The frost on the roof ridge beasts had long since faded, yet the weeds between the tiles grew ever more lush. The air carried the scent of approaching summer, and the final remnants of night over Jiugao City seemed to simmer with heat. In the streets and alleys, a restless commotion stirred, impossible to conceal.
There were men and women meeting in secret, drunken patrons, vendors of illicit trades, and even petty thieves. Li Qiao skimmed past these figures before coming to a sudden halt at the mouth of an inconspicuous alley.
A flurry of disorganized footsteps approached. A familiar figure flickered past the alley entrance; the youth on the roof followed silently, then flipped downward to hang suspended from the interlocking eaves of two adjacent houses.
At the end of the dark alley stood a pawnshop that had already closed its doors. Before the side entrance, tucked behind the shop’s sign, stood a disheveled man. He clutched something to his chest—vaguely resembling a tattered bundle—and appeared extremely nervous. After glancing anxiously in both directions, he reached out and hurriedly knocked on the door.
A moment later, a small slot in the side door slid open. A middle-aged woman with a somewhat bloated face peered out cautiously. She looked left and right before spotting the figure huddled in the shadows and called out in a low voice.
"Old Dog Du?"
Hearing the voice, Du Laogou lifted his head. Upon seeing the woman, his eyes lit up like a lantern fueled with fresh oil. He rushed forward.
"It’s me, it’s me."
"Come in!"
The woman unbolted the door, opening it just a crack. Du Laogou squeezed inside with difficulty, asking in a hushed tone, "Lady Feng, how are my books selling?"
From behind the drafty, light-leaking wooden slats came Lady Feng’s blunt reply.
"Terribly, of course!"
Du Laogou’s spirit deflated instantly, his entire posture shrinking.
"How could they sell poorly? I truly put effort into studying the characters this time, and I even weighed every word of the inscriptions. You won't find another script on the market as thrilling and provocative as this one."
"You wasted your time on poetry and inscriptions, but what we’re selling isn't some highbrow art! We’re selling erotic novels! Do you understand? Erotic novels! Do you really think the people buying these care about such things? You’ve been at this for so long, how can you still not understand this principle..."
Li Qiao raised an eyebrow, shifting his position on the eaves to continue listening.
As Lady Feng continued her scolding, Du Laogou argued back indignantly.
"What’s wrong with erotic novels? Can’t they be refined? Besides, the plot I composed isn't bad at all..."
Before he could finish, Lady Feng shoved the manuscript directly into his face.
"What use is a good plot! Where are the key parts? Where are the details of the nightly pleasures? This, and this... why is it that whenever it gets to the crucial moment, you become vague and start writing about birds and flowers? Has eating moldy rice rotted your brain?!"
"Lady Feng, you don't understand. The winds have been blowing hard lately; several familiar bookstalls have been raided. I heard the Flower Market was exposed recently, so I didn't dare stick my neck out. I was forced to adopt this indirect strategy—writing with veils and ambiguity. If I’m caught red-handed, I can just deny it and say I was writing about 'expressing one's aspirations through nature' and so on..."
"And so on my foot!" Lady Feng’s voice grew louder, her spittle flying. "If this were work that could see the light of day, why would I use you? There are plenty of scholars with refined prose; any one of them would be better than you. If you don't have the guts, don't take the job."
"Lady Feng, have mercy, give me a few more days. I will surely find a way to satisfy both requirements. You know how it is—if the authorities catch me, not only will I suffer, but the fine would be more than I earn in half a year of writing. Please, don't push me..."
Lady Feng pushed open the side door, signaling his dismissal.
"Who’s pushing you? I have to eat, too. If you can't write it, someone else will. I think you should set this aside for now. Come back another day, and I’ll give you some work transcribing sutras for Dabei Temple. The pay is meager, but at least it’s honest work."
Du Laogou pleaded piteously, but Lady Feng was clearly moved only by profit. Unswayed, she slammed the door in his face.
Du Laogou lingered in the alley for a while before walking away with his head hanging low.
He had cast a divination earlier today, and the hexagram had indeed shown that his luck was poor and he would face obstacles in everything.
But he hadn't wanted to give up.
After all, if he could get that money, he could find a place to hide for ten days or a fortnight without coming out. Old Tang had a business to run; returning to Tingfeng Hall all the time wasn't a permanent solution.
Tingfeng Hall...
Du Laogou’s stomach growled, and the dejection on his face deepened. If he were still at Tingfeng Hall, he would at least have a roasted taro to fill his belly.
Navigating the familiar, narrow, intestine-like alleys and crossing a stone bridge, Du Laogou found a sheltered spot beneath the bridge to curl up. Because he had been delayed at Tingfeng Hall for a while, his usual spot at Liaowu Bridge had been taken by Old Liu, the leader of the vegetable gang from the south of the city.
