From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

"We've finally arrived in the capital."

Inside the carriage, Xu Qingyue gently lifted the curtain, gazing at the magnificent city gate so close at hand. Her red lips trembled slightly, and a hazy tear welled up in her eyes.

She set off from Suzhou with the caravan, traveling along the official road, passing through prefectures and counties for more than a month, and finally arrived at the gates of the capital.

From a distance, the city wall stands majestically, built entirely of huge bluish-gray stone bricks, more than ten feet high. The crenellations on the top of the wall are neatly arranged, and the figures of the soldiers guarding the city can be vaguely seen patrolling back and forth. The moat surrounds the city outside the wall, and the water is deep and wide, sparkling and reflecting the city wall.

Although it was early morning, the area outside the city gate was already bustling with activity. Carriages, pedestrians, and merchants waiting to enter the city formed a long queue and slowly moved toward the city gate.

As the caravan approached the city gate, they saw a group of people already waiting nearby. The person in the lead, dressed in a lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a light blue vest over it, was none other than Qiao'er, Xu Qingyue's personal maid. Behind her followed dozens of servants in blue robes and an even more luxurious carriage.

Qiao'er's almond-shaped eyes kept searching through the crowds entering the city, her face full of anxiety and hope. When her gaze fell on the carriage led by the Xu family's caravan, her body trembled and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Miss! It's Miss!"

She cried out in a low voice, no longer caring about etiquette, and rushed over, lifting her skirt.

The carriage stopped.

As soon as Xu Qingyue got out of the car, Qiao'er rushed to her side.

Her knees buckled, and she knelt down, her face streaked with tears, her voice choked with sobs:

"Miss...you're finally back...Qiao'er thought...we'd never see you again..."

"Get up quickly."

Xu Qingyue reached out to help her up, her eyes also brimming with tears: "These days... have things been alright at home?"

"I'm fine."

Qiao'er wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said softly, "Second Master has been in charge of all the affairs at home. A batch of 'Longevity Tonic' was transported from Suzhou a month ago. It can replenish qi and strengthen bones. People in the market are flocking to it, and the family has made a lot of money."

As she spoke, she pointed to the caravan behind the carriage:

"Aside from brocade and tea, the goods in this caravan are all opium imported from Suzhou."

Xu Qingyue nodded slightly.

Suddenly, they spoke in unison:

"Miss Qiao'er, the mountain god's messenger is real!"

Ok?

Both of them were taken aback by these words.

Having been rescued by the mountain god's messenger, Xu Qingyue naturally preferred to believe it rather than dismiss it, but she didn't know where Qiao'er had heard the rumors from, so she looked at Qiao'er and asked softly:

"Qiao'er, what do you mean by that?"

Qiao'er quickly curtsied and said, "Miss, you may not know this, but a strange thing happened here! About ten days ago, the people of the capital saw a young man in a plain robe, whose body was faintly glowing with golden light, walking through the streets of the East Market. Just then, a child climbed a tree to pick a sparrow, but accidentally fell. The young man raised his hand and caught the child, who was suspended in mid-air without being hurt at all!"

"Then he arrived at a dilapidated temple in the west of the city and saw an old beggar lying ill on the cold steps, barely breathing. He simply flicked his finger, and a ray of golden light entered the old beggar's brow. In an instant, the old beggar coughed up blood, his face turned red, and he sat up on his own!"

As she spoke, the light in her eyes grew even brighter:

"When this matter spread, it was said that the young man had an extraordinary demeanor and a handsome appearance like an immortal. Some people even said that they had seen him with light gold cloud patterns embroidered on the corners of his sleeves. He frequently appeared at the old temple on Jade Mountain. Some busybodies wanted to follow him to spy on him, but as soon as he entered the temple, he disappeared in the blink of an eye, like a gentle breeze."

Xu Qingyue frowned slightly upon hearing the words, pondered for a moment, and then said after a long while:

"Why hasn't Zhongfu come?"

As soon as she said this, Qiao'er's face turned pale at a visible speed, and she stammered:

"Second Master...he's busy..."

"real?"

Xu Qingyue spoke softly, her almond-shaped eyes gazing quietly at Qiao'er, and asked suspiciously, "Uncle Zhong has always been caring. Given his nature, even if he were burdened with countless affairs, he would never fail to come and fetch me personally. Has something bad happened at home?!"

Qiao'er's face stiffened, and the joy and excitement on her face faded slightly. Her eyes darted away as she said:

"Miss, Second Master... he is indeed very busy... business is booming at the shop... lately, things have been very complicated..."

"Qiao'er!"

Xu Qingyue interrupted her in a deep voice, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes as clear as autumn water, reflecting directly into Qiao'er's slightly flustered face: "You've been with me since childhood and never lie. What is it that you must keep from me like this?"

