Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Within days, news that the Young Manor Lord of Sword-Washing Manor had been killed spread throughout the Capital. Taverns and inns in every street and alley were discussing the matter.

“Have you heard? The Young Manor Lord of Sword-Washing Manor was killed. Who do you think had the guts to do it?”

The classic “Have you heard?” opener—his entire game was making things sound mysterious.

Another man nearby refused to be outdone.

“You’re behind the times. What do you mean, ‘Have you heard?’ They’ve already written a storybook about it at the alley entrance. What was it called? ‘Lust Arises in a Nun’s Chamber; a Righteous Hero Slays the Villain at Midnight.’ Now that’s a proper tale.”

“A righteous hero? Hahahaha! I say it was a crime of passion!” Another man sighed. “You people don’t know, do you? When the Young Manor Lord died, he wasn’t wearing a single stitch. He was completely naked!”

Putting on an air of profound knowledge, the man continued, “According to what I know, he died an ugly death. His entire body was covered in blood. I even heard there was a rod involved. Good heavens, that… that… How was it any different from torture?”

As he spoke, the man gestured toward his backside and jabbed his hand forward.

HSSS—

Everyone sharply sucked in a breath.

That was far too brutal!

They had even brought a rod into it. Was that something that belonged in the mortal realm? Even the eighteen levels of hell could not be much worse.

If he liked being tortured, why had he gone to Mount Tai? The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Imperial Prison had plenty of tricks to choose from!

“That’s not all!” Seeing that everyone was interested, the man wagged a finger as though he had witnessed everything himself. “There were several hundred whip marks on his body, and his head mysteriously vanished. Why was that? Tell me—why?”

The listeners genuinely could not guess, but they were also playing along. They began clamoring for an answer.

“Why? Tell us, Brother. At worst, we’ll admit you’re impressive!”

“Exactly! Just tell us.”

The group kicked up such a commotion that even people who were not there to eat quietly pressed themselves against the windows, waiting for the man to reveal the answer.

Wasn’t this fucking more interesting than listening to a storyteller?

“Then allow me to explain the entire sequence of events.”

“That Young Master Lin—the Young Manor Lord—had… what was it called? That fondness for men. Right—the passion of Longyang!”

The man looked immensely proud, as though he had uncovered some astonishing secret.

HSSS…

“That doesn’t make sense. Why did he go to Mount Tai, then? Why was he fooling around with a nun?”

Someone nearby thought it over carefully but remained puzzled.

The man scoffed. “What do you understand? He was a man of status. Would he dare do that kind of thing openly?”

“That nun was only for appearances! What he did in private was kept nice and quiet! Think about it—even a worm will turn. If he played that rough, who could endure it? Of course the other man took his life!”

The people nearby sank into thought.

That did seem reasonable. With games that extreme, forget a person—even an elephant could not endure them!

“That still isn’t right. Didn’t Sword-Washing Manor say that Golden Saber Valley killed him?”

“Would they have the nerve to announce something like this? Of course they needed a scapegoat!” the man replied without hesitation, sounding absolutely certain.

Sitting nearby and drinking wine as he ate, Zhao Jiu’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

Fuck! That wasn’t me! I didn’t do any of that!

I only killed Lin Yining, gave his corpse a few extra slashes, and made his head disappear. That was all!

What rod? What whip? What did any of that have to do with me?

I’m not a pervert!

Who could have imagined that even an assassin would one day have his reputation smeared by someone else?

Although Zhao Jiu had long since lost the will to live, his face still wore the eager expression of someone thoroughly enjoying the gossip. He could not give himself away now, or he would be branded the perverted murderer.

With complicated feelings, Zhao Jiu quickly finished his meal. The Shopkeeper had already packed the food box, so Zhao Jiu did not dare linger for another moment. He did not even drink his tea before hurrying outside.

Once he left the restaurant, his ears finally found peace.

What the hell was this?

With each retelling, the rumors became more outrageous, careening straight below the belt like a carriage with no brakes.

Then again, one person dying was hardly interesting. Even if the corpse had been left in a grotesque state, it would merely be another unsolved case. But if the death involved something sexual, that was the kind of juicy subject that attracted everyone’s attention.

After grasping the key to the matter, Zhao Jiu relaxed completely.

No one besides Gong Lianyou knew that he had killed Lin Yining, but would Gong Lianyou dare reveal it?

She was merely a Fourth Rank. Did she truly think she was somebody important?

To Zhao Jiu, she was nothing more than an insect capable of squirming. That was all.

Zhao Jiu left the restaurant with one hand clasped behind his back and the other carrying the food box. He leisurely headed toward the compound.

