Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

Chapter 176: Brother's Prosperity Relies on His Younger Brother [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

“Little brother, why are you looking at me like that!”

Qiu Qing was already a little embarrassed, and seeing his little brother staring straight at him, he became even more uncomfortable:

“There's nothing on my face, what are you looking at?”

Qiu Zhen laughed loudly.

He never expected that his usually honest and bashful elder brother would actually have this side to him, capable of winning a girl's heart.

Truly, a deep person doesn't reveal their true self.

In this world, free love and marriage based on mutual affection are rare.

Especially for those from rural farming families, those with slightly better circumstances marry early, getting married and having children under their parents' arrangements, not even knowing what love is before becoming a husband and father.

Those with poor families are even more straightforward, remaining single their entire lives.

A marriage based on “mutual affection” is especially rare and precious.

Qiu Zhen saw that his elder brother was embarrassed and somewhat angered, so he smiled:

“Elder brother, which family is Yin'er from?”

“Yin'er is the youngest daughter of Shopkeeper Liang of the Chonglou Merchant Guild.”

“No wonder.”

Qiu Zhen revealed a look of sudden understanding.

The Chonglou Merchant Guild is an old and established merchant guild in Qingmu, mainly dealing in medicinal herbs.

The buyer of the medicinal herbs planted in Qiu Family Village is precisely the Chonglou Merchant Guild.

Over the past year, Qiu Family Village has dealt with the Chonglou Merchant Guild quite a bit.

Hearing this, Qiu Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as he was afraid that his elder brother would be deceived.

After all, proper unmarried women from good families rarely show their faces in public.

If it's the Chonglou Merchant Guild, it's different.

As a Jianghu force, Jianghu children don't have the constraints of the secular world. It's common to see women practicing martial arts, helping their families with work, or even standing on their own.

Liang Yin, or rather, the “Yin'er” in Elder Brother Qiu Qing's mouth, he hadn't met or interacted with her, but he knew a little from listening to the old patriarch.

She is not an ordinary woman, but a martial artist who has achieved considerable skill in martial arts.

Qiu Zhen couldn't help but feel curious, and without revealing his intentions, asked:

“Elder brother, how long have you known Yin'er? How did you two get together?”

“Not long after our Qiu Family Village moved here, one day, Yin'er brought the guild's staff to inspect the medicinal herb fields in a nearby village, and they happened to be short of a guide. I figured I didn't have anything to do at home, so I took on the job.”

“Originally, things were going smoothly, but who would have thought that we would encounter a fierce beast on the way back? Fortunately, Yin'er was highly skilled in martial arts and protected us from danger. However, they lost their rations and such. Only I had food in my package, so I shared it with them. Unexpectedly, Yin'er actually liked the pancakes I made, saying they tasted like the ones her mother made.”

“About half a month later, I saw Yin'er again when she came to the countryside to collect medicinal herbs. She was very happy to hear that I was practicing martial arts and even gave me some pointers. To express my gratitude, I specially cooked grilled fish for her, which she liked very much.”

Qiu Qing said, with a look of emotion:

“You've been picky about food since you were little, and you have a lot of ideas in your head, but you don't like to do things yourself, which made me, your elder brother, develop good cooking skills. Yin'er praised my cooking skills, and later, as we interacted more, we became familiar with each other. She often taught me martial arts and sparred with me.”

No wonder Elder Brother Qiu Qing has been practicing martial arts so diligently and assiduously in recent years. It turns out the source of his motivation lies here.

Qiu Zhen suddenly understood and smiled:

“Since you are in love with each other, then everything will be easy to handle. Elder brother, just wait for news. I, your little brother, will go and inquire for you.”

“Really?”

Qiu Qing saw that his little brother's tone was firm and was somewhat happy, but his expression was obviously a little nervous and lacked confidence:

“They are from a large and powerful family, would they…”

“Brother, don't underestimate yourself. If our parents only had you, you might really be trying to climb the social ladder, but now that you have me, your little brother, brother's prosperity relies on his younger brother. Don't mention Liang Yin, you can even marry a rich young lady from Changle Prefecture.”

