Death Scripture

Xu Xiaoyi was fifteen or sixteen years old, but his childish features and short stature made him appear only eleven or twelve. He was smaller in size than even Shangguan Ru. Most people tended to ignore a child like that, but despite being small, he was capable of great mischief and was highly astute in South City affairs. He was third-rate as a servant in a brothel, second-rate at stealing things, but most importantly, first-rate at obtaining information.

Ever since it was mentioned at a dining table that rice grains were found on Marquis Gao’s bed after his death, the matter had constantly weighed on his mind, and he was able to hear a lot of news regarding it by hanging out in different parts of town.

Marquis Gao was on the verge of bankruptcy before his death. Many people thought he had money to burn, but that was just a false front which the marquis maintained through constant borrowing. There was even a rumor that he had founded the Horned Dragon Society, and managed to fool Fifth Young Master Meng to pay for its operations while he secretly used the money to settle his debts.

It seemed that this plan proceeded not very smoothly. After his death, many of his creditors were completely dumbfounded; those who acted fast took all of his possessions away, while those who were slow could only curse their own bad luck.

Shopkeeper Mi was one of the unluckiest creditors. The taels of silver he lent to the marquis were taken from the taxes turned over by the merchants of the rice and flour trade, and a portion of them was protection money. In other words, the money he had lent to Horned Dragon Society was supposed to be handed in to Kun Society. This matter would surely be exposed by the end of the month, and that was why he had to run.

But in truth, the escape was, as of yet, merely Xu Xiaoyi’s speculation. “His family servants went and bought several Hedong horses today… you know, it’s the breed that’s short and has long fur. Don’t you think this is an indication that he wants to run far, far away?”

“He’s a traitor!” Shangguan Ru gnashed her teeth. “Let’s get him.”

As soon as Tenth Young Master gave the order, the machetemen and killers responded in unison. Gu Shenwei was a little more cautious, however. He felt that Xu Xiaoyi’s information based on hearsay was not fully reliable, and suggested to find out more information before taking action.

He did not disclose his other reason – this could very well be yet another trap, and he was unwilling for Tenth Young Master to run into danger once more.

Shangguan Yushi was able to understand Slave Huan’s rationales, and thus made an exception to agree with his opinion.

Gu Shenwei was thereby granted permission to lead four killers to conduct a nighttime investigation of Shopkeeper Mi’s old haunt. If the latter was truly thinking about escaping, Gu Shenwei would arrest him and bring him back to the Shangguan residence where everyone was waiting.

On this chilly winter night, the cold wind was bone-piercing. The five young killers hid in the surroundings of Shopkeeper Mi’s house, with some of them crouching against a wall and some lying prone on the rooftop. Braving the bitter cold that could freeze a person to death, they monitored every movement in the Mi residence.

Maid Lotus jumped into the yard to investigate, and when she came out reported her sighting of two horse carriages inside. One of them was loaded with boxes while the other was empty. The drivers were drinking liquor to keep warm, and the saddles were ready – it seemed that they were to depart shortly.

Xu Xiaoyi had guessed correctly indeed.

Shopkeeper Mi was stricken with grief. He had spent a large sum of money to take over the position as the big Protector of the rice and flour trade from Sack Zhou, and thought he could recoup some of it from Marquis Gao. He never imagined that he would lose all of his investments, which amounted to more than several hundred thousand taels of silver. Not only were his savings wiped out, but he had no means of accounting to the merchants of the rice and flour trade and the merciless Kun Society.

Knowing that Tenth Young Master and Yang Huan would be paying him a visit in the morning, he was afraid of being found out and thus decided to escape from Jade City as fast as he could.

He was waiting for 5:00 a.m., when South City was at its quietest, to set off. He had not even thought about how far he could run.

Eventually, just as the carriages were all ready to set off, but had not taken a step out of the gate, Shopkeeper Mi, together with his wife, concubine, and three sons, was prevented from escaping.

