Chapter 58: Heaven Can Calculate All but the Human Heart
Sha Lifei found it hard to believe. “That ruthless? Who did it?”
Even Li Yan revealed a deep frown. Exterminating an entire family was one of the greatest taboos in the jianghu.
The conflict between both sides had merely been over some interests. Though they had already torn off any pretense of civility, they still followed the rules of the jianghu and would not openly challenge the imperial court’s bottom line. No matter how fierce the current struggle seemed, there was always a chance they might shake hands and reconcile in the future.
That was why Li Yan had deliberately suggested assassinating the Left Minister earlier, pretending to be a reckless fool. He had not wanted to become too deeply entangled with the Zhang Family’s father and son.
What about the friendship between families? The moment betrayal became profitable, such words would mean nothing. Yet after only one day away, the situation had already exploded into this chaos.
The Zhang Family’s father and son duo were not that stupid.
“That’s exactly the problem!” Shopkeeper Wan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “No one knows who did it. The nearby neighbors only noticed something was wrong this morning and sent word to the authorities. That’s when the bodies were discovered. The entire household was slaughtered, wife, children, elderly relatives, and even several personal disciples serving nearby. Every one of them had their throats slit.
“And the killer used a Guanshan blade!”
Li Yan’s brows furrowed. “A bladesman?”
“Who knows?” Shopkeeper Wan sneered. “Everyone knows mercenary bladesmen kill for money. If someone wanted to hide their identity, framing another person would be easy enough. Guanshan blades aren’t difficult to obtain.
“Earlier today, people from the Zhou Family even stormed the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall demanding the murderer be handed over. Naturally, the Zhang Family denied everything. Now both sides are locked in a bitter standoff.
“The more critical issue is Zheng Xianhuai’s identity. The authorities originally intended to pretend that nothing was happening, but now they’ve been dragged into the matter whether they wanted to or not.”
Li Yan nodded, recalling Zheng Xianhuai’s position. The Eight Vajras of the Zhou family each held different roles. Zheng Heibei and Yuan Qu controlled the city’s two largest street gangs, handling the Zhou family’s dirty work and extorting wealth for them.
Wang Yao operated a medical clinic. Besides treating members of the Zhou Family and their factions and the gangs, he often gave free treatment to commoners to build his reputation. Zhou Peide mainly oversaw the operation of the Zhou Family’s martial arts halls.
As for the remaining four Vajras, two served as chief guards for the region’s largest escort agencies, while the other two worked as instructors for the Divine Fist Association, traveling through villages teaching martial arts. Together, they controlled both the underworld and legitimate society, forming the Zhou Family’s network.
Zheng Xianhuai was one of the Divine Fist Association’s instructors. No matter how one looked at it, he held a semi-official position. The Xianyang authorities could not simply ignore his death.
Sha Lifei snorted, “The Zhang Family would have to be insane to attack him.”
Shopkeeper Wan nodded. “Exactly. But now that things have reached this point, even Zhou Pan is struggling to suppress the situation. There were already bloody street fights in broad daylight today. In order to calm matters down, the court has tacitly accepted the theory that a mercenary bladesman committed the killings. The authorities are now dispatching constables everywhere to hunt for suspects. Little Brother Li is also considered a suspect.
“This morning, constables even searched the Dao Inquiry Hall thoroughly. They claimed you fled out of fear of punishment and were preparing to issue a warrant. Fortunately, Chief Constable Guan Wanche stepped in and stopped it before things escalated.”
The moment he heard this, Sha Lifei exploded. “Isn’t this obviously throwing blame around because they don’t know who did it?!”
Shopkeeper Wan shook his head helplessly. “There’s nothing to be done. Once the authorities open their mouths, whether you’re guilty or not no longer matters. Just don’t enter the city for now. You can stay here peacefully. Once the storm passes, this old man will personally testify for you and clear your names.”
“Then many thanks, Elder Brother Wan.”
“Fellow Jianghu brothers should help each other.”
After exchanging a few polite words, Shopkeeper Wan ordered food brought over and arranged accommodations for them before hurrying off to begin dismantling the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood.
