Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 716 – Playing the Pity Card

He flicked his sleeves and there was a flash of light. A tiger beast appeared. Its body was pure white and it was over 20 feet long. It was the dead Dou Zhan’s guardian spirit beast.

But now, because its master had died, its eyes were flooded with cruelty and viciousness. When it appeared, it immediately roared.

Rah –

The terrifying tiger roar was like a blast of thunder, crashing into all sides. The array formations on the wall lit up for a moment before extinguishing and breaking apart. In the next moment, with the reception room as the center point, the rest of the residence was sent flying away by a wild force!

This was Sixth Uncle’s reason for being so confident. This pure white tiger beast was given to Dou Zhan by the City Lord. Its strength was incomparably tyrannical and it could almost compare with a Great Dao level existence.

With it attacking, this small beast trainer would be torn to shreds in the first confrontation.

Sixth Uncle coldly sneered, “Tiger beast, kill him!”

He pointed a finger at Qin Yu.

The tiger beast’s eyes locked onto Qin Yu. Its limbs quaked with strength and it exploded forward like an arrow.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master darkly sighed, a helpless look in his eyes. After so many twists and turns, the dark star ice serpent would still die.

Perhaps this was destiny!

Within the eyes of the other high level figures, there was pity and ridicule. To disregard Hidden Tiger Lagoon right in front of them was simply stupid.

Those lunatics weren’t normal people. They had all sorts of crazy thoughts and personalities. If someone were to anger them, that person would first be met with swords and sabers. They would kill whoever mocked them before discussing the situation later…

Ning Qin had clearly failed whatever gamble he was attempting, and now his life would be taken instead!

Everyone felt as if they could already see the sight of Ning Qin being torn apart on the scene and then being slowly eaten by the tiger beast.

Elder Si’s eyes brightened and he stared closely at what was happening. This was undoubtedly the best chance for him to confirm if Ning Qin was truly a Grand Expert or not. If he was, then this tiger beast wouldn’t be able to harm him. Otherwise, if he wasn’t a Grand Expert, then he couldn’t complain to anyone if he died.

Rong Wei and Si Jia had calm expressions. They had seen an even more astonishing sight before this. The far more powerful dark star ice serpent had been as submissive as a house cat in front of Mister Ning Qin, let alone this tiger beast.

To try and drive a spirit beast to attack Mister Ning Qin? How laughable!

A gust of wind accompanied by a horrid stench caressed Qin Yu’s face. As he saw the massive jaws and the sharp rows of teeth racing at him, he wasn’t shocked at all. He thought that this was a timely stroke of help. He had been worrying about how he could prove his strength as a ‘Grand Expert’ and deter the Hidden Fog Sect, but now someone had immediately handed him the opportunity to do so.

If he didn’t use it well, it would be unfair to others!

Thus, what everyone saw was such a scene. The following paragraph was selected from the autobiography of some Hidden Fog Sect Elder many years later:

The white tiger struck out, but Mister Ning Qin remained still and fearless. He was like a mountain that stood tall upon the ground, unafraid of wind or rain.

The tiger beast roared out savagely and its sharp claws and fangs approached Mister Ning Qin. But then, Mister Ning Qin lifted a hand and pressed down.

In the next moment the tiger beast bowed its head and everyone from Hidden Tiger Lagoon was left horrified, as if their souls had been sucked out.

To summarize it simply: In front of everyone, Qin Yu casually waved his hand, displaying his superior demeanor as he easily suppressed the tiger beast.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence. Only Qin Yu’s calm voice spread to everyone’s ears. Although he didn’t speak loudly, his words struck like thunder.

“This tiger beast is insufficient to kill me.”

At this time, he needed to prop himself as much as he could, to make himself seem as aloof and arrogant as possible, so that his attitude matched his status.

Sixth Uncle’s eyes flew open and he froze in place. He never imagined that such a situation would occur.

As for everyone else, they were all dumbfounded. Their eyes were wide open and their jaws nearly hit the floor.

With just a lift of a hand and no other action, without even any explosion of aura, Hidden Tiger Lagoon’s bloodthirsty and vicious tiger beast had been directly subdued like this?

If they hadn’t seen this with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed it at all!

Beads of sweat appeared on Elder Si’s forehead. He felt as if he had been saved from the precipice of death. He was lucky that Si Jia informed him of this in the critical moment, otherwise it would all be over for him!

To raise a hand and suppress all spirit beasts in the world – this was the Grand Expert boundary. This was the genuine Grand Expert boundary, there was no mistaking it!

In the deathly silence, Yun Die moved forward and fell to her knees. “Teacher, it was this disciple’s mistake. I have caused you to ruin your original intention. I ask you to punish me!”

If it wasn’t for her, her teacher wouldn’t have exposed his status. Although she had no idea why he was hiding his identity, she knew without a doubt that she had ruined his plans.

As a disciple, this was a great sin!

Her words seemed to awaken everyone from their stunned daze. Elder Si was the first to speak, “Mister Ning Qin, rest assured that my Hidden Fog Sect will keep their silence. We will not reveal a single word of this!”

The Hidden Fog Sect Master took a deep breath. He bowed and said, “What Elder Si says is also my personal pledge to Mister Ning Qin!” A bitter light flashed in his eyes for a moment before relaxing. Perhaps this result was already the best he could ask for.

With Mister Ning Qin’s assistance, the Hidden Fog Sect would definitely be the last ones smiling in the Beast King War of the Seven Sects. He might even be able to release the shackles he was bound by.

But all of this was based on the premise that Mister Ning Qin didn’t change his original intention and kept helping the Hidden Fog Sect. As for how to handle tonight’s events – there was no need to discuss that any further.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master solemnly said, “Sixth Brother, I believe that there must be some misunderstanding here. Let’s wait until after the investigation is completed before making a decision.”

