Chapter 57#

Ah Qi’s Good Brother#

Biandu, Shunkangfang.

While Su Ruhui was wandering aimlessly in the palace city, Sang Chiyu drove all the stray cats out of South Street. After a day of running around, Sang Chiyu felt tired. The old woman Su Ruhui hired was lazy and good-for-nothing, not doing any work, and even secretly ate the cat food Su Ruhui had prepared for him. He squatted on the ground, craning his neck to watch the old woman gobble down the boiled, shelled shrimp, then she kicked him away.

“A little beast, eating better than a human, there’s no justice,” the old woman said.

After eating the shrimp, the old woman cooked a plate of green vegetable leaves and placed it on the ground for Sang Baobao.

“Here, eat. You’re so fat, you must eat a lot of meat usually. Good, eat some greens today, lose some weight.”

Sang Chiyu looked at the plate of green vegetables with no appetite. He didn’t touch a bite. Seeing him picky, the old woman snorted, “If you don’t eat it yourself, don’t say I mistreated you.” She brought the greens to the table, muttering that it shouldn’t be wasted, and ate them herself.

He hadn’t eaten all day. After the old woman left, he took back the bedsheets and clothes she had hung out to dry and washed them again. The old woman hadn’t washed them cleanly at all; there were still many white cat hairs clinging to them. He carefully washed them this time, finally getting rid of the cat hair. Then he tidied the wing room, categorizing and putting away Su Ruhui’s iron armor, puppets, star charts, and marble astrolabe into Su Ruhui’s chests and treasure drawers. Opening one cabinet, a pile of smelly socks rolled out onto the floor, no longer hidden by the cabinet door. Opening another cabinet, Su Ruhui’s crumpled underwear came into view.

Sang Chiyu: “…”

Those girls who admired Su Ruhui and regarded him as their dream lover would never know that Su Ruhui used one cabinet to hoard smelly socks and another to hoard underwear. Sang Chiyu silently thought, how could there be such a slovenly person as Su Ruhui in this world?

Sang Chiyu put the socks in a basin and took them to the kitchen, only to find that the hot water had run out. It was getting late, and if he didn’t finish washing, Su Ruhui would be back. With no time to boil water, he went to get cold water from the water缸. His hand reached into the缸, and the coldness felt like steel needles pricking his fingers. Cold and hungry, he couldn’t help but wonder why he was doing housework for Su Ruhui.

He stood up and looked for the porcelain jar containing dried silverfish on the crescent table. He remembered that all of Su Ruhui’s dried silverfish were stored inside. He opened the jar, only to find a few pathetic strands of fish left inside. Sang Chiyu was stunned; he clearly remembered there was still a lot left the last time Su Ruhui took dried fish from it. He suddenly recalled that when Su Ruhui went out today, a bulging velvet pouch was tied to his waist. At that time, he thought it was a money purse, but now he knew what was inside.

Su Ruhui liked cats. Whenever he encountered a stray cat on the road, he couldn’t help but squat down and beckon them, stroking them from their ears to the tip of their tails. From Shunkangfang to the palace city, he had to pass through several markets and cross several main streets. He probably took dried fish with him to feed those disreputable stray cats on the way. Sang Chiyu could drive away all the stray cats on South Street, but he couldn’t make all the stray cats in the entire Biandu disappear.

Sang Chiyu’s gaze returned to the socks in the basin.

He silently returned to the wing room, pulled out all the underwear from the cabinet, piled them with the socks, moved them behind the house, and burned them to ashes.

Su Ruhui didn’t go home immediately. He detoured to the vegetable market to buy a knife’s worth of meat. When he reached the alley entrance, he looked around but didn’t find a single stray cat, and the big dog that used to come to his door every day to snatch food was also gone. Su Ruhui found it strange; where had they all gone?

