Chapter 54 | Once I Ruled the Jianghu, Now I Just Want to Nap

Xu Qing kept his head down after stepping out of the house. His mouth was pressed into a tight line, but the corners of his lips couldn't help curving upward.

He had known Qiu Zhiya for five years and had partnered with her on many bounty hunts, although she always insisted on splitting the reward with him half-and-half. However, he knew full well that he wasn't partnering with her for the sake of the silver.

He just didn't dare to speak this secret aloud. Even though she was only pretending to be his bride, he was still incredibly happy deep down.

As he was lost in thought, someone suddenly blocked his path.

“Brother, are you getting married in three days?” the man asked with a chuckle, his face beaming with joy.

Snapped out of his thoughts by the interruption, Xu Qing looked at the man with a slight frown. He wore plain sackcloth, possessed a lean and capable build, and looked to be around thirty years old.

“Who are you?” Xu Qing asked, his brow furrowed.

“I'm a waiter at the tavern over there. This afternoon, I ate the wedding candy your wife handed out. I originally wanted to come along with the neighbors to offer my congratulations.”

At this, he scratched the back of his head with a look of embarrassment. “But the shopkeeper told me to hurry back to work, so I couldn't make it.”

Seeing his sincerity, Xu Qing nodded. “No matter. Thank you for your kind intentions.”

“No, no, no.” The waiter waved his hands repeatedly. “I already ate the wedding candy. How can I not show some goodwill?”

“Since you're getting married in three days, I'll bring a wedding gift when you hold the banquet. Don't look down on it, brother!”

Seeing how enthusiastic the waiter was, Xu Qing found it hard to refuse and could only agree.

The two chatted for a bit longer until the waiter glanced at the sky and hurriedly took his leave.

As Xu Qing watched the waiter's departing back, a sense of oddness arose in his heart. He felt that something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it...

...

The sky gradually darkened. Old Chen sat in the courtyard, his brow furrowed as he constantly spun his teacup with both hands.

Right then, Xu Qing returned, cradling a bright red groom's outfit.

Seeing this, Old Chen's brow finally smoothed out.

“What took you so long to get back?”

Xu Qing placed the groom's outfit on the stone table and waved his hand. “It's nothing. I ran into a few muggers on the way back and got delayed a bit.”

Hearing this, Old Chen noticed that Xu Qing's clothes were somewhat damaged, with several slashes torn along the hem.

Old Chen nodded. It seemed Jinling City was indeed quite chaotic at night. However, what surprised him even more was that a few petty muggers could actually hold Xu Qing up for so long.

One had to know that Xu Qing's martial skills were by no means low; otherwise, Qiu Zhiya wouldn't have him cover her retreat every single time.

Old Chen stood up. “It's good that you're back. I thought something had happened to you, and I almost had Qiu Zhiya go look for you.”

“It's getting late. You should turn in early.”

Xu Qing nodded, scooped up the groom's outfit, and headed back to his room, locking the door behind him.

Old Chen looked at the tightly closed door and laughed helplessly. He's just wearing a groom's outfit, yet he's still keeping it secret.

Mumbling to himself, he stroked his beard as he returned to his own room.

The following days passed quickly. One day, two days... until the early morning of the third day, as dawn was just breaking, the four of them sat together again, all sporting dark circles under their eyes.

“Why hasn't this flower-thief shown up yet? It's driving me crazy!” Ning Qingzhu complained first. She had barely slept for the past two nights just to catch the thief.

The others were not much better off, their faces all showing more or less prominent traces of dark circles.

Except for Xu Qing, of course. His spirit remained as abundant as ever.

“Xu Qing, did you take some kind of tonic? Why are you in such good spirits?” Ning Qingzhu asked curiously.

She knew that men generally took some tonics; she had heard the neighborhood women gossiping in the streets that taking them made one very powerful.

Hearing them talk made her want to buy some for her own Young Master.

“I didn't. I'm naturally strong,” Xu Qing said seriously.

“Alright, alright, quiet down for a bit,” Qiu Zhiya said, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She hadn't dared to sleep at all for the past two nights, terrified she would wake up to that ugly face.

She would absolutely lose her mind.

“Zhao Wen hasn't shown up these past two days. Either he didn't receive the news of the wedding, or he's waiting until the wedding night itself,” Old Chen analyzed with a frown.

“After all, these flower-thieves all have some weird fetishes. For example, there was one caught in Linchuan City before who specifically targeted women with large rears.

