Chapter 36

"Senior, take my life if you will.."

He touched the bloodstains on his neck, and with a self-destructive bitter smile, said,

"After all, this life was saved by you. I just misjudged others and dragged you into this dangerous situation. I am willing to die a thousand deaths.."

"Enough nonsense.."

I slowly picked up the paper packet he had dropped on the ground. When I unfolded it, it revealed several fresh ink-stained documents. Only then did I slowly move the dagger away.

"Can your death change anything.."

He didn't say anything, just stepped back and watched me search through the items on the body, laying them out one by one, and speculating about their uses and values. My gaze finally stopped on a document similar to a patent of nobility.

Finally, I could confirm that I had been taken for a ride by the other party, who had even planned to deceive me further. So-called comrades and seniors are truly unreliable.

Although there were still a few documents similar to secret letters, unfortunately, they were full of meaningless chatter. Without a reference to decode them, these things were meaningless to me.

After checking these items, I stood up again and saw that Su Jingxian was still standing there, head hanging low.

"Can I still trust you.."

I suppressed the unease and anxiety in my heart and looked into his eyes again.

"What do you know about this guy.."

"I know a bit.."

He said with a dispirited tone.

"I first encountered him when I came here. He claimed to be a fellow townsman and a good friend of Senior, and they were quite familiar with each other."

"Lead the way.."

After hearing him out, I sighed heavily.

"I need your skills for now. I remember you were taught sword techniques, right? How good are you at it.."

"Fair enough to fight.."

"Just about enough.."

Suppressing the anger and resentment of being betrayed, I cleaned up the scene, at least making sure that anyone who stumbled in wouldn't immediately notice anything amiss. I gathered some supplies and tools and left.

Following Su Jingxian's guidance, it was easy to find the places where the raccoon usually went, as he had put some thought into developing this subordinate.

But I didn't expect that the raccoon had found a lover in the area, who also provided him with shelter and protection, especially given his appearance and build.

When I went to his place, no one was home, but this didn't stop me. I pretended to be visiting relatives and asked the neighbors a few questions.

In a nearby teahouse, I found the woman and had Su Jingxian lure her to the shop with the pretext of delivering some money. I easily knocked her out and tied her up, stuffing her into a storage room in the back.

Losing my patience, compassion, and moral principles, I could do anything cruel.

For example, I mercilessly interrogated this woman to get a detailed account of the raccoon's life. After breaking her fourth finger with a hammer, she easily revealed everything.

Including the raccoon's activity patterns and daily life, as well as some recent boasts he had made to her.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the blood from my hands, and walked out. Fortunately, the raccoon's tight-lipped attitude towards the woman wasn't as strong as it seemed, so I still got some of the information I needed.

For instance, the raccoon didn't have the powerful channels and resources he claimed to have. The few people he was closest to were just local ruffians, at best some low-level informants.

His connection to the south had only been restored recently, and I was the first outsider he had met. This meant that even if he had intentions, he didn't have the basic manpower or supplies to support his plans. He had convinced Su Jingxian to stay and help, using him as a front while he observed from behind the scenes.

Then he met me and Bao Tou, and had some ideas.

This saved us the trouble of searching for those places, as one of the locations clearly didn't match his current cover identity. That was where he boasted about connecting with a noble.

As long as we didn't enter the city, there was still a chance to turn things around.

With this in mind, I drove the red tiger, and Su Jingxian, armed with weapons, navigated through the crowd and market. In the eastern outskirts of the city, we found a lacquered carriage in a secluded courtyard as the afternoon was drawing to a close.

At the side entrance, two bored but strong guards were leaning against the wall, whispering to each other. They were dressed in decent blue coarse silk, with leather belts around their waists, iron-studded thick-soled boots, and green-lacquered scabbards, looking quite capable.

Suddenly, a clear tinkling sound echoed along the stone path. The two guards perked up, their hands on their sword hilts, and turned to face the sound. They signaled to each other, and one of them peeked out.

