Da Qiang was strong and muscular, with flesh bulging all over. Among this group, he was considered a formidable character. Moreover, he had killed quite a few people in the past and was consistently ruthless.

Now, as he brandished a knife to stab Ye Qing, Ye Qing effortlessly pinched the knife between two fingers. No matter how hard he tried, the knife seemed wedged in stone and couldn't budge an inch, leaving Da Qiang's face flushed with exertion.

The Monkey was more astute and quickly realized the situation was unfavorable. He immediately retreated a step and urged, "Attack! Everyone go! Kill him!"

The three beside him drew their daggers as well and lunged at Ye Qing.

Huangfu Ziyu's face turned cold as she grabbed the table beside her with her right hand and slammed it down fiercely. None of the three could have foreseen Huangfu Ziyu's immense strength. Before they could react, the table smashed directly into them. The solid wood table shattered into pieces, knocking the three to the ground. They wailed continuously, unable to get back up.

Witnessing this, the Monkey was utterly stunned. He finally understood that he had encountered a tough adversary. With such a formidable woman, who knew how powerful the man could be?

"Boss, boss, I... I didn't recognize Mount Tai with my eyes, offending... I offended you. Please, don't take it to heart," the Monkey said smartly. Seeing the unfavorable situation, he immediately became submissive, bending over and speaking tremblingly, "Boss, we're just trying to make a living. It's our fault for offending you. Please be gracious and let us go..."

"Hmph, let you go?" Ye Qing glanced coldly at the Monkey and said, "Why should I let you go?"

The Monkey, being smart, responded immediately to this, "Boss, I... I understand. The room next door... is filled with goods we brothers picked up last week, worth hundreds of thousands. You... you can have it all. Consider it a way of buying our lives. Would you... would you agree?"

"Yes, yes, boss, take it all. Be generous and let us go..." Da Qiang chimed in tremblingly. He had retreated to the Monkey's side, no longer daring to show arrogance.

Ye Qing remained unmoved and said coldly, "Hundreds of thousands, you think that's enough to dismiss the two of us?"

"This..." The Monkey's face turned sour, "Boss, we're... we're just small fry, honestly... we really don't have much..."

"I'm not interested in your things!" Ye Qing pulled over a chair, sat down leisurely, and said, "And I don't intend to kill you!"

Hearing this, the Monkey and his men breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions noticeably more relaxed.

Ye Qing looked at them calmly and said, "As long as you do a few things for me, not only will I let you go, but I'll also give you a sum of money, a large sum!"

"Boss, whatever you need, just tell us!" The Monkey immediately approached and said, "We brothers will do whatever we can, no matter the danger!"

"No need for perilous acts. What I'm asking you to do is simple for you," Ye Qing looked at the Monkey and said, "Firstly, I need you to help me find someone."

"Who?" The Monkey asked promptly.

Ye Qing said, "Handsome Fatty Wang, have you heard of this person?"

"Handsome Fatty Wang?" The Monkey paused, "You... you mean Fat Wang, right?"

"Do you know him?" Ye Qingqi asked.

"Of course!" The Monkey said, "This guy is an old client around here. He's a well-known grave robber from the North and visits annually. Most locals know him."

"Has he been around recently?" Ye Qing asked immediately.

The Monkey replied, "A few days ago, someone said he came, but I haven't seen him, nor has he appeared. So, no one really knows if it's just a rumor."

Ye Qing slightly frowned. It seemed Fat Wang had hidden well after stealing the Shen Family Manor's Famed Instrument. Even having fled to Bei Wu City, no one knew his whereabouts. Clearly, the guy was pretty clever.

"Alright, I want you to help me with a task," Ye Qing said, "Use your connections in Bei Wu City and find Fat Wang for me!"

"Okay, we'll do it right away!" The Monkey said and was about to leave, but Ye Qing grabbed him.

Ye Qing said coldly, "If you just run off, where will I find you?"

"Boss, rest assured, I promise to accomplish this. I absolutely won't run away," the Monkey vowed confidently.

"I'm a practical person, for safety's sake, I think some assurance is necessary." Ye Qing smirked, suddenly tapping the Monkey's neck, prompting him to open his mouth. Ye Qing deftly slipped a pill into the Monkey's mouth and pressed hard, causing the Monkey to swallow the pill directly.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Monkey coughed several times, staring at Ye Qing in astonishment and said, "Big brother, what... what is this thing?"

"It's nothing, just a type of poison." Ye Qing replied with a faint smile.

