Chapter 124: The Poisonous Spider [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"...How...how did you know?" Tanuki's jaw tightened, his expression restrained and controlled, his entire face stiff and cold, only the storm brewing in his eyes betraying his true emotions. He clenched his large fists hanging at his sides. "Who are you?"
The last three words carried intense hostility.
It looked like they could twist Qi Shan's head off at any moment!
Without a word, Shen Tang stepped forward to the side, blocking Qi Shan's path, her eyes wary of Li Li, on guard against a sudden attack. The dark-faced man who followed Shen Tang like a submissive wife also sensed the danger and pressure, lowering his pig-like head and whimpering.
Qi Shan's expression turned strange for a moment.
He first patted Shen Tang on the shoulder, indicating that the young master Shen didn't need to be so wary, then looked up into Li Li's eyes and said unhurriedly, "My name is Qi Shan, Qi Yuanliang. Brave warrior, you must have misunderstood. Shan is not your enemy..."
It's not some love rival whatsoever...
That "poisonous spider" is said to shorten the lifespan of anyone who touches it.
|ω)
He has a slight connection with Li Li, but it's a very roundabout one; they don't know each other directly.
When Qi Shan was on the run, he also went through a very impoverished period and was once supported by a lady.
This lady was the sister of the former prefect, the famous "Poisonous Spider"—her nickname, Lady Mei.
It was through this connection that he learned "Poison Spider" had kept a male concubine named "Lili" a few years ago, whom he doted on. Come to think of it, if he hadn't doted on her, he probably wouldn't have spent so much money to restore an old painting that had been accidentally rained on.
Well, this short-term job restoring old paintings lifted Qi Shan out of poverty overnight, and she even managed to do some "small things" with the help of the Poison Spider's connections.
The words that Qi Shan had recited earlier were from the old painting.
The second half of Su Shi's poem "Ding Feng Bo" goes: "Returning from ten thousand miles, my face is still youthful. Smiling, my smile still carries the fragrance of plum blossoms from the Lingnan region. I ask, 'Is Lingnan not a good place?' But I reply, 'Where my heart finds peace, there is my home.'"
He felt there was a story behind that old painting the moment he saw it.
Unexpectedly, one day I will see another protagonist.
Li Li pursed her lips and remained silent.
However, the look in his eyes as he looked at Qi Shan was still very complicated.
The young scholar before her was indeed the type that lady had previously favored—handsome and talented.
He hesitated: "That lady... is she alright?"
Qi Shan's expression was strange: "Do you think she might be bad?"
Anyway, I'm living a much better life than Tanuki.
Tanuki choked: "..."
Indeed, his question was somewhat unnecessary.
Then, as if thinking of something, he fell silent for a moment, then murmured softly, "That's right, I asked the wrong question. It's good that Madam is doing well now."
Qi Shan: "..."
Whether that lady is doing well or not, only she herself probably knows, but from an outsider's perspective, she is certainly doing well.
When Sibao County was captured by Zheng Qiao's army, the former prefect and his family fled to another country. In order to gain a foothold in the new place, they racked their brains to integrate into the local circle and pay homage to the locals.
Coincidentally, the crown prince of a neighboring country had long admired this "poisonous spider" and made a request to take her as a concubine, but the "poisonous spider" sternly refused.
She refused, and the former prefect was targeted at every turn.
The former prefect, in a fit of rage, retorted: "Why won't you agree? To you, it's just another gigolo. What difference would it make if you agreed?"
The venomous spider scoffed at this claim.
Keeping male concubines is my own choice, but men forced upon me by others, brother, can those really be called 'male concubines'?
He soon returned to his philandering ways.
Even the crown prince had to consider her mood before he could see her.
When has the crown prince ever been rejected like this?
He had considered forcibly taking her, but this "poisonous spider" was incredibly skilled at making friends. She had a large circle of friends and had quickly befriended many famous figures and powerful officials. Among them were people who admired her beauty or talent, as well as some who were political enemies of the crown prince.
