Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Before Xu Fu asked, Duanmu Yu said helplessly: "Master Xu Fu, next time you have any instructions, please let me know in advance."

"what do you mean?"

Xu Fu raised his hand and scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"This is not the main entrance. Even if someone comes, we won't meet them here."

Duanmu Yu grabbed Xu Fu's arm and urged him, "Follow me now, maybe we can catch up with that person!"

“This isn’t even the main entrance…”

As Xu Fu followed Duanmu Yu out, he looked up at the door beam that was more magnificent than the Qin Palace, his eyes full of surprise.

The Duanmu family had ruled Southern Xinjiang for hundreds of years. Except for a few prosperous streets and the prefectural governor's mansion in the main city of Southern Xinjiang, the rest was their private territory. Therefore, it was natural that the gate was more imposing.

So when Xu Fu followed Duanmu Yu in through this door before, he was not too shocked.

"It's just ahead!"

Duanmu Yu let go of Xu Fu's hand and said, "I'll go find the guard and ask about the situation!"

Xu Fu stood there, looking up at the gate beam that was comparable to the main city gate but more luxurious, and the face of Ying Zheng flashed through his mind. He wondered if the First Emperor would still trust them so much if he knew that the Duanmu family had such a complex in southern Xinjiang that was more luxurious than the Qin Palace.

While Xu Fu was daydreaming, Duanmu Yu had learned from the guards that the people who came to see Yang Ling today had been waiting here for a day. They tried to go in several times but were driven away by the guards, and they did not leave until dark.

"So, they just left not long ago. We still have time to chase them now!"

Duanmu Yu looked at Xu Fu and urged him, "Master Xu Fu, don't be in a daze here, go and help the gentleman get the person back!"

This was the first time Yang Ling took the initiative to ask them for help. Although he only asked Xu Fu to help him, it was still a contribution for Yang Ling. Duanmu Yu didn't want to disappoint Yang Ling.

"Why does your house have so many doors? If there was only one door, I would have brought the person to Master long ago!"

Xu Fu also seemed a little anxious and couldn't help but complain.

"The passage we took you through earlier was reserved for distinguished guests. This is the facade of the Duanmu family that is displayed to the outside world."

After hearing Xu Fu's words, Duanmu Yu felt helpless and could only explain a few words.

Xu Fu said no more and quickened his pace to chase in the direction pointed by the guard. Duanmu Yu's strength was comparable to his, but his agility was not as good as Xu Fu's. If he was not familiar with the terrain of southern Xinjiang, he would not be able to catch up with Xu Fu.

The two found Ziying at the end of the long street. He was hesitating whether to go back and try again. When Duanmu Yu and Xu Fu appeared in front of him, he was still a little unresponsive. However, the two did not care whether he could react or not. One of them held up one of his arms and took him away.

"I say, you are the same. When the guard at the door refused to let you in, didn't you say you were here to see my master?"

Xu Fu asked with disdain as he dragged Ziying's arm forward.

"Master Xu Fu is right. Our guards are all reasonable people. Everyone has heard about the news that Master Xu Fu and Master Xu Fu came back a few days ago. As long as this little brother asks, our guards will definitely not fail to report it!"

Duanmu Yu spoke with great confidence, as if he knew every guard on duty very well.

Ziying listened to the two people blaming themselves on himself, and remembered that he had mentioned to the guard at the door before that he wanted to see a master, but the guard drove him away as if he had never heard of anything.

The guards of the Duanmu family at that time were completely different from the guards described by Duanmu Yu and Xu Fu now, and it is not known whether they were really talking about the guards at the door.

Duanmu Yu and Xu Fu were originally looking for excuses to shift the blame to Ziying. It would be best if Ziying didn't answer. If he answered, they would have to find another reason to blame him.

When they came to Yang Ling, they could not explain anything. After all, it was not easy to find an excuse to wash away the charge of incompetence.

Ziying did not say much to them. He had seen both of them before, one once when drinking tea at a tea stall, and the other when staying at a restaurant next door and they had a few words.

However, when they met again, they both seemed to not recognize him. It is estimated that he did not leave a deep impression on them at that time.

Ziying didn't care about it. The only thing he wanted to know now was how Yang Ling knew he would come today and sent them to pick him up.

Ziying didn't have the time to ask Xu Fu and Duanmu Yu this question, as they had already wasted a day and were anxious to send the person to Yang Ling.

When Ziying had the chance to speak, he was already in front of Yang Ling. However, he was not the first to speak.

