Old Qi was standing in front of Zhang Yong with a cheerful smile on his face. "Oh, I wonder why the young hero Zhang Yong has invited me. Could it be that you've considered my offer?"
Zhang Yong looked at Old Qi with a cold gaze and didn't move from his spot. In a calm yet sharp voice, he said: "Yes, I thought about your offer, but I came to a different conclusion."
Old Qi looked surprised for a moment before regaining his composure, replying with a wary smile: "Is there something troubling you?"
Zhang Yong leaned forward slightly, his eyes glowing with a deadly calm. "Yes, I despise you greatly."
Old Qi's eyes widened, but he wasn't worried. He sneered in his heart: 'So you've decided to show your true colors, child. But you don't know—I'm wearing armor beneath these clothes, and I have an escape talisman. You can't touch me'
Old Qi put on a confused expression. "Young hero, what do you mean by this? Have I offended you in some way?"
Zhang Yong smiled coldly and shrugged. "Oh no, but the poison you slipped into the tea yesterday was enough."
Old Qi's face froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and let out a slow laugh. "It seems young hero Zhang is mistaken. The tea I offered was rare and precious, without any toxins. Perhaps what you felt was simply fatigue."
Zhang Yong sighed quietly. "You really don't tire of pretending, do you?"
By now, Old Qi was drenched in sweat. Despite his attempts to act confident, his eyes betrayed real fear. He tried moving his hand toward where he had hidden the escape talisman, but before he could react further, Zhang Yong vanished from sight.
A firm grip clamped around his wrist—it was Zhang Yong holding him. "No need for that. Don't worry, we'll still have fun together. So why the rush?"
Old Qi gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
Zhang Yong snatched the talisman from his hand and stepped back. "Qi Yong."
Old Qi's eyes widened sharply. "That!"
Zhang Yong continued with a smile: "Qi Budong, Sina Lian… guess what?"
Old Qi's expression instantly turned dangerous. "What did you do to my family?!"
A forced smile appeared on Zhang Yong's face. "I killed them."
Old Qi's eyes widened in horrified shock, blood rushing to his head as he shouted: "You monster!"
Rage was written all over his face. Of course—this was his family being mentioned.
Suddenly Zhang Yong burst into laughter. "Pfft! I'm just messing with you. You should've seen your face—hahaha! Your family is alive and well… for now."
The furious expression turned into a shaken one, his body trembling. "You… stop toying with me. Release them!"
Zhang Yong's smile vanished, replaced by an icy look. "Hah, unfortunately I can't do that. But since you made me laugh, I'll give you a game. If you win, I'll let them go."
Old Qi's heart leapt. He was more anxious and worried than angry now. Clenching his fists, he had no choice. "What is it?" he asked with a trembling voice.
A smile spread across Zhang Yong's face. "Let me think… I planted someone in your shop to ruin your business. The game is—you must find and expel him within one minute."
Old Qi's body shook. "What? That's impossible. A single minute isn't nearly enough!"
Zhang Yong didn't care at all. "My game, my rules. Your time starts....now!"
Old Qi's eyes widened in terror when he realized Zhang Yong wasn't joking. Time was not on his side. He glanced at Zhang Yong's smiling face, then turned and ran, his heart sinking deeper into despair with every passing second.
Zhang Yong watched him run and smirked. "Hehe, look at him."
Su Ming appeared from the side. "Wait… did you really kidnap his family?"
"Of course not. That was only to add pressure to his mind," Zhang Yong explained calmly
'well i technically did but... it's better not to tell him or he'll freak out'
"But still…" Su Ming hesitated inwardly.
"Hehe, you should realize, Su Ming, family is something everyone cares about. Even Fu Liang, after his body was cut into pieces, the only thing that truly shook him was seeing his son about to die. That's the noose around Old Qi's neck. If you were in his shoes, how would you find the spy?" he asked softly.
"In his shoes?" Su Ming muttered uncertainly, thinking about the question. Then he replied quietly, "I really don't know. But one minute… that's not nearly enough."
Zhang Yong gestured with his hand. "See? That's why I gave him a minute. The short time and the pressure of his family—it narrows his options. If he tries to check every individual, it'll take too long. So what's the easiest solution? To expel everyone at once, without thinking. After all, this is about his family."
In truth, even if he expelled everyone, he would still lose. He was searching for something that didn't exist in the first place. That was Zhang Yong's true intent
Su Ming took a moment to think, then understood what Zhang Yong meant. "So, you're saying that under extreme pressure, Old Qi might act rashly instead of rationally?"
"Exactly!" Zhang Yong replied, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "No human, whether righteous or demonic, can truly ignore their own blood , Of course, there are exceptions, but Old Qi isn't one of them. Narrow a person's thinking, then lay out a path, and they'll have no choice but to walk it."
As Zhang Yong predicted, Old Qi began expelling all his workers. But because of his unstable state of mind, he did it harshly.
While Old Qi shouted and drove out his workers mercilessly, fury and fear burned in his eyes. "Get out, all of you! I don't want to see you here again!" His words struck like bullets.
"But, Master—" one of the alchemists tried to speak up.
"Didn't I tell you to leave? You're all fired! Out!" he roared hoarsely.
Everyone packed their belongings quickly and left without looking back.
Seeing this, a broken smile appeared on Old Qi's face. "G-good." He turned and walked back to Zhang Yong.
"It's done. Now release my family," Old Qi said, trembling violently, his whole body shaking.
Zhang Yong sighed, as if in deep thought, tilting his head slightly. "Mmm… let me think. Was that game really entertaining enough?"