They wanted to move, but dared not make any rash moves.
So it dragged on like this for almost half a year.
I can't go into all the details, so I'll just say the result.
This crown prince was one of Qishan's former bosses.
_(:з)∠)_
Tanuki: "When did you see her?"
"Three or four years ago, I helped her repair a painting. Thanks to Madam's financial assistance, I got through the difficult time." Despite her gratitude, Qi Shan was still quite afraid of this woman. She couldn't explain why, it was just her intuition.
Upon hearing this, Li Li's expression became somewhat turbulent.
"painting?"
He seemed to know which painting it was.
Shen Tang on one side was greatly shocked.
"...Wait, you two know each other?"
Has time sped up again?
Why couldn't she understand the plot development all at once?
How many connections does Qi Yuanliang still have that she doesn't know about? How come this guy always seems to run into his old flames wherever he goes?
Zhai Le also said he didn't understand.
The onlookers, however, relied on gossip and their own imagination to guess three-tenths of the truth, while the remaining ninety-seven-tenths were completely different from the truth.
They secretly hoped that Qi Shan and Li Li would fight for the sake of their beloved, giving them some fodder for gossip and conversation.
It's a real shame that a fight didn't break out.
Qi Shan: "I don't know him, but I know the same person."
Tanuki lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. He grabbed a handful of his messy hair and suddenly said, "Fine, I'll go with you."
Shen Tang: "..."
She suspected once again that someone had pressed the accelerator button.
There were only three people and two pigs when they arrived.
When they left, there were a large group of seventy or eighty people and two pigs.
Qi Shan was very selective, choosing only about seventy people after careful consideration. Fifty of them were men aged fifteen to twenty, and the rest were women aged thirty to fifty. They were good at needlework and had experience in farming, which was exactly the kind of manpower Qi Shan needed.
Before leaving, Shen Tang did one more thing.
She went to the place she had been before and took the woman's child with her.
The woman looked at her son with a mixture of reluctance and longing.
Shen Tang couldn't bear it: "Madam, you must take good care of yourself, so that there will be a day when mother and son can be reunited..."
The woman grasped at the last straw, a glimmer of light appearing in her cloudy, lifeless eyes: "Really?"
Shen Tang nodded: "Really."
After the woman staggered away, Li Li frowned at the corpse that had been shoved into his hands: "This child is dead..."
Lividity has started to appear.
Shen Tang sighed, "I know."
She was thinking of taking the child back to the burial site on the mountain behind the burial ground. If she buried the child anywhere else, she was worried that someone would dig him up.
Zhai Le knew Shen Tang's plans.
He said, "Brother Shen is kind and benevolent."
Benevolence? Shen Tang outwardly remained noncommittal to this assessment, but inwardly she sneered, as if a demonic voice whispered in her mind—if she were truly benevolent, why didn't she save that woman as well? Why did she only bring back a corpse?
On the way back, Li Li secretly observed Shen Tang and his group.
In today's world, buying so many people at once and bringing them back is either a sign of a powerful family or someone with ulterior motives. After all, each additional person means another mouth to feed, which is something that ordinary families cannot afford.
Just then, the black-clad youth suddenly spoke up: "With such a physique, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you have innate superhuman strength. You must also have considerable talent. Why haven't you practiced martial arts to temper your body?"
_(:з」∠)_
Today was so unlucky. First, I lost the 1,500 yuan writing subsidy for my new book (which is equivalent to full attendance bonus, and I can't have any other unfinished signed books under my name). Then, the Empress was happily aiming for five months of success, but the monthly ticket bonus wasn't sent out at midnight.
It's said that the pool has run out of Qidian coins, and it's unclear when this will be resolved.
If the bonus isn't given until the 8th, without the double monthly votes, the Empress's monthly vote reward will be several thousand less...
I was completely stunned by the blow.
P.S.: I'll finish the remaining updates during the day; there's really no time for that now.
(End of this chapter)
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