Stranger Danger

Chapter 150: Conspiracies, Conspiracies Everywhere

“Man oh man…”

Ye Qing resisted rolling his eyes. Since ancient times, women and schemers had been the bane of heroes across all ages. One of them was sitting across from him, and another was scheming in the shadows. Truly, I am the protagonist.

Of course, he didn’t take Cuiwei’s info as gospel. Not even the Pacification Bureau knew about these secrets, so how did a pleasure boat of all things find out about it? Clearly, the Cuiwei Boat was more than it seemed.

Ye Qing didn’t prod her about her source or question the validity of her intel though. She had already done him a huge, potentially life-saving favor by giving him such critical information. He would absolutely be crossing a line if he questioned her integrity now.

“Thank you so much for giving me such an important piece of intel, Miss Cui!” Ye Qing rose to his feet and saluted her respectfully. “I had already guessed that Luo Feibai’s death was a plot against me, and now I know for certain it is true.”

“Oh, you’ve figured it out already? How?” Curiosity and surprise replaced some of Cuiwei’s coldness.

Ye Qing nodded and explained, “Because this whole incident had been a little too coincidental from my point of view. Xue Shiwu’s strange behavior and Luo Shen’s strange death are quite suspect as well…”

Ye Qing told her everything he deduced earlier and added, “The only thing I couldn’t figure out was why Xue Shiwu and Luo Shen were targeting me. Like come on, today is literally the first day we met. I have a couple of theories, but they all seem flimsy at best.”

“But it all makes sense if Wang Luori is the one behind this. That old coot really is sparing no effort to kill me.”

Wang Luori had asked Wen Zailai to kill him, and Wen Zailai had used Luo Shen to set up a trap. The plan was to blame Luo Feibai’s death on him.

Xue Shiwu had made a timely appearance to give Li Lang the courage to stand up against the Pacification Bureau. At the very least, he wanted to make sure that Li Lang wouldn’t back down just because Chu Nianjiu and Li Yuhuai were covering for him.

Had he followed Li Lang to the commandery hall, he would be beyond the Pacification Bureau’s protection. Wang Luori would have the opportunity to kill him then.

Even better, the old coot could easily pin his death on the commandery hall. The Pacification Bureau would never know that he was the real murderer, or at least, they wouldn’t have the proof to charge him with anything. He would be killing two birds with one stone.

Even if Wang Luori chose not to attack him in the commandery hall because it was too risky or something, that didn’t mean he was out of the woods. Wang Luori most likely had several ways to ensure that the murder charge would stick no matter what, meaning that Luo Feibai’s family, the Luo Clan would be coming after him. He would have made a powerful enemy through no fault of his own.

The trap was exquisite, multi-layered, and completely unexpected. By all rights, he should be in deep shit right now. Unfortunately, they misjudged his knowledge and thought he wouldn’t recognize the Nameless Hair, an extremely rare Stranger that most people weren’t aware of. This one mistake allowed him to identify the true killer, clear his name, and even turn the tables on them temporarily.

Ideally, Wen Zailai wouldn’t have to reveal himself, but he had to because he needed to silence Luo Shen. If Luo Shen were to fall into the Pacification Bureau’s hands, it would expose their plan and land them in hot waters to say the least. It was probably why he was here at the Cuiwei Boat at all, to make sure that the worst case scenario wouldn’t happen even if the plan went awry.

No one knew about his relationship with Wang Luori or the fact that Luo Shen was Wang Luori’s pawn anyway, so no one would think that he had killed Luo Shen to silence him.

Ye Qing had to admit that the plot was intelligent, well thought out, and bold. Few people would think to use Luo Feibai as bait.

Unfortunately, no plan survives contact with the enemy, and their flawless plan had ended in total failure just shy of the worst case scenario.

It was at this moment Feng Qingyou spoke up, “Wang Luori is a brutish, hot-tempered man who’d rather solve his problems with his fists and intimidation. There is nothing he loathes more than having to come up with a scheme to obtain what he wants. In short, he is all brawn and no brains. Therefore, he could not be the one who came up with such a devious, multi-layered plan.”

“If it wasn’t Wang Luori…” Realization flickered across his features. “Are you saying that Wen Zailai is the one who came up with this scheme?”

Feng Qingyou didn’t respond, but her meaning was as clear as day.

“Wang Luori… Wen Zailai…” Ye Qing rubbed his chin while his lips curled into a diabolical smile, “So, they thought they could toy me as they pleased, hmm? I should give them a taste of their own medicine then!”

Feng Qingyou smiled, “You’re going to tell Luo Chunchao about Wang Luori and Wen Zailai’s scheme, aren’t you?”

“You know me well, Qingyou!” Ye Qing replied with a smile that didn't reach the eye. “They’re the ones who used a tiger’s cub as bait. Why shouldn’t they suffer the consequences of their actions?”

Feng Qingyou caressed her jade cup thoughtfully. “Luo Chunchao had begun from humble beginnings, and he is as shrewd as he is paranoid. If you truly wish to sicc the Luo Clan against Sunset Hill, I would advise you not to divulge the whole truth. Just tell him what ties Wang Luori, Luo Shen and Wen Zailai together, and he should be able to figure out the rest on his own. Otherwise, he would overthink it and suspect that someone is trying to sow discord.”

“You’re right!” Ye Qing agreed after mulling over her suggestion. Luo Chunchao was a smart man. All he needed was a starting point, and he would eventually find out the whole truth on his own. Besides, a truth he had to work to uncover would be far more convincing than one he heard from another’s mouth.

“Alright. There’s no time to lose, so I’m going to visit Luo Chunchao right now,” said Ye Qing as he rose to his feet.

