But before Shang Qinghua started his investigation, he went to Bai Zhan Peak.
Normally speaking, in terms of seniority, Qing Jing Peak was ranked second in Cang Qiong Mountain and Bai Zhan Peak was ranked seventh. After making his deliveries to the first-ranked Qiong Ding Peak, his next stop should have been Qing Jing. But on the one hand, Shen Qingqiu was too hard to please, and Shang Qinghua had to rack his brains every time he went to figure out how not to offend him. On the other hand, Bai Zhan Peak loved fighting, so Shang Qinghua felt safer giving them their funds first.
Safer how? Mm, it was precisely the sense of safety a small shop-owner felt when handing his protection fee to the local gang boss…
The one who greeted him was Liu Qingge’s shidi, Ji Jue, who was as enthusiastic as always. The two exchanged some small talk, and after the handover was complete, Ji Jue said, “Shang-shixiong, take care, I’m returning to the training grounds.”
When Shang Qinghua realized that Ji Jue seemed reluctant to see him leave, he said, “Liu-shidi has been staying at Bai Zhan Peak more often lately. Has any shidi had a sudden increase in cultivation?”
Liu Qingge spent all his time in the outside world looking for people to fight. No one on Bai Zhan Peak was a match for him, and he typically only came back once a month at most. Whenever Bai Zhan Peak’s disciples and juniors flocked to Qian Cao Peak to seek treatment, that meant he had just returned. But lately, Qian Cao Peak’s doorsteps had nearly been trampled flat by those great lords from Bai Zhan Peak, and the medicinal peak’s funds were getting light. Mu Qingfang had started to ask Shang Qinghua for loans every few days, which Shang Qinghua found strange. He couldn’t help but wonder, had an extraordinary genius who could stand up to Liu Qingge appeared on Bai Zhan Peak? So, he asked.
Ji Jue drooped in gloom. “It’s not our peak. It’s Shen Qingqiu.”
Shang Qinghua hadn’t expected any earth-shattering news, so he just smiled and nodded. “Oh, Shen Qingqiu, ah… Shen Qingqiu?!”
As Shang Qinghua digested the enormous amount of information contained in those two words, he was almost ascended out of shock on the spot.
Shen Qingqiu? At Bai Zhan Peak? At the Bai Zhan training grounds, no less? Doing what? Getting a one-sided beatdown from Liu Qingge? No, given his skill in drawing aggro, it was probably a group beatdown—but what if it became fatal? He’s an important scum villain, you know! If he gets beaten to death, who’s going to torment Bing-ge?!
“Shang-shixiong, what’s that look in your eye?!” Ji Jue asked after a silence. “Don’t look at me like that—we didn’t kill anyone! Shen Qingqiu is still alive, and no one’s done anything to him! You should be asking what he did to us!”
So, Shang Qinghua jogged with Ji Jue all the way to the training grounds.
On the high basalt platform, Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu were in actual fact merely crossing swords in an orderly match.
Liu Qingge’s movements were much slower than usual. Rather than calling it crossing swords, you might as well have called it feeding his opponent training strikes. The space between his brows was still rather smooth, and it emanated none of his typical homicidal tendencies.
Just then, Shen Qingqiu’s sword struck air. He knitted his brows, and his left hand twitched.
Shang Qinghua’s heart suddenly stretched taut. He glanced at Ji Jue out of the corner of his eye and saw that his expression also twitched, like he had an urge to shout out loud.
The two glanced at each other in a flash of wordless under-standing.
Ji Jue, his heart still palpitating, said in a low voice, “I always feel like Shen Qingqiu is about to deploy a concealed weapon dipped in poison or something.”
Shang Qinghua expressed his deep agreement. “Heroes think alike!”
It looked like Ji-shidi understood this character very thoroughly. Exactly what he expected from the fellow who had once picked a fight with Shen Qingqiu at a brothel; they were old enemies who had both soundly lost the faces of two whole peaks…
Shen Qingqiu drew back Xiu Ya and stopped to think. For one, he didn’t let out a laugh cold like rustling wind, and for two, he didn’t look askance at anyone. If one looked at him now, one would see a mild brow and peaceful gaze that still carried a modest air of elegant nobility.
Soon after, Shen Qingqiu said, “I don’t understand.”
Liu Qingge flicked a swift and fierce flourish with his sword. “Don’t understand what?”
A disciple next to Ji Jue muttered, “Heavens, he doesn’t understand again.”
“I…I can’t take it anymore…” another disciple said quietly. “My stomach feels bad, I’m going back…”
“Shidi, wait for me, me too…” Ji Jue said hurriedly.
His shidi pushed him back. “Stay! Didn’t you just get back?!”
On the platform, Shen Qingqiu said, “Just then, in those few moves, if I blocked your sword with my right hand and let loose a spiritual blast with my left, finding an opportunity to strike your stomach, I would have had a chance of winning.”
“Not possible,” Liu Qingge scoffed.
“Most possible,” Shen Qingqiu persisted.
“If you could have won, why didn’t you try it?”
“Isn’t this just sparring?” Shen Qingqiu said, aloof. “Attacking in earnest would be out of line.”
Liu Qingge didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he yelled into the crowd below the platform. “You, get up here!”
The person he selected ascended the platform with an expression like the hero Yi Shui, grimly prepared to stare death in the face. Using the method Shen Qingqiu had suggested, they traded a few blows with Liu Qingge—before getting blown straight off the platform by Cheng Luan.
Liu Qingge sheathed his sword and turned to Shen Qingqiu. “See? It wouldn’t work.”
Shen Qingqiu snapped open his fan and waved it in front of his chest. “I see,” he said, all smiles. “Liu-shidi’s reflexes are too fast. It wouldn’t work after all.”
“Every time he says ‘I don’t understand,’ Liu-shixiong grabs someone to demonstrate until he understands…” Ji Jue quietly complained to Shang Qinghua.