Blade - Unbound

Chapter 80: An Unwelcome Guest Arrives

Zhou Pan’s expression quickly returned to normal as he asked calmly, “What are you talking about? This old man does not understand.”

However, everyone present was a veteran from the jianghu. How could they fail to notice something so suspicious?

Within the Taixing Carriage and Horse Company, a young disciple quietly asked his senior brother, “Senior Brother, what kind of gang is the Anqing Hall?”

“They are not a gang.” The senior brother wore a faint smile as he whispered back, “It used to be the largest male brothel hall in Chang’an. Lu Gongyuan was its master.”

“Oh...”

The expression on the youth’s face turned a little strange as he looked back at Zhou Pan.

There wasn’t much to be said about a male brothel. Men with a preference for male lovers and other habits had existed since ancient times, though the trend was most prevalent in the capital and in Minzhou, known respectively as the “Husband Capital” and the “Sworn Brothers of Min.”

For example, there were famous establishments in the capital like the “Returning Spring Hall” and “Classic Meaning Hall.” The male courtesans there were required not only to master music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but also to study the Four Books and Five Classics.

Appearance alone was secondary. If one lacked intelligence or refined speech, they would never qualify. Whenever the western Beggar Gang or human traffickers across the land managed to obtain handsome young boys with elegant manners, they would sell them to such places.

The price was often even higher than that of famed female courtesans. However, those were the perverse tastes of aristocrats and noble clans. Ordinary people, especially jianghu men who drank heavily and ate meat by the bowlful, looked down on such things.

When they heard that Zhou Pan had connections to Anqing Hall, the crowd’s expressions immediately grew strange. Come to think of it, Monkey Zhou truly had remained childless all his life. Still, that was merely a personal vice. At most, people would mock it over drinks. How could it possibly be connected to Li Hu’s death?

Inside the hall, seeing Zhou Pan deny everything, Li Yan narrowed his eyes. Suppressing his icy killing intent, he said in a deep voice, “There are no walls in this world that do not leak. Did you think that matter could truly remain hidden forever?

“At the time, my father accepted a commission to find a kidnapped young master. Every clue pointed toward Anqing Hall, yet he found nothing. It was you who colluded with Lu Gongyuan and secretly sent word ahead. You deliberately lured my father to a brothel to meet an informant, where he was ambushed and killed.

“Afterward, you rushed from Xianyang to Chang’an in panic, cooperated with the authorities to raid Anqing Hall, and hunted down Lu Gongyuan. Not long after, even that brothel mysteriously burned down, and all the courtesans inside died.

“You thought that by silencing everyone, there would no longer be any evidence!”

The hall erupted in shock.

Zhang Yuanshang’s face darkened as he slammed the table violently. “Monkey Zhou! So there was something like this! My poor Brother Li suffered damage to his reputation and could not rest in peace for ten years! Damn it! If you don’t explain this clearly today, this matter isn’t ending!”

Even Gang Leader Han of the Canal Gang shook his head. “Zhou Pan, if this is true, then your methods were truly despicable. So many lives lost, yet you still think you can retire peacefully from jianghu? There’s no such thing.”

The others were similarly filled with righteous indignation. Meanwhile, Li Yan stood in the center of the hall, the killing intent in his eyes no longer concealed. These details had all been secretly slipped to him moments ago by Guan Wanche.

Though Li Yan did not know why the constable had not exposed the matter himself, judging from Zhou Pan’s expression, it was most likely true. Thinking of the bitterness his grandfather had endured all these years, Li Yan felt fury surge through his chest.

He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and chop off Zhou Pan’s head.

Facing the crowd’s accusations, Zhou Pan remained silent for a while before finally sighing, “This old man can only say that back then, I was acting under orders from the Chang’an Military to assist in the capture of Lu Gongyuan. So much time has passed. Even if this matter were revealed now, I doubt they would pursue it.”

He looked around the hall before he continued, “Lu Gongyuan’s Husband Hall, as well as that brothel, were both secret branches of the Maitreya Sect in Chang’an. They were plotting a rebellion in secret.”

“What?!”

Everyone in the hall was stunned. Such things could not be casually fabricated. Over a decade ago, during the great drought in the Guanzhong Plains, the Maitreya Sect had stirred up chaos, misleading villagers into rebellion. They not only murdered officials, but also forced commoners and jianghu folk alike to join them.

Those who refused had their villages burned to the ground. Jianghu people were naturally wary of the imperial court, but the Maitreya Sect’s twisted teachings had caused even more deaths.

Zhou Pan sighed and looked toward Li Yan. “This concerns state secrets, so I dare not say too much. I can only say your father was unlucky. He happened to stumble directly into a den of thieves.”

“Stop dodging the issue!” Li Yan sneered. “The Maitreya Sect is another matter entirely. If not for your deliberate manipulation, how could my father have walked into that ambush?”

Zhou Pan finally seemed to grow impatient as his face darkened slightly. “That is simply how things happened. Your father sought death. Was I supposed to stop him? Even if this matter were brought before the authorities, it has nothing to do with this old man.”

