Chapter 9

After their afternoon nap, the group slowly roused themselves. They were just finishing up and about to head out to find Su Heng, only to discover he had already arrived at the inn. He was waiting for them in a private room, a whole table of dishes already ordered.

Once everyone was gathered, they skipped the formalities. They all sat down and quietly listened to Su Heng speak.

"Regarding your request to find someone, I reported the matter to the County Magistrate. Early this morning, he sent people to search around He Mountain. According to villagers, something seemed to fall from the sky south of He Mountain yesterday afternoon, but it landed deep in the mountains. Our people searched the periphery but haven't found any trace yet."

Xiao Ai asked with a worried look, "Fell from the sky? Wouldn't someone get seriously hurt falling from that height?"

"To be honest, Miss Xiao Ai, we can't say for sure. However, some people reported seeing black smoke rising from that area last night. We suspect it might be your brothers. But He Mountain is different from other places; magic can't be used inside it. The mountain range is vast, so finding them will likely take considerable time. The fortunate thing is, He Mountain has no large beasts and is full of fruit trees. Even if they stay there for ten days or half a month, they should be fine."

After Su Heng's explanation, everyone felt reassured that Xiao Yue and Xiao Long weren't in immediate danger, and they resumed eating and drinking heartily. During the meal, Su Heng mentioned that the local County Magistrate, having heard of the group's heroic deeds, had asked him to extend an offer: to hire them as the Guangyu County gate's Aberration Hunters. Upon learning more about their situation, the Magistrate even specified payment would be daily.

Xu Haoyue had just been discussing with Jing Yuan and the fatty last night about how they didn't know how long they'd be staying and couldn't rely on Su Heng's money forever. Now, a solution had practically fallen into their laps. However, they didn't really understand what being Aberration Hunters entailed and didn't dare agree rashly, so they promised to give an answer tomorrow. According to Su Heng, he was just passing the message; the outcome didn't concern him, and they shouldn't worry about his feelings.

Since Su Heng had made his stance clear, they naturally relaxed even more and thanked him profusely again.

After the meal, Su Heng invited them for a stroll through the streets to see Guangyu County's bustling night market, said to be one of Qingzhou's most famous attractions.

Hearing there was something fun to do, everyone's spirits lifted. After a quick tidy-up, they followed Su Heng out.

However, a large group walking down the street was too conspicuous, so they split into two. Xu Haoyue and Le You kept Xiao Ai between them, with Su Heng accompanying their group. The others trailed a bit behind.

They hadn't even walked a full block before they saw Qi Ziguang approaching with a smile, accompanied by several servants. Despite Xu Haoyue's repeated warnings to Xiao Ai that morning, the moment Qi Ziguang appeared, Xiao Ai's gaze was drawn to him, and they secretly exchanged meaningful looks. The annoying part was that Qi Ziguang didn't overstep any boundaries, giving them no valid reason to shoo him away. Though thoroughly displeased, they couldn't show it openly.

The originally vibrant night market became less enjoyable with Qi Ziguang's presence. Su Heng seemed to dislike him greatly, losing all enthusiasm for giving introductions. Instead, Qi Ziguang eagerly provided commentary along the way, even instructing his servants to buy snacks and little trinkets for them now and then.

His attentive attitude not only made Xiao Ai's heart flutter but also caused the fatty, A Xu, and Little Wu, who were following behind, to lean slightly in his favor.

Le You had initially stood firmly on their side, but after being sweet-talked by Qi Ziguang and thinking he really hadn't done anything bad, her stance began to waver. Plus, busy taking photos, she gradually left Xiao Ai to Qi Ziguang. Xu Haoyue and Jing Yuan glared at Qi Ziguang resentfully the whole way, their minds racing on how to deal with him.

Finally seizing an opportunity when everyone had gone down to the riverboats to see the lanterns, Xu Haoyue and Jing Yuan pulled Su Heng aside to inquire about Qi Ziguang's background.

At the mention of this person, Su Heng sighed repeatedly and said with a bitter smile, "Ah, he and I can be considered fellow disciples. The Qi Shang Sect shares the same origin as our Azure Star Palace, but their sect's conduct is truly..." Su Heng paused with another sigh before continuing, "However, in his youth, Ziguang was a fine young man, excellent in both character and studies. It's only after entering this Qi Shang Sect that he became like his fellow disciples, lingering among flowers and breaking the hearts of many young maidens experiencing their first love. It's truly a pity."

"What a scumbag," Xu Haoyue cursed indignantly.

"That's outrageous, Su Heng. Do you have any dirt on him? We can't let Xiao Ai jump into this fire pit," Jing Yuan said, also detesting such behavior.

Su Heng scratched his head and asked, "Um, what's 'dirt'?"

"Evidence of any bad things he's done. Do you have any proof or something?" Xu Haoyue reminded him.

"Evidence? I only heard he's going to the Joyful Red Pavilion tomorrow. Does that count as evidence?" Su Heng wasn't very sure.

Upon hearing this, Xu Haoyue and Jing Yuan nearly jumped for joy. Struggling to contain their excitement, they leaned in close to Su Heng and whispered, "It counts! Of course it counts! Brother Su Heng, you'll have to do us a favor tomorrow, hahahaha."

Although Su Heng didn't quite grasp their plan, seeing them so delighted made him happy too. Without another word, he agreed to their request.