In the silence,
the mountain spring water on the low table gradually came to a boil, gurgling softly.
Nie Junyue took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"This matter, I need some time to consider."
"Of course."
Qin Yi nodded and said softly, "However, I may soon fall back into a daze due to my brain disease. When I wake again, I hope you, old master, can inform me of your decision. I will integrate it into your Immortal Guest Lodge."
"Agreed."
Nie Junyue nodded in consent, reached sideways to pull a foot-long wooden box from a corner of the carriage, and placed it on the low table.
Qin Yi glanced at it but did not move.
Nie Junyue's tone returned to its gentle softness as he asked:"Not going to open it for a look?"
Qin Yi showed no surprise whatsoever. He knew well the methods of men like the old master, and replied with a smile:
"Family Head Zhou's head is nothing worth looking at. Once he's eliminated, any leads you might have for killing me should all be severed."
Nie Junyue was silent for a moment, then repeated, his voice still soft but carrying an unyielding pressure:
"I said, open it and take a look."
They stared at each other in silence.
This time, Qin Yi did not yield to the other's coercive pressure. Maintaining his faint smile, he looked directly into his eyes, his tone unchanged:
"Old master, I just gave you the first reason not to kill me. Would you like to hear the second now?"
"Speak."
"Once Ruan Su escapes, given her potential, your entire family will probably end up just like that male ape."
"......."
A brief silence fell.
Nie Junyue showed no anger on his face, saying:
"Being able to say something like that means your understanding of the Immortal Guest Lodge is still insufficient."
Qin Yi glanced toward the wooden box containing the head:
"Being able to kill the clan head of a prominent local family without fear of retaliation from the other families, and calculating from the distance between Yellow Bamboo Town and Qi County, it seems you've already permeated most of the towns and counties around Nianci Mountain."
Nie Junyue followed the other's gaze to the documents and wooden box nearby. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment of thought, his brows suddenly knitted together tightly!
He suddenly became certain of one thing:
The brain disease the other had spoken of was real.
Luo Liuyi,
that welcoming gift,
the organizational structure of the Immortal Guest Lodge,
and even this very moment, the topic regarding the Immortal Guest Lodge's sphere of influence.
Throughout this entire negotiation, every single card this child had laid on the table was almost entirely derived from information he had exposed today.
This monster wearing human skin
was negotiating with him entirely using intelligence gathered on the spot!
The carriage fell into silence once more.
As time passed, something in Nie Junyue's eyes gradually dimmed, yet he still asked in a conversational tone:
"Since you know all this, why do you still think I can't even kill Ruan Su?"
Qin Yi replied just as casually:
"You probably could kill her, but you wouldn't give up a win-win situation to take such a dangerous path."
Hearing this, Nie Junyue shook his head with a bitter smile, sighed, and said quietly:
"Indeed, I wouldn't. Compared to strangling a genius in the cradle, investing in a win-win partnership is the path I would choose.
"Boy, you win."
Seeing this, Qin Yi cupped his hands and bowed:
"Qin Yi thanks the old master for his appreciation."
Nie Junyue dropped all pretense of authority, rubbing his brow as he leaned back against the soft couch behind him:
"I thought you would choose to hide your brilliance, or at least not be so sharp-edged."
Hearing this, Qin Yi picked up the boiled kettle and, while pouring tea for both of them, said softly:
"If I didn't show my edge, how could I possibly cooperate with you?"
"Cooperation..."
Nie Junyue savored those two words, then let out a soft sigh. A sense of helplessness born from the barrier of talent made him completely abandon the unrealistic notions his greed had conjured:
"Well... fine, then."
Someone like this, he was destined to be merely a passing acquaintance with him.
If he wanted to keep climbing upward, gaining benefits while forming a favorable connection was better than taking risks to forge enmity and courting destruction.
After a pause, Nie Junyue's tone was no longer gentle, but carried solemnity:
"Last night's matter ends here, how about it?"
"Haven't I already answered that question?"
Qin Yi knelt perfectly straight, his words unhurried: "If I harbored thoughts of revenge, I wouldn't have exposed myself before you."
