Chapter 242 - 240: Lying in Wait
In the dead of night.
A figure clad in plain white appeared.
Two lengths of White Silk sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, wrapping around the legs of two burly men.
It was Linglong.
She had, at some point, silently blocked the warehouse entrance.
At the same time, Shu Qi shot out from the shadows, his hand clawing at the vital spot on the third man’s back.
"Get out of the way!"
The three burly men were both shocked and furious at being intercepted. They used every trick they had to try and escape.
But the pair successfully tied them down.
In that brief moment, the Qiankun Ruyi Staff conjured several afterimages, each jabbing at the vital acupoints on the men’s backs.
THWAP! THWAP! THWAP!
Three soft sounds echoed out almost simultaneously.
The three men felt only a numbness in their backs as a heart-shattering force pierced their bodies. Their vision went black, and they crumpled to the ground, dead.
Silence returned to the warehouse.
Only the pickled vegetables and tofu on the charcoal stove continued to simmer softly.
Linglong walked over to the corpse of the fair-skinned man and knelt to examine it closely.
She turned the body onto its side and lifted the back of its clothes, revealing a strange red lotus tattoo right on the small of its back.
"My lord."
Linglong looked up at Chen Li, who was standing silently to the side, and said in a hushed voice, "This is the mark of the Red Lotus branch of the Xiang Sect’s Twelve Celestial Fragrances."
Chen Li’s gaze lingered on the tattoo for a moment before he gave a slight nod.
"Mm."
After acknowledging her, he ordered, "Shu Qi, Bai San, clean this place up. Be quick and tidy."
With that, he turned away from the corpse and strode toward the back of the warehouse.
Seeing this, Linglong immediately lifted her skirts and followed him silently.
Inside the storeroom, countless camphorwood chests of a uniform design were stacked neatly from floor to ceiling.
A rough glance suggested there were over a thousand chests.
Chen Li casually twisted off a lock with his bare hands and lifted the lid.
Inside, bolts of lustrous, exquisitely woven cloud brocade silk were packed to the brim.
Linglong came up behind him. Seeing the mountain of silk, her willow-like brows furrowed even tighter. "My lord," she whispered, "so much silk. How can just the few of us move all this?"
"Why would we move it?"
Chen Li, however, was unconcerned and simply smiled.
Linglong froze, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. "Not move it? Are we just going to leave it here?"
Just then, Bai San, having finished moving the bodies, came over and asked in astonishment, "Sir, you’re not thinking of selling this stuff on the Black Market, are you? It’s just common silk, and in such a huge quantity. The Black Market folks probably won’t want it.
Even if those sword fanatics from the Celestial Sword Sect might want it, they’re in bed with the Court. If we sell it to them and they turn around and rat us out, wouldn’t that be walking right into a trap?"
Chen Li shook his head. "We’re not selling to the Black Market."
Linglong grew even more confused. "My lord, you said before that the Liu Family was holding this silk for Eunuch Liu. What do we do if he comes to collect it?"
Chen Li nodded, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of silk. "Then we’ll wait for him."
"Wait for him?"
At these words, Linglong, Bai San, and even Shu Qi—who had been silently wiping stains from his hands—all wore looks of disbelief.
A thousand chests of silk, even if transported by the convenient waterways, would require hiring a large number of tugmen and boats. The commotion would be enormous and impossible to conceal.
Furthermore, Liyang County was riddled with government checkpoints. A shipment of this size could never get through with just a few silver bribes.
The risk was as high as pulling chestnuts from a fire.
In fact, based on the information gathered from Li Yuniang and Liu Yunfeng, that Eunuch Liu from the Textile Bureau had to be inextricably linked with the Xiang Sect—he might even be a member himself.
This was precisely why, after returning to Lingxi, he had brought Linglong and rushed to Jiangkou without stopping.
As for Eunuch Liu’s motive for demanding such a massive quantity of silk?
After asking Linglong and learning that the silk supply for Xiang Sect businesses like the Drunken Creek Pavilions was all allocated from the top, Chen Li had formed a theory.
When it came to demand for silk, aside from wealthy households, brothels were undoubtedly the biggest consumers among all industries.
And the fact that Eunuch Liu didn’t place the silk in the Textile Bureau’s Government Granary, but instead secretly stored it in the lawless Jiangkou County, was enough to show his purpose was definitely not official business.
The most likely possibility was some under-the-table dealing.
And since it was a private transaction, there was room for negotiation—or even countermeasures.
Chen Li turned to Bai San and asked, "How many portions of the medicinal herbs I had you purchase did you prepare?"
Bai San, not understanding, replied, "Sir, I’ve bought enough for ten portions of the herbs on your list."
"We’ll stay here for a while."
Chen Li nodded. "Bai San, go buy some pharmaceutical tools tomorrow and bring them to me with the herbs. Shu Qi, you’ll guard the warehouse for now."
Having given his orders, Chen Li said no more and turned to walk out of the warehouse.
Although his subordinates were full of questions, they didn’t dare ask since Chen Li offered no further explanation.
The next day.
Chen Li found an inn near the Yongfeng Warehouse Pier and took a room.
Bai San soon delivered the medicinal herbs and tools.
Chen Li shut himself in and began to refine the Sweet Wind Jade Dew Heaven-Repairing Creation Pill.
After creating the elixir, he guided the Clear and Muddy Qi coiled in his Divine Hall Acupoint, using the Secret Technique of Refining Intent with Divinity from the Immovable Vajra Bright King Technique to ignite an Inner Qi Flame. With this, he began to slowly smelt and fuse the vast Qiankun Qi Roaming Dragon True Intent.