That had been a prime spot he’d searched long to find—not only was it sheltered from the wind, but there were wild fruits nearby to eat. Now, he had no choice but to yield it and find a makeshift place nearby to spend the night.
Du Laogou felt miserable, wanting only to sleep quickly to escape the gnawing hunger.
But tonight was destined to be restless. Just as he lay down, he heard the sound of water nearby.
The sound came from the river, drifting closer and closer. it seemed to come from the narrow waterway behind him, moving toward the broader channel.
It was the sound of oars striking the water—one stroke after another, heavy and clumsy.
Those who lived by the water in Jiugao City were all skilled boatmen. Anyone who had rowed for a few years knew how to save strength and use leverage; they could move a boat with a single pole, using four ounces of strength to move a thousand pounds. Even with oars, they knew how to pull through the current without making such a racket.
It was likely some wealthy scion trying to act refined by taking a lady out for a night row, failing to grasp the technique but stubbornly pretending otherwise.
The splashing sound was incessant and irritating. Du Laogou turned over impatiently, loosening his sleeve to cover his ears.
However, in the next moment, his movements froze.
The sound of the water had receded, but another sound rose intermittently to take its place.
It was the sound of whistling—a strange, eerie melody that rose and fell. The breath behind it was long, looping the same tune continuously, like a child clumsily practicing.
Du Laogou’s eyes, which had been closed, snapped open. He twisted his head toward the source of the sound, but he was only in time to see the stern of a small boat disappear around the bend of the river.
Du Laogou remained frozen, his neck craned. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping tonight, but he didn't know whether he should stay under this bridge or...
As if possessed, he scrambled up, crept onto the path, and followed the river.
He hadn't run along the night paths in a long time. Between trepidation and an indescribable emotion, his entire body was trembling slightly. Every memory of picking up spoiled buns and being beaten on the streets reminded him: he should not go further. The Du Laogou who made a living in Jiugao City by selling charms and writing erotic novels certainly wouldn't have.
But as if by fate, another voice seemed to emerge from within him, asking repeatedly: *Shouldn't you go see?*
Was it because of those days at Tingfeng Hall? Was it because they had chosen to entrust him with the heavy responsibility of delivering a message that night? Was it because, even though they were just a group of nobodies whose lives no one cared about, they had ultimately escaped death and triumphed?
Du Laogou’s head began to ache again, as if a monster that no paper charm could suppress was trying to leap out from the depths of his mind.
He stopped, panted for a moment, then cautiously peered out from the shadows toward the river.
It was an ordinary small sampan, its ends curved upward, rocking from side to side with the rower's movements. The current grew swifter here. The person brought the boat to a halt sideways in the middle of the river, causing the sampan to rock violently and uncontrollably. Yet the person on the boat seemed unconcerned, occasionally dipping an oar just to keep the boat from drifting with the current.
The figure wore a straw raincoat and a conical hat, their back to the shore. They seemed to be in a good mood, their movements with the oars leisurely. If not for the strange technique, it would have been a peaceful scene of a night mooring.
But the moment the person picked something up from the boat, the peace shattered.
It was a bloody human arm. The person held it in their hand like a piece of kindling. Then, with a casual toss, the arm fell into the river with a splash, swallowed instantly by the water.
Du Laogou’s stomach, which hadn't seen a grain of rice all day, churned uncontrollably.
He didn't recognize the arm, but he recognized the string of bone beads dangling from it.
He had seen that string just yesterday. At the time, it had been hanging from the hand of Old Liu, the fierce vegetable gang leader who had stolen his spot. Old Liu had claimed they were the bones of a wild wolf and threatened to give Du Laogou "something to look at" if he kept pestering him.
His luck today wasn't just poor; he was facing a literal bloodbath.
Du Laogou’s body went rigid, his calves began to cramp, and his legs felt as though they were filled with lead. He tried desperately to hold his breath, but a broken cry, like a cough that couldn't be suppressed, was about to burst from his throat.
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and covered his mouth. His entire body felt light, and in the next instant, he was no longer where he had been.
Du Laogou felt the wind on his face, followed by a sensation of weightlessness, and then he was dropped onto the ground.
The moment his backside hit the earth, he closed his eyes and began flailing his arms wildly, but he struck nothing but air.
He opened his eyes tremulously, and a familiar face came into view.
"Young Master Li!"
Du Laogou let out a wailing cry, moving to cling to the youth like a long-lost relative, only to be deftly avoided by the boy in black.
The other was clearly in no mood for sentimentality and went straight to the point.
"What happened?"
Recalling the scene from moments ago, Du Laogou’s legs began to shake uncontrollably again.
"I... I saw that person!"
"Which person?"
Du Laogou swallowed hard, speaking one word at a time.
