Stealing The Heavens

Chapter 70: A Heavy Bribe

Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh_

Without putting up any struggle, Lu Chengfeng let two beast warriors of Scouting Office grip both of his hands. Among all the beast warriors brought by Qin Qingshui, more than half of them had the soul of a flying bear hovering on their back. It was a beast with a single horn on its head, and a pair of large wings. As for the rest of the men, their beast souls were a strange-looking wild boar; four sharp fangs were protruding from its mouth. Their bodies were fiery red and their furs were hard and sharp like needles, riding on a flaming cloud.

These flying bear beast warriors possessed a great muscle strength. After Lu Chengfeng’s arms were held up by them, he instantly felt a numbness spread across his entire body, and was unable to move at all.

Same thing happened to Luo Kedi and Ma Liang. When faced with two Chief Supervisors of Scouting Office, they simply lost all their courage to fight back. Just like Lu Chengfeng, both of them held a deep awe and veneration towards everything related to the Great Yan Dynasty. Thus, when Qin Qingshui ordered his men to capture them, they dared not to resist at all.

The only exception was Wu Qi. Casually, he leaped backward and avoided the capture from two beast warriors. His tiptoe skimmed across a puddle of water and brought up a clump of water vapor. Wearing a faint smile, he stared at Qin Qingshui, and had prepared to launch a full force assault at this man. Once he failed in the assault, he would use the escape skill of innate water to flee for his life.

‘Never put your own safety in the hand of others.’ This was the biggest advise Wu Wang and Le Xiaobai left for Wu Qi. Although Lu Chengfeng, Luo Kedi, and Ma Liang dared not to put out any resistance, it was different for Wu Qi! Not only he had the courage to resist, before he escaped, he also dared to try his best in killing Qin Qingshui.

Upon looking at Wu Qi, who taken a leap back and dodged his men’s attempt to capture him, Qin Qingshui was struck with extreme fury as he shouted, “How dare you!”

Wu Qi still had the same faint smile on his face. He narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze at Qin Qingshui. He was leaning against a wall behind him, carefully keeping a safe distance from the surrounding men of Scouting Office. A large curtain of water vapor was lingering and enshrouding his body, making him look vague and incorporeal. The people around him suddenly had an impression that Wu Qi could suddenly vanish amidst this water vapor.

A muffled squeal of a boar rung through the air. Behind Qin Qingshui, a beast warrior was seen bowing his head while the soul of fiery red wild boar on his back let out a furious squeal into the air. Then, together with a loud noise of wind breaking, the beast warrior sprung forward and slammed towards Wu Qi. The man came at an incredible speed, forced through the rainstorm and left behind a white trail on his way. His body was emanating a raging innate energy. Countless raindrops were repelled by this energy and flew everywhere like high-speed bullets.

While laughing hideously, Wu Qi took a step aside, using his hand to clutch the man’s neck and push his entire body onto the wall behind. A loud boom broke out and the ground shook, as a series of crystal clear bone breaking sounds came into everyone’s ears. The man slammed into the thick wall, his blood oozing out from the broken wall. Soon the flow converged into a large puddle of blood on the ground.

A dead silence reigned the scene. Lu Chengfeng widened his eyes and kept staring at Wu Qi. He knew Wu Qi was a man with tremendous courage, Yet, he never thought even in his wildest dreams that he would be brave enough to kill Qin Qingshui’s subordinate, that too in front of Qin Qingshui’s face! The man he just killed was from Scouting Office, and a man closely associated with the Chief Supervisor of Central Wind Guards!

Luo Kedi and Ma Liang were struck dumb. They were startled, knowing that there was really someone who had no fear of death. They were surprised to see someone really having the courage to provoke the Scouting Office in the capital city of Great Yan Dynasty. This was no longer concerned about whether this man had the courage to do it or not, it proved that this man was reckless to the extreme. Even when the monarch of Lu Kingdom came to Ji City, he would have to behave obediently and hold respect in his mind, bowing his head everywhere and flattering everyone he met. Yet, Wu Qi was just a hanger-on of Lu Chengfeng! Although he was the so-called Chief Hanger-on, but, he was still a hanger-on!

Both Yan Jiuhui and Yan Bugui took a deep breath at the same time, then exhaled it pleasedly together. Yan Bugui gave Wu Qi a deep look, and secretly gave the man a thumbs up. However, Yan Jiuhui didn’t conceal his admiration at all. He clapped his hands and let out a loud laugh while saying, “Excellent! Good kid, you’re brave, really brave! For so many years, I have never seen a young man such as you! Qin Qingshui, I want this little kid!”