Though he admitted the matter indirectly, his expression clearly said: What can you do about it?

Seeing that the killing intent in Li Yan’s eyes had not diminished, Zhou Pan lifted his chin, his gaze sinister. “If you are dissatisfied, then today you may seek justice for your old man.”

“Bullshit!” Zhang Yuanshang exploded in anger as he slowly rose to his feet. “Monkey Zhou, are you shamelessly bullying a junior now? Come then! I’ll seek that justice on his behalf!”

At that exact moment, a loud crash sounded from outside the hall. Several disciples flew backward through the doorway, rolling across the ground with blood dripping from the corners of their mouths.

As they crawled backward in terror, they yelled, “Master, someone’s forcing their way in!”

The sudden disturbance shattered the tense atmosphere inside the hall.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

The Zhou Family disciples outside were seemingly being attacked by some monstrous beast as one after another came flying through the gate and crashing into the courtyard with miserable screams.

Soon, two figures slowly walked in through the courtyard entrance. The first was a young man around twenty years of age, dressed in ordinary black coarse cloth. Most of one side of his face was covered in burn scars.

He was short and sturdy, carrying a bone mace in his hand. It was a weapon similar to a hammer, with a long handle topped by a small iron ball. During the Tang era, it had been used as a punishment staff before later becoming ceremonial weaponry.

It was commonly called a pumpkin mace. Depending on shape, it could be divided into a garlic mace and caltrop mace.

Those giant war hammers seen in opera were merely props made from paper and cloth. On real battlefields, aside from naturally superhuman warriors or true grandmasters, very few people could actually wield such massive weapons.

They consumed too much strength. Even if one could swing them, prolonged combat was impossible. Thus, real war hammers were far smaller. The bone mace was even smaller still, but extremely fierce in power and easy to conceal, making it quite popular among jianghu fighters.

In the hands of an ordinary person, a single strike could crack bluestone.

Behind him walked a middle-aged man wearing a green cloak. He carried a tiger-shaped medical clapper in his right hand, while his left held a banner reading: “Practicing Medicine to Save the World.”

He looked like a physician of the Pi Sect. He looked rather ordinary, with slightly graying temples. As he walked, his demeanor remained calm and leisurely, as though strolling through a garden. Clearly, he had come only to oversee the situation.

But Elder Zhang’s pupils contracted. He slowly sat back down and sneered, “Monkey Zhou, looks like you’ve got more than one aggrieved victim after all.”

Zhou Pan’s expression also darkened. “Who are you people? What business do you have barging into my residence?”

The scarred youth casually spun the mace in his hand and mocked in a hoarse voice, “Oh? Isn’t this supposed to be a ceremony where you retire from the jianghu? What, you’ve settled things with all the jianghu factions, but dirt-legged commoners like us aren’t allowed to come and demand justice?”

Zhou Pan frowned slightly. “This old man does not recall having grievances with you.”

“Of course you don’t.” The youth smiled like a malicious ghost and looked around the hall. “You jianghu people use martial strength to bully the weak and fear the strong. When you offend fellow jianghu folk, it’s called a grudge. But when commoners die, it simply doesn’t matter, right?”

Zhou Pan narrowed his triangular eyes. “If you seek justice, then at least explain yourself clearly.”

The youth laughed harshly, like a night owl screeching. “Ten years ago, in Bazi Village outside Chang’an, several of your disciples entered my home under the excuse of searching for rebels. They saw my elder sister and their lust was stirred. All of them took turns violating her.

“When my parents tried to stop them, they beat them to death. When they were done, they burned down the house and called it a rebel hideout. But I bet you never expected one ghost like me would survive, huh?”

The crowd immediately understood what happened, many shaking their heads. Zhou Monkey’s lack of discipline and habit of sheltering his subordinates were well known. He had committed countless wrongs in Xianyang. Something like this was not surprising at all.

Zhou Pan was silent for a moment before he muttered, “This old man truly knew nothing of this matter. But debts have owners. Seek out those responsible. What does it have to do with me?”

The youth grinned eerily. “Relax. They’re already dead. I skinned them alive one by one. I didn’t spare even their families. Tsk tsk. Human skin filled with resentment sells for quite a good price.

“And now, I’ve come to take you along to join them.”

Everyone exchanged glances. A revenge massacre carried out with such bloody methods had definitely exceeded the scope of ordinary jianghu rules. The authorities absolutely had to intervene.

As expected, Guan Wanche stood up and waved his hand.

The courthouse runners immediately removed crossbows from their backs and shouted sternly, “Stop! Don’t resist and come with us, otherwise you will be executed on the spot!”

“Executed on the spot?” The scarred youth’s burned face twisted hideously, his eyes crazed. “You lackeys truly are all the same. This entire world is filled with demons, and even the heavens refuse to demand justice from these beasts. They all deserve death!”

But everyone’s expressions changed drastically the moment those words were spoken. After all, those words clearly carried the intent of rebellion.

Meanwhile, Li Yan’s face had grown grave as he stared at the older man behind the youth.

He had smelled a familiar scent coming from him. To be exact, it was the same scent as that Crowned Serpent Spirit from before.