“He was only caught because the Patrol Chief's mother had a massive backside, and he broke into their home to steal her away.

“The Patrol Chief was absolutely furious that day. First, because his own mother had been targeted by a thief; second, because he was the head of the city's constables; and third, because his mother was eighty-nine years old that year.

“Of course, there was also a fourth reason, but the information was strictly suppressed.

“Supposedly, it was because on the day of the trial, the Patrol Chief's mother came to the scene, pointed at the Patrol Chief, and demanded he accept the thief as his new father, expressing that she just loved young flesh like him.

“Anyway, after that day, a half-month crackdown was initiated in the city.

“Everything from murder and arson to petty theft was severely punished. Murderers and arsonists were imprisoned for years, while petty thieves were beheaded.”

Snapping back to the present, Old Chen cleared his throat. “So, Zhao Wen is likely planning to steal the bride on the wedding night.”

Ugh, how disgusting, Ning Qingzhu thought, her face filled with revulsion.

Qiu Zhiya rubbed her temples helplessly. Did it really have to come to this stage? Sigh, what a hassle.

“Let's set up the tables in a bit,” Old Chen said.

The others nodded and set up the tables they had prepared in advance, covering them with red cloths. Festive paper-cuts and couplets had also long been pasted around the courtyard.

Once noon arrived, the sound of firecrackers echoed outside, and the local neighbors began to arrive one after another.

Fortunately, they had set up their own cooking gear in the courtyard. The neighbors had previously gifted some hens, fish, and other items. Combined with the ingredients Old Chen had prepared in advance, there was more than enough to host everyone.

As dusk approached, the food was almost fully served. Dressed in his groom's outfit, Xu Qing raised his cup to toast and thank the guests.

“Brother!” At that moment, someone entered from the gate with a congratulatory gift. It was the waiter he had run into the other night.

“There was some business to attend to at the tavern, so I got slightly delayed. This is just a small token of my congratulations!” the waiter said with a laugh, handing Xu Qing a wooden box that looked quite exquisitely decorated.

Xu Qing nodded and accepted the box.

“Well then, go ahead and attend to your guests, brother. I'll just find an empty seat to sit down,” the waiter said, waving his hand.

“Alright, please make yourself at home,” Xu Qing said, walking toward another table.

Inside the "wedding chamber," Qiu Zhiya wore her red wedding dress, her face adorned with light makeup. At this moment, her usual heroic air was gone, replaced by an exquisite, breathtaking beauty.

She shifted her body uncomfortably. Although she frequently wore red clothes on normal days, for some reason, putting on the wedding gown today made her face flush with embarrassment...

There was no food on the table, only a jar of wine. This was her specific request.

She grabbed it and took a couple of gulps. This finally eased some of the bashfulness in her heart, making her feel much bolder.

But before long, she faintly sensed that something was wrong.

The potency of the wine seemed far too strong. It made her a little unsteady on her feet, and everything before her eyes spun and swayed continuously.

She slammed the wine jar back down, and the sheer force sent her stumbling back to sit on the bed.

“Oh no... There's something wrong with this wine...” She was startled. However, she had brought this wine in herself. Aside from opening it to catch a sniff, it had been sitting on the table the entire time, completely untouched.

No one else had even entered the room besides her. How could anyone have poisoned it?

Drip...

As her bashfulness faded, she finally noticed a faint dripping sound inside the room.

Dazed, Qiu Zhiya followed the sound with her gaze. Amidst the flickering candlelight, she could faintly make out a fine thread hanging down from the rafters, suspended directly above the wine jar.

Drip.

Another drop fell. This time she saw it clearly: a drop of liquid was slowly sliding down the thread, dripping directly into the wine jar.

Zhao... Wen... Qiu Zhiya's heart sank. In her dazed state, the name of the flower-thief flashed through her mind.

A second person appeared in her field of vision. Although her eyes were hazy and unfocused, she could still recognize the other person's rotund figure.

“Who... are... you?” Qiu Zhiya asked, pretending to be ignorant. At the same time, she secretly tried to draw the short knife strapped to her thigh.

But her strength was far too weak at this moment; she couldn't even summon the force to pull the knife out.

“Who am I? I'm your husband,” Zhao Wen said with a laugh. Yet, this smile caused his facial features to completely squish together.

“No... My husband... is Xu Qing,” Qiu Zhiya said, struggling.

“No, your husband is me,” Zhao Wen said as he walked toward her, his gaze locked tightly on her stunning face. A burning lust practically poured from his eyes.