Her words were spoken with considerable anger, which startled Qiao'er, causing her to tremble and her eyes to redden instantly. She choked out:

"Miss...Miss, please forgive me! I didn't mean to hide it, it's just that Master..."

"What's wrong with Father now?!"

Xu Qingyue felt uneasy.

Qiao'er's voice trembled with tears: "Master... his condition suddenly worsened, and it became serious again..."

"W-what?!"

Xu Qingyue's lips trembled: "Father...he woke up that day...how could he be seriously ill again...?"

She suddenly felt a jolt in her heart, remembering the old Taoist's elixir.

If the old Taoist priest dared to take her away, how could he not dare to poison the elixir?

She was so eager to save her father that she neglected these things.

Now that they've finally realized it, it's too late...

Qiao'er raised her tearful eyes and said sadly:

"At first, he did improve a little. He could eat some thin porridge and occasionally say a word or two. But... about seven or eight days ago, for some reason, he suddenly became drowsy again, and his voice sounded like a child's, constantly calling for his mother..."

"But...but he doesn't seem like my master..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face:

"The Second Master instructed that Miss has had a long and arduous journey and has just returned home. She must not be subjected to such a shock again. He ordered me not to tell Miss the details yet, but to tell her slowly after she has settled down and rested at home. The Second Master himself dares not leave the mansion even for a moment, for fear that the Master..."

Qiao'er choked up and couldn't continue.

Xu Qingyue felt a chill run from her feet to the top of her head. The joy of returning home was shattered by this sudden bad news. Her vision blurred, her legs went weak, and she could barely stand, but she forced herself to stay upright and cried out:

"Let's go! Return to the manor immediately!"

...

...

The Xu family mansion.

Inside the room with the back seat.

Jiang She pushed open the door that hadn't been opened for months, stepped into the room, and glanced around, only to see a thin layer of dust on the table.

With a flick of his sleeve, he used his magic to create a gust of wind, clearing away all the dust in the room. He sat at the table for a while, sipping his tea, and was just about to devise a different method to teach Xu Qingyue the furnace cultivation technique. But as soon as he summoned the panel, he saw Xu Qingyue rushing off to Master Xu's room without stopping.

"Father!"

She pushed open the door and shouted.

The room was filled with the oppressive smell of medicine.

But there lay Master Xu on his back on the couch, covered with a brocade quilt.

But that description was even more horrifying than when she left months earlier.

His face, which had already become emaciated from prolonged illness, was now deeply sunken, his cheekbones towering like two solitary peaks, his skin dry and sallow, clinging tightly to his bones, with almost no flesh visible; his eyes were tightly closed, and two dark bluish-black patches in his eye sockets made him look even more lifeless.

Most alarmingly, Mr. Xu's chapped lips were unconsciously twitching slightly, and he was uttering a series of incoherent murmurs:

"Mother...it hurts so much...it hurts so much..."

The voice was intermittent, but the tone was incredibly childish, as if the person lying on the couch was not the elderly Master Xu, but an ignorant child.

"Father...Father?!"

Xu Qingyue staggered to the bedside, her hand trembling as she reached out to grasp her father's withered, veiny hand, but she dared not.

She turned her head and looked at the man in front of the bed:

"Uncle, what happened? Father..."

"It was probably that old Taoist priest's doing." Xu Ningyuan gritted his teeth, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He waved his hand to dismiss the servants on his left and right.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Xu Qingyue also fell silent.

She felt nothing but hatred.

"Knock knock knock!"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside. A servant in blue stopped abruptly, knelt hastily by the door, and announced, "Second Master, the person has been found."

Xu Ningyuan's eyes lit up.

"Where is he? Has he been invited home?"

"Reporting to Second Master, that person is currently at the Zhao family's residence..."

"The Zhao family?"

Xu Ningyuan frowned, a bad feeling creeping into his mind.

"Which Zhao family?" he asked hastily.

The young servant in blue looked panicked, as if afraid of being scolded by his master, and stammered:

"The Zhao family of Wangyue Trading Company..."

hiss....

A hissing sound came from the air.

Xu Qingyue wiped away her tears, turned her head to look at Xu Ningyuan, whose expression was uncertain, and asked softly:

"Uncle Zhong, who are you looking for?"

Xu Ningyuan sighed deeply: "Alas, since you already know about this, Yue'er, I will not hide it from you. The person I sent my servants to find is none other than the mountain god's messenger, who is widely known in the city."

"Why are you looking for him...?"

Xu Qingyue was slightly taken aback, but when she glanced at her father on the bed, she immediately understood.

"Is my father being sought by the mountain god's messenger to save him?"

"Exactly."

Thinking of this, Xu Ningyuan frowned again and said regretfully, "It's a pity that the Zhao family beat us to it."

The Zhao family of the capital is the most powerful of the three major merchants who control the Wangyue Trading Company. Over the years, the two families have been constantly clashing in the market over the sake of money.

