Qin Fang was still the acting City Lord, but his standing in the household was incredibly low, barely above that of a servant, perhaps even beneath Zhang Xianmei's personal maid.
Today, a banquet table was set in the back room of the main hall. A middle-aged man sat at the head of the table. Qin Fang sat at the lower end, with Zhang Xianmei to his left and the right empty. Four maids stood around them. Seeing the middle-aged man's wine glass empty, Zhang Xianmei immediately turned to Qin Fang and snapped, "Can't you see my cousin's glass is empty? Come and pour the wine!"
A flicker of anger blazed deep in Qin Fang's eyes, but it vanished instantly. His body obediently left his seat, and he walked over to pour the wine.
Zhang Xianmei, her face beaming, said, "He has no foresight at all. Please, cousin, don't blame him."
The middle-aged man said, "Qin Fang, the 'acting' title isn't so easy to remove. Have you done these tasks before?"
Qin Fang hurriedly stood up, bowing and stooping as he replied, "Cousin, among the officials, three-tenths support, three-tenths don't object, and four-tenths are waiting to see; of the city's three major families, two haven't objected, and the remaining one hasn't been contacted yet. Next, I..."
Zhang Xianmei angrily interrupted him, "That idiot is infuriating! If not for him, the situation wouldn't be like this. You really are useless! With my cousin here, what are you afraid of? Why aren't you tougher? Where are those trusted subordinates you made friends with in the city guard?"
The middle-aged man waved his hand, then asked, "That idiot ran into Mang Mountain. Do you have any follow-up information?"
Qin Fang shook his head. "No. The mountain bandits in Mang Mountain are a mixed bunch and are very hostile to outside forces entering. Outsiders dare not easily go in, even if my brother were there, it would be the same."
Zhang Xianmei became furious again. "Your brother, your brother! He almost got us killed! If it weren't for my cousin's help, would you still have the chance to be the acting City Lord? You must help my cousin with this! With so many city guards, I don't believe we can't wipe out those mountain bandits... Perhaps that idiot has become a mountain bandit too."
The middle-aged man nodded. "It's quite possible he's become a mountain bandit. Against mountain bandits, decisive measures should be taken. When it's time to strike, a thunderous blow must be delivered."
Qin Fang was alarmed. "Cousin, even my brother... the former City Lord, he didn't want to attack Mang Mountain. The terrain there is too complex, easy to defend and hard to attack. There have been previous attacks, all ending in utter defeat."
The middle-aged man frowned. "Then just let them exist?"
Qin Fang nodded. "Their actions are very measured. They don't provoke big families, they don't provoke those with strong backgrounds. Even if the city guards attack, they don't fight to the death. While it appears to be a great defeat every time, in reality, few are seriously injured."
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "They truly live discerningly. A bunch of Qi Cultivation realm individuals, they don't cause too much trouble, and those in the Qi Refining realm disdain to act against them, so they live very comfortably." His tone then shifted. "However, I still want to know Qin An Yu's whereabouts."
Just then, a loud bang resounded. Qin Fang quickly looked up at the main gate, and Zhang Xianmei also furiously looked over.
The main gate swung open, two gate boards flying, and a person stood in the doorway. This person, with a sword blank on his back and a jug in his left hand, was casually closing the door with his foot.
Zhang Xianmei shrieked instantly: "Qin An Yu, you dare come here to die!" She turned to the middle-aged man, her voice trembling and eyes red, "Cousin, that idiot is here! He severely injured your grandson, and he still can't get up; he crippled my brother, and he'll never get up. Cousin, your sister begs you, help me kill him!"
The middle-aged man kept leaning back, avoiding her spitting words.
Qin An Yu saw the three people in the main hall of the back room, and he saw the middle-aged man sitting in the grand armchair. He thought to himself: "So this is the so-called 'Lord,' truly a Qi Refining realm cultivator, and a mid-stage one at that. To kill him would cost a bit much, but he wants to capture this Immortal Emperor? Not a chance."
