Chapter 107: The 107th Day of Retirement Those useless people better use their brains...
Mingxin looked at Sang Qiqi, then at Duan Sui.
Even the day he learned of Duan Sui's appearance at the funeral service, he'd already had a vague feeling that he harbored ill intentions toward Sang Qiqi. After all, the wariness and dislike hidden in Duan Sui's gaze were all too apparent. Whenever he got even close to Sang Qiqi, Duan Sui's half-smile seemed to have substance, as if he'd snapped his hand and thrown it into the trash if it touched Sang Qiqi.
——A man’s jealousy is fully displayed in Duan Sui.
But it was clear that Sang Qiqi was completely clueless about her feelings, completely oblivious to the presence of someone lurking around her. Mingxin had assumed Duan Sui's crush would last a long time, but how long had it been since they'd finally reached this point of rapport?
Sensing the smell of dog food quietly wafting through the air, Mingxin changed his arms-crossing posture and raised his hands to fan his nose in disgust.
Mingwu noticed his movements out of the corner of his eye, but paid no attention. He was more interested in knowing what had become of Qingyang.
I've heard from my master and uncle about many cruel torture methods in my life, but this is the first time I've seen someone's soul being torn out directly like Sang Qiqi did. Looking at Sang Qiqi's calm expression, it seems this isn't the first time she's done this.
He lowered his eyes and did not describe Sang Qiqi's behavior as "cruel".
Ever since learning of what had transpired in Beiqing Village, Mingwu had been acutely aware of the magnitude of Qingyang's threat. Perhaps one day, when their fellow disciples in Liuyun were unprepared, their souls would be blinded, becoming lambs to be slaughtered, their flesh and souls offered to the so-called gods.
Wherever the "gods" set foot, there will be widespread suffering and misery.
Sang Qiqi's current actions are just to save innocent humans in time.
On the other side, Sang Qiqi, who did not catch the restless moods of the three people in Liuyun Temple, only pulled out half of Qingyang's soul. Before coming, she knew that Qingyang's body had not yet fully recovered, so in order to torture the other party, she had to avoid the other party's body, so the soul became the best place to vent.
Looking at the sweat-drenched, horribly pale face in front of her, Sang Qiqi blinked and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
Qingyang's teeth were chattering in pain.
He had long known that Sang Qiqi was a woman of extraordinary means, and now that he had truly experienced this, Qingyang simply wanted to cut Sang Qiqi into pieces.
He gritted his teeth. The smell of blood in his mouth made his mind clear a little. His eyes were filled with hatred as he said word by word: "You, don't, think about it."
Sang Qiqi: "...Your words are much harder than Qianxu's."
Hearing Qianxu's name, Qingyang's expression, which was filled with hatred until his eyes were about to turn bloodshot, changed. Unexpectedly, he opened his mouth and laughed hoarsely. The sound seemed to be squeezed out from some old machine. He stared into Sang Qiqi's eyes, as if he saw through her, and then said, "You don't need to test me with Qianxu. If he really said it, why did you come to me? It's nothing more than he didn't say it, so you pinned your hopes on me. But I tell you, I won't say anything, no matter how you torture me."
Sang Qiqi: “…”
Her expression suddenly became complicated.
It's not that Qingyang hit the nail on the head, but rather——
She asked seriously, "Do you have any misunderstandings about Qianxu? Is he the kind of noble guy who is willing to keep a secret and never speak until his death?"
Not only that, he even hopes that others will be as unlucky as him.
Qingyang: “…”
Sang Qiqi recounted the facts slowly and calmly, "The day I arrested him, he couldn't wait to tell me everything about your Nine Nether Gods Society. For example, your Nine Nether Gods Society currently has twelve branch leaders. These leaders were all selected by the person behind you. Their sole purpose was to cultivate so-called gods while he was in seclusion."
"Aside from Pingyangzi and Qianxu, Yinqi is in charge of Changyi Province, Fanbei is in charge of Pingtan, and Gongxiang is in charge of Lan County..."
