Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The word 'anticlimactic' was probably the most appropriate summary of the conflict that happened at Moon Brothel. It disappointed many people who had gone there in hopes of being able to watch a good show unfold.

Of course, even if they were disappointed, they did not dare to let it show on their faces. Everyone could tell that the City Governor was holding his anger in, and no one wanted to be the object for him to vent his anger on.

After agreeing to meet again another day, Chen Yuanshen smiled and cupped his hands before taking his leave. Qin Yu looked at his silhouette as he left, feeling a little uneasy. Chen Yuanshen's smile seemed to be hiding something.

Everyone from the City Governor's mansion left as well. Very quickly, Moon Brothel became peaceful once again. Even though they had suffered huge losses, Hundred Saint did not care. Other than the fact that his family was extremely wealthy, the City Governor definitely would not let his family pay for it. They would get compensation from the City Governor eventually.

The most important thing at this point, of course, was to figure out what exactly happened.

After dismissing the person in charge of Moon Brothel, Hundred Saint pulled Qin Yu along and entered a small courtyard that was in good condition. As for the ladies who occupied this courtyard, they were obviously not in Hundred Saint's scope of consideration at all.

"Darkness Ruler, please tell me everything that happened today, and do not make any omissions!"

Glancing at Hundred Saint whose eyebrows were furrowed, Qin Yu sneered in his heart, thinking that the culprit responsible for the incident was smart and brave enough to take action against him. Since they had already attacked him, they had probably made enough preparations such that they could attack again.

The sooner he found out about the truth, the better!

Without hiding anything, Qin Yu spoke calmly and told Hundred Saint about what happened from beginning to end. Hundred Saint's expression looked heavier and heavier, and his brows were tightly locked.

Qin Yu looked at Hundred Saint again and again…but there was no reaction from Hundred Saint!

Qin Yu sneered internally, thinking, 'I have spent so much effort and even risked my life to be a shield for you, yet you are not giving me a reaction?'

With a light cough, Qin Yu continued, "Hundred Saint, don't you think I deserve an explanation for what happened today?"

The thought of ripping someone off…okay, Qin Yu admitted that he indeed harbored such thoughts. Ever since he stepped into Bounded Zero Place, he seemed to have grown an addiction to ripping people off. However, the present was different from the past, so Qin Yu suppressed his thoughts.

However, at the very least, Qin Yu could use this favor to exchange for some useful information from Hundred Saint…as long as this fellow was still willing to be on friendly terms with Qin Yu, he would not reject Qin Yu's proposal.

Qin Yu's face was calm. He had already prepared himself to deal with Hundred Saint should things go south.

No matter what he said or how eloquent Hundred Saint was, he would still have to offer something to Qin Yu for Qin Yu to be satisfied!

Being a shield for free? Hmph, no way! He was not running a charity!

But soon, Qin Yu noticed that there was a strange expression on Hundred Saint's face. Hundred Saint looked at him, not saying a single word. Qin Yu was quite puzzled, thinking to himself, 'What kind of reaction is this? This is not what I was expecting!'.

Do not panic and do not give away anything! I want to see what tricks this Hundred Saint is trying to play!

Finally, under Qin Yu's calm and intense gaze, Hundred Saint opened his mouth to speak, his tone full of hesitance, "Darkness Ruler, don't tell me you think that the whole conflict that happened today was because of me?"

Qin Yu almost laughed from the anger he was feeling. What kind of bullshit is this - if it's not because of you, then was the attack really targeted at me? We've only been together in the West Desolate for a short period of time. Unless you think I have been wandering in spirit and formed a grudge with someone already?!

Qin Yu laughed coldly, but he did not say anything. It was clear what he was trying to tell Hundred Saint.

Hundred Saint's change in expression was very entertaining. He was both angry and dumbfounded. He took a deep breath and waved his hand, "At first I wanted to give you some reminders, but I was not sure where to begin. However, it looks like the matter cannot be delayed any more. I should at least let you know about the current situation!"

Hundred Saint extended his hand and pointed at Qin Yu, "Darkness Ruler, please listen carefully. Today's incident was indeed targeted at you, so the reason why my family's brothel has ended up in such a state is all thanks to you…of course, I was the one who brought you here, so I will admit that I'm unlucky, but let's set things straight!"

Qin Yu's eyes widened, and even though one could not see his expression underneath the black robes, it was not difficult to detect Qin Yu's shift in attitude. He was shaking from the bottom of his heart.

Even though it was merely the words of Hundred Saint, looking at his expression and demeanor, Qin Yu had a bad premonition. It had been obvious that he was implicated because of Hundred Saint, causing him to suffer in this unfortunate event, but why did he suddenly become the protagonist of the story instead?

Hundred Saint laughed coldly, "Did you think that because you just entered the Desolate Area and have not provoked anyone that no one would come and target you? I am very sorry, but what I want to tell you is that in the West Desolate right now, there is someone that wants you dead. In fact, it's probably not just one person.

"The worse news is that these people who want you to die all have very high statuses and power, such that even I am unwilling to provoke them. That is to say, unbeknownst to me, since I have brought you into the West Desolate, I am now also a target myself."

Annoyance could be heard in Hundred Saint's voice.