Qiu Qing's face was full of black lines:

“You rascal, don't make fun of me!”

“Hahaha, brother, just wait for my news at home.”

—

Half an hour later, Guangling City.

After nearly a month of reconstruction and repairs, Guangling City was completely renewed, with a bustling crowd, full of life and excitement, showing no signs that a great battle had once erupted here, with blood flowing like rivers.

Qiu Zhen brought Bai Shu to Guangling Medicine Hall.

As soon as they entered the medicine hall, all the disciples and apprentices of the Medicine King Valley saluted one after another, with very respectful attitudes.

“Young master, are we here at the medicine hall to exorcise evil again today?”

“Not to exorcise evil, but to do serious business!”

Qiu Zhen went straight into the backyard of the medicine hall, his expression obviously much more serious.

Speaking of which, this was the first time since he was a child that his elder brother Qiu Qing had seriously asked him for help.

In the past, Qiu Qing had always identified himself as the “elder brother” and had always taken care of him, his younger brother. He had even proposed the absurd plan of marrying a wife together.

Qiu Zhen didn't say it, but he always remembered it in his heart.

This time, he must help his elder brother achieve success.

The Chonglou Merchant Guild was a famous local merchant guild in Qingmu, but Qiu Zhen had never dealt with them, and he lacked understanding of the Chonglou Merchant Guild and the Shopkeeper Liang behind it.

He didn't rashly go to the Chonglou Merchant Guild to pay a visit. You still need a matchmaker to propose marriage.

First, he needed to understand the situation.

He didn't understand the Chonglou Merchant Guild, but he had people under him who had a lot of dealings with the Chonglou Merchant Guild.

Soon, in the study of the backyard of the medicine hall.

“Creak!”

The door opened, and Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan walked in from outside the courtyard.

“Disciple pays respects to Hall Master Qiu!”

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan, who were over half a century old, entered the door and, without saying a word, respectfully performed the disciple's salute.

Their attitudes were very different from half a year ago when Qiu Zhen took office as the Hall Master of the backyard of Guangling Medicine Hall.

Especially after the “Great Chaos of Guangling City” that day, their attitudes had undergone a clear change.

“Uncle Liu, Uncle Kang, there is no need to be so polite.”

Qiu Zhen beckoned the two to sit down on the left and right, while he sat calmly in the main seat:

“Today, I am looking for you two to ask for advice on a private matter.”

A private matter to ask for advice on.

The two were originally a little nervous, especially Kang Zhuangyuan, who was even more uneasy in his heart.

But as soon as they heard that he was asking for advice on something, the two looked at each other and were overjoyed.

“Hall Master Qiu, feel free to order us to do anything.”

“Do you two know much about the Chonglou Merchant Guild?”

“Is it the Chonglou Merchant Guild from our local Qingmu?”

“Exactly.”

“We naturally know about the Chonglou Merchant Guild.”

Kang Zhuangyuan seemed very excited, eager to make contributions:

“In the past, our Qingmu Medicine Shop was a big customer of the Chonglou Merchant Guild, and we had a lot of dealings with the Chonglou Merchant Guild on weekdays. We are very clear about the situation of the Chonglou Merchant Guild, and we also have a good relationship with Shopkeeper Liang Wei.”

Liu Anqing nodded: “This old man has a good relationship with Shopkeeper Liang, we have been old friends for more than ten years.”

Qiu Zhen nodded slightly.

He was also an apprentice in Qingmu back then, and he knew the situation, otherwise, he wouldn't have invited the two of them over:

“You two, what is the background and strength of the Chonglou Merchant Guild? How many Xiantian experts do they have, and how much wealth do they have?”

“Hiss~”

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan took a deep breath, their breathing a little heavy.

