With the three of them reunited, drinking together was naturally in order.
However, just as Lin Wujiu suggested heading back to his family home, Li Guanqi noticed the look in Qisha's eyes.
Taking the hint, he simply pulled Lin Wujiu and Qisha toward a small tavern in the distance.
Only then did Qisha quietly let out a breath of relief.
At the thought of visiting the Lin residence and having to face the elders of the Lin family, Qisha felt uneasy and apprehensive.
He was poor at socializing and disliked dealing with strangers even more.
Back when he and Li Guanqi first met, they had been on different floors, and he had been all by himself.
The tavern was not large, but its dishes were exquisite and the wine was good, making it a well-established establishment in Qinzhou City.
Lin Wujiu ordered a private room, peering this way and that, dissatisfied no matter where he looked.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi couldn't help chuckling. "Stop looking. We don't care about that sort of thing."
Lin Wujiu kept a sour face and frowned. "It's my brother's first time in Qinzhou City, and bringing him to a place like this... it's just too low-class."
Qisha lowered the hood of his black robe and said softly, "It's enough just to see you two. As for these things, they're trivial matters. No need to take them to heart."
Li Guanqi also pushed a wine cup over at the right moment and smiled. "Qisha has a reserved temperament. Going to the Lin residence would inevitably mean meeting a lot of people, which would make him uncomfortable."
"See? Isn't it great like this?"
Only then did Lin Wujiu realize what was going on. He smiled, raised his cup, and said, "I was overthinking it. I won't spoil the mood. We drink here!"
Qisha and Li Guanqi exchanged a glance, their lips curving upward.
After drinking for a while, Lin Wujiu noticed that Qisha's strength had also progressed rapidly—he was likewise at the peak of the sixth-layer Mystic Immortal realm, ready to break through to the seventh layer at any moment.
"Qisha, since we parted ways, your cultivation realm has risen remarkably fast too!"
Qisha smiled at those words, a complicated look flickering in his eyes. "Indeed. You could say I had a small fortuitous encounter."
Just then, Li Guanqi suddenly frowned slightly and reached out to brush aside Qisha's hair.
Qisha instinctively leaned back to dodge, forcing an awkward smile. "What are you doing? Developing an interest in me now?"
Li Guanqi's tone turned cold, his voice grave. "Let me see."
Lin Wujiu also realized something was wrong.
With a conflicted expression, Qisha slowly lifted the hair on the side of his head.
His left ear was gone completely, sheared off at the root, and a palm-sized patch of his scalp was bare, leaving only an ugly scar.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, frowning as he asked in a low voice, "Tell us. What happened?"
Qisha remained silent for a long moment before Lin Wujiu spoke frankly, "What the hell are you afraid of? Say what happened. The two of us will avenge you."
Helpless, Qisha had no choice but to explain what had occurred.
He had fought over a spirit herb and had been ambushed and wounded.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and asked softly, "Do you know his name?"
Qisha took a sip of wine and chuckled. "Who would introduce themselves in a situation like that? But don't worry, you two. I snatched the goods, and I slashed out one of his eyes. So I didn't come out on the losing end."
Li Guanqi remained silent as he handed the Sumeru Treasure Hall toward Qisha.
Lowering his head with some guilt, he said, "It's my fault. If this were still with you, you probably wouldn't have gone through all that."
Qisha did not take the treasure hall right away. Smiling warmly at Li Guanqi, he said softly, "I heard all about what happened with the Tianhua Sword Sect. Truly satisfying. To be honest, the effect this thing can produce in your hands compared to mine is completely different. Just consider it sold to you."
Li Guanqi curled his lip and replied bluntly, "I don't have that much money. What do we do?"
Lin Wujiu looked at the Sumeru Treasure Hall in Li Guanqi's hand, his eyes gleaming with sudden comprehension.
So the reason Li Guanqi had been able to toy with Chen Tianhua earlier was because of this item.
Qisha smiled brightly and said, "Then owe it to me for now. Leave it on the tab."
Li Guanqi was taken aback for a moment. Hearing the phrase 'leave it on the tab' brought a sudden surge of warmth.
Leaving it on the tab meant the two of them would continue to see each other in the future.
Li Guanqi said no more. Given his disposition, he truly did need the Sumeru Treasure Hall.
With this item, he could enter the Nirvana Pagoda!
And precisely because of this, Li Guanqi made up his mind: he would give Qisha a hand!
Noticing the look in Li Guanqi's eyes, Lin Wujiu spoke up without hesitation. "Don't go causing a ruckus in the city. My dad will definitely find out, and that would look bad for everyone."
While Lin Wujiu drank, Li Guanqi nodded with a smile.
Qisha was completely baffled by their exchange, only to hear Lin Wujiu say with a sly grin, "You rascal just struck gold."
Qisha was utterly at a loss—how on earth had he struck gold...?
The three sat together drinking and chatting about their recent experiences, the atmosphere thoroughly relaxed and pleasant.
Yet just as the three were conversing merrily, Lin Wujiu suddenly took out a jade slip and checked the message within.
Lin Wujiu sprang to his feet, cursing under his breath, "They really are like lingering ghosts!"
Qisha frowned and asked softly, "What is it? Did something happen?"
Li Guanqi also set down his wine cup and looked at Lin Wujiu.
Lin Wujiu narrowed his eyes, looked at the two of them, and his gaze brightened slightly. "Let's go!"
Without a word, the two rose and followed Lin Wujiu, flickering out of Qinzhou City.
They sped through the air all the way south.
Along the way, Lin Wujiu spoke swiftly and precisely. "Twelve hundred li to the south lies a mountain range known as the Yuqing Mountain Range. My family has a rank-one immortal mine there. It's not large—total reserves of only three to five million."
The corners of Li Guanqi and Qisha's mouths twitched, but neither said a word.
"Not long ago, I noticed an anomaly deep within the mine. Upon investigation, I actually uncovered the ruins of an ancient medicine garden. It just so happened that one of the rank-two immortal herbs matured and caused quite a stir, which caught the attention of people from the Qingwei Immortal Sect. Over the past half-month, the Qingwei Immortal Sect has continuously sent disciples to investigate, leading to frequent clashes! This time, they actually sent people who concealed their identities to kill two of my Lin family disciples!!"
Listening closely, Li Guanqi grasped what was going on.
However, somewhat puzzled, he frowned and asked in a low voice, "Since a rank-two immortal herb has already appeared, why hasn't Uncle Lin stepped in?"
Lin Wujiu's eyes flickered, and he sent a low voice transmission to the two of them. "It's precisely because a rank-two herb appeared that my father doesn't dare let the family elders act rashly! There might even be rank-three immortal herbs in those garden ruins. Once the Qingwei Immortal Sect notices clues to that, a full-scale clash between our two sides would come at too great a price!"
Qisha astutely caught the logic behind it. "So on the surface, the immortal mine still isn't worth much. Having you step forward to handle this keeps the Qingwei Immortal Sect from acting rashly?"
Lin Wujiu nodded slightly. "Exactly! If our Lin family deploys Heavenly Immortal experts, an all-out battle could erupt at any moment. That's why only I can come forward!"
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. The Qingwei Immortal Sect—wasn't that the sect that had trapped and tried to kill the Cloudwing Demon Fox?
"No problem. We brothers will help you settle the score!"
Lin Wujiu's lips curled into a slight smile, and clasping one hand behind his back, he said softly, "Then let's teach them a lesson they won't forget!"
Chapter 1650