Returning home, he opened the door to see Sang Baobao lying under the eaves. Seeing him return, he merely lifted his eyelids to glance at him, showing no intention of getting up to greet his master. Su Ruhui had heard from other cat owners that their cats waited by the door every day for them to come home, meowing and acting cute, exposing their bellies for rubs. Why was his cat so aloof? Su Ruhui was very frustrated.

Today, he had hired the old woman to clean the courtyard. Su Ruhui inspected the front and back of the house; it was spotless, and the floor tiles reflected his image. Su Ruhui was very satisfied; this old woman was good, he would hire her again in the future. Su Ruhui carried the meat to the kitchen and put on an apron. It was then that Sang Baobao condescended to get up and slowly padded into the kitchen, waiting for Su Ruhui to cook.

Su Ruhui lit a fire to boil water, then suddenly remembered something. He went outside, brought back Sang Chiyu’s milk bowl, washed it clean in the sink, and dried it with a cloth. Su Ruhui opened the system panel to check the daily supplies he could use. Besides meteorite iron, profound silver, and spirit stones, the system also provided food and drink. He flipped through several pages and finally found “pure natural goat milk.” This was the only good thing about the system; goat milk was perishable and very expensive. If Su Ruhui had to buy it himself, he definitely wouldn’t.

Su Ruhui took a large can of goat milk, poured it into the milk bowl, and placed it in front of Sang Baobao.

The milk bowl looked a bit familiar. Sang Baobao sniffed it, then walked around the bowl. Sang Baobao looked back at the smiling Su Ruhui, then dipped his small head into the milk bowl and concentrated on lapping up the goat milk.

Su Ruhui stood up to make Sang Baobao’s boiled pork loin. After drinking the goat milk, Sang Baobao’s stomach finally felt better. He squatted on the ground, waiting, his eyes following Su Ruhui wherever he went. The meat cooked quickly. Su Ruhui chopped it into fine mince and put it into Sang Baobao’s exclusive rooster porcelain bowl. Today, Sang Baobao was exceptionally hungry, finishing four bowls of pork loin in one go. Su Ruhui had intended to save a little for himself, but Sang Baobao ate it all.

Sang Baobao was probably a pig in his previous life.

After Su Ruhui finished his meal, he poured the remaining hot water into the bathtub, preparing to bathe. He went back to the wing room to find a change of clothes, only to discover that his underwear had disappeared. He opened the cabinet where he kept his underwear; it was empty, not a single pair left. Su Ruhui was extremely surprised and searched everywhere for his underwear. He didn’t find his underwear, but he did discover that his socks were also gone.

Could it be that the old woman stole them? That didn’t seem right; why would she steal his socks and underwear?

Perhaps the old woman was a pervert. The more Su Ruhui thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, and he rescinded his decision to continue employing her.

Just as he was worrying about having no underwear to wear, a formless gate opened in the small courtyard. Several thugs walked out, cupped their hands to Su Ruhui, and said, “Ah Qi, the master of the district wants you to return to Black Street.”

These thugs looked unfamiliar; Su Ruhui had never seen them before. In the past, if there was anything, Han Ye would usually come directly to find him. Why was he being asked to go to Black Street today? Su Ruhui felt a little suspicious, but a polite smile hung on his face. “Please wait a moment, brothers. I have a cat in my house; I’ll go in and feed it before I leave.”

One of the thugs turned his head and saw the snow-white Sang Baobao through the window. The thug smiled, “What a beautiful little civet cat. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you.”

Su Ruhui entered the house, took out his compass to contact Han Ye, but the runes glowed for a long time with no response. It seemed things were a bit tricky, and he immediately didn’t want to go.

The thugs outside were chatting idly, and Su Ruhui heard their lazy voices.

“Have you heard about the Great Compassion Hall?”

“Of course, I heard. Sang Chiyu killed the Black Guanyin and became the new master of the Great Compassion Hall. That idiot Black Guanyin recruited Sang Chiyu, but unexpectedly brought in a Yama King.” The thug scoffed.

