Xiao Man left a bag of silver coins, turned and left quickly.
Not long after Xiao Man left, a man in a black cloak entered the inn, sat down, ordered a bowl of noodles, ate it in three mouthfuls, and then left. As the man walked out of the inn, the wind blew his cloak, revealing Nan Gongyu.
The two had missed each other by chance.
When Xiao Man arrived at Yan Family Fort, it was deserted. Xiao Man looked around. Seeing no one, she immediately climbed over the wall. Whether there were any Qin family survivors, she didn't know, but among the people she knew, one person had half of the Qin family's blood, and that was Nan Gongyu.
Although she thought that with Nan Gongyu's intelligence, he would not fall into anyone's hands, she also thought that no matter how powerful Nan Gongyu was, when he first arrived in a strange place and everyone was a cultivator, they would not be a match for them, and it was possible to fall into the hands of the enemy.
With unease, Xiao Man sneaked into Yan Family Fort. The bodies in Yan Family Fort had already been removed. The bloodstains on the ground had turned dark brown, indicating that a tragic slaughter had once occurred here. Xiao Man quickly moved through Yan Family Fort, searching for clues, and unexpectedly discovered a secret chamber in Yan Family Fort.
Xiao Man looked at the opened secret chamber door and hesitated for a moment before sneaking in. As soon as she entered, she found Lu Qing inside. There were several large iron cages inside. Although they were empty, a strong smell of blood could still be detected, indicating that Yan Family Fort was indeed engaged in unspeakable deeds in this secret chamber.
"Who is it?" Lu Qing's sharp gaze shot towards the doorway.
Xiao Man walked out from her hiding place and looked at Lu Qing, "Martial Uncle, it's me."
Lu Qing narrowed his eyes, "You've been following me?"
Xiao Man did not answer, her gaze quickly swept across the room, and then fell on the torture rack beside her. After a moment, she withdrew her gaze, "Martial Uncle, do you know the people of Yan Family Fort?"
"No." A killing intent flashed in Lu Qing's eyes, as if his secrets had been spied upon.
"Martial Uncle, are you here to investigate the tragic case of the Yan Family Fort's annihilation, just like me?" Xiao Man asked naively, as if she hadn't seen the killing intent in Lu Qing's eyes.
Lu Qing lowered his eyes, his expression calm, "Yes, after buying the medicinal herbs, I wanted to come and see what happened. Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the inn? Why are you running around?"
"I was just too bored, so I wanted to come and see if it was the demons who did this. If so, I'll make them pay!" Xiao Man's face showed hatred, "I suffered a great deal at their hands, and they killed my friends! I will avenge my friends!"
Lu Qing finally relaxed completely and walked towards Xiao Man, "Let's go. It's probably not demons. Most likely, the people of Yan Family Fort offended someone, and that's why they were annihilated."
Xiao Man hesitated, "Martial Uncle, it's really not the remnants of the demons?"
"No," Lu Qing said with certainty, "If it were the remnants of the demons, I wouldn't let them go, let alone you." Lu Qing gestured for Xiao Man to follow him, "This is not a place to linger. Let's leave first, lest we be mistaken for the murderers by those who come later."
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
On the way back, Lu Qing seemed preoccupied.
Xiao Man also had her own thoughts. She hadn't spent much time with Lu Qing, but she knew that Lu Qing was not a person who liked to meddle in other people's business. If he went to the scene of the Yan Family Fort's murder case, it must be because he cared about something. She just didn't know what he cared about, and what was imprisoned in the cages in Yan Family Fort?
"Martial Uncle."
"What is it?" Lu Qing's voice was low, with suppressed anger.
"When I was at the inn, I heard the next table talking about the noble Qin family. But as far as I know, there is no Qin family among the five great noble families of Cang Xuan Continent."
Lu Qing's body stiffened, and after a moment, he suppressed his emotions and replied, "The Qin family is already destroyed."
"How could this happen?" Xiao Man said in surprise, "Why did the Qin family perish?"
"Innocence is a crime when one possesses wealth. The Qin family possessed a heritage, and those who possessed the heritage were excellent medicine people. Outsiders had long coveted it, but they lost the protection of a Nascent Soul stage mighty being, and the Qin family suffered misfortune. Now... there are probably no Qin family members left in this world."
"Not a single one?"
"Legend has it that the Qin family had a collateral branch that migrated as a whole to escape disaster. No one knows where they hid, but the Qin family's Ten Thousand Poisons Golden Body heritage is too tempting. Even if they hid at the ends of the earth, those who coveted it would not let them go."
Xiao Man frowned. Lu Qing's attitude towards the Qin family was strange.
"Is the Ten Thousand Poisons Golden Body heritage a poison person?"
"In a sense, they are indeed poison people, but those who possess the Ten Thousand Poisons Golden Body have twice the result with half the effort in cultivation. When they reach the Nascent Soul stage, their blood becomes a good medicine for treating illnesses and saving lives. But how many people can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage safely? Even if they cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, facing a Soul Transformation stage mighty being is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, an egg hitting a rock."
"Is the blood of the Qin family as miraculous as those people say?"
Lu Qing turned back and looked at Xiao Man deeply, then withdrew his gaze. "The blood of the Qin family can improve the quality of elixirs. This is a fact. As for eternal life, that is nonsense. However, this point of improving the quality of elixirs is enough to make many people covet the Qin clan members. In the eyes of others, the Qin clan members are just objects."
Xiao Man immediately understood. The Qin family on Cang Xuan Continent were like items that everyone wanted to obtain. They were not even considered human!
"Do you think so too?" Xiao Man asked softly.
Lu Qing did not answer immediately, because he did not know how to answer for a while. The Qin clan members were regarded as medicinal ingredients for alchemy, catalysts for artifact refining, and even sources of spiritual power. In their eyes, Qin clan members could be anything, but not people.
"Xiao Qin, what do you think the Qin clan members are?"
"People, living, breathing people!"
As if hearing such an answer for the first time, Lu Qing turned to look at Xiao Man. Xiao Man's eyes were full of sincerity, without a trace of falsehood, not even a hint of flattery. Moreover, on Cang Xuan Continent, no one would flatter Qin clan members. They would only capture them, imprison them, and squeeze out every last drop of their blood.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because such an answer is rare." Lu Qing turned around, "On Cang Xuan Continent, no one regards the Qin clan members as people."
"Including you?"
Lu Qing did not answer. What the Qin family meant to him, he understood clearly in his heart, but Xiao Man might not understand what the Qin clan members meant.