As Sang Qiqi spoke each familiar name, Qingyang's expression darkened to a gloomier hue than the surrounding black fog. He had never imagined that Qianxu, who always spoke of "loyalty," would, after being arrested, reveal the names of all the responsible individuals to Sang Qiqi like a funnel.
But, maybe it’s just the name.
Unfortunately, just as this self-deceptive thought faded, Sang Qiqi said with a smile, "Although Yinqi is a Taoist priest, he disguised himself as a monk and served as the abbot of a temple in the capital of Changyi Province. What's his Buddhist name? Oh, Huiming, right?"
Qingyang's face suddenly twisted.
"Actually, I can probably guess what you're thinking. You just think that if you tell me everything, I'll kill you when I decide you're no longer useful." Sang Qiqi propped up her chin and spoke in a casual tone, but the meaning behind her words was completely different from her expression. She said, "Don't worry, I won't tell you anything like, 'I'll let you go if you tell the truth.'"
She stared at Qingyang and said word by word, "Tomorrow I will arrest all the leaders of the Jiuyou Tongshenhui branch and put the blame on you. When the master behind the Jiuyou Tongshenhui investigates, they'll find out that it was you who betrayed the Jiuyou Tongshenhui and leaked all its secrets. Then I'll let you go, and your fate will be determined by the other party."
"Are you crazy?!" Qingyang's eyes suddenly widened, the hatred and fear in his eyes becoming more and more obvious. He roared, "That adult won't believe it!"
"How do you know he won't believe it? You're being held captive at Liuyun Temple for interrogation. Besides us, who else knows whether you've betrayed the Nine Nether Divine Society? After all, once the seed of doubt is planted, it will always grow into a towering tree. Besides, you're not an indispensable part of the Nine Nether Divine Society. Killing you is killing you, isn't it? And given his personality, it's only natural for him to vent his anger on me, right?"
As the last words of Sang Qiqi faded away in his ears, Qingyang's face turned completely gray.
He had been holding back because he still harbored a lingering desire: he had met the master behind the Nine Nether Divine Society. Though cloaked in a black cloak, the powerful aura he exuded intimidated everyone. He could wipe out a branch leader in the blink of an eye.
Having witnessed the other party's strength, Qingyang always felt that even if Sang Qiqi caught Qianxu or him at this moment, it would be of no use, because with that person's strength, what he asked for would definitely succeed.
As long as the other party succeeds, death will never be waiting for him.
But now, Sang Qiqi's words were tantamount to hanging him on a cliff, and the rope that tied him could break at any time.
Qingyang's breathing became extremely rapid, and his mouth opened and closed. This posture showed that he was very annoyed, and he just wanted to take out a curse and cast it on the other person to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, his master and senior brothers were there, so the curse he snatched from Su Shi was useless. But he still couldn't bear it anymore and asked impatiently, "Will you tell me?"
Qingyang's body collapsed, his back gradually bent, and he asked with a pursed lip, "What do you want to know?"
When Sang Qiqi heard these words, she exclaimed, "I should have asked this earlier."
She said, "Tell all the disciples from the various Taoist temples who you have encouraged to become members of the Jiuyou Tongshen Society over the years. Don't leave any of them behind."
Qingyang rubbed his face vigorously with his fingers and sneered, "It seems Qianxu really said everything."
Unlike Qianxu and his group, although he is not the head of a branch, he actually has a difficult task on his shoulders - relying on his identity as the Taoist priest of Liuyun Temple, he must recruit suitable Taoist priests for the Jiuyou Tongshen Society and thereby expand the strength of the Jiuyou Tongshen Society.
Qingyang exhaled slowly, and quickly named a Taoist temple that everyone present was familiar with: "The current abbot of Huanlongtai, Lingyun, is one of them."
Not only that, the death of the old abbot of Huanlongtai was also closely related to the Jiuyou Tongshen Society.