Su Ruhui changed his mind; he had to go to Black Street, and preferably to the Great Compassion Hall. He rubbed Sang Baobao’s head and subtly put the repaired伏火老鼠 (fire-rat) into his self-sewn white cloth satchel. Su Ruhui locked the doors and windows, grabbed his satchel, and followed the thug through the formless gate.

Sang Baobao perched on the windowsill, watching Su Ruhui disappear after the vortex. As soon as Su Ruhui left, he retrieved his own communication compass from the treasure drawer and contacted Ananda of the Great Compassion Hall.

Sang Chiyu’s furry paw pressed on the compass, and he said in a deep voice, “I want to go to Black Street.”

Ananda repeatedly said, “Understood, please wait a moment, I will immediately order someone to open the gate.”

Su Ruhui stepped through the formless gate, and the scene before him changed dramatically. What met his eyes were rows of ambiguously glowing crimson gauze lanterns, spinning around, casting flickering shadows that made everyone’s faces glow red. Red silk hung from the beams and pillars, and the wooden walls were painted with colorful pictures of naked men and women coupling.

A giant star array was carved above the dome. Su Ruhui recognized the star array; he had personally laid it out to collectively transfer Black Street. There were five such star arrays in Black Street, this one being the central array, and the other four distributed at the four corners of Black Street. When the star array was activated, the formless gate secret technique practitioners of Black Street would simultaneously cast spells from the four directions, and the star array would amplify the effect of their spells a hundredfold, transferring Black Street as a whole to the next hidden location.

The stars on the array were dim, and the intricate star lines were like dried-up riverbeds, without radiance, indicating that it had not been activated for a long time. Su Ruhui looked left and right; the scenery here was very familiar, it was the main hall of the Pleasure Quarter. Puppet courtesans dressed in red crane-patterned robes walked around holding wine cups, their collars deliberately pulled down to reveal their fair, jade-like shoulders and ample bosoms. A sheen flowed over their skin, as if they were coated in a shimmering oil. Many thugs gathered here, but none were in the mood to flirt with the courtesans; all had serious expressions. Su Ruhui saw Han Ye, who was sitting in the central chair.

This guy was fine, so did Han Ye really call him here? Su Ruhui was puzzled. Just as he was hesitating whether to greet Han Ye, the latter saw him first and motioned for him to come forward. Su Ruhui put on an eager smile, bowed, and even offered him a cup of wine.

“Why are you here?” Han Ye asked with a frown.

Su Ruhui was stunned, “Didn’t you, the district master, call me here?”

“When did I ever call you?” Han Ye’s brows furrowed into a deep ravine. He said, “Stand behind me, and don’t speak later.”

Su Ruhui nodded, standing behind him, wholeheartedly acting like a wooden post. A hunch told Su Ruhui that something big was going to happen tonight. Sure enough, not long after, the painted doors opened, and a line of imposing figures entered the main hall. Coincidentally, Su Ruhui knew most of these people; they were all the hall masters from various branches of the Pleasure Quarter. Su Ruhui secretly observed; after seven years, many of them had aged considerably. The burly, red-faced one was Chi Gui, and the one with one blind eye was Lu Xiazi. The rest were self-explanatory.

After looking around, most of those who had followed Su Ruhui through thick and thin were gone; the remaining were all Han Ye’s supporters. Only Lu Xiazi remained from Su Ruhui’s people. He took his seat without even greeting Han Ye. It seemed that Han Ye’s years in power had not truly won his allegiance.

Everyone took their seats, and the thugs stood on either side, filling the main hall to capacity. Looking around, there were only dense crowds of heads and colorful painted faces. The hall was silent. Han Ye stood up, took the wine from Su Ruhui’s hand, and spilled it on the ground.

“To the brothers who died at the Snow Realm Great Wall!” Han Ye said in a deep voice.