A shiny silver coin lay on the ground, its floral pattern worn, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Unable to resist, he stepped forward to pick it up.

From this angle, he saw another shiny object. Despite his growing suspicion, he looked around and, hearing only the rustling of leaves, stepped forward again.

He saw a few more similar objects in the grass and crevices. Turning the corner of the wall and leaving his companion's calls behind, he saw a half-torn money bag. Thinking his luck had come, he forgot everything else and focused only on the bag.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound rang out, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest, curling up and falling to the ground. He saw a man with a crossbow on a tree branch. As he tried to shout, someone grabbed his neck and slit his throat, letting out only a low, half-choked cry.

I took the sword from his waist, handed it to Su Jingxian, and scattered some silver coins to lure the other guard out. He cautiously followed and was shot through the chest by a hand crossbow. Despite this, his screams still caused trouble.

Because the remaining guard, now alert and suspicious, was not so easy to deal with. Even with our coordinated attack from both sides, he fought back fiercely, managing to cut Su Changsheng with a significant wound. After bandaging him, we took the carriage and entered from the other end.

This house was not large, and we encountered almost no one, not even servants, who were mainly concentrated in the front hall. We easily avoided them and made our way to the back garden.

Climbing over the wall, we could hear the sounds inside. In the small courtyard, a fat man was gleefully chasing a small figure, seemingly enjoying a cat-and-mouse game.

Seeing this, I leaped down in a rage, startling the fat man, who turned to run in panic. But Su Jingxian, who had circled around, struck him on the leg with the hilt of his sword, causing him to fall flat on his face.

He then pulled out a small, ornate dagger and put up a desperate resistance.

Unfortunately, his fighting ability did not match his size. He was easily frightened by the crossbow and sword, and his bulk hindered his escape. After a few short, panting steps, he tripped in the flower bed and was shot in the leg by my crossbow, falling to his knees as a captive. His pleas and cries for mercy continued until we gagged him, and then he could only nod or shake his head.

If he was wrong, I cut off a finger; if he was right, he was spared. Gradually, he revealed more information, such as when and how the raccoon had connected with him, and the number of people involved. These questions were mixed with trivial ones like when he last wet the bed, when he first peeked at someone bathing, and how he ended his magical career with a woman.

To prevent him from thinking too much and lying, but in the end,

We played the role of masked burglars, forcing him to reveal the location of his valuables. I personally gagged him and then beat his lower body into a pulp, as a form of interest.

Under the dim sky, I carried the tearful Bao Tou over the wall. The injured Su Changsheng led the red tiger, and she patted and sobbed on my back, as if trying to express all the fear and委屈 she had endured during the brief separation.

Like a lost kitten or puppy, she used gentle bites and scratches to reaffirm her exclusive bond with me.

I, however, felt a great relief, as the little girl I had saved had not been taken advantage of by others. But after the impulse, the next step was tricky.

We couldn't return to Qingqiu Market. In the hasty pursuit, we had left enough traces and clues. The witnesses, who had only seen us once, couldn't all be eliminated.

Moreover,

The local transport judge being killed in a break-in at his secondary residence was no small matter. Although the remote location could delay the discovery, eventually someone would come looking, and a thorough search would be conducted, and all relevant people would be investigated.

The Southern Dynasty's informants in the area, though unknown how many the raccoon had, would be useless with his death.

This place was no longer safe to stay.

After looting the valuables, on our way back, we saw smoke rising from Qingqiu Market and the cries of a fire. This was a small trap I had set.

The candle placed on the oiled firewood had clearly delayed the ignition, setting the southern goods store on fire. There wasn't much of value there.

The old gatekeeper and the raccoon's body were also burned in the fire, which would delay the investigation.

However, my previous plan was ruined. Although the documents were still valid, there wasn't enough time to wait for the right ship.

From the transport judge, we gained some money orders and jewels, which I left to Su Jingxian, keeping only some portable gold and silver coins.

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End of the page.