He had not grasped the matter well enough. If he had known that it was that person who had selected Qin Yu, Hundred Saint would not have gotten himself into this trouble!

Now that they were in a precarious situation, it was a good opportunity for these people to get rid of Qin Yu and Hundred Saint. They would not be let off so easily by his ruthless relatives.

However, it was too late to talk about it.

Hundred Saint took a deep breath and suppressed his annoyance and anger. He looked at Qin Yu and even though his face did not look very well, he still seemed rather calm. His eyes showed a little surprise, but it turned into a faint appreciation.

The Darkness Ruler was indeed courageous and determined. Even after finding out that he was in a dangerous situation, he could still maintain his composure.

The room fell silent.

Qin Yu massaged his temples and said, "Hundred Saint, tell me everything you know…take it as me owing you a favor."

This was the first deal that Qin Yu was striking with Hundred Saint. Since Hundred Saint had told him about his dangerous predicament, there would be no way Hundred Saint would deny him this.

As for the favor that Qin Yu owed Hundred Saint, whether he decided to return it or not would depend on his mood.

Furthermore, his persona was fake to begin with. The real Darkness Ruler had already died and there was not even a trace of his physical body left in this world. Whoever did not believe him could go and try to find the body.

Hundred Saint solemnly agreed, "Okay!"

He originally intended to do so already. If this was not the case, he would not have gone to the City Governor's mansion. It was all so that he could get first-hand information.

Very quickly, Qin Yu learnt that there was an undercurrent surging in the capital city of the West Desolate. Very unfortunately, this undercurrent had already reached him.

Even though the conflict at Moon Brothel seemed sudden, it was actually a trap that had been set a long time ago, waiting for him to jump into it.

What this really meant was that even if Qin Yu did not visit Moon Brothel today but went to some other place instead, an accident would still have happened to him.

Because there were people that did not want him to live, and if everything was like what Hundred Saint said…there must be a lot of people who want him dead and they must be extremely powerful!

Taking a deep breath, Qin Yu spoke slowly under the black robes, "Li Zhouyi…"

Just when he was having a headache, he suddenly felt that his teeth were also aching. He never imagined that this whole setup involved someone whom he had once plotted against!

Was this the meaning of 'what goes around, comes around'?

A brief overview was as follows:

The Sixth Prince of the West Desolate, Li Zhouyi, went to the fragmented area because he was favored by the previous Desolate King and thus gained the opportunity to find the Inextinguishable Flame. By getting the Inextinguishable Flame, he could earn the right to rule over Bounded Zero Place which contained a Ruler's destiny. What happened afterwards need not be elaborated on. In short, Li Zhouyi failed miserably. After a series of twists and turns, he fled back to the West Desolate in defeat.

Under normal circumstances, given the mistakes made by Li Zhouyi, he should have plunged into an abyss, never getting the chance to restore his status. However, using unknown methods, the Sixth Prince managed to convince the Desolate King to give him another chance. Whatever happened in between, Hundred Saint did not go into detail. Either he had his reservations, or he did not know much about the matter.

Then, the fragmented area's 'Darkness Ruler' was summoned and given permission to enter the West Desolate, becoming Li Zhouyi's final hope…however, there were many people who wished for Li Zhouyi to be defeated completely without ever having a chance to rise again. And the way to achieve this was simple - kill the 'Darkness Ruler'!

Therefore, our dear Qin Yu, who was just fake goods, had innocently stepped into the trap. He had just entered the West Desolate yet he was already surrounded by countless enemies that could not wait to tear him into pieces.

He was not sure who the mastermind was just yet, but it was easy to infer that it would probably be the most outstanding princes, princesses, and their respective supporters.

Although according to what Hundred Saint said, the officials in the court did not take sides this early on so the situation was not too terrifying yet. However, who could guarantee whether these officials were colluding with the princes and princesses in secret?

For example, the incident in Moon Brothel looked simple on the surface, but it used someone who was in the City Governor's mansion. There were even two more True Saints that joined in on the attack.

While all this was carried out, the City Governor was not at all alerted. This alone was enough to prove that there was a very powerful person behind the scenes covering it up.

Otherwise, do you really think that Seascape City's governor Chen Yuanshen was a useless good-for-nothing?

At this point, Qin Yu truly understood why the City Governor did not want to make things blow out of proportion and simply characterized the incident as jealousy that occurred in the entertainment industry.

He even slapped Chen Shanglue without any reservations and restricted him to his mansion, but this was obviously a safe play. Before the current situation in the West Desolate became worse, he wanted to immediately get out of the muddy water to prevent becoming a scapegoat.

Thinking of the City Governor's calm and gentle smile before he left, Qin Yu could not help but grit his teeth and curse, "That old bastard!"

Obviously, Chen Yuanshen had known everything long ago, and was just waiting to see Qin Yu get unlucky. After all, it was difficult to avoid what was coming for him, and those people who had instigated this incident were powerful. Chen Yuanshen wanted to escape as soon as possible.

Qin Yu suddenly realized that the City Governor let the matter go so easily, and the City Governor's sincerity and smile was all because he knew that Qin Yu was about to die.

It was not economical to negotiate with someone who was going to die!