Chapter 48: Chapter 48
“Boss Li — Qi Hu sent me to snoop around the docks tonight…”
Sun Xi found Li Suifeng in private and relayed everything Qi Hu had told him.
Li Suifeng had the upper hand now. Sun Xi’s role was simple: stay at Qi Hu’s side, harvest intelligence, and feed it to Li Suifeng. Someday it would pay off in rank and riches.
“Qi Hu.”
Li Suifeng’s eyes went cold.
He’d struck too hard earlier — one palm had left Song Ling unable to speak.
He hadn’t expected the flower thief to be connected to Qi Hu.
“Do you know the relationship between Qi Hu and Golden Spear Song Ling?” Li Suifeng asked, his back to Sun Xi.
Sun Xi shook his head. “I’ve followed Qi Hu for years. I’ve never heard that name.”
“Mm.” Li Suifeng thought for a moment. “Go back. Tell Qi Hu what you ‘found out’ — that I struck someone at the docks tonight, near Lin Zhixu’s courtyard. Someone was captured, but you couldn’t identify them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sun Xi absorbed the details from Li Suifeng, then headed back to the Qi residence.
…
“Master Hu — I learned that Elder Li made a move at the docks tonight. Right at that little courtyard where he keeps his woman. There’s a gaping hole in the wall.”
“Apparently the person who fought Elder Li was captured.”
Sun Xi returned and delivered his report, embellished with the specifics Li Suifeng had provided.
What?
Qi Hu’s heart clenched. He resumed his agitated pacing.
Damn!
Song Ling had boasted about his unmatched qinggong. And now he’d fallen into Li Suifeng’s hands.
This was a disaster.
If Song Ling’s resolve cracked — if he couldn’t endure Li Suifeng’s interrogation and named Qi Hu — then it was over.
“You’re certain your source is reliable?”
Qi Hu halted, fixing Sun Xi with a hard look.
“Absolutely.” Sun Xi was emphatic. “I sent one of my boys to ask around. After he reported back, I went and checked the courtyard myself. The hole in the wall is huge.”
“If you don’t believe me, see for yourself tomorrow.”
CRACK!
Qi Hu’s fist slammed into the table. The solid-wood surface splintered into pieces.
“Damn you, Song Ling.” The name left his lips in a bitter mutter.
He regretted sending Song Ling after Lin Zhixu.
Now Li Suifeng might come for him as early as tomorrow.
“Master Hu — the person who was captured, do you know them?” Sun Xi asked delicately. “Master Hu, Li Suifeng is riding high right now. We need to tread carefully.”
“Shut up!” Qi Hu snapped, then muttered:
“It may be time to leave Nanyang.”
He’d been planning to relocate to Tianhe Prefecture within the year anyway. He’d accumulated enough wealth over the decades to support the Qi family’s development in a larger city. Moving to Tianhe would also let him shore up his connections there and lay groundwork for the next generation.
Just then—
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Rapping at the parlor door.
“Enter.”
At Qi Hu’s curt command, the household steward stepped in.
“Master — an express letter from headquarters.”
He handed over a sealed envelope.
“Marked urgent.”
Oh?
Qi Hu was taken aback. An urgent dispatch from headquarters — for him?
Shouldn’t it be addressed to Li Suifeng? He was the acting Helmsman.
Curiosity won out. He broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
“HA HA HA!”
“Heaven hasn’t forsaken me!”
“I’d love to see how Li Suifeng wriggles out of this one!”
Sun Xi’s heart lurched.
“Master Hu — what is it?”
Qi Hu was visibly elated. He passed the letter to Sun Xi.
“Li Suifeng will not be sitting in the Helmsman’s chair. Headquarters has made its appointment — Ye Mingchu, a Disciplinary Hall Commander. Ye Mingchu is one of Disciplinary Hall Elder Sun’s disciples, and he and I go back. His son and my grandson are both studying at the Bashan Sword Sect. Close friends.”
“From now on, Li Suifeng’s days of comfort are numbered.”
Sun Xi’s heart hammered, but he kept his face smooth as he read the letter.
It was exactly as Qi Hu described.
Tomorrow, Ye Mingchu would depart headquarters for Nanyang.
“Congratulations, Master Hu.”
The words tasted hollow on Sun Xi’s tongue. He was burning to relay this to Li Suifeng.
He’d cast his lot entirely with Li Suifeng. If Qi Hu ever learned the truth, Sun Xi was a dead man.
And even if he sold Li Suifeng out now, Qi Hu would never trust him again.
One road. No turning back.
Qi Hu was basking in the glow of good news. Sun Xi’s acting was flawless. Qi Hu didn’t notice a thing.
…
KNOCK KNOCK.
Li Suifeng had just returned to the branch, looking forward to some quality time with Lin Zhixu.
The knocking killed that plan.
“What is it?”
He opened the door.
He knew his people wouldn’t disturb him at this hour without serious cause.
“Sun Xi?”
Li Suifeng was surprised to see Sun Xi standing alongside Zhu Dachang.
Sun Xi had only just left. He’d told the man to relay messages through Zhu Dachang — not to come running into the branch compound.
And showing up this openly? Wasn’t he worried about Qi Hu finding out?
“Boss Li — bad news!”
“Headquarters has appointed a new Helmsman. He’s on his way.”
“Ye Mingchu — a Disciplinary Hall Commander. He’s got ties to Qi Hu, and his son and Qi Hu’s grandson are both at the Bashan Sword Sect. Close.”
Sun Xi was still catching his breath.
The moment he’d gotten the news, he’d detoured through the Cuihong Pavilion and slipped out the back door before racing here.
The message couldn’t wait.
“Ye Mingchu?”
Li Suifeng’s eyes narrowed as he gazed toward Tianhe Prefecture.
No more playing the long game.
The Helmsman’s seat — and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art — were his. Non-negotiable.
If headquarters was parachuting in a new Helmsman, the man simply wouldn’t make it to Nanyang.
He’d see whether headquarters would try a third time.
“Go home. If you have updates, give them to Zhu Dachang. Stop coming to the branch in person.”
Li Suifeng pulled a thousand taels in banknotes from his sleeve and handed them to Sun Xi.
“This was timely. Consider it a bonus.”
“Thank you, Boss Li!” Sun Xi beamed.
He’d followed Qi Hu for years and earned thirty or forty taels a month. A thousand taels was a small fortune.
…
Early the next morning.
Li Suifeng was back at the blacksmith shop on Luoshi Alley.
“What — more intelligence shopping?”
Crow glanced up. This kid had brought Song Ling’s corpse in yesterday and was already back?
Li Suifeng stepped inside and picked up a wrought-iron sword from the display.
“I’d like to refer a job to the organization.”
“What kind of job?” Crow’s interest piqued.
Given Li Suifeng’s strength, nobody in Nanyang was a real threat to him.
“What does it cost to kill a sixth-rank fighter?” Li Suifeng asked.
“Four or five thousand taels, minimum.”
“And if the target is a Canal Gang Commander?”
“Then it’s seven thousand.”
Li Suifeng produced a stack of banknotes, counted out seven, and set them before Crow.
“Seven thousand taels. Today, a Disciplinary Hall Commander named Ye Mingchu will depart Canal Gang headquarters for Nanyang. I want him to meet with an accident on the road. He doesn’t reach this city.”