They looked at each other.

Liu Anqing pondered for a moment:

“The Chonglou Merchant Guild was originally one of the top merchant guilds in our Qingmu, with strong strength, surpassing the eighteen townships. At its peak, it had fifty or sixty martial masters as retainers. However, as Qingmu was upgraded to a county, powerful dragons from all directions came pressing down, and the Chonglou Merchant Guild's business was impacted. Its strength is not as good as before, and the number of martial master retainers has been cut in half, leaving only the direct descendants.”

“As the saying goes, a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. Although the Chonglou Merchant Guild's momentum is not as good as before, its strength is still there. Shopkeeper Liang Wei and Second Shopkeeper Liang Nian are both experts in the Innate True Qi Realm, and now they can be considered to have regained a foothold in the Qingmu area, with considerable strength.”

Qiu Zhen had a better understanding after hearing what Liu Anqing said.

It was about the same as he expected.

Back then, when he was just a junior apprentice at the Qingmu Pharmacy, the Chonglou Merchant Guild was indeed a large force that was difficult to reach, a high branch that their Qiu family could not climb.

But now, the former "giant" is nothing to him.

“The Chonglou Merchant Guild contracted its business in time, so the loss was not significant, and its family wealth is quite abundant.”

Kang Zhuangyuan's expression turned fierce:

“If we take action, getting one or two hundred thousand taels of silver should not be a problem. Brother Anqing, what do you say?”

Liu Anqing smiled helplessly and nodded in agreement with a wry smile:

“It shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Uh~”

Qiu Zhen was speechless.

He immediately understood the misunderstanding of the two, who thought he was planning to attack the "Chonglou Merchant Guild" and had set his sights on the Chonglou Merchant Guild's business.

“I'm not planning to attack the Chonglou Merchant Guild.”

Qiu Zhen smiled dumbly and explained:

“My elder brother, Qiu Qing, and Shopkeeper Liang of the Chonglou Merchant Guild's youngest daughter, Liang Yin, have secretly fallen in love. Our Qiu family wants to form a marital alliance with the Liang family.”

“Ah!”

The two opened their mouths, their faces changing again and again, very embarrassed.

However, both of them were seasoned veterans, and the embarrassment on their faces disappeared in a flash, quickly replaced by joy.

What a good opportunity.

If they could help Qiu Zhen's elder brother to facilitate this good thing and become matchmakers, it would be a considerable favor.

A favor is priceless.

The favor of a rising martial arts genius is even more valuable.

As for whether it could be done, the two had not even thought about it.

It was impossible for it not to be done.

Ordinary people in Qingmu City might not know how powerful Qiu Zhen is now, but in the Qingmu Jianghu world, Qiu Zhen's name is well-known.

If Qiu Zhen's elder brother wants to marry a wife, once the news spreads, I don't know how many families will break through the Qiu family's threshold.

Helping with this is a favor picked up for nothing.

Kang Zhuangyuan quickly said:

“Chief Qiu, to be honest, Brother Liu and I have been friends with Shopkeeper Liang for more than ten years. If you don't mind, we are willing to act as matchmakers and make this a good thing.”

Liu Anqing nodded with an awkward smile.

Qiu Zhen smiled:

“Then I will have to trouble you two.”

“No trouble, no trouble.”

After Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan finished speaking, they did not stay long and drove out excitedly, heading straight for the Liang residence in Qingmu City.

While the two went to propose marriage, Qiu Zhen was not idle either.

Now that he was here, as the Deputy Chief of the Guangling Pharmacy's backyard, he still had to do his duty.

These days, An Hua Yu was still confined at home, and Second Senior Brother Tong Yuncong and the Hong brothers went out to do errands. The entire Qingmu Pharmacy was only guarded by Senior Sister Yu Lan Yin.

Qiu Zhen chatted with Senior Sister for a while.

About an hour and a half later, in the reception hall of the pharmacy.

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan returned, covered in dust.

