Chapter Seventy-Five: Tracking Down the Enemy in Lincheng

  The appearance of Qin Xiao Yue suddenly greatly increased Qin Yun's vigilance.

  With the fall of Lao Zu, Qin Wenbing is already restless, and now with the addition of Qin Xiaoyue, whose power far surpasses that of Qin Wenbing, the pressure he faces within the family is undoubtedly enormous.

  Qin Yun deeply understood that entering the Tian Cheng Sword Sect was his only way out.

  However, the Jianzong Sect's mountain gate is not open yet, and Qin Yun cannot simply turn a blind eye and leave immediately. Otherwise, just the reputation of betraying his family would be enough to make him unable to stand in Yan Yun.

  Even with a letter of recommendation from Lao Zu in hand, it's likely that one would still find it difficult to gain the approval and acceptance of Tian Cheng.

  So Qin Yun still had to endure and hold on for another month within the family.

  No matter how bad the situation may be or how difficult the circumstances will become, he would never regret refusing Qin Xiaoyue's terms.

  As a man, there are things one must not do and things one must do!

  Three days later, it was time again for the Foreign Affairs Hall to issue a new task.

  As before, Qin Yun arrived at the You Rang Lou early in the morning.

  He again lowered his head and closed the door without going out, and the tasks assigned at the entrance of the hall still had to be completed.

  The official in charge of assigning tasks flipped through the task book and said, "You have seven tasks to choose from. The first one is to deliver a letter to Nanling County, the second task is to escort a convoy..."

  Qin Yun furrowed his brow, most of these tasks had a long time cycle, if something unexpected happened during the task, it was likely that he would not make it to the big event in September.

  But the last task did make his eyes light up.

  In the southwestern direction of Qianchao City, hundreds of miles away from Lincheng, a group of bandits has recently appeared in the mountain city area, specializing in attacking passing merchants and local farms, wantonly committing evil.

  This gang of thieves is not large in number and not very powerful, and they don't dare to provoke any local forces with real power. Their small-time troubles originally didn't catch the attention of the Qin family.

  However, the lord of the estate they raided had some dealings with the Qin family. After seeking help from the Lincheng authorities to no avail, they sought out the Qin family in desperation, hoping that the Qin family could intervene and rescue several family members who were taken away.

  Such a thing is not worth mentioning for the vast Qin family, so it was directly handed over to the Outer Affairs Hall for handling, and the corresponding task was issued from the hall.

  This task requires Qin Yun to go to the Lincheng area to investigate the bandits' whereabouts, find the exact location of their lair, and if possible, give a thunderous blow to thoroughly eliminate them and rescue the hostages.

  Lincheng is not too far from Qianchao City. Qin Yun estimated that if everything went smoothly, it would take half a month to resolve the issue, and at most, it would be delayed for seven or eight days, which wouldn't interfere with his plans.

  So he took over the task.

  After Qin Yun left, the manager who assigned him tasks handed over his work to a colleague next to him and left the Ryōjūrō building immediately after Qin Yun.

  The steward wandered around in the main hall for a while and came to a small building.

  "Thank you, Miss. Everything has been taken care of." He said respectfully to the beautiful woman leaning on the soft couch: "That kid really did take on the task of Lin City!"

  Although he lowered his head, his practical eyes still couldn't help but sneak a peek at the woman's bulging parts, because her appearance and figure were simply too enticing.

  If Qin Yun were present, he would recognize at a glance that this beautiful woman was none other than Xie Wanqing, the concubine of Qin Xiao Yue.

  "Hmm, you've done well, and the young master will remember your contributions! " Xie Wanqing nodded in satisfaction: "However, you must remember to keep your mouth shut tight, if I hear any rumors outside..."

  Looking at the cold light revealed in the eyes of this snake scorpion beauty, Guan Shi's heart trembled as if a basin of ice water was poured on his head, and all thoughts disappeared.

  He hastily swore an oath: "Please rest assured, even if I die, I will absolutely not reveal half a word, otherwise I will be struck by lightning and won't die a good death!"

  "You know best!" Xie Wanqing smiled coldly, the fierce look in her eyes growing even more intense: "No one can be an enemy of the Young Master!"

  "Go back and be diligent!"

  "Yes sir!" The steward secretly wiped a cold sweat and hastily retreated from the small building.

  ……

  At this moment, Qin Yun did not know that a surging undercurrent was rushing towards him. After receiving the task, he immediately began to make preparations.

  In these six months, he has accumulated a lot of experience in his external tasks, so he is confident and calm in his actions.

  The supplies and equipment to be carried with you must be purchased in full, the horses for replacement must be applied for from the hall, and the little fox at home was entrusted to Qin Mingzhu as before.

  This task is undoubtedly what Qin Mingzhu was most willing to help with.

  After making all preparations, Qin Yun set out alone on horseback from Qianchao City the next morning and embarked on his journey to Lincheng.

  He went southwest along the highway.

  Traveling day and night, Qin Yun finally saw the small town hidden among the mountains after running on horseback for almost four days.

