He Jiaqing's Hand

Once Duan Shaoxia had calmed down, Qiu Zhiheng had Tan Fucheng explain the whole incident in detail. Tan Fucheng clarified one thing first: "Chief Qiu, you can't blame me for this. When the Eldest Young Master came to me, the very first thing he asked was who the head of the Lu family was. I'm a man of the Lu family, so I had to obey the family head. I had no choice in the matter." Duan Shaoxia wept incessantly, but Monkey Qiu remained relatively composed. He asked, "How did you get in contact with He Haiqin?" "The Eldest Young Master established the connection. I don't know the exact details, but I heard it had to do with his son, He Jiaqing." "Did He Haiqin make a move tonight?" Tan Fucheng shook his head. "I had the Old Master pinned down, and the Eldest Young Master was preparing to finish it himself. He didn't want us watching, so the Second Young Master and I stood guard at the mouth of the alley, while He Haiqin stood by the wall. Then, somehow or other, the Eldest Young Master's body suddenly broke apart into pieces." "The Suihuang Sword?" "I've never seen the Suihuang Sword, but the Eldest Young Master was indeed holding a sword at the time. After the Second Young Master rushed over, he took that sword and tried to stab himself with it too. It looked to me like someone was controlling him, so I used a technique to save him." "Controlled through what means? A Mind Cultivator technique?" Tan Fucheng thought for a moment. "I couldn't tell. I suspect the Eldest Young Master died the same way." Monkey Qiu gritted his teeth. "Why did he have to bring He Haiqin along?" Tan Fucheng said, "The Eldest Young Master said having Eldest Master He's help would guard against any ambush by the Old Master and ensure nothing went wrong. Chief Qiu, this really wasn't my fault." As they were speaking, a guard came up the stairs. Monkey Qiu opened the door and asked, "What is it?" "The Old Master is here!" Hearing this, Duan Shaoxia moved to charge out of the room. "I'll fight him to the death!" Monkey Qiu shut the door and held Duan Shaoxia back. "Madam, you mustn't act rashly! You cannot see him." "What should I fear from him? At worst, I lose this life!" "Madam!" Monkey Qiu barked angrily. "This is a matter of life and death! You must listen to me!" With bloodshot eyes, Duan Shaoxia sank back into her chair. Monkey Qiu turned to Tan Fucheng. "Who saw you bring the Second Young Master back today?" "A few servants and a few guards." "Place those people under watch. Keep them from leaving the estate for the next few days. Don't mistreat them, and don't stir up chaos in the household." Tan Fucheng took the servants and guards to a small building beside the main residence to settle them in. Monkey Qiu straightened his clothes and walked outside. When he saw Lu Maoxian, he bowed just as respectfully as usual. "Old Master, what brings you here so late?" "Little Qiu, since you still recognize me as your elder and still call me Old Master, now that I've come, are you going to keep me standing at the gate?" Qiu Zhiheng smiled. "Madam has already gone to sleep, so it wouldn't be proper for me to take you into the main residence. How about you come sit in my quarters first?" "The way you put it makes it sound as though I'm the one lacking courtesy. I came today to see my two grandsons. Call them both over to your quarters; I'll say a couple of words and be on my way." "You've come at an unfortunate time. The two young masters mentioned going to Haichiling today and caught a train at noon." "Haichiling?" Lu Maoxian sneered. "How come I heard they were still in Lüshui City? Little Qiu, don't play word games with me. There are things you know full well in your heart. Have the two of them come out to see me right now." "Old Master, I truly know nothing about what's going on. The two young masters aren't at home, yet you insist on seeing them this instant. Aren't you making things difficult for me?" Lu Maoxian's face darkened. "And what if I do make things difficult for you?" Behind Lu Maoxian stood dozens of men. Monkey Qiu recognized some of them, and among those he recognized, not a single one was below the third layer of cultivation. Qiu Zhiheng remained calm. "In this place, making things difficult for me really won't work!" "Big words!" "Feel free to try!" Monkey Qiu raised his voice slightly, and throughout the entire estate, from the front gate to the rear courtyard, a chorus of sounds rang out. This was a signal to Lu Maoxian that every guard in the residence was in position. For a moment, Lu Maoxian truly wanted to lead his men in a charge. Yet looking at Monkey Qiu's expressionless face, Lu Maoxian felt a pang of apprehension. Ever since Lu Dongliang vanished, the Lu family's pill dispensary had been under Monkey Qiu's control. Lu Maoxian had no idea how many pills this fellow had consumed or what level of cultivation he possessed now. "Little Qiu, your temper is growing bigger by the day. Since the two boys aren't at home, we'll let tonight go. "I only came to tell them one thing. I've invited several famous actors to perform theatricals at my home for a few days. If they hold any respect for their granduncle, they can come over, take a seat, and show some support." Monkey Qiu said, "Once the two young masters return, I will be sure to pass along the message." Lu Maoxian nodded and led his men away. Walking down the road, Lu Maoxian felt torn inside. *Why didn't I dare fight my way in?