Chapter Thirty-Four: The Poisonous Heart of a Talented Scholar

  "You don't have to be like this, I'm looking for trouble with Yi Liang Dian Shi, not just for your revenge, but also for my own sake!"

  Qin Zixi is like this, as a servant he's useless, can't even take care of himself, how can he serve others? Keeping him is just a waste of money. With such an opportunity, it would be better to give it to those poor people, and give them a way to survive.

  "What is Third Master looking for Yiliang Dianshi about?"

  Yang Meng said that, Qin Zixi's eyes also slowly cooled down, he just wanted to get rid of Yi Liang Dianshi, not hurting or itching, just suppressing him a bit, couldn't solve the endless hatred in his heart.

  "Third Master was hit by a blunt object in Yiliang, and the typical history of Yiliang didn't work well. After recovering from his injuries, he came to find trouble with him on purpose."

  Dealing with Zhou Shiqing, it's definitely not something that can be said casually. Qin Zixi is simply not a qualified person to know these things.

  After Ke Yang Meng finished speaking, Qin Zi Xi quickly stepped forward and knelt down with a 'thud', his dirty hands reaching out to grab at his clothes.

  "Talk it out, don't resort to violence!"

  Yang Meng dodged Qin Zixi's grab, his hand looked like it had just scooped up feces, the sight of which made people want to vomit, and he couldn't bear to touch himself.

  "Third Master has something to say, Qin Zixi will definitely keep his mouth shut!"

  The title of the tyrant of Yunnan, Qin Zixi has also heard of it. Revenge? It's better to just kill Yi Liang Dianshi directly. With Yang Sanlang's title, what can be done? Coming to find oneself in such a big way, there must be other things inside.

  "Keep your mouth shut like a bottle? You? Worthless person, wash yourself clean before talking!"

  Qin Zixi's body didn't have a good smell, this stinky goods knelt in front of him, the smell on his body was like toxic gas, making it hard for people to breathe, if this continued, Yang Meng would run away.

  "Okay! I'll go wash now!"

  The more this stupid king concealed things, the bigger they became. The flame of revenge in Qin Zixi's heart was reignited once again.

  He ran back to the house with a hop, skip and jump, Qin Zixi brought out some clean clothes and a wooden basin, came to the wellhead, took off his clothes, poured water on himself, and began to wash himself.

  Seeing Qin Zixi's quick movements, he didn't look like a weak scholar either. How could he have fallen to this point? Curiosity gave Yang Meng patience, and he slowly waited for Qin Zixi to finish washing up.

  Qin Zixi finished washing and changed into clothes. Yang Meng let out a sigh, this time it was a waste of waiting. With the clothes he wore, he wasn't a normal person either.

  The bright red riding jacket, is this a wedding dress? Wearing this casually, can Qin Zixi be a normal person?

  "Third Master, don't be offended. This is the auspicious attire I wore when I welcomed my wife on our wedding day. Today, with revenge in sight, I want to celebrate a little."

  Wearing a lucky suit, Qin Zikui is a talented and elegant man. No wonder he married a woman who can tempt people to commit crimes. What he says also makes some sense, can't he see something else?

  He can't stay in this courtyard for long, and with his own group already being a nuisance, bringing along a freak wearing a red robe will only stir up trouble. If Yilian's treasure were to run off, their 800 taels of gold would be gone down the drain.

  "Find a cloak, cover yourself, let's find a place to talk, it's been a long time and I'm afraid something will happen."

  Qin Ziqi understood what was being said and went back to the house, tore off a few pieces of ragged cloth, wrapped himself from head to toe, and then climbed into Yang Meng's carriage.

  This guy is quite familiar, Yang Meng didn't mind either, pinching his nose and getting into the carriage, they headed straight to the Yang family's farm in Yiliang.

  Yang Meng's search for Qin Xiuciai was indeed kept from Yiliang Dianshi. Since the death of his wife, Qin Xiuciai had also been at odds with Dianshi and had been beaten several times by his subordinates, after which he became muddle-headed and lost his threat, so naturally Dianshi would no longer pay attention to this foolish Xiuciai.

  In the carriage, Qin Zixi tried to speak several times, but was interrupted by Yang Meng. The carriage was not a place for conversation, and if overheard, it would directly affect their plan.