Everyone filled their cups, spilled wine on the ground, and said in unison, “To the brothers who died at the Snow Realm Great Wall!”

Han Ye shouted, “Everyone must have heard about the Snow Realm. Monsters invaded the camp, and Old Man Tantai refused to open the city gates, causing hundreds of common people to perish under the monsters’ claws. More than thirty of our Pleasure Quarter brothers died in the Snow Realm, their bodies never recovered. Now, with snow realm demons lurking, the Secret Sect still won’t open the Great Wall, watching as the common people become food for tigers and wolves. Brothers, how many of your relatives are still suffering in the Snow Realm, guarding against monster attacks day and night? This is the high and mighty Kunlun Secret Sect; they exile us, abandon us, and watch us die.”

Countless people in the hall showed indignant expressions, their brightly painted faces becoming ferocious due to their fierce expressions.

Su Ruhui sighed secretly.

Han Ye scanned the crowd, his eyes filled with brewing thunder. He said, “Five days from now, the Secret Sect’s grand assembly will gather the heads of aristocratic families from forty-eight states in Biandu. Within these five days, we will infiltrate Biandu in batches through the formless gates, gather on the day of the grand assembly, attack the palace city, and kill Old Man Tantai. Brothers, I have ordered the workshops to work day and night, burning lights to manufacture weapons. As we speak, a continuous supply of firearms and ammunition is being sent to our main hall. We will carry spirit fire guns and crossbow arrows coated with poison into Biandu. On the day of the grand assembly, in full view of everyone, we will shoot a 子窠 (bullet/projectile) into Tantai Jing’s head!”

Han Ye raised his arm and shouted, “Attack the Secret Sect, kill Tantai, avenge our Black Street sons who died tragically!”

The crowd below was agitated, and the thugs roared, “Attack the Secret Sect, kill Tantai!”

Su Ruhui looked at them, sighing repeatedly. It was true that his uncle’s refusal to open the city gates had killed many refugees. However, now that the monsters were stirring, it was unknown how many were lurking among the common people, aristocratic families, or even high-ranking Secret Sect members. If his uncle died at this critical juncture, the Secret Sect’s edifice would collapse, and the monsters would surely attack en masse. Su Ruhui pondered that the monsters’ attack on the refugee camp was deliberate; they must have calculated that his uncle would not open the city gates for the refugees. This would ignite conflict between Black Street and the Secret Sect, allowing the monster race to reap the benefits.

Just as he was feeling anxious, Lu Xiazi, at the long table, snorted coldly.

“District Master, you are young and hot-blooded, too naive.” Lu Xiazi’s voice was hoarse. “How many secret technique practitioners does the Secret Sect have, and how many do we have? Attacking Biandu so recklessly is like throwing an egg against a rock.” He stood up and had someone bring a half-length wooden box. “I have a perfect plan; perhaps everyone would like to hear it.”

Han Ye looked at him for a long time, his gaze somewhat gloomy.

Lu Xiazi was once Su Ruhui’s old servant, having followed Su Ruhui for many years, always loyal, though he had a nagging personality, often saying embarrassing things like “Young master, you should read fewer erotic books” or “Young master, you’re pouring out medicine again.” On the eve of Han Ye’s betrayal, he sent Lu Xiazi away to find rare medicinal herbs for Su Ruhui. Lu Xiazi was gone for a month, conveniently missing the Secret Sect’s siege of the city, which allowed Han Ye to successfully hand over Su Ruhui. Su Ruhui observed Lu Xiazi and Han Ye; these two must be at odds. As soon as Lu Xiazi spoke, the main hall immediately fell silent; no one dared to speak.

Han Ye said, “Old Lu has something to say, I will certainly listen.”