On the other side, Qin Qingshui was so mad that his body started to tremble violently. With extreme anger, he glared at Yan Jiuhui and shouted with a hoarse voice, “Outrageous! This is absurd, you lawless little scum! How dare you kill the man of Scouting Office? You, you, where did you come from? Where is your hometown? Somebody, get to the bottom of his clan. Confiscate his entire clan and kill every single member of his clan Together with that, I want his sect to be wiped out as well!”

Qin Qingshui was so angry that his hairs started to stand up. He clenched both fists tightly in a near hysterical manner, and threads of cold gleam shot out from his eyes. All of a sudden, a dark green mist burst out from his back. Within this rolling and rocking mist, a giant three-headed serpent raised its heads slowly. Its body was bronze in color, and numerous green, red, and blue spots were seen scattered across it. On top of these three heads, a total of eighteen large eyes were fixing its deadly gaze at Wu Qi’s face.

Wu Qi took a glimpse at the giant three-headed serpent behind Qin Qingshui, then let out a cold laugh. “A lower tier Divine Beast, the Dark Nether Python… Chief Supervisor Qin, are you making a mistake here? Your subordinate had just killed himself by slamming into the wall, what does it have anything to do with me?”

Killed himself by slamming into the wall? This made Qin Qingshui even angrier, and he felt his eyes were going to pop out from his eye sockets. Yan Jiuhui suddenly burst out into a loud laughter, rocking his body forward and backward and nearly fell to the ground. He patted on his stomach and kept laughing while saying, “He is right! I can be the witness. Even if we are to face the Chief General, I’ll still say the same thing. This dead kid took things too hard and killed himself by slamming into a wall, and it had nothing to do with anybody!”

Upon hearing Yan Jiuhui’s mocking words, Qin Qingshui let out a furious cry, With a leap of his body, his white robe spun like a whirlwind, coiling up countless raindrops and making them spin around his body at top speed. The Dark Nether Python on his back opened its mouth and made a darting motion, Qin Qingshui’s body immediately halted in midair, before he shot towards Wu Qi at lightning speed. While on his way, he stretched his right arm with a pointy finger, which made it look like the ferocious tongue of a venomous python, and targeted Wu Qi’s temple with it.

While producing some hissing noises, a three-feet long beam shot out from Qin Qingshui’s finger, as it continued shooting toward the target with a shivering breeze.

Wu Qi’s expression turned cold. The innate energy within both of his arms started to surge like a fierce tidal wave, producing brutal and strong sounds of waves hitting the shore. A powerful force was spinning quickly in his palms. The abundant water elemental energy in the heavy downpour kept merging into both his palms, converging and condensing. He had prepared the strongest force he could muster at the current stage of his cultivation, and once he killed Qin Qingshui with it, he would use the escape skill of water to flee from the scene.

He had also prepared to take out the Innate Water Serpent pearl from his storage bag at any time. Once Qin Qingshui was dead, he would take it out, borrowing the vast energy in it to unleash the escape skill. With his current cultivation, he would lose all his energy after escaping to a distance of three to five miles. However, if he was supported by the Innate Water Serpent pearl, he could at least flee to a distance of over five hundred miles.

Wu Qi had his vision fixed at Qin Qingshui’s finger, and his hands were slightly raised. He was ready to launch the full assault.

The secret skill of ‘Jade Breaking Hand’ he learned from Scroll of Stealing was ready. The innate water energy was rolling and surging in a few specific meridians in his palms, stacking up and growing stronger. Soon they had formed into an explosive force.

Right at this very moment, a coach suddenly came rushing by. An old yet vigorous voice echoed throughout the scene. “Marquis Di Qing, wait a moment!”

Qin Qingshui’s body suddenly turned stiff. With a leap, he sprung up nearly a hundred feet into the sky. His white robe was filled with wind, and it brought him backward like a sail.

A group of guards, clad in burlap clothes filled with patches everywhere, were seen clustered around a broken coach and rushing toward the scene. The paint on this coach had fully peeled off, and there were even a few large holes found on top of it. Through these holes, cold wind and rainwater squeezed and leaked into the coach. The coach had four wheels, yet the spokes of three wheels were falling apart. Whenever the coach moved, these wheels would make a squeaking noise, as if they would fall apart at any time.

As for the animal that pulled the coach, Wu Qi had no idea whether he should call it a horse or something else. In brief, it was so skinny that one could easily see two rows of ribs on its chest, and its mouth was burbling with white foam as it staggered its legs and moved towards them. Perhaps it was because all its energy had been depleted, its legs bent and almost fell to the ground.

It was such a ‘magnificent’ coach. And obviously, the owner of it was none other than the Duke Yanxing of Great Yan Dynasty, the man who held the true power of Imperial Family Court, Duke Yu Xuan.

While panting, Yu Xuan jumped out from the coach, waved his hand and said, “Who is Lu Chengfeng? Come over now!”

