Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Wan Ze didn’t take the bait of her flirtatious display. He draped his jacket over the back of the chair, sat down, and got straight to the point. "The thing you were doing... is it done?"

"Mhm." The woman lifted her chin, looking like a cat that had gotten the cream. "So all my work setting this up these past few days paid off. Over at Lingyun Manor, the Tail Society’s people searched the place several times, turning it upside down... They even had someone tail Xiaoling for two days to confirm she was just some clueless girl who knew nothing. Only then did they leave with the painting."

She paused, tilting her head to look at him with a smug smile. "Aren’t you curious how I did it?"

"Not curious. You have your ways," Wan Ze said, his tone flat.

The woman was momentarily at a loss for words. She stared at him for two seconds, but the smile on her lips only deepened as she let out a soft huff. "...You’re no fun."

Wan Ze pretended not to hear her. "Tell me your plan."

"We should get moving. This window of opportunity is to our advantage." The woman’s playful expression vanished as she looked at him. "Is there anything else you need to prepare on your end? I can wait."

"I... have no issues."

But as Wan Ze spoke, he suddenly paused. "Although, I’ve been thinking about something these past two days..."

He looked up, meeting her gaze frankly.

"Would you be interested in having my senior brother get involved? Zhai Jia... you should know him. He can be trusted. We’re short on muscle—of course... I’m not saying I’m weak."

The woman stopped fiddling with her glass.

She didn’t answer immediately, her eyes lowered, her lashes casting a small shadow beneath them.

Wan Ze didn’t press her, just waited.

After a long moment, she spoke softly, her voice lower than before. "When it comes to this, more people doesn’t mean more safety."

She raised her eyes to look at Wan Ze, the earlier coquettishness gone from her gaze.

It was just faint and still.

"Uncle Jiao has been with me for so many years. He runs my errands, he hid the painting for me, he even took the hit for me in that car crash. And to this day, he still has no idea what a Qi Refiner is."

She paused for a moment, then spoke with equal frankness. "But since he’s someone you vouch for, I’ll trust him. Just please don’t tell him about Qi Refiners. At least, not right now."

"No problem," Wan Ze agreed readily.

’After all, Zhai Jia is in the Refining Viscera Realm.’

’It was a shame the woman was unwilling to let Situ Bai know, and he didn’t know any other powerful experts, so Zhai Jia was the best choice.’

He called Zhai Jia right in front of her.

The call connected quickly. The background noise was a bit loud, as if he were outside.

"Ah Ze? What’s up?"

"Brother Jia, I need a favor... Are you out of town?"

"Helping Brother Yu with something. It’s a real drag. Makes me miss the days we were hustling together in An City."

Zhai Jia made some small talk, but then he got serious. Without even asking what Wan Ze needed, he just asked for the time and place, did a quick mental calculation, and said, "You go on ahead. I’ll come as soon as I wrap things up here. I’ll be half an hour late at most. Just contact me when you get there."

"Alright!"

Wan Ze ended the call and looked up at the woman.

She was resting her chin on her hand, looking over with an ambiguous smile.

"Is this okay?" Wan Ze asked.

"Of course it is." The woman blinked, her languidly charming demeanor returning. Her voice drew out the words. "An extra tool from the Refining Viscera Stage? I couldn’t ask for more."

Wan Ze’s face darkened.

’What kind of thing is that to say!’

’But she did have a point!’

He looked down and sent another message to Zhai Jia:

[Remember to wear a mask when you come. Don’t let anyone recognize you.]

The reply came back almost instantly.

Zhai Jia: [This exciting?]

Zhai Jia: [Love it.]

Wan Ze stared at the two lines of text, his mouth twitching for a couple of seconds before he shoved the device back into his pocket.

Suddenly, he heard a very soft laugh beside him.

He didn’t look up; he knew the woman must be watching him with smiling eyes, enjoying his predicament.

"...Anything else?"

"May we have... good luck."

...

「Hua City.」

9:27 PM. North District, Jimin Street.

An old-fashioned sedan slowly pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

It was an old relic left behind by Miss Ling’s grandfather.

The paint was chipped in many places, but it was inconspicuous in the darkness. Ever since her second personality had used it with fake license plates to pull off some "big things" two days ago, the old car was now one step closer to the scrapyard.

Inside the car, the two of them looked around.

"Wan Ze... are we there?" Miss Ling gripped the steering wheel, her voice hushed as if afraid of startling something.

The second personality couldn’t stay out for long, after all. Before they had set out, she’d already returned control of the body to Miss Ling, saying she needed to rest and recuperate to build up her strength for a tough battle that might lie ahead.

In fact, Wan Ze had been trying to figure out how to persuade Miss Ling to join what would likely be a nerve-wracking operation. But Miss Ling herself had been quite brave, asking him concisely, "Where are we going? What do I need to do? Wan Ze... I want to help you!"

And so, she had driven for nearly three hours, her back ramrod straight the entire time. She drove from dusk until the night was deep, drove until her fingers left faint imprints on the steering wheel, finally arriving at their destination.

It was a process that, while silent, was thrilling in its own way.

"Let’s get out first. We need to look around... Remember what I said. Act natural. We’re just tourists," Wan Ze said, scanning the area.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. A few shops by the road had already pulled down their metal shutters, and the few pedestrians on the street hurried along.

After confirming they didn’t have a tail, he pushed open the car door.

Before they left, the woman had repeatedly warned them not to mention Tao Zhixi or Tao Ze, and not to show any signs of "searching" for anything.

"You are just tourists who have accidentally wandered into this place."

Wan Ze couldn’t agree more.

Miss Ling got out of the car. ’I wonder about their relationship... Are they brother and sister?’

When Wan Ze looked over, the tips of her ears instantly turned red, and she hurriedly slung her canvas bag over one shoulder.

