Chapter 27: Chapter 24: The Night of the Murder (Continued)
Qing Yu passed through the gloomy alley and leaped over the rooftops in front, silently and slowly landing behind a group of patrolling Iron Saber Association members.
"Group of demons, easy to disperse!"
After Qing Yu comprehended Gale Swift Sword and enlightened the intervals within the wind, his Exorcism Swordsmanship became even more ruthless and swift. The Bishui Sword swept across, and three heads of those walking in the back flew off simultaneously.
"Enemy attack." The leader, sensing the noise, turned back and shouted fiercely.
It was too late. Qing Yu's left-hand Mystic Iron dagger flew out, its speed extremely fast as it was shot using the Flying Needle Technique from the Exorcism Sword Manual, striking the throat of the remaining gang member.
Meteor Falling.
The sword was like a long rainbow, piercing through the throat. Qing Yu realized he was growing fond of targeting the throat, fatal and conspicuous.
Drawing his sword, Golden Wild Goose Skill.
By the time nearby patrollers arrived to support, Qing Yu had already vanished like a traceless goose flying in the dark.
Once more moving across rooftops and walls, Qing Yu found another group of men, still easily assassinated.
After several such incidents, fear pervaded the ranks of the Iron Saber Association. Li Qiusheng, upon hearing the news, quickly dispatched people back to the Li Family to summon experts to the rescue.
Qing Yu also knew when to quit while ahead. From a distance, he looked at the middle-aged expert who had arrived, his aura robust, surely no less than the Postnatal Eighth Layer. With Qing Yu's current realm, facing him alone, the odds of victory were uncertain, not to mention Li Qiusheng and a host of Iron Saber Association members watching him like tigers eyeing their prey.
The moon this night was bright, its light bathing the entire Yang City, making it almost as bright as day.
Under such a moon, killing was indeed done with great style, but moving stealthily was a challenge. Qing Yu weaved through shadows under the eaves and moved through the streets towards Li Xin's cottage.
Li Xin's house was in a very desolate area, surrounded by dilapidated houses. These buildings were at least a hundred years old. Under the rule of the Four Great Families, Yang City wouldn't invest in urban development, and these houses were uninhabited. Even the beggars had been driven away by people sent by Li Xin, making it very desolate.
When Qing Yu arrived, Li Xin was not there, so he sat quietly at the square table, calmly regulating his breath.
Time passed unknowingly, and there was a noise outside the house.
When Li Xin pushed the door open, he smelled a faint scent of blood, instantly tensing his body, and the foot he had stepped in with slowly retracted.
Upon seeing the familiar shadow beside the square table, he relaxed a little.
"Sir?" Li Xin asked cautiously for confirmation.
An oil lamp was lit, and Qing Yu squinted his eyes to adapt to the bright light, replying, "It's me..."
Li Xin entered the room, closed the door behind him, and asked with concern, "Sir, are you hurt?" He had smelled blood upon entering.
Qing Yu was taken aback, and after seeing the unsheathed Bishui Sword on the table, he understood why Li Xin asked if he was hurt. The Bishui Sword was completely stained with fresh blood that night, and Qing Yu, fearing the bloodstains would remain in the scabbard and be difficult to clean, had been holding the long sword and had not sheathed it.
"No harm, it's all the blood of those gang members." Despite only being a superfluous question, Qing Yu still felt Li Xin's loyalty.
"Tonight, having eliminated quite a number of people, your control over the Iron Saber Association should be even tighter now, right?"
Li Xin respectfully replied, "Li Qiusheng doesn't trust outsiders, and even as his illegitimate son, I am not fully trusted. The people patrolling the streets at night are all from the side branches of the Li family that he trusts a great deal. These people also ensure the Li family's control over the Iron Saber Association. If it weren't for my Martial Arts being unrivaled among the younger generation of the Li family, this position of Gang Leader would not have been my turn..."
At this point, Li Xin sighed with a helpless bitter smile, "Although my role as Gang Leader is more like a puppet."
"Eliminating these people will greatly weaken the Li family's control over the Iron Saber Association. Their weakening is an enhancement to me, the nominal Gang Leader, especially since all the surviving elders are now under the control of the Three Corpses Brain God Pill graciously provided by the young master."
Qing Yu nodded and said, "You need to find a way to strengthen your prestige as Gang Leader. Too much is as bad as too little. The side branch members of the Li family cannot all be eliminated through slaughter, as that would only backfire. In addition, find a way to pin the deaths of these people on the Zhang family, directing the Li family's accusations toward them."
"Yes," Li Xin replied reverently.
"The assassination attempt on Li Dian and the other two the night before, I guided the Great Elder to leave clues at the scene pointing to the Song family," Qing Yu continued.
Li Xin was startled by this revelation. Li Qiusheng didn't trust him, only telling him about the deaths of Li Dian and the others, while keeping the details under wraps. Li Xin knew nothing about these specifics.
