Chapter 14 Shangguan Mingyuan

I’m so sorry, but because the child still has a fever today, the progress is still very slow.

Shangguan Mingyuan strode down the stairs, and while still on the stairs, he called out, “Achang, Achang, prepare the car immediately.”

Achang was a sprightly old man dressed in a gray Tang suit. Upon hearing Shangguan Mingyuan’s call, he rushed out of the pen shop in shock. His agile steps were even faster than those of a sprinter, making it hard to believe that Achang was an old man.

Not only was Achang shocked, but everyone in the shop was also surprised to see Shangguan Mingyuan in such a hurry. Many of them were long-time employees who had worked there for half their lives, and they could never remember ever seeing Shangguan Mingyuan so flustered and anxious. In their minds, their boss had always been gentle and refined, with an air of otherworldly elegance, seemingly unaffected by worldly affairs. They never expected him to lose his composure today because of that young man.

“Just who is this young man, sir?” Ah Chang asked cautiously as he drove steadily.

Ah Chang was an old man who had followed Shangguan Mingyuan since childhood. He had always been dutiful and rarely spoke. No one knew Shangguan Mingyuan’s true identity and power better than him. He really couldn’t think of anyone in the entire Hanglin City who could make him lose his composure like this, especially someone so young. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Mingyuan seemed lost in distant memories, pondering for a long time before slowly saying, “When I was a child, I saw my grandfather clashing with a young man. At that time, my grandfather’s cultivation was far superior to mine now, and I thought the young man was bound to lose. Unexpectedly, the young man simply took out a talisman and stuck it on a stone the size of a football, and my grandfather, using all his strength, couldn’t lift it. Only then did my grandfather realize that he had encountered a legendary extraordinary person and wanted to become his disciple, but the man just laughed loudly and left. Later, my grandfather regretted this incident for the rest of his life, saying that he had missed a chance for immortality.”

“Could it be that there really are people in this world who know the magic of immortals?” Achang asked in surprise.

Shangguan Mingyuan nodded solemnly and said, “Our Shangguan family has been known for some time in Hanglin City and even the martial arts world of the south for three hundred years. We can barely be considered a martial arts family. But compared to those legendary ancient families and sects, we are still nothing. It is said that the powerful members of those ancient families and sects can truly fight against a hundred people, and they are extremely powerful. There are even rumors that those ancient families and sects have immortal magic. Although I don’t know the background of this young man, since he bought talisman books and materials and was able to point out that I had gone astray in my cultivation and was in danger, even if he is not a strange person who understands immortal magic, he is very likely a direct descendant of an ancient family or sect who has entered the world to cultivate.”

“So, this person can help you, sir, overcome this crisis?” A-Chang said, his voice trembling slightly.

“He has already agreed to lend me a hand!” Shangguan Mingyuan replied, his gaze fixed intently on Achang’s back. Although they were master and servant, he had always regarded this loyal servant as a brother.

The car drove west and soon arrived at a private mountain villa built against the mountain in Xiaoshan, on the western outskirts of the city.

The entrance to the resort was guarded by gatekeepers. The gatekeepers stood ramrod straight, with cold expressions and sharp eyes, just like soldiers trained in the military.

The resort is very large, with not only small bridges and flowing water, lawns and green trees, but also an artificial lake of seventy or eighty acres. In Hangzhou, where land is extremely valuable, this is definitely a grand project. Some elegant buildings are built by the lake and backed by the mountain, making it a rare and beautiful place where the lake and mountains blend together.

The car sped into the villa, when a red Porsche drove up in the opposite direction. Inside sat a very fashionable and sexy young woman. The woman waved at the car, but the car ignored her and sped past. The woman pouted in anger and angrily stepped on the gas and sped out of the villa.

Without any delay, Shangguan Mingyuan took the brush and rushed to the brush shop. He hurried upstairs, but when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he carefully slowed his steps, as if afraid of disturbing Yu Ziqing.

His grandfather had already missed a chance at immortality, and he didn’t want to miss another, especially since his life was still in Yu Ziqing’s hands.

“This is a wolf hair brush made from Arctic wolf fur. I wonder if it meets your standards, Mr. Yu?” Shangguan Mingyuan placed the wolf hair brush in front of Yu Ziqing and asked nervously, afraid that Yu Ziqing would show a disappointed expression again.

