Chapter 39: The Oriole Behind, This Official Does Not Eat Insulting Alms
Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The Oriole Behind, This Official Does Not Eat Insulting Alms
The crowd gathered around the execution ground gradually dispersed.
Zhou Shunqing, disguised as an old woman and hidden among them, also suppressed his grief and turned to leave. He wasn’t heading back to the inn where he was staying, but straight for the city gate beside the execution ground.
After two or three days of rest, his injuries had healed considerably. He had come today to see off his comrade, but also to take advantage of the bustling crowd to leave Tongzhou.
After leaving the city, the number of pedestrians around him dwindled. By mid-afternoon, Zhou Shunqing was the only one left on the road.
He dropped his guard and his disguise. Though he still had the appearance of an old woman, his body was no longer stooped and his steps were no longer staggered. He hurried swiftly toward the Prefecture City.
Suddenly, a chorus of birdsong erupted behind him. Zhou Shunqing stopped and looked back to see a flock of birds in the distance, seemingly startled, fluttering into the sky.
The next moment, the Kaiyang Saint Heir, dressed in white, and a masked County Magistrate Wang came speeding toward him, treading on the treetops.
Zhou Shunqing’s expression changed drastically. Heedless of his still-unhealed injuries, he circulated his Inner Strength, turned, and fled for his life.
"Zhou Shunqing, you traitorous thief! Hand over the Spirit Pill and return with me to face your punishment!" the Kaiyang Saint Heir roared. Leaping through the air, he flung his folding fan, which flew like a sharp blade toward Zhou Shunqing.
Sensing the fierce wind approaching from behind, Zhou Shunqing didn’t dare look back and immediately dropped into a roll. The fan missed, striking a tree and slicing it in half on the spot.
Just as Zhou Shunqing got to his feet, County Magistrate Wang and the Kaiyang Saint Heir landed, one in front and one behind, surrounding him.
The Kaiyang Saint Heir caught the fan as it flew back like a boomerang and lunged directly at Zhou Shunqing, engaging him in close combat.
County Magistrate Wang also rushed forward to help.
Already injured and unarmed, Zhou Shunqing was outnumbered and steadily beaten back. He coughed up blood as he parried their blows, roaring through gritted teeth, "You are a revered Saint Heir, enjoying all the Holy Sect’s resources, yet you poisoned and framed a fellow member just to steal a Spirit Pill! You will surely face divine retribution in this life!"
County Magistrate Wang abruptly stopped and looked at the Kaiyang Saint Heir.
"Still making false accusations when you’re at death’s door." The Kaiyang Saint Heir’s expression remained unchanged. His fan, like a sharp sword, pierced Zhou Shunqing’s shoulder. He then sent him flying several meters with a mid-air kick. After landing, he turned to look coldly at County Magistrate Wang and snorted, "Captain Wang, you don’t actually believe his nonsense, do you?"
"You’re the Sub-Squad Leader of the Tongzhou Branch?" Like a candle flickering in the wind, Zhou Shunqing saw a glimmer of hope. He coughed up blood as he spoke to County Magistrate Wang, "I swear to the heavens that I speak the truth! If I am lying, may I be pierced by a thousand arrows!"
County Magistrate Wang was momentarily unsure who to believe, but with the caution of a Jianghu veteran, he put some distance between himself and the Saint Heir.
"How ridiculous! The Spirit Pill may be precious, but as a Saint Heir, the Holy Sect has never treated me unfairly. Why would I be so shortsighted?" The Kaiyang Saint Heir laughed in exasperation.
Then he took a deep breath to suppress his anger and said to County Magistrate Wang in a low voice, "If you don’t believe me, then have him give you the Spirit Pill for safekeeping. I’ll take him back to receive his punishment first. At that time, I will return with a written order from the Flame Hall Master to retrieve the Spirit Pill."
Hearing this, County Magistrate Wang was actually already inclined to believe the Kaiyang Saint Heir, but to be on the safe side, he agreed to the proposal. "It’s not that I don’t trust you, Saint Heir, but this matter is of great importance. Please forgive my impertinence."
"Hmph!" The Kaiyang Saint Heir seemed genuinely furious that he wasn’t trusted and didn’t reply, his face cold.
County Magistrate Wang looked at Zhou Shunqing. "I am the Sub-Squad Leader of the Holy Sect’s Tongzhou Branch. Please hand over the Spirit Pill."
"The Spirit Pill is in my robes." Zhou Shunqing no longer had the strength to get up and looked as if he could breathe his last at any moment, yet he laughed with satisfaction, mocking the Kaiyang Saint Heir. "I know that if I go with you, I’ll never make it back to the Holy Sect. I’ll just die at your hands along the way. But so what? As long as a heartless beast like you doesn’t get what he wants, that’s enough for me."
"Such a sharp tongue! You dare to commit the crime but not admit it—truly unworthy of being called a man!" The Kaiyang Saint Heir’s eyes filled with contempt. He looked at County Magistrate Wang and reminded him in a low voice, "This man is extremely sinister and cunning. Captain Wang, you must be careful he doesn’t launch a sneak attack."
"Thank you, Saint Heir." County Magistrate Wang nodded.