"The one from the night the man died... the one rowing the boat and dumping the body in the river."
Li Qiao was stunned for a moment before realizing the man was referring to the person who had disposed of Kang Renshou’s body.
But shouldn't that person have been the assassin who used the alias "Xinyu" and had already fled? If it were anyone else, they should currently be detained in the Prefectural Governor’s manor awaiting interrogation. Why would they appear out here?
"Previously, you said you didn't even see his face clearly. Why are you so certain now?"
Du Laogou gasped for air, his voice raspy.
"I was indeed far away then, and it was raining hard and pitch black. But I heard the sounds he made. He’s not good at rowing, the water makes a lot of noise, and he likes to whistle a strange tune. And that silhouette... I could never mistake it. It’s him!"
Du Laogou’s off-key voice echoed against the bluestone pavement of the alley, sounding somewhat eerie.
Li Qiao looked back toward the river, listening carefully to ensure no third party was following, before slowly lowering his hand from the hilt of his blade.
He had already taken Du Laogou three or four blocks away from the previous spot, but he was still uneasy and needed to be certain.
This was instinct—an instinct triggered only in the face of danger. Having traveled for many years, he could sense whether a newcomer possessed killing intent without much effort. The person in the straw raincoat on that boat indeed possessed a dense, highly refined killing intent honed over many years.
Not only that, but even from a fleeting glance, he could tell that the person was an expert. An expert whose cultivation was far above that of Xinyu.
On any other day, he might have pursued them to investigate. But the aftershocks of the Clear Wind Powder were still eroding his body; tonight was not a good time for him.
He looked at Du Laogou again, attempting to extract more information from this terrified witness.
"What else did you see?"
"I saw... I saw him throw a man's arm into the river..." The scene flashed before his eyes, and Du Laogou began to pant heavily again. "I remember last time, he just threw the whole body in. Why did he have to hack the person into so many pieces this time..."
Du Laogou couldn't go on, leaning against the wall and retching.
"Because he gained experience," the youth said calmly, as if stating a mundane fact. "Last time he threw the whole body into the river, it was discovered before long. So this time, he cut the body into pieces. The parts won't float due to decomposition gases, and they will soon be eaten by the fish."
Du Laogou looked up at the youth. He couldn't understand how someone could state such a terrifying fact with such a flat tone.
"How can you be so cold, Young Master Li? If the dead person were someone you knew, could you still be like this?"
Li Qiao’s expression faltered for a moment before he looked sharply at Du Laogou.
"Why? Do you know the person who was hacked to pieces?"
Du Laogou choked again, murmuring after a long pause.
"I do. That was Old Liu, the vegetable gang leader from the south of the city. A few days ago, he stole my spot and took over the space under Liaowu Bridge for himself..."
His voice trailed off abruptly. The youth before him had clearly realized something as well, his face darkening as he looked down.
If Old Liu hadn't taken over Liaowu Bridge, then the person currently in seven or eight pieces, about to sink to the bottom of the river to feed the fish, would have been Du Laogou.
Was this truly just a coincidence? Or was it a case of mistaken identity in a silencing operation?
The alley was silent; the sound of the water and the strange whistling could no longer be heard. But the silence only made one's heart grow colder.
The Su family, the Su family, and the Su family again. Even in the martial world, he had never seen a family’s internal affairs as convoluted and persistent as this one.
The Su family’s troubles were not over. Or perhaps, they weren't just not over—they were only just beginning.
Su Lin was currently locked in the prefectural dungeon, and the people of the Su manor likely had no desire to wander outside. If the Su family still possessed such an expert, why would they have remained so passive? Furthermore, the fact that the Old Madam had committed murder had already been exposed. Why would the Su family risk further killing to cover things up for someone already in prison? Unless... this person, like Xinyu, was not from the Su manor at all.
Who was he? Why was he helping the Su family dispose of Kang Renshou’s body? Why did he appear just as the Su family fell into ruin? Was it merely to silence witnesses? And was the person he intended to kill only the wandering beggar who had witnessed him under the bridge that day?
Manipulating from the shadows, coming and going without a trace, a martial arts expert... it was all so familiar. Li Qiao couldn't help but think of the blind gentleman in Baoshen Pavilion. Could he be involved in the Su family’s affairs as well...
"By the way... Young Master Li, why are you here?"
Du Laogou’s voice suddenly rang out. Li Qiao snapped back to reality. Without looking at the man, he turned and began walking along the stone path.
"Couldn't sleep. Out for some air."
Jiugao City looked large, but it turned out it wasn't that big after all.
Fortunately, it wasn't big.
Du Laogou looked back at the pitch-black alley with lingering fear. Unwilling to leave the youth’s side for even a step, he immediately followed close behind.
"Where are you going? Wait for me!"
***
