From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

"Huh! Where is everyone?"

"It was definitely there just now, how could it suddenly disappear? Or am I seeing things?"

On the viewing platform.

Xu Qingyue frowned and looked into the crowd again. Seeing that she couldn't see anyone, she assumed she was seeing things.

"There's too much to see in this world; if you look at too much, you'll get dizzy."

As Jiang She spoke, he turned his head and glanced at Qiao'er.

At this moment, the two of them stood on the viewing platform, among the guests, but none of the dozen or so guests around noticed their presence.

Unknown to the public.

Unseen by others.

It was like a ghost.

Qiao'er looked around blankly and realized that her conversation with Jiang She was not noticed by the crowd on the viewing platform. She was very curious and assumed it was some kind of profound Taoist magic.

At first, she was a little scared.

He thought he was dead.

Only when he reached out and touched the fruit plate on the table next to him, and found that he could reach it, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

This made him even more surprised.

"Young Master Jiang, my lady can't see me. Is it because you've cast some kind of spell?"

"It's just a minor technique, nothing more than magic."

Jiang She shook his head and said leisurely.

Fox spirits are skilled in seduction and transformation, hiding their tracks and remaining undetected. Since he possesses a trace of a fox spirit, he can conceal his form without using magic, preventing others from recognizing him.

But this is not magic, but a kind of "concealment".

It is a unique feature of fox spirits: "hiding".

only....

Jiang She's "concealment" is different from that of the fox demon, who conceals his voice, appearance, and form. Instead, he reduces his presence to the smallest possible level.

Therefore, even under Dong Yunqi's very nose, Dong Yunqi's divine sense did not detect it at all.

"Could it be because I have Qin Lie's 'strong luck' that this 'hidden place' is different from the fox clan's?"

Jiang She frowned.

He pondered it for a moment, but didn't think much of it.

Qiao'er, however, was very familiar with him, and teased herself:

"Young master possesses such supernatural abilities, yet no one notices or sees him. Could it be that you secretly watched my young lady bathe?"

"Cough cough..."

Jiang She coughed twice, deliberately changing the subject:

"Back on the mountain, you said the Zhao family was unrighteous and heartless. Now, what do you think?"

"What else can we do?"

"Zhao Jiaren has been in love with my young lady for a long time. Not to mention the gentry in the capital, even ordinary people know this. I'm afraid that he had my young lady hold this ceremony because he was hoping to give the people more gossip."

Qiao'er's tone was cold, clearly indicating her dislike for Zhao Jiaren's style.

But she was helpless about it.

Just as she had told Jiang She when she was on the mountain, the Zhao family, out of gratitude, forced the young lady to participate in a martial arts contest to find a husband.

But what could the Xu family do when they needed something from others?

There's nothing we can do.

We can only endure it, we can only suffer it.

Thinking of this, Qiao'er clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms, causing a sharp pain.

She was unwilling to accept it, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

Just as she was feeling depressed, Qiao'er suddenly had a thought, as if she remembered something, and looked abruptly at Jiang She.

Yes.

How could I forget?

The Zhao family has an immortal.

But now my family has one too!

"I know what you're thinking."

Jiang She spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the dense crowd below the stage before finally settling on one side of the viewing platform.

It landed on Zhao Jiaren.

Qiao'er's heart stirred, and she followed Jiang She's gaze.

Then a servant who looked like a young servant ran over, leaned close to Zhao Jiaren's ear, and whispered something.

"What are they saying?"

Qiao'er was curious.

Jiang She reached out and slightly hooked his finger.

Instantly, the servant's whispers, following the gestures, became louder in the ears of the two men.

"Young master."

"The person in the painting that you instructed us to find... I have found out who that person is."

"Oh?"

Zhao Jiaren raised an eyebrow slightly.

He picked up the teacup beside him, brought it to his lips, took a small sip, and then said:

Is this really true?

"It is absolutely true, young master."

The servant said firmly and decisively, "We've searched for a long time and spent money to inquire everywhere, and we've finally figured out who Miss Xu's beloved is."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiaren smiled.