Nie Junyue smiled in relief:
"Talking with you little brats is more exhausting than dealing with the nobles and royalty in the prefectural capital."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Heh, it truly is a compliment."
Nie Junyue gave a light snort, then said: "However, I have a proposal. You might consider it."
"I'm all ears."
"I can withdraw the marriage proposal to Ruan Su, but I have a daughter close to your age."
"......."
Qin Yi's expression turned somewhat strange:
"You wish to marry your daughter to me?"
Nie Junyue nodded, but his words carried a heavy sense of helplessness:
"I don't consider it a downgrade. Whether as wife or concubine, with her abilities... forget it. If she doesn't end up reduced to a servant girl you discard, that alone would count as her skill."
"........"
Qin Yi fell silent, sensing the change in the other man and the respect within his words. He gave the old master ample face in return, saying softly:
"If your daughter does not mind, I would naturally be willing."
"Hehe."
Nie Junyue stared at Qin Yi's face, teasing with a smile:
"With a face like that, saying such words can hardly be called humility. Someone like you is destined for a grander world. From today onward, I will gradually begin investing in you and your sister. As for returns, I won't harbor such hopes. Consider it compensation for plotting to kill you last night."
"......"
Retreating in order to advance, this approach made Qin Yi take notice.
Incense smoke curled gently by the window lattice.
The elder and the youth exchanged a smile.
The smile faded.
A soft knocking sound came through the carriage door at just the right moment.
They had arrived at the Immortal Guest Lodge headquarters.
Nie Junyue opened the window lattice, his voice soft and steady:
"Understood."
Qin Yi pushed a freshly poured cup of fragrant tea toward the other:
"Old master, may I ask you one final question?"
Nie Junyue picked it up and took a light sip. The fragrance and slight astringency entering his mouth made him faintly surprised by the other's tea craft, but thinking of what kind of monster this person was, he set the thought aside and replied:
"Of course."
Qin Yi took a drink of his own tea as well, then said softly:
"Just now, I noticed your emotional fluctuations were quite significant. May I ask the reason?"
Nie Junyue laughed helplessly:
"Did that scare you?"
Qin Yi shrugged, fabricating a casual lie along the other's line:
"Of course. After all, I don't want to die, and in my impression, you're not that kind of person."
Nie Junyue became somewhat intrigued:
"Oh? What kind of person am I in your eyes?"
Qin Yi answered truthfully:
"Rational. Someone who would stop at nothing to climb upward, someone who could even temporarily cooperate with a personal enemy for the sake of profit."
Nie Junyue was already numb, and said faintly:
"That's quite a high praise..."
"After all, that is the very foundation of my judgment in choosing to appear before you."
"And what if I'm not?"
"......"
Nie Junyue expected the other to fall silent, or at least hesitate. But the boy across from him merely let out a light laugh, his tone as steady and unvarying as ever.
He said,
"Old master,
"the gamble you perceive as reckless is already the optimal solution I've calculated with everything I have."
Nie Junyue's fingertips tightened slightly. He silently set down the teacup, gazing out through the half-translucent window lattice. After a brief silence, he finally spoke softly:
"The answer to your question is actually quite simple.
"Ten years ago, I once met a girl. She was very much like you, even similar in age. And at that time, I did not yet possess the power I have now. Then I had some conflict with her..."
At this point, Nie Junyue did not continue.
Because what followed went without saying.
Silence.
After a few breaths,
Qin Yi suddenly asked:
"Your wife passed away around that time?"
Nie Junyue did not answer.
Seeing this, Qin Yi drained the fragrant tea in his cup in one go, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and shot a brilliant smile at the middle-aged man across from him:
"It seems you now have a third reason not to kill me."
Nie Junyue looked up at him, appearing somewhat weary:
"Go ahead and say it."
Light streamed through the window lattice into the carriage. Qin Yi's pupils shimmered with a bright gleam, the laughter in his words as casual as commenting on the fine weather:
"If we ever cross paths with her in the future, I'll kill her for you, free of charge."