Chapter 57: Chapter 57
A carriage sped along the official road.
To travel from Bianzhou to Mount Tai, one could take a boat north along the canal and then transfer to a carriage. However, Zhao Jiu had suddenly felt like traveling by carriage, so he rented one for the entire journey.
Jiangnan and the lands of Qi and Lu were both prosperous regions. Their official roads were broad and level, so Zhao Jiu felt little jostling as he sat inside the carriage.
Holding the intelligence he had spent several hundred taels of silver on, Zhao Jiu frowned deeply. The information about Lu Wenyu was exceedingly basic—merely his early official career and details about his wife, children, and other family members.
It was utterly devoid of substance. Zhao Jiu could probably have obtained even more detailed information simply by asking around within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Perhaps even the Ghost Market had felt that the intelligence was not worth the price, because it had included some additional information on another sheet of paper.
For example, Lu Wenyu had returned to the Capital to meet the Emperor several days before the New Year, then subsequently appeared in Shu.
There was also one particularly important piece of intelligence: Lu Wenyu had purchased information about four people from the Ghost Market—Canal Gang Chief Shi Huiming; Lin Yining, the Young Manor Lord of Sword-Washing Manor; Monk Mingzhi, the Buddhist Heir of Lantuo Temple; and Daoist Wang Jiwei of Mount Qingcheng.
Zhao Jiu stared at the two sheets of paper in astonishment.
Shi Huiming had only just died at his hands, and the man he was now heading to Mount Tai to kill was none other than Lin Yining, the Young Manor Lord of Sword-Washing Manor!
Surely all four of them could not be his targets?
How much fucking money would that make him? Had the Zhao Family’s ancestral grave caught fire or something? Was he going to land jobs this big year after year?
His mind overwhelmed by excitement, Zhao Jiu wanted nothing more than to kowtow to Lord Lu on the spot. How was this man merely a client? He was practically a second set of parents!
Zhao Jiu slapped himself twice.
It hurt!
It was real!
He broke into soundless laughter. He could not work too hard—what if he accidentally became the richest man in the world? He could already picture himself converting all that silver into God of Wealth Points and spending them with wild abandon.
Fifteen minutes later, his excitement gradually faded. Reason reclaimed the high ground, and his intelligence finally returned to his brain.
Only then did Zhao Jiu sense that something was wrong.
Every one of those men had powerful forces behind them, particularly the Canal Gang and Lantuo Temple. One was the second-largest gang under Heaven, while the other was one of the Four Great Zen Temples.
What exactly was Lu Wenyu trying to accomplish? Was he not afraid of throwing Jianghu into turmoil?
Pinching the two small sheets of paper between his fingers, Zhao Jiu closed his eyes and pondered.
Hiring an assassin to kill someone certainly was not done for the thrill of it. Lu Wenyu clearly did not want to bear the consequences of the killings.
Yet Lu Wenyu held such a lofty official position. Surely he could not be afraid of these people. At worst, he could throw them into the Imperial Prison and have them finished off inside.
Could it be…
That son of a bitch wanted to throw Jianghu into chaos without taking the blame!
The conjecture startled Zhao Jiu, but once he reasoned through the key points, it seemed like the most likely possibility.
A certain famous child detective had once said: after eliminating every impossibility, whatever remained, no matter how incredible, had to be the truth.
Although a dynasty needed stability to endure, it was not impossible for the Imperial Court to extend its money-grubbing hand into Jianghu. If it wanted to rake in money, keeping its own hands clean was crucial. Once Jianghu descended into chaos, the court could easily profit from the turmoil.
Then Zhao Jiu considered his own position.
One careless step, and that bastard would lead him straight into a pit. When the time came, Lu Wenyu could sit back and reap all the benefits while Zhao Jiu conveniently became the scapegoat.
Son of a bitch. What a scheme!
Zhao Jiu clenched his fist, crumpled the two sheets of paper into a ball, and tossed them into his Storage Space.
Sitting inside the carriage, his expression turned sinister and his gaze icy.
You want to throw Jianghu into chaos, do you?
Heh. I’ll damn well help you do it.
But just how chaotic it becomes won’t be yours to decide!
The carriage continued onward.
Several thunderclaps overhead interrupted Zhao Jiu’s thoughts, followed by the soft patter of rain against the ground. His expression gradually returned to normal.
Lin Yining had to die. Zhao Jiu had no way out of that. If he wanted to survive while caught between these forces, he would have to tread with extreme caution.
For now, he was still a pawn.
But he would not remain one forever!
He sat cross-legged, took the Mystic Insight Pill from his Storage Space, focused his mind, and circulated his qi to cultivate.
