Chapter Nine: The Body of Liao Buping Has Been Found
Dantai Mingjing was momentarily stunned by Lu Zhou’s words.
Wasn’t it only natural for Liao Buxing to want to kill him?
Though he hadn’t killed Liao Buping, he had already ruined the man’s reputation, making it impossible for Liao Buping to stand tall in the world. Only by killing Dantai Mingjing could Liao Buping regain his dignity and boast once more—it was a simple truth.
Perhaps this man hadn’t grasped the situation at all?
“Shouldn’t he want to kill me?” Dantai Mingjing asked.
From his perspective, someone like Liao Buping, a headman accustomed to the bustle of the streets, valued face almost as much as life itself. When his life wasn’t in danger, preserving his reputation was paramount.
Thus, it was perfectly reasonable for Liao Buping to want to kill him.
Lu Fei looked at Dantai Mingjing. “Do you think he doesn’t know you possess formidable martial arts?”
Dantai Mingjing frowned slightly.
Ever since he was hunted in Luoshui ten years ago, everyone knew of his invincible skills. Liao Buping seemed to have overlooked this fact: if he failed to kill Dantai Mingjing, not only would he lose face, but his life would be at risk.
Dantai Mingjing shook his head. “He must know.”
“There you have it—you’re beginning to understand,” Lu Zhou said with a faint smile. “Even someone as slow-witted as you can figure it out, so surely Liao Buping can as well. Besides, he cherishes his own life dearly. If he’s trying to kill you, doesn’t it seem suspicious?”
Slow-witted? Where am I slow-witted? I… Well, Dantai Mingjing realized he truly wasn’t as clever as the man before him.
“But what reason does he have to kill me?” Dantai Mingjing pressed.
He couldn’t fathom a reason Liao Buping would risk his life; such a man would forgo even his dignity to survive, so there was no logical reason for him to become reckless now.
“You could try circulating your internal energy,” Lu Zhou said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Dantai Mingjing quickly attempted to channel his energy. Yet after trying, his pupils contracted sharply—no matter how hard he tried, his energy remained placid, like a calm lake, without the slightest ripple.
“Poisoned?”
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s the Daoist ‘Heaven’s Secret Powder’—colorless, tasteless, perfect for tricking people of your intellect.”
Dantai Mingjing felt a sudden urge to slam the table—this was too humiliating.
“Pfft…”
Chao Jin’er laughed again, making Dantai Mingjing feel utterly embarrassed.
Lu Zhou had noticed the scent of Heaven’s Secret Powder in the air as soon as he entered the inn. The powder might fool others, but it was far from sufficient to deceive Lu Zhou, who himself possessed more than one vial of it.
Chao Jin’er wasn’t mocking Dantai Mingjing; he was laughing at Lu Zhou, whose elaborate explanation still hadn’t actually told Dantai Mingjing why Liao Buping wanted to kill him.
It sounded more like someone frantically filling in the blanks after discovering a secret others didn’t know.
“You’ve said so much, yet you haven’t told this monk why Liao Buping wants to kill him,” Chao Jin’er said, pursing his lips in amusement.
He never tired of exposing Lu Zhou’s flaws.
They were less like partners and more like rivals undermining each other.
---
“The reason for wanting to kill him?” Lu Zhou glanced sidelong at Chao Jin’er. “That’s something you’ll have to ask the incapacitated Headman Huang.”
Lu Zhou pointed at another headman who had previously sat with Liao Buping and He Lao San.
Headman Huang?
Chao Jin’er suddenly recalled another piece of intelligence Lu Zhou had submitted earlier—
Headman Huang of the Golden Lion Escort Agency lasted only three minutes.
Was this the infamous ‘three-minute’ Headman Huang?
Chao Jin’er looked over, and saw that both Huang and Liao Buping’s faces had suddenly turned pale.
---
Shenzhou City, Lichun Courtyard.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, illuminating the snow-covered ground and making the courtyard as bright as day.
Qu Qiniang sat beneath the eaves, embroidering a pair of mandarin ducks. Each stitch was careful and precise, every thread perfectly aligned.
Crunch, crunch…
Footsteps sounded in the snowy courtyard.
Qu Qiniang didn’t look up, as if she hadn’t heard, patiently continuing her embroidery. The visitor stood silently, unwavering as a pillar.
For some reason, Qu Qiniang’s hand trembled, the needle pricking her fingertip. A bead of blood fell onto the silk, blossoming into a crimson flower.
She sighed, set aside her embroidery, and looked at the visitor. “You’ve come?”
“I have,” came the strong and resolute voice of Chao Lu.
This was the first mission for Chao Jin’er and Lu Zhou, and Chao Lu could not keep his heart calm.
But he knew he could not interfere. Flowers nurtured in a greenhouse never withstand the harsh cold and heat; she needed to venture out in order to truly grow.
“If not for Jin’er, would you have ever stepped into this courtyard?” Qu Qiniang mused aloud.
“How long has it been since we last met?” she asked. “Ten years? Or twenty?”
Chao Lu lowered his gaze. “In our line of work, the less we meet, the longer we live.”
Qu Qiniang smiled bitterly. “Yet you’ve come all the same.”
She had waited for years, and upon seeing Chao Jin’er a month ago, she guessed the day to see Chao Lu again was near.
Chao Lu glanced at her under the moonlight; as before, Qu Qiniang remained beautiful and gentle.
---
“The body of Liao Buping has been found.”
Because this was Lu Zhou and Chao Jin’er’s first mission, Chao Lu had secretly investigated, and discovered clues.
“Oh?” Qu Qiniang frowned slightly. “You could have sent them a message by flying crane—why tell me?”
Chao Lu shook his head. “You are the keeper of the scorpions; you decide whether to inform them or not.”
The Imperial Guard had its own rules; even if the Scorpion’s Tail was his daughter, he could not break them.
“All right, I understand.”
Qu Qiniang waved her hand and returned inside. Chao Lu remained in the courtyard until the sound of her closing the door rang out, then sighed quietly.
Inside the room.
Qu Qiniang leaned softly against the door, as if her body, which had been supported for so long, suddenly lost its strength.
“Every scorpion must face life and death. Even if they escape this time, will they be able to next time?”
She pursed her lips and walked slowly to the bed.
“Recognizing the true nature of a person—isn’t that basic knowledge for a scorpion?”
She picked up the embroidered silk stained with blood, and continued her work.
---
Headman Huang and ‘Liao Buping’ stood together, tense and wary.
They had acted with utmost secrecy; no one should have been able to trace their arrangements unless they possessed foresight.
Even if the real Liao Buping’s corpse was found, they were confident they could escape.
Heaven’s Secret Powder, colorless and tasteless, served only one purpose—to lock a cultivator’s abilities when he tried to channel his energy.
From the beginning, ‘Liao Buping’ had provoked He Lao San into insulting Dantai Mingjing, all to make Dantai Mingjing strike.
Only when he struck would his energy trigger the powder’s effect.
They had never expected that the man, who had been quietly carving, would see through it all—not only did he know of Headman Huang, but also of his secret affliction, and even guessed their connection to the affair.
Who was this man, truly?