Chapter Thirty-Two: Minister Qian Has a Headache

At this moment, Du'er observed the reactions of those present, took two steps forward, and addressed everyone:
“We have been speaking politely, but do not overestimate your ability to resist us. Now, Vice Minister Qian, I believe we can have a conversation, can we not?”

At this point, Vice Minister Qian had lost any semblance of composure, managing only to reply courteously,
“Honorable immortals, if I have offended in any way, I beg your pardon. Please, let us move to the main hall to discuss matters. I will immediately send for my son. Someone, see that our distinguished guests are properly received!”

“Yes, sir…”

Meanwhile, Young Master Qian was out on the street, waiting for his men to return with Tang Jie. Just then, a group of people appeared, circulating through the streets with a portrait, questioning passersby. This struck him as odd, so he asked a nearby attendant,
“Who are those people? Whose men are they?”

“Rest assured, young master. I will inquire at once.”

With that, the attendant walked over to the group, intending to assert his authority, but immediately recognized their leader—Li Longfang.

This attendant had been with Young Master Qian long enough to know that Li Longfang was the most trusted commander of household guards to Chancellor Zhang. At once, the attendant adopted a humble posture and saluted,
“So it is Lord Li! Greetings, Lord Li. May I ask what business brings you here, that you must personally come to the streets?”

Li Longfang merely glanced at him and asked,
“And who are you?”

The attendant replied,
“I am an attendant to Young Master Qian. Lord Li, you are constantly busy, so it is no wonder you do not recognize me.”

Upon learning he was speaking to an attendant of Young Master Qian, Li Longfang’s demeanor turned cold,
“Young Master Qian? Out of my way. Do not impede our search. Men, remove him.”

With that, Li Longfang shoved the attendant aside, and his subordinates promptly drove the man away, allowing Li Longfang and his group to continue forward.

The attendant, after a moment’s thought, muttered to himself,
“Who are they looking for? If it’s the young master, they’d… Wait. This is bad. I must warn him at once!”

He hurried to Young Master Qian and reported,
“Master, something is wrong—the one surnamed Zhang might still be alive.”

“Which Zhang are you talking about?”

“Chancellor Zhang’s…”

Young Master Qian, unconcerned, replied,
“Nonsense. That fellow was dealt with by my own men a year ago—I saw him fall off a cliff with my own eyes. Where did you hear this rumor? I sent you to find out whose men those were, and this is what you bring me.”

The attendant answered,
“That’s just it—the group was led by Chancellor Zhang’s most trusted commander. They said they were searching for someone…”

Young Master Qian was taken aback,
“Are you sure you heard correctly?”

The attendant insisted,
“I swear it, master!”

Young Master Qian smacked him on the head with his fan,
“Fool! I told you, I saw him fall myself. Chancellor Zhang must be confused, just sending people out at random. Never mind, let’s focus on saving our skins for now—the rest can wait…”

Just then, a household guard from the Qian residence came running up,
“Master, master, something’s wrong! The lord wants you back at the house immediately.”

Young Master Qian snapped,
“What could be so urgent? With my father at home, the sky won’t fall.”

The guard pleaded,
“No, master, this time it’s truly serious. Please come home at once! I’ll explain on the way.”

Reluctantly, Young Master Qian and his entourage began making their way back to the residence. Along the way, the guard recounted what had just occurred, leaving Young Master Qian chilled to the bone. He realized the matter could no longer be concealed; soon he would have to confess everything to his father and face those terrifying people together.

They soon arrived at the Qian residence. However, Vice Minister Qian did not have him go directly to meet the outsiders, but instead sent the steward Wu De to deal with them, while he took Young Master Qian and his retainers into the inner hall to question them about what had happened. At this point, Young Master Qian and his followers knew there was no use hiding anything and confessed everything that had transpired that day in detail.

Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Qian was furious and frustrated. On the one hand, his status was so high he had never suffered such indignity, yet the other side was so powerful, and his only son was now a hostage. On the other hand, he wondered how long he would have to maintain this situation, and how he could ever extricate himself from it. In his anger, he cried out,

“After all my struggles to get where I am—apart from His Majesty and that Chancellor Zhang, who else can make me swallow my pride? And now, thanks to you, my useless son, I have these ancestors to serve, making my life a misery. If I obey them, just this one matter alone is treason. If I don’t—well, you’re my only heir. What am I to do? Perhaps I should let you die and have some peace myself!”

