I Don’T Want To Be This Master For A Day Anymore. Chapter 12
byYou Are the Bustle in My Eyes
Early the next morning, the two set off. Qiu Yin’an had originally planned to visit Jiuling Mountain to borrow a Cloud-Riding Bell from Yao Ye, but he worried that his presence would distract Yao Ye from his cultivation. He ultimately decided it was better to spend a few extra days traveling by spirit artifact.
Qiu Yin’an’s spirit artifact was a pair of twin blades, each about half a person long. When placed together, the two sharp blades resembled a small boat, just large enough for him and Wan Qiongju to sit cross-legged facing each other.
Wan Qiongju sat on it, looking down with wide-eyed curiosity. He was so engrossed that he nearly tumbled off the blade. Qiu Yin’an quickly pulled him back. “Be careful.”
Wan Qiongju didn’t seem frightened. Instead, he continued to sway back and forth on the blade. Qiu Yin’an could tell he was in a very good mood.
A brilliant light shone in Wan Qiongju’s starry eyes. He looked at Qiu Yin’an and asked, “Master, what are they doing down there? I want to see.”
Qiu Yin’an glanced indifferently down below. A narrow street was packed with people. At the head of the street, several street performers were beating drums and gongs to attract customers. The scene looked noisy and chaotic just by watching it.
“Street performers. Nothing worth seeing,” Qiu Yin’an refused. “We are not going down.”
“I want to go, just for a little while.” Wan Qiongju blinked his eyes, hoping for approval. “Please, Master, you’re the best.”
When this little brat was first brought back, he was incredibly reserved and polite. But since they had grown familiar, Qiu Yin’an discovered that Wan Qiongju could sometimes be quite persistent, though coincidentally, he always managed to melt his heart.
Qiu Yin’an hesitated for a moment and said, “Fine. I wanted to find a place to have some tea anyway.”
The street was very narrow, and the shops on both sides were unevenly built, crammed together. It wasn’t a prosperous area, but the crowd was dense now. Qiu Yin’an was forced to become one of the vast throng.
Wan Qiongju walked ahead, tugging on his sleeve and pulling him forward. He turned back and said, “Don’t get lost.”
Wan Qiongju wasn’t as tall as him yet, and Qiu Yin’an had to lean slightly to accommodate him, making walking uncomfortable. If he took a slightly larger step, he risked stepping on Wan Qiongju’s heel.
The hot wind blew across their faces, and the sound waves were deafening. Being in the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd should have been irritating, especially for Qiu Yin’an. But at this moment, as he looked around, the bustle of the human sea didn’t seem as repulsive as he had imagined.
“We’re here,” Wan Qiongju said with a smile. “But we have to push forward a bit to see.”
Qiu Yin’an pulled his sleeve back. He looked at the three-layers-deep crowd, twisted together like dough, and his expression instantly froze.
Qiu Yin’an immediately decided to retreat. He turned to leave, leaving instructions for Wan Qiongju: “I’ll wait for you at the tea shop nearby. Find me in half an hour.”
“Master, we walked all this way?”
Wan Qiongju watched Qiu Yin’an’s resolute back. He didn’t understand why his Master had walked through the crowded street only to lose interest right at the doorstep.
Qiu Yin’an walked into the tea shop, finding a seat directly facing the crowd. He looked up and met Wan Qiongju’s eyes. Wan Qiongju’s gaze was filled with longing—Master, watch with me.
Fearing that Wan Qiongju would come over and pester him, Qiu Yin’an quickly turned his head, switched seats, and sat with his back to Wan Qiongju.
Qiu Yin’an ordered a pot of “First Fragrance of the Mortal World.” The tea was barely adequate for quenching thirst and didn’t warrant savoring. He took two sips and set it aside.
The entire pot of tea had gone cold, and Wan Qiongju still hadn’t come to find him. Bored, Qiu Yin’an went to look for Wan Qiongju. When he arrived, he saw Wan Qiongju still watching the performance with great enthusiasm.
