From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

"Oh! Brother Li! It's Brother Li!"

The girl cheered with joy.

The old father was dumbfounded.

He was stunned for a moment, and when he saw that Li Nian did not come in through the front door, but came in through the back door, he immediately confirmed his guess.

Li Nian... he's using the shop as a pretext to kill someone!

"hiss......"

Old Zhou involuntarily gasped.

His eyes widened, his hand froze as he wiped the bottom of the pot, and the loofah he was holding fell into the pot.

"Uncle Zhou."

A man's voice rang out.

Li Nian had already walked into the kitchen.

Old Zhou's heart tightened as he looked at the man approaching. He forced himself to remain calm and said to Yun'e, "Girl, those guests up ahead... they're probably almost finished with their wine. Go and get two more jars and take them to them."

"Brother Li, aren't you going?"

Yun'e pouted, looking somewhat displeased.

She had been eagerly anticipating this moment, and finally, the man she longed for had arrived. Naturally, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with him.

He said in a low voice:

"Father, that wine... we haven't finished it yet..."

"Just go when I tell you to!"

Old Zhou shouted, his voice suddenly rising several decibels, startling the girl.

Seeing this, Li Nian turned his head and smiled gently at Yun'e: "Sister Yun'e, just listen to your father. Go and do your work. I want to have a few words with your father."

His smile made Yun'e's cheeks burn. In her haste, she mumbled an "Mmm," then lowered her head, blushed, lifted the hem of her skirt, and ran out.

After his daughter went to the front hall to pour the wine, Old Zhou's tense expression finally relaxed slightly.

He silently picked up a rag and vigorously wiped the greasy cutting board. After a long while, he finally spoke, his lips trembling:

"Young Master Li..."

Old Zhou, his voice trembling, changed his form of address, no longer calling him "Hero Li." He said, "You came in through the back door today... presumably because you didn't want others to see you..."

"Um?"

Li Nian was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

He thought his plan was flawless. He had paid the ruffian to come and drink with him, and he had entered from the back. No one had noticed along the way. He never expected that the old man would guess his thoughts so perfectly.

"Uncle Zhou has a good eye, that's right, exactly."

Li Nian nodded slowly, without denying it.

Old Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he said in horror, "Young Master Li... if you intend to use this shop to kill someone, I dare not stop you, but I only ask one thing of you..."

"What is it?"

Li Nian asked a question.

Old Zhou's eyelids drooped as he pleaded, "Please, have mercy on my poor daughter. She's still young and doesn't understand anything. I'll take full responsibility for everything and won't utter a single word, much less report you. I only beg you, sir... to spare her life and give her a way out."

As he spoke, he was about to kneel down.

Li Nian reacted quickly, reaching out to support Old Zhou and preventing him from actually kneeling down.

He looked at the old man before him, who was willing to give up everything for his daughter, and smiled, revealing a fake smile: "Uncle Zhou, you're overthinking it. How could I, Li Nian, be the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity and indiscriminately kills the innocent?"

"This matter has nothing to do with you and your daughter, so why would I harm you?"

"If I, Li Nian, ever achieve great success in the future, I will never forget your kindness to my father and daughter today."

Li Nian's face showed just the right amount of gratitude and promise.

After he finished speaking, his words were so dignified and noble that he seemed like a kind and benevolent gentleman.

But as he spoke, he casually peeled off the mud seals of several wine jars and shook a packet of white powder wrapped in oiled paper into the wine.

He then gently shook the wine jar, and the powder quickly dissolved.

"Whoosh!"

The curtain was suddenly rolled up, and the girl stepped in.

"Dad, Brother Li's friend can really drink. We're out of wine again. I'll go to the cellar and get two more jars."

As he spoke, he headed toward the cellar.

"There's no need to go to the cellar, Sister Yun'e."

Li Nian spoke up at the right moment, stopping the girl who was heading to the cellar. He handed her the wine jar that had just been poisoned and said, "This jar of wine has just been opened. It smells like good wine. You can take this jar to the front."

