Chapter 423 Sing and Harmony

When Liu Xunyi and Qin Ku returned to the Seven Stars Tower, it was already dark and the hour of midnight was about to pass. However, the Seven Stars Tower was still brightly lit and crowded with people, seeming to be very lively.

In the lobby, Luo Tianjin and Teng Sanshi sat facing each other. Behind them stood the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion and the Teng clan respectively.

Luo Ningyu, Xie Xuan, Jiang Yiwei, Yan Bugui, Murong Bai, Deng Quan and others were among them, with as many as sixty or seventy people on both sides.

Apart from that, there were some busybodies sitting scattered around. Due to the reputation of the Northern Wise King, none of them dared to approach easily, and even their voices were much more restrained, which formed a sharp contrast with the noisy and bustling scenes of the previous two days.

Of course, at this late hour, most of the guests had already returned to their rooms to rest, and only a few stayed behind to watch the fun.

"Master of the Palace!"

Liu Xunyi bowed respectfully to Luo Tianjin, then turned to Teng Sanshi and bowed: "Greetings, Chief Teng."

At this moment, Qin Ku's face was filled with worry. From the moment he stepped into the Seven Star Tower, he had been hesitating and procrastinating, wishing he could take one step forward and three steps back. He seemed extremely reluctant to face everything that was to follow.

"came back?"

Teng Sanshi ignored Liu Xunyi's greeting and turned his eyes to Qin Ku with interest, saying loudly: "Young Master Qin, where is the person I want?"

"This..." Qin Ku walked closer with his head held high, stammering and speaking vaguely.

Seeing Qin Ku in a dilemma, Liu Xunyi helped him out and said, "Chief Teng, actually..."

"Looking for clothes!"

Before he could finish his words, Luo Tianjin suddenly interrupted: "You have nothing to do here, step aside and wait."

Liu Xunyi didn't know what Luo Tianjin was thinking, but seeing that his tone was firm and unquestionable, she could only agree reluctantly. Then, under Qin Ku's complicated gaze, she reluctantly stepped aside.

"Chief Teng, please continue." Luo Tianjin was very respectful to Teng Sanshi. He ignored Qin Ku's embarrassment and drank tea leisurely as if he was an outsider.

"Humph!" Teng Sanshi snorted coldly and asked Qin Ku again, "Young Master Qin, where is the thief who stole the things?"

"This..." Qin Ku muttered shamelessly, "I didn't catch it..."

"What?" Teng Sanshi frowned and said in a deep voice, "You took the money but didn't catch the person. Doesn't that seem to be against the rules?"

Qin Ku showed a smile that was uglier than crying, and evaded the question: "We agreed on three days, and now it's still..."

"There are only a few hours left until dawn." Teng Sanshi interrupted, "Can you catch that thief in these few hours? If you can, I don't mind waiting a little longer."

Having said this, Teng Sanshi's tiger eyes turned and looked at Liu Xunyi meaningfully, and then said: "Of course, if Qin Ku takes this opportunity to escape, I will have to ask Liu Zhishan for justice. After all, Liu Zhishan once tried his best to protect Qin Ku, so I guess your relationship... must be special."

Teng Sanshi's words seemed to be addressed to Yu Qinku and Liu Xunyi, but in fact he was complaining to Luo Tianjin.

As expected, upon hearing this, the faces of Liu Xunyi, Qin Ku and Luo Tianjin changed at the same time.

The difference is that Liu Xunyi's face shows embarrassment, Qin Ku's face shows shame and anger, while Luo Tianjin's expression is somewhat intriguing.

"Forget it!" Qin Ku waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone is responsible for their own actions. I am the one who took over your business. It has nothing to do with Liu Xunyi. There is no need to trouble him. At worst... I will return the money to you."

"Repay?" Teng Sanshi sneered, "According to the rules, you should pay ten times the compensation, not just the money."

"I was careless for a moment and fell into your trap." Qin Ku's tone became a little annoyed, "If I had known this, I shouldn't have coveted the five thousand taels."

Teng Sanshi ignored Qin Ku's complaints and said calmly, "It's come to this point, there's no point in saying more."

Qin Ku's eyelids trembled a few times, and he took out a stack of banknotes from his arms, threw them on the table reluctantly, and complained: "This is all my wealth, if you have the heart... just take it!"

