Chapter 80: Instantly Becoming Tall, Rich, and Handsome

“To be honest, things didn’t go all that smoothly—but for now, everything is fine,” Qin Xuan replied, his tone grave.

“Oh? What happened?” Zhao Long was surprised to hear the seriousness in his voice. Could something have gone wrong on the very first day?

Qin Xuan briefly recounted the earlier events. Zhao Long considered this, then snorted coldly. “As for the Black Wolf Gang, I’ll personally see that they’re warned. They really are getting too bold for their own good.”

“Exactly. If it hadn’t been for those Black Wolf Gang members, things wouldn’t have gotten so dangerous just now,” Qin Xuan agreed.

For a ghost cultivator to possess a human, the host’s body had to be strong enough; otherwise, the possession would fail and the spirit would be scattered. If it had been an ordinary passerby, the ghost cultivator would never have dared to make a move. But Brother Leopard’s physical prowess—being a man from the underworld—had caught the ghost’s eye immediately.

“The Black Wolf Gang is not much to fear, but there’s something more troublesome at hand,” Zhao Long analyzed. “For the Li family, the Black Wolf Gang is just a pawn. Even if I suppress them, Li Shihao could send other forces after you. The trouble just won’t end. Unless…”

“Unless we take out Li Shihao,” a flash of menace glinted in Qin Xuan’s eyes.

After being provoked again and again, even a saint would lose patience—let alone Qin Xuan, who already nursed murderous intent toward Li Shihao.

“Junior brother, I’ve already set people to investigate. As soon as we find any evidence that he hired thugs to assault that woman, he won’t get away with it—not even the Li family could shield him,” Zhao Long chuckled. “Who knows, maybe this will be our chance to topple the Li family altogether…”

“Good. Senior brother, I’ll leave the gathering of evidence to you for now. I’ll focus on winning over Su Muqing and try to get the Su family on our side as well,” Qin Xuan said.

By “winning over Su Muqing,” he meant finding Master Jingguang and revealing Li Shihao’s true nature to her.

Unfortunately, Zhao Long misunderstood at once. “Haha! I’m all for it, junior brother. If you manage to win that Su girl over, you’ll have both love and career in your grasp!”

“…,” Qin Xuan was speechless.

“Haha, enough about that. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. We don’t actually need their help—so long as the two families don’t join forces against us, that’ll be enough,” Zhao Long laughed.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I believe we’ll have an answer soon,” Qin Xuan said, recalling his day at Jingguang Temple with some amusement.

As a swordsman, Qin Xuan had sensed something the moment he stepped into Jingguang Temple—a wave of immense Buddhist energy washed over him. Somewhere within the temple, a sacred aura was concealed; clearly, a master of great cultivation resided there.

Judging by the aura, it could only be Master Jingguang. Though he didn’t know why the master avoided meeting him, such reclusiveness wasn’t unusual among the truly accomplished. Qin Xuan didn’t dwell on it, intending instead to move him with sincerity.

If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, the day after. Of course, he wouldn’t wait indefinitely—otherwise, wouldn’t that let Li Shihao go free? He decided that if he failed to meet Master Jingguang within three days, he’d abandon this plan.

“By the way, junior brother, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” Zhao Long continued.

“Oh? Please, senior brother, go on.”

“About those two bottles of wine from master—I’ve found a buyer. Guess how much they went for?” Zhao Long lowered his voice mysteriously.

“Oh? At most, fifteen or twenty thousand per bottle, I’d think,” Qin Xuan guessed. That seemed like a fortune for just two bottles of wine. There were plenty more in the villa’s cellar, after all; when things are plentiful, their value diminishes.

“Haha, you’re way off. Junior brother, your guess is ten times lower than what I got. I set the price at one hundred and twenty thousand per bottle, and I only sold one,” Zhao Long laughed heartily.

“What? One hundred and twenty thousand?” Qin Xuan was stunned.

“That’s right. Want me to introduce you to the buyer? He’s an industrialist from Hucheng, and he’s eager to meet you, knowing the wine is yours.”

“Uh, no need for that. As long as it’s sold, that’s enough. With that hundred and twenty thousand, I won’t need to sell any more wine,” Qin Xuan declined.

“Alright, I’ll let him know. By the way, do you know why the wine fetched such a high price?”

“Don’t keep me guessing, senior brother. Out with it,” Qin Xuan smiled, curious himself. Last time he’d drunk half a bottle, he’d slept until dawn—something that had never happened before.

“I had it appraised by a professional. It’s been aged at least thirty-five years, and the key is that it contains some rare, secret ingredients that make its aroma and potency far surpass ordinary spirits. There’s nothing like it on the market… To be honest, if I didn’t know the buyer so well, I wouldn’t have sold it for just one hundred and twenty thousand.”

“Thirty-five years?” Qin Xuan was surprised. He’d never imagined his master had such fine wine. And those bottles had just been randomly taken from the outer part of the cellar; if he searched deeper, perhaps the vintages would be even older.

One thing was certain: his master hadn’t brewed this wine himself.

It was very likely a legacy from his master’s own teacher…

“I’ve already transferred the remaining money to your account—a total of two million,” Zhao Long said.

“Two million? Why so much?” Qin Xuan was astonished. Counting the original five hundred thousand, that made two and a half million. Even selling both bottles wouldn’t amount to that, and one of the bottles had been a gift for Zhao Long and shouldn’t be included.

“The true value of this wine is well over two million, so don’t be modest. If I took it to honor my grandfather, the benefits would far exceed that sum…”

“All right,” Qin Xuan agreed helplessly, then suddenly wondered: Did he now qualify as a rich, eligible bachelor? Ahem…

“By the way, did you introduce a few retired soldiers to work as security today?” Zhao Long asked.

“Yes, one of them is named Ke Shanhai,” Qin Xuan replied with a smile. “They’re quite capable, perfect for Tenglong International.”

“Haha, indeed. Zhang Tianyu even asked me to thank you; if you ever visit Tenglong again, just give him a call.”

“I will,” Qin Xuan promised, ending the call.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairs, followed by Dongfang Qingwan’s anxious voice: “Qin Xuan, come up quickly—something’s wrong with Shuixian!”

“What happened to Shuixian?” Qin Xuan’s heart tightened, and he rushed to the stairs, where Dongfang Qingwan stood, clearly at a loss.

“I don’t know—her forehead is burning, and she keeps muttering.”

“Muttering?” Qin Xuan was puzzled.

“Like she’s talking in her sleep—strange things. Come quickly and take a look,” Dongfang Qingwan urged, pulling him upstairs with her.