"this......"

Yun'e paused, glanced at the wine jar in Li Nian's hand, and hesitated noticeably before saying:

"Brother Li... this wine is my father's treasured possession. He wouldn't normally touch a drop. He only took it out of the cellar today because he heard you were coming to drink with us. Isn't that... such a waste?"

Old Zhou's face darkened: "I told you to take it, so take it! Why all the nonsense!"

"Hurry up and go!"

He shouted sharply, his eyes bloodshot.

Yun'e trembled and hurriedly took the wine jar from Li Nian's hands.

"Tap tap tap—"

The curtain was lifted.

The girl ran out of the kitchen again.

The wind carried the noisy voices of people from the front hall.

"Drink! Master Qin has a huge capacity for alcohol!"

"Another bowl, please!"

"Brothers, let's do it!"

......

Suddenly.

The noisy chatter, the sounds of drinking games, and the clinking of bowls in the front hall were abruptly silenced, as if a pause button had been pressed!

Instead, there was a short, muffled thud, like the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground one after another.

Immediately afterwards, the front hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, a woman's scream rang out.

"ah--!"

"Father, Brother Li, someone's dead!"

Tap tap tap...

The sound of hurried, frantic running grew louder as it approached.

The kitchen curtain was suddenly flung open!

Yun'e's face turned deathly pale. Her once bright and clear eyes were now wide open, filled with terror and horror. She rushed into the kitchen, her gaze sweeping quickly across the room before suddenly freezing in place.

Her father, Old Zhou, lay in a pool of blood, his coarse robe soaked crimson. His eyes were wide open, and blood was gushing from a sword wound on his neck. He was already dead and motionless.

"father--!!!"

Yun'e let out a heart-wrenching scream.

She rushed to her father's side, her hands trembling as she reached out to cover the bleeding wound on his neck, but when she touched it, she only felt a handful of crimson.

She looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with tears, and could only vaguely see Li Nian still standing in the same spot.

"Brother Li... what... what happened?"

"My father and those guests..."

Her mind was a mess, and she kept asking Li Nian questions, but before she could finish speaking, the response came...

It was a sword strike!

"Sizzle!!"

A flash of sword light, and it thrust out swiftly.

Then, with a twist of his wrist, he deftly drew his sword.

"puff!"

Blood splattered out.

The crimson blood instantly stained the girl's chest, and her bright, clear eyes quickly dimmed, revealing a white-clad man holding a torch and setting the house ablaze.

"Sizzle—!"

The blazing firelight illuminated half the night sky in crimson.

The crossbeam snapped in half, falling with sparks; flames engulfed the counter, and the wine jars ignited upon contact with the fire...

The entire tavern was instantly engulfed in flames.

Am I... going to die?

The girl's heart was bleeding, her face blackened and reddened by the flames and thick smoke.

She couldn't understand why Brother Li wanted to kill her.

But she knew she was about to die.

"It would be a shame if he died."

A gentle voice rang in the girl's ears.

Immediately afterwards, a pair of black boots came into view.

But the black boots didn't stop; instead, they stepped on her blood and went straight to the front hall, to the room where the group of hooligans lay on the ground.

"It would be a shame if he died."

Jiang She leaned down, his gaze fixed on Qin Lie's face. He saw that Qin Lie's face was bluish-purple and his breathing was weak. He was clearly able to hold on a little longer than the others around him who had already died from poisoning.

He reached out, placing his palm against Qin Lie's chest, transferring a wisp of magical power to protect that last, faint heartbeat.

"Cough cough cough..."

Qin Lie coughed a few times, his eyelids twitched slightly, but he was unable to open them.

He couldn't even speak.

The magic only kept him alive until his last breath, leaving him in a near-death state where he could still be used.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang She withdrew his hand.

The hooligans who had long been dead beside him suddenly "came back to life," their corpses trembling violently, their joints cracking, as they shakily stood up.