Seeing his expression, Qing Yu understood that Li Xin was unaware of the matter and took out a white porcelain bottle from his chest, handing it to Li Xin, "When I killed Li Dian, I used a colorless and tasteless sedative, slow-acting but with extremely domineering effects, causing one's body to stiffen and speech to slur. Find a way to let Li Qiusheng know that the Song family has this kind of sedative."
Li Xin accepted the porcelain bottle with both hands, responding, "Yes."
He didn't ask Qing Yu why he wanted to deal with other families, which wasn't his place as a subordinate. All he knew was that Qing Yu had helped him take revenge, doing what he had always wanted to do but never dared. For this, he had sold his life to Qing Yu, and that was enough.
"Li Qiusheng didn't inform you of the details regarding the assassination of Li Dian and the others. It seems he has begun to suspect you," Qing Yu considered whether it was necessary to eliminate Li Qiusheng.
"Li Qiusheng has always looked down on me. Because my talent in Martial Arts far surpasses his, he's seen me as nothing more than a brute skilled only in martial fighting. I'm glad he thinks so. Besides practicing martial arts, I spend my days cleaning up after that beast, Li Qiuyan. So if Li Qiusheng began to doubt me, it must be not from his own suspicions but because someone reminded him."
"Oh? Who might that be?" Qing Yu asked curiously.
"Li Pingsheng. This old scoundrel has deep schemes, and although I don't know where I have shown a flaw, if anyone can influence Li Qiusheng and suspect me right away, it must be Li Pingsheng," Li Xin said with hatred in his voice.
"It seems you really hate him," Qing Yu could feel the hatred in Li Xin's words for his irresponsible father.
"Hate." Li Xin spoke decisively, "Of course, I hate him. All the suffering that my mother and I endured originated from him. If it weren't for the fist techniques that I had learned covertly and showed when I was nine, revealing an exceptional Martial Arts talent, my mother and I might have been driven out and beaten to death by Mrs. Li, that poisonous woman. It was because of that incident that my mother became ill, her health frail over the years, which led to her being killed by Li Qiuyan. Over the years, I've only seen him four times, each time kneeling with my head down to speak, and only glanced at him when getting up, truly having only seen him four times."
Li Xin briefly explained the reason, and even with that, Qing Yu could feel his deep-seated hatred. With such enmity between father and son, Qing Yu had no wish for Li Xin to have a change of heart at the critical moment and stab him in the back. It had to be said that the melodramatic plots in TV dramas from his previous life had quite an impact on Qing Yu.
"Regardless, once everything is settled, I assure you the Li family will be at your disposal."
"Thank you, young master," Li Xin bowed and said as he paid his respects.
"Additionally, check if there have been any anomalies in the Li family recently, like, hosting any distinguished guests," Qing Yu instructed. Discovering who the court had sent and which families had connections with the court would help Qing Yu preserve himself in the upcoming unknown whirlpools. At least, he wouldn't be caught blind, dying without knowing how.
"Yes."
Qing Yu wiped the Bishui Sword and sheathed it. Getting up, he declined Li Xin's offer to see him out and, stepping into the bright moonlight, he soared away.
Chapter 28: Chapter 25 Brothel Farce
"Bang..." The door burst open, and a figure flew out from inside the house, crashing directly into the elegantly wooden door and falling onto the corridor outside.
Inside Chun Gui Pavilion, the brothel workers and customers, noticing the rare excitement, peeked out to watch, some even with disheveled clothes as though they were in the middle of coitus, couldn't contain their curiosity and came out to see what was happening.
After all, business could always wait, but the excitement at Chun Gui Pavilion was not a common occurrence. The enforcers from the Iron Saber Association didn't mind loosening up their fists.
The man lying in the corridor was dressed in blue brocade robes, wearing a golden crown and a fine jade ring on his belt; his outfit screamed of a dandy young man. Unfortunately, his face was swollen and bruised, the golden crown atop his head was askew, and a large gray footprint stained his clothes, as he lay on the ground moaning weakly.
"Song... you... dared to use poison, the Zhang Family will not... let you go..." He recognized the words, this must be the young master of the Zhang Family. As he saw the crowd gathering, he tried to rise and cover his face to leave.
Little did he think, his body was stiff, unable to exert any strength, even speaking was difficult. Realizing something was wrong with his body, he figured he must have been poisoned.
"Ha ha ha." A dashing young man who dressed similarly walked out from the house, handsome and tall with a beauty in his arms who seemed reluctant to speak. Unfortunately, his pale face and the typical signs of debauchery spoiled the image of his fine appearance.
"Zhang Mingyuan, just lie down on the ground, Miss Sisi and I will leave you be. A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold; such a beautiful time cannot be delayed at all. Don't worry, it's just a potent sedative, lying on the ground for four hours will cool down your fiery heart. Ha ha ha ha..." Song Ziyu declared with the stance of a victor.
It's just a sedative... phew, Zhang Mingyuan sighed in relief, assured that Song Ziyu wouldn't dare to harm the only son of Family Head Zhang.
With the fear gone, the anger from being kicked out of the room and the embarrassment of being watched surged in his heart.
