Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The speedcar came to a stop in front of the auction house entrance. Several young cultivators and a maid surrounded the vehicle. The white-browed old man spoke several words with them and then brought some people to enter the front door.

Four Seasons City was extremely large. To meet three times in one day, that could only be explained as fate. Qin Yu’s eyes flashed and he looked at these people with some curiosity.

But curiosity was just curiosity. Qin Yu simply wasn’t in the mood to care about other matters. Just as he was about to leave, a cultivator rushed out from the entrance.

“Fellow daoist Ning, please wait!” This person was one of the managers of the auction house. Qin Yu had already used his spirit stone card to prove his purchasing power. Thus, even though he had spent a great deal of time asking around and still didn’t buy anything, the manager still had a bright smile on his face.

Qin Yu’s footsteps came to a stop. “Is there some matter, Manager Li?”

Manager Li handed over an invitation letter with both hands. “Fellow daoist Ning, my auction house will be holding a large-scale auction in half a year. At that time, there may be some things that fellow daoist Ning needs. If fellow daoist Ning has time, please feel free to visit.”

Qin Yu bitterly smiled. Half a year…he just didn’t have time at all. But since this was another person’s good intentions, he received the invitation and nodded, saying, “I will remember that. Thank you, Manager Li.”

Manager Li smiled and bid his farewells. Qin Yu flipped his hand and put away the jade slip. At this time, a group of cultivators ran out from the entrance; it was the white-browed old man and the other cultivators.

At this time, he squeezed out a smile. “Brother Xu, we can be considered old friends of many years. I have already investigated and know that your auction house has some Condensed Incense Balls. How about trading some to us? Is the price insufficient?”

Qin Yu had seen this other surnamed Xu cultivator before. He was the chief manager of the auction house and was responsible for overseeing daily affairs. At this time, the chief manager forced a smile and said, “Brother Ning, why make things hard for me? Haven’t you already guessed the reason yet? When it comes to Grand Expert Chu, it’s not just us, but everyone else has to give him three points of face. I have already spoken too much. If Brother Ning really wants to rescue your niece, I urge you to convince your family to let go of their treasure. Otherwise…I’ve already said everything that I can. Brother Ning, I will excuse myself first.”

He cupped his hands and turned away.

Ning Yuntao had a pale complexion. This was indeed the secret workings of that Chu Taidou. But soon, a trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes. Their family’s treasure was simply far too precious. Even if the old master spoke up he would be met with layers of resistence. Moreover, with his big brother in his current situation, the chance of taking it out to use wasn’t high at all.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his pained mindset. He shouted, “Let’s go!” The several Ning Family cultivators all had looks of grief and indignation as they followed close behind. Their Ning Family wasn’t mediocre, but they were still being suppressed like this with nothing else they could do.

The glass window of the speedcar rolled down. Ning Yuntao squeezed out a smile. “Liangliang, it’s too cold outside. Hurry and close the window. “

Behind the glass, there was a pale face without any trace of blood. She furrowed her eyebrows as if she were enduring some pain. “Little uncle, there is no need to do so much for me. Let’s go home.”

“Liangliang!” Ning Yuntao shouted out before immediately lowering his voice. “There will be a way, there will definitely be a way. Don’t worry, your uncle will not lie to you.”

Ning Liang hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Be obedient and raise the window. Your body cannot be exposed to the cold for too long.” Ning Yuntao gripped his fists, blue veins sticking out.

As the tinted window rose up, Ning Liang suddenly felt something. She looked up towards the auction house entrance, and atop the stairs she noticed a black-robed figure staring at her. The wind and snow obscured her vision, making it hard to see his form.

What was this person doing? Ning Liang immediately thought. But at this time, a pain spread out from her body. She coughed and covered her mouth so that her uncle wouldn’t see her and worry even more. As she did, all of her previous thoughts were scattered.