He bent down, stretched out his stiff hand, and approached Qin Lie, but not to attack, but rather... to stack himself on top of Qin Lie, male on top of male!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The violent collision, with its shattering sound, wasn't loud amidst the crackling of the flames. But Qin Lie's remaining consciousness seemed to sense something; his body convulsed slightly, yet he couldn't even muster any expression of humiliation.

finally....

A line of small characters appeared before Jiang She's eyes:

"Two days have passed. Should Qin Lie sell?"

"Sell!"

Jiang She silently recited the words in his mind, his tone resolute.

The moment the thought arose, his body trembled slightly, as if something invisible and intangible, yet truly real, was being peeled away from the dying Qin Lie.

Then it all rushed into Jiang She's body.

Jiang She inspected them one by one.

It is Qin Lie's martial arts cultivation.

He mastered the Xu family boxing manual in an instant.

Upon examining his fate again, Qin Lie found that it was of no use to him. Instead, something more mysterious flowed into his body like a spring.

This thing is called "Strong Luck"!

Jiang She closed his eyes and calmed his mind to carefully feel the sensations.

He discovered that this strong fortune did not increase his strength, nor did it grant him a new destiny. Instead, it was like an invisible blessing, quietly merging into his own destiny.

Jiang She could sense that it was precisely because of this strong luck that Qin Lie was able to escape death from the war on the north bank, travel thousands of miles to the capital, and learn the Xu family boxing manual.

even.....

If it weren't for his intervention, this incredible luck would have saved Qin Lie's life once again!

......

"Pop! Pop! Pop!"

The heat inside the tavern was scorching, and the fire was growing increasingly fierce.

Outside the alley...

The night was dark.

Li Nian stopped, turned around, and glanced back at the direction of the tavern. He saw flames shooting into the sky in the distance and smelled thick smoke in the wind. He couldn't help but grin and felt relieved.

"Finally, this major worry is gone!"

He smiled, started walking, and when he reached the alley entrance, he saw a luxurious carriage blocking his way.

"The Zhao family's carriage..."

Li Nian frowned, recognizing it as the Zhao family's carriage. He pretended not to see it, lowered his head, and was about to take a detour when a man in brocade robes stepped down from the carriage, exuding elegance.

"Young Master Li, why do you seem to be in such a hurry?"

A man's voice rang out.

Li Nian was slightly taken aback. He stopped and looked up, only to see that the young man in brocade robes was none other than Zhao Jiaren of the Zhao family.

"Master Zhao, I, Li, greet you."

Li Nian cupped his hands in greeting. He had just finished killing people, setting fires, and doing something wrong, and did not want to stay here any longer.

After bowing, he wanted to leave.

But Zhao Jiaren stepped in front of him and blocked his way.

"Young Master Li, where are you going?"

"Of course we must return home."

"Return to the manor?" Zhao Jiaren chuckled. "I've overheard some rumors. I wonder if Young Master Li would be interested?"

"Not interested."

Li Nian gave a brief reply.

Having said that, he turned to leave.

As a guard of the Xu family, he did not want to have much to do with the Zhao family, lest the young lady misunderstand that he had ulterior motives.

But before they had taken more than a few steps, Zhao Jiaren said slowly, "What if this news... concerns your young lady's reputation?"

Ok?

Upon hearing this, Li Nian abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He paused, turned abruptly, stared at Zhao Jiaren's ambiguous smiling face, and asked:

"Patriarch Zhao, is this true?"

"That's natural."

Seeing that he was indeed hooked by the name "Xu Qingyue," Zhao Jiaren chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained even more composed. He simply turned to the side of the carriage door and gestured for him to enter.

"This is not the place to talk. If Young Master Li is interested in knowing, perhaps... we could discuss it in the carriage?"

"..."

Li Nian fell silent.

If someone were to see him getting into the Zhao family's carriage, he might be misunderstood.

But.....

This news concerns Miss...

Li Nian hesitated, struggling for a moment, but ultimately could not resist his desire for news of Xu Qingyue.

He gritted his teeth, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

"In that case, we shall respectfully comply."