After walking only a few steps, he sensed that something was wrong.

Since reaching the Third Rank, his five senses had become far sharper. He could now detect subtle things that had once escaped his notice.

Several pairs of eyes seemed to be watching him.

That should have been impossible. He had left no survivors, so how could anyone have discovered him so quickly?

There was no time to puzzle it out. Zhao Jiu did not dare look back, afraid of alerting his watchers. He sneered, kept one hand behind his back, and considered his options as he walked.

The compound was close, but Zhao Jiu did not enter.

Why would he expose his lair to someone else?

He continued forward and used an External Release of True Qi to carefully sense what lay behind him.

Sure enough, two men stood motionless at the corner of the alley, staring at Zhao Jiu. They were so obvious that he did not even need to sort through the surrounding presences. Their eyes had never left him.

Well, well.

Neither of them had even reached the Fourth Rank, yet they dared follow a Third Rank.

Zhao Jiu deliberately decided to toy with them. He wanted to know what dumbass had sent these two unreliable fools.

Carrying the food box, he continued outward. He would lead his two tails in a few circles first and treat it as a walk to digest his meal.

Zhao Jiu walked ahead while the two men followed closely behind.

He left Wallfoot Alley, turned into another alley, and entered a tobacco shop to buy a dry pipe. After leisurely drinking an entire pot of tea, he stepped outside and looked around.

Fine. They were still following him.

He had given them an out, and they had refused it.

Without another word, Zhao Jiu led them through one turn after another, wandering down alley after alley.

After crossing Yun Street, he turned toward East City. By this point, Zhao Jiu’s legs were numb from walking, yet the two men behind him continued following.

Fine. So they had stamina, did they?

Zhao Jiu entered an apothecary, purchased several packets of medicine, and comfortably drank another pot of tea. Only then did he leave and continue wandering with the two unfortunate fools trailing him.

They wanted to persist, did they?

If I don’t walk you two to death, then I, Zhao Jiu, am a fucking scrub!

They walked for more than two hours.

Zhao Jiu had finished his meal at around three in the afternoon and wandered until nearly seven, yet those two were still following him.

Zhao Jiu could no longer endure it.

He was a man accustomed to traveling by carriage, horse, or boat whenever he went out. Walking for more than two hours without using Qinggong—forget a man, even a dog could not endure that!

The sun was now sinking in the west, and the sky was already half-dark.

Zhao Jiu made up his mind. He had to deal with these two.

At worst, he would kill them, store their corpses in the Storage Space, then leave the city and bury them in a mass grave.

He could not take it anymore!

There happened to be a dead-end alley nearby that was almost entirely deserted.

That would do!

Zhao Jiu led the two men toward the dead end. After making sure they had not lost him, he entered first.

He activated Chasing the Stars and Pursuing the Moon. Several afterimages flashed across the ground, and Zhao Jiu appeared beyond the wall.

He placed the food box into the Storage Space, turned around, and headed back toward the dead-end alley.

This time, he would block them in.

Chen Da and Chen Er, following behind Zhao Jiu, finally breathed sighs of relief when they saw him enter the dead end.

That kid could really wander. He had walked all the way from the foot of the Imperial City to East City and nearly exhausted both of them to death.

Chen Er gasped for breath. “Brother, that kid went inside. It’s a dead end. Let’s block him in and settle this quickly so we can get paid. Fuck, I’m exhausted.”

Supporting himself against a wall, Chen Da nodded.

They had finally trapped him.

By now, their throats were parched, and their legs were trembling.

Without another word, the two hurried into the alley.

There was no sign of Zhao Jiu. Only the bare, empty dead end lay before them.

The two exchanged a glance.

This was bad. They had provoked a ruthless man.

Zhao Jiu had not taken a wrong turn. He had deliberately led them here to silence them!

They turned to flee, but a pebble flew out of nowhere and struck Chen Er.

All the strength instantly drained from his body, leaving him completely unable to move.

Several more pebbles struck Chen Er in the face. Now he could neither move nor speak.

Chen Da’s expression changed drastically. He turned, intending to carry his younger brother away on his back.

Before he could take a single step, a hand landed on his shoulder.

In an instant, he became just like Chen Er, unable to move a muscle.

“You’ve followed me for so long. You must be tired, right?” Zhao Jiu wrapped an arm around Chen Da’s shoulders and smiled. “Wouldn’t it have been better to rest? But no, you just had to persevere.”

“I left messages up ahead several times telling you to leave. I gave you an out, and you spat it back in my face!”