Yu Ziqing’s eyes lit up slightly as he picked up Shangguan Mingyuan’s private collection and examined it closely.

The snow-white pen tip is made from the fur of a king-level Arctic wolf, and even the pen handle is made of pure, delicate, and lustrous white jade. Even if Yu Ziqing emptied his pockets, the pen handle alone would not be enough.

Although this wolf-hair brush is vastly inferior to the talisman brushes Yu Ziqing used before, it has already greatly exceeded Yu Ziqing’s expectations and is the best talisman brush he could find.

Yu Ziqing nodded and said, “This one is fine.”

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Mingyuan felt relieved and had someone bring him the shop’s best inkstone, cinnabar, and yellow paper. Yu Ziqing tried to pay, but Shangguan Mingyuan refused, so Yu Ziqing didn’t insist.

“At midnight three days from now, you will wait for me here. During these three days, you should not cultivate anymore,” Yu Ziqing said to Shangguan Mingyuan after putting away the brush and the other four items.

“I don’t know where you live, sir. I’ll drive you there,” Shangguan Mingyuan said respectfully as they came downstairs.

The boss personally drove the guests to and from the hotel, and even used a respectful term for one of the young men.

The shop assistants were even more shocked to hear this than when they saw Shangguan Mingyuan leave in a hurry. They had no idea who Yu Ziqing was, that the boss would treat him with such politeness and respect.

“No need.” Yu Ziqing declined Shangguan Mingyuan’s offer and drifted away.

Yu Ziqing just wanted to live a peaceful life like an ordinary person, while Shangguan Mingyuan, from a certain perspective, was already a person with certain superpowers. If it weren’t for the materials for writing talismans, Yu Ziqing would never have wanted to get involved in Shangguan Mingyuan’s affairs.

Having found what she wanted, Yu Ziqing had no desire to leisurely stroll back and took a taxi directly back to Datang New Village.

Even before reaching the top of the stairs, Yu Ziqing could smell an enticing aroma wafting from under his door. He was slightly moved, thinking to himself that Qian Mengqi was not only beautiful but also seemed to have some culinary skills.

When Yu Ziqing opened the door and went in, she found a fat man happily cooking in the kitchen, while Qian Mengqi was sitting in the living room, eating sunflower seeds and watching a Korean drama with her beautiful legs crossed.

“Better late than early. I was just about to finish my mission when you arrived,” Shen Shitong said without turning his head as he heard the door open.

“Why are you still here?” Yu Ziqing asked, his face darkening.

“Nurse Qian warmly invited me to stay a few more days, and I couldn’t refuse her kind invitation, so I planned to stay longer…” Shen Shitong turned his head, but stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence because he noticed that Yu Ziqing’s expression was rather unpleasant.

“Why are you so serious? At most, I’ll be back in Anlin first thing tomorrow morning,” Shen Shitong said somewhat guiltily.

“Didn’t you say you were staying a few more days? Why are you leaving tomorrow?” Qian Mengqi jumped out of the living room and said. Shen Shitong was her cash cow, and now he was her private chef, so of course she couldn’t bear to let him go.

“Oh, right, it must have been you who wanted to kick him out!” Qian Mengqi’s eyes darted around, and she turned her anger towards Yu Ziqing, saying indignantly, “What kind of brother are you!”

Yu Ziqing glanced at Qian Mengqi and said, “Don’t interfere in our affairs.”

Qian Mengqi was about to jump up and confront him when she heard this, but then she heard Shen Shitong’s weak voice.

“Ziqing, don’t be angry. It’s my fault. I’ll leave after lunch, okay? Or, I’ll leave right now!”

“Why are you afraid of him? If he doesn’t want you here, you still have me! I also have a share in this house, so you can live here for free!” Qian Mengqi got even angrier when she heard this and refused to pay the rent.

Fatty Shen, however, looked unusually serious and said, “Xiaoqian, don’t interfere in our brotherly affairs. I’ll do whatever Ziqing says.”

Qian Mengqi froze on the spot. She really didn’t expect that the person who had been so eager to please her just a moment ago, a typical example of someone who would forget friends for the sake of a pretty face, could suddenly ignore her existence and only have eyes for Yu Ziqing.

“Fine, I’ll take you home after you finish eating!” Since Shen Shitong had said that, what could Yu Ziqing do? He could only suppress his anger and say irritably.