The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 408: Negotiating with a Tiger for its Skin_1

Chapter 408: Chapter 408: Negotiating with a Tiger for its Skin_1

"Not hold me responsible?" Li Qing’s mouth curled up in a sneer as he retorted.

"Qingzi, these are two separate matters," Qi Mengru said in a soft voice.

"The fact that Qi Chuanyu drugged Xingxing with ill intent has been proven, and the coerced parties have confessed. If he wakes up, several years in prison are inevitable. But if he never wakes up, the severity of your assault causing serious injury is also significant."

Li Qing thought seriously about the pros and cons of the situation, nodded, and said, "Fine, I’ll meet with your family first."

"Mm, they’re outside. I’ll call them in!" Qi Mengru said.

Qi Mengru went out for a moment and returned with two middle-aged people.

Li Qing had seen these two before in the hospital when Xiao Shu was in a coma.

The square-faced middle-aged man seemed to be Qi Mengru’s father.

The one with graying hair was the same person who had covered Xiao Shu with talismans before.

Qi Mengru’s father scanned the people in the hospital room and said in a deep voice, "The rest of you, please step outside for a moment."

"Xingxing, let’s go out," Qi Mengru said as she tugged at Wu Xingxing’s arm.

Li Qing gave Wu Xingxing a nod and a reassuring glance.

Qi Mengru’s father pulled a chair over and sat down beside Li Qing’s bed, "Let me introduce myself first. I am Mengru’s father, Qi Guoyuan. This is my old friend; you can call him Master Shishan."

"I heard that you cured my grandson of his affliction both times?"

Li Qing observed the two men without a word and nodded.

Qi Mengru hadn’t kept anything from him, and he had no need to hide anything either.

"It seems you are a fellow practitioner like Master Shishan. So, was it really you who caused the soul damage to Third Rank Qi and Qi Chuanyu?" Qi Guoyuan asked sternly.

"I can’t admit to that because it truly has nothing to do with me," Li Qing said.

Qi Guoyuan’s face changed slightly as he spoke in a grave tone, "With Qi Chuanyu gravely injured and unresponsive, if we were to pursue this matter, you would be looking at at least a year in prison. We could have talked about cooperation, and the conflict could have been resolved."

"But I think I probably know the reason for their comas!" Li Qing said softly. "The Qi family is after Han King Li Yuanxian’s tomb, aren’t they?"

Qi Guoyuan’s expression darkened instantly, "Young man, there are some things you shouldn’t say recklessly."

"Anyway, someone told me this, whether true or false, I truly don’t know." Li Qing said with a light smile.

"Who told you?" Qi Guoyuan’s eyes suddenly burst with a sharp light as he asked sternly.

"Han King... Li Yuanxian!" Li Qing gave a reason that even he found implausible.

"You’re talking nonsense; that’s just not possible," Master Shishan retorted.

"Don’t be so quick to dismiss what I say, why not just hear me out?" Li Qing continued calmly, "I don’t know what the Qi family did last time on Ziyun Mountain, but he’s already out, and now, he’s following me."

"Following you? Are you trying to tell me that Third Rank Qi and Qi Chuanyu’s soul damage was his doing?" Qi Guoyuan asked sarcastically.

"Believe it or not!" Li Qing retorted coldly, "If you can agree not to pursue the matter of Qi Chuanyu’s coma, I could even tell you the exact location of Li Yuanxian’s Underground Palace, the mechanisms inside, and where the key burial artifacts are located in the tomb chambers."

Qi Guoyuan stared intently at Li Qing, his penetrating gaze seeming to have the ability to see through hearts.

For a moment, that stared made Li Qing’s skin crawl.

After a long pause, Qi Guoyuan finally said gravely, "A scion who can’t stand on his own, our Qi family can afford to discard, but if you dare deceive us, you had better understand the consequences."

"You don’t need to scare me. If your Qi Family really has the guts to go down there, I could draw you a very detailed map," Li Qing snorted coldly.

In the incomplete memories of Li Yuanxian, the place where he had lived for countless years was what he remembered most clearly.

"Alright, I can agree to that," Qi Guoyuan said. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Li Qing stretched out his hand.

"For what?" Qi Guoyuan paused, then asked.

"Paper and pen, what else? If you don’t give me anything, do you expect me to draw it with my mouth?" Li Qing rolled his eyes as he spoke.

Qi Guoyuan took a pen out of his pocket and then took off his suit jacket, laying it inside out on Li Qing’s knees.

"Draw then!"

Li Qing took the pen and swiftly sketched out the layout of the top level of the Underground Palace.

"Given all the effort your Qi Family has put into the Han King’s Underground Palace, you must have learned something. First, determine whether what I’ve drawn is real or fake," Li Qing said confidently and disdainfully.

Qi Guoyuan’s composure had already completely faltered.

He stared intently at the map as if he were a lustful old man laying eyes on a bikini-clad beauty.

The eyes of Daoist Master Shishan were also wide open, as if he had just seen a ghost.

The map that Li Qing was now drawing, and the things he had said earlier, had likely broken through his professional knowledge.

"Continue drawing," Qi Guoyuan urged.

But Li Qing capped his pen and did not continue.

"I can continue drawing, but I have two conditions," Li Qing said evenly.

"Firstly, my current impression of your Qi Family is truly not favorable, and I don’t trust your way of doing things at all.

"Once this matter on my end is settled, I’ll be able to hand over the rest of the map. Otherwise, if you turn traitor once more after getting the map, not recognizing me and then throwing me into prison for a few years, how would that be worth it?"

"The second thing is, in my opinion, Daoist Master Shishan’s abilities may not be enough to suppress what is inside the Underground Palace. You’d better hire someone more proficient. There aren’t just freely roaming Li Yuanxians inside that Underground Palace, but even more terrifying things."

"Compared to the lives of thousands, I would rather go in and live there for a few years myself!"

Daoist Master Shishan glared furiously, "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? You can’t even dispel corpse poison, so do you think you have the ability to suppress the things inside?" Li Qing sneered coldly, "I can’t do anything with Li Yuanxian, but I can handle the corpse poison—and do it quickly!"

"You..." Daoist Master Shishan’s face turned red in an instant.

The slap Li Qing had given him made his old face especially uncomfortable.

"I have no need to deceive you. After all, I see the Qi Family has always been coveting the Han King’s Underground Palace. Let’s lay it all out on the table. By the time it ends up with ruined homes and lost lives, it will be too late," Li Qing said, looking towards Qi Guoyuan indifferently.

Qi Guoyuan’s gaze flickered for a while before he spoke solemnly, "I promise you!"

"But I have a condition too: what is the mechanism on the first floor of the Underground Palace?"

Li Qing looked towards Daoist Master Shishan, smiling grimly, "Corpse Forest!"

Daoist Master Shishan’s face suddenly changed drastically.