"What took you so long to come back?"

Yang Ling sat in the main seat, looked up at Xu Fu and Duanmu Yu, and asked in confusion.

According to his hexagram, Ziying should have arrived in the morning and would never have been delayed until this time. If something hadn't happened on the way, then Xu Fu and his men had delayed him.

"Master, this cannot be blamed on me and Young Master Duanmu. The truth is that we didn't know that the Duanmu family had two doors, and the guests outside went through a different door than we did that day. In addition, this little brother did not communicate with the guard at the door..."

Xu Fu took the initiative, and as soon as Yang Ling asked, he made up an excuse that he had prepared long ago. After saying this, he put all the blame on Ziying.

Even if the responsibility did not lie entirely with Ziying, the rest of the things were Duanmu Yu's fault and had nothing to do with Xu Fu.

Duanmu Yu frowned and couldn't help explaining, "Sir, it was indeed my fault that we didn't leave on the day the Duanmu family opened its gate. But Lord Xu Fu dragged me over early this morning and made me wait for a whole day without telling me what to do. If Lord Xu Fu had told me earlier..."

Duanmu Yu had not finished speaking, but his meaning was clear. He left the last part unfinished to give Xu Fu some leeway and face.

Yang Ling was speechless about their behavior, but he didn't care. He just waved his hand and said, "You guys go out first. I want to talk to this little brother alone!"

Ziying is not an outgoing person, and can even be said to have some social phobia. That day at the tea stall, he was a little overwhelmed when facing Yang Ling alone. Now that he came to Duanmu's house, in front of so many people, it was naturally even more difficult for him to speak.

As soon as Ziying entered the room, Yang Ling saw the discomfort on his face. As for why he was uncomfortable, it was also clear at a glance.

It was because he saw through this that Yang Ling asked Xu Fu and Duanmu Yu to leave. However, the two people who were kicked out did not know that Yang Ling asked them to leave because of Ziying, and they thought that Yang Ling was dissatisfied with their performance just now.

"Master Xu Fu, didn't we agree on this on the way here? If the young man couldn't be helped inside, it was his own business. Why did you drag me into this again after just a few words?"

At the base of the outer wall of Yang Ling's residence, Duanmu Yu looked up at Xu Fu helplessly and asked.

"Young Master Duanmu, I really don't want to mention you, but you also know my master's temper. Even if he doesn't say it, how can he not be thinking about the important task of the Duanmu family in his heart?" Xu Fu replied with a helpless expression.

Xu Fu had been working in the market for many years, and those tactful ways of dealing with people were already deeply rooted in his mind, so he was able to handle the situation with ease.
Duanmu Yu had no intention of haggling with Xu Fu. After all, in order to win Yang Ling's support and even bring him into the Southern Xinjiang camp, Xu Fu's mediation was still necessary.

If you hold grudges over such trivial matters, or even plot revenge in the future, then you do not have the mind and bearing that a person who wants to accomplish great things should have.

Duanmu Yu mentioned this matter again in order to show Xu Fu that he didn't mind and hoped that he would not exclude him next time.

Xu Fu was not a dull man, so he naturally understood the implication of Duanmu Yu's words. He did not respond, but he knew in his heart that the matter was not handled properly. As to whether it would be the same in the future, it would depend on the circumstances.

There was still a conversation going on inside the house, and they were not allowed in. It was obvious that they did not want the two of them to overhear. They still had some sense of propriety, so they waited quietly outside.

There were only two candles lit in the courtyard, both placed in Yang Ling's room. At this time, one candle was moved in front of Ziying, along with the tea that Yang Ling had just poured.

"You can come to see me, but can't you guess why I knew you would come?" Ziying asked Yang Ling as soon as he entered the door, how did he know he would be back this morning. Upon hearing this, Yang Ling raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked back.

"I got it!"

Ziying looked at Yang Ling, paused for a moment, and said firmly: "You are not an ordinary person!"

Yang Ling was looking into Ziying's eyes. If he had not seen determination and innocence in this child's eyes, he would have really doubted whether the second half of Ziying's sentence was a curse on him.

"You are an immortal!"

Yang Ling had just adjusted his mentality when Ziying added another sentence. He couldn't help laughing and reminded him: "Next time, say it all at once!"

"I remember it!" Ziying nodded seriously, as if he had remembered it to heart.

Ziying does appear sincere and simple. In this world, he has not yet experienced the ups and downs of the court, and his life experience is not too rough.

