Chapter 98: The Malicious Daoist of the Purple Gold Observatory

“It’s not that I’m firing you. It’s… sigh, you should go speak to them yourself.”

The middle-aged owner pointed in the direction of Su Muqing.

When Ye Xiaoyu heard this, her heart grew unbearably uneasy. Could it be that she was being dismissed because of these guests? With feelings she could not quite name, she walked over to Su Muqing’s side.

“What’s your name?” Su Muqing asked.

“My name is Ye Xiaoyu.”

The girl blushed a little. Standing beside this table, not to mention the graceful and self-possessed Su Muqing, even the silent Dongfang Qingwan or the voracious Liu Qianqian made Ye Xiaoyu feel like an awkward little nobody.

“No need to be shy. Come here. Tell me, do you like this job?”

Su Muqing smiled brightly and took Ye Xiaoyu’s hand.

“Well… whether I like it or not, what difference does it make? I can’t lose this job. Pretty sister, look…”

Ye Xiaoyu grew even more anxious, not knowing what Su Muqing intended.

Qin Xuan watched from the side and did not join in. Su Muqing simply asked Ye Xiaoyu a few questions, and soon everyone at the table understood her situation.

Ye Xiaoyu had just graduated from university that year, majoring in journalism. But after graduation, she discovered it was hard even to find an ordinary job, so she had no choice but to come here and apply to be a cashier.

Just now, those from the Iron Banner Society had tried to lay hands on her, scaring her half to death. She thought that if anything really happened, her life would be ruined forever. Thankfully, Qin Xuan and the others stepped in, and only then did she finally breathe again.

“How about this? This is my number. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation, and tomorrow you can go interview at the River Capital Television Station.”

Su Muqing said with a smile.

“Really? Is that true?”

Ye Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up.

River Capital Television Station was a wonderful place. Back when it was recruiting interns, Ye Xiaoyu and a few female classmates who were close to her had submitted their resumes together. Unfortunately, in the end, only the one with connections was hired.

After that girl began interning at River Capital Television Station, she would flaunt it every day, leaving Ye Xiaoyu utterly powerless. In this society of connections, it was simply too hard for ordinary people to fight their way up.

“Of course it’s true. Go with confidence. If you have talent, you’ll be hired for sure.”

Su Muqing could not possibly recommend someone talentless to her brother. As for how tomorrow’s interview would go, that would depend entirely on Ye Xiaoyu herself.

“Thank you, pretty sister.”

Ye Xiaoyu was so moved she was nearly in tears.

After a while, the restaurant finally regained some of its bustle, and Ye Xiaoyu returned to the cashier counter to keep working. Although the middle-aged owner had already fired her, considering the restaurant only had her as a cashier, Ye Xiaoyu decided to keep working until the end of her normal shift today.

This made Su Muqing appreciate her even more, and she decided to add a few more favorable words to the recommendation letter when she got back.

“I didn’t expect Teacher Su to be so kind.”

Qin Xuan chuckled.

“Within my means. If I can help, then I’ll help. This little girl seems pretty good to me.”

Su Muqing set down her chopsticks and said with a smile.

“Since we’re done eating, let’s head back early. Teacher Su, I’ll have to take your car again.”

After saying that, Qin Xuan stood up, paid, and left with the others.

Watching their backs, Ye Xiaoyu felt a little indignant on Su Muqing’s behalf.

In her eyes, Qin Xuan was probably one of the three women’s boyfriends, yet he was with three girls at the same time. She did not know what to make of it. Although she did not know why Qin Xuan wore a black robe, she immediately assumed he was a rich man and thought that rich men really were not good people.

Still, she also knew that matters at Su Muqing’s level were not something she could interfere with, and could only sigh inwardly.

…

As evening deepened, they soon drove near the villa. From afar, the villa was pitch-black; no one knew how the water fairy was doing.

“Who is that?”

Suddenly, Su Muqing asked in curiosity.

