Chapter 97. Treat Others as You Want to Be Treated

Shang Zaiyong of the Four Seas Merchant Guild slowly opened his mouth.

"Yesterday, the owner of the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant suddenly asked to see me, so I met him. Ah, the owner of the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant is the renowned expert of the previous generation, Zhe Daoguang, known as the Heavenly Killer."

Old Gou Qian waved his hand as if he were annoyed.

"Quickly, quickly. Why so many words? What use is knowing the name of such a scoundrel?"

Shang Zaiyong involuntarily shuddered.

To call that notorious demon of the previous generation, Zhe Daoguang, a scoundrel. The old man must think he is so powerful that it made the back of his neck stiff. He had to deceive this monstrous old man.

"Yes, yes. I mentioned him because he is the owner of the Assassin Guild, the Death House."

Instantly, a gleam appeared in Old Gou Qian's eyes.

The Death House was one of the organizations he needed to find.

"He said that our Four Seas Merchant Guild had caused him harm and demanded compensation. One of the wandering knights I brought had commissioned the Death House, and the damage was severe..."

Shang Zaiyong deliberately referred to Chui Yezhen as a wandering knight, planning to abandon him.

"Hmm, so it was the work of the Death House, huh?"

"Yes, he clearly said so."

"Who was the one who commissioned the job?"

"Chui Yezhen. A man so cruel that he is called a killer demon. In fact, about ten days ago, he came to me with some strange talk."

"What did he say?"

"Zhang Wenhao, who runs a silk shop, wanted him to kill... Great Hero Feng. He didn't know what to do about it. I scolded him for talking nonsense. After all, both Zhang Wenhao and Great Hero Feng were people who helped me."

"Zhang Wenhao?"

Zhuo Gaoming, who had been listening from behind, suddenly stood up from his seat.

He recalled that Feng Yanchao had felt uneasy about Zhang Wenhao and had been wary of him. That was also why he had chosen to live far from Zhang Wenhao's house.

But that Zhang Wenhao had ultimately done such a thing!

Zhuo Gaoming asked on behalf of the unconscious Feng Yanchao, who was sprawled in the middle of the veranda.

"Did that Chui Yezhen tell you why Zhang Wenhao wanted to kill Brother Feng?"

"Yes. He said it was to take Feng's wife as a concubine. He believed that if Feng died, the woman would come to him..."

Feng Yanchao, who was lying down, groaned in shock.

"Zhang Wenhao, that dog worse than a beast, has finally made his move! You scoundrel! Shang Zaiyong! If what you said just now is a lie, you will not die a peaceful death!"

"Great Hero Zhuo! It's true! I swear to heaven and earth that it's the truth!"

Shang Zaiyong trembled and bowed deeply.

The change was so drastic that it was hard to believe he had been acting so arrogantly just a moment ago. As a seasoned merchant, he was submitting to the greater power.

Old Gou Qian said to Lian Jieha.

"Master, if it was really the work of the Death House, Zhe Daoguang must have the antidote. I'll go and verify the old man's words."

"Go quickly. Brother Feng is running out of time."

"Yes. In the meantime, Brother Zhuo, keep Chui Yezhen. I don't trust the old man's words."

"Understood. I'll take care of Chui Yezhen."

As Zhuo Gaoming finished speaking, Old Gou Qian rolled his feet and soared into the sky.

This was the technique of Yu Qi Chong Hu, which could only be used by those at the peak of their internal energy.

Twisting his body three zhang (about 9 meters) in the air, Old Gou Qian let out a chilling, ghostly cry and faded into the distance.

The guards' faces turned pale at the sight.

Even the head of the Seven Sects and Eight Gates would not have such martial prowess.

Especially Shang Zaiyong, who trembled like a scared dog.

His heart was black with worry, as he had not yet eliminated Chui Yezhen.

"Shang Zaiyong, where is Chui Yezhen?"

In response to Zhuo Gaoming's question, Shang Zaiyong bowed his head and answered.

"To be honest, I don't know. I rarely see him during the day. He usually comes to the headquarters at dusk and guards the outer courtyard until midnight."

Zhuo Gaoming went down to the courtyard where the guards were.

"Do any of you know where Chui Yezhen is?"

"No."

"We don't know the guards at the headquarters well."

Zhuo Gaoming then approached Shang Zaiyong's bodyguards.

They followed Shang Zaiyong like shadows, staying at the headquarters.

Zhuo Gaoming met the eyes of the head guard, Jiang Wen.

"Do you know where Chui Yezhen is?"

"No. I only know that he guards the outer courtyard..."

"Damn it, then who might know where Chui Yezhen is?"

"Perhaps the guards in the outer courtyard. We only know his face and name."

Zhuo Gaoming looked at Jiang Wen and the bodyguards with a bitter expression. It was clear that as disciples of a prestigious school, they were indifferent to the wandering knights.

"Ha!"

Zhuo Gaoming shook his head and returned to the veranda.

"Brother Lian, I'll go out and try to find Chui Yezhen, but it won't be easy. Still, I'll try. Brother Lian, please stay and watch over Great Hero Feng."

"Alright, go and find him. We're going to the headquarters this evening, so don't overexert yourself."

"Right. I'll go then."

Zhuo Gaoming went down to the courtyard and approached the head guard, Jiang Wen.

"I don't know what Chui Yezhen looks like, so you'll have to help me. Let's go together."

Jiang Wen glanced at Shang Zaiyong.

Shang Zaiyong nodded as if to say, "Do it."

Jiang Wen frowned, clearly reluctant.