On the stairs, Qin Yu felt his heart quake. After his bloodline had awakened and he had obtained the Spirit Eyes, his vision had become astonishingly sharp. Even through the wind and snow he could clearly see that girl’s face behind the glass. Although she was incredibly beautiful, that in itself wasn’t enough to shake Qin Yu’s mind.

What truly shocked him was that this girl had an appearance that was 70-80% similar to Ning Ling’s.

Moreover, he had heard the conversation with the chief manager just now. The white-browed old man was surnamed Ning, and since the young miss in the car called him uncle, then her surname was naturally Ning too.

To be surnamed Ning and also look so similar to Ning Ling, if this was a coincidence, it was just too much of one.

Qin Yu quickly regained his composure. The Ning Family cultivators had long since disappeared from his line of sight. But, he didn’t worry. According to the white-browed old man’s words, they wouldn’t leave Four Seasons City for the time being. Since they were staying at the same inn, it would be easy to find them.

After hesitating for a moment, Qin Yu decided not to visit any other auction houses. He soared directly towards the inn. This is what people meant when they said that if you loved a house, that love also extended to their crows and cats. If there was a possibility that these people were related to Ning Ling, Qin Yu could no longer regard them as outsiders. And now that they seemed to be in some difficult situation, he definitely could not sit back and do nothing.

He returned to the inn and looked for the young servant to ask some questions. The guests in the courtyard next door hadn’t returned yet. Thinking about it, the Ning Family group should still be looking at some other places.

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed and he took out several spirit stones. “I am curious about those guests. Can you help me inquire about them and why they came here?”

The young servant’s eyes brightened. He expressed his thanks repeatedly as he accepted the spirit stones. Then, he pulled closer and lowered his voice, “Guest, you must have seen the young miss inside. She is truly like a fairy from heaven. If it were anyone else, I really wouldn’t dare to violate their privacy. But since this matter has already spread far and wide, I don’t mind telling you about it.

“Not long ago, a secret disciple of Grand Master Chu came to the inn and publicly announced to them that they would exchange Condensed Incense Balls for one of their family treasures…” Through the young servant, Qin Yu understood the approximate situation. The summary was like this: The Ning Family’s young miss was grievously ill and needed constant Condensed Incense Balls to suppress the illness. This kind of pill was the unique creation of Grand Expert Chu. Recently, he desired a treasure of the Ning Family so he decided to use this matter to threaten them with stopping the supply of Condensed Incense Balls.

The young servant sighed. “I really feel sorry for that Ning Family’s miss. She has such a weak body but she had to make the long and tiresome journey to Four Seasons City to ask for medicine. It’s clear that both sides were able to come to an agreement. I guess that the Ning Family should be wandering through the city looking for Condensed Incense Balls. However, they didn’t imagine that Grand Expert Chu had already spoken out, so who would dare to trade with them?”

Qin Yu sent away the young servant and ordered some food and wine. He chose a position near the window. Although there was heavy wind and snow outside, the inside of the inn was warm like spring.

The sky slowly darkened and the wind and snow grew stronger. With the sound of an opening door, the group of Ning Family cultivators came walking in, covered in snow. Perhaps because their mood wasn’t good, they made a bit of noise coming in and drew many looks to them.

As they saw Ning Yuntao in the lead, their eyes shrunk and they turned away. Still, there were many people who looked towards that quiet speedcar with interest.

Several young Ning Family cultivators scowled. Ning Yuntao shouted, “Enough, don’t cause trouble. Waiter, bring some wine and dishes to our room.”

Soon, the people from the Ning Family vanished along the way to the accommodation area. Several youths in the restaurant revealed disappointed looks.

“I heard that the Ning Family’s young miss is a genuine beauty. But what a pity, even though she entered the inn she still stayed in that speedcar.”

“Beautiful women suffer unhappy fates! The Ning Family is reluctant to give up on their treasure. I fear that it won’t be long before even someone as beautiful as that turns into ashes.”

