Deities Abandoning Children (Part 3)
The steward responded, “Who can tolerate his master being defamed? You five came here seeking an audience, yet you are interrogating us about a homicide. This act of insolence is courting death.”
The big man, smiling, patted the steward on the shoulder. “Brother, if we truly suspected Patriarch Wang, do you think we would have visited in this manner? You’re making yourself increasingly suspicious.”
“Why would you inquire about Patriarch’s recent activities if you do not suspect him? Who do you take us for to accuse us of any involvement in Yangliu’s homicide? Patriarch has not been feeling well recently, yet you choose now of all times to visit. Is that not enough to suspect you of ulterior motives?”
That explained why the servants were so vigilant and confrontational.
Han stepped forward to say, “We did not visit with ulterior motives. Had you not mentioned it, we would not have been aware of Patriarch Wang’s condition. It seems that there has been a misunderstanding. Let him go, Senior Brother.”
The tattooed man pondered it for a second prior to releasing his hold on the steward’s arm, but he remained close by since he was not yet completely convinced.
Bai Lian started to surmise that Han played a commanding role in the group despite not being the eldest or strongest.
Han transferred a gentle flow of energy to the steward as he supported him into a better posture, undoing the sealed meridians.
“Can you now fulfil your promise?” questioned the steward.
Su Xiao blurted, “Why do you want to apprehend us? I haven’t said a word.”
The big man clicked his fingers and smiled. “Right. If you were concerned about someone trying to harm Patriarch Wang, why didn’t you request the aid of two government officials? Instead, you tried to pit us against each other.”
Teeth clenched, the steward answered, “Everybody knows who you are. You are Liu Shan Men’s Su Xiao, a crooked female constable. Everyone knows how unreasonable and savage you are. Who would dare to request your aid?”
“What?! Who said that?!” Detecting all the gazes on him, Su Xiao snapped, “How am I savage?”
Bai Lian patted Su Xiao on the back. “So you are a female constable?”
“Uh, n-no, I’m a constable.”
Everyone looked back at the steward, who condescendingly responded, “Fine, a crooked woman constable, happy?”
“Happy, my foot! I’m a male constable!”
Han stepped in between them and said, “We decided to pay a visit because we heard the culprit behind the Yangliu homicides fled here. We were close to Yangliu at the time of the homicides, so we rushed over through the night and encountered the villain once.”
Nobody knew the motivation behind the Yangliu homicides, and the magistrate never enacted any effective solutions, but there was never any mention of the culprit choosing a new location to repeat his crimes.
Bai Lian widened her eyes. Until this point, she felt frustrated about something for an unknown reason, but hearing of their sense of justice was the sun she needed to clear the looming dark clouds. She did not know what she grasped, but she knew she grasped something.
“It pains me to say this, but the five of us were unable to stop the skilled culprit when we fought outside Yangliu.”
“Skilled?” Langya crouched, “It was a monster. If it was an actual test of skill, I would’ve splattered his skull.”
“What was he like?” queried Su Xiao, having a suspicion.
Impressed, Han smiled. “You are a clever lady. Indeed, w-”
“Wait. I’m a man.”
Having lost his train of thought, Han restarted. “That night, we made it just before he was able to kill the pregnant woman, which was how we caught a glimpse of his appearance. His facial features were contorted, with several sections of his face inflated. When he opened his mouth, we saw blood-stained sharp teeth. He is considerably taller than my senior brother. His physique is also strange; it is like… like a walking blob of flesh. While we were able to best him, we could not kill him.”
“That’s a lot of words just to say, ‘monster’. The thing was revolting.” Langya had her brows locked.
“No, he is definitely human,” opined the tattooed man.
Langya wanted to debate that, but Han continued, “He is indeed human and one who excels at deceit. We intermittently engaged him in combat as we pursued him. Every time he went somewhere with people, someone suffered. He had no qualms taking hostages or making us run circles. We have fought him five times in total, but we have not been able to subdue him.”
Su Xiao expressed, “You’re all so skilled. It’s regrettable that he’s so cruel. If only you had a sharper weapon or way to conceal yourselves while tailing him.”
“Hahaha, it’s no wonder Dark Robe Brotherhood is so wary of you.” Ignoring the glare from the steward, the big man continued, “You’re right that our shortcoming is that we can’t decapitate him in one go. I’ve slashed him over a dozen times in total, with around three to four of them being fatal, yet his body is more resistant the more power I use. I even broke my blade on the last slash.” Patting his weapon at his stash, he added, “I’ve had to have a new blade forged specifically for beheading him. As for your tracing comment, hehe.”
“Hehe, nice, nice. I hope you can share some later.” Su Xiao and the big man were able to understand each other with just a glance.
The big man held his hands in a propitious salute. “Of course. That goes without saying in the pugilistic world.”
The steward felt as though some secret deal just took place in front of him, but he was powerless to stop it, irking him.
Han cleared his throat. “We believe that, despite how difficult it is to track him, he is not as mindlessly ruthless as his appearance suggests considering the level of intelligence he has displayed against us. As such, it is impossible that he is unaware of the impact his actions at Yangliu would create. He is acting with a clear purpose in mind; they are not random attacks.”
Su Xiao postulated, “He is trying to gain someone’s attention, such as the imperial court?”
“We are not sure about that. Nevertheless, provoking both sides of the law like this is a sign that he is aiming for something big, which is why…”
“Hmph, which is why he might have conspirators or even someone commanding him, and our patriarch fits the bill, correct?” questioned the steward.
That certainly was one of the hypotheses that the five had. Firstly, Black Robe Brotherhood’s territory was not some public park. Secondly, he vanished without a trace afterwards, which he could not have done solo.
Han explained, “That is one of our theories. All of the clues we have point to him having been here. We merely seek an answer. If we have wronged you in any way, please pardon us. The monster is truly a disaster. May we ask if Patriarch Wang could grant us an audience.”
Han’s four companions could not have had expressed themselves with the same grace and conveyed sincerity to the same degree as him.
Subsequent to thinking it through, the steward shook his head and then swept his gaze over four of them. “Song Wei, Bai Youhan, Ling Yingmu, Jin Wangshi, it is said that you four will not even reveal your true disciplines in fights. If you did not at least leave your names, one would have to think you fell out of the sky. Unfortunately for you, I know, and I even know the reasons you were exiled from your schools. I cannot grant you an audience with Patriarch on account of your negative attitude towards the Seven Champion White Princes. Young Master Bai, forgive me, but I cannot grant your request.”
The steward then turned to Langya and scoffed, “Traitor.”
Langya grinned. “And I’m proud of it.”
The steward stopped himself from firing back when he heard brisk steps approaching from behind. The dull-looking servant hurried over and gestured with his hands. The steward blurted, “But he’s…” Realising it was a fruitless protest, he responded with a few hand gestures of his own.
After conversing with the servant, the steward let out a sigh. “Let’s go. Patriarch wishes to see you.”
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