Return of the Celestial King

Everyone vaguely sensed that once Qin Tuo left for the Provincial City, he would likely never return.

So this might be their last time seeing Qin Tuo.

Qin Tuo, however, seemed unconcerned. His expression was calm, betraying no sense of the impending danger.

Ouyang Feifei eventually fell behind and whispered a quick sentence.

"I might be a very heavy sleeper tonight..."

As she said this, a trace of anxiety flickered across her face, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

Chen Man Ni froze when she heard this, her expression quickly morphing into one of sheer delight.

Ouyang Feifei’s meaning was obvious: Qin Tuo could use the opportunity to escape while she was "sleeping soundly" that night.

"Qin Tuo, that’s wonderful! Did you hear her? You have to escape tonight! Once you leave Ming City, no one will be able to find you."

Chen Man Ni said excitedly.

But Qin Tuo just smiled faintly and shook his head.

"There’s no need, Manni. I’m not going to run. I said I’d go to the Provincial City with them, and I will."

With that, he gave Chen Man Ni a kiss on the cheek to reassure her.

Chen Man Ni’s face immediately flushed red, but she was still sick with worry.

Nearby, Ouyang Feifei grumbled irritably.

"Hmph. Do you mind? I’m right here."

With that, she turned and stormed off in a huff.

Chen Man Ni pleaded with him for a long time, but Qin Tuo refused to change his mind.

In the end, Chen Man Ni could only shake her head helplessly. ’I’ll have to go back and use my family’s influence,’ she thought, ’see if there’s any way to save Qin Tuo.’

But she knew the chances were slim. After all, the Liao Family was an ancient, powerful clan, far more formidable than even the Jiang Family.

Before the Liao Family, even her father—the richest man in Ming City—was insignificant.

Early the next morning, Qin Tuo and Ouyang Feifei prepared to depart for the Provincial City.

When Ouyang Feifei saw Qin Tuo, a faint glimmer of surprise appeared in her eyes.

She had expected him to seize the opportunity to escape, but to her surprise, the night had passed, and Qin Tuo had stayed put, behaving himself perfectly.

Huo Jianqiang had secretly left Ming City with his men the previous night, their purpose to act as a diversion and draw the Liao Family’s attention.

Meanwhile, Qin Tuo and Ouyang Feifei would disguise themselves before heading to the Provincial City, hoping to avoid a sudden attack or assassination attempt by the Liao Family en route.

Huo Jianqiang was, after all, the Chief Investigator of the Security Pavilion; he wanted this matter handled through official channels.

But Huo Jianqiang was no fool. He knew full well the Liao Family might play by the rules in public while resorting to dirty tricks in secret, so he had to take precautions.

After saying his goodbyes to Chen Man Ni and the others, Qin Tuo embarked on the journey to the Provincial City with Ouyang Feifei.

Chen Man Ni was a weeping mess, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

All she could do was pray silently, hoping that Qin Tuo would remain safe and sound.

Along the way, the two were extremely cautious, doing their best to avoid revealing their identities.

However, the moment they arrived in the Provincial City, Qin Tuo received a call from Long Wu.

"Celestial King, why didn’t you tell me something like this was happening?"

Long Wu sounded extremely anxious.

Apparently, he had only just found out that Qin Tuo was being taken to the Provincial City.

Qin Tuo said nonchalantly,

"It’s fine, Long Wu. Relax. With my abilities, do you really think you need to worry about me?"

But Long Wu, his judgment clouded by concern, shook his head and insisted stubbornly,

"Celestial King, I can’t do that! I’m mustering all my men and heading to the Provincial City right now to protect you. I’d like to see which bastard dares to lay a single finger on you!"

But Qin Tuo said,

"You really don’t need to. Don’t worry. I’ll just make a quick round in the Provincial City and be right back."

But despite Qin Tuo’s assurances, Long Wu remained deeply uneasy.

"Celestial King, if anything happens to you, I will become a disgrace to the Celestial King Hall!"

Qin Tuo replied earnestly,

"That won’t happen. You really don’t need to worry about me. You, on the other hand, should focus on your recovery. Besides, causing such a huge scene wouldn’t be a good thing."

Long Wu fell silent. After a moment, he suddenly remembered something and said,

"Right! Celestial King, if you have time, you should check out some of the local gangs in the Provincial City. You might find other branches that fall under our Celestial King Hall’s jurisdiction."

Qin Tuo was surprised. "Oh? The Celestial King Hall has branches here in the Provincial City?" he said, unable to hide it.

Long Wu nodded and said gravely,

"Yes, Celestial King. Although the Celestial King Hall has fallen into decline, it might have had some old foundations in the Provincial City and left some branches behind. It would be best if you could find them."

Although Long Wu was known as the Southwest Underground Emperor, the Provincial City was not a territory he dared to encroach upon.

So, for now, Long Wu could only place his hopes in the Celestial King Hall’s branches in the Provincial City, hoping they could offer Qin Tuo some assistance.

Qin Tuo nodded. Without another word, he hung up.

He understood. Next, he would see if he could find these branches.

Beside him, Ouyang Feifei couldn’t help asking,

"Qin Tuo, were you calling for reinforcements?"

Seeing Ouyang Feifei’s suspicious expression, Qin Tuo said disdainfully,

"Do I need to? Besides, if I’d wanted to stay in Ming City instead of coming with you, do you really think you lot had what it takes to bring me by force?"

Ouyang Feifei was left speechless by his words.

She desperately wanted to argue, but she knew he was telling the truth.

"Okay, okay, enough with the bragging. Let’s get a move on!"

Ouyang Feifei said with a sigh of resignation.

Qin Tuo just shook his head with a smile and followed Ouyang Feifei.

It was already noon by the time they entered the Provincial City. Qin Tuo suddenly said,

"I’m hungry. Take me to get something to eat."

Ouyang Feifei stared at him in utter astonishment.

"Huh? That’s weird. You’re practically on death row, and you’re still thinking about food?"

Qin Tuo gave a wry smile.

"What kind of thing is that to say? Even a man on his way to the gallows deserves a last meal!"

Ouyang Feifei rolled her eyes. After a moment’s thought, she said,

"Fine. Seeing as you saved my grandpa’s life, I’ll treat you to this one meal."

With that, Ouyang Feifei dragged Qin Tuo to a street food alley.

The street was bustling with activity, filled with all kinds of delicious delicacies.

Qin Tuo’s eyes immediately lit up, and he started eating his way from one stall to the next.

He looked just like a tourist, without a single worry in the world.

Ouyang Feifei was at a loss for words.

She ran over to him and said irritably,

"Qin Tuo, what exactly do you think you’re doing here?"

Qin Tuo just chuckled.

"What’s the rush? With all this amazing food, can’t a guy take a moment to enjoy it?"

Ouyang Feifei was, after all, still a girl. Seeing so much food, she couldn’t help but give in to temptation as well.