Never before had Zhao Jiu felt such a powerful thirst for strength.
If he were strong enough—if he were also a Great Grandmaster—he would never be forced to become someone else’s pawn or scapegoat.
At its root, everything came down to his own lack of strength. Without strength, everything else was useless.
Seven days later, the carriage stopped in a small town at the foot of Mount Tai.
The Carriage Driver smilingly informed Zhao Jiu that they had arrived and solicitously lifted the curtain for him. A fine drizzle filled the air. The Carriage Driver had already opened an umbrella and helped Zhao Jiu down.
In his eyes, Zhao Jiu was merely another wealthy young master who had come to Mount Tai in search of pleasure. As long as he served such people well, they never lacked silver.
After stepping down, Zhao Jiu casually tossed him twenty taels of silver and walked away without looking back.
Mount Tai was the foremost of the Five Great Mountains. Its scenery was magnificent, its grandeur extraordinary, and emperors throughout the ages had performed the Fengshan rites there.
Although a certain man surnamed Zhao had greatly diminished the prestige of performing the Fengshan rites at Mount Tai, the Founding Emperor of Great Qi had nevertheless carried them out there to proclaim his achievements to all under Heaven.
Consequently, visitors streamed endlessly toward Mount Tai, especially wealthy young masters and noble scions.
Naturally, they did not come to admire the scenery or gaze into the distance from the summit.
They came for that particular sort of business conducted behind closed doors.
The famous courtesans of different regions were not limited to the Slender Mares of Yangzhou. There were also the West Lake boatwomen of Lin’an, the women of Datong, and the nuns of Mount Tai.
The women of Datong and the nuns of Mount Tai were the most distinctive. The women of Datong were known primarily for their exotic allure.
As for the nuns of Mount Tai…
They were actual nuns.
Their unique charm made them exceedingly popular among the broad consumer base.
With the pleasure trade flourishing, the population at the foot of Mount Tai had steadily increased until a small town gradually formed. Food, drink, entertainment, clothing, lodging, and transportation—it offered everything one could need.
Zhao Jiu casually chose a restaurant and ordered a table full of fine wine and dishes.
Before killing someone, he had to eat and drink his fill.
Lu Wenyu merely had to provide the money. Zhao Jiu had far more matters to consider.
For example, the simplest question of all: what the hell did Lin Yining look like?
Yes, Lord Lu had not even provided that most basic piece of information.
However, Zhao Jiu had expected as much. It merely meant expending a little more effort.
By the time he had eaten and drunk his fill, night had fallen. The fine rain had not stopped, making it the perfect opportunity.
Zhao Jiu asked the Shopkeeper a few questions and learned that the most famous pleasure establishment on Mount Tai was the Temple of Beauties.
He decided to venture deep into the tiger’s den and investigate for himself.
Riding up the mountain, he followed the mountain road until he truly came upon a Buddhist temple. Two red lanterns hung outside its gates, while the signboard bore three large characters: “Temple of Beauties.”
Several attendants stood by the entrance. One took Zhao Jiu’s reins and tethered his horse before leading him into the temple.
Once the gates closed behind him, Zhao Jiu followed the attendant while surveying his surroundings.
The entire temple nestled within the mountain. It had blue-gray walls and tiled roofs, with bamboo planted along every wall. Two lush pine trees stood within the courtyard, their branches swaying as the wind rustled through the bamboo.
Moonlight filtered through the pine needles, lending the surroundings a quiet, refined elegance. A faint fragrance permeated the fine rain, creating a genuinely evocative atmosphere.
Unlike other brothels and pleasure houses, there were no scantily clad courtesans speaking suggestively in either the halls or gardens. Instead, Buddhist scriptures had been written in various styles of calligraphy across the white walls of many rooms.
Anyone who did not know better would truly have believed this was a Buddhist temple.
The attendant led Zhao Jiu through several courtyards and up to the second floor of one building.
When he opened the door, Zhao Jiu saw an image of a Bodhisattva painted on the wall. Three sticks of incense burned in the censer atop the table, sending thin tendrils of smoke curling upward. Ritual fruit, incense, and candles were all present.
A nun knelt on a prayer mat, striking a wooden fish. She formed the perfect image of solitary devotion beneath a dim lamp before the ancient Buddha.
When the attendant saw Zhao Jiu’s lecherous grin, he tactfully closed the door.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhao Jiu slowly walked forward and recited with a smile, “Through cultivation, your figure has grown slender as a crane; beneath a thousand pines rest two cases of scripture.”
“Dharma Master, my heart has been troubled lately…”