Chapter 260: Who is Qin Tuo?
After the two left, Qin Tuo let out a deep sigh.
"What a shame. A perfectly good Daoist temple, now deserted the moment its people are gone."
Qin Tuo was about to leave as well, but he suddenly thought of something.
Now that Taixu Temple was empty, the Ice Soul Snow Lotus in the back was left unguarded.
Realizing this, Qin Tuo furrowed his brow deeply.
’If someone takes the Ice Soul Snow Lotus during this time, won’t I have suffered a huge loss?’
But after a moment’s thought, he shook his head and chuckled.
’I’m really overthinking this. How many people in this world would even know about such a treasure? Besides, I doubt many could even identify it as an Ice Soul Snow Lotus!’
Having figured this out, Qin Tuo was no longer worried.
He went to the backyard and inspected it carefully, his gaze then falling upon Taixu Temple’s ancestral Water Scoop.
He knew that only this scoop could touch the Water of the Ice Spring.
Qin Tuo then collected some water and put it into his gourd.
Afterward, he checked around the entire mountain one more time to ensure nothing was amiss before heading straight down.
After descending Ice Spring Mountain, Qin Tuo went directly back to Jin City.
...
In the hallway of the Jin City Hotel, Chen Man Ni and the others knocked on Qin Tuo’s door.
However, after knocking for a long time, there was no response.
Just then, Long Wu appeared before them.
"Miss Chen, you can stop knocking. Mr. Qin has already left."
Long Wu said slowly.
Chen Man Ni’s expression immediately changed slightly.
"Oh? Where did Qin Tuo go?"
Long Wu replied with a smile:
"He left in a great hurry and didn’t have time to say where he was going. He only told me to protect you well."
Hearing this, Chen Man Ni immediately pouted, looking a little unhappy.
But Lin Yuyan, who was with them, rolled her eyes and said jokingly:
"Oh dear, don’t tell me Qin Tuo took this chance to go find some secret lover?"
Her sister, Lin Yushu, who was also there, quickly scolded her.
"Little sister, stop talking nonsense. Someone like Qin Tuo wouldn’t do something like that!"
Hearing her say this, the others all looked at her with some surprise.
They all remembered that not long ago, Lin Yushu’s tone toward Qin Tuo had been quite impatient. They never expected her attitude to change so quickly.
But they all understood. After all, their own attitudes toward Qin Tuo had also changed dramatically.
Chen Man Ni muttered to herself:
"That Qin Tuo, he always likes to disappear without a word. It’s so infuriating!"
Lin Yushu quickly tried to comfort her from the side:
"Manni, don’t worry. Qin Tuo is very reliable. He must have something important to handle. I’m sure he’ll explain it to you himself later."
Hearing Lin Yushu’s earnest tone, Lin Yuyan couldn’t help but laugh.
"Sis, you understand Qin Tuo so well, it’s almost like you’re his girlfriend!"
At these words, Lin Yushu shot Lin Yuyan an annoyed glare.
But no one noticed that after Lin Yushu turned her head away, her face couldn’t help but turn a little red.
The group waited for a while longer, but Qin Tuo still didn’t return.
Zhou Qihua then suggested:
"How about this, why don’t we go eat first? Maybe Brother Qin will be back on his own in a little while?"
Chen Man Ni nodded and said:
"Mm, that’s a good idea. We can’t let that guy make us starve."
Afterward, the group left the hotel and headed for a restaurant.
Long Wu frowned slightly but immediately followed them.
Although he didn’t know why Qin Tuo had suddenly left, he remembered his mission: to protect Chen Man Ni.
The group was talking and laughing as they crossed a street. The restaurant was right across from them.
But as they reached a corner, a group of tall, burly men with emotionless faces suddenly blocked their path.
"Hm? What are you doing? Why are you blocking our way?"
Lin Yuyan glanced at the men, annoyed.
But this group of men all wore cold smirks, clearly up to no good!
Instantly, Lin Yuyan’s expression changed. The hearts of the others beside her skipped a beat; they knew they had run into trouble.
In the middle of this group of men stood a young man with narrow, triangular eyes, a hooked nose, and a sinister aura.
Zhou Qihua forced himself to be brave and said coldly:
"Who are you? I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny. This is Jin City, and I’m the Young Hall Master of Jin City’s Jishi Hall. If you mess with me, you’ll regret it!"
As Zhou Qihua spoke, he carefully watched the expressions of the burly men before him.
He had expected them to show some fear, but he was ultimately disappointed.
The young man leading them was none other than Liao Baicheng, who had come to Jin City to avenge Jiang Liang.
Liao Baicheng, expressionless, asked coldly:
"Which one of you is Qin Tuo?"
As soon as he spoke, everyone’s expression changed drastically. Only then did they realize these men were here for Qin Tuo!
Seeing them remain silent, Liao Baicheng lost his patience.
"Heh, not talking, huh? Even if you don’t, I know. It’s you, kid, right?"
His eyes were fixed on Zhou Qihua.
Because Liao Baicheng felt that Long Wu’s appearance clearly didn’t fit.
And besides Long Wu, only Zhou Qihua’s age and appearance matched the description.
Furthermore, Zhou Qihua had been the one to speak up, and this act of stepping forward matched the image he had of Qin Tuo.
Zhou Qihua was momentarily stunned, his mouth hanging open.
Seeing his reaction, Liao Baicheng thought he had guessed correctly!
He gave a grim smile and lunged, reaching for Zhou Qihua’s shoulder.
Zhou Qihua’s face turned pale, and he instinctively recoiled.
But Liao Baicheng was too fast. As an ordinary person, Zhou Qihua had no way of dodging!
Just as Zhou Qihua was about to scream in terror, Long Wu strode forward and swiftly blocked the attack with his palm.
The next moment, Long Wu’s palm slammed into Liao Baicheng’s.
Surprise flashed in Liao Baicheng’s eyes, but his other hand came smashing forward.
Long Wu frowned, instinctively trying to block it.
But a powerful force erupted from Liao Baicheng’s fist, catching Long Wu completely off guard!
’Such brutal strength...’
Long Wu was shocked.
Then, Liao Baicheng’s fist slammed heavily into Long Wu’s chest.
CRACK!
Long Wu heard the sound of a bone breaking. With a pained smile, he staggered back a few steps.
Seeing this, Chen Man Ni and the others were too terrified to speak.
After severely injuring Long Wu in one move, Liao Baicheng carefully scanned the group before him.
Only then did he notice that Zhou Qihua was already trembling all over...