No matter how overbearing Hidden Tiger Lagoon was, they would still choose to make concessions in the face of a Grand Expert. Even if Dou Zhan was the City Lord’s most favored son, he wasn’t the only son. To make enemies with a Grand Expert just because of him would be truly stupid.

The common people knew that those madmen from Hidden Tiger Lagoon were violent and cruel and would often kill those that didn’t agree with them. But if they were truly just a band of lunatics, they wouldn’t have survived to the present.

Beneath that veneer of madness, there was also a calm and composed heart capable of weighing losses and gains. The Hidden Fog Sect Master believed that the City Lord would make the right decision.

Grand Expert! He was unexpectedly a Grand Expert!

Sixth Uncle paled. This wasn’t the information he had been given. If the Dark Parliament knew of this before, they wouldn’t have arranged these plans.

But he had already joined the game. Unless he completed his mission, all that awaited him was death. As for returning to Hidden Tiger Lagoon? With the City Lord’s strength and wisdom he could easily discover the truth behind all of this. At that time, his fate would be even more pitiful.

On both paths, all that awaited him was death.

Sixth Uncle’s thoughts raced. He clenched his teeth. Since there was death on the left and right, he needed to bet everything on a gamble. He couldn’t just stare blankly on as death approached.

“Hahaha! What a wonderful Grand Expert powerhouse, a peak existence of the world! Mister Ning Qin, you indeed have the qualifications to decide the situation here with a single word, leaving me at a loss as you protect your disciple. But what will happen to me? This time, young master Dou Zhan came to the Hidden Fog Sect with a total of 170 people. When we return to Hidden Tiger Lagoon, we will welcome the anger of the City Lord and be reduced to ashes even as we suffer in agony!”

Sixth Uncle roared out loud, “Because of your words, we will all die without a grave. Perhaps you might not care about a mere 170 lives, but they all have family members. There are those that have just gotten married, those with elderly parents, those with little children…they are all waiting for their family members to return.”

In the quiet atmosphere, his words reverberated in the ears of those present. Many people revealed looks of pity.

This was because everyone knew that with the Hidden Tiger Lagoon City Lord’s cruel disposition, this would indeed be the final result.

Sixth Uncle lifted his robes and fell to his knees. “Mister Ning Qin, if you have any mercy in your heart, please allow me to try one more time. I possess a secret art from Hidden Tiger Lagoon that can discern whether Miss Yun Die is the killer. Mister Ning Qin can rest assured. This method requires a brief period of time and will cause no harm to Miss Yun Die. If she really isn’t the murderer, then I will commit suicide here and it will have nothing to do with you!

“Of course, if Mister Ning Qin believes we are trash and not worthy of your precious time, then you may reject my plea, and me and the others will commit suicide. It would be a better fate than then returning to Hidden Tiger Lagoon and facing something far worse. Secondly, I hope that the City Lord will reduce the punishment for our family members when he learns that we buried ourselves with the young master.”

The house had been blown apart and everyone was standing in the open. When the distressed people from Hidden Tiger Lagoon who were waiting outside heard of this, their complexions paled.

“Mister Ning Qin, please take pity on us!”

Shualala –

Numerous people fell to their knees.

Even ants struggled to live, much less cultivators. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, they still wanted to try and grasp onto it with all their strength.

Qin Yu’s expression was calm and measured. These people from Hidden Tiger Lagoon had failed in trying to intimidate him with strength, and now they wanted to play the pity card?

Of course, this was indeed the best method to deal with the current situation. But, Qin Yu constantly felt it was a bit strange. This Sixth Uncle person seemed to be staring at Yun Die too much.

Was he really that sure of Yun Die being the murderer? And even if it was determined to be her, they couldn’t take her away. After returning to Hidden Tiger Lagoon, did they think they could avoid punishment? Keep on dreaming!

Thus, this Sixth Uncle’s actions were unnecessary and suspicious. Could someone with such a clever mind, who could decisively change strategies when he thought he was going to lose, not figure this out?

Yun Die respectfully said, “Teacher, I am not the murderer. I am willing to accept the examination.” A good conscience didn’t fear false accusations. Her heart was calm. And with teacher here, no one would dare to plant evidence on her.

With teacher’s status, he might not care about the life and death of these Hidden Tiger Lagoon people. But, if they all committed suicide here, the karma of over 100 lives would twine around his body. It would create a negative influence on teacher’s reputation.

This wasn’t something Yun Die wanted to see.

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. He slowly said, “Since this is your choice, I won’t stop you.”

Sixth Uncle bowed repeatedly. “Thank you Mister Ning Qin, thank you Miss Yun Die!” He suddenly revealed an awkward expression. “It’s just that what I am going to use is a secret art of Hidden Tiger Lagoon and it isn’t good if I reveal it in front of everyone. I will have to trouble the Hidden Fog Sect with preparing a quiet room for me.”

The Hidden Fog Sect Master said, “Of course.”

Sixth Uncle gestured a hand, “Miss Yun Die, please.”

Yun Die nodded and followed behind.

Qin Yu had been observing Sixth Uncle’s actions the entire time. His eyes suddenly burst out with a dazzling light. “Hold on. Yun Die, come over here. Teacher has some words to tell you. Do not fall for the plotting of others.”

As he spoke, Sixth Uncle’s body tensed. He turned and forced out a smile, “Mister, I dare not.”

Yun Die walked over. “What do you have to tell me?”

When she finished speaking, Qin Yu grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

Sixth Uncle’s face stiffened. “Mister Ning Qin, what is the meaning of this?”

Qin Yu lightly said, “I’ve changed my mind.”