Chapter 105: Truth and Deception Intertwined

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Upon hearing this, Zeng He hastily lifted his head, and the jade pendant made of pale blue stone that came into view instantly caused his heart to skip a beat. All the last traces of cruelty within him vanished as well.

“Your surname is Qin? What is your relation to Qin Chuan?”

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he fixed his gaze on the person before him. Just yesterday, he had heard about an incompetent younger cousin of the family who nearly lost his cultivation for provoking a guest of the Liu residence. He had felt a bit disdainful at the time.

In his mind, it was all because his cousin lacked discernment and thus attracted the wrath of the Liu family. Had it been himself, he would have fled far away by now.

“I am Qin Chuan,” came the calm response, devoid of any emotion.

Those few words were like thunder striking on a clear day, causing a ripple of shock within Zeng He’s heart. “Please, sir, spare Zeng He’s miserable life. Take all the spirit stones and pills in this storage pouch.”

Qin Chuan frowned slightly, not expecting Zeng He to be so despicable. With a flick of his sword, he deftly caught the pouch, but a glance from the corner of his eye revealed that Zeng He seemed to have realized something; his face suddenly turned pale.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“Please spare my miserable life! This storage pouch has a problem...” His voice weakened as he lowered his head, unable to meet Qin Chuan’s gaze.

“Then open it for me.”

“Yes, yes.” Zeng He nodded hurriedly, performing a special hand gesture. Suddenly, a faint dark red glow flickered on the pouch, stirring a surge of killing intent in Qin Chuan’s heart. The dark red light vanished quickly, but the lethal aura it carried was unmistakable. If it were to strike him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Qin Chuan produced an empty storage pouch and tossed it to Zeng He. “Put all the spirit stones and pills into this pouch.”

Small storage pouches were not valuable; having extras on hand was a precaution against accidents. Transferring items from one pouch to another was not difficult. Within two breaths of time, after a faint white light flickered, Zeng He’s trembling hand passed the pouch back.

“Master Qin, let me open it for you...” A woman’s voice sounded from behind Qin Chuan just as he accepted the pouch.

“I haven’t introduced myself to Master Qin Chuan yet. I’m Autumn Wei; you may call me Wei.” She looked up at Qin Chuan, and when their eyes met, she trembled slightly, her expression complex—perhaps fearful of Qin Chuan’s ruthless nature.

“Very well, as you wish.”

Qin Chuan tossed the pouch forward, landing precisely in her palm. His gaze never left her.

His feet were positioned with great care—left foot two inches ahead of the right, shoulders relaxed but alert, every nerve taut, ready to strike at the slightest hint of danger.

Though Autumn Wei’s cultivation was weak, barely the first level of Qi refinement, she could still operate a storage pouch. She bit her lip, as if opening the pouch might unleash some monstrous thing.

“Phew.”

“Mission accomplished.” The tension on her face suddenly eased, though she barely noticed the exhaustion that came with the shift. “Master, there are no traps in the pouch.”

Qin Chuan reached out to take the pouch, but then a cryptic smile curved his lips.

Casually, he threw the pouch toward a man in white standing nearby, tracing an imperfect arc. “You also put your spirit stones inside.”

At this moment, Autumn Wei’s expression changed sharply, and even Zeng He’s deliberately lowered face shifted.

“Yes, yes, yes.” The man in white, sensing nothing amiss, cupped the pouch in his palm and retrieved his own pouch to take out items.

But the next second brought a sudden change.

As he opened the pouch Qin Chuan tossed him, a bolt of lightning shot out, striking precisely at his forehead.

The man froze, seemingly confused.

When he regained his senses, a searing pain exploded through his mind, as if a dull blade was twisting inside.

“Ah, ah!”

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Like a salted fish flopping twice on the shore before going still, his chest rose and fell no more, his wide eyes full of unwillingness.

Qin Chuan stared at the hole in his forehead—no blood or fluid, only a charred black patch, faintly smelling of burning.

“A Thunder Rune?” Qin Chuan’s voice held surprise. By his judgment, such runes were rare and precious.

Kneeling, Zeng He suddenly shed his earlier terror and stood calmly. “How did you discover it?”

“Autumn Wei failed to detect the trap. Master, please punish her.” She widened her beautiful eyes in a bow.

“Don’t pretend. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Qin Chuan’s cold scold was not aimed at Zeng He but at Autumn Wei.

Her face flickered through several shades before she sighed, as if surrendering her disguise.

“Thanks to Lord Wang and Young Lord Wang for taking me in and teaching me. Unfortunately, Autumn Wei can no longer serve you two.”

Wang Hao’s expression shifted abruptly. “What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t pretend either. Since you’ve been exposed, it’s better to show your hand openly. If you want to kill Qin, scheming is slower than just using a blade.”

Qin Chuan took a cautious half step back, eyes sharp on the few present.