Having heard that the mountain god's messenger had gone to the Zhao family, Xu Ningyuan was already preparing for the worst.

He looked at the servant and asked, "Let me ask you, how did the Zhao family treat that mountain god's messenger?"

Seeing that his master had not become angry, the young servant in blue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not conceal anything and immediately told the two high-ranking figures what he had found out:

"In response to Second Master, the Zhao family treats the mountain god's messenger as an honored guest, and all matters, large and small, in the household are handled in accordance with his wishes."

"This is not a good solution."

Xu Ningyuan frowned deeply.

Xu Qingyue also sighed, frowning as she said, "My family and theirs are sworn enemies. If we rashly invite the mountain god's messenger, it will be difficult to handle..."

"well...."

Xu Ningyuan shook his head: "In the end, it's just that he can't bring himself to do it. I'll prepare some generous gifts and personally pay a visit to the Zhao family."

"Uncle, this is absolutely unacceptable."

Xu Qingyue rushed over to persuade him, her voice filled with anxiety: "Uncle, if you leave, how will the elders of the clan, who have always valued the family's reputation, view you in the future? How will the Zhao family use this as an excuse to spread rumors? At that time, I'm afraid you won't be able to clear your name even if you jump into the Yellow River..."

Xu Ningyuan smiled gently: "I'm already an old man with one foot in the grave, why should I care about reputation? Although I would personally come to apologize, it would cause my family to suffer a temporary loss, but it's still better than letting you, Yue'er, bear this infamy."

"..."

Xu Qingyue remained silent.

She always prioritized the overall situation, handling both the family business and her father's illness with impartiality.

But now...

But it couldn't be balanced...

...

...

"He actually impersonated me?"

Inside the room, Jiang She listened to the young servant in blue mention the messenger of the mountain god and couldn't help but laugh.

"This person went to great lengths, whether it was genuine charity or spreading rumors, all to solidify his identity as the mountain god's messenger. Now he has gone to the Zhao family and the Wangyue Trading Company... I'm afraid this matter is not as simple as just impersonating the mountain god's messenger."

Jiang She was filled with deep thought.

He pushed open the door and stepped out, hearing Xu Qingyue's voice from within his mind:

"Uncle, it is true that my family and the Zhao family are like fire and water, but in the final analysis, it all comes down to money."

"Moon, what do you mean by that...?"

Xu Ningyuan was taken aback and looked at Xu Qingyue with surprise. This girl was good at business and always used both soft and hard tactics. Her words must have had ulterior motives.

Thinking of this, Xu Ningyuan quickly dismissed the servant in blue and asked:

"Moon, are you perhaps thinking of cutting a piece of flesh from my family and giving it to the Zhao family?"

"It's not a gift, it's feeding."

Xu Qingyue said decisively, "I saw it when I came. The 'longevity elixir' transported from Suzhou is extremely popular in the capital. Right now, I'm afraid the Zhao family has been eyeing this piece of meat with great interest."

What she said was true. In the business world, the Zhao family was like a tagalong, always following behind the Xu family and copying them in a very convincing way. Today they would learn from Hangzhou's West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, and tomorrow they would copy the poetic and artistic style of a silk shop.

After selling the same type of goods, they would deliberately lower the price from time to time, competing with the Xu family.

"Instead of waiting for the Zhao family to confiscate this 'Longevity Ointment' one day, we might as well use it as bait to get them to hand over the Mountain God's messenger to rescue my father."

Xu Qingyue's voice was soft, yet it carried a hint of the authority and unquestionable authority that only a family head could possess.

Just moments ago she was teary-eyed, but now she sits upright, exuding an aura of authority like a matriarch who oversees the rise and fall of her family.

Xu Ningyuan stared in disbelief.

In his vision, the figures of his once decisive elder brother and his delicate and charming sister-in-law seemed to overlap, enveloping Xu Qingyue. Gradually, the two figures began to take shape in him. He murmured:

"My little Yue'er has finally grown up..."

"Father Zhong?"

"Oh! Yue'er, tell me."

Xu Qingyue nodded slightly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes fixed on Xu Ningyuan's expression, and said softly:

"What do you think of this plan, Uncle Zhong?"

"Very good."

Xu Ningyuan nodded in approval, then declined, saying, "Now that Yue'er has returned home, you are naturally in charge of all matters at home."

His words were not merely polite; they were a high praise for Xu Qingyue's talent in managing her household and conducting business.

Xu Qingyue nodded: "In that case, let's settle this matter as is."

"There's no time to lose, Qiao'er. Tell the servants to prepare some fragrant hot water. I need to bathe and change."

As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head habitually and looked around, as if subconsciously searching for someone while washing herself in the mountains:

"Where is Jiang Langjun?"

"Back to the back room."

"Okay, go and call him to come and wash too."

"?Miss...."

"Um?"

"You can't just take a bath like this, you can't just do it randomly."

"?!"