Inside the room, the three men exchanged looks.
“Good thing we left early.” Sha Lifei still felt a touch of fear when he thought of the possibilities that could have happened. “If we had delayed one more day and gotten blocked by constables at dawn, we would have been thrown into prison while the Zhou Family pulled strings behind the scenes. We would definitely be waiting to be executed after autumn.”
Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan both nodded in agreement. As jianghu wanderers, they understood perfectly well what kind of people those constables were. For the sake of closing cases, they would do absolutely anything.
Under the current circumstances, the identity of the true killer no longer mattered. What mattered was whether the authorities could produce an explanation and suppress the chaos.
At that point, the Zhang Family father and son duo might very well choose to pretend ignorance in order to clear themselves. Thus, Li Yan’s group would quietly die inside a prison cell without anyone ever knowing the truth.
“Let’s hide here for a few days first.” Li Yan spoke after a short moment of consideration. “I suspect whoever committed this massacre intended to stir up conflict amid the chaos and profit from both sides. They might continue making moves...”
Though the incident was grave, none of the three felt particularly worried. That was simply how the world worked. Who among the jianghu did not have enemies? Besides, they had already planned to sit back and watch the struggle unfold from afar, so they simply decided to rest in Shangyi Village for some time.
On top of that, they had not slept at all the previous night. After eating hastily, the three extinguished their lamps early and went to bed. Naturally, as seasoned jianghu wanderers, none lacked vigilance. All three slept fully clothed and took turns standing watch.
***
The candlelight flickered dimly while a woman’s sobbing echoed endlessly. Zhou Bai lay upon the bed. Though awake, his face was pale and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling beams like a corpse. He was already dead inside.
Ever since he was a child, he had carried the reputation of a genius. Surrounded by praise all his life, he had grown proud and arrogant, dreaming that after one great victory on the duelling stage, he would roam the jianghu and make his name known across the world.
At the foot of Mount Song in the Central Plains, martial culture flourished and experts gathered like clouds. In the Jin Province, the great guard captains each possessed unique skills... Jiaozhou, Xiangxi, Jiangnan... Extraordinary people appeared all the time among the eight trades of both the orthodox and unorthodox path.
Listening to such stories from childhood filled him with yearning. Yet now, all of it became nothing more than an empty dream. He had become a cripple who could not even urinate standing up.
A fat woman sat beside the bed wiping away tears. She was his birth mother, Madam Jia.
Meanwhile, Zhou Peide stood at the doorway with a dark expression. Listening to her crying only irritated him further, and he finally snapped, “What’s the use of crying?!”
Had he stayed silent, things might have remained fine. But the moment he scolded her, Madam Jia exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “You old bastard! Your son’s been beaten into this state and you don’t say a word, yet you take your anger out on me?!”
She lunged at him, clawing wildly. Madam Jia of the Zhou Family was famous in Xianyang for being vicious and unreasonable. She was the sort who always took advantage of others and never suffered losses.
Zhou Peide had already been bottling up his rage. Caught off guard, his face was scratched open by her nails, instantly humiliating him into fury.
Smack! Smack!
He responded with two vicious slaps. Madam Jia collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly, beating her chest, and stomping her feet in grief. The shouting finally snapped Zhou Bai back to awareness. His face flushed red, veins bulging across his forehead as his trembling hands clutched the blanket tightly.
Staring at Zhou Peide through gritted teeth, he hissed, “Father, avenge me!”
Fury surged within Zhou Peide’s eyes as he turned and strode away. “Rest easy, Bai’er. I’ll personally bring back that brat’s head!”
After leaving the courtyard, Zhou Peide had barely walked a few steps before patrolling disciples stopped him cautiously. “Third Master, where are you going?”
Zhou Peide replied coldly, “Since when do I need to report my movements to you?”
The disciple looked awkward and hurriedly apologized. “Please don’t be angry, Third Master. It’s just that Martial Uncle Zheng was killed, and the old master said that someone is trying to profit from the chaos. He ordered everyone to remain vigilant at night and forbade anyone from leaving.”
