Chapter 112 - 109: Boiling Bishui City, Qin Hu’s Prowess

Chapter 112: Chapter 109: Boiling Bishui City, Qin Hu’s Prowess

In Bishui City, ships came and went along the broad river. The city remained as prosperous as ever, yet the atmosphere within its walls felt somewhat eerie.

Ever since the Qin Family’s convoy entered Bishui City, they had become the center of everyone’s attention. From the very beginning, they sold several large carts of mountain Treasure Medicines. The thirty Rapid Insects and the Black Thorn Eagles that occasionally descended from the sky drew all eyes. Even the Demon Suppression Bureau was tempted and wanted to purchase a batch at a high price. Later, the Qin Family even sold Hundred Fruit Brew worth millions of taels, a commodity ranked among the Beta-level Treasures at the auction! Countless factions were moved by greed. Whether they were mountain bandits, horse thieves, or secretly cultivated operatives from Minor Sects and families, they all made their way to Cyan Peak County through various channels, intending to seize this unimaginable wealth directly.

However, a horrifying event occurred.

On the third day after news of the Hundred Fruit Brew spread, while the deployed forces were all still halfway to their destination, the entrance to the Demon Suppression Bureau’s Government Office in the north of the city was exceptionally noisy.

"Make way! Everyone, make way! Uncle Qin, what... what is the meaning of this?"

Lin Jianqing furrowed his thick brows as he looked at the handcart half-covered by sackcloth behind Qin Hu, smelling the faint stench of blood drifting through the air. Today was the day he and Qin Hu had agreed to discuss the Black Thorn Eagle transaction. With his experience, he could easily tell that the metallic tang emanating from the cart belonged to human blood! Moreover, it was definitely not just from one or two people! Bringing corpses to the Demon Suppression Bureau was not a good omen.

Qin Hu laughed heartily, his voice booming like a bell. "Nephew Lin, I received intelligence that some fierce mountain bandits and river pirates wanted to make a move on Cyan Peak County over the past two days. So, I took care of them all. I figured I might as well exchange them for a little reward while I’m at it."

Saying this, he waved his large hand, and the guards behind him violently yanked off the sackcloth.

GASP!

In an instant, the spectating crowd and the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau all drew a sharp breath of cold air! On the handcart, roughly treated, gruesome severed heads were piled up in layers—there were fully dozens of them! A thick stench of blood instantly permeated the area, causing some of the more timid onlookers to dry heave on the spot.

"That... that’s One-Eyed Tiger from Black Water Stream! An old bandit in the Qi and Blood Like Dragon Realm with a reward of eighteen thousand taels!"

"And River-Flipping Rat, Jiang San! The river pirate boss!"

"Look, that one is ’Iron Hand’, Butcher Ning..."

There was no shortage of knowledgeable people in the crowd. They quickly recognized several "celebrities" who had been on the wanted list for years. For a time, discussions and exclamations rose and fell in waves.

Lin Jianqing’s expression grew solemn. He stepped forward quickly to inspect them carefully. The more he looked, the more horrified he became. These bandit leaders were all cunning and ruthless individuals who excelled at hiding. The Demon Suppression Bureau had failed to encircle and annihilate them multiple times, yet now, they were casually piled up here.

The business of the Demon Suppression Bureau was quite broad. Whether it was Demon Fiend attacks or Demon Dao Martial Artists like mountain bandits, they all fell within their jurisdiction to apprehend. However, the Bureau only had so much manpower, while their management area was massive. It was impossible to arrest every mountain bandit and Evil Demon. Those Old Demons who had occupied the mountains, forests, and waterways all year round were incredibly shrewd. Thus, the Demon Suppression Bureau would issue external bounties; whether capturing them alive or bringing in their heads, one could earn a handsome reward.

The Qin Family was truly extraordinary!

Lin Jianqing took a deep breath, his gaze toward Qin Hu completely changing. "Uncle Qin, what impressive methods!" he said in a deep voice. "Were all these people killed by the Qin Family...?"

