CH 7

Chapter 7 Secret

“The person in the corridor raised his head.” 

“Who is it?” Bai Shiyan asked hurriedly. He received the answer from Liu Zhongming’s eyes, and took a breath: “Is it that little monster?!” 

That could be the only explanation why Zhongming suddenly wanted to come over and take a look. 

“I didn’t see his face clearly, I only saw those eyes clearly. They were yin and yang pupils. There can’t be any mistakes.” 

Liu Zhongming pursed his mouth and smiled: “Don’t be nervous, maybe it’s just that I saw him suddenly during the day and the impression was too deep, thus I dreamt it at night.” 

“Zhongming, let’s go to the South Road Buddhist Temple another day.” Bai Shiyan looked serious: “You must go!” 

“Don’t worry, I will take care of yourself,” Liu Zhongming smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Shi Yan, you are a few years older than me, why are you losing your cool?” 

“Zhongming!” Bai Shiyan yelled. He didn’t know which sentence to choose before he asked, “Zhongming, after this year’s birthday, you’ll be eighteen. You really don’t plan to be an official in the future?” 

“My father asked me too. I said I just want to be a businessman, make money, and count silver. I don’t want to get involved in the muddy water.” 

“What did uncle say?” 

“My father said that, depending on what he feels, but he also didn’t want me to go inside and stir up the court.” Liu Zhongming looked at his friend’s disappointed eyes and smiled: “Don’t have uncle put hope on me. Things decline when they reach their peak and some things, one can’t be too greedy.”

Seeing him walk off, Bai Shiyan followed after and asked sharply, “You say you don’t have the intent to mix in and get an official career, but with your position, how do you expect others to not provoke you? Are you just going to bear with it? What about your older brother’s matter? Are you just going to let it go?” 

Liu Zhongming didn’t turn around, but stopped when he heard the words “older brother”. He stopped his footsteps for a bit, then left silently. 

Everything that happened outside had nothing to do with Qu Chenzhou. This time Du Quan was so angry that he didn’t let anyone carry him back, so he just had him lie in the wood shed for three or four days. 

The temperature in spring was still very low, and it was too cold to fall asleep at night. He could only hold on, sit up cross-legged, and breathe slowly. 

This set of heart relief technique was something Zhongming got from General Bai’s army. If he didn’t depend on it over the years to withstand the torture, he was afraid he would not be able to survive the four months of torture in the dark prison. 

Right now Du Quan’s harsh treatment was not important. The most important thing before Qu Chenzhou was how to pass the hurdle of Pan Gonggong. 

On that day, he ran into the street without hesitation. Many people saw it, and it was inevitable that there would be meddlesome people gossiping everywhere. Now half of the people in the capital have heard that this child with their head down low and who usually was compliant hit Pan Gonggong in the face with an oracle bone. 

Panhe had a very high reputation, and this incident simply pulled his face off and threw it to the ground. 

Things were very ugly. 

Du Quan usually met some officials and maintained a noble and reserved posture. Now that he entered Pan Gonggong’s mansion, he had to sullen himself. 

He stood watching Pan Gonggong reading the book unhurriedly. He had been standing for a few hours. He didn’t dare to move. He had to also respond to Pan Gonggong’s idle chats from time to time, he was so anxious that he wished he could kill a certain someone. 

Outside the door, Qu Chenzhou had also knelt for several hours. 

The wound on his chest and back began to close and scarr under the action of the wound medicine. It was itchy and painful. The grains of sand under his knee seemed to also penetrate into his bones, grinding his flesh and blood.

He knelt for too long, and his mind was dizzy. 

With his eyes downcast, he watched his shadow on the ground for a long time. His whole body didn’t look like his own. He finally shook and fell to the ground with a thud. 

The people on both sides hurriedly dragged him up to kneel again, but the people in the room had already heard the noise. 

Only then did Pan He put down the book he had read for a long time, as if he had only noticed someone outside: “Oh, look at me, only now did I notice that Shopkeeper Du brought someone over.” 

“Pan Gonggong is busy.” Du Quan smiled, “I brought him here to compensate you today. He was a little stupid when he was a child, and he often gets crazy when he is old. I hope he didn’t offend you, I have beaten him severely already. You can always kill him if it can help extinguish your anger.” 

“It’s just a slave, what do I care about?” Pan He had a kind smile appear on his fat face: “Shopkeeper Du is doing a good job of doing business. I heard about the excitement on Xinghua Street and saw the three buildings of Shopkeeper Du.” 

Du Quan snorted in his heart, then smiled and said: “Pan Gonggong is exaggerating, it’s just making some living money.” 