He raised the wine jug and gulped down nearly half of it, then unhooked his Clumsy Sword. Under the watchful eyes of numerous servants, he walked gracefully towards the back room.
As he reached the front of the back room, beneath the eaves, the middle-aged man also walked to the front of the back room, beneath the eaves, and said indifferently, "Are you Qin An Yu, Qin Zhuan and Dai Linglong's eldest son?"
Qin An Yu asked indifferently, "Who are you? Where are my parents?"
The middle-aged man said, "You may call me Lord Zhang..."
Qin An Yu roared, "Dog! Speak your name!"
Dare to act like a 'Lord' in front of this Immortal Emperor? Where did you get the guts?
The middle-aged man's face instantly turned black. An idiot, daring to insult this Lord like that, where did he get the courage?
Qin Fang was also stunned. Facing a Qi Refining realm cultivator, how dare he utter such arrogant words... no, words inviting death?
Zhang Xianmei froze for a moment, then quickly reacted, rushing in front of the middle-aged man and yelling, "You idiot! How dare you curse my cousin like that? Do you want to be cut into a thousand pieces? I only knew you were foolish before, but I didn't expect you to be so stupid. You should know, your parents have already been captured by someone..."
At this point, the middle-aged man waved his hand, and Zhang Xianmei instantly shot backward like a stone, rapidly flying towards the wall behind her.
"Crack!"
Her head passed through the wall; her shoulders and below remained in the main hall. Her limbs thrashed, and screams echoed from the back room.
The middle-aged man clapped his hands, as if brushing off dust, and said calmly, "Interrupting me is very rude." He turned to Qin Fang and said, "Zhang family members can only be disciplined by the Zhang family."
Qin Fang nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at rice. "Yes, yes."
Qin An Yu had to admit, this guy had successfully put on a show, and Qin Fang's disgust was also getting to him. Unwilling to prolong this feeling, he drained the wine jug in one gulp and again roared, "Dog! Speak your name!"
The middle-aged man's face, which had just returned to normal, turned black again, his temples throbbing. He said in a gloomy tone, "It seems you want to die quickly. In that case, this Lord will satisfy you."
Saying this, he stepped down the stairs, walking one step at a time towards Qin An Yu. With every step, a footprint was left on the ground. This sight shocked Qin Fang immensely and left the servants dumbfounded. Can a person really do that?
Qin An Yu, however, found it amusing in his heart. "His footprints can't even maintain consistent depth, and he still dares to show off. He just wants to scare ordinary people, that's all." He also took a step forward, standing in the courtyard, calmly waiting for him to approach.
As he walked, the man realized something was off. "He only took one step, yet I'm walking towards him. Will others think he's receiving me?" Thinking of this, he stopped walking, leaped towards Qin An Yu, and shouted, "This Lord will cripple you!"
Just as he threw a palm strike, he saw Qin An Yu's eyes and suddenly felt a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, blood flowing and corpses drifting, all living beings wailing... All sorts of terrifying scenes rushed towards him, entering his mind. He immediately clutched his head and screamed, then fell to the ground, landing right at Qin An Yu's feet.
Qin An Yu seemed startled, his face pale, but he still raised the wine jug and smashed it down. "What are you faking death for? Get up and fight!" He looked like a truly frightened idiot.
At this moment, Zhang Xianmei had pulled her head out of the wall and just reached the threshold of the main hall. Seeing Qin An Yu raising the jug to strike the middle-aged man, she immediately screamed, "Qin An Yu, if you dare to hit him, your parents will die!"
"Crack..."
The wine jug shattered. No wound appeared on the middle-aged man's head, only a few drops of undrunk wine. An ordinary wine jug couldn't harm even a weaker mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
The Clumsy Sword was different. He swung two swords, severing both of his hands, then walked towards Zhang Xianmei and said coldly, "My parents' disappearance, were you also involved?"