Chapter 88 - 75: Hide 7, Reveal 3
’I’ll leave the showboating and posturing to the likes of Ding Mo and Yan Jian. I’d rather just live a quiet, stable life.’
Even so, when he recalled the insufferable arrogance Ding Mo and Yan Jian displayed, Chen Cheng really wanted to slap them across the face.
As he was lost in thought, a figure suddenly shot past on the rooftops of a nearby street, then immediately flashed back and stood upon the eaves not far away.
The person held a longsword, a solitary figure under the moonlight, exuding a sharp aura. It was none other than Chief Constable Shen Qingshuang.
Her eyes swept over the alley, landing on Mu Chuan standing guard at the entrance with his saber drawn. Chen Cheng was also holding his saber, hidden in the shadows of a courtyard wall. Lou Hui’s decapitated body lay on the ground.
Shen Qingshuang frowned and asked, "Chen Cheng, what happened?"
Chen Cheng emerged from the shadows of the wall, cupped his hands, and replied, "Chief Constable, we were on patrol when we were ambushed by the South City Thirteen Thieves. We fled all the way here."
"Is this Bo Qi or Lou Hui?" Shen Qingshuang asked.
"This is Lou Hui." Before she could ask another question, Chen Cheng pointed in a certain direction and said, "Bo Qi died over there. Chief Constable Yan Jian and the Wind and Rain Tower assassin, Ding Mo, should still be fighting in that direction."
"Oh," Shen Qingshuang acknowledged, assuming Yan Jian had killed Lou Hui before going after Ding Mo. "You two wait here. Su Chenglin and his men will be here soon."
With that, Shen Qingshuang performed several leaps, rushing away along the rooftops and quickly disappearing from sight.
Before long, a squad of over ten City Guard Department officials hurried over from down the street. Their leader was none other than Chief Constable Su Chenglin.
"Captain Su, we’re over here."
"Is this Lou Hui?" Seeing Lou Hui’s body, Su Chenglin and the other constables were all secretly shocked.
Mu Chuan quickly recounted the entire night’s events in detail: how the two brothers from the South City Thirteen Thieves had planned their ambush, how Chen Cheng had turned their own plot against them to kill Bo Qi, how Lou Hui had flown into a rage, how he and Chen Cheng had fought a desperate battle against Lou Hui, and how they had finally fled to this spot and managed to kill him.
Su Chenglin did a quick inspection. The alley was covered in lime powder, and Lou Hui’s body was also covered in it. The circumstances of his death matched Mu Chuan’s account perfectly, and Su Chenglin couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
"To escape from the South City Thirteen Thieves with your lives, and even kill Lou Hui in the process, is truly no easy feat!"
Su Chenglin sighed again, then turned to Chen Cheng and praised him, "Ah Cheng, you remained calm in a crisis and managed to kill Lou Hui. Your cunning is truly impressive."
The other constables all looked at Chen Cheng with admiration. Each one of them was thinking, ’If I were in their situation, I’m afraid Lou Hui would have killed me by now.’
Chen Cheng smiled faintly. "I was just lucky," he said.
Su Chenglin assigned two constables to guard Lou Hui’s body, then led the rest toward the site of the initial incident.
Halfway there, they found the other three constables who had been on patrol with Chen Cheng. All of them had been killed by a single sword thrust to the throat.
Everyone was secretly horrified!
When they arrived at the spot where Bo Qi had died, Chief Constable Shen Qingshuang and Yan Jian also arrived from nearby.
Shen Qingshuang’s expression was grave. Yan Jian had several minor injuries, looking as if he had just been through a difficult fight.
"My apologies for being late, Lord Shen!" Su Chenglin hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his hands.
He was on night duty at the City Guard Department, yet he had arrived later than Shen Qingshuang. If she decided to make an issue of it, he would surely be reprimanded.
Shen Qingshuang, however, ignored him. She first examined Bo Qi’s body before turning her inquisitive gaze toward Chen Cheng.
Before she could speak, Chen Cheng quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and recounted the events in full detail.
Mu Chuan followed up, meticulously adding various details.
By the time they finished, Shen Qingshuang had no more questions. Her brow was tightly furrowed as she stared at Chen Cheng, lost in thought.
She could naturally guess that someone had orchestrated tonight’s events, sending the South City Thirteen Thieves and Ding Mo to assassinate Chen Cheng.
Facing such a situation, with Chen Cheng’s level of strength, it should have been a surefire death sentence.
And yet, Chen Cheng was perfectly fine. Not only was he fine, but he had also successfully killed two powerful opponents, Bo Qi and Lou Hui.
If Chen Cheng had hidden his true Martial Arts Power and killed the two with brute force, she could have understood it.
But instead, Chen Cheng had genuinely used the strength of a Great Success Blade Master to defeat a stronger foe.