Wu Qi pointed at Lu Chengfeng, who had his shoulder clutched tightly by two beast warriors. Then he laughed and said, “Your excellency, this is my young master!”

Yu Xuan turned his glance over to Lu Chengfeng, snorted coldly and said, “Qin Qingshui, set the man free. Don’t talk rubbish with me!”

Qin Qingshui’s expression changed. He bowed and greeted Yu Xuan respectfully, then beckoned with his head. Without hesitation, two beast warriors immediately let loose their grip on Lu Chengfeng.

Smilingly, Wu Qi dismissed the force of Jade Breaking Hand in his palm, accompanied Lu Chengfeng and came in front of Yu Xuan’s coach. Through the broken windows of the coach, they saw Tie Yuewu sitting inside with a depressed expression, and was staring blankly at the rainwater splashing through the holes. The water dripped and wet her expensive and magnificent palace gown, and the bun on her hair which she spent a long time in fixing was in a messy state.

Lu Chengfeng was shocked as he looked at Tie Yuewu’s miserable appearance, then he asked with a low voice, “Mother, what happened?”

Tie Yuewu listlessly introduced Yu Xuan’s identity. Lu Chengfeng quickly bowed and greeted the man.

Wu Qi narrowed his eyes and gave Yu Xuan and examining glance. Before they came, from the mouth of Lu Qiuluo, the Chief Butler of Liyang Lu Clan, he learned that this Yu Xuan was a covetousness and lustful man, and his greediness and hypocritical behavior was well-known in Ji City.

He moved his eyes to the worn-out burlap cloth clad by Yu Xuan, and with a quick glance, he saw a tiny corner of Yu Xuan’s inner wear made from the silk of Thousand-Year Ice Worm. Wu Qi didn’t say anything, but instead, he dragged Lu Chengfeng a few steps aside and whispered something in his ears.

Lu Chengfeng was startled upon hearing what Wu Qi said, but after a brief moment, he nodded his head heavily.

When Yu Xuan saw Wu Qi bringing Lu Chengfeng a few steps back, his face turned stern, and furrowed his brows in a displeased look.

However, Wu Qi quickly came back in front of him, lowered his voice and told Yu Xuan, “Duke Yu Xuan, my young master has decided to give you a province of his fief. Can you let him inherit the legacy of Duke Yan Le as soon as possible, and as smooth as possible?”

Yu Xuan was shocked. It was as if he suddenly saw countless gold gleams blinking dazzlingly in front of his eyes, a golden shine emitting from numerous mountains piled up from gold coins. In astonishment, he said, “A province? Give it to me? I’m an honest man who never takes any bribe, and I’ll never covet for any undeserved money.”

He swallowed a lump in his throat, lowered his voice and continued, “But, a province? Does your young master really have it? Is your young master really willing to give it out? Sigh, you should have told me earlier. If you told me that you had a province that you wanted to give away, when the time you arrived in Ji City, I would have made everything smooth and beautiful for you! As long as we have testified his bloodline and confirmed your young master is the descendant of Duke Yan Le, then your young master will be the rightful inheritor of all of Duke Yan Le’s legacy!”

“Of course, my young master does have a province. I supposed Duke Yu Xuan should know this… the Chief General once promised my young master a reward of a province.” Wu Qi said with a deep voice.

He continued and explained how he and Lu Chengfeng assisted Yan Bugui in completing his mission in detail. Then once again he promised Yu Xuan, that as long as Lu Chengfeng inherited all of Yan Buji’s legacy, the reward of a province that Chief General Jin Ke promised would be gifted to Yan Bugui. Of course, Yu Xuan also had to make sure the reward of this province would come to Lu Chengfeng as a whole.

With much effort, Yu Xuan moistened his lips, then said with a rather dried voice, “I, am a Duke with integrity. But, it is disrespectful to refuse a gift of a province. I have to accept it with much abash!”

He took a deep breath, then suddenly pointed his finger and Qin Qingshui and broke out into curses, “Qin Qingshui, have you gone crazy or what? Is the young son of Duke Yan Le someone you could afford to offend? How much of bribe had you accepted from someone else that made you became so brave to make things difficult for Chengfeng? Do you know that once his identity is confirmed, he will belong to the core Imperial Family of Great Yan Dynasty? You, you, you had accepted bribes and bent the law. I’ll never accept a foul behavior like this, and I’ll definitely report you to the Chief General!”

Yu Xuan forcefully patted on Lu Chengfeng’s shoulder, then shouted with a stern voice, “Let’s go, summon all Imperial Elders of Imperial Family Court. I want to verify Chengfeng’s identity immediately by confirming his bloodline!”

The strong wind swept the rainstorm through the scene. Everyone was struck dumb by Yu Xuan’s words. Summoning all Imperial Elders of Imperial Family Court in the middle of the night? Was this Yu Xuan crazy?

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