Wan Qiongju quickly noticed his gaze, then pushed through the crowded people to reach his side. It was a hot day, and the crowd was suffocating. Qiu Yin’an felt very uncomfortable standing there. “Half an hour has passed.”
“Master, there’s one last act, the grand finale. Just wait a little longer.”
Wan Qiongju grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, then wrapped one arm behind him, holding him securely.
“You—” Qiu Yin’an’s attitude had been firm, but seeing Wan Qiongju’s thoughtfulness softened him. “Alright then.”
There were too many people around. Although Wan Qiongju was holding him and preventing others from pressing against him, Qiu Yin’an’s arm, which was trapped between them, was suffering because they were standing extremely close.
Qiu Yin’an shifted his body, raised his arm, and placed it on Wan Qiongju’s shoulder. He stood pressed against Wan Qiongju in a half-embrace.
Wan Qiongju turned to look at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“Why are you looking at me? Aren’t you going to watch the performance?” Qiu Yin’an ignored the confusion on the youth’s face, pinched his chin, and turned his head back. He commanded, “Watch.”
Following the sound of the gong, the performing man led someone out from the back. Qiu Yin’an found the person familiar. As he was trying to recall, he heard Wan Qiongju murmur, “Wang Dazhuang.”
“Wang Dazhuang?” Qiu Yin’an remembered completely. This was the Wang Dazhuang that Yao Ye had dealt with at Wanzong Mountain.
Wang Dazhuang’s neck was now wrapped with several coils of hemp rope. The ends of the rope were held by two bare-chested men. Wang Dazhuang’s face was turning blue and purple from the constriction. The two men continued to wrap the rope around his neck, coil after coil. Qiu Yin’an couldn’t fathom what kind of performance this was, yet some people in the crowd were cheering.
A man holding a wooden box happened to wander up to Qiu Yin’an. “This gentleman, you look extraordinary. You see how hard we’re performing, please give us a generous tip.”
Qiu Yin’an was repulsed by this morbid performance. He was more confused about how Wang Dazhuang had fallen to such a state. Someone in the crowd watching the show commented, “This isn’t exciting enough. I saw before that people soak the ropes in chili water. They can keep it wrapped for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and the person is still fine.”
Someone tossed a few pieces of broken silver into the wooden box. “Enough, it’s hard for everyone. That man’s face is turning blue. Don’t let him die.”
The man asking for money pushed the wooden box closer to Qiu Yin’an, hoping for a big payout. Qiu Yin’an was no bleeding heart, saving every piece of trash he saw. This man had tormented Wan Qiongju relentlessly before. At this moment, Qiu Yin’an considered it an act of virtue simply not to pay them to kill the man.
Qiu Yin’an didn’t care about Wang Dazhuang’s life, but he did care about Wan Qiongju’s reaction to seeing him. He asked with concern, “Still watching?”
“Master, Wang Dazhuang was sold, something must have happened at Wanzong Mountain.” Wan Qiongju frowned deeply. “The hawk is still at Wanzong Mountain. Before I left, he was the one who stole the hawk. We need to ask him where the hawk is.”
Qiu Yin’an tossed a gold ingot into the wooden box. He said, “Boss, let’s stop the show for today. Untie the rope from his neck. I need to ask him a couple of questions.”
The old performer’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold ingot. A group of people rushed out, grabbing the ingot and exclaiming about striking it rich. The boss holding the wooden box said, “Forget two questions, you can have the man himself.”
Having taken the money, the boss dispersed the crowd. Qiu Yin’an ordered him to drag Wang Dazhuang into a corner. Just then, another man rushed out. This was Wan Qiongju’s other cousin, Wang Dazhuang’s younger brother, Wang Xiaozhuang. He blocked his brother. “What are you people from Qingxuan Peak trying to do now?”
The boss whipped both of them once, then set up stools for Qiu Yin’an and Wan Qiongju, the two wealthy patrons, and greeted them warmly. “If you two sirs have anything to ask, I can help you.”
Qiu Yin’an gave him a cold look and waved his hand. “Go away.”
The man dared not say anything. He smiled awkwardly and went to a cooler corner on the other side.
