Chen Yan would absolutely not let this stationed envoy live to walk out of the management office.
Nian Yun had originally believed that a sect prodigy like Chen Yan wouldn't understand the mentality of a disciple like himself, one who was already on death's doorstep.
Yet the reality was exactly the opposite.
Chen Yan understood all too well what Nian Yun was capable of doing.
Since he would betray his old acquaintance for the benefits Ding Qiu could offer him,
then it meant he would definitely betray both Chen Yan and Ding Qiu for some other benefit.
Chen Yan absolutely could not tolerate such a thing happening.
After Nian Yun was slapped to death by Ding Qiu with a single palm strike, only Chen Yan and Ding Qiu remained in the backyard of the management office.
"Manager Ding."
"What exactly are your plans?"
"Revenge."
Ding Qiu answered:
"Revenge against that old dog, Fu Qian."
"Elder Fu is the Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak, Kongshan Sect."
As he spoke, Chen Yan paused slightly:
"He is also a Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator."
"I know."
Ding Qiu replied, then fell into a brief silence before continuing:
"But I have no choice but to do it."
"Since Manager Ding has said as much, then you do as you please. I won't speak of today's events to anyone..."
Chen Yan said:
"At the same time, I also won't help you."
"I never expected Chief Disciple Chen to help me."
Ding Qiu shook his head:
"I just wanted to know what exactly the late Steward Song's belongings were."
Faced with Ding Qiu's question, Chen Yan hesitated for a moment.
"It was a list."
"A list? What kind of list?"
"I'm not clear on the specifics either. I just handed that list to Elder Fu Qian, that's all."
Ding Qiu's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
"So it is heaven's will."
Finally, this man in coarse brown clothing sighed, then said:
"Nian Yun is already dead. This stationed envoy residence is not a place to linger."
"Not just the stationed envoy residence. Flee Taiyun City as soon as possible. It would be best to leave Qingque Kingdom."
Chen Yan said:
"The Enforcement Hall of the outer court will investigate this thoroughly."
"I will not leave Qingque Kingdom."
Ding Qiu shook his head:
"I told you, I will take revenge on Fu Qian."
Good advice is hard to give to those destined to die.
That's what Chen Yan thought in his heart.
"But as for you, Chief Disciple Chen, you met with Nian Yun today in front of many witnesses. How will you clear yourself of suspicion?"
Ding Qiu suddenly remembered this point, then showed a moment of hesitation before gritting his teeth:
"If this will cause trouble for Chief Disciple Chen, you can report me to the sect after you return."
"Giving up on revenge?"
Chen Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I'm telling you to report me, not to capture me and bring me to justice..."
Ding Qiu said:
"I'll run."
"Don't worry, I won't report you, Manager Ding. I have my own methods."
Chen Yan said.
Seeing Chen Yan's calm and composed appearance, Ding Qiu suddenly understood.
Yes, in the eyes of a rogue cultivator like himself, killing a stationed envoy disciple of Kongshan Sect was an incredibly serious matter, as if the sky itself were falling.
But to the Chief Disciple of Kongyuan Mountain, what was a mere outer court Qi Circulation Realm cultivator worth?
Thinking this, Ding Qiu couldn't help but let out two bitter laughs.
The gap in status between himself and Chen Yan was probably even greater than he had previously imagined.
Chen Yan, however, wasn't thinking about any of this at all.
He was only thinking that he needed to go back and tell his martial uncle Yue Chi, to have him help clean up this troublesome matter.
With that, the business between Chen Yan and Ding Qiu came to an end.
The two walked out of the management office together and immediately saw the young page standing at the entrance.
The page boy looked up, gazing at Chen Yan and Ding Qiu as they emerged from the residence.
"What does Manager Ding plan to do?"
Chen Yan didn't intend to get involved in anything, so he simply threw all the questions to Ding Qiu.
Ding Qiu lowered his head, meeting the gaze of the little page.
"Come with me."
He said to the page boy.
"..."
The page boy said nothing, only nodding.
This was a very clever and quick-witted child. Chen Yan had already learned this a year ago when he visited the outer court management office.
Therefore, this child must have already realized what had happened inside the management office.
Only by following Ding Qiu would he have a chance to survive.
"Well then, Chief Disciple Chen."
Ding Qiu cupped his hands toward Chen Yan:
"The green mountains remain unchanged, the blue rivers flow on."
"Until we meet again, Manager Ding."
Chen Yan returned the courtesy.
"Now that things have come to this, there's no need to call me Manager Ding anymore."
Ding Qiu said:
"Just call me by my given name, Ding Qiu."
"I hope that when we meet again, we won't be facing each other with swords drawn."
Chen Yan said this.
Faced with Chen Yan's words, Ding Qiu showed a somewhat surprised expression, then said:
"Ding, also hopes the same."
...
After everything was over, on the road back to Kongshan Sect, Chen Yan kept thinking about everything that had happened today.
He was currently no match for Ding Qiu, a Qi Sea Realm cultivator.
And as for Ding Qiu wanting revenge against Fu Qian, Chen Yan had no opinion on that. Let him do as he wished.
But how could a Qi Sea Realm rogue cultivator possibly threaten a Peak Elder of Kongshan Sect?
Forget threatening him, Chen Yan believed Ding Qiu couldn't even manage to annoy Fu Qian.
However, Chen Yan suddenly remembered some things from past cycles today.
In his first life, when he had finally advanced to the Qi Circulation Realm, accepted a sect mission from the Merit Hall, and traveled to Taiyun City, he had heard that the previous stationed envoy disciple of Taiyun City, decades earlier, had died a miserable death inside the management office.
And the young page that stationed envoy disciple had taken in within the city had also disappeared along with his death.
Even when the Enforcement Hall steward and the External Affairs Hall steward, two Martial Spring Realm cultivators, joined forces to investigate, they had failed to capture the murderer.
In the end, they could only let the matter drop.
At that time, Chen Yan had simply treated it as an anecdote he'd heard about something that happened decades ago.
But now, he had personally experienced it all.
The outcome of what happened today was completely consistent with the anecdote he had heard back then.
...Wait a moment.
Chen Yan suddenly realized something.
In previous cycles, he had never been involved in the events that happened today. The outcome back then was Nian Yun dead, Ding Qiu escaped, and the little page missing.
But now, ever since the day Chen Yan came to Taiyun City a year ago, he should have been like a catfish, completely muddying and disrupting the original course of events.
Yet everything still happened as usual.
And not just that.
The reason Ding Qiu had transformed from that well-dressed manager of the Gambling Den into this unshaven man in coarse clothing was precisely because the Gambling Den had been exterminated.
Fu Qian.
Both in the past and now, it was Fu Qian who had sent people to exterminate the Gambling Den.
Otherwise, Nian Yun wouldn't have gotten involved with Ding Qiu either.
"Is all of this... fate?"
Chen Yan murmured to himself.
And what, exactly, had he changed so far?