He wanted to win over Ling Yun, so he had to show his sincerity. To Ling Yun, the existence of the old master of Huanlongtai was a barrier to his advancement. As long as he was alive, the position of master of Huanlongtai would always belong to Su Shi. Therefore, the conditions Ling Yun offered were -
If you kill the old abbot for me, I will serve you, the Jiuyou Tongshen Society.
Over the years, Qingyang's methods of co-opting the influence of various Taoist temples across the country have remained largely the same, almost always exploiting their desires and ambitions to foster cooperation. Occasional non-cooperation was unimportant. The Nine Netherworld Divine Society's influence was gradually expanding, and with many capable individuals, killing a Taoist priest wouldn't be a big deal.
"You guys are truly... heartless." Mingwu whispered to himself.
More than half an hour later, Sang Qiqi handed Taiwei Sanren a piece of paper with the names of Taoist temples and Taoist priests written on it. Taiwei Sanren just glanced at it and his face turned very ugly.
There are too many familiar names on this paper.
"He's talking nonsense, right? The old abbot of Qingming Pavilion is always smiling and so kind. Last time we met, he even picked some fruit from their backyard for me to eat. Is he also a lackey of the Jiuyou Tongshen Society?" Mingxin couldn't control his voice and looked at Qingyang with suspicion. "Is he deliberately writing good people as bad guys to trick us?"
The more I think about it, the more possible it seems.
Sang Qiqi waved her hand: "No, he wouldn't dare."
Speaking of not daring, the doubts that had been lingering in Mingxin surged from his heart again. He squeezed next to Sang Qiqi and whispered in her ear, "I was just about to ask, you threatening him with letting Qingyang take the blame... something seems amiss. If he lets go, he'll die, and if he doesn't, he'll die too. Since it's all death, he can definitely disgust us and die at the hands of the Jiuyou Tongshen Society."
Sang Qiqi glanced at him and blurted out the big news: "That's because he has a son outside."
Mingxin: “?!”
What? !
Sang Qiqi hugged her elbows, leaning against Duan Sui as if he were a pillar, and said nonchalantly, "His son is still young and hasn't done anything wrong. Of course I won't kill him, but if it's the Jiuyou Tongshen Society, I'm not sure."
...No wonder Sang Qiqi said during the negotiation with Qingyang, "Given the other party's personality, it's only natural for him to vent his anger on others." So this is what she meant.
But, when did this traitor carry their son on his back?!
Ming Xin's voice got louder. "Not only does he have time to be a lackey for the Jiuyou Tongshen Society, he also has time to have a son outside! Where does he find the time?"
"Forget about sons or not for now. Let's first see what to do with the people on this list." Sang Qiqi was amazed at Mingxin's completely off-topic focus and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Then, turning her gaze to Taiwei Sanren and Mingwu, she said, "As for the rest of your Liuyun Temple affairs, I won't get involved. Duan Sui and I will be leaving first."
Taiwei Sanren nodded and bowed: "Goodbye, Boss Sang."
-
Back at the funeral service, Sang Qiqi was still holding the candied haws skewers that Duan Sui had bought for her. They were made with fresh strawberries and syrup. The sweetness of the outer shell and the slight sourness of the inside made Sang Qiqi exclaim in delight.
Standing behind Duan Sui and watching him leave, Sang Qiqi suddenly raised her voice and hummed, then asked, "Did you notice anything wrong?"
Duan Sui's eyes fell on the door handle, which was empty. The wooden sign that read "The boss is out with his family for dinner, so we are temporarily closed^^" was nowhere to be seen. Looking more closely, he saw a thin layer of sawdust on the ground.
Sang Qiqi also followed his gaze and saw the scene. She immediately raised her eyebrows and softly exclaimed, "Could that evil ghost have come here again?"
Duan Sui thought thoughtfully, "It seems so. He is also very angry about you using the money you earned from him to eat."