  Arrived at Tianzhuang, arranged for the knife hands to settle down. Yang Meng only then found Qin Zixi, this guy had been washed once, but the smell on his body was still suffocating, and Yang Meng's nose had suffered greatly in the horse carriage.

  "Third Master, I don't know who you're going to deal with in Yiliang. Qin Mou may be a scholar, but he's not without strength, if Third Master can avenge him, he'll go through fire and water without hesitation."

  Qin Zixi's words are somewhat empty and insincere, and it's annoying that he still tries to cover up his mistakes.

  "It's not that I'm powerless to tie up a chicken, so why don't you go and kill Yiliang Dianshi instead of wasting your breath here? Who am I supposed to deal with? You tell me!"

  The treacherous Yang Meng felt resentful, and he didn't have anything good to say about Qin Zixi either.

  "The wealthy and influential households in Yiliang are all from the Zhou family, with their numbers being the most prominent. Could it be that Third Master has come for the sake of the Zhou family?"

  Yang Meng found this strange, it seems that there are geniuses everywhere. Last time in Yiliang, he took in a Cen Yueying, and this time's Qin Zixi is also an extraordinary person!

  "Heh heh! Let's talk about it, why does Third Master want to deal with the Zhou family?"

  It doesn't matter if it's a wild guess, being able to guess correctly means that Qin Zixi has some insight. Xun Yuqing is a good partner, but her mind is quick and agile, and not having anyone to restrain her isn't necessarily a good thing. If Qin Zixi can work together with her, then she might be useful after all.

  "Rural products! Yunnan has been calm in recent years, but there are also hidden dangers. The contradictions between the Hui and Han nationalities, between mountain people and landlords, when encountering a year of famine, will lead to civil unrest. These things often happened in Yunnan before. When the world is in chaos, the best thing is not gold, silver or money, but food that can fill one's belly. Yiliang has the reputation of being the granary of Dianzhong, and the only family that can make San Ye take action personally is the Zhou family with ten thousand hectares of good land."

  This great Qing dynasty is indeed full of talents, but this great Qing dynasty was actually beaten by over a thousand British devils to the point where it couldn't find its way north. Yang Meng had also seen countless people in his past life, and no matter whether it was Qin Yu'ying, those scholars who defected to him, or Qin Ziqi in front of him, they all had their uses.

  Cen Yu Ying is a self-proclaimed genius, while those few scholars are barely scraping by. The one in front of him is even better off, almost to the point of being ruined. Intellectuals should be the backbone of the country, but in the Great Qing dynasty, Yang Meng hasn't figured it out yet.

  "You dare say that if it's true, you're not afraid of San Ye quietly killing you to keep the secret? Anyway, you're just a useless person, and no one will care even if you die."

  Whether or not Qin Zixi is taken in for now is beside the point, restricting his movements is a must. What if he figures out what's going on with the Zhou family and slips away? Where will we find another good opportunity then?

  "No way! Third Master's reputation is renowned in Yunnan Prefecture, although he has killed many people, I've also heard that the ones he killed were mostly opium addicts, local tyrants, corrupt officials and evil gentry. As for killing innocent civilians, I haven't heard of such a thing. Although I'm half-crippled these years, my ears are still working fine, no matter how you put it, I am an innocent civilian."

  This kid is still fearless, I don't want to kill him myself, but I also won't let him off, there are other ways to deal with Yiliang Dianshi, no need for Qin Xiucan.

  "You're not bad! Then just stay in Tianzhuang! Third Master doesn't need you!"

  What a nerve he has, daring to threaten himself, this Qin Zixi is too used to being served on a platter, wanting to play big, but there's no opportunity for him here.

  "Third Master! Third Master! As long as you let me avenge myself, Qin Zixi will be your slave, if not, I'll even become a dog!"

  As soon as Yang Meng didn't want to use himself, Qin Zixi's face changed immediately, and he knelt on the ground and begged bitterly.

  "There is a person under me named Cen Yu Ying, also a scholar. One day we talked about Zhou Shi Qing of Yiliang, and he said that this man should die! I asked him why, and he replied with four words: 'Moral integrity'!"

  Yang Meng stopped here, Qin Zixi was somewhat unscrupulous in his actions, first blackmailing and then begging, hatred had ruined him.

