Stepping out of the Heaven Fragrance Building, Jin Ancheng experienced the beautiful sight of hanging colored lanterns and the noise of people playing drinking games. He felt a sense of indescribable satisfaction.
This territory belonged to him, the culmination of his success over the first half of his life.
All of this was the result of his hard work!
He lowered his head and looked at his soft, white hands. He could not hold back a smile. These might look like the hands of a rich merchant, but within Destiny City and the three districts nearby, these hands were nicknamed the Hell Killing Hands. Many throats have been crushed by these hands.
Just as he was immersed in his memories, a young monk stood before him. The monk put his palms together and said seriously,
"Amitabha. Young donor, I notice that your glabella has turned dark."
After a short moment of confusion, anger rose in Jin Ancheng. Since when have monks become part-time fortune tellers? The last person that messed with him still lied underground outside of the city!
"Young master, why don't you tell me which part of my glabella has turned dark?" Jin Ancheng replied, laughing coldly as he waved his hand to stop his approaching guards. He wanted to personally leave a lasting memory for this young monk.
Before he finished his words, his gaze froze because he saw the four people near the monk, none of whom he could offend.
Who was this monk?
Meng Qi gave a half-smile. "I'm just giving you a friendly reminder. As for why it's turning dark, that's a divine secret that I can't reveal."
Was this guy a bloody monk or a Taoist?! Jin Ancheng thought of many curses, but he smiled on the outside. "It's my honor to have young miss come here."
"Landlord Jin, I'm just passing through," Cui Jinxiu said, smiling. Ever since she understood what "not quite right" meant, she carried herself this way.
Meng Qi was no longer looking at Jin Ancheng. He turned and rejoined Cui Jinxiu and the others.
Jin Ancheng was the landlord of the Heaven Fragrance Restaurant, the kingpin behind the most bustling street of Destiny City. He was also one of the last few people that Duan Mingcheng, Duan Xiangfei's son, had met before disappearing. Before his disappearance, he had hosted a dinner at Jin Ancheng's restaurant. Castellan's son, Cui Jinhua, and Head Constable Fei Zhengqing were the guests. However, Duan Mingcheng never returned to the home he bought in Destiny City after leaving the restaurant.
Duan Xiangfei, also known as Mr. Leisure, gave a detailed report on Jin Ancheng, hence Meng Qi recognized him straight away. Meng Qi thought he would give Jin Ancheng a little fright.
Jin Ancheng smiled and accompanied them to the neighboring block. After he left them, his face turned sullen and he told his men coldly, "Go and do a background check on that monk and see how he knows Ms. Cui Jinxiu."
If they were just acquaintances, he would not show the monk any mercy!
His Hell Killing Hands was not a mere nickname. It meant that he was willing to destroy anyone who offended him!
Jin Ancheng was not embarrassed by this nickname at all. On the contrary, he was very proud of it.
"Yes, my Lord," answered the two guards, leaving their group. They creepily followed the direction of Cui Jinxiu and the rest. They did not have the nerve to follow her, but knew that she and her group were headed for Castellan Mansion. They planned on getting there ahead and wait. They also wanted to find out if the monk was staying in the mansion or an inn outside. If it was the latter, then they were clearly just acquaintances.
After he instructed them, Jin Ancheng gathered his thoughts and headed back home. The monk's words kept resounding in his head as he walked, making him a little uneasy.
"Could it be something bad is about to happen?"
"I really shouldn't think too much. What would a monk know about fortune telling? He looks like a fraud!"
"Better be safe than sorry. I should go to the Xian An temple outside the city and ask for a protective talisman..."
A skilled master like him had experienced countless battles and witnessed many more who were better and wiser than him fell. The element of luck had a lot to do with his survival. Therefore he and others like him were quite likely to believe in anything related to mystical power and divine intervention, for the peace of their minds.
"Amitabha. Four respected donors, fate has it that we meet and yet also part. I have achieved my goal and I must now bid you farewell," said Meng Qi, putting his palms together after they had walked for a bit.
Cui Jinxiu said with some disappointment, "I wanted to invite you to stay with us and inquire about the immortals."
Uncle He coughed and looked at the ground. "Unless it's friends or family, it's unwise to invite guests to the house this deep into the night."
He was reminding Cui Jinxiu about the rules of the manor.
Since it was their first meeting, if Meng Qi acted too friendly, he would not be able to avoid suspicion. So he refused Cui Jinxiu's invitation. After announcing his Buddhist title, he smiled. "If fate is kind to us, we'd meet again. I hope at that time, you'd be kind enough to treat me to a vegetarian meal."
By then, it ought to be the climax of his investigation of the link between the disappearances of Cui Jinhua and Duan Mingcheng.
Without waiting for Cui Jinxiu's reply, he walked away and turned into a nearby street.
Watching Meng Qi leave, Cui Jinxiu sighed. "Though Master Zhen Ding is young, he has the demeanor of a respected monk. If it were anyone else, they would not be able to contain their excitement and accept the invitation to the manor."
