52: Source of Shishi River
Qin Jiang slightly lowered his head, looking at the vibrant Young Miss.
Her crisp, short attire gave her a heroic, almost warrior-like feel, completely different from the refined, demure appearance she had that day.
If not for her equally stunning face, he would have thought they were two different people!
“Miss Xu, we meet again.”
Xu Yanran’s eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, a hint of joy in them. “Young Master Qin, long time no see. I didn’t expect Young Master to already be a Deacon of the Red Tiger Gang.”
For the Xu Family, a Deacon of the Red Tiger Gang was certainly not a major figure, but a Deacon who had mastered the Red Tiger Fist held a different weight.
A Martial Artist of the Divine Intent Realm was already considered a major figure in Black Mountain City.
Of course, what truly interested her was Qin Jiang himself.
It hadn't been long since their last meeting, but the fact that he could master the Red Tiger Fist in such a short time showed his extraordinary talent!
She would definitely return someday, so it was important to be on good terms with such a Prodigy.
Tian Shangfei, standing beside them, secretly glanced at Qin Jiang. Something was off, very off, twelve parts off. His boss actually knew Miss Xu?
Not only him, but the butler following Xu Yanran also had a hint of shock in his eyes. He couldn't discern the strength of this Young Master Qin!
Qin Jiang dismounted, smiling, “Miss Xu is too polite. I’m here to investigate the matter of the withered fields. Has Miss Xu found anything?”
He noticed that Xu Yanran’s pant legs were already stained with mud, indicating she had already investigated.
Xu Yanran frowned slightly and shook her head. “I haven’t found anything yet. Initially, I thought it was poisoning, but I had several physicians examine it, and it’s not poison.”
“Oh? Not poison?”
Qin Jiang looked around. Anyone coming here would first suspect poisoning.
But then again, if it were that simple, the Xu Family would have solved it themselves.
He walked to the side. The yellow soil beneath his feet had a thin layer of light gray.
He squatted down and picked up some, the cold touch felt somewhat familiar.
Yin Qi? Was it caused by aWeird?
He frowned slightly, stood up, and looked around. The vast fields stretched endlessly, covered in a faint gray layer.
The Weird formed by Zheng DeYu was already no weaker than an ordinary second-rate expert, but its environmental impact wouldn't exceed thirty meters in radius.
Yet here, it exceeded that by more than a hundredfold?
How strong would a Weird capable of affecting such a large area be?
No, no. If it were truly that strong, there would be no need to hide. He must have missed some information.
He gazed around, his eyes filled with withered crops.
Suddenly, his vision brightened slightly. He looked closely and saw a small river cutting through the area.
River?
Yes! It was the river! The power of the Weird could only infect such a large area by using the river as a medium.
He looked at Xu Yanran. “Miss Xu, what river is that?”
Xu Yanran followed Qin Jiang’s gaze. “It’s the Stone Lion River. These fields were cultivated because of the Stone Lion River. It took my Xu Family quite a bit of effort to cultivate this land back then.”
“Let’s go take a look,” Qin Jiang said.
They didn't bring many people; only Tian Shangfei and the butler accompanied the two.
As they drew closer to the Stone Lion River, the faint, chilling aura became more apparent.
Before long, the four arrived at the Stone Lion River. Qin Jiang bent down and washed his hands. The cool touch was quite pleasant in the summer.
He nodded slightly, confirming it was indeed Yin Qi. There must be a Weird lurking in the Stone Lion River, and its power was not weak.
“Young Master Qin, have you made a discovery?” Xu Yanran asked with a smile.
Qin Jiang turned back upon hearing her, looking at Xu Yanran and the butler behind her.
He had already noticed that the butler was also an expert in the Divine Intent Realm. He wasn't sure how strong he was, but at least he was stronger than Li Songzheng.
“Doesn’t the butler feel it’s a bit cooler here?” he asked.
The butler was startled, then said, “It’s normal for it to be cooler here, being close to the Stone Lion River.”
Qin Jiang nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s go to the source of the Stone Lion River.”
Xu Yanran was a little puzzled but didn't ask further, gesturing for the butler to prepare the horses.
Before long, the butler returned with the horses, a brown horse and a white horse.
Xu Yanran took the white horse and, with a single leap, mounted it, pulling the reins with practiced ease.
Qin Jiang smiled, looking at her with some surprise.
Seeing Qin Jiang’s expression, Xu Yanran tilted her head slightly and smiled, “Young Master Qin, Yanran is not some delicate woman. Young Master has been riding all this way; why don’t Yanran take Young Master there?”
Her ponytail swayed with her laughter, giving her a heroic, chivalrous feel.
Qin Jiang was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh aloud. “Why not?”
With that, he directly swung onto the white horse, took the reins from Xu Yanran’s hand, his broad arm completely enveloping her.
“Lao Tian, bring my black horse along. I’m going ahead!”
With a loud laugh, he pulled the reins, not giving Xu Yanran any time to react. With a whinny, the white horse shot forward with a ‘whoosh’.
Tian Shangfei stood frozen, glanced at the butler, then silently mounted his black horse, leading the one Qin Jiang had ridden earlier, slowly making his way towards the small mountain where the Stone Lion River originated.
The butler stood rooted, mouth slightly agape. After a long silence, he mounted the brown horse and followed.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
A white horse galloped across the vast land. Xu Yanran’s face was flushed, her hands tightly gripping the saddle to keep herself from shaking too much.
A moment later, the white horse entered the forest. Qin Jiang slightly raised his hand, and a dense Evil Qi surged forward, sweeping all the drooping branches and leaves above the path to both sides.
Soon, they arrived at a small lake. The sunlight was gentle, and green grass met their eyes everywhere.
Gently pulling the reins, the white horse stopped.
Qin Jiang dismounted, slightly raised his hand, and said with a smile, “Miss Xu, please dismount.”
“No… no need.”
Xu Yanran tidied her hair, nervously pulled the reins, and walked a few meters away before dismounting.
After tying the reins, she smoothed her clothes and walked over, her face still a little flushed. “Young Master Qin, why come to the source of the Stone Lion River? Could Young Master suspect someone poisoned it from here?”
Qin Jiang shook his head. “Not so. I suspect that what caused the hundred acres of fields to wither is a Weird.”
“A Weird!”
Xu Yanran spoke with a hint of shock. “What kind of Weird could be so powerful?”
It shouldn't be. How could such a powerful Weird appear near Black Mountain City?
“Perhaps it’s not powerful, but rather it utilized the advantageous terrain of the Stone Lion River,” Qin Jiang said.
Xu Yanran understood. “I see.”
Qin Jiang looked at the lake in front of them, which was less than two hundred meters in diameter. In the center of the lake was a square stone platform, about twenty meters on each side.
In the center of the stone platform stood a five-meter-tall gray-white stone lion statue, looking very imposing.
In front of it was an offering table with an incense burner, several burnt incense sticks, and several porcelain plates holding offerings.
“What is the origin of this stone lion?” he asked.