He was very frugal and conservative on money. Hearing what Pan He said, he knew that the other party wanted to get a piece of the pie from him——he didn’t expect him to be this shameless. This is clearly him taking the opportunity to cause trouble. A mere slave has caused trouble, and he is expecting him to use a third-building revenue share in exchange, don’t even think about it. 

“Living money?” Pan He chuckled. 

“Yes, look at the many mouths inside and out, all pointed towards me to feed.” the other party did not say it clearly, so Du Quan also pretended to be stupid: “Please be magnanimous and forgive the child.”

“Forgive? Right now, the city is in chaos, did Shopkeeper Du not hear the sayings?” 

“Yes, yes, didn’t I come with the person to bring you your amends?” Du Quan hurriedly shouted at the door: “Come over here!” 

The people in the yard hurriedly carried Qu Chenzhou over and knelt outside the threshold. 

Looking at the little boy who was kneeling not far away, Pan He didn’t rush to bring up the splitting of accounts. 

Because of the emperor’s preferences, fortune-telling people were all over the world, and everyone knew that these were just cute and fun things to cheat money with. 

Going to Qisheng Tower was nothing more than someone pleasing him, and asking him to come and have fun. 

He was not young anymore, and people at this age were usually a little in awe of ghosts and gods, especially those strange eyes, which made a person who saw it quite uncomfortable, even having a creepy feeling after a long time. 

Somehow, he was a little nervous. 

“Du Quan, did he bring his gadgets?” 

Du Quan was stunned for a moment before realizing the “gadgets” he was talking about were the oracle bones, and nodded hurriedly: “Bring it over! Don’t worry, don’t look at him as if he was a mute. As long as he speaks, there is no word that is not accurate! If there is no divination, congratulations to Gonggong for peace and happiness, and no disaster.” 

Having said that, he was too aware of the number of times the divination has been empty in these years, and he was very nervous. 

They scarcely realized, Qu Chenzhou had his heart raised to his throat. 

He had a secret. 

He had a secret that only he knew. 

Since he was nine years old, knowing that he could not escape and had nowhere to go, he slowly began to resist in silence.

The auspicious divinations appeared very rarely, and evil divinations would irritate the guests and inevitably bring him a severe beating. More often, there were no big ups and downs in the visitor, and the divination cannot be read. 

After the master began to get used to his divination, he could only helplessly accept the silence, shaking his head again and again. 

Du Quan only thought that he had lost the aura of his childhood and couldn’t figure out the divination, but he didn’t know that his shaking his head included not only not knowing but also refusal to answer. 

Not only does he not want to be Du Quan’s cash cow anymore, but also…even if he was not sensible, he also knew that if something was said, he might cause a catastrophe. 

Under those dignified leather bags, vile nasty schemers were these shameful tricks. 

In this way, he made a mistake to ensure that he lived safely to the age of fourteen, until he made a divination for Pan He. 

This little trick deceived Du Quan, who was devoted to money, but he couldn’t hide it from people like Pan He. 

Once Pan He asked the last sentence, “Does shaking your head mean you don’t know or don’t want to say”, what awaited him was him cosigning for eternal d*mnation. 

Du Quan didn’t know that he was thinking so much, he only urged: “Chenzhou, what are you being in a daze for! Go divine!” 

Qu Chenzhou squeezed the oracle bones in his hands. He silently looked at the feet on the threshold, then slowly raised his eyes and saw Pan He. 

Even the divinations were different from the previous life. 

He remembered that at that time, this Pan Gonggong was red faced with wealth and luck. His divination was that going south would lead him to gold and he should make a detour around Luo City.

But this time—— the huge wave appears, next to the willow shade. 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with his divinations, it’s just figuring out what is actually meant in the divinations, so he can only guess based on his limited knowledge, so even when he was a child, he only said it, and was puzzled. 

What’s more, in the face of Pan He, he couldn’t say the divination no matter what. 

This silent look made Pan He feel a little cold. It was not the first time he went to a fortune-telling place to listen, but unexpectedly, he was very uncomfortable. 

A few months ago, he got the opportunity to make up a cargo with people, thinking about making a fortune. It was near the day of returning, and he had been waiting for news. 

For this kind of goods, he had seen a lot of “half immortals” these days and listened to a lot of good things, which was a kind of comfort for himself. 

Now he was in fear in the silence of a child. 

“Chenzhou!” Du Quan didn’t hear a sound for a while and couldn’t help being furious. His kick came over: “Are you mute? Is there any result? Speak!” 

This kick unexpectedly landed in an empty space. 

Suddenly Qu Chenzhou dodged sideways, leaped up like he didn’t care about his life, and smashed the oracle bones against Pan He’s face.