For more than ten days, Chen Li was completely engrossed, his mind free of all distractions.
...
「Jiangkou Pier.」
The night was enveloped by the damp river wind and the faint sound of lapping waves.
Inside No. 7 Warehouse, the light was dim. Only a small, flickering stove fire in the corner illuminated two faces etched with boredom.
Shu Qi was squatting on the ground before a small charcoal stove. A clay pot sat on top, and from it came the GURGLE GURGLE of stewing meat.
An aroma, a mixture of rich spices that still couldn’t quite mask a certain gamy tang, filled the air.
His jade-white rat with ruby-red eyes was perched on the edge of a small bowl, nibbling at a chunk of meat that had been stewed until it was falling apart.
"Come on, come on, Bai San-er, have a taste of Brother Qi’s cooking! This is prime civet cat meat, made with my secret recipe. It’s been simmering on low heat for two hours, so it’s soaked up all the flavor."
Shu Qi used his chopsticks to pick out a large, dark piece of meat from the pot, blew on it, and offered it to the utterly listless Bai San sitting across from him. "When other people cook this stuff, it’s tough and gamy. But my skills? Not to brag, but you won’t find another dish like this in all of Jiangzhou!"
Bai San stared at the coarse-textured, dark-colored piece of meat. His Adam’s apple bobbed, but he had absolutely no appetite for it.
But not wanting to offend him, he reluctantly took it and gingerly bit off a small piece.
The meat was tough and hard to chew. Despite the generous amount of spices, a sour, astringent taste still burst forth, assaulting his nostrils.
He forced himself not to spit it out, chewed it a few times without care, and swallowed it whole. He quickly grabbed the nearby wine flask and took several large gulps—GLUG GLUG—to wash down the strange taste.
He was depressed beyond belief.
’I thought coming to a prosperous place like Jiangkou would be like a dragon escaping shallow waters,’ he lamented internally. ’I figured I could finally get away from a backwater like Lingxi, go have some fun at the brothels, and find a few pretty girls to... dally with.’
’Who would’ve thought that the big boss himself would follow us to Jiangkou?’
’And he even decided to live in a warehouse at the pier.’
’Now I’m stuck here too, guarding a pile of silk I can’t eat or drink, with barely any time to even step out for fresh air.’
’This is even more boring and stifling than being in Lingxi!’
’When will this miserable life ever end?’
Shu Qi grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "How was it? Tastes pretty good, right?"
Bai San’s mouth twitched. He gave a dry laugh. "Brother Qi’s skills... are truly profound. The meat is, uh... very refreshing. And whets the appetite."
’Whets the appetite so much that I’m about to puke up last night’s dinner!’
He really couldn’t think of any other words to say.
Shu Qi chuckled smugly, paid him no more mind, and picked up a piece for himself. He chewed with great relish, eyes narrowed as if savoring the most exquisite delicacy known to man.
Suddenly, Shu Qi’s smile vanished. His ears twitched almost imperceptibly.
His chopsticks froze in mid-air. His gaze sharpened, darting toward the shadows by the warehouse entrance as he shot a swift kick to Bai San’s shin.
Startled, Bai San flicked his finger. A small pebble he had been fiddling with shot out with a WHOOSH, striking the bronze bell hanging from the eaves with perfect accuracy.
"DING!"
The clear chime of the bell suddenly rang out in the silent warehouse.
Before the ringing had faded, the shadows in the crack of the closed main door seemed to ripple like flowing water.
Then, three figures appeared as silently as ghosts at the edge of the dim light.
Of the three dark figures, the one on the left struck first.
Moving like a bolt of lightning, he lunged at Shu Qi and Bai San. His fingers formed a claw, stirring up a vicious, cold wind as they shot toward Shu Qi’s throat at an astonishing speed.
Shu Qi was terrified. He quickly retreated half a step and threw his hands up, shouting, "Wait! Everyone, we’re on the same side! Don’t attack, we’re really on the same side!"
His body tensed, and he secretly circulated his Inner Strength, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
Bai San also dodged quickly, moving to shield Shu Qi with his own body.
The leading figure raised a hand slightly in a gesture to halt.
The attacker immediately stopped his advance.
The leader stepped forward into the light, revealing his true appearance.
He appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His features were so exquisite as to be almost bewitching. He had an androgynous, beautiful face, with skin fairer and more delicate than any woman’s.
He wore a long robe of brocade satin, and his movements held a certain graceful sway. At this moment, he held his fingers in an orchid gesture, his cold gaze sweeping over Shu Qi and Bai San.
The bewitching man’s voice carried a chilling coldness. "Who are you? Where is Li Lian?"
Shu Qi and Bai San opened their mouths to speak.
"Incense Protector, Jing Hong, pays her respects to the Holy Envoy."
Before they could figure out how to answer, a gentle and melodious voice drifted out from the shadows at the side of the warehouse.
The words had barely faded when a slender figure glided out. It was Linglong.
Tonight, she was dressed in an aquamarine gown. Her figure swayed like a pure lotus under the moon as she gave a deep, respectful bow to the bewitching man.
The bewitching man’s eyes flashed with surprise upon seeing Linglong.
But after sizing her up for a few moments, and especially after sensing the worldly, seductive charm about her, his suspicion lessened slightly.
Such an aura was indeed fitting for a Courtesan trained by the Xiang Sect.
However, he wasn’t entirely convinced. His right hand suddenly shot up, fingers held in an orchid gesture, and he flicked a finger lightly toward Linglong from a distance.
SWISH!
A silent, lightning-fast stream of finger-wind, condensed like a needle and bone-chillingly cold, shot toward Linglong.