* *Why am I afraid of a mere housekeeper?* *How did this Monkey Qiu become so difficult to handle?* *No matter. I'll wait a few days, gather more men, and come back. Let's see what excuses he'll use to brush me off then!* *** Monkey Qiu returned to the main residence and entered Lu Yuanhai's bedroom. Lu Yuanhai lay on the bed, his features twisted and contorted, showing no signs of improvement. The physician shook his head. "Housekeeper Qiu, we are truly sorry. We cannot diagnose the ailment." The physicians prepared to take their leave, but Monkey Qiu stopped them. "I must trouble you gentlemen to stay here for a few days." Flustered, the physician asked, "Housekeeper Qiu, what is the meaning of this?" "Rest assured, I won't mistreat any of you. We will compensate you double for your expenses over these days." Qiu Zhiheng said no more to the physicians and simply instructed his men to settle them in the guest rooms. He fetched a small medicine vial, used a tiny spoon to scrape some flakes of skin from Lu Yuanhai's face, gathered some saliva from the corner of his mouth, and put them away. He sought out Tan Fucheng and instructed him, "Brother, until I return, I'm leaving the estate in your hands." Tan Fucheng felt hesitant. He had his own territory and businesses to look after and usually did not stay at the main estate. Yet aside from him, Qiu Zhiheng had no one else he could trust right now, so Tan Fucheng reluctantly agreed. Qiu Zhiheng then warned Duan Shaoxia, "During this time, avoid meeting Lu Maoxian as much as possible. As long as you don't leave the residence, he won't have the guts to force his way in." Duan Shaoxia grabbed Monkey Qiu's hand. "Zhiheng, where are you going? You can't leave the two of us behind!" "Madam, I'm going to Yaowanggou. I have to find a way to cure the young master's illness. "Lu Maoxian is easy enough to deal with, but you must be extremely cautious of He Haiqin. He is the one who is truly ruthless. "If you suffer losses in business matters, on no account should you dispute them with him." *** He Haiqin returned to his residence, sat in the dining room, and gnawed voraciously on a rack of mutton chops. He Yuxiu walked into the dining room and asked, "Haiqin, is that old bastard Lu Maoxian dead?" He Haiqin shook his head. "No, it failed. He had helpers with him, and I took some minor injuries." "You're hurt? Call a doctor right away to take a look!" "No need. Just flesh wounds. Eating a bit more will make up for it." He Yuxiu sighed. "I told you that you should have taken more men along." He Haiqin set down the mutton chop and wiped his mouth. "Take who? Could we let anyone else know about this?" "Take me! Don't you trust your own sister?" "If something happened to both of us, who would manage the family affairs?" He Yuxiu smacked her lips. "That's why I keep telling you to call Old Third back! When things happen, at least we'd have someone to back us up!" "Old Third can't come back. He still has to watch over Jiaqing. Jiaqing's injuries are severe—especially that hand. It's hurt terribly." He Yuxiu froze. "Jiaqing's hand is injured? How come I don't remember Old Third ever mentioning that?" "Old Third didn't mention it?" He Haiqin gulped down a bowl of liquor. "Well, I saw it anyway. That left hand of his was injured so badly it didn't even look like his own." With that, He Haiqin picked up the mutton chop and went back to tearing into it. He Yuxiu found He Haiqin rather strange. Speaking of He Jiaqing's injuries, he didn't seem particularly pained; in fact, there was a trace of resentment in his tone. *** Inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng sat looking at the pile of Xuanchi Pills before him, feeling troubled. The previous broken-cocoon pupa (Cong Shixiang) had yielded a lotus seed that had refused to burst for a long time after being peeled off. Today, the lotus seed had finally burst open. Back then, the ninth-layer Lu Dongliang had yielded more than eighty Golden Origin Pills. This broken-cocoon pupa had been close to the tenth layer, so Li Banfeng had figured it ought to yield around a hundred pills at the very least. Yet instead of Golden Origin Pills, it had yielded over nine hundred Xuanchi Pills. Li Banfeng did not consume these; their boost to cultivation was too slow, yet their pill poison was no less potent than that of Golden Origin Pills. *Did the Red Lotus do this on purpose?