“How is it? How did you two do?”

Senior Sister Yu Lan Yin learned about this matter in the chat with Qiu Zhen just now, and now she was more curious and expectant than the person involved:

“Did Shopkeeper Liang agree to this marriage?”

“Of course he is willing. Liang Yin is a concubine's daughter. It is their blessing to be able to marry into the Qiu family. How could they refuse this good thing?”

Kang Zhuangyuan grinned, his face full of joy.

“More than willing, he can't wait to marry a few more daughters.”

Liu Anqing joked and laughed:

“Brother Liang also inquired whether Chief Qiu was married, saying that there are still daughters in his family waiting to be married.”

“He's thinking too much.”

Yu Lan Yin smiled charmingly:

“My junior brother is a peerless genius. Ordinary women are not worthy of him. If not a noble princess, then it must be a martial arts prodigy.”

“Yes, yes, yes, Chief Yu is right.”

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan echoed quickly.

This was not because the two were sycophantic and flattering Yu Lan Yin, but because they really thought so in their hearts.

Not yet seventeen years old, cultivating to the [Innate True Astral Realm], who knows how great his achievements will be in the future.

Starting with the Innate Inner Scenery, a young talent with the potential to impact the Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Not to mention the small Qingmu County, Chang Le Prefecture, even if placed in the capital, it would be an object of wooing by the powerful, and marrying a noble lady is by no means empty talk or wishful thinking.

Qiu Zhen did not respond as the three of them drifted further and further away.

As a cultivator, in order to "become a monk", one must go through a "corpse dismemberment" to cut off worldly ties and let go.

He is unwilling to "cut off worldly ties" a second time. Marrying and having children is a road of no return for him.

However, he was in a very good mood at this moment.

His elder brother Qiu Qing's marriage was smoother than he imagined.

This is probably due to his recent emergence, first achieving Innate, and then breaking through a realm half a year later, achieving the Innate True Astral Realm, and becoming famous in the Guangling City Demon Disaster battle.

A person's name, a tree's shadow.

Although Qiu Qing is only a martial master of a small level, and his family at first glance is only a small landlord and a small wealthy farmer, not a big family.

However, with Qiu Zhen as his younger brother, in the eyes of others, the Qiu family is a wealthy family, a local power in Qingmu County and even in the future.

As long as the Liang shopkeeper of the Chonglou Merchant Guild has any brains, he will not refuse this marriage.

Engagement and matchmaking pay attention to "three matchmakers and six betrothals, three books and six rites", and there are many procedures.

Qiu Zhen knew that his elder brother was waiting for news at home, and he was probably getting impatient.

Immediately, he did not stay in the pharmacy any longer, and took Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan out of the pharmacy, intending to go straight to Qiu Family Village.

“Drive!”

“Halt!”

As soon as the three of them rode their horses to the intersection of Guangling City, they saw a crowd of people surging here, crowded to the brim.

Qiu Zhen and others stopped their horses and looked towards the intersection.

“What happened?”

Qiu Zhen stared and looked over, his face showing surprise.

I saw that not far from the intersection, a group of strong martial masters wearing black armor and holding weapons surrounded a small courtyard with three circles inside and three circles outside, and officials in black robes were driving away the crowd gathered around to watch the excitement.

“The Demon Suppression Division is handling a case.”

Qiu Zhen was familiar with most of the strong martial masters wearing armor, and even had some friendships:

“Which shop are they sealing up?”

Qiu Zhen tilted his head and asked Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan beside him.

Although he had been working in the Guangling City Pharmacy for many days, he usually did not care much about things, and he really did not know as much about Guangling City as the two people beside him.

“It's”

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan raised their necks and looked over the crowd to find out.

Not long after.

Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan originally had a gossipy look on their faces, as if they were not afraid of things getting bigger, but after seeing clearly, their expressions changed suddenly, and they exclaimed:

“That, that is the Chonglou Merchant Guild's shop!”