Qin Hu patted an Elite Rapid Insect beside him, which was baring its fangs and exuding a fierce Evil Qi. "Although my Cyan Peak County Qin Family is weak, we must have some means to protect ourselves. Since these friends wanted to touch my Qin Family and pillage Cyan Peak County, Qin could only politely send them on their way first."

His gaze swept over the surrounding crowd, specifically targeting those who were clearly informants for various factions, and he let out a few cold sneers. "Although my Qin Family’s strength is average, if anyone thinks we are easy prey and wants to reach out their hands... they might want to weigh whether their own heads are hard enough first!"

Qin Hu’s voice was calm, but combined with the cart full of bloody heads, it formed an invisible, suffocating pressure. Many prying eyes in the shadows instantly retracted. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Lin Jianqing gave Qin Hu a deep look, completely understanding his intentions.

He wasn’t here to claim a reward; he was here to establish dominance!

Previously, he had warned Qin Hu that the Hundred Fruit Brew might attract the covetous eyes of some hidden factions, but he hadn’t expected the Qin Family to act so quickly! In just two short days, they had directly slaughtered everyone with Thunderbolt-like methods!

The Cyan Peak County Qin Family? Average strength? Who were they trying to fool!

When chatting with the Elders in his own family, as well as Captain Zhao Zhenshan and others, they had already formed a theory about the Cyan Peak County Qin Family. This family was a branch of the ’Celestial Wind’ Qin Family from the County City. Originally, they thought it was just an ordinary offshoot. Now, it seemed highly likely that they were a hidden trump card! How else could they suddenly erupt with such astonishing power?

Thinking of the intelligence regarding the ’Celestial Wind’ Qin Family in the County City, Lin Jianqing felt a swirl of mixed emotions. A fallen giant was indeed still a giant! Even though they were in decline, the power revealed by just any random hidden branch was enough to shake the entirety of Bishui City.

He waved for his subordinates to inventory and record the heads, then said to Qin Hu, "Uncle, please come inside to discuss the details. Regarding the purchase of the Black Thorn Eagles, the Deputy General has already given his approval."

"Gladly!" Qin Hu cupped his hands in a salute and immediately ordered a few men behind him to handle the handover with the Demon Suppression Bureau members. These severed heads were meant for intimidation, after all.

Originally, Qin Hu hadn’t wanted to be so high-profile. After all, the Qin Family’s strength wasn’t as formidable as the outside world imagined. However, over the past two days, while purchasing Secret Techniques at the Treasure Pavilion, he had been continuously communicating with Qin Yu.

Qin Yu had disclosed some details about the Insect Swarm in the Wilderness Mountain Range to him.

An army of tens of thousands in the Insect Swarm!

Over a thousand in the Qi and Blood Realm!

They had even slain a Great Demon in the Qi Sea Realm!

Each of these revelations left him incomparably shocked. Though he couldn’t fully comprehend it, his inner confidence grew stronger and stronger!

Strength was the greatest source of confidence.

After learning of Qin Yu’s power, when Qin Hu looked at everything in Bishui City and those factions scheming in the dark, they seemed somewhat laughable. Qin Hu was not an ignorant rustic. He had been born in the County City and later followed his father, Qin Hong, to Cyan Peak County to establish the branch. He had also returned to the County City many times to attend the family assembly held every five years. In terms of worldly experience, how many in this Bishui City could compare to him?

It was just that in the past, his strength had been insufficient, so he naturally acted with great caution. But now that he had broken through and Qin Yu’s hidden power had reached a terrifying level, what else was there to say?

If a family wanted to develop, it was impossible to hide in the shadows forever. They had to show their edge! Only then would it be possible to earn more resources; otherwise, they would just be treated as fat sheep and targeted in secret.

Strike hard once to prevent a hundred future attacks!

Although the Insect Swarm was secretly watching over them, and Qin Hu had nothing to worry about, who liked dealing with problems every few days? It was better to solve it all at once!

