58: Xiu'er! (Please read it again, gentlemen!)
Whoosh—!
Qin Jiang waved his big hand, and the palm wind dispersed all the stirring dust and thin mist.
He lifted his foot and looked into the pit. The Bridal Gown Skeleton's body was already broken in two, but its skull was still trembling, its teeth clattering with a 'ka-ka' sound.
Bang!
He stepped down, directly crushing the skeleton's head.
Instantly, wisps of black smoke drifted from the entire skeleton's body.
Qin Jiang looked at the skeleton under his foot with some surprise. Is it dead already?
Without thinking too much, he released his Evil Qi, sweeping across the entire courtyard.
A moment later, he frowned slightly. Nothing? How could there be nothing?
Could it be that my sister didn't encounter aWeird that night, but was kidnapped by someone?
He thought for a while but still had no clue. His figure gradually shrunk, returning to normal.
He looked outside the courtyard, "Lao Meng, pour on the kerosene and burn this skeleton."
"Xiu'er!"
Before Meng An could say anything, Wan'er from outside the courtyard suddenly rushed in and pounced directly towards the pit where the Bridal Gown Skeleton lay.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, and when she finally saw the Bridal Gown's appearance clearly, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Qin Jiang stood outside the pit, "You know her? No, you can recognize her like this?"
Wan'er wiped away her tears, sobbing, "My lord, Xiu'er and I have depended on each other for over ten years, like family.
This Bridal Gown she's wearing was hand-sewn by her mother. I helped her mend it, so I absolutely can't be mistaken."
Qin Jiang nodded, "I see you didn't seem to know she was dead. You two are like family, didn't you have any contact?"
Just as he finished asking, Meng An led a few gang members into the courtyard, holding torches and kerosene.
At this moment, their eyes still held a hint of fear. A moment ago, they had all witnessed Qin Jiang's monstrous side; it was simply terrifying!
They thought he could probably swat them into meat paste with a casual slap!
"Boss, the stuff is here," Meng An said.
Qin Jiang raised his hand slightly, signaling him to be quiet, then looked at Wan'er.
Wan'er sniffled, "Replying to my lord, Xiu'er and I met on the road while fleeing during the great drought in Yunzhou that year. Later, we fled here and were taken in by Mama Lan.
Xiu'er was also a courtesan here, but later she caught the eye of the County Magistrate and was taken as a concubine. After that, we had very little contact. I never thought... I never thought..."
At this point, her emotions were uncontrollable, and she couldn't stop sobbing.
County Magistrate? Song Xiaoan? Is my sister's disappearance related to Song Xiaoan?
Qin Jiang narrowed his eyes slightly. After a moment of silence, he looked at Meng An, "Burn it."
"Yes, my lord!"
Before long, a large fire blazed in the courtyard. The kerosene Meng An prepared was top-grade, and the fire burned especially fiercely.
Wan'er watched the bones in the fire pit, her eyes red. Yuner comforted her nearby.
"Boss, should we burn the courtyard too?" Meng An asked, standing beside Qin Jiang.
This time, he had prepared a lot of kerosene, thinking they were going to burn the entire courtyard.
"Let's not burn it for now. Lock up the courtyard. I'll see if aWeird appears here again after some time," Qin Jiang said.
Meng An was startled upon hearing this, "Boss, do you mean there's still aWeird here?"
Qin Jiang shook his head, "Not sure yet. After the courtyard is locked, don't let anyone get close."
Although he had already eliminated theWeird, he couldn't determine where the pure black spherical bead in the well came from.
If it was man-made, that would be fine; the biggest suspect would just be the County Magistrate, and he could just find an opportunity to quietly kill him.
But if it wasn't... this well connected to a branch of the Stone Lion River in the Inner City. If it wasn't put in by humans, then it could only have flowed in through the Stone Lion River.
And thinking back to the hundreds of acres of dead fertile land outside the west of the city, that was also related to the Stone Lion River.