"You made nearly 30,000 taels from privately selling invitations to the martial arts conference. Add the 10,000 taels I gave you, and the total is only 40,000 taels." Teng Sanshi glanced at the scattered banknotes on the table and said expressionlessly, "I will assume that there are 40,000 taels here, but even so, you still owe me 15,000 taels."

"Old man, do you know how to settle accounts?" Qin Ku was so angry that he said, "I charged you five thousand taels, ten times that is fifty thousand taels. Now I already have forty thousand, and I only need ten thousand. Where do you get fifteen thousand?"

"Since you can't catch the thief, shouldn't I return my reward?" Teng Sanshi asked, "Is it because I don't know how to settle accounts, or do you want to shirk your responsibility?"

"you……"

"Humph!" Teng Sanshi was speechless when he saw Qin Kuqi's face flushed red. He couldn't help but sneered and said, "In my opinion, you probably don't have a penny on you."

Qin Ku was furious and resentful after his true identity was exposed by Teng Sanshi. He was angry that he had worked so hard but in the end he was making a fortune for others while he didn't make a penny.

What he hated was that Teng Sanshi was too insidious. He pretended to be generous three days ago, but ended up playing the long game to hook a big fish. He paid out 10,000 taels himself, but now he wants to take back 55,000 taels.

In the final analysis, Qin Ku blamed himself more for being greedy for money and blinded by greed.

Qin Ku laughed at himself and said, "I should have expected that you guys are very cunning. How could you be willing to do a losing business?"

"This is not called cunning, this is called the rules." Teng Sanshi said indifferently, "In the beginning, you used the gold and silver jewelry of the Teng tribe to earn the Teng tribe's money. I followed the rules and gave you every penny less. Now, you should also follow the rules and repay me every penny less."

"I don't have any money, but I have my life!" Qin Ku saw that Teng Sanshi was stubborn and stubborn, so he just made up his mind and said, "You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you."

"it is good!"

Teng Sanshi nodded readily, and then turned his gloomy eyes to Liu Xunyi. Before he could speak, Qin Ku suddenly interrupted and said, "There is no need to involve outsiders in the matter between you and me."

"You and me?" Teng Sanshi showed disdain on his face and snorted, "Well! Cut off one arm and the matter will be written off."

"hiss!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present changed their expressions and took a deep breath.

Qin Ku was as sad as if he had lost his parents. He said aggrievedly, "Old man, I have no grudge against you. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?" Teng Sanshi was calm and said indifferently, "I am not making things difficult for you. I am just following the rules. As the saying goes, 'A gentleman's word is as good as a promise'. You promised me that day, and I and all the heroes heard it with our own ears. Do you want to break your promise and enrich yourself?"

"I……"

"Patriarch Teng, there's no need to embarrass Qin Ku. I'll pay for the rest of the money!" Finally, Liu Xunyi couldn't hold back his inner anxiety and resolutely said, "I'll go back to my room right away..."

"Looking for clothes." Luo Tianjin interrupted again, "There is something I want to ask you, I hope you can answer truthfully."

Liu Xunyi was stunned and responded subconsciously: "Please ask, Lord."

"Three days ago, did you contradict Chief Teng?" Luo Tianjin's tone was as calm as water, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"This... can't really be called a rebellion, it's just that I have some disagreements with Chief Teng..."

Luo Tianjin waved his hand indifferently, seemingly not interested in Liu Xunyi's "saying" at all, and asked again: "Why is that so?"

"Because Qin Ku was wrongly accused..."

"Whether he was wronged or not, when will it be your turn to decide?" Luo Tianjin said impatiently, "Answer me first, why did you stand up for Qin Ku?"

Having said this, Luo Tianjin suddenly cast a sharp and meaningful look at Liu Xunyi.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi was stunned. He seemed to sense something strange in Luo Tianjin's eyes, but he couldn't fully understand his meaning for a moment, so he stuttered and hesitated several times.

"Chief Teng said that you have an unusual relationship with Qin Ku. Is this true?" Luo Tianjin "reminded".

"Brother Qin is my friend..."

"Just a friend?" Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you know that he is the famous 'Ghost Seer' in the martial arts world? Is he a first-class master ranked fifth on the Dragon Elephant List? Is he a wandering knight who appears and disappears without a fixed place?"