Every step Chen Cheng took was the optimal response. Such cunning was almost demonic, and she couldn’t help but be amazed.
"Chen Cheng, you remained calm in the face of danger and cleverly killed the leaders of the South City Thirteen Thieves, Bo Qi and Lou Hui. I am very pleased," Shen Qingshuang said with a slight smile.
In truth, she had a thousand words of praise in her heart, but they all felt too pale and weak. The simple phrase, "I am very pleased," was a better expression of her current feelings.
Chen Cheng remained composed, humbly cupping his hands. "Thank you for your praise, Lord Shen. I was merely lucky."
Nearby, Yan Jian chuckled. "Younger Brother Chen, your Martial Arts Power may be a bit weak, but I, Yan Jian, greatly admire your cunning.
That Ding Mo from the Wind and Rain Tower is a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm with Sword Technique Perfection. His strength is immense. If you ran into him, I doubt you could even take a single blow.
But you don’t have to worry. I stabbed him with my sword, and he’s seriously injured. He won’t dare to come after you again."
This guy paid lip service to his admiration but was subtly emphasizing Ding Mo’s immense strength and how Chen Cheng wouldn’t last a single move against him. He was clearly unhappy that Chen Cheng had stolen the spotlight and was trying to belittle him while showing off his own superior power.
The implication was that since Chen Cheng couldn’t last a single move against Ding Mo, and he, Yan Jian, had injured Ding Mo with a single sword strike, then Chen Cheng naturally wouldn’t last a single move against him either.
Chen Cheng had seen Yan Jian and Ding Mo’s posturing before, so he easily caught the undertone. However, he didn’t bother arguing about Yan Jian’s showboating. After all, the man had indeed been protecting him in secret, so some thanks were in order.
He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Chief Yan. If you hadn’t arrived, I’m afraid I would have been in great danger."
Yan Jian had been calling him ’Younger Brother Chen’ and was expecting a ’Thank you, Brother Yan’ in return. What he got instead was a formal ’Chief Yan,’ which created a sense of distance. He was instantly displeased and frowned slightly.
"It was nothing, nothing at all," Yan Jian said, forcing a smile.
"Alright, let’s head back to the City Guard Department first," Shen Qingshuang said coolly.
Bo Qi and Lou Hui’s bodies were taken to the morgue at the City Guard Office. Seeing the gruesome sight of the decapitated corpses, the constables were once again secretly shocked. ’As expected of the number one constable from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department, the one they call Fierce Ah Cheng. He’s so decisive!’
Su Chenglin led the constables on a night-long search of the district, but they found nothing out of the ordinary.
...
「Dawn was breaking.」
In the Chief Constable’s courtyard, the handmaiden Xiaoxing reported to Shen Qingshuang. She said that the men watching the Zhou Family had sent word that there was no unusual activity, and Zhou Xu had remained in the Zhou Mansion all night.
There was also nothing unusual about the bodies of Bo Qi and Lou Hui of the South City Thirteen Thieves; they were not members of the Black Lotus Sect.
But since Ding Mo of the Wind and Rain Tower had appeared, Zhou Xu had to be the one pulling the strings.
Shen Qingshuang smiled slightly and said to Chen Cheng, "Chen Cheng, you killed Bo Qi and Lou Hui, the leaders of the South City Thirteen Thieves. I will naturally request a commendation for you.
As for the Wind and Rain Tower assassin, Ding Mo, since Yan Jian has already injured him, you don’t need to worry. In the future, I will report this to my family and secure some cultivation resources for you."
After the night’s events, she had already decided to properly nurture this young talent. If cultivated well, Chen Cheng might even become a second Yan Jian.
Looking both surprised and flattered, Chen Cheng quickly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Shen."
Nearby, Yan Jian stood ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on Shen Qingshuang, his expression calm.
For days, Shen Qingshuang had made him—the youngest and strongest Chief Constable in the South City District—live in the Ruyi District to secretly protect a mere constable like Chen Cheng. He had long been resentful about it.
Last night, he had been running around helping out, but he hadn’t received a single word of praise from Shen Qingshuang. Though his face was calm, he was furious inside.
As if noticing Yan Jian’s mood, Shen Qingshuang nodded slightly at him and said, "Chief Yan, you’ve worked hard these past few days. Your Skin Grinding Realm reached Perfection long ago. I will apply to my family and try to get you some Muscle Strengthening Elixirs.
You must cultivate diligently and reach the Muscle Strengthening Realm as soon as possible. Do not let my efforts go to waste."
Hearing this, Yan Jian was overjoyed. He quickly cupped his hands, his gaze fervent and sincere. "It is my honor to be of service to Miss Shen. Whatever you command, Miss Shen, I am willing to go through fire and water for you!"