunzhi.
“He’s an Elder of the Monster Hunters; he can’t always be watching the Refinery Shop. There will be times when he goes out or lets his guard down.”
“But… what if he discovers us?” Qian Shunzhi spoke softly.
The Qian Family Elder said indifferently, “If found out, then take a beating, at most we pay him some more Spirit Stones as compensation. He cannot really kill you all, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to justify it to the Taoist Court.”
Qian Shunzhi was somewhat reluctant.
Being beaten by someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage was not to be taken lightly…
He was still aching all over; his shoulder bone was broken, and where he had been struck, the stagnant Spiritual Power from the Foundation Establishment was like a bone-penetrating maggot, causing him unbearable pain.
And that was with Elder Yu holding back, otherwise, Qian Shunzhi might not have survived.
The Qian Family Elder was displeased, “What are you afraid of? You have no guts!”
Qian Shunzhi hung his head and remained silent.
Then the Qian Family Elder said, “Rest assured, the Family Head has already said that once the deed is done, you will not be disadvantaged. If you make a significant contribution, those Foundation Establishment Pills could also be rewarded to you.”
Qian Shunzhi’s eyes lit up, “Did the Family Head really say that?”
“Of course. Would I lie to you?”
Excited, Qian Shunzhi said, “Alright, I will risk my life this time to complete the mission.”
The Qian Family Elder nodded, “Go on, such tasks are like a weasel stealing chickens, requiring patience. There’s only the saying that ‘a thief can’t be on guard every day’, they can’t possibly not show a flaw. Just watch carefully, and you’ll always find an opportunity.”
Qian Shunzhi saluted, “I will heed the Elder’s command carefully.”