Five masked men in black clothes, wielding sabers in their hands, descended from above, as if they were messengers from hell.

The two drivers exchanged looks before they squatted beside the carriages while holding their heads, so as to indicate that they knew nothing and were not prepared to look at what was about to happen.

The parcel which Shopkeeper Mi was holding under his arm fell on the ground. He gaped his mouth and inhaled the chilly air, but was unable to say a single word. His spouses and children stood behind him shivering.

Gu Shenwei beckoned to the man, who walked over dispiritedly. His nose could be heard convulsing with every step he took, as if he was about to cry, or otherwise to express his disdain.

“Shopkeeper Mi, you’re heading out?”

The latter recognized the killer Yang Huan’s voice, and could finally close his mouth. After swallowing a large gulp of saliva mixed in with cold air, he turned his head to look at his family before he replied, “Master Yang, I beg you to spare their lives even if you must kill me. The items on these carriages will be enough for this month’s fees.”

“Even if they live today, they’ll die tomorrow.” Gu Shenwei’s tone contained little emotion. He was speaking the truth; if Shopkeeper Mi died and the remaining debt could not be repaid, his wives and children would be made to pay. Furthermore, many of the subordinates employed by Gu Shenwei were killers from Kun Society.

Shopkeeper Mi could not understand this reasoning at all. He lowered his head and let out a dejected sigh, and when he raised his head once again, he revealed a look of insanity that was only seen during one’s final and most desperate struggle. “How if I divulge a highly valuable piece of information?”

“A killer can never offer guarantees. I have to listen to what you say first.” Gu Shenwei remained poker-faced. This was the interrogation technique he had learned from Golden Roc Fort’s Heart Cleansing Yard – let the guilty party pour his heart out, and never allow him an opportunity to hide a secret.

“I know who killed Marquis Gao.” Shopkeeper Mi’s eyes glimmered in anticipation of an eager compliance from the young killer. However, when he did not get such a response, his eyes returned to their usual dullness.

“Speak.”

“Zhou Huan. It’s definitely him.”

The name “Zhou Huan” was somewhere within Gu Shenwei’s memory, but he could not recall where it was from at the moment.

Shopkeeper Mi seized the opportunity to reveal everything he knew about the matter. “Zhou Huan, known as young Sack Zhou, is the godson of old Sack Zhou. Master Yang may not have seen him before. This fella used to be an associate of my rice shop, but he has since moved on to ‘better things’. He is Marquis Gao’s… male prostitute.”

Gu Shenwei finally recalled how he knew the name. It was when he followed his master Tie Hanfeng, while the latter was still alive, to visit the Protectors of South City. He could remember that standing next to Sack Zhou was a young and handsome teenager, who, despite his good looks, did not have a self-conscious attitude. Nobody would have thought, at least based on first impression, that he was someone’s male prostitute.

“Does Zhou Huan know any swordcraft?” From Gu Shenwei’s memory, the teenager did not carry any weapons.

“Yes.” Shopkeeper Mi became spirited as soon as he saw that the other party was interested. “And he’s not bad at it, even if he seldom shows off his skill. After all, he doesn’t rely on kungfu to make a living, and that’s why not many people know. I knew it was him the instant I heard that Marquis Gao died of a sword wound. They recently had some differences and their relationship wasn’t in a good state.”

“You should have spoken up earlier.”

“I… didn’t want to cause trouble.”

Gu Shenwei humphed callously to express his skepticism towards this explanation. If Zhou Huan had truly killed Marquis Gao, it would only be appropriate for Shopkeeper Mi to hate him to the core – it was because of this sword that the money he lent out turned to ashes.

Shopkeeper Mi’s face turned red. “Actually, it was only when you brought up the rice grain issue yesterday that I began to suspect him. Zhou Huan loves to eat uncooked rice and would always carry some wherever he went. Aye, this is all meaningless to me now. Even if the true murderer is caught, those silvers cannot be brought back.”

“Who have you mentioned Tenth Young Master to?”