Wan Qiongju said, “Wang Dazhuang, what happened at Wanzong Mountain? Where did you take my hawk?”
Wang Dazhuang twisted his neck and cursed, “You bastard, you’re lucky someone took you away. How dare you speak to me so harshly?”
Without a word, Wan Qiongju raised his foot and delivered a vicious kick to Wang Dazhuang’s head. “Stop the nonsense. Where is my hawk? If you don’t return it today, I’ll chop off your manhood.”
Wan Qiongju’s beautiful eyes were chillingly cold. He stood tall and straight, looking utterly sharp and domineering.
Qiu Yin’an chuckled softly, then placed one foot on the stool, crossing his arms like a spectator, leisurely waiting for Wan Qiongju to interrogate him.
Wang Dazhuang’s face was bruised and bloody, his nose spurting blood. But having been accustomed to bullying Wan Qiongju, he showed no sign of weakness despite his current predicament.
He continued to be arrogant. “You mean that dead beast? I plucked its feathers and ate it. Roasted the two legs, and made soup with the rest. Wan Qiongju, you really lucked out finding a good man. Now you have someone backing you up, so you dare to cross me.”
Wan Qiongju pulled a nail from the stool, flicked it, and embedded it in Wang Dazhuang’s mouth. He then swiftly yanked it out, tearing a gash from the corner of his lip to his ear. Instantly, the left half of Wang Dazhuang’s face was covered in blood.
Wan Qiongju said in a deep voice, “You know I have someone backing me, yet you still court death.”
Wang Dazhuang screamed heartbreakingly, rolling on the ground. The performing troupe scattered far away, no one daring to intervene.
Qiu Yin’an was momentarily stunned. He had never seen Wan Qiongju like this. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart, but he certainly didn’t dislike it.
Wang Xiaozhuang, standing nearby, was splashed with blood and completely terrified. Wan Qiongju looked at him calmly and asked, “What about you? Are you going to talk?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you everything.”
Wang Xiaozhuang trembled with fear. “A few days after you were taken away by the people from Qingxuan Peak, another group arrived. They also claimed to be from Qingxuan Peak. That man was extremely aggressive. They started fighting after just a few words. He brought many people, and we couldn’t defeat them. He crippled our men, and Wanzong Mountain was destroyed by him. The hawk was also taken away.”
“People from Qingxuan Peak?” Qiu Yin’an frowned. Chen Liang still came. No, that’s not right. Chen Liang’s goal was to send him away so he could steal cultivation manuals from West Mountain Hall. Damn it, could it be that Yu Jingyan?
Qiu Yin’an asked, “Did the leader have a face where half of it was mouth?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Wang Xiaozhuang said. “A huge mouth, I’ve never seen one so big.”
It was Yu Jingyan, indeed. That man had no real ability, but he was excellent at being disgusting.
Wan Qiongju said, “Master, now we don’t need to go to Wanzong Mountain.”
“That’s right. I wonder what foolish thing that idiot Yu Jingyan is up to.” This person wasn’t difficult to deal with, but Qiu Yin’an disdained dealing with him. In Qiu Yin’an’s eyes, Yu Jingyan was like a large-mouthed toad; just squatting there motionless was enough to make one feel sick for a while.
Wang Dazhuang endured the pain and stood up. He raised a stick, aiming for the back of Wan Qiongju’s head, preparing for a fatal blow.
When he was five steps away from Wan Qiongju, a wave of bloody stench rushed into Qiu Yin’an’s nostrils. Qiu Yin’an turned to see Wang Dazhuang’s eyes wide open, as if possessed, crouching low and charging toward Wan Qiongju. Qiu Yin’an stepped forward and kicked the man, sending him flying in a spin before he landed. “Trying to sneak attack at that speed.”
Qiu Yin’an was slightly exasperated. He turned his head to Wan Qiongju. “What do you plan to do with these two?”
“They belong to the boss. I can’t control them.” Wan Qiongju grinned at him, then hooked his arm through Qiu Yin’an’s. “Master, let’s go back to Qingxuan Peak.”