A Pawn's Passage

The atmosphere was solemn.

The county magistrate, assistant major, and Deacon Zhou were sitting in the main hall of the Xiang Residence with somber expressions. After all, society was at peace; these were not war times when human lives were not valued. Judging by the weathering of some of these corpses, not all had died during their term in office. Some were likely to be related to old cases, so no one dared to be careless. This was a major event that would affect their careers.

Qi Xuansu stood outside the main hall with his hands on his short sword and gun, staring up at the bright moon.

It was beyond his expectations for the situation to reach this point.

He had a close brush with death. If he had not obtained the Xuan Jade of Death, he would have ended up like that Diviner and become one of the many bones in this cemetery.

It seemed that the Diviner noticed something fishy about this place and came to catch the vengeful ghost. Unexpectedly, there was another snake demon hiding in the dark, waiting to strike. Thus, the Diviner was outnumbered and lost his life.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu tightened his grip on his weapons.

The world was a dangerous place, especially to those who were not Heavenly Beings. Even as a Xiantian Being, it was possible to die suddenly without an explanation, regardless of one’s cultivation level. This was true because Qi Xuansu himself killed many who were at a higher cultivation level than he was.

At this moment, someone reported that Xiang Rulin had finally woken up.

The three people who were sitting in the main hall stood up at the same time and walked out quickly.

Although the Xiang Residence was sealed off and every resident was interrogated, most of these people were unaware of these shady events. Even if someone knew about it, they were mostly making assumptions after the fact, which was of no great use. Thus, the key to resolving this case lies in Xiang Rulin.

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment and followed behind the three officials.

When the three officials were discussing how to solve this case earlier, Qi Xuansu was nearby. The Green Phoenix Guards, cadets, and Daoist priests noticed that their superiors were very polite to this young man, so they dared not stop Qi Xuansu from entering and only assumed that he must be of the same level as their superiors.

The four men came to Xiang Rulin’s bedroom. Xiang Rulin was sitting on the bed, his face still pale without a trace of blood.

Someone brought in some chairs for them.

The county magistrate took the initiative to ask, “Xiang Rulin, why did you build a cemetery at home? You’d better hurry up and confess your crimes. Otherwise, you’ll face worse punishment!”

Although they were not in the county government office, the threat from the county magistrate could still make people feel a chill running down their spine. After all, not many could endure the torture methods used on criminals.

Criminals would be bound at the neck, feet, and hands while torture methods were inflicted on them. Even the toughest pirates could not withstand the pain, let alone a pampered and weak-bodied gentry like Xiang Rulin.

Since everything was already exposed, Xiang Rulin was calm at this time. He smiled bitterly and said, “I’m a Juren Scholar. I’m afraid you all can’t afford the consequences of torturing me to death. You’ll have to wait until my title is removed before torturing me. But since things have reached this point, there’s no need for all that. You’ve seen the cemetery, and I have nothing more to say.”

The assistant major questioned, “Your wife and concubine are missing, and there are reports of a snake demon and a vengeful ghost in this house. What’s the connection between them?”

Xiang Rulin lowered his head and kept mum.

Deacon Zhou snorted. “I take your silence as acquiescence. I wonder, is the snake demon your wife and the vengeful ghost your concubine, or the other way around?”

Xiang Rulin’s body trembled slightly, but his head remained lowered, and his mouth remained shut.

Qi Xuansu kept a stoic face and did not speak either.

Although Xiang Rulin did not commit murder, he deliberately condoned the snake demon and the vengeful ghost’s crimes by failing to report what he knew. Thus, he was an accomplice and could not escape from being held responsible.

The county magistrate could not hold himself back any longer. Although he did not have a gavel on hand, he slapped the table with his palm and shouted, “How unrepentant of you, evildoer!”

He stood up abruptly in anger.

Qi Xuansu had been standing all this while, even though he was offered a chair. At this time, the assistant major and Deacon Zhou also stood up.

Xiang Rulin was startled and could not help but raise his head. He trembled in fear again when he saw the four men towering over him.

The county magistrate had a stern expression. “Even without your confession, we can still close the case with enough physical evidence. But when that happens, a pampered gentleman like you won’t be able to handle the consequences!”

Xiang Rulin was silent for a long time. After a while, he asked, “What would you like to know, sir?”

The county magistrate’s expression softened slightly. “Were you aware of the snake demon and the vengeful ghost?”

No one knew if Xiang Rulin was saddened by his arrest or by the deaths of his wife and concubine. His eyes were dim as he said feebly, “I am aware.”

The county magistrate pressed on. “Are you aware of the harm they caused to others?”

Xiang Rulin did not deny it. “I am aware.”

The magistrate suppressed his anger and scoffed. “Good. At least you have the guts to admit your fault.”

Xiang Rulin smiled wryly. “That year, when I was going to the Imperial Capital for the National Exam, I encountered some bandits. If it weren’t for my wife and concubine, I would have been dead. After we got married, it was thanks to them that I was able to keep the family business passed down by my ancestors.”

Deacon Zhou sneered. “You sure are a sentimental and loyal husband. But don’t you think that the victims deserve to live too?”

Xiang Rulin was speechless.

Qi Xuansu glared at Xiang Rulin. Just last night, they were still drinking and chatting happily. He wondered how Xiang Rulin viewed him at the time—was it a dying person?

If Xiang Rulin had been unaware of all this, Qi Xuansu would have been willing to help him out, especially since Xiang Rulin was so kind as to offer him a place to stay. However, there was no kindness to speak of if Xiang Rulin was fully aware of his wife’s and concubine’s crimes. Xiang Rulin only hosted a banquet for Qi Xuansu as the latter’s last supper so that he could die with a full stomach.

Qi Xuansu sneered, thinking that Xiang Rulin deserved a tragic death.

Zhang Yuelu had once mentioned that Qi Xuansu had a strong killing aura, which stemmed from violence and resentment.

Even Zhang Yuelu herself admitted that she also had a killing aura, accumulated bit by bit from her time in Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall. A bit of it was shown when she broke Xu Kou’s wrist without warning, but she did not use it on Qi Xuansu. Having gone through so many life-and-death situations, it would be weird if she did not have a violent temper.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu had been wandering around the world on his own for so many years, living on the edge of the blade. Thus, his killing aura would only be more than Zhang Yuelu’s. However, most of the time, he kept it hidden and did not show it in front of the people he knew. It would only come out when he had to kill.

That was why Qi Xuansu had never considered himself a good person.

At this moment, the assistant major asked, “Brother Wei, what do you think?”

Qi Xuansu said calmly, “It’s only natural for a blood debt to be paid with one’s life.”

The other three did not speak, as they all had their own considerations. However, they agreed with Qi Xuansu’s words.

Qi Xuansu walked up to Xiang Rulin and asked, “Master Xiang, logically speaking, I would have owed you a favor for allowing me to take shelter at your house and hosting a banquet for me. But I don’t think this favor is worth paying for with my life. Since it has come to this point, I might as well tell you the truth. The snake demon and the vengeful ghost wanted to eat me, but they all died in my hands. Do you have anything to say about that?”

Xiang Rulin looked at Qi Xuansu with resentment, but he felt the killing aura the moment he met Qi Xuansu’s gaze.

He was speechless, finally realizing that the young man in front of him was completely different from the three officials. Qi Xuansu had countless lives on his hands, so even evil spirits would be afraid of his killing aura. How did he take the initiative to provoke this young man? Wasn’t that asking for death?

Qi Xuansu said, “I take it that you have nothing to say to me. I won’t kill you, but I will leave it to the officials to determine your punishment. I believe the government will give me justice.”