The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 433 Again Going Back on One’s Word_1
This journey to the Nine Truth Palace, although Li Qing didn’t manage to find Xuan Chen Zhenren.
But he got answers to all the issues he wanted to resolve, rendering this trip far from futile.
After thanking Long Eyebrow for his patient explanations, Li Qing and Qi Mengru left the thatched hut together.
It’s strange to say, but when they came in, they took a long time winding their way here.
But leaving was quite simple, just crossing the stone steps in front, they were back behind the Jade Emperor Hall in an instant.
And when they looked back, the thatched hut, bamboo forest, and the larger palace complex had already vanished.
"Qingzi, this... how did it disappear?" Qi Mengru said in shock.
Although Li Qing was a bit surprised as well, he had seen a fair bit of the world by now and remained relatively composed.
"This must be the work of cultivators," Li Qing muttered.
"It’s truly magical, like a dream," Qi Mengru sighed softly, then with a playful look and a low chuckle, she hooked her arm into Li Qing’s, "Big cultivator, how about we stay on the mountain for one more day?"
"Sure," Li Qing agreed with a smile.
Since they were already there, one more day wouldn’t hurt.
"Let’s go make a donation," Li Qing said with a smile.
He was afraid he might forget and kept reminding himself in his heart.
Even if he wasn’t compensating for something they caught to practice with, Li Qing felt it was important to maintain a good relationship with the Nine Truth Palace.
The place was obviously quite exceptional.
"But, how much should we donate?" Qi Mengru asked, "Would it seem bad if it’s too little?"
Li Qing nodded, "It wouldn’t be good if it’s too little. How about one hundred thousand?"
Thanks to the Qi Family’s generous contribution, one hundred thousand wasn’t much for Li Qing at the moment.
"I think that’s fine!" Qi Mengru agreed.
The two discussed it and finally settled on the figure of one hundred thousand.
However, a small incident occurred when it came to the actual donation.
The tourists making donations typically gave one or two hundred, at most a couple of thousand.
Li Qing stepped up and directly said, "I’ll donate one hundred thousand, please give me an account number."
This shocked the tourists around him.
His ostentatious demeanor led many of the onlookers to immediately change their donation amounts.
Two people even followed suit and also donated one hundred thousand like Li Qing.
After the fact, they chased after Li Qing asking him a bunch of questions, inquiring whether it was a Nine Truth Palace daoist who had helped resolve his calamity.
Li Qing hadn’t expected such a situation to arise, but he patiently listened to what had happened to the two individuals, feeling it sounded like they had small unwelcome entities in their homes or had come into contact with such things, and he strongly recommended they invite a Nine Truth Palace daoist to come down the mountain.
If it were any other matter, he wouldn’t dare to give advice recklessly.
But when it came to catching those little entities, the daoists from Nine Truth Palace should be adept at it.
"To see the follow-the-leader effect in action even here," Qi Mengru said with a laugh and a shake of her head.
"They all come here seeking help and probably saw hope in me, which is why they followed," Li Qing observed.
"Let’s go, let’s have a good time sightseeing."
Having found the answers to his questions,
Li Qing, light-hearted and with nothing else to worry about, took Qi Mengru on a thorough tour for the day, and they spent another night in a guesthouse at the base of the mountain.
After they had deeply explored each other’s bodies in various ways as if they were toys, they finally headed back to Tongcheng.
After parting with Qi Mengru in the town, Li Qing couldn’t wait to return to the village.
Having not seen his sister-in-law and the rest for several days, Li Qing missed them terribly.
But strangely, the small shop was closed, and there was no one at his own house or Han Mei’s house.
Li Qing hurriedly made a phone call to Tian Yue’e.
"Weren’t you the one who asked your sister-in-law and Xingxing to go to the county town? You even sent a car to pick them up." Tian Yue’e said with surprise.
"I’ve just gotten back!" Li Qing suddenly had a bad feeling, "When did they leave?"
"Just this morning, around ten-ish."
Now somewhat anxious, Tian Yue’e asked, "What’s wrong, Qingzi? Did something happen?"
"Although I don’t really want to admit it, I’m afraid something really has happened!" Li Qing said in a heavy tone.
"Qingzi, where are you?" Tian Yue’e quickly asked.
"At my sister-in-law’s house!" Li Qing said.
"Wait for me, I’ll come over right away!" Tian Yue’e said in a rush.
Li Qing’s face darkened as he thought things through and ultimately fixated on the Qi Family.
Besides the Qi Family, he hadn’t offended anyone else recently.
"This old dog!"
Li Qing clenched his fists tightly and cursed angrily before picking up his phone to dial Qi Guoyuan’s number.
"Since when does Mr. Li have my number? I must say, I’m quite flattered!"
As the call connected, Qi Guoyuan’s mocking voice came through from the other end.
"What have you done to my sister-in-law and my girlfriend?" Li Qing’s face turned ashen as he bellowed angrily.
"Mr. Li, don’t get so worked up," said Qi Guoyuan, "I’ve always appreciated beauty, and I really couldn’t bear to lay a finger on those two delicate little ladies."
"I’ve merely invited them to be guests at my house, where they’re having a lovely stay. You can rest assured."
"What do you want?" Li Qing asked furiously.
He had truly hoped that the matter was over, but clearly, he had underestimated the Qi family’s pettiness.
"What do I want? There’s no need for Mr. Li to play dumb," Qi Guoyuan chuckled, "My money isn’t so easily taken. Only I rob others; no one has ever robbed me."
"You, Li Qing, you’re the first one!"
"Eight hundred thousand, it’s not a small sum at all, how could I just let it go?"
"However you swallowed that money, you’ll have to spit it back out to me, and I want the map of the Underground Palace too!"
"If there’s anything missing from these two items, I can’t guarantee that those delicate little ladies you care about won’t be missing some parts, or perhaps serving a few people. Even an old man like me can hardly resist the temptation they present."
"You old dog, clean your neck and wait!" Li Qing roared furiously and hung up the phone.
He had already used part of the money and definitely couldn’t gather the full amount again.
Moreover, Li Qing had no intention of resolving the issue through compromise.
If he compromised this time, his life would once again be at the mercy of the Qi Family.
Tian Yue’e rushed into the courtyard of Han Mei’s house, "Qingzi, have you got any news from your sister-in-law and Xingxing?"
The veins on Li Qing’s forehead bulged as he nodded slightly, "Yue’e, help me take care of the house. If there’s no word from me by tomorrow, leave the village immediately and tell Auntie Yu Lan to go with you."
With concern, Tian Yue’e asked, "Your sister-in-law and the others, they’re alright, aren’t they?"
