Chapter 108: Meeting the Enemy [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Back in the room, I found signs that it had been ransacked.
All that's missing is a scrap of paper for practicing calligraphy.
Qi Shan seemed to be thinking of something, and a disdainful and contemptuous sneer escaped his lips. His eyes flashed with a cold light, revealing his murderous intent.
He blinked and his expression returned to blank.
Meow~~~
The little Su Shang tugged at his clothes.
Looking down, she met a pair of wet, watery green eyes. The owner of those eyes was meowing softly, as if asking Qi Shan where she had been all day. Qi Shan bent down, picked her up, and smiled as she touched Su Shang's little nose with the tip of her nose.
"Su Shang, have you missed your father?"
The cat couldn't understand human speech; it just scratched his sleeve with its paws.
Qi Shan chuckled, "Alright, alright, you have such a keen nose, you can smell me no matter where I'm hiding. Eat up, eat up, don't bother your father for now, tomorrow your father will take you to live in the new house."
As he spoke, he took out some dried fish that he had bought at the market he had passed by.
Qi Shan first cleaned up Su Shang's poop, then packed her bags.
Just as she finished tying her luggage, hurried footsteps came from outside. The old woman cried out urgently, "Young Master Qi, something terrible has happened—"
"What's wrong?"
The old woman was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat.
She grabbed Qi Shan's wrist and tried to take him to the back door.
“A group of people came outside, specifically asking for the young master by name.”
Qi Shan pulled her hand back, tried again after the first attempt failed, but still no luck. She could only say, "Don't panic, Madam. Tell the people outside to let me change my clothes."
The old woman was so anxious she wanted to stomp her feet, but she knew the visitor meant no good, and the back door was probably blocked by someone. She had no choice but to obey Qi Shan's instructions. The visitor said it was fine: "Mr. Qi, you can come out whenever you want."
If you don't come out, don't blame them for being impolite.
The men he brought were all martial arts experts, ranging from low-ranking nobles to fifth-rank officials, highly paid retainers of the prefectural government. The house was completely surrounded, ensuring that not even a mosquito could escape, let alone a living person!
About fifteen minutes later, Qi Shan regained his familiar appearance, specially dressed in a tea-white scholar's robe, wearing a jade crown and a dark blue monogram at his waist. As soon as he appeared, dozens of auras locked onto him, and Su Shang in his arms immediately let out a shrill scream.
Feeling Su Shang's unease and agitation beneath her palm, Qi Shan's smile vanished, her starlight-filled eyes suddenly turning cold, her tone chilling: "Please, everyone, tone down your aura, lest you frighten my Su Shang."
"You must be Mr. Qi Shan, Mr. Qi Yuanliang?"
"Yes, and who are you from? How can you invite someone without even sending a visiting card? Is this the etiquette and manners your family teaches?"
"I am the steward serving at the prefectural government. I have been ordered by the master of the manor to invite you to come to the manor for a chat." The man put on a humble tone, but his arrogant demeanor and the disdain in his eyes clearly meant otherwise. "Please, sir, take this opportunity to come in."
Qi Shan scoffed, "Alright, please lead the way."
The butler was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Qi Shan to be so easy to talk to.
Judging from the prefect's attitude, the "Qishan" he wanted to invite was probably no pushover. Having served the prefect for so many years, I had never seen the prefect so wary of anyone, as if he wanted to stand on end with all his thorns.
Before long, the sedan chair stopped in front of the prefectural government building.
Led by a maid, they passed through a winding corridor and finally arrived at their destination. From afar, they could see the hall brightly lit with candles, and the melodious sounds of stringed instruments drifted on the breeze into Qi Shan's ears, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The butler hurried a few steps and first asked Qishan to enter the hall to announce the arrival of the guests.
The music stopped, and the singing and dancing ended.
Qi Shan stepped into the main hall, walked around the screen, and took in the expressions of everyone in the hall. Sitting at the head of the table was none other than the Prefect of Sibao County, Qi Shan's old enemy. There were six guest seats, five of which were occupied by unfamiliar faces. Judging from their attire and age, most of the five were local prominent families and celebrities of Xiaocheng. The only familiar face was Zhai Le's cousin, Zhai Huan.