Staring closely at Luo Tianjin's deep eyes, Liu Xunyi seemed to understand something and said hesitantly: "Yes... I know..."

"Do you know your own identity?" Luo Tianjin asked, "You are the Black Fan of the Xianwang Mansion. Your words and deeds do not represent Liu Xunyi alone, but... the Xianwang Mansion."

At this point, Liu Xunyi finally got enlightened, and nodded repeatedly as if he had suddenly realized something: "Palace Master, there is actually something I haven't had time to report to you, but I acted on my own initiative and acted first and reported later. Please punish me, Palace Master!"

Liu Xunyi's words caused Qin Ku, Teng Sanshi and Luo Tianjin's expressions to change at the same time.

Compared to Qin Ku's confusion and Teng Sanshi's suspicion, a hint of relief flashed involuntarily in the depths of Luo Tianjin's eyes.

"Say!"

"My Lord, I have already recruited Qin Ku into the Xianwang Mansion. He is now a disciple of the lower three sects of the mansion." Liu Xunyi was secretly delighted and said righteously, "Since he is a disciple of the mansion, how can I, as the Black Handler, sit idly by and watch him being criticized? I had no choice but to offend the leader of the Teng clan. Here, I apologize to the old hero Teng!"

After saying that, Liu Xunyi solemnly picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Teng Sanshi respectfully.

"What?" Qin Ku was stunned and asked in surprise, "I..."

"Brother Qin!" Liu Xunyi interrupted hurriedly, "You and I are brothers, and even from the same school. I will never watch you get into trouble." After saying that, Liu Xunyi blinked quickly at Qin Ku.

Qin Ku didn't know the truth, but he knew that Liu Xunyi would not harm him, so he stopped arguing.

"Asshole!" Luo Tianjin pretended to be furious and shouted, "As a punishment, you will receive a hundred sticks when you return home!"

"As ordered!"

Luo Tianjin cast a bitter look at Teng Sanshi again and apologized: "Chief Teng, since it was my disciple who made the mistake, I, as the lord of the mansion, naturally cannot escape the blame. How about this, I am willing to offer 100,000 taels of silver to the Teng clan as an apology. What do you think, Chief Teng?"

"I don't want a penny of your money!"

"This……"

Teng Sanshi was unmoved by soft or hard tactics, and could not stand water or fire. Luo Tianjin looked embarrassed and was speechless for a moment.

Seeing that both sides were in a stalemate and the atmosphere was very awkward, a hint of deep thought flashed across Liu Xunyi's eyes.

"Chief Teng!"

Suddenly, Liu Xunyi took the initiative to approach Teng Sanshi, and whispered something in his ear under his suspicious gaze.

In an instant, a look of deep shock suddenly emerged on Teng Sanshi's cold face, and the tough aura just now disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

After a moment of silence, Teng Sanshi suddenly stood up, did not take a penny of the banknotes on the table, walked straight to Qin Ku, and taught him a lesson: "Young man, don't be greedy for money. If you are obsessed with money, you will eventually fall into the evil way! Qin Ku, you have to take care of yourself."

After that, Teng Sanshi turned his tiger eyes to Liu Xunyi and said in a mysterious way: "You are the same! Luo Tianjin has a low character, despicable means, eloquent, nine out of ten lies, and he will do anything to achieve his goals. If you are like him and learn some dirty tricks of flattery and nonsense, you will suffer the consequences sooner or later."

"Teng..."

"shut up!"

Before Ling Qing could open his mouth to refute, Luo Tianjin suddenly interrupted him with a deep voice. He turned a deaf ear to Teng Sanshi's curses, but slowly stood up, looked at Teng Sanshi's back with a complicated expression, and said respectfully: "Teng clan leader, take care!"

"Humph!"

Teng Sanshi did not appreciate Luo Tianjin's compliment at all. He snorted angrily and led his men away quickly.

……

　The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, I remember when I was a child, the "New Year" had begun. The streets were decorated with lights and firecrackers were heard one after another, and the streets were bustling everywhere. Children gathered in groups of three or five, cheering and playing. Adults went out in pairs, visiting relatives and friends, and were in high spirits. No matter where they met, they would ask about each other's well-being and exchange warm greetings. Especially when encountering any problems, the phrase "New Year's Day..." came out of their mouths, as if all problems were no longer problems, and it was really full of the flavor of the New Year.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)