"Sister Jinxiu, though monks are not supposed to lie, and stories of mystical powers often appear in Buddhist Sutras, you still shouldn't believe tales about immortals," Li Xinyu said worriedly. Master Zhen Ding seemed too mysterious to make them feel at ease.
"Am I that easily fooled? Unless I see it with my own eyes, I won't believe stories about immortals and mystical powers like controlling wind and rain," Cui Jinxiu angrily replied.
"That's good to know." Li Xinyu sighed a breath of relief, and then asked with a smile, "Sister Jinxiu, you're now at the ripe age for marriage. Has Uncle He found a good husband for you yet?"
"No way! My husband must be able to defeat me in a battle and must be humorous..." Cui Jinxiu said in one breath. She became angry when she saw the eagerness in Li Xinyu's eyes. Her face going red, she replied, "I must choose my husband myself!"
"You're the only daughter of your family and the apple of Uncle Cui's eye. He'll definitely approve of anyone you choose." Given Cui Jinxiu's stature, Li Xinyu did not want to continue joking and went along with her words.
Cui Jinxiu suddenly became serious and pursed her lips. "To be honest, my father did try to arrange a marriage for me in the past."
"Oh, is that so? Who's the lucky young man?" asked Li Xinyu. Zhang Zongxian and Uncle He did not have an opinion on such a feminine subject. They just walked quietly and listened.
Cui Jinxiu replied in a sullen voice, "It was Brother Duan."
"Mr. Leisure's son?" Li Xinyu asked for confirmation, shocked. Her eyebrows knitted and she said, "It's said that Young Master Duan is a playboy and immerse himself in gambling. He's always accompanied by a bunch of friends and spends money like it's water, yet his Kung Fu is average at best."
Cui Jinxiu shook her head and replied with difficulty, "I've seen Brother Duan in a battle. His Kung Fu isn't as bad as what people say. It's on par with my brother, and… and… I think there's a reason for his playboy ways..."
Li Xinyu looked at Cui Jinxiu and pursed her lips. She only felt this way because she was infatuated with Duan Mingcheng.
Zhang Zongxian became interested in this topic and added with a sigh, "Rumors are often exaggerated. I didn't expect Young Master Duan's Kung Fu to be at such a high level."
Cui Jinhua was anticipated as the most promising one of her generation to break through the body's Secret Chamber and become a grandmaster. If Duan Mingcheng's Kung Fu could be on par with Cui Jinhua, then he was indeed skilled and possessed great strength.
He did believe Cui Jinxiu's opinion on this because, for one, she came from a respected family and had a good sense of judgment. Moreover, she would not undermine her own brother.
"If that's so, then Young Master Duan is not only a skilled martial artist, but also a handsome one. Then it's a great match. Sister Jinxiu, what more do you want?" Li Xinyu asked with a smile.
Cui Jinxiu looked at her feet, holding a corner of her red dress with her left hand. She said softly, "Brother Duan has disappeared and no one knows his whereabouts. My father and Uncle Duan had an argument because of this."
"What? Young Master Duan has disappeared?" Li Xinyu and Zhang Zongxian were both shocked. He was Mr. Leisure's son. Mr. Leisure who was one of the Seven Grandmasters and this kidnapping had happened in Destiny City!
They had been traveling in secret after getting hold of the treasure map, so they naturally knew nothing about the current happenings.
Meng Qi was sitting cross-legged on the roof of a large house. With a grin, he watched the guards who lost his trail report back to Jin Ancheng.
"I was worried you wouldn't send anyone to follow me. Then it'd take me forever to find out where you live in such a large city..." Meng Qi was in a good mood. Based on the information Duan Xiangfei provided, there were only a few words to describe Jin Ancheng: He was someone who could able survive in any situation and would seek revenge if offended.
But not long after, Meng Qi started feeling a little distressed because he did not have his night-traveling cloak. It meant he could easily expose his identity. Especially the fact that he had to pretend to be Ennea Monkey and try to draw out the other Zodiac Gods. He had no means of communication with them. If he wanted to complete his task, he had to use the dumb way.
"I have to borrow a night-traveling cloak from somewhere..." As he was thinking, his eyes flashed. There was a guy dressed in a night-traveling cloak hiding on the opposite roof.
The man in black carefully tried to sneak into the designated yard. His heart suddenly felt warm. If he could successfully pin this murder on someone else, he would not be suspected of losing the parcel.
"Please move on to the nether world peacefully. I'll take good care of your orphaned children..." He smiled slightly under the mask, dropping into the yard.
Suddenly, he felt immense pain from the back of his head. He was frightened and shocked. When he tried to turn his head, darkness covered his eyes and he lost consciousness.
"You're really quite faithful for bringing me a night-traveling cloak in the middle of the night. True love does exist in this world..." Meng Qi teased the unconscious man as he put on the cloak.
Since Meng Qi did not know who exactly this guy was, he did not want to kill him. He just knocked the guy unconscious with the back of his blade.