* Fortunately, he had an ample supply of Golden Origin Pills, enough to sustain him up to the eighth layer. But what was he supposed to do with all these leftover Xuanchi Pills? *Might as well hand them out as bonuses.* Ma the Fifth was his brother through and through and followed Li Banfeng in everything. Whenever they made money, Li Banfeng always took the lion's share, so he couldn't shortchange him on pills. Li Banfeng started by giving him twenty pills. "Take it easy when you take them, and make sure to clear the poison." Ma the Fifth knew his limits. To the others, he distributed pills according to their merits, ranging from one to ten. Zuo Wugang, Zhen Jincheng, and Cao Zhida were all familiar with pills and knew the appropriate dosage, not to mention the Scolding Woman and Ah Qin, who were both experienced veterans. Bai Qiusheng and Yuwen Qi were both first-layer Literary Cultivators who had never tasted such fine pills before, but that wasn't an issue either. Both were cautious men, and before taking the pills, they sought advice from Ma the Fifth on how to neutralize the pill poison. When it came to Xiao Chuanzi and Xiao Genzi, trouble arose. Xiao Chuanzi received ten pills and, in his excitement, swallowed three right away, collapsing on the floor of his room on the spot. If Ma the Fifth hadn't discovered him in time, he would have lost his life. Xiao Genzi received ten pills as well, but he didn't take a single one, returning them all to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng couldn't understand. "Why won't you take them?" Hugging his bucket, Xiao Genzi puffed out his chest. "I heard from them that after taking these pills, you have to lie in bed for at least a whole day. What would happen to my cultivation then?" "One day won't make that much difference, will it?" Genzi shook his head. "Not even a single day can be wasted!" When he had first stepped onto the pathway, the peddler had instructed Xiao Genzi that a Gold Cultivator who had attained a cultivation layer needed to carry the bucket for at least eight hours a day. Xiao Genzi carried it twenty-four hours a day, through winter cold and summer heat, never skipping a single day. Apart from eating and sleeping, Xiao Genzi spent his time gathering materials everywhere to carefully brew his golden broth. Li Banfeng had never seen anyone as hardworking as him. "Genzi, put the bucket down first!" Li Banfeng urged him with earnest sincerity, "Cultivation cannot be neglected, but you still need to take pills. Otherwise, you'd be letting your extraordinary talent go to waste." After thinking it over, Xiao Genzi finally accepted the pills. "I'll take them once I find a suitable place; there's no rush." *The suitable place he's talking about... couldn't be an outhouse, could it?* Li Banfeng didn't dare ask. With the Qingshou Society no longer causing trouble for the cinema, the matter of *Bloodgun Detective* was essentially resolved. Ma the Fifth took the opportunity to contact local merchants regarding the stone and coal businesses. He was an expert in this field, so Li Banfeng didn't need to worry about it. After a few days, the business arrangements were largely settled, and everyone prepared to head back. The mission of *Yelaixiang* was complete, and there was no longer any need to keep publishing newspapers and magazines. It was time for Bai Qiusheng and Yuwen Qi to return as well. Yet the two of them were reluctant to leave. Bai Qiusheng said, "Seventh Master, back when the two of us were suffering in Heishipo, we dreamed of leaving this place. Now, I actually don't want to go. We want to keep running *Yelaixiang*." Zuo Wugang said, "Once we leave, how will you handle the local gangs? We've offended quite a few of them." Bai Qiusheng smiled. "No need to fear. The *Yelaixiang* brand is still here. The two of us can deal with them first. If we really can't manage, we'll ask Seventh Master for help." Yuwen Qi added, "Seventh Master, rest assured, this is your business. Every cent of profit will be turned over to you in full; just pay us some wages, and that will be enough." "How could we do business like that?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Let's split it three ways: thirty percent to me as a bonus, thirty percent for yourselves, thirty percent to pay wages to the staff, and the remaining ten percent kept for emergencies." With the matter settled, Bai Qiusheng and Yuwen Qi expressed their heartfelt gratitude again and again. Ma the Fifth led the crew back to Lüshui City, but Li Banfeng and Chuanzi stayed behind. Chuanzi wanted to continue his cultivation in Heishipo, and someone also needed to look after the stone and coal businesses. Li Banfeng wanted to explore Heishipo thoroughly. He liked this place, and he liked the disposition of the people here. There was also one place he was eager to see: he wanted to find out what the newland here looked like. P.S.: The newland here connects by train!