The silver pistol strapped to the side of her thigh dug into her leg, making her walk a little unnaturally.

She had never worn a tactical thigh holster before.

And she certainly never thought there would come a day when she needed to carry a gun.

But she didn’t complain. She just discreetly adjusted the angle of the strap and followed Wan Ze, her movements growing more natural.

"Where do we start searching?" she whispered, leaning closer, her voice barely a breath. She was trying hard to stay calm.

"Let me think..." Wan Ze recalled the location he had memorized. Over the past few days, he had made two trips to the city library and, through a school teacher, had managed to contact a retired old teacher whose hometown was in Hua City.

When the old man heard him ask about the old residences north of Jimin Street, his expression grew complicated. "That area... It was bustling thirty years ago. Later, everyone moved out. They started demolishing it but never finished, so now it’s just a wasteland."

Wan Ze had memorized every alley entrance he mentioned, including every landmark he had recorded beforehand.

"First, we’ll walk west along Jimin Street," he said in a low voice.

The two walked side by side, their pace neither fast nor slow, like tourists taking a stroll after dinner.

Passing a convenience store, Wan Ze went in and bought two bottles of water, glancing behind them in the reflection of the glass door as he came out.

Passing a fruit stand, Miss Ling picked out two oranges. As she paid, Wan Ze stood turned to the side, his peripheral vision scanning the road they had come from over her shoulder.

Confirmed, no one was following.

The moment they turned into a southern alley, Wan Ze grabbed Miss Ling’s wrist and suddenly quickened his pace.

"Go."

Their footsteps echoed urgently in the narrow alley.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!"

A black shadow shot up from beside a wall, baring its stark white fangs. The large wolfhound lunged, its front paws flying, about to pounce on them.

Miss Ling’s heart tightened, and she instinctively shrank back half a step behind Wan Ze.

Wan Ze didn’t dodge.

He simply turned his head, lowered his gaze, and glared at the dog.

No extra movements, not even a pause in his stride.

He had studied the Tiger Form from the Boxing Manual day after day, and he had long since mastered its essence to the point of instinct.

Almost instantly, the wolfhound’s frantic barking was cut short as if by a blade.

Its legs went soft, and it scrambled back into its doghouse with its tail between its legs, whimpering in its throat, not even daring to peek its head out.

Miss Ling didn’t see any of it clearly. She only felt a tighten on her wrist as she was pulled through the last stretch of the pitch-black alley, the wind whistling in her ears.

And...

The THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of her own heart, beating like a drum.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before Wan Ze suddenly stopped and let go of her hand. "We’re here."

Miss Ling let out a breath of relief, but when she saw what was in front of her, she froze.

Before her was a corner of the city that seemed to have been forgotten by time.

Three old courtyard houses stood in a row. Under the night sky, their gray walls and black tiles looked ancient. The gray was a shade of white that had been corroded by the years.

Wan Ze’s eyes cautiously swept over the surroundings.

The area where a house should have been at the front was nothing but a half-finished foundation. The doors and windows of the house on the right had been completely stripped, leaving gaping, dark holes... They looked to have been demolished.

Only these three courtyard houses still stood, lonely and out of place.

And the inhabited residential area they had just passed through... its closest point was a good mile away.

This was clearly a wasteland. The streetlights didn’t reach this far, and the path underfoot was nothing but broken bricks... ’Does someone really live here?’

They took a few more steps.

The foul stench of a sewer drifted on the night wind, dispersing and gathering again.

By the faint moonlight, Miss Ling saw a very large character for "Demolish" painted in red lacquer on the gate of the central courtyard.

The strokes were sloppy.

The color had also faded significantly.

There was no telling how long it had been there, but it certainly wasn’t recent.

"We’re... here?" she asked softly.

Wan Ze nodded, but then he suddenly threw out an arm, yanked her back, and gestured for her to be quiet.

Miss Ling immediately froze, even quieting her breathing.

And then she heard it...

The sickening thud of a stick hitting flesh.

Once, twice, three times.

It was a heavy, solid sound. Even through the courtyard wall, one could imagine the force behind it.

Someone was crying, their mouth covered, the sound muffled as if they were afraid to make any noise.

Carried on the whistling wind, the faint, intermittent sound of a man’s hoarse voice begging for mercy could be heard.

Miss Ling’s heart leaped into her throat, and she subconsciously clutched the corner of Wan Ze’s shirt.

She turned to look at him.

A silent question.

’What... is happening?’

Wan Ze’s heart sank.

He didn’t doubt the coordinates, but it seemed someone had already beaten them to this derelict ruin slated for demolition.

He couldn’t help but look back at Miss Ling.

’Didn’t she say the operation was a success?’

’Could the Tail Society already know the coordinates?’

’But if they knew, why would they have gone looking for that painting in Holy City?’

But there was still no sign of the second personality emerging.

After a moment of thought, Wan Ze lowered his voice. "You wait here for me. I’ll be right back."

He then silently pointed to a pile of wooden planks nearby. The scraps of wood were leaning against the base of the wall, creating a shadow large enough to hide a person.

Seemingly worried she’d be at a disadvantage, he added with a gesture, "If anyone gets close, just shoot."

Miss Ling felt for the gun on her thigh through her clothes. Her palm was already slick with sweat.

She didn’t waste time with useless questions like "Can I do this?" She just nodded, her lips pressed tightly together, and whispered, "...You be careful."

Wan Ze grunted in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

He silently concealed his presence, his footsteps making no sound as he rapidly drew closer.

Miss Ling shrank into the shadow behind the planks, clutching the grip of her gun, and stared in the direction he had disappeared.

The night wind swept across the abandoned land, rustling the dry grass.

She only blinked once.

And Wan Ze was already completely out of sight.