  "Morality? Haha... When I was 16, I took the imperial examination and passed all three levels of county, prefecture, and provincial exams, becoming a scholar. I married a beautiful wife and worked hard at home, waiting for my name to be on the golden list. But who knew that old beast would take advantage of my visit to a friend and murder my wife, violating her and killing her? The hatred of being wronged has long since worn away my morality."

  I, Qin Zikai, live only for revenge. If Third Master can grant me this wish, then as I said before, I will be your dog!

  It turns out that Qin Ziqi is also a talented person. If it weren't for the incident of his wife being raped and murdered, he might have taken the official path. But after that incident, even if he wanted to go out and take the exam, the county magistrate of Yiliang would not let him off. This kid is quite clever, pretending to be crazy and muddle-headed to get through it.

  Now is the perfect opportunity for revenge, how can he not grasp it tightly? For these years, hatred has been carved into his bones, and taking revenge is the only purpose of his survival.

  "I don't believe you, there's something wrong with your mind!"

  Yang Meng is a highly suspicious and ruthless tyrant. People like him lack a sense of security, which is also why he desperately wants to develop the Yang family.

  "A distant road tests the strength of a horse; a long time reveals the heart of a man!"

  Qin Zixi knew he had gone too far, and now he couldn't come up with anything to convince Yang Meng. After thinking for half a day, there was only one sentence that could let him seize the opportunity again.

  "Alright! Then I'll take a look! Tonight we'll deal with the Sun brothers from Dog Street."

  The Sun brothers were like knives in the hands of Yi Liang Dian Shi, first cutting them off before capturing the drug-trafficking Ma Bu Zi.

  That night, Yang Meng led his men to the Sun brothers' home in Goujie Town under Qin Zixi's leadership. The six Sun brothers were also arrogant and had the backing of Dian Shi, so they feared no one in Yiliang.

  This arrogant momentum allowed them to occupy a large mansion on Dog Street and live inside with great fanfare.

  People like them, who intercept and kill Ma's gang on the road, have many enemies in surrounding counties. They should find a secluded place to hide, but they don't do so. Relying on the prestige of Yiliang Dianshi, they are enjoying life with relish!

  When Yang Meng led his men into the mansion, the six brothers were drinking. They obviously recognized Yang Meng and didn't dare to lay a hand on him, so they turned around and tried to escape. More than 20 people caught the six of them. If they had let them escape, how could Yang Meng plot against the Zhou family?

  The six brothers were all taken down, but trying to pry open their mouths was a difficult task. These six men weren't fools and knew that if they confessed, it would be a dead-end road for them. If they didn't confess, perhaps Lord Dianshi could still spare their lives.

  "You're on your own."

  Yang Meng handed the dagger to Qin Zixi, wanting to make the six brothers speak up. He had a way to do it, but letting Qin Zixi take action would allow him to see more things.

  Qin Zixi didn't hesitate either. He took the dagger and walked over to find a piece of cloth, then stuffed it into Old Sun's mouth.

  This wasn't the end, he had some firewood brought in and lit it inside, then put the dagger into the flames. The candles on the table were also melted by him using a bowl to hold them over the embers.

  A rope made of torn clothes was also formed in Qin Zixi's hands, and the knife holders pressed down on Sun Lao Da. Qin Zixi directly cut open his abdomen, the fiery dagger sliced through the belly skin, who could bear it, eight knife holders barely held down Sun Lao Da.

  Qin Zixi leisurely looked at it for a while, reached out to take out his intestines, put the cloth strip in, and then there was a bowl of hot wax oil.

  The gagged Sun Lao Da still let out a mournful howl, and those holding his knife hands also turned their heads around, this Qin Xiucai is too vicious!

  He lit up the oil-soaked cloth rope, and Qin Zixi turned his head to look at the remaining Sun family members.

  "Don't worry! He won't die for a while! I reckon it'll take at least half an hour, this rope will burn the wax first, then burn human oil. Dong Zhuo from the Three Kingdoms was played like this back in the day, but he was dead by then. You guys aren't saying I'm letting you live to play with me!"

  It's that simple, the Sun brothers all surrendered, this red-clothed turtle is too poisonous, the eldest is still convulsing and screaming on the ground, who wouldn't be scared!