I am the Snake Taoist

Qin Qiu's Taoist robe billowed as he leaped across the rooftops, the man in tow.

Outside the city.

A secluded spot.

Qin Qiu sat cross-legged on a large rock, the man prostrate on the ground, not daring to look up.

"Do you know Li Qingshan?"

Qin Qiu asked slowly.

The man trembled slightly upon hearing Qin Qiu's words, cautiously raising his head to glance at Qin Qiu from the corner of his eye.

"D-Dao... Daoist, are you referring to Li... Li Qingshan of the Li family in the west of the city?"

The man's speech was somewhat slurred.

Qin Qiu nodded slowly. Before leaving, the old woman had told Qin Qiu her family's information, including her son's name.

"That Li... Li Qingshan is no longer among the living..."

"Daoist may not be able to find this person..."

Qin Qiu looked at the man, pondering slightly.

"Explain in detail."

The man's eyes darted around, his tone becoming slightly steadier.

"Li Qingshan was said to have been killed by those from the Medicine Hall..."

From the man's account, Qin Qiu learned that the Li family's actions during its prosperous period were not those of a benevolent household.

Li Qingshan, as the Li family's only son, naturally had his share of flaws and was far from clean.

Ever since Li Qingshan became addicted to the 'Fragrant Breeze Powder', he became increasingly reckless and his personality grew more eccentric.

The Li family was not a wealthy clan, but merely a cultivator family with some capital, so they naturally found it difficult to deal with the Medicine Hall's debt collection.

The final result was that, in order to protect Li Qingshan, the Li family couple had their cultivation crippled.

But Li Qingshan was unable to escape the Medicine Hall's clutches. He was captured by the Medicine Hall, and because he couldn't pay the money and was unfit for labor, he suffered the fate of being skinned alive.

It seemed that the Li family couple was unaware of Li Qingshan's fate, and they were still trying to find their only child.

"Daoist... I have something I don't know if I should say..."

The man said to Qin Qiu with some trepidation.

"Speak!"

"The Li family is not a benevolent household either. It is said that they have some marital ties with the Wu family in the west of the city, but the Wu family has never interfered in this matter."

"Originally, the Medicine Hall said that Li Qingshan's debts would be recovered from his relatives and friends, so everyone dared not associate with Li Qingshan."

"Daoist's visit to find Li Qingshan... I'm afraid you will be regarded as a debt collector by the Medicine Hall..."

The Medicine Hall was so domineering, how could the Wu family not be affected?

There must be other hidden circumstances... and the fact that they have marital ties with the Li family, yet they don't demand the debt, is obviously abnormal.

"You are so familiar with Li Qingshan, your relationship is obviously not shallow, right?"

Qin Qiu's oppressive aura pressed directly on the man, and a phantom of a two-headed snake vaguely appeared behind him.

"I dare not deceive Daoist... I was one of Li Qingshan's followers back then..."

"It was because of Li Qingshan that I became addicted to this 'Fragrant Breeze Powder'..."

Speaking of this, the man's eyes were filled with hatred... obviously resenting Li Qingshan for getting him addicted to the 'Fragrant Breeze Powder'.

"Tell me how Li Qingshan became addicted to the 'Fragrant Breeze Powder' from the beginning, without missing a single word."

Qin Qiu's pair of scarlet snake eyes stared straight at the man, like a demonic snake about to devour someone.

The man was terrified by Qin Qiu's gaze.

This man had been reduced to a state of losing his will to live by the 'Fragrant Breeze Powder', his only desire being to survive.

Under Qin Qiu's slight coercion, he decisively revealed everything he knew.

"In the beginning, the young master of the Wu family... took Li Qingshan to experience the mysteries of this 'Fragrant Breeze Powder', saying that it could strengthen cultivation, and even shared a piece of the pie with us..."

"At that time in Xi City, 'Fragrant Breeze Powder' was extremely popular among young cultivators! Countless cultivators sought after 'Fragrant Breeze Powder'!"

The Wu family's young master... it seemed that Li Qingshan's matter was not so simple...

"What are the roots of this Wu family? Is the Wu family's young master also a user of 'Fragrant Breeze Powder'?"

"The Wu family's young master... I don't seem to have heard of him using 'Fragrant Breeze Powder'..."

The man pondered for a moment, answering somewhat uncertainly.

Qin Qiu's eyes changed slightly, and the snake bone in his sleeve suddenly shot out, piercing the man's throat.

I... have been tricked...

The Wu family and the Li family have marital ties, presumably that woman today was from the Wu family...

The woman immediately asked if I was a cultivator invited by the Li family... just to make the Li family have this idea and hire me.

So that the Medicine Hall could kill me and squeeze out my value.

But they didn't expect that I didn't go to the Medicine Hall to inquire at all... but instead caught the man and asked these things.

The Wu family is a partner of the Medicine Hall, coaxing people to the Medicine Hall to use 'Fragrant Breeze Powder', and then using various means to squeeze out the value behind them.

To amass wealth for the Medicine Hall, in order to achieve some purpose.

The Li family is just one of them, and there are many more cultivator families like the Li family.

If Xi City is like this, then other cities are probably not much different.

This is a chain of traps!

The mastermind behind it is likely the Medicine Valley!

"Divine Slough..."

A black serpent appeared from the shadows behind Qin Qiu. Qin Qiu naturally fell backward, landing in the black serpent's mouth. With a gulp, Qin Qiu hurriedly headed towards the courtyard outside the city.

Inside the courtyard, the warm yellow light still shone. Qin Qiu carefully observed from the shadows.

The couple was busy with farm work in the courtyard. Qin Qiu carefully sensed the surrounding aura.

Nothing unusual...

Qin Qiu walked out of the darkness, his squinting eyes smiling as he looked at the old woman.

"Madam, news of your son has been found, that Divine Slough..."

Qin Qiu's sudden appearance obviously startled the old woman. Her cultivation had been crippled, so she naturally couldn't detect Qin Qiu's position.

But upon hearing the news of her son, the couple was extremely excited: "Where is my son? Have you brought him back!"

"Don't rush... Give me the Divine Slough, and I will naturally tell you..."

Qin Qiu smiled as he stared at the old woman, but the cold light in his eyes flickered.

"The Divine Slough... will naturally be given, you want to tell me the news of my son, otherwise, what if you deceive this old woman."

"I am talking to you nicely because I value morality... Given the current state of your Li family, even if I kill you, no one will say a word against me!"

Qin Qiu's killing intent suddenly appeared. He no longer wanted to dawdle with this couple, killing them and taking it directly was obviously a better choice.

"Stop, what do you want to do to my future parents-in-law!"

A woman's voice broke the silence.

The woman from the Wu family that he had seen before appeared, leading four cultivators.

The five people released their respective killing intent, aiming at Qin Qiu, sealing off every direction.

Five people, the woman was in the early stage of the Three Nether Fate Realm.

The other three were all in the early stage of the Four Nether Fate Realm, and one was in the middle stage of the Four Nether Fate Realm.