Old Qi's face drained of color with every word. "I fulfilled my part… you can't go back on your word now!"
Zhang Yong scratched his head. "Hmm, I don't think so. Not that I don't want to, but… the minute already passed some time ago. Too late, unfortunately."
Old Qi felt as though the ground collapsed beneath his feet. "You… you tricked me!" he cried in rage and despair.
Zhang Yong waved his hands. "Oh, come on. I didn't do anything. You wasted the minute. And you didn't even expel the one I planted to ruin your shop. In fact, he already succeeded."
Old Qi's eyes widened as the realization struck him, his voice breaking. "How… how is this possible? Who is it?!"
Zhang Yong pointed at him. "It's you yourself. I said I planted him—I never mentioned when. And you've just done it yourself. Congratulations, you did the job for me. Bravo!" He began clapping enthusiastically.
Old Qi spit out blood and staggered, barely able to remain standing. "Please… don't kill them."
Zhang Yong smiled calmly. "Alright, I won't. But on one condition."
Hope lit up Old Qi's heart like a lifeline. He nodded immediately. "Of course, anything!"
"Offer me your head," Zhang Yong's cold voice rang out.
Old Qi's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. "M-my head?" he stammered in disbelief.
Zhang Yong slammed a dagger into the ground by Old Qi's feet. "Isn't it fair? A life for a life. Here's your choice: kneel, smash your head against the ground three times, and cut off your own head—then I'll let them go. Or, turn around and walk away now, and I'll spare your life, but your family dies. Think carefully. If you survive, you can remarry, have more children. But if you die, no one will remember you. Your family may grieve now, but eventually they'll forget you."
Old Qi trembled as he stared at the dagger stuck in the ground. His heart pounded violently while he weighed the two bitter options. Zhang Yong looked completely calm, as if the outcome didn't matter to him at all. Old Qi's family… his children, his wife… the thought of their deaths tore him apart.
He hesitated for a long moment before determination filled his eyes. He knelt before Zhang Yong, hands trembling, tears streaming down his face. "My life means nothing if they die… I'll do as you ask. Just… let them live."
With those words, the sound rang through the room:
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three heavy strikes of his forehead against the ground, blood trickling from his brow. Then he reached for the dagger, fingers closing around the hilt, about to thrust it into his own throat.
Clang!—the sound of metal striking metal.
A needle flew from Zhang Yong's hand, knocking the dagger away. Old Qi lifted his head in shock. "What does this mean?"
Zhang Yong smiled calmly. "That was too easy, don't you think? It was just a joke. Your family is safe, and you may leave." He waved his wrist, and a pouch flew toward Old Qi. "Here—one thousand spirit stones. Use them as capital. But on one condition: leave this province and never show your face here again. Honestly, if you had chosen to abandon your family, I would've killed you on the spot. But you earned my respect when you chose to give up your own life."
Old Qi froze, staring at Zhang Yong in disbelief.
He couldn't understand the reason for such a "joke," but he was at a loss for words. His forehead bled as tears streamed down his cheeks.
A grateful smile formed on his face as tears fell harder. He banged his head against the ground once more. "Thank you."
Old Qi stood up with difficulty, his body trembling from exhaustion and fear. He wiped his tears, clutching the pouch Zhang Yong had given him as though it was his very life. Without a single glance back, he left, swearing in his heart never to return to this land again.
On the other side, Su Ming turned toward Zhang Yong once Old Qi was gone. "That was… rather surprising."
Zhang Yong glanced at Su Ming out of the corner of his eye, resting his head on his arm. "What? Do you think I kill everyone in my way? Sorry, I may be ruthless sometimes, but I'm not a demon. This old man deserved death—he hadn't harmed me directly, but he would've caused trouble. Someone like him, I wouldn't hesitate to kill. He may deserve death, but if I killed him, his children would become orphans. The old man may deserve to die, but his children don't deserve to suffer for it."
A surprised smile appeared on Su Ming's face. "Heh, in a way, you sound more mature now."
Zhang Yong snorted softly. "Su Ming, if the time came and I died, what would you do?"
Su Ming hesitated for a moment at Zhang Yong's sudden question. Then his expression shifted into a smile as he patted Zhang Yong's back. "What's with that question all of a sudden? You say it like you'll die soon. I don't really know… maybe I'd just keep moving forward. But what about you? If I died, would you even be sad?"
Zhang Yong smirked and sneered. "Of course not. I'd probably throw a three-day celebration and rejoice at your death. Do you really think I'd be sad?"
Su Ming laughed loudly, slapping Zhang Yong's shoulder. "Haha! Of course, I wouldn't expect any less. That's exactly the kind of answer I'd expect."
Zhang Yong smiled coldly, raising an eyebrow. "Really, Su Ming? If you died, I'd finally be free of the annoyance you've caused me all this time."
Su Ming shook his head, laughing again. "I guess I'll just have to stay alive longer, if only to keep annoying you." Then he looked at the door, his expression darkening slightly as he muttered, "Willing to sacrifice his life for his wife and children…"
Quietly, two months passed since that day. Zhang Yong's heart was far from at ease. True, Old Qi hadn't shown up again, and business was progressing smoothly. But the real problem was time itself.
Seven months had already passed since the news of the master's decline. That meant not much time was left. Many herbs had been gathered, and all had been found—except one: the Buddha Heart Grass.
Zhang Yong had previously asked Duan Winly as well as informed the Alchemy Association long ago. He had even inquired with Madam Man Qing, but there had been no news whatsoever.