“Brother, you misunderstand! Autumn Wei, explain quickly. Tell him he’s mistaken!”

Wang Hao’s urgency was tinged with pleading.

“No need. He’s not mistaken. I took the spirit stones and pills from the Zeng family half a year ago because I seek revenge for my father’s murder, Liu—”

“Silence!”

Before Autumn Wei could finish the name “Liu,” Zeng He’s face changed, and he barked an order to interrupt.

Seeming to cover something up, he added, “How did you find out?”

“Just these?”

Qin Chuan raised his hand; his sword tip pointed at the scattered mess on the ground, at the black servant, the man in white, Autumn Wei, and finally at Zeng He.

“Everything is too coincidental.”

Zeng He was stunned, not quite grasping the meaning. “Just coincidence?”

His entire scheme had been undone by sheer coincidence?

“Do you need any other reason?”

“If you want a reason, did you think I didn’t see the strike toward Autumn Wei? You deliberately waited until Wang Hao came close before you struck.”

Now at a loss for words, Zeng He stammered.

“No, I deliberately chose someone with cultivation close to yours. How could you be distracted?”

“You mean the black servant? Too weak.”

Qin Chuan’s expression was strange. If he hadn’t held back, the man wouldn’t have lasted ten moves.

“You…”

Zeng He looked at Qin Chuan and Wang Hao, speechless for a moment.

Finally, he muttered and turned away. “Autumn Wei, let’s go.”

“What? Still trying to stop me?”

Seeing Qin Chuan’s sword drawn before him, calm and fearless, he spoke coldly.

“Brother, let them leave.”

Wang Hao’s expression shifted suddenly. He reached into his bosom for a jade slip, and after reading it, his face changed.

“Fine, you’re wise…”

After the two departed, Qin Chuan was puzzled, but when Wang Hao led him to look outside, his gaze suddenly stiffened.

Outside, a sea of people surged, blades gleaming everywhere.

Judging by their demeanor, they seemed somewhat connected to the Zeng family.

...

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Elsewhere, as Zeng He walked away, a middle-aged man stood beside him, his face stern.

“Old Six, how did you fail? With Autumn Wei’s cooperation, the plan should have been flawless.”

Zeng He pondered for a long time, then solemnly said, “The black servant was too weak. No, Qin Chuan is too strong.”

The middle-aged man sighed. “No matter what, when you return, the ancestor will surely punish you.”

“Just yesterday, you heard about Qin Chuan and began scheming. Our family spared no effort to gather intelligence for you, even from a broker named Ji Xin, learning of several possible destinations for his journey.”

“All this was done in just one night—too hasty, leaving many risks.”

“The original intent was to kill Qin Chuan and frame the Pill Refining Pavilion allied with the Liu family, hoping to sow mutual suspicion or even cause a rift. But it failed.”

Zeng He sighed slowly. “Zeng He bears no fault. It’s just that this man is not as the intelligence described...”

There was a long silence. His gaze shifted, seemingly recalling the fluidity of the sword moves, the vigorous bearing, suddenly looking lost as he clenched his fists.

“This man’s future is limitless...”

The middle-aged man was taken aback. “Oh? There are few who you hold in such regard.”

Zeng He turned his head, eyes piercing through the layers of pavilions. “If I were not inherently weak, could I have fought him evenly?”

He sighed abruptly.

“In the next life.”

...

When Wang Hao summoned someone, Qin Chuan’s worries were largely dispelled.

“Brother, please believe me, I really am not on their side!”

Wang Hao looked distressed, then his mind lit up suddenly.

“Brother, if we bring one person here, it will prove whether I’m telling the truth.”

With that, he sent someone to convey a message and showed Qin Chuan the relevant information in the jade slip.

“I was summoned by this person, which is why I happened to be in the Pill Refining Pavilion.”

“This person should be another secret of the Zeng family. If he runs away, it will prove my innocence. Or if he doesn’t, I don’t believe his teeth can withstand steel blades.”

Qin Chuan sneered inwardly. Even if the man ran, it wouldn’t prove Wang Hao’s innocence; perhaps it was all a collusion to escape.

Still, seeing Wang Hao so earnest, his doubts were greatly reduced.

“If he appears, speak to him like this...”

“Brother, what are you—”

“Fine, though I don’t know why, I’ll follow your lead.”

Soon, a servant led someone inside. Sensing the bloody atmosphere, he seemed to understand and bowed before leaving.

The man behind the servant stepped forward.

“I am Jiang Qian, greetings to the Young Lord.”

“No need for formalities, please rise quickly.”

Jiang Qian was surprised by the young lord’s courtesy and immediately became cautious, stepping back two paces, causing Wang Hao’s hands to grasp at empty air, embarrassed.

But recalling Qin Chuan’s words, Wang Hao seemed unaware of Jiang Qian’s earlier strangeness.

“I say, Brother Jiang Qian, you’ve been hiding things from me, making it tough!”

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