As the two were speaking, a middle-aged man with a burly physique like an iron tower, broad shoulders, a thick back, and bulging arm muscles walked out from within the Demon Suppression Bureau. It was none other than Zhao Zhenshan!

A business deal of thirty Black Thorn Eagles wasn’t enough to warrant the Deputy General of the Demon Suppression Bureau handling it personally. Having Zhao Zhenshan step forward already showed sufficient importance. After all, there were only so many veteran experts in the Qi and Blood Like Dragon Realm in Bishui City. He had originally been waiting inside for Qin Hu to arrive to finalize the transaction, but upon seeing the cart full of severed heads outside, Zhao Zhenshan could no longer sit still and came out immediately.

His gaze swept over the numerous heads. When he saw the shriveled head of One-Eyed Tiger, his pupils couldn’t help but shrink. He had crossed blows with this One-Eyed Tiger before, but the latter had managed to escape. With Zhao Zhenshan’s strength, he could suppress the bandit, but killing him was almost impossible. This Old Demon had occupied the waterways for years and was an excellent swimmer; unless a Qi Sea Realm expert took action, it was very difficult to slay him. Yet, looking at the terrified expression on the severed head, he knew that the bandit must have seen something extremely horrifying before dying.

Connecting this to the past two days since Qin Hu’s group arrived, a boat coming from Zhoushan Town had been attacked by bandits but was ultimately saved by a Flood Dragon. Countless thoughts surfaced in his mind.

A Flood Dragon saving people?

The relationship between the Flood Dragons in the Bishui River and humans wasn’t exactly good. One of the Demon Suppression Bureau’s biggest missions in Bishui City was to guard against the aquatic Flood Dragons!

The Qin Family excelled at Beast Taming. They had Rapid Insects on the ground and Black Thorn Eagles in the sky. So, wouldn’t they have something in the water?

If even an Old Demon with Qi and Blood like a Dragon could be slain so easily, the Qin Family’s strength was vastly greater than they had imagined. This also made them feel fortunate. It was a good thing they hadn’t directly tried to rob Qin Yu when they first met; otherwise, who knows what terrifying old monsters that seemingly heavily injured youth could have summoned.

"Uncle, please!" Lin Jianqing didn’t delay any further, immediately gesturing for Qin Hu to enter the inner hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The three of them went inside and took their seats as host and guests.

Zhao Zhenshan spoke directly. "Patriarch Qin, this ’great gift’ you’ve delivered carries quite a bit of weight.

"The thirty Black Thorn Eagles are also exactly what the Demon Suppression Bureau needs.

"According to our previous agreement, they will be priced at three hundred thousand taels. How does that sound?"

Qin Hu shook his head and smiled. "General Zhao, let’s not speak in riddles.

"My Qin Family is currently not lacking in gold and silver. I think you should be well aware of this.

"What we lack are Elixirs, excellent Weapons and Armor, and Secret Cultivation Technique Manuals that can elevate our clansmen’s strength. The Demon Suppression Bureau’s treasury shouldn’t be short of these things, right?"

Zhao Zhenshan’s eyes flashed, and he chuckled. "Patriarch Qin is a straightforward man. Very well, bartering goods so we both get what we need works too. These are some of the items our Demon Suppression Bureau can provide. Patriarch Qin, take a look."

Saying this, Zhao Zhenshan produced a manifest of items. Clearly, he had come prepared.

Qin Hu took it and looked. Impressively, it listed Qi and Blood Pills, Nourishing Heart Pills, and a number of Delta-level and Gamma-level Weapons, Secret Techniques, and more. Compared to what was available in the Treasure Pavilion, there was only more, not less.

"Excellent!" Qin Hu picked up his teacup. "Additionally, please convert this batch of ’rewards’ into materials of equal value, Captain Zhao.

"Also, my son, Qin Yu, made a trade with your bureau’s Li Wanqing. There is still a Gamma-level Bow and Arrow, as well as the corresponding Merit Points that haven’t been paid out yet. I wonder how this batch of resources will be handled?"