Young Master Qian fell to his knees in tears,
“Father, please don’t abandon me! I don’t want to die—help me, I beg of you!”

Vice Minister Qian was truly at his wit’s end, but he could not ignore his only son. Yet he had no idea what to do. After a moment’s thought, he said,
“I’ll take you to meet them in a moment. Whatever happens, just keep them calm for now—we’ll think of something later. Damn it, this is all your fault!”

So, after making their preparations, Vice Minister Qian and Young Master Qian went to meet the outsiders, for these new “ancestors” were still waiting. Who knew what would come of the meeting? Vice Minister Qian’s mood was grim as a thundercloud, but he maintained his composure and led Young Master Qian to the main hall. As they neared the hall, a sudden flash of light burst forth from within, followed immediately by a terrible scream.

A household servant came fleeing from the hall, howling in agony. He had barely made it outside when he collapsed, lifeless.

The servant’s body was horribly burned, far worse than third-degree burns. Some of his muscle tissue was completely carbonized, and his body froze in a boxer's defensive posture, never to move again.

The sight filled Vice Minister Qian with both rage and terror. Rage, because even a dog’s owner should be shown some respect—this was utterly humiliating. Terror, because he dreaded that the same fate might befall him and his son.

Young Master Qian was so frightened he lost control and wet himself. Vice Minister Qian quickly signaled for the servants to change his son’s clothes. The servants acted swiftly, soon putting everything in order. When they returned, Vice Minister Qian scolded,

“Show some courage! Otherwise, no one can save you—understand?”

Young Master Qian could only stammer in agreement,
“Yes, yes…”

With no alternative, Vice Minister Qian steeled himself and led his son into the hall. Inside, the outsiders showed no impatience.

Among them, Captain Kaba Du’er stood up warmly to greet Vice Minister Qian and respectfully invited him to sit down, as if Vice Minister Qian were the host. He also greeted Young Master Qian with enthusiasm,

“Hello, young master. Do you remember me?”

Young Master Qian forced himself to reply,
“Of course, great immortal, I remember you well. I have also relayed your instructions to my father, and we will get it done.”

Kaba Du’er nodded in satisfaction,
“Good. However, there is something else you must do immediately, and you mustn’t be alarmed by what I say. Here is the situation…”

He then told Vice Minister Qian about Tang Jie. Only now did Vice Minister Qian realize that their trusted household guard was actually a spy working for the outsiders. They were both shocked and enraged.

They were shocked because they had no idea Tang Jie was a traitor; enraged because they had been played for fools all along. But now was not the time to show it.

The outsiders’ demand was that they locate Tang Jie, or at least discover what had happened. Because Tang Shijie, whom they had manipulated like a puppet, had suddenly disappeared, the outsiders feared that if Tang Shijie broke free of their control and returned, he could pose a mortal threat. Since they had never expected Tang Shijie to go rogue, some sensitive information about themselves had been shared with him, so now they needed him found—alive or dead.

Of course, when they had captured Tang Shijie, they had extracted all his secrets through their confessional devices, but they still did not reveal his real name to Vice Minister Qian, only referring to him as Tang Jie, nor did they mention any possible knowledge of their weaknesses.

Although Vice Minister Qian was furious, he had no choice but to promise to complete this task. The matter previously assigned to Young Master Qian was set aside for now. After all instructions were given, and after ordering Young Master Qian to use the communicator he had been given to report regularly on progress, the outsiders boarded their ship and departed.

Vice Minister Qian could only order that everything be done exactly as the outsiders wished.

…

Meanwhile, at Zhang Desen’s new temporary base within the Liu family estate, Master Liu arrived with Liu Yuting and Zhao Chengming. At Zhang Desen’s request, they let everyone else wait outside; only Master Liu, his daughter, his trusted steward Liu Man, and his chief guard Zhao Chengming entered the base.

After all, Zhang Desen had no intention of hiding anything from Master Liu at this point. Still, some things were too dangerous to be widely known—if word spread and attracted the attention of the outsiders, it would spell disaster. So, in the end, only Master Liu, his daughter, the steward, and the chief guard were let in on the secret, balancing caution and trust.