"In that case, I'll trouble Miss Liu to go and do it for me."

Liu Yin remained silent.

He secretly thought to himself angrily:

"Zhao Jiaren is truly despicable."

"So... all his previous words were lies to deceive Li Nian. Until just now, he had no idea who Xu Qingyue's sweetheart was. He just wanted to use this as bait to lure Li Nian into his trap and make him work for him."

"Damn it, absolutely despicable."

"Luckily, Li Nian didn't agree, otherwise... he would probably have cursed himself for being as stupid as a pig after he came to his senses."

Liu Yin pondered, her gaze turning slightly cold as she looked at Zhao Jiaren's face with the same disgust she felt for looking at excrement.

Gradually, her murderous intent intensified, and for a moment she didn't even notice that Zhao Jiaren was speaking.

"Miss Liu, Miss Liu?"

The man's voice rang out again.

This time, there was a hint of urgency.

"Um?"

Liu Yin was taken aback for a moment, then casually replied, "I was in meditation just now. What did you need me for, young master?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiaren first offered a flattering remark:

"Miss Liu truly deserves to be called a martial arts master!"

"Even just standing there, he could treat it as a stance; such concentration is truly admirable."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but praise it a few more times.

Liu Yin remained silent.

Let him flatter and talk as he pleases.

After a long pause, she waved her hand, a look of disdain on her face:

"Young Master Zhao..."

"You don't need to say such empty words anymore. Now that I have received the deposit and am employed by you, I will act in accordance with the agreement. If you have any instructions, please just say them."

"No need for further beating around the bush."

After saying that, Liu Yin looked at him coldly.

Zhao Jiaren's smile froze.

He was clearly not expected that Liu Yin would interrupt him so directly, so to cover up his embarrassment, he could only touch the tip of his nose and give an awkward smile.

"Alas!"

"I never imagined this maid was an assassin!"

"Still the assassin who calmed the storm? Could it be... that this woman was responsible for the tragic death of my second master?"

Qiao'er looked at Zhao Jiaren's table from afar. Although the distance was far, she had already heard Zhao Jiaren's words after Jiang She gently beckoned her with his finger.

"Let's go."

"Where to?"

"Go and see what your young lady's sweetheart looks like," Jiang She said with a smirk, sounding somewhat like a gossipmonger.

He was unaware that the person in Xu Qingyue's painting was him.

"..."

Qiao'er listened and immediately fell silent.

She knew that the young lady had painted the picture.

But the young lady painted the picture earlier to appease that old scoundrel. At that time, the young lady had no one she was interested in.

But now...

That's hard to say.

Qiao'er frowned, glanced at Jiang She, hesitated for a moment before speaking, when suddenly a loud shout erupted from not far away:

"The time has come!"

That was the voice of the official presiding over the religious ceremony.

"Please, messenger, set up the altar and perform the ritual."

"They're here! They're here!"

Everyone looked up at the high platform.

Dong Yunqi remained motionless.

It was as if they were waiting for something.

Turning her head slightly, she saw Zhao Jiaren leave his seat and go straight to Xu Qingyue's side.

With a malicious smile, he said to Xu Qingyue, "Miss Xu, the time has come. Why not 'invite' your father out?"

"..."

Xu Qingyue frowned.

Today, beneath the high platform, the crowds are immense, numbering in the tens of millions: ordinary citizens of the capital, merchants coming and going, gentry from all walks of life, even government officials, idlers, and ruffians...

Countless eyes were fixed on them.

them....

They were watching a religious ceremony.

They were just watching for the spectacle.

It is also... looking at the backbone of the Xu family.

At this moment, to "invite" my father, frail and emaciated, out in front of thousands of people would be tantamount to destroying the last vestiges of the Xu family's dignity, my father's respect, and the privacy of the entire household...

All of them were completely peeled open.

Such actions are no different from lowering one's family's reputation; no different from airing one's dirty laundry in public.

Xu Qingyue felt a tightness in her chest and a dryness in her throat.