  Lincheng is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a small plain to the east and a small river originating from the mountains that winds its way through the eastern part of the city.

  It's autumn now, the wheat fields on both sides of the road have turned golden, and the wind blowing through the fields creates waves of wheat.

  The air was filled with the fragrance of wheat and osmanthus, causing Qin Yun, who had been traveling in a hurry, to relax his mood unintentionally when he arrived here.

  The horse's hooves clattered as he stepped onto the flat, hard bluestone road and entered the city.

  Lincheng is a small mountain town with a population of only tens of thousands. The buildings in the city are mostly low and old, without any prosperous scenery.

  However, in the city and outside the city, on both sides of the streets, many osmanthus trees were planted. Many large trees are quite old, with small yellow, golden white, and light green flowers blooming among the dark green leaves, emitting a sweet fragrance.

  The wind blows and the fragrance fills the city, which is another enchanting scenery.

  When he entered the city, a light drizzle started falling from the sky, so he casually found an inn by the street and went in.

  He left the horse to his companion and went upstairs to wash away the dust, feeling refreshed. Qin Yun then walked over to the wine tower next to the inn for a meal.

  Under the enthusiastic invitation of the wine shop attendant, he ordered five good dishes and a jar of local famous Osmanthus Chen wine.

  However, as he drank the fragrant and soft Osmanthus wine and ate the tender lamb meat, Qin Yun was somewhat absent-minded.

  This time's task doesn't seem too difficult, and the opponent isn't a notorious outlaw like Guan Shanfeng, so with his current abilities he should be able to handle it.

  The trouble is, this gang of thieves is extremely cunning and elusive, with no one knowing where their lair is.

  That household's master was also suddenly attacked at night, and it wasn't until later when they received a ransom note from the thieves that they knew who had done it.

  Locals didn't even know, let alone Qin Yun as an outsider trying to find his whereabouts.

  After some thought, he decided to follow the usual procedure and go to that household to ask questions, see if he could find any useful clues, at least first understand some of their situation.

  The wind and rain outside grew even stronger, with fierce gusts howling down the streets, whipping up fallen leaves and pebbles that clattered against the windows, while large raindrops pounded against the roof tiles.

  Someone rushed in from the street, running upstairs while loudly calling out to the waiter: "What a big rain! Waiter, bring me a pot of Osmanthus wine and add three small dishes!"

  "Alright!" The fellow replied hastily: "Wait a moment, Dr. Chen, I'll be right there!"

  Qin Yun's heart moved as he sat in a second-floor window seat, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look.

  He heard the sound of the approaching person and felt somewhat familiar.

  "Chen Li!"

  The person who hastily went upstairs to avoid the rain was none other than Chen Li, the young man he had met in Manglongshan.

  At that time, Qin Yun was attacked by a black-clothed old man while collecting Biye grass. It was Chen Li who helped him kill the opponent at the critical moment, and also got the Jinzhen bee.

  Later, the two parted ways, and Chen Lizheng went to Lincheng to rely on his relatives.

  It's been a long time since they last met, and the young man who was once filled with great hatred and helpless sorrow has grown up quite a bit, so much so that Qin Yun couldn't believe his eyes at first glance.

  Qin Yun did not expect that he had just arrived in Lin City today and would actually run into an acquaintance!

  Chen Ligang was on the second floor, wiping off the rain with a towel when he heard the sound and looked up to see Qin Yun. He was stunned: "Qin Ge, how did you get here?"

  He was overjoyed and threw down the towel, rushing to Qin Yun's side: "Brother Qin Yun, did you come looking for me on purpose?"

  Qin Yun smiled and said: "I'm here in Lincheng on business, let's sit down and talk!"

  Chen Li was so excited that he became somewhat flustered and it took a long time for his emotions to calm down.

  From his mouth, Qin Yun learned that he had come to Lincheng to rely on his relatives at the beginning, but he was unwilling to live a life of dependence on others, so he used the money he had collected in the Taoist temple to open a pharmacy in the city.

  Chen Licheng followed the old man in black and learned a few medical skills. With his own knowledge of medicinal herbs and possession of medical books, he began to practice medicine while trading medicinal materials, gradually gaining some reputation in Lincheng.

  His uncle is also a wealthy family in the local area, and he has had a good life with his relatives. Recently, his uncle even arranged for him to find a marriage.

  The young man chattered on and on, saying a lot of things, and afterwards felt a bit embarrassed: "Qin Yun big brother, how are you doing now?"

  "I can still..." Qin Yun smiled and replied.

  He didn't hesitate much and told the other party about his purpose of coming to Lincheng.

  After all, the two can also be considered as life-and-death friends, Chen Li would not harm himself, and Qin Yun also hoped to get some useful information from his mouth.

  After listening to Qin Yun's words, Chen Li's expression turned serious.

  He looked around cautiously and lowered his voice, saying: "Qin Yun, big brother, I might know where that gang of thieves is hiding?"

  Qin Yun's spirits lifted immediately: "Do you know the location of their lair?"

  What a pleasant surprise!