A strange irritation rose in his heart, like knowing someone was plotting something, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
"Understood, Boss," Meng An said.
"Hmm, you watch over things here. I'm heading back first."
The next day, Kaiming Ward, Red Tiger Gang headquarters.
Today's headquarters seemed a bit different compared to other days, with a few more hints of a murderous atmosphere.
Even the Disciples guarding the entrance to the headquarters had changed, with a fierce look in their eyes and their backs held straight.
"Boss, today no one below the Deacon level is allowed inside. Should I wait for you outside?" Meng An asked, following behind Qin Jiang.
Qin Jiang waved his hand, "No need. It's not a big deal. You go collect antiques. Try to get another batch as soon as possible these next few days."
Meng An's spirits lifted upon hearing this, "Boss, don't worry, the people I found this time are reliable! Those are all old tombs over a hundred years old!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression stiffened. He suddenly realized something and nervously tightened his collar.
"Hehe... hey..." He laughed awkwardly.
Qin Jiang smiled and glanced at him, "It's fine, I don't care about that. Since you're so dedicated, I won't forget your contributions.
Once I become a Hall Master, I'll allocate some resources to you so you can quickly practice Red Sand Palm to the third level, and then I can promote you to the position of Deacon."
Deacon!!
Meng An's eyes sparkled. This was a Deacon!
I, Old Meng, can actually become a Deacon?!
Hehehe! Then I'll make Lao Tian work for me, Old Meng!
"Aye! Understood! I definitely won't disappoint you, Boss!" He puffed out his chest and promised.
After Meng An left, Qin Jiang entered the headquarters and was led by a gang member to the Red Tiger Gang's deliberation hall.
Above the main hall, Lu Xuanwu sat quietly, gently blowing on a teacup. To his left were three chairs, and to his right, five.
At this time, some people were already seated. On the second chair from the left sat Elder Chen.
To his left, in the seat of honor, sat a man who looked almost fifty years old, dressed in black cloth, with a grayish-white beard and a strong build. He was currently meditating with his eyes closed.
Qin Jiang recognized this person. He had heard Elder Chen mention him before; this was the Red Tiger Gang's Grand Elder, Sun Qianzhao.
His Martial arts were extremely profound. Several years ago, he had already practiced Red Tiger Fist to the Peak of the third level, and now it was even possible that he had mastered the fourth level.
"Deacon Qin, you're here. You should know the two Elders. As for these three, they are Second Hall Master Kong Hai, Third Hall Master Liu Sheng, and Fifth Hall Master Sun Yian, respectively."
Lu Xuanwu pointed to the right side of the main hall. Three people sat on the five chairs, with the seat of honor and the fourth chair empty, representing the vacant chief seat and the position of Fourth Hall Master to be confirmed today.
Qin Jiang looked over. The Second Hall Master was a burly man who looked almost forty, with a distinctive unibrow.
He had heard the name Kong Hai before; after all, he was the only remaining Hall Master from the older generation in the gang; the other Hall Masters of his generation had all died.
He didn't recognize the other two, but Sun Yian looked somewhat similar to the Grand Elder, Sun Qianzhao.
Thump-thump-thump.
Before Qin Jiang could say anything, footsteps came from outside the main hall. Two figures walked in: Nie Dongsheng and Zhang Lin.
Nie Dongsheng sat directly on a chair on the left. After glancing at Qin Jiang, he turned to Lu Xuanwu, "Gang Leader, since everyone is here, let's start quickly."
Lu Xuanwu put down his teacup, "Very well. Since everyone is present, there's no need to wait any longer. Let's move to the Xuanwu Stage."
As he spoke, he was about to get up, but Zhang Lin stepped forward and cupped his fists towards Lu Xuanwu and the various Elders and Hall Masters.
"Gang Leader, Elders, and Hall Masters, Brother Qin and I have already exchanged Martial arts. I am thoroughly convinced and there is no need for another match. I have no objection to Brother Qin becoming the new Fourth Master."