Chapter Forty-Four: Brought Ruin Upon Himself

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Seeing the two people before him, Lin An was truly surprised. Back in the imperial city, he had indeed met them, but after the alchemy competition ended, they disappeared without a trace. He had originally thought that the Seventh Elder and Qian Qixian had returned to the Cloud Mist Sect together. He never expected to encounter them here—let alone as members of the Sand Mercenary Group.

Even so, there was one thing Lin An still couldn't understand: why did Qian Qixian and Elder Qian look so fearful upon seeing him?

“Brother Qian, what exactly happened? Don’t tell me… you know them?” Rob asked, a trace of curiosity in his voice.

“Lin An—no, Ancestor Yunshan—no, Young Master Lin An…” Qian Xu stammered, at a loss whether to yield to Lin An or apologize to Ancestor Yunshan.

“Qian Xu, what are you doing here?” Yunshan frowned slightly, equally puzzled as to why Elder Qian Xu of the Cloud Mist Sect would be here.

“Brother Qian is now the vice leader of the Sand Mercenary Group. You all know each other?” Rob asked in surprise.

“Vice leader of the Sand Mercenary Group? Qian Xu, are you betraying the Cloud Mist Sect?” Yunshan’s voice was icy.

Cloud Mist Sect. Yunshan…

Only then did Rob recall why the name Yunshan was so familiar—he was the former Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect. However, ever since Yunshan had stepped down, he had not appeared in public for a long time. That was why Rob did not recognize the name immediately.

“Spare me, Ancestor! I have not betrayed the Cloud Mist Sect! I only brought my grandson Qian Qixian to Stone Desert City for some experience. Joining the Sand Mercenary Group was only a temporary measure! I had already planned to send word back to the Sect once things quieted down here…” Qian Xu’s mind worked quickly; he was a seasoned schemer. He also knew that none among the group before him were aware that he had already defected from the Cloud Mist Sect. In fact, no one in the entire sect knew.

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After all, not much time had passed since they left the Cloud Mist Sect. Moreover, they had merely offended Lin An; the later assassination plan had not even been carried out. They left the sect only as a precaution.

“Nonsense! When you first came to Stone Desert City and sought me out, you clearly said you were evading enemies, which is why you chose this remote place. Besides, I’ve heard you mention Lin An’s name more than once… You even said you deeply regretted not acting sooner…” Rob began to realize the gravity of the situation.

Who would have thought he’d run into such trouble today—the former Cloud Mist Sect Master, Yunshan? When Yunshan retired, he was already a Douhuang-level powerhouse. If he wished, he could destroy the entire Stone Desert City with ease. Rob immediately understood that Qian Xu was shifting all blame onto him and hurried to explain. But before he could finish, Qian Xu’s eyes flashed with murderous intent and he struck out to kill him.

Lin An watched without intervening, finding the mutual betrayal between the two rather amusing. From the very first moment Qian Xu saw him, his panic was obvious—how could Lin An not suspect him of harboring ill intent?

Suddenly, a dagger appeared in Qian Xu’s hand, piercing directly through Rob’s heart.

Rob stared at Qian Xu in disbelief, collapsing unwillingly into a pool of blood.

All the members of the Sand Mercenary Group watched in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Even as their leader lay dead, they had no idea what had truly transpired.

“Young Master, the Sand Mercenary Group dared to attack you—they are courting death! Allow me to kill them all and show them the consequences of offending you!” Qian Xu, having killed Rob, sought to prove his loyalty by proposing to slaughter the entire Sand Mercenary Group.

“That’s not necessary. Now that their leader is dead, let this matter end here,” Lin An replied.

“From now on, Qinglin will follow me. Any objections?” he asked, his gaze sweeping the group.

Hearing that Lin An was willing to spare them, the mercenaries wished nothing more than for this harbinger of death to leave as soon as possible. How could they possibly object? They nodded hurriedly—if the price of their lives was a mere servant girl, they were more than satisfied.

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“Thank you, young master, for taking me in!” When Qinglin heard that Lin An would bring her along, she was nearly moved to tears.

She believed that so long as she could stay by Lin An’s side, she would never again have to endure the daily humiliation and abuse of a lowly servant. After all, even the Sand Mercenary Group dared not provoke him. With such status, there was no reason not to trust his word.

Lin An signaled to Yunshan, then took Qinglin and left, heading out of the city gates.

...

Once Lin An had vanished from sight, Yunshan turned to Qian Qixian and Qian Xu, who were feigning composure nearby.

In an instant, Yunshan appeared before Qian Qixian. A pressure like Mount Tai descended upon him, and Qian Qixian was so terrified that he wet himself.

“Spare me, Ancestor! Please spare me! My grandfather forced me to do everything—I only followed his orders…” Before Yunshan could speak, Qian Qixian confessed everything in detail.

Qian Xu’s expression grew darker as he tried to stop his grandson from speaking, but under Yunshan’s overwhelming presence, he was utterly unable to utter a sound.

“With just the two of you? You dare plot against the young master!” As soon as Yunshan finished speaking, the two of them were reduced to nothing but a mist of blood, their bodies utterly destroyed.

Afterward, Yunshan executed every member of the Sand Mercenary Group who had spoken against Lin An, then finally departed.

Once he was gone, the surviving mercenaries collapsed to the ground, their clothes drenched in sweat, as if they had survived a great war, lacking even the strength to stand.

When Yunshan returned, Lin An did not ask what had transpired. He knew that, given Qian Xu and his grandson’s guilty conscience, they must have plotted against him. The rapid increase in wraith points in his system confirmed their deaths.

In truth, Qian Xu had brought about his own demise. Had he simply returned to the Cloud Mist Sect without incident, Lin An would not even have remembered the pair upon his return. But they had chosen to walk right into disaster.

Next, it was time to head into the Tagor Desert, seek out the snake-people tribe, and search for Queen Medusa.