But with his wrist tendons severed, he could not refuse Zhuo Gaoming.

In the end, he slumped his shoulders and followed Zhuo Gaoming.

As both Old Gou Qian and Zhuo Gaoming left, the guards who had been kneeling in the courtyard slowly stood up.

Xin Zhengshu, looking back and forth between Lian Jieha and Shang Zaiyong, asked cautiously.

"Um, Young Hero. I want to get treated... Can I go?"

Although he looked young, he asked for permission, seeing the sword at his waist.

"Go."

Lian Jieha did not hold the injured guards back.

After all, with their tendons cut by Old Gou Qian, they would find it difficult to make a living with their swords. Of course, they had not yet realized this.

As the guards left, the hall became quiet.

Only the irregular, heavy breathing of the sprawled Feng Yanchao drifted through the air.

How much time had passed?

Shang Zaiyong, standing like a screen, hesitantly spoke.

"Hem, hem. Young Hero, due to the pressing matters of the guild... Can I leave now?"

"Old man."

"Speak."

Shang Zaiyong felt a surge of anger at the young man's impertinence but held it back.

"If you want to be treated well, treat others well first."

"..."

Shang Zaiyong's eyes twitched.

He must be doing this because he saw me try to suppress Zhuo Gaoming earlier.

But this young man only knows one side of the story.

Treatments are only given to those with power. This power comes from money or martial prowess.

For example, this young man dares to act so rudely to me because he carries a sword. That is, he has martial prowess, which allows him to act this way.

If I had more power than him, the situation would be reversed. I could repay the humiliation I suffered from this young man and the wandering knights. And I had the money to make that possible.

"Can I leave now?"

As soon as I leave, I'll use my money to hire a more powerful expert. In my current state of mind, I can't do anything out of anger.

Lian Jieha glanced at Shang Zaiyong.

Seeing that he would not answer, he seemed to be a stubborn person.

That's why he pushed my brothers so hard, right?

There's no point in dealing with such people.

"You have a face full of malice. I can't stand looking at you. Get out."

Shang Zaiyong left the hall without looking back, walking briskly.

***

Kaifeng.

Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.

Around noon, as expected of a famous restaurant, customers flocked to the restaurant. The waiters moved around the tables, taking orders and passing them to the kitchen.

The peaceful and busy daily routine ended with a loud crash.

Someone had fallen from this floor to the center of the restaurant on the first floor.

Or rather, they had crashed into a table.

Startled customers scattered like a swarm of locusts.

Clatter. Bang.

A crowd gathered at the entrance, causing a commotion.

The person, covered in blood, struggled to stand up, stepping on the broken table.

It was Zhe Daoguang, the owner of the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.

"Cough!"

Zhe Daoguang's lips trembled as he coughed up dark red blood.

"Why are you doing this to me, who has left the martial world? At least tell me the reason."

Of course, it was true that he had left the martial world, as people who did not know the details only knew him as the owner of the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.

Old Gou Qian floated down from the upper floor as if he were a feather.

"Zhe Daoguang, did you try to kill the guard of the Dragon's Delight Pavilion a few days ago?"

"Yes."

Zhe Daoguang did not deny it, knowing that the other party already knew.

The opponent's martial prowess was so overwhelming that he felt resigned.

"Did you know that the guard was poisoned by a venomous needle? Hand over the antidote immediately. If you don't, you will die."

"Will you spare me if I give you the antidote?"

Zhe Daoguang looked at the old man with burning eyes.

Whether this old man would keep his word was still unknown, but he was satisfied. He thought he would surely die, but now there was a glimmer of hope!

Zhe Daoguang, who had moved to the Death House, took out a small vial from under the table.

"Give him one drop, and he will be detoxified within a few days."

Old Gou Qian put the vial in his pocket.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly asked.

"Was the one who commissioned the job Chui Yezhen of the Four Seas Merchant Guild?"

"Yes."

"Do you know anything more about Chui Yezhen's commission?"

"Besides the fact that he offered seven hundred taels of silver, I know nothing else."

Old Gou Qian looked at Zhe Daoguang intently.

It didn't seem like Zhe Daoguang was lying.

Thinking about his story, the greasy face of Shang Zaiyong came to mind.

"Why did you call Shang Zaiyong yesterday?"

"How could a wandering knight like Chui Yezhen afford to commission a job? It must have been Shang Zaiyong's money. So I met him to try to get some compensation. Two of the assassins I had carefully trained were killed..."

If Old Gou Qian were a righteous hero, he would have killed Zhe Daoguang for talking about assassins. But as a thorough villain, Zhe Daoguang's story was merely entertaining to him.

"So, the one who gave Chui Yezhen the commission money was Shang Zaiyong?"

"Almost certainly. Moreover, Chui Yezhen is like Shang Zaiyong's right-hand man. He wouldn't have commissioned the job without Shang Zaiyong's permission. But that cunning old man refused to budge. Since I had no solid evidence yesterday, I just ended the conversation."

"Are you hiding anything else? If I hear anything different from what you've said, I'll come back. That day will be your last."

"I've told you everything I know. What else could I hide in this situation?"

"Hmph!"

Old Gou Qian sneered and disappeared through the restaurant door.

Zhe Daoguang, standing there in a daze, sighed.

"Ha! Who is he? He looks like a thief..."

Hao Wen, with a goat beard and a fierce face, was a martial artist of the same level as the head of the Seven Sects and Eight Gates, or perhaps even stronger. From a distance, even Junzi Jian Li Lianyi did not seem as powerful.