"Poison!?" Monkey's eyes widened, and he hastily asked, "This... what kind of poison? This... this won't kill me, right?"

"As long as you take the antidote, you won't die!" Ye Qing smiled faintly, suddenly his face turned cold, and said, "But don't blame me for not warning you. In this world, I'm the only one who can cure this poison. If you don't take the antidote within twelve hours, your body will rot and you'll die. If you don't want to work for me, you can also go to the hospital right now and see if the doctors can help you detoxify!"

Monkey shivered in fear. Although he didn't know whether Ye Qing's words were true or not, when it came to matters of life and death, he dared not take any chances.

"Big brother, I... I'll definitely do my best to help you..." Monkey said with a crying face, "This... this poison, could it... could it be relieved first?"

"Whether you work or not depends on your mood. Anyway, I'm a simple person. If the job is done well, there'll be rewards. If not done well, hmph!" Ye Qing coldly smirked, turned to look at the other few people, and said, "As for the rest of you, the same applies. Here, each take one!"

Da Qiang jumped in fright, turned, and tried to run, but Ye Qing jumped over and caught him, directly stuffing a pill into his mouth. The other three, who had just been smashed dizzy by Huangfu Ziyu, couldn't resist either and were each fed a pill by Ye Qing.

"Alright, now you four go out and gather information for me. Monkey, you stay, I have some questions for you!" Ye Qing said.

The few of them looked at each other with mournful faces, none of them intending to leave.

Ye Qing frowned and said in a deep voice, "It seems you prefer punishment over rewards, alright then, I'll let you see the power of this poison!"

After Ye Qing finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and tapped Monkey on the body. Monkey's face immediately twisted, he fell straight to the ground, scratching frantically at his body, his mouth wide open, but unable to make a sound. From his expression, it was clear he was in extreme pain, though no one knew exactly how he was suffering. Just witnessing his state was enough to make one's heart pound fearfully.

Nearby Da Qiang and the other four were so frightened that they nearly soiled themselves, and at this moment, who would dare to doubt Ye Qing's poison.

"Big brother, w-we'll go out and find information on the Handsome Fatty Wang right away…" Da Qiang's voice trembled as he and the three others hurriedly ran out.

"Don't disclose any information about me, or the four of you will rot to death!" Ye Qing said coldly.

"Yes, we... we understand..."

Watching the four of them leave, Ye Qing then walked over and tapped Monkey on the body again. Monkey shivered for a while, finally returning to normal, and slowly climbed to his feet. He looked at Ye Qing and suddenly knelt down with a thud, wailing, "Big brother, I... I know I was wrong, please... spare me, this... this poison is really too painful..."

"Don't worry, as long as you do your work well for me, the poison won't act up." Ye Qing said with a faint smile, "Stand up, I have a few more questions for you. Remember, be honest and tell me everything you know. If there's even a hint of deceit, I'll make you suffer ten times more than just now!"

"Big brother, you... you ask, I know what... I won't dare hide anything..." Monkey's voice trembled, genuinely fearful, not daring to entertain any other thoughts.

"Very good!" Ye Qing smiled satisfactorily, stared at Monkey for a while, and asked, "How long have you been in Bei Wu City?"

Monkey said, "Big brother, I... I'm a local here, grew up here, it's been thirty or forty years."

"Then you must be familiar with Bei Wu City's underground antique market." Ye Qing said.

Monkey said, "More or less, we... we make a living off this trade..."

"Then let me ask you, in Bei Wu City..." Ye Qing looked at Monkey, "Where can you buy a Famed Instrument?"

"Famed Instrument?" Monkey was taken aback for a moment, looked at Ye Qing, and said, "Big brother, you... when you say Famed Instrument, do you mean... those martial arts weapons? The ones that are very strong and can cut through iron like mud?"

"Yes, exactly those!" Ye Qing nodded.

Monkey shook his head and said, "Big brother, such things can't be bought in Bei Wu City."

"Why?" Ye Qing was surprised, "Isn't this the largest underground antique market? How can you not buy a Famed Instrument? Impossible, wouldn't the tomb robbers find some Famed Instruments?"

"No." Monkey said, "It's not uncommon for tomb robbers to find Famed Instruments. However, in Bei Wu City, there's never been a sale of Famed Instruments. Because, all the Famed Instruments sent here are bought by the South Ridge Sect before they're even auctioned. So, in the market, there's no circulation or sale of Famed Instruments at all!"