108 Encounter enemies

Returning to the room, traces of disturbance were indeed found.

Only a piece of discarded paper for practicing calligraphy was missing.

Quintus, pondering something, let out a disdainful and contemptuous sneer at the corner of his lips, with a chilling intent gleaming in his eyes, revealing his murderous intent.

In the blink of an eye, his expression returned to its usual impassive state.

Meow~~~

A small and delicate cat pawed at his clothes.

Lowering his head, he met those moist, watery-green eyes. The owner of those eyes softly meowed, as if asking Quintus where he had been all day. Quintus bent down to pick it up, smiling as he touched the cat's tiny nose with his own.

"Sushang, do you miss your father?"

The cat couldn't understand human speech, but it scratched at his sleeve.

Quintus chuckled silently. "Alright, alright, your nose is truly sensitive. You seem to smell everywhere you go. Eat up now, and don't bother your father for the moment. Tomorrow, he'll take you to the new house." 

With that, he took out some dried fish he had bought at the market from his sleeve.

First, Quintus cleaned up after Sushang, then he packed his bags.

Just as he finished tying the knots on his bags, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door. The old woman exclaimed urgently, "Quintus, something's wrong—"

"What's wrong?" 

The old woman was sweating profusely in her anxiety, grabbing Quintus's wrist to lead him to the back door.

"Some people have arrived outside, specifically asking for you."

Quintus pulled his hand back, tried again once, and when it didn't work, he said, "Don't panic. Madame, please rest assured. Tell the people outside that I need to change into a different outfit."

The old woman wanted to stamp her foot in frustration, but she also understood that the visitors meant trouble, and the back door was likely blocked as well. She had no choice but to follow Quintus's orders. The visitors reassured her, "Mr. Quintus can take his time coming out."

If he didn't come out, they wouldn't be so polite.

The people he brought were all skilled martial artists, ranging from low-ranking soldiers to high-ranking officials. This residence was already surrounded, ensuring that not even a mosquito could escape, let alone a living person!

After about a quarter of an hour, Quintus resumed his familiar appearance, specially dressed in a tea-white Confucian robe, wearing a jade crown on his head, and a deep blue floral belt around his waist. As soon as he appeared, dozens of breaths locked onto him, and Sushang in his arms let out a sharp, terrified cry.

Feeling Sushang's unease under his palm, Quintus put away his smile. His eyes, brimming with starlight, suddenly turned cold, and he spoke in a chilly tone, "Please, everyone, calm your presence. Don't scare my Sushang."

"Are you Quintus, Mr. Quintus Yuanliang?"

"Yes, and who might you be? Is it customary in your mansion to invite someone without even sending an invitation? Where are your manners?"

"I am the steward serving the magistrate's mansion. At the order of the mansion's master, I invite you to the mansion for a conversation."

Although the steward kept a low profile with his words, his imposing demeanor and disdainful gaze revealed otherwise. "Please, sir, follow me."

Quintus sneered, surprising the steward with his easy compliance.

Judging by the magistrate's attitude, the "Quintus" he wanted to invite was probably not someone good-natured. After serving the magistrate for so many years, he had never seen the magistrate fear someone so much, as if he wanted to raise all his defenses against him.

Before long, the sedan chair stopped in front of the magistrate's mansion.

Guided by a maid, they traversed the winding corridors and finally arrived at their destination. From afar, they could see the hall brightly lit, and the melodious music drifting in with the wind into Quintus's ears, his lips curved in a faintly mocking smile.

The steward hurried a few steps ahead to inform Quintus before entering the hall.

The music stopped, and the dancers left the stage.

Stepping into the main hall, Quintus bypassed the screen and took in the expressions of the people inside. Sitting at the head was the magistrate, his old enemy. There were six guest seats, with five unfamiliar faces. Judging by their attire and age, the five were probably prominent figures from local noble families and scholars, and the only familiar face was Zhai Huan, Zhai Le's cousin. The latter also looked at him with astonishment.

Quintus nodded slightly to him in acknowledgment.

Zhai Huan returned the gesture with a smile.

"I am Quintus, Mr. Quintus Yuanliang, and I greet the magistrate."

Quintus turned his gaze to the magistrate seated in the main position.

There were whispers of confusion in the hall.

People couldn't understand why the magistrate would invite a strange civilian scholar like Quintus to such an important event.

The magistrate's gaze swept over the floral belt around Quintus's waist, which stood out prominently against the tea-white robe. His gaze lingered on Quintus's face, unable to discern any familiar traces, hesitating, "Your name is Quintus, and your courtesy name is Yuanliang?"

Quintus bowed respectfully. "Yes, that is correct."

"Would you mind coming closer, sir?"

Quintus took a few steps forward, approaching the magistrate, until there were only a few steps between them. He raised his head boldly, and Sushang, curious, stuck its head out of his arms, took a look, and then retreated.

The magistrate saw Sushang's pupils contract.

"Is this your pet raccoon?"

Quintus smiled. "Yes, it is."

Perhaps hearing the familiar pronunciation, Sushang responded with a meow, and the room fell silent, as if someone had pressed the mute button.

They never expected someone to bring a cat to the magistrate's banquet.

The magistrate then asked several questions in succession, such as Quintus's origins, his age, and the number of people in his family. The more they heard, the more confused they became. They couldn't figure out what the magistrate was up to, and couldn't help but inwardly mock him—asking so many questions, was the magistrate planning to arrange a marriage for Quintus?

At this moment, a large orange cat suddenly appeared from somewhere, moving agilely, and pounced straight at Quintus, startling everyone.

"What's this about?"

"Where did the cat come from?"

Even the maids were startled, nearly knocking over the fruit platter they were carrying.

Quintus said calmly, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

He took out two small dried fish from his sleeve.

"It was probably attracted by the scent on my sleeve."

The magistrate watched as Quintus's hand touched the fur of the large orange cat without any reaction. Only then did he suppress his surprise, rebuking the maid for not taking care of the cat properly and scaring the honored guest, and ordered someone to take the large orange cat away before inviting Quintus to sit at the

 table.

"I wonder what the magistrate has invited me here for?"

"I have long admired your paintings."

Quintus smiled meaningfully.

"My paintings?"

He had stopped painting for years, and the most recent painting was the secret chess map he had drawn for Shen Xiaolang. Admiring such a painting?

"I had the occasional chance to see one, and I couldn't help but admire it. I heard that Mr. Quintus passed through Xiaocheng, so I took the liberty to visit, hoping to obtain a masterpiece. It seems my subordinates have misunderstood. If there's any oversight, please forgive me."

Quintus stood up, looking pleasantly surprised.

The two exchanged polite pleasantries again.

Hearing Quintus's intention to leave Xiaocheng in the next two days, the magistrate took the opportunity to make a request, hoping that Quintus could paint on the spot to fulfill his wish. If he agreed, a hefty sum would be offered. Quintus initially declined politely, until he saw a plate of gold ingots brought over by a maid.

His eyes lit up, and he changed his answer.

The other guests, seeing this, sneered.

Such a money-grubber, even if his painting skills were excellent, they were tainted with the stench of materialism, lacking in spiritual essence. They couldn't understand what the magistrate was thinking.

What was the magistrate thinking?

He didn't know what he was thinking either.

The person he knew, surnamed Quintus, named Shan, courtesy name Shàn, literary style teawhite, with a rich and handsome appearance, elegant and graceful posture, proud and arrogant temperament, intolerant of any disrespect to his artworks by others for money.

Most importantly—

He was naturally afraid of cats, and being approached by raccoons would cause him to break out in hives.

In severe cases, he might even go into shock and die.

This was a congenital disease, with no cure.