Looking at him, Yang Ling couldn't help but think of Ziying recorded in the book of his previous life, that poor and pitiful child, who was born and raised in troubled times, was exploited by countless people, and although he finally struggled to control his own destiny, he still couldn't escape death.

The Ziying of this world is pure and innocent, not polluted by the world. Yang Ling can read kindness in his eyes. Such a child deserves a happy ending.

For some reason, Yang Ling, who has always been unwilling to take the initiative to get involved in cause and effect, actually wanted to speak up to remind Ziying this time, even if it was just one sentence, it would help him escape from the troubled times.

"I'm not an immortal!" Yang Ling picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then asked: "Why did Ying Zheng send you here?"

"You are an immortal. You have the aura of an immortal. I have never seen anyone like you!" Ziying was unwilling to listen to Yang Ling's explanation and insisted on his own opinion.

Yang Ling did not respond or explain. He put the teacup back on the table and looked at Ziying.

"You should have figured it out, right?"

Ziying understood the meaning of Yang Ling's move and said, "What I calculated is completely different from what you said."

Yang Ling didn't care about it, but if he said it out loud and reminded Ziying to help him escape from the troubled times, then the cause and effect between them would not be easy to resolve.

Ziying didn't understand what Yang Ling said, but he understood that Yang Ling wanted him to say it himself.

Ziying had no psychological burden about this. He came to Yang Ling to ask for help. If he didn't make his purpose clear, the other party would not be able to help.

"His Majesty the First Emperor ordered me to find a person, a beauty who is so beautiful that the whole country cannot be surpassed." Ziying said as he took out a portrait from his wide sleeves.

The slightly yellowed paper scroll unfolded on the table, revealing a woman with a beauty that could rival the moon and flowers. It was Rong'er. Even the clothes she was wearing were the same as the ones she wore on the day Ying Zheng visited.

Yang Ling looked at the paper scroll with a sneer in his eyes. Ying Zheng not only sent Heibingtai to monitor him near his residence, but also investigated the people around him.

Previously, Fusu was asked to investigate, but was stopped by Xu Fu. Unexpectedly, Ying Zheng still refused to give up.

Yang Ling raised his hand to collect the paper scroll, returned it to Ziying, and said calmly: "This is my maid. She is in Xianyang, not in Southern Xinjiang. Go back and tell Ying Zheng not to overreach!"

Upon hearing this, Ziying stood there in a daze, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

He felt that this gentleman did not seem to take the First Emperor seriously at all, and in fact it was true, after all, he always called the First Emperor by his name.

When Ziying left Duanmu's house, he was still in a daze. He was brought in by Duanmu Yu and Xu Fu when he came, and the same was true when he left. However, the two of them had lost their initial enthusiasm and turned around and left after seeing him off.
When Xu Fu and Duanmu Yu entered Su Can's room again, they learned that Su Can planned to leave the city the next day.

Duanmu Yu didn't understand the situation, but Yang Ling made the decision after Ziying's visit, so it must have something to do with Ziying.

Because of this, Ziying was invited back to Duanmu Mansion before he had gone far.

When he saw Duanmu Yu again, Ziying felt that he was even more enthusiastic than before in the restaurant, and he even offered him a seat.

"When we first met, Chu Ying was unable to recognize you and was very offended. Please forgive me, young master!" Ziying did not sit down immediately, but bowed to Duanmu Yu and said lightly.

Duanmu Yu thought Ziying was blaming him for not showing his true identity at that time, so he smiled and said, "Brother Chuying, please don't blame me. There were many people talking at that time, and most of them were from other places. According to the family rules of the Duanmu family, family members should be more low-key when they are outside. Therefore, Yu did not dare to reveal his identity casually."

The Duanmu family does not have such family rules, it is just an unwritten rule passed down from ancestors. The elders in the family taught them to keep a low profile when they are outside, so the Duanmu family members rarely show up even in the main city of Southern Xinjiang, which is controlled by the Duanmu family all year round.

"Young Master Duanmu has misunderstood. Chu Ying has no intention of blaming me. No matter what your status is, you have always treated me with courtesy. I am very grateful. How could I blame you?" Ziying seemed a little embarrassed, but still clasped his fists and finished his words.

He now understood why he felt uncomfortable when he first met Duanmu Yu. This person was the legendary "Jade-faced Zhuge", and he was not good at socializing, let alone dealing with such a scheming person. (End of this chapter)