The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 69 Meeting

In the attic.

Upon seeing this, Cao Yongliang and Cheng Xiu exchanged glances and then went to an empty room in the attic.

"What should we do? Han Qing is so powerful, he's probably gained General Qi Yan's favor," Cheng Xiu said.

“It doesn’t matter! No matter how much he appreciates him, he’s nothing in Qi Yan’s eyes. As long as we point out Han Qing’s crimes in front of everyone, even if Qi Yan appreciates him, he will have no choice but to take action and put Han Qing in jail!” Cao Yongliang said.

"Old Cao, in my opinion, we should let this matter drop. We should prepare a gift and send it to Xinglin Hall to resolve this matter peacefully."

"If Han Qing doesn't die in the end, doing this will only make us mortal enemies with him forever." Cheng Xiu hesitated.

"If it were just Han Qing, I would be very willing to befriend him and even humble myself. Such a martial arts prodigy might become a big figure in the future. But don't forget, he has Yang Wu and Qi Chong behind him, especially Qi Chong, who is ruthless and leaves no way out."

"If Han Qing becomes a personal guard, and he writes a letter to General Qi as the recommender exposing our crimes, then we will both be doomed!" Cao Yongliang said coldly.

“Fine, you should have made the first move and recruited Han Qing into the police force. We wouldn’t be in such a predicament now,” Cheng Xiu said.

"Blame Luo Sheng for being a fool who couldn't recognize talent. But it's too late to regret it now. Let's think about how to make amends." Cao Yongliang's face was gloomy.

...

same moment.

Han Qing was led by Qi Yan to a nearby house.

Qi Yan's first words shocked Han Qing so much that his brain buzzed.

“Brother, my father asked me to find you. After searching for so long, I finally found you. I was almost losing patience. I thought you had fallen into the valley and been eaten by tigers and wolves. I never expected to run into you today.”

Han Qing was momentarily at a loss. This was one of his biggest secrets, hidden deep in his heart, and he never expected Qi Yan to expose it so easily. Although he had seen in his memories that his mother was going to send someone to deliver him to Qi Wufeng, which meant that Qi Wufeng should be a trustworthy person, these were just fragmented memories, and he dared not make any rash judgments. Moreover, he did not know what kind of person Qi Wufeng was. So, for a moment, he remained silent, not daring to admit his identity, and pondered how to deal with the situation.

Unexpectedly, Qi Yan suddenly took out a jade pendant from his bosom, which was exactly the same as the one he had in his bosom.

"This is the jade pendant your mother sent to my father back then. There's another one in your hands, am I right? What? Are you afraid I'll harm you? Hmph, with my strength, I wouldn't waste my breath killing you. I could just slap you into a pile of mud." As she spoke, Qi Yan reached out and grabbed Han Qing's right hand, suddenly pulled out a short knife, and made a horizontal cut on his finger.

Han Qing was completely unable to resist. Qi Yan's palm contained tremendous strength, firmly restraining his arm, making it impossible for him to break free.

A few streaks of blood stained the short knife. Qi Yan lowered the blade, letting the blood droplets fall onto the jade pendant in her palm. In an instant, the murky jade pendant became transparent, its interior gleaming with a pale golden light.

"Hmph! Little brother, what else do you have to say? Your mother mentioned in her letter that only your blood and her blood can make this jade pendant react. Now? Admit it, you are the person I'm looking for, Su Zijing!" Qi Yan's eyes sparkled, a faint joy in them.

Han Qing was speechless. This was truly "conclusive evidence." He began to consider the pros and cons of the matter, especially worrying about whether it would endanger his life. One should always be wary of others.

Qi Yan seemed to see through his heart and smiled, "Brother, you are a cautious person! Don't worry, my father and your mother Su Jin are close friends. When my father and I were in the capital, we visited her many times to ask her for advice on difficult problems we encountered on the path of martial arts. Your mother answered all our questions without reservation, which benefited my father greatly. He has always remembered this friendship, which is why he has been trying his best to find you all these years."

"Su Jin?" Han Qing pondered the name, then suddenly realized he had seen it somewhere before.

Upon closer reflection, he realized he had seen this person mentioned in many of Fang Ye's books and notes. She was hailed as the next generation leader of the Yuelu Academy, the sacred martial arts center of the Great Yu Dynasty. Although a woman, she possessed immense prestige, profound knowledge, and a comprehensive understanding of both ancient and modern times. Han Qing took a deep breath; he hadn't expected his own mother to have such a distinguished background.

“Your mother was an extraordinary person, but alas, well, the events of that year are shrouded in mystery, and I don’t know the inside story either. You should ask my father about this. When I take you back to Hengshan City and you see my father, he will tell you the truth.” Qi Yan sighed.

Han Qing had a vague feeling that something terrible must have happened back then.

Qi Yan patted Han Qing's shoulder heavily again, making Han Qing sway.

"Don't worry, from today onwards, with your sister protecting you, no one will dare to do anything to you."
Back then, your mother sent people to escort you to Sichuan, and my father went to meet you personally. Unexpectedly, he still failed halfway, and you fell into a deep valley and disappeared without a trace.

My father is not giving up. He wants to see you alive or dead. This imperial guard assessment is for two reasons: to recruit new blood and to find you.

"Persistence pays off, and I've finally found you today," Qi Yan said with a smile.

Han Qing remained silent. All these changes had happened too quickly, and he needed time to process them. Until then, he decided to be cautious in his words and actions, and to say less to avoid making mistakes.

Qi Yan sensed Han Qing's wariness but didn't seem to care much, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Being cautious is a good thing. Don't worry, I'll show you with my actions that I mean no harm." Qi Yan said, walking towards the door. The assessment was still ongoing, and she needed to continue observing to prevent anyone from cheating or making any mistakes.

Han Qing followed him out, and just as he was about to rejoin the crowd, Qi Yan reached out and grabbed him.

"There's no need to go back. Come with me to the attic. There's wine and meat inside. Why suffer in the wind and sun outside?"

Han Qing dared not disobey Qi Yan's words and followed her to the pavilion.

A moment later, the two arrived at the top-floor room of the pavilion, one after the other, and many eyes fell on Han Qing.

Han Qing glanced around and discovered that these people were all important figures from various county towns.

Qi Yan sat down in a chair in front of him with an air of nonchalance. In front of the chair was a table with a variety of fruits and wines on it.

Qi Yan reached out and slapped the stool next to her: "Sit down! Help yourself to whatever you want to eat."

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Han Qing, and they were all wondering what had happened.

Cao Yongliang was the most flustered. He had thought that Han Qing had performed well and Qi Yan would at most offer a few words of praise, but now that she had suddenly been offered a seat, the courtesy she was being shown was far too high.

Cao Yongliang and Cheng Xiu, who was standing next to him, quickly exchanged a glance.

Cao Yongliang stepped forward and said loudly, "Lord Qi, this Han Qing recently robbed and killed Luo Sheng, the former head of the county's constables. His crime is heinous. This is a portrait of the murderer that I commissioned a master to draw. His physique and appearance are identical to Han Qing's. Please judge for yourself!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar, and all eyes turned to Han Qing.

Han Qing frowned, while Qi Yan raised an eyebrow, stood up and took the portrait from Cao Yongliang. After a quick glance, he realized that the portrait did indeed resemble Han Qing.

(End of this chapter)