I Have A Qi Fortune Altar

Chapter 42: 42 chapters of satire

“Brother Yuan has arrived?”

Kneeling on the ground, Tie Qinghua gazed at the coffin in front, her voice very light.

“He has…”

Chen Yuan glanced at the mourning clothes on Tie Qinghua and a term suddenly flashed through his mind.

Seductive temptation…

However, he quickly discarded these strange thoughts and, like a magician, took out a white flower from behind and placed it in front of Tie Xuan’s coffin.

Tie Qinghua gave Chen Yuan a glance, her eyes revealing a hint of incomprehension.

“This is a ritual that originated from my hometown, Lady Tie, please accept my condolences.”

Chen Yuan timely expressed a bit of sorrow.

Tie Qinghua took a deep breath and slowly bowed her head:

“When big brother was alive, I didn’t feel anything was amiss, but now with big brother dead, all sorts of demons and monsters have popped up.”

“I believe Lady Tie can safely get through these calamities.”

“I don’t believe so myself,” Tie Qinghua said with self-mockery.

In just a few short days, she had lost both her husband and her elder brother, the two most important men to her. If it were anyone else, they would have already been in a state of distraught.

But she couldn’t afford to, for besides herself, she had her elder brother’s offspring and widow to care for. If she did not pull herself together, the Tie Family truly would have no hope left.

Indeed, Tie Xuan had some sworn brothers and subordinates while he was alive, but death is like a snuffed-out lamp, and upon Tie Xuan’s death, the first to surge forth were those so-called friends.

“Brother Yuan, the Tie Family still has some silver, please take it. As for the Tiger Bone Pill, I don’t know if I will be able to hold on until then…” Tie Qinghua said softly.

Squinting his eyes, Chen Yuan watched Tie Qinghua’s performance and then said:

“Silver is of no use to me. What I want is the Tiger Bone Pill. As for the Tie Family, I will provide some help within my means.”

Tie Qinghua raised her head, gazing at Chen Yuan for a moment:

“Thanks for Brother Yuan’s assistance.”

“Don’t be so quick to thank me, our relationship is merely one of mutual benefit. Apart from the previously mentioned Tiger Bone Pills, I will need more as my compensation.”

“I had not expected that during the Tie Family’s great misfortune, it would be Brother Yuan, a friend known for just a few days, who truly helps Qinghua. I believe big brother can rest peacefully below.”

Tie Qinghua continued.

“Indeed, Brother Tie can rest in peace…” Chen Yuan’s gaze slowly carried an unnoticeable smile.

“Lady Tie, do you know how your elder brother died?” Chen Yuan asked softly.

“The message from the County Government said that my elder brother died at the hands of the No-Life Sect’s rebels.” A flash of hatred appeared in Tie Qinghua’s eyes.

Tie Xuan raised her, being both a brother and a father. Such enmity was impossible to forget for a lifetime.

“The No-Life Sect, that’s a very powerful Demon Dao force. It’s unlikely that Lady Tie’s vengeance will be avenged anytime soon,” Chen Yuan shook his head.

“Such great enmity, even ten years is not too late. Even if I cannot avenge it, the descendants of the Tie Family will carry this grudge forward, never-ending!”

Tie Qinghua said through clenched teeth.

“I see…” Chen Yuan’s eyes flashed coldly, and then the look vanished, replaced by a smile:

“I believe that one day, Lady Tie will indeed avenge this.”

“It’s getting late, Lady Tie should continue the vigil. I must take my leave now. If any force troubles the Tie Family, leave some marks on the stone lions in front of your door. If I see them, I will come…”

Chen Yuan said, standing in front of the Spirit Hall, his back to Tie Qinghua.

“Brother Yuan, take care…”

Although the phrase felt awkward, Chen Yuan did not show it, he nodded slightly and then vanished into the darkness.

After Chen Yuan left, Tie Qinghua suddenly remembered the words her elder brother had cautioned her with. Yuan Chen telling them about the Huang Family’s affairs so easily, his demands must not be small, she must be vigilant.

Looking at the situation now…

After a long silence, Tie Qinghua rested her forehead on the ground, constantly recalling the image of Tie Xuan when he was alive.

Two tears fell from the corner of her eyes.

…

…

The next day.

The training ground in the east of the city.

Starting from early morning, government officials began to arrive one after another, all eager to witness the newly appointed arrest officer who had emerged victorious from the competition.

Although they did not yet hold official status, they possessed authority, and moreover, as soon as they reached the Bone Refining Level, County Magistrate Li Mingqi would report to the prefecture city to issue official documentation.

There was little difference between them and a true arrest officer.

What truly interested people was that this time, it was not a Bone Refining expert who was appointed to the post of arrest officer, but rather, County Magistrate Li Mingqi had decided to select a skilled individual from among the six divisions in the government office.

These individuals were, at best, of the Blood Refining Level.

Although this was not the first time such an event had occurred, it was extremely rare.

It had been at least several decades since Ping’an County had seen such a thing; normally, Bone Refining experts were appointed as arrest officers, as only they could assert authority over the unruly and long-standing government officials.

The internal competition within the county government was an affair that County Magistrate Li Mingqi ordered should not be open to outsiders; after all, it was not some martial contest or a Cause for celebration. It was rather embarrassing that such a vast Ping’an County could not find a suitable person to take up the post of arrest officer—which, in turn, reflected his own lapse in judgment.

If he had a choice, Li Mingqi would not opt for this.

The main issue was that the other two Bone Refining experts within the county government had aligned themselves with County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng; if he chose someone who had sided with Wu Qingfeng, wouldn’t that be tantamount to allowing himself to be sidelined?

This was something Li Mingqi could not tolerate at all.

Nor could he show weakness by asking for someone from the prefecture city, or how would his superiors view him?

Without demonstrating capability, how could he be considered for future promotion?

Thus, Li Mingqi had no choice but to pick the tallest dwarf, so to speak, selecting the strongest from among those at the Blood Refining Level. As long as they devoted themselves wholeheartedly and with his cultivation, advancing to Bone Refining was not at all a difficult task.

Walking on the road to the east of the city, Chen Yuan and Wang Ping were chatting leisurely.

“Yuan, how are your preparations?”

Chen Yuan looked down at the hidden Heart Guard Mirror on his chest and smiled,

“Don’t worry.”

“If Yuan is confident, then I believe in you,” Wang Ping patted his chest.

“How was last night at Yanyu Building? Did you see the Oiran?” Chen Yuan asked with a smile.

Upon this mention, Wang Ping’s eyelids drooped slightly as he replied in a low voice,

“I saw her.”

“What, weren’t you satisfied, or was the rumor not true?”

“No… no, the woman was very nice.”

“Then why do you look like this?”

“Yuan, do you believe in love at first sight?”

Chen Yuan’s eyebrows rose, and he asked mockingly,

“You haven’t fallen for a brothel woman, have you?”

Engaging in fun, whoever gets emotional is the loser.

Wang Ping immediately defended,

“Last night I spent a lot of time with Xiao Yue. She’s virtuous, gentle, and… beautiful. Even though she’s a brothel woman, she’s also a good woman.”

A dark line crossed Chen Yuan’s forehead; this was just like saying she parties all night, drinks, gets tattoos, doesn’t come home at night, but still is a good girl, wasn’t it?