“I have important business. Scram!” Zhou Peide shoved the disciple aside and continued walking out. After several more steps, he turned back and threatened in a cold voice, “Pretend you never saw me. If you dare talk nonsense, you know the consequences.”
The patrolling disciple’s face fell miserably. “Yes, Third Master...”
Zhou Peide snorted and exited the residence through a side gate, swiftly disappearing alone into the night. Before long, he arrived at Yuan Qu’s residence. The courtyard inside was blazed brightly with candlelight.
Disciples had already been waiting outside. After a quick announcement, Yuan Qu hurried over personally to welcome Zhou Peide inside.
Zhou Peide’s face remained dark. Without wasting words, he entered the main hall, sat directly in the seat of honor, and asked coldly, “Well? Did you find anything?”
Yuan Qu hesitated slightly before mumbling, “We did uncover some clues, but the matter won’t be easy to handle.”
Zhou Peide slammed the table furiously. “If you’ve got something to say, then spit it out! Why are you stammering?”
Truthfully, he had never respected Yuan Qu, and the man had dropped even lower in his esteem after indirectly causing Zhou Bai’s injuries. Zhou Peide was already controlling himself by not striking him outright. But he had no choice. His authority within the Zhou Family was centered around the martial art halls.
Ever since the disciple he sent to track Li Yan had been discovered, they had completely lost sight of Li Yan’s group. With no other leads left, he had no choice but to seek Yuan Qu’s help.
“Yes.” Yuan Qu wiped sweat from his forehead and quickly cupped his fists. “The information came from the Taixing Carriage and Horse Company. Senior Brother already knows they’ve always opposed us and secretly associated with Old Man Zhang’s people. So I planted someone inside.
“Our hidden agent only learned today that the three of them rented horses and traveled to Chunhua County for unknown reasons. They’ve now returned and are hiding in Shangyi Village outside Xianyang.”
Zhou Peide barked angrily, “Then go capture them!”
Yuan Qu forced a bitter smile. “Please calm down, Senior Brother. Shangyi Village isn’t ordinary. Shopkeeper Wan of the Listening Pavilion is not only a craftsman of the mystic path with ties to the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, he’s also an elder of the Xianyang Artisan Guild.
“Things are already chaotic enough. The Artisan Guild may seem harmless, but there are many experts within it. If we drag them into this as well, Master definitely won’t forgive us.”
A deep frown creased Zhou Peide’s face. The Artisan Guild managed the eight professions among the Five Trades and Eight Professions of the jianghu. The city’s carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, and similar craftsmen all fell under its authority.
Though they appeared to simply conduct business peacefully, Zhou Peide knew certain secrets. Many members of the mystic path hid within the guild, making them difficult to provoke. Even if they entered the village demanding people be handed over, the guild could simply deny everything, leaving them powerless.
Moreover, seeking revenge after an arena match already placed them morally in the wrong.
Zhou Peide narrowed his eyes coldly at Yuan Qu. “I know you’re full of schemes. Since you brought this up, you must already have a solution.”
“This...” Yuan Qu glanced around before dismissing the disciples from the room. Only then did he lean forward and lower his voice. “There is a method. If it’s successful, not only can we avenge Zhou Bai, but the Artisan Guild would also have no reason to interfere further. The only question is whether Senior Brother dares.”
Zhou Peide laughed bitterly, grief and hatred filling his eyes. “At this point, what wouldn’t I dare?”
Yuan Qu lowered his voice even further. “I know a powerful master from a lineage of mighty experts. If he personally acts, he can lure Li Yan out of the village. Then we can have mercenaries surround him and ensure he doesn't leave a full corpse to be buried.
“It’s just that it costs too much to get this master to make a move.”
Zhou Peide shot him a cold glance. “How much? I’ve saved quite a bit over the years. I also possess a treasure used to guard my household. If the matter succeeds, I can give it to him as well.”
“He doesn’t want money.” Yuan Qu’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “He wants virgin boys and girls.”