“Thank you, District Master, for still being willing to listen to an old blind man like me.” Lu Xiazi chuckled sarcastically. He opened the wooden box, revealing a cotton vest inside. He took out the vest, spread it flat on the long table. He took out scissors, and as he cut open the lining of the vest, he said, “I, this old blind man, served the young master for many years. Although my mind is dull, I did learn some skills. The young master once said that if many small iron nails are put into black powder, the explosive power is even greater than pure black powder. I once saw the young master crudely make an iron nail bomb, filled with small iron nails and gunpowder. When the bomb exploded, the nails flew everywhere, and no one survived.”

Everyone knew who he was referring to as “the young master,” and their eyes showed a nostalgic glint.

Han Ye pondered and nodded, “Iron nail bomb? Indeed, it’s good; it can be used for our siege.”

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Lu Xiazi cut open the vest, and everyone saw that the lining of the vest contained many small, porcelain-white spherical balls, neatly arranged in the cotton wadding. Lu Xiazi picked up a spherical ball. “Everyone, look, these are hollow porcelain balls, filled with black powder. Just as an iron nail bomb filled with iron nails will scatter nails everywhere, when this porcelain ball explodes, the porcelain shatters, and sharp porcelain shards fly everywhere, acting just like iron nails. This vest contains a hundred porcelain balls. I have tested it; once the vest explodes, there is absolutely no possibility of survival for anyone within twenty zhang (about 60 meters) around it.”

Chi Gui’s eyes lit up, “If someone wears this vest into the North Star Hall, Tantai Jing will surely die!”

At these words, there was a murmur of discussion in the hall, and many people showed expressions of joy.

Lu Xiazi chuckled, “Indeed, with such a deadly weapon, why do we need to sacrifice lives to attack the city?”

Han Ye seemed to anticipate something, his face growing even gloomier, as if dark clouds were gathering between his brows.

Chi Gui asked, “But who among us can enter the North Star Hall?”

Lu Xiazi’s cloudy eyes turned, and his cold gaze fell upon Su Ruhui.

“This is all thanks to the District Master’s wisdom, having long ago planted an informant in the Secret Sect. This little brother Ah Qi, I believe you will not fear sacrificing yourself for the greater good.”

Su Ruhui finally knew who had brought him here; it must have been Lu Xiazi. Su Ruhui sighed softly. Given Han Ye’s nature, he would surely make him wear this damned vest to blow up his uncle. He was truly isolated and helpless today.

He began to subtly survey his surroundings, counting the number of thugs, and the map of the main hall unfolded in his mind. He quickly planned the best escape route.

“I disagree,” Han Ye suddenly said.

Su Ruhui was stunned; Han Ye’s reaction was beyond his expectation.

“Ah Qi is still young, not enough to bear such a heavy responsibility,” Han Ye said coldly.

“If he can successfully infiltrate the Secret Sect, what’s so difficult about wearing a vest?” Lu Xiazi said, “District Master Han, he is seventeen years old this year. Don’t you remember what you were doing when you were seventeen? You exchanged the young master for your current position. Seventeen, that’s not young anymore.”

Upstairs, Ananda and Sang Chiyu, wearing a dark hood, appeared in a dark corner. Ananda huddled behind the railing, unconsciously glancing at Sang Chiyu beside him. This cold man had left too deep an impression on him; he still remembered the scene of Sang Chiyu killing the Black Guanyin. He didn’t know Sang Chiyu’s purpose in coming to the Pleasure Quarter, but he had a feeling that someone might be in trouble today.

Ananda again stole a glance at Sang Chiyu. The hood covered half of his face, revealing only a corner of his pale chin. A knife and a spirit fire gun were strapped to his belt, and sleeve arrows were tied to his narrow sleeves. He was looking down at the hall below, his expression focused.

The atmosphere in the hall was tense, and Sang Chiyu keenly sensed the cold killing intent. Han Ye and Lu Xiazi were at odds, and a conflict was imminent. He adjusted his breathing, his muscles taut, like a sword about to be drawn from its sheath.

