socalfunplaces Chapter 773 Zhang Qi and He Yao were arrested
Chapter 773 Zhang Qi and He Yao were arrested
The fourth brother waved his hand with a casual smile on his face, as if his help just now was just to brush off the dust on his shoulders: "It's just a small thing, it's not much of a credit. I have other things to do, so I'll leave first. You guys deal with the mess here yourselves." After that, his figure shook, and he retreated a few steps like a fallen leaf. After a few ups and downs, his figure disappeared into the depths of the dense woods, leaving only a few dead leaves that were carried up and slowly fell.
Xiao Bao gazed in the direction he had disappeared, a flicker of understanding in his eyes—in fact, he had sensed the Fourth Brother's presence from the very beginning. However, he hadn't intervened, and in the end, had provided a minor favor. Now that he was leaving, he had nothing to do with him anymore. His mission was clear: to bring the two traitors, Zhang Qi and He Yao, back to the sect. He didn't need to worry about anything else.
After the Fourth Brother had completely disappeared from sight, Xiao Bao withdrew his gaze, gave his men a sharp look, and said in a deep voice, "Take these two back and hand them over to the Punishment Hall for a thorough trial! Make them confess everything about colluding with outsiders and secretly hoarding the sect's treasures!"
"Yes!" The guards responded in unison, moving forward to lift the limp Zhang Qi and He Yao from the ground, tying them up with specially crafted soul-locking chains and marching them towards the Fierce Tiger Sect. The heavy footsteps echoed far into the empty woods, startling birds from the branches and sending them flying.
On the other side, Lao Si returned to Liu Qi. Seeing that Xiao Bao and his group had gone far away, he squatted down, stretched out his finger and gently tapped Liu Qi's philtrum: "Okay, stop pretending to be asleep, it's time to wake up."
Liu Qi groggily opened his eyes, his head still feeling heavy. He was startled when he saw the person in front of him. He struggled to back away, "Who... who are you? Why are you arresting me? I'm a good, law-abiding person. I've never done anything against the law!"
The fourth brother raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You're a good person? Okay, then tell me, how many 'good things' have you done?"
Liu Qi wanted to argue, but the fourth brother didn't give him a chance. He counted off everything on his fingers: "Three months ago, you colluded with bandits to rob the medicine store in Qingshi Town, and the owner's family of four all died in your hands; last month, you used fake spirit stones to cheat old man Li in the south of the city, causing him to die of suffocation; and last week..." With every time he said something, Liu Qi's face turned paler, and in the end he was shaking all over.
"This is the 'good deed' you did," the fourth brother put away his smile, his eyes as cold as ice, "How many people have lost their families because of you, and you still have the nerve to call yourself a good person?"
Liu Qi was no fool. Seeing that the man knew his details perfectly but hadn't yet killed him, he immediately understood—this man must need his help with something. He suppressed his fear and forced a fawning smile, "Sir, please be magnanimous and spare my life! Just tell me what you want. As long as I can do it, I won't hesitate!"
The fourth brother looked at his understanding and laughed again: "Not bad, he is a smart man, saving me the trouble of talking nonsense."
Seeing that he had loosened up, Liu Qi quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Master, if you have any instructions, just tell me. As long as I can stay alive, I'm willing to do anything!"
The fourth brother spoke slowly, his tone calm but with unquestionable certainty: "I said, what I want are those spirit stones you hid."
Liu Qi's heart skipped a beat, but then he breathed a sigh of relief. So he was after spirit stones, a treasure he had hidden in abundance. He immediately patted his chest and promised, "Yes! I have them! If you let me go, I'll take you there and get them. I promise I'll pay you every penny!"
The fourth brother raised his eyebrows and said, "Didn't I tell you that as long as you hand over the spirit stones, I will naturally let you go. Why, you still don't trust me?"
Liu Qi showed an embarrassment on his face, rubbing his hands and saying, "Master, this is the first time we meet after all, and people's hearts are hidden... Can you please swear an oath? That would put my mind at ease."
The fourth brother wanted to kill this troublemaker outright, but upon hearing this, he smiled, thinking this man was terribly afraid of death. He stood up, dusted himself off, and said perfunctorily, "Okay, I swear. As long as you obediently hand over the spirit stone, I will never embarrass you, let alone take your life. If you break your promise, I will be condemned to the wrath of heaven and earth, struck by lightning. Is that all right?"
Seeing him swear so solemnly, Liu Qi finally felt relieved and nodded quickly, "That's enough! Your words are as good as gold, I believe them! I'll take you to get the spirit stone right away!"
Seeing the fourth brother's solemn oath, Liu Qi's last bit of doubt disappeared and he nodded quickly: "Master, I believe you!"
He led the fourth brother to where he had hidden the spirit stone. The hidden cave was halfway up the mountain, and they had to pass through a dense forest. Liu Qi was a mortal after all, accustomed to a life of luxury. He didn't walk far before he began to pant. He leaned against an old tree and waved his hands, "Master, rest... rest for a while. I really can't walk anymore."
The fourth brother stood by, waiting for him, his eyes scanning the surrounding dense forest, his ears alert for any movement. He felt a nagging sense of unease. As long as that old fox, Zhang Jiao, remained alive, he felt like a knife hanging over his head, and who knew when it would fall. He had been fetching spirit stones, firstly to gather materials for the sect leader's cultivation, and secondly, to use this trip to explore the surrounding area. After all, he had been in this town for some time, accustomed to the peaceful life of working from sunrise to sunset. He didn't want to be wiped out by Zhang Jiao one day, leaving not even a bone behind.
Liu Qi rested enough and began to chatter again: "Uncle, I see you are so skilled, you must not be an ordinary person, right? I wonder who you are?" Seeing that the fourth brother didn't say anything, he rubbed his hands again, looking flattering, "How about... you be my bodyguard? I'll give you ten low-grade spirit stones a month, how about that? In this town, that's the highest price!"
The fourth brother was amused by him and leaned against the tree and said lazily: "Be a bodyguard? Sure." He changed the subject and looked at Liu Qi with a raised eyebrow, "But how many spirit stones do you have? If you have enough spirit stones, I'll be your little brother, how about it?"
Liu Qi's eyes lit up and he said quickly, "Really? I... Although the spirit stones I have hidden are not top-notch, I can still collect about a hundred or eighty low-grade spirit stones!" He thought the fourth brother was joking with him, and was thinking in his heart that if he could really get such a master to be his younger brother, he would be able to walk around the town with ease in the future.
Unexpectedly, the fourth brother laughed out loud and patted him on the back of the head. "What are you dreaming of?" He stood up straight, the playful look gone. "With such a small fortune, you still want me to be your little brother? If I really wanted to rob you, would the little you've hidden be enough to fill my stomach?"