"How stingy! It's only ten thousand yuan." Sang Qiqi bit into the candied haws with a loud crunch, expressing her disdain for the evil ghost's stingy behavior. "If I wasn't afraid that he would lose control on the spot, I would have asked for a hundred or eighty thousand. Lowering the price to eight thousand is already quite a courtesy."
Sang Qiqi rubbed the sawdust to the side with her toes, opened the door and continued her business.
The second day.
While the news about Ning Changsheng's involvement in 42 homicides has not yet completely subsided, a new police notice issued by the Beijing North Public Security Bureau has once again climbed to the top of Weibo's hot search list.
Beijing North Public Security Bureau: At 6:23 this morning, citizens of our city found a body at the foot of Yanshan Mountain. The case is still under investigation.
A simple sentence once again caused a stir on the Internet.
[Don't ask, I'm a citizen of this city. I never want to get up early in the morning to climb a mountain again. I'll either step on a snake or see a corpse. Closing my eyes means death.]
[At the scene, let me reveal: the deceased was a Taoist priest]
[Holy crap, the photo circulating on my WeChat Moments is real?! I thought it was a prank!]
[@Upstairs, want to see photos]
[I'm posting this secretly, so you can read it secretly, otherwise I'm afraid the internet police will arrest me /doge. Also, a warning: the body is almost rotten, so you can only barely see the facial features and clothing. Be prepared.]
[Why is it a Taoist priest again? I almost get PTSD just seeing the word Taoist priest now.]
[Who says it isn't true? I saw a post on a gossip forum a few days ago that said Ning Changsheng had done many things worse than animals and that he couldn't have done without the help of Taoist priests. As a result, I feel scared and cry when I hear the word "Taoist priest" now.]
[Then the question arises: was the Taoist priest who died this time a good Taoist priest or a bad Taoist priest?]
Changyi Province, Fumin County.
Located on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Fade Temple is always bustling with activity. The monks here are renowned for their kindness and their effectiveness in praying for children, marriage, and career, attracting countless pilgrims from all over the country.
Abbot Huiming left the monks' quarters early and passed several pilgrims on their way to the Fade Temple for retreat. They both clasped their hands and bowed to greet each other. One of the young pilgrims enthusiastically invited Huiming, "Master Huiming, we're on our way to the dining hall. Why don't we join us?"
Huiming naturally did not refuse.
The breakfast at Fade Temple is famous for its deliciousness. Even the steamed buns seem to be softer than those outside.
Huiming was sitting at a table with a few pilgrims, chatting quietly when a low cry of surprise rang out from behind him: "Oh my god, the news says that the body of a Taoist priest was found at the foot of Yanshan Mountain in northern Beijing."
"Why is there another Taoist priest?" The person traveling with me murmured, "It's a good thing I don't believe in Taoism."
Taoist priest?
Huiming's originally somewhat languid expression gradually regained clarity. He lowered his eyes and frowned.
The Ning Changsheng incident had been making quite a stir lately. As the head of the Changyi branch, he wasn't worried about it, but rather just enjoying the fun. After all, his relationships with Qianxu and Pingyangzi weren't very good. When things had gone wrong in Qianxu's Beiqing Village, Qianxu had pointed the finger at Pingyangzi at a meeting, leading to a brawl between the two. Now, with the wealthy man Pingyangzi had recruited in trouble, he subconsciously assumed Qianxu was seeking revenge against him.
I just didn’t expect Qianxu to be so brave, and I don’t know what Pingyangzi’s mood is now.
From his point of view, another quarrel was inevitable.
He had just wanted to watch the excitement, but now when he heard the words 'corpse of a Taoist priest', he felt uneasy.
Standing up, he asked the two pilgrims behind him, "Dear donors, could you please share the news with me?"
"Master Huiming?" The pilgrim holding his phone exclaimed, then laughed, "I didn't even realize you were sitting behind us. Here, take it."