The latter also looked at him with surprise.
Qi Shan nodded slightly to him as a greeting.
Zhai Huan responded with a smile.
"This humble citizen prays for goodness and virtue, and greets the Prefect."
Qi Shan turned his gaze to the Prefect of Sibao County, who was in the main seat.
Quiet murmurs rose in the hall.
Everyone was puzzled. The distinguished guest whom the prefect had solemnly invited was actually an unfamiliar commoner scholar who didn't seem to have anything special about him.
The prefect's gaze swept over the embroidered monogram on Qi Shan's waist; the deep blue monogram stood out against the white hem of his robe. His gaze paused, then lingered on Qi Shan's face, finding no trace of familiarity. He hesitated, "Your name is Qi Shan, courtesy name Yuanliang?"
Qi Shan bowed respectfully and said, "That's right."
"May I come closer, sir?"
Qi Shan took another ten or so steps forward, only a few steps away from the prefect. He raised his head confidently, and Su Shang, who was in his arms, curiously poked her head out, looked at it, and then pulled her head back in.
The prefect's pupils contracted when he saw Su Shang.
"Is this your pet cat?"
Qi Shan smiled and said, "That's right."
Perhaps hearing the familiar pronunciation, Su Shang responded with a meow, and the room fell silent, as if a mute button had been pressed.
They never expected someone to bring a cat to the prefect's banquet.
The prefect then asked several more questions, such as where she was from, her age, and the number of people in her family. The others became increasingly confused, unable to understand what the prefect was up to, and couldn't help but think to themselves—was the prefect interrogating her so thoroughly that she was planning to act as a matchmaker for Qi Shan?
Just then, a large orange cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pounced on Qi Shan with a few nimble movements, startling everyone.
"This is……"
"Where did this cat come from?"
The maid was also startled and almost knocked over the fruit platter that was brought to her.
Qi Shan said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."
He pulled two small dried fish out of his sleeve.
"They were probably attracted by the scent emanating from the commoner's sleeve."
The prefect watched as Qi Shan's hand touched the fur of the orange cat, and Qi Shan showed no reaction. Only then did he suppress his surprise, scold the maid for failing to take good care of the cat and frightening the distinguished guest. He ordered the orange cat to be taken away and invited Qi Shan to take his seat.
"I wonder why the prefect has summoned me here?"
"I have long admired your paintings."
Qi Shan smiled meaningfully.
"The paintings of a commoner?"
He hadn't painted for many years, and his most recent painting was a secret erotic picture he ghostwrote for Shen Xiaolang. I admire such a painting.
"I happened to see it and was delighted with it. I heard that you were passing through Xiaocheng, so I took the liberty of coming to your door to request your calligraphy. However, my servants misunderstood. Please forgive me if there is anything inappropriate."
Qi Shan stood up, looking flattered.
The two exchanged pleasantries once more.
Upon hearing that Qi Shan was preparing to leave Xiaocheng in the next couple of days, the prefect seized the opportunity to make a request, hoping that Qi Shan could paint a picture on the spot to fulfill his wish. If he was willing, he would offer a large sum of money. Qi Shan was initially polite, until he saw a plate of gold ingots brought out by a maid.
His eyes lit up, and he changed his mind and agreed.
The other guests, seeing this, curled their lip in disdain.
Such money-grubbing individuals, no matter how good their painting skills, are filled with worldly greed and lack any artistic inspiration. I really don't know what the prefect is after.
What does the prefect want?
He didn't even know what he was after.
The man he knew was named Qi Shan, courtesy name Yuanliang. He had a tea-white monogram and a handsome appearance. He was elegant and graceful, with a reserved and proud temperament. He couldn't tolerate even a speck of dust in his eyes and couldn't stand anyone using money to trample on his paintings.
Most importantly—
They are naturally afraid of cats, and will break out in red rashes if a raccoon dog gets close to them.
In severe cases, it can even lead to shock and death.
This is a disease I was born with; there is no cure.
(End of this chapter)
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