“Nobody. After the two of you left, I was busy packing my things and didn’t see anyone else.” An expression of shock appeared on his face.

“Where does Zhou Huan live?”

“At Heng Sheng Riceshop on the corner of the street. He was an associate there and is now its owner.”

Gu Shenwei swept a glance at his companions and raised his saber.

Shopkeeper Mi waved his hands non-stop in front of his body, as if this was sufficient to block a sharp blade. “Master Yang, Master Yang, please spare my life. I’ve told you everything I know. I’ll hand in the silvers at the end of the month with not a single cent less.”

“It would have been better if you spoke up earlier.”

One of Shopkeeper Mi’s fingers fell on to the ground as Gu Shenwei flicked his blade.

There was no need to kill a Protector who owed money; it was the more appropriate choice to keep him alive and make him continue to pay up – or at least this was what Gu Shenwei thought, and how he would explain things to Tenth Young Master when he got back.

Shangguan Ru was much more interested in Zhou Huan than she was about the money issue. “What’s a ‘male prostitute’?”

“A male who’s the pet of another male.” Gu Shenwei explained frankly. He had reasoned to himself that since this young lady was willing to be treated as a male, there was no need for him to be indirect about the matter.

“How’s that possible? Can a female be the pet of another female?” Shangguan Ru enquired without end.

“Yes, that’s possible… anything is possible.” Gu Shenwei suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and recalled what he had eavesdropped in the garden of the Meng family. Suspecting that there was a hidden meaning to the question, he acted even more unperturbed.

“Oh my, the two of you! One’s asking audacious questions while the other isn’t even embarrassed. Instead of talking drivel, why don’t you go arrest that Zhou Huan fella?” Shangguan Yushi could not go on listening to them.

“The person who should be red-faced is you,” Gu Shenwei thought. However, he was happy that she changed the subject. “In a while, I shall go keep an eye on him, to see if anyone is giving him instructions.”

Shangguan Ru wanted to join in the fun until Gu Shenwei explained to her the monotony of a surveillance task; one could not move about or speak a word for at least half a day. With Shangguan Yushi echoing the same sentiments, Tenth Young Master’s enthusiasm was finally dispelled.

This was no longer the first time Gu Shenwei thought the same way as Master Yu. The former reckoned that this was because they had similar objectives; while “climbing the big tree” provided by Tenth Young Master, they were enemies but also two of a kind.

Gu Shenwei wanted to monitor the suspect because he still had an inner doubt. “If Zhou Huan is truly a male prostitute and the real murderer, why did Ye Silang find trouble with me? Given the relationship between Ye Silang and Marquis Gao, the former should have understood Zhou Huan’s situation and suspected him first.”

Having spoken unfavorably about surveillance tasks, Gu Shenwei, in fact, did not want to spend an entire day observing a rice shop. He planned to cut straight to the point and walk right into the enemy’s camp.

But he was still a step late. By late morning, the shops on the street were all already open for business, save for Heng Sheng Riceshop, which doors were tightly shut. When Gu Shenwei broke the doors down and entered, he discovered that there was nobody inside. The shelves were neatly stacked while the barrels of rice were filled to the brim – Zhou Huan had run away in a hurry.

A macheteman went to the nearby shops to make enquiries, and learned that the rice shop had not been open for three days.

The investigation was carried out way too late. Gu Shenwei had already wasted the precious time in the days following Marquis Gao’s death.

After searching carefully through the shop, a few machetemen were finally able to find an important “clue” in a rice barrel: there was a corpse of a young man inside, covered up by the rice.

One of the machetemen confidently claimed that the man had been dead for at least three days.

Gu Shenwei took a look at the corpse and could vaguely tell it was Zhou Huan. There was a sword in its hand, while its neck was half snapped and its head was tilted to one side. The neck wound was shaped like a laughing mouth, and the bloodstains from it turned the rice grains red as well.

It appeared that Zhou Huan had slit his own throat. Gu Shenwei had gotten into trouble once again.