"You... despicable..." Zhang Mingyuan wanted to bitterly curse Song Ziyu, this shameless person, but alas, he could hardly speak, and even these three words took considerable effort.
"Say whatever you want, it doesn't change the fact that you are a drowning dog," Song Ziyu, seeing his usually superior foe Zhang Mingyuan now lying on the ground, was in high spirits. He didn't care what he said, treating it all as the wails of a defeated dog.
"Brothel owner, no need to change rooms." Song Ziyu, sharp-eyed, noticed the Brothel Owner about to speak, guessing she wanted to move them to another room to break up the disturbance.
Obviously, because these two, one being the only son of the Zhang Family head and the other the young master of the Song Family from the City Lord Mansion, with only one elder sister, being an only son was not far-fetched. Had they been ordinary people, they would have long been suppressed and beaten up by the enforcers.
"I, for fear that Brother Zhang might catch a cold on the ground, will spend the night with Miss Sisi in this doorless room. I hope this fiery spring passion will give Brother Zhang some warmth. Ha ha ha ha ha..." Song Ziyu, relishing his upper hand, didn't miss the opportunity to kick a man when he was down.
"..." Zhang Mingyuan's tongue was completely numb, he couldn't speak a word.
"This..." The Brothel Owner opened her mouth, hoping to mediate.
"Shut up, let him lie there tonight, no one can help," Song Ziyu glared at the Brothel Owner threateningly, his intentions clear.
The Brothel Owner hesitantly didn't dare say more.
Song Ziyu, with the girl in his arms, laughed heartily as he entered the room.
Zhang Mingyuan, seeing his smug look, felt the rage in his eyes about to burst forth; had his mouth not been numbed, he probably would have bitten through his own teeth.
The Brothel Owner of Chun Gui Pavilion, seeing that neither party could afford to offend them, chose neither side, dispatched enforcers to disperse the onlookers, sparing a bit of face for the only young master of the Zhang Family.
Among the dispersed crowd, there was a middle-aged man, silently watching this farce unfold, nodded subtly seeing events unfold as planned, and quietly slipped away as the enforcers cleared the crowd.
This farce had also been timely reported to Li Qiusheng, who was handling matters at the Li Family.
Li Qiusheng poured himself a cup of tea and set it beside him, supporting his forehead with his right hand, and took a moment to rest.
These past few days, Li Qiusheng had been arranging people non-stop to investigate and gather findings from his subordinates. He only managed to rest for brief moments each day, and it had been several days since he had comforted his cherished wife.
However, at this moment, his father was still busy with important matters, his second brother was not at home, and his younger brother had recently passed away, leaving him as the only one who could bear this heavy burden.
Squinting his eyes slightly, Li Qiusheng had just started to rest when a servant came to report urgent matters from Chun Gui Pavilion.
Li Qiusheng pressed his throbbing temples and waved his hand to signal the servant to let the messenger in.
The messenger from Chun Gui Pavilion quickly entered and meticulously recounted the night's upheaval at Chun Gui Pavilion.
Li Qiusheng listened without uttering a word, only indicating to the messenger that he could leave.
After a long while, with a loud "thud", Li Qiusheng slammed his palm onto the table, causing the tea cup to crash to the floor.
"Song Family..." the words burst forth from his lips one by one, his face stern and his eyes filled with coldness.
"Someone. Gather the men; follow me to Chun Gui Pavilion."
Immediately, someone outside responded and then departed to call the people.
"Wait," Li Qiusheng called out again, "Never mind, let him stop. Send someone to secretly investigate. I want to know the source of the sedative in Song Ziyu's hands."
Another servant went to stop the previous gathering.
Li Qiusheng suppressed the urge to immediately rush to Chun Gui Pavilion and capture Song Ziyu for questioning. Now was not the time to confront openly. Besides, it might be someone else framing him.
Li Qiusheng leaned back in his chair, troubled and silent for a long time.
Li Xin clenched his fist tightly, twisting the neck in his hand until it snapped. The body slowly slid from Li Xin's grasp, hitting the ground and raising a thin layer of dust.
Under the moonlight, Li Xin, wearing a headscarf, had the appearance of a corpulent middle-aged man who had prospered with age.
The middle-aged man who had quietly left the crowd at Chun Gui Pavilion was none other than Li Xin. The corpse in front of him had been during his lifetime a servant of Song Ziyu, bribed by Li Xin to offer the sedative to Song Ziyu to set up Zhang Mingyuan.
Li Xin sneered at the disbelieving eyes of the corpse in front of him. Previously, this man had demanded a large amount of money, not knowing that a destined dead man could never use the riches.
Li Xin crouched down beside the body and searched it, taking back the money he had given. It was not that Li Xin was greedy for money, but a common servant shouldn't possess so much wealth, even if he was a servant of Song Ziyu.
Excess money would only expose that someone was behind this, which would be detrimental to the execution of the plan.
Having made sure everything was handled, Li Xin turned and left.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
9 Power
stone 
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