He then walked cautiously toward Zhou Shunqing. After getting close, he squatted down, staring intently at him as he reached into his robes to search for the Spirit Pill.
He soon felt a small bottle.
Zhou Shunqing roared, "Watch out!"
County Magistrate Wang had just pulled out the Jade Bottle when, before he could react, he was struck from behind. His body pitched forward violently as he spat out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, the Jade Bottle flew from his grasp and landed in a pile of dead leaves nearby.
County Magistrate Wang, now on the ground, struggled to turn over. He stared at the Kaiyang Saint Heir in utter disbelief. "It was you!"
"I did tell you to watch out for a sneak attack." The Kaiyang Saint Heir was no longer irritable or short-tempered. Snapping open his fan, he spoke with a calm smile.
County Magistrate Wang’s face was full of confusion. "Why? Just as you said yourself, you’re a revered Saint Heir with access to the Holy Sect’s inexhaustible resources. Why would you need to be so shortsighted?"
"Since when do I need to explain my actions to fools like you?" The Kaiyang Saint Heir chuckled and started walking toward the Jade Bottle, remarking casually, "Zhou Shunqing poisoned a fellow member to steal the Pill. Captain Wang failed to intercept him and was killed in the process. I killed Zhou Shunqing but didn’t find the Spirit Pill on his body. What a perfect script!
Just as you, Captain Wang, couldn’t believe I would do such a thing, no one else in the Holy Sect will believe it either. So, whatever the truth is, my word will be the only one that matters! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!"
The Kaiyang Saint Heir roared with laughter, immensely pleased with himself.
"In that case, you were also behind the massacre at Wang Family Bay!" County Magistrate Wang demanded through gritted teeth.
"That’s right." The Kaiyang Saint Heir stopped, turned back with a brilliant smile, and half-closed his eyes as if savoring a memory. "It was the great fortune of those peasants to become nutrients to help my power reach the next level.
And those two village girls... while not peerless beauties, they were pretty in their own simple way. Playing with them was a unique pleasure. To have received my favor before they died—it means their lives were not lived in vain! HAHAHAHA!"
"You animal! The reputation of our Holy Sect is ruined by scum like you!" County Magistrate Wang’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
"So what? Who’s going to know?" The Kaiyang Saint Heir was unconcerned, even smug. He walked up to the pile of dead leaves and bent down excitedly to pick up the Jade Bottle. "In the end, the Spirit Pill is still mi—"
"SWOOSH!"
An arrow tore through the air and embedded itself three inches deep in the ground right beside the Jade Bottle. Startled, the Kaiyang Saint Heir immediately pulled back his hand and leaped away, looking up with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
Three women, all exceptionally graceful and each beautiful in her own unique way, leaped through the forest. In the blink of an eye, they had arrived.
The tallest of them, a woman in white, drew her bow and nocked an arrow again in mid-air. The bow bent like a full moon, and the arrow shot forth, creating a series of sonic booms as it flew toward the Kaiyang Saint Heir.
"A petty trick. You dare show off in front of an expert?" The Kaiyang Saint Heir flicked his fan, easily deflecting the arrow.
The three women took up positions on three sides, surrounding him.
At the same time, accompanied by the urgent sound of hooves and clouds of dust, Pei Shaoqing arrived on horseback with dozens of Jing’an Guards. As they drew near, all the guards dismounted, raising their Breaking Gang Crossbows and aiming at the three men in the clearing.
This sudden turn of events stunned both County Magistrate Wang and Zhou Shunqing. The County Magistrate subconsciously touched the mask on his face. It was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief.
The Kaiyang Saint Heir’s expression, however, was grim. Not even in his wildest dreams had he imagined a situation like this.
"Meow!"
Just as the atmosphere in the clearing grew so tense you could hear a pin drop, an orange cat leaped down from a tree, snatched up the Jade Bottle in its mouth, and ran toward Pei Shaoqing. As it neared his horse, it jumped lightly onto its back and spat the bottle into his hand.
"Good kitty." Pei Shaoqing caught the Jade Bottle and reached out to stroke the cat’s head. The orange cat meowed, rolled onto its back to let him rub its belly, and started purring.
Watching the little flirt squirming and begging for pets, a strange thought occurred to Pei Shaoqing. ’Is this considered cheating on General Li?’ He quickly gave it a few more pets.
Everyone watched Pei Shaoqing pet the cat. Not a single person dared to break the silence.
Pei Shaoqing stopped petting the cat and opened the Jade Bottle. In an instant, the fragrance of the Pill filled the air. He took a deep breath and remarked with sincere appreciation, "This really is a fine Spirit Pill."
"You must have come for the Spirit Pill as well. In that case, I will gift this Spirit Pill to you," the Kaiyang Saint Heir said, raising a cupped fist in a semblance of courtesy.
"Ha! HAHAHAHA!" Pei Shaoqing closed the Jade Bottle and burst out laughing. As he laughed, his smile gradually turned chilling. "Trying to curry favor with me by ’gifting’ me my own property. You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?
Besides, I don’t accept charity. When I want something, I don’t need anyone to give it to me. I take it for myself. You, gift it to me? Are you even worthy?"