The phone was pressed into Huiming's palm. As the monk lowered his head, his finger happened to touch the comment, and immediately, a clear photo caught his eye. As he took in the other person's features, Huiming's pupils narrowed, and his fingers gripping the phone tightened. The clicking sound was unusually distinct in the silent dining hall. The pilgrim stared anxiously at his phone, unable to resist raising his voice to remind him, "Master Huiming?"
Huiming quickly came back to his senses, closed his eyes and said "Amitabha".
When returning the phone to the pilgrim, he kindly said, "Don't click on the photos, donor."
After hearing this, the pilgrim realized that Master Huiming was probably shocked by the Taoist priest's death in the photo. It made sense, after all, monks don't kill, so naturally they can't stand seeing such bloody things.
He nodded yes repeatedly.
A few minutes later, Huiming, uninterested in breakfast, returned to the monks' quarters. He pulled out his phone, downloaded the app, and once again clicked on the Beijing North Public Security Bureau's comments section. However, when he looked again, the original, uncensored photo had been blocked. Huiming struggled to find the photo among the other comments, and upon opening it again, he confirmed that the Taoist priest who had died at the foot of Yanshan Mountain in Beijing North was none other than Qianxu!
His expression became increasingly uglier, and he muttered, "Pingyangzi is really crazy!"
Did Pingyangzi dare to kill Qianxu just because of that little conflict? Although Qianxu's status was slightly lower than Pingyangzi, the head of the Jingbei branch, he was chosen by that master himself. No matter what, Pingyangzi had no right to deal with Qianxu!
Furthermore, if Pingyangzi can kill Qianxu today because of a conflict, he can kill any one of them tomorrow because of the same conflict!
No, this must be made known to others!
Huiming took a deep breath and quickly contacted the heads of other branches.
Pingtan.
Fan Bei sat in the village store, looking at the messages on his mobile phone and the photo without mosaics, his brows gradually froze.
Qianxu is dead?
According to Huiming, it was Pingyangzi who killed the man?
He frowned and called back. As soon as the call was connected, he said, "I think this matter is a bit strange. Pingyangzi does hold a grudge and his methods are cruel, but he is a cautious person. Even if he really killed Qianxu, he would not leave Qianxu's body behind. He has several evil spirits around him, and those evil spirits are fully capable of devouring Qianxu's body."
Hui Ming was stunned by his words. He touched his bald head and thought that what Fan Bei said made sense.
But before he could speak, Fan Bei continued, "But no matter who killed Qianxu, we should probably get together and figure out what happened. And the fact that Qianxu, a person in charge of Yuantie Province, died in Jingbei is really strange. Even if Pingyangzi didn't kill him, he might know something."
"Okay, then let's do as you say."
-
Beijing North.
Pingyangzi received three messages in total.
First, the evil ghost sent to kill Ning Changsheng failed.
Second, there is no problem with Sang Qiqi.
Third, Qianxu was dead, and his body was found by the police.
Although none of this was good news, Pingyangzi wasn't overly surprised. Fortunately, Shuyang had a capable helper behind him, and it wasn't surprising that he'd left someone in Ning Changsheng's ward to fend off the evil spirit. As for Sang Qiqi, she was just a minor celebrity, and no matter how you looked at her, she only had a pretty face. And according to rumors, she even had a Taoist priest helping her in Huo Chengji's case.
Ping Yangzi had expected Qianxu to die, but seeing his body dumped out so carelessly made him think too much. He stared at the thought, and the next second he received a message. When he saw the message clearly, he scoffed, "What a joke."
At the same time, he finally realized why Qianxu's body appeared in front of the public in broad daylight.
This was clearly an attempt to frame Pingyangzi and sow discord among their Jiuyou Tongshen Society!
In the past, Pingyangzi might have just said coldly, "I'm not interested, I won't go." But if he didn't attend this branch head meeting now, it would undoubtedly tell everyone that he, Pingyangzi, was guilty!
His face darkened, and he raised his hand and slammed it on the armrest of the sofa.
There was a loud cracking sound and the armrest cracked.
He thought, those losers had better bring their brains to the meeting.
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