Lu Xiazi gave a look, and immediately someone seized Su Ruhui’s shoulders and pushed him forward.

He involuntarily took a step forward, but Han Ye pressed his shoulder, stopping his forward movement.

“I said,” Han Ye said word by word, “no.”

Chi Gui stood up. This usually hot-tempered man had become a peacemaker. He interjected, “Why must the District Master quarrel with Hall Master Lu? Ah Qi, don’t worry, if you sacrifice yourself for the greater good, we will treat your family well.”

Su Ruhui gave a dry laugh, “Thank you very much, I’m an orphan, I have no family.”

Chi Gui said, “That’s even better, no ties, no worries. Ah Qi, are you willing to wear this gunpowder vest and assassinate Old Man Tantai at the grand assembly?”

This was truly putting Su Ruhui on the spot. How could Su Ruhui have the right to refuse? Su Ruhui was about to employ a delaying tactic, passionately expressing his loyalty to Black Street and his hatred for the Secret Sect to lower their guard against him, and then seize the opportunity to escape, when he suddenly heard Han Ye speak from behind him:

“He has family.”

“I really don’t…” Su Ruhui said.

Han Ye pulled him, dragging him behind him. “From now on, I am Ah Qi’s sworn brother, I am Ah Qi’s family. So whoever dares to scheme against him again,” Han Ye said sinisterly, “I will have them burned by fire, their bones ground to ashes.”

Ananda shivered. He felt a cold, dark killing intent emanating from the man beside him. Although they were in a warm room, he felt the cold wind of the Snow Realm. Sang Chiyu turned to leave. Ananda was stunned; was he leaving already?

Suddenly, a clear, youthful voice came from below—

“Wait, I have something to say!”

Ananda looked down; it was the young man named Ah Qi.

“Sorry, District Master, I appreciate your kindness.” The young man walked out from behind Han Ye. “But I’ve been in Black Street for many years, and I only recognize younger brothers, not older brothers. There’s only one person in this world I call ‘Ge’ (older brother).”

Han Ye was startled, showing an expression of disbelief.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Get back here, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you said.”

Chi Gui’s gaze darted between the two of them, and he said, enjoying the drama, “I’m very curious to know who this little brother’s ‘good brother’ is.”

Su Ruhui looked at Han Ye, his heart very complex. They were fated to be apart, and if he didn’t cut off Han Ye’s thoughts in time, things would only become more difficult in the future. Su Ruhui raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Sang Chiyu, my tall, mighty, and handsome Brother Sang.”

Sang Chiyu’s footsteps stopped.

“So you really can’t touch me,” Su Ruhui spread his hands and said, “My Brother Sang loves me like honey, dotes on me like his life. If even a single hair on my head is harmed, he will surely drench the Pleasure Quarter in blood to avenge me.”

Han Ye’s face was gloomy. He said, “You once said that you and Sang Chiyu had already cut off all contact.”

“I lied,” Su Ruhui said without changing his expression, “Actually, we meet secretly every night, whispering intimately, seven times a night.”

Ananda saw Sang Chiyu stop and thought that the young man would not survive today. What kind of person was Sang Chiyu, to tolerate a Black Street thug making such outrageous claims in public and ruining his reputation? Ananda drew his fire gun from his waist, aimed at Ah Qi below, and nodded to Sang Chiyu, “Young Master Sang, I will kill this audacious brat who slandered your good name for you!”

He was about to pull the trigger when he heard Sang Chiyu say, “No matter.”

Ananda observed Sang Chiyu’s expression and found that he showed no anger, which made him marvel at his broad-mindedness. Ananda put away his fire gun and stood up, saying, “Young Master Sang is magnanimous; it was my narrow-mindedness. Let’s go then.”

Sang Chiyu glanced at him, frowning slightly, “When did I say I was leaving?”

“…”

Ananda was confused. Could it be that Sang Chiyu had only turned around to stretch his muscles?