She looked up at Zhao Jiaren, and the smug smile on his face stung her eyes.

He clearly knew.

They knew what this meant for the Xu family.

But he insisted on doing it anyway.

Xu Qingyue made her final act of defiance:

"Young Master Zhao, my father is seriously ill, and I am afraid that he might disturb the magic of the immortals. It is really not appropriate for him to appear in such a setting."

Zhao Jiaren chuckled upon hearing this:

"Miss Xu, you are mistaken."

"Today's ritual is performed by the messenger, who, with the grace and power of the mountain god, is to exorcise evil spirits and cure your father's illness. Since the patient is not present, where does this 'exorcism' come from? And where does the 'cure' go?"

"Besides... the messenger is incredibly powerful and his magic is boundless. Once the ritual is complete, your father's illness will be completely cured, and he will be fully recovered. At that time, all the people in the city will witness your father's 'resurrection' with their own eyes. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? Miss Xu, why do you... get so hung up on these trivial details?"

Details...

Xu Qingyue dug her fingertips into her palm.

turn out to be......

It turns out that in his eyes, his father's dignity and the Xu family's reputation were nothing more than trivial matters.

This Zhao Jiaren is truly ruthless.

But even though he is despicable, how could he not save his own father?

Xu Qingyue sighed:

"Someone, go and fetch the carriage."

carriage?

Zhao Jiaren was stunned.

That's not what he wants.

He then looked down from the high platform and saw a carriage slowly driving into the fence.

The carriage had no extra decorations.

The carriage windows were tightly closed, with heavy, dark blue curtains hanging down. The curtains were thick and opaque, completely obscuring the interior of the carriage. The horses pulling the carriage were not particularly fine, but just two ordinary brown horses with slightly disheveled manes and dull hooves.

The carriage came to a stop.

There was a sudden moment of silence.

Countless gazes, as if drawn by invisible threads, all turned toward the black carriage.

Curiosity, inquiry, sympathy, sighs... all sorts of emotions flowed silently through the crowd.

"Is Master Xu in that carriage?"

"I heard he's been sick for years, and medicine hasn't helped."

"I wonder how ill he has become..."

The hushed whispers were like the rustling of wind through the grass.

The carriage curtain remained still.

But an indescribable herbal scent wafted out from the gaps in the carriage.

The air was heavy and stagnant, as if it were carrying the final weight of a life nearing its end.

Everyone looked over, wanting to see if the richest man in the capital was alive or dead.

But the carriage curtain was never lifted.

Where are they?

Zhao Jiaren sneered, "Miss Xu, do you perhaps intend to have the messenger come to treat you from across this carriage?"

"Ha, how can we know... whether it's Master Xu inside the carriage or not, if he doesn't show himself?"

"Zhao Jiaren, you...you're despicable..."

Xu Qingyue's eyebrows furrowed, wanting to curse but unable to utter a sound.

The officials and merchants who had been on good terms with her family for generations were enraged and rebuked Zhao Jiaren:

"Master Zhao, this is going too far! Master Xu's illness is difficult to cure, yet you insist on pressing him further?"

Zhao Jiaren smiled:

"You've misunderstood. It's not that I want to see it, but that the messenger wants to see it for himself."

"messenger?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Before they could react, they saw the white-robed Taoist priest on the high platform wave his sleeve at the carriage.

"Bang!"

The carriage exploded, revealing the scene inside.

A wooden couch with gauze curtains hanging down.

A figure lay on the couch, its outline blurred and its body slender, illuminated by the sunlight reflected off the gauze curtains. Two maids stood beside the couch, both dressed in plain clothes. Seeing the wooden planks of the carriage scattered all around, they looked alarmed.

Countless gazes were cast directly at them, stinging their faces, as if they were watching the spine of the Xu family being forcibly torn apart.

Immediately afterwards, Dong Yunqi waved his sleeve again.

The gauze curtains on the couch were torn into strips.

Master Xu, who was lying on the couch, was forcibly moved into the public eye by Dong Yunqi.

Mr. Xu looked pale and sickly, clearly terminally ill.