After speaking, he cautiously scanned his surroundings to make sure there were no spies around before following Zhao Jiaren toward the carriage.

Zhao Jiaren lifted the curtain and went inside first.

Li Nian followed closely behind, bending down to step into the carriage.

"Thump! Thump!"

The carriage was spacious, with brocade cushions and carpets, and a faint fragrance. A small stove was placed on the table, with a gauze lamp inside, the fragrance of the incense casting a soft glow.

Under the lights, besides Zhao Jiaren, there was another person.

It was a woman dressed as a maid, about twenty years old, sitting quietly in the corner of the carriage, her eyes lowered.

She wore a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with narrow sleeves and a front opening, covered by a light green half-sleeved garment. A matching silk sash was tied around her waist. She had a slender figure and long legs. Her chest was puffed up, looking somewhat fake, as if it had been padded up, and she was even hiding a weapon inside.

However, as soon as Li Nian sat down, his gaze swept over the maid's hands and sleeves hanging by her sides, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood and had honed his skills for many years in the Xu family's grand mansion, making him particularly sensitive to certain details.

Although the maid's hands were folded in front of her abdomen and her posture was respectful, her sitting posture was as steady as a bell, which was not as weak and frail as an ordinary maid. Her sleeves seemed loose, but the wrists were slightly taut. Under the fabric, there were faint outlines of hard objects, which were definitely not hairpins or jade bracelets.

What alarmed him even more was that when the maid occasionally looked up to serve tea, her eyes were clear and bright, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned. They were not gentle and charming, but rather revealed a sharp, knife-like edge. The moment their eyes met, that sharp light flashed and disappeared, then lowered again, so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.

But she was indeed beautiful, with an oval face, fair skin, a high nose bridge, and tightly pursed lips. Even when expressionless, she exuded a cool and heroic aura.

However, she is by no means the kind of person who uses her looks to please others.

Compared to those pitiful and weak women, this kind of woman evokes a desire to conquer.

Zhao Jiaren, however, seemed oblivious to the wariness in Li Nian's eyes.

He took the teacup from the maid, took a small sip, looked up at the man in white, and smiled:

"Young Master Li, please have some tea."

Li Nian had no interest in tea, nor in engaging in pleasantries with him, and asked directly:

"Master Zhao, what exactly is the matter you mentioned regarding the rumors about my young lady? Please enlighten us, Master Zhao."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Jiaren's face, and there was no hint of him asking for help in his words.

Zhao Jiaren put down his teacup, tapped his fingertips on the rim, and instead of answering, asked a question:

"Young Master Li has served the Xu family for many years; have you heard of any secret matter?"

"A secret? What's the secret?"

"Naturally, it's your young lady, Xu Qingyue, who seems to have someone she likes."

"!"

Upon hearing this, Li Nian's expression suddenly froze.

His hand gripping the sword hilt tightened unconsciously, but he pursed his lips and remained silent.

He was silent.

But two flames of jealousy were burning in his eyes.

Seeing his silence, Zhao Jiaren immediately understood and smiled, "It seems... Young Master Li knows about this matter. It's quite a coincidence. I, Zhao, have recently made many inquiries and spent a lot of manpower and resources, but my efforts have finally paid off, and I know who my beloved is."

"Who is it?!"

Li Nian's expression tightened, and he asked urgently.

Zhao Jiaren stopped talking.

He leaned back comfortably against the cushion, picked up his teacup again, and gently stirred the floating leaves with the lid. His face regained the shrewdness and calculation he usually displayed when negotiating with merchants. He slowly began to speak:

"Young Master Li, please don't be impatient. You must know the value of this information. I have put a lot of effort into this, so I can't just tell you for nothing."

"Zhao is a businessman who values ​​barter. I can tell you this secret in its entirety, and I can even help you... get rid of those troublesome people."

"But the premise is... from now on, you, Li Nian, must be a pawn that I, Zhao Jiaren, have planted in the Xu family, working with me from the inside and outside to pass on messages for me."

"If necessary... obey my orders!"