“Hum hum! Grand Expert Chu has already spoken up so who isn’t willing to show him face? This Ning Family is being unappreciative. Not only will they ruin that beauty’s life, but they will even anger Grand Expert Chu. It just isn’t wise at all!”

“That’s enough. The Ning Family was also prosperous in the past for a moment. If it weren’t for that person violating one of the ultimate crimes and having his cultivation crippled and also being kicked out from the Demonic Path, they would still have a bright future. I hear that person still has many old friends in the Demonic Path. Although we might not need to fear the Ning Family, there’s no need to provoke unnecessary troubles for ourselves.”

“True, true! Let’s drink!”

Qin Yu quietly listened in. His eyes flashed. He called up the waiter and paid his bill. Then, he walked toward the back courtyard. Although these youths had erratic behavior and the way they spoke was annoying, he was still able to glean some information from their words. This caused Qin Yu’s suspicion to become even heavier.

Through the wind and snow, Qin Yu arrived in front of a dwelling and hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.

The door opened from within and an attendant with a worried expression appeared. His eyes filled with a cold intent, “Who are you?”

Qin Yu cupped his hands together. “My name is Ning Qin. I am an alchemist. I heard that your family’s miss is direly ill, so I came to volunteer my services.”

This was the best way he thought of to approach the Ning Family. With the Ning Family’s current state of mind, they shouldn’t refuse him.

As he thought, the attendant’s eyes brightened. But, he immediately became wary. “Are you really an alchemist?”

Qin Yu smiled. “I can guarantee I am the real thing. I’m not so bored that I would use you all to relieve my boredom.”

“Attendant, how come you haven’t brought over the food and wine?” Another young man walked over with a disgruntled expression.

The attendant cupped his hands together. “Young master, this person says he is an alchemist and wishes to help treat the miss’ illness.”

Zong Yingming frowned. “You idiot! Do you think just anyone is capable of treating my cousin’s situation? Hurry and send him away!”

Qin Yu lightly said, “Hold on. If I don’t try, how can I know it’s not possible?”

Hearing Qin Yu’s young voice, Zong Yingming revealed a loathing look. “Shut up! I think you are just a lecher that has come to take advantage of my cousin! Since you don’t want to leave, then don’t blame me for being impolite!”

He lifted his hand and thrust out. The aura of a fifth level Nascent Soul erupted. To have such a cultivation at his age, it wasn’t too bad.

But today, Zong Yingming was the one who had eyes and couldn’t see. The one he chose was Qin Yu.

Nascent Soul…he had already chopped them up like vegetables years ago!

Bang –

With a loud thumping sound, Zong Yingming was sent flying backwards, crashing into the garden in a total mess. If Qin Yu hadn’t gone easy on him, at least half his bones would have been broken.

The attendant was frightened. He originally wanted to attack Qin Yu, but after being glanced at he felt as if he fell into icy lake. The blood drained from his face and he ran away.

“Stop!” With a loud shout, Ning Yuntao appeared. His eyes fell down upon Qin Yu and the pressure of a Blue Sea arrived. Wind and snow immediately began flying up all around.

Qin Yu’s body was like a tall tree standing tall in the wind. His robes fluttered around him. He lightly said, “Fellow daoist Ning, there is no need to worry. I had no intention of harming them.” A calm voice pierced through the wind and snow, spreading into the ears of all those present.

Ning Yuntao’s complexion changed. He hesitated for a moment and then the pressure around him scattered. He said in a low voice, “Who are you and why did you attack my Ning Family juniors?”

Qin Yu said, “They can explain this themselves.”

Zong Yingming screeched, “Uncle! He dared to harm me, you cannot let him off!” He had a ferocious expression. “Brat, do you know who I am? You are dead!”

Ning Yuntao’s complexion changed. “Shut up!” He turned and said, “Attendant, come and explain yourself.”