She saw that someone was standing motionless by the villa gate. From where they were, only the figure’s back could be seen. Strangely enough, that person, like Qin Xuan, was wearing a long robe. The difference was that the robe was gray, with a taiji pattern drawn on the back.

Qin Xuan had noticed him earlier and now narrowed his eyes.

“Little Qin Xuan, who’s that guy? Is he here to find you?”

Liu Qianqian, in the back seat, also noticed the person by the villa gate and could not help but find it odd.

Judging from his attire, he truly did not look like someone from the secular world.

“Qin Xuan, could he be your colleague?” Su Muqing asked with a faint smile.

“Let’s go. We’ll know once we get closer.”

They were too far away for Qin Xuan to make out the man’s face, so he could only approach and see. As the Chevrolet drew nearer to the villa, Qin Xuan’s expression grew a little strange.

The man turned out to be an old Taoist priest.

Seeing a car approaching, the gray-robed old priest did not dodge. Instead, he slowly turned around. He was all skin and bones, holding a white horsetail whisk in his hand, and his eyes made him seem no benevolent soul.

“Stop the car,” Qin Xuan said softly.

“Hm?” Su Muqing was puzzled, but still stopped the car about a hundred meters from the old priest.

“You two girls, protect Qingwan. Teacher Su, don’t get out either. I’ll go take a look first.”

Qin Xuan’s tone carried a trace of gravity.

“Alright.”

Su Muqing agreed.

Liu Qianqian did not say anything. In the back seat, she held Dongfang Qingwan’s hand tightly. Last night this girl had acted on her own and nearly got Dongfang Qingwan into trouble; fortunately, Water Fairy had helped block it. Now, no matter what, she would not let go of Dongfang Qingwan again.

Seeing Liu Qianqian behaving so obediently, Qin Xuan finally relaxed a little and pushed open the car door.

The sky was leaden gray, and a few sparse raindrops had begun to fall. A large bank of dark clouds made the sky grow dark even faster. It seemed they would have to resolve this matter quickly; otherwise, if night fell and Dongfang Qingwan still had not entered the villa, things would become troublesome…

Qin Xuan ignored the occasional raindrops and kept his eyes locked on the old priest at the villa gate, his focus sharpening more and more.

“Hey! Are you the swordsman harboring that demon?”

When Qin Xuan drew near, the shrill voice of the gaunt old priest rang out.

At those words, Qin Xuan immediately remembered. Not long ago, two little Taoist priests had chased Water Fairy to the side of the villa, only to be beaten away by him. Could this be their master?

“And who are you?” Qin Xuan asked coolly.

“I am Ascension Daoist of the Purple Gold Temple. You shelter a demon and bully my disciples. You are despised by all upright people under heaven, truly despicable to the extreme!”

The old priest screeched as he took on a fighting stance.

“And what do you want?”

Qin Xuan found it rather amusing.

“Hand over the female demon, and I’ll spare your life!”

A trace of lust flickered in Ascension Daoist’s eyes.

“The female demon is inside the villa. You don’t dare go in?” Qin Xuan sneered inwardly and glanced toward the villa.

“Hey! You think such overbearing restraints can protect the female demon and let you escape the judgment of the righteous way? If you do not obediently hand her over today, I will make you learn your place.”

Hearing this, Qin Xuan could not help laughing aloud.

The reason he could not enter the villa was obviously that his hands were stained with blood. Yet this wicked priest still dared to come here brazenly to hunt a demon; he was cut from the very same cloth as his two disciples.

What was most laughable was that although the old priest was advanced in age, he had clearly been hollowed out by drink and lust. His cultivation had stalled at the Foundation Establishment stage, and in terms of strength, he was far inferior to Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan’s laughter enraged Ascension Daoist. He swept his horsetail whisk and was about to use some method to teach this so-called swordsman a lesson. In his eyes, how high could the cultivation of such a young swordsman possibly be? He was old, crafty, and experienced; would dealing with a mere youth of a swordsman not be easy as pie?

Seeing him move, Qin Xuan said nothing more. The Clear Azure Sword left its scabbard.