He saluted Cuiwei first and said, “Thank you for your service, Miss Cui.”

He then turned to Qingyou and shot her a sunny grin, “I gotta go, Qingyou. I’ll see you at Heavenly Heart Clinic sometime!”

For most people, revenge was a dish best served cold. But for Ye Qing, revenge was three meals a day with a slice of dessert.

“Very well!” Feng Qingyou smiled back.

With that, he gave them one final nod and left the room.

After Ye Qing was gone, Cuiwei asked suddenly, “Why did you ask me to divulge Wang Luori and Wen Zailai’s plan to Ye Qing, Miss Feng?”

Feng Qingyou looked down on her tea as she replied in a warm, soothing voice, “Joyless is the main reason we succeeded in implanting the Dream Seed in Xue Shiwu’s mind without a hitch. Telling him Wang Luori and Wen Zailai’s plan is my way of repaying him.”

“Besides that, ninety percent of Tian Yong’s wealth comes from Luo Shui, and all of Luo Shui’s wealth comes from the Luo Clan and White Horse Academy. If the Luo Clan does have a fallout with Wang Luori and Xue Beikun, it may benefit our plans greatly.”

Cuiwei frowned in puzzlement, “But how, exactly? I just can’t see how we might benefit from this.”

“The world is like a game of go. Anything can happen, perfection is unlikely, and there are some things you cannot change no matter what you do. That is why we must deliberate every step and plan for even the most insignificant of things. Think of it as an effort to build up more pawns, more tricks, more flexibility and more room to maneuver. Only then can victory be assured.”

“As you say, pitting Luo Chunchao against Wang Luori and Xue Beikun does not benefit us in the short run, but who can say what the future holds?”

Cuiwei nodded. “Thank you for the lesson. But are you sure Luo Chunchao would fall out with Wang Luori and Xue Beikun?”

Feng Qingyou shook her head. Her eyes looked like a starry night sky, infinite and unfathomable. “He will, but not openly. He wouldn’t try to solve things with violence either.”

“Luo Chunchao is a cautious and paranoid man. He also excels at forbearance. On the surface, he would pretend as if the death of his son is but a splash in the pond, but under the surface, it would be a different story altogether. For example, Luo Chunchao controls many parts of the Luo Shui River. Therefore, it would be logical to assume that Sunset Hill and the Black Feather Guards’s river transportation businesses would be suffering greatly from now on.”

Cui Wei nodded in agreement and suggested, “Should we add some fuel to the fire?”

Feng Qingyou shook her head. “No. To go too far is as bad as not to go far enough.”

Cuiwei nodded obediently. “I understand.”

Feng Qingyou let out a small cough and said, “You may leave now.”

“Catch some rest soon, miss!” Cuiwei advised before leaving the room.

After Cuiwei was gone, Feng Qingyou chanted to herself, “Like a dream that lasts all autumn, like a reflection that breaks at the slightest touch…”

“Is that what I am? A mirage?”

“If that is true, then I reject this fate!”

The qin began playing once more underneath the bright moon.

……

“Dammit, just how cowardly is this Luo Chunchao? Why isn’t he doing anything even though his son is dead?”

Ye Qing sighed deeply at the courtyard of the Pacification Bureau’s Inspection Department. Last night, he had leaked Wang Luori, Wen Zailai and Luo Shen’s relationship to Luo Chunchao thinking that he would be able to enjoy a good show first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, reality was a harsh mistress. Forget declaring bloody vengeance against Wang Luori, the Luo Clan hadn’t even announced Luo Feibai’s death. Now that it was almost noon, he was certain that the dog-eat-dog show he was anticipating wouldn’t happen.

“You should’ve just ended your own life on a piece of tofu, coward!” Ye Qing complained to no one in particular. He had a feeling this might happen when he learned of Luo Chunchao’s personality from Feng Qingyou, but foreknowledge wasn’t enough to keep him from feeling disappointed.

Had Luo Chunchao chosen to go to war with Wang Luori, the sect master would not be able to spare the energy to attack him in the short term. It would’ve bought him some much needed time to grow stronger.

“That said, a biting dog doesn’t bark, and Luo Chunchao would definitely bite Wang Luori when the time is right. It’s going to be oh-so-bloody. At best, Wang Luori was going to regret picking Luo Feibai as his bait for a long time to come, and at worst… he won’t live to regret his decision.”

Ye Qing immediately felt better when he arrived at this conclusion. He might not be able to watch a dog-eat-dog show today, but it was an acceptable sacrifice if a dragon-versus-tiger battle was on the horizon!

Luo Chunchao was not a person to be trifled with, and he was a forbearing man. He would never let Luo Feibai’s death go, he just wouldn’t act until he was sure it would deal Wang Luori a severe blow. When he did make his move, it would be like a thunderstorm or a landslide had struck Luo Shui. This was definitely a good thing from a long-term perspective.

“Patrolman, we have an incident at Cockcrow Alley!”

Ye Qing had just taken a sip from his wine jar when Xu Banren strode into the courtyard with a stern expression on his face. Ye Qing rose to his feet and asked seriously, “What happened?”

A Patrolman was responsible for monitoring and patrolling the region they were charged with and protecting it from Strangers. Since Ye Qing was the Patrolman of Luo Shui, this meant that he was responsible for monitoring and patrolling not just the commandery, but all counties and villages under Luo Shui’s jurisdiction as well. If, for example, a village was threatened by a powerful Stranger that it could not possibly defeat, then it was the Patrolman’s responsibility to mobilize the troops or handle the threat themselves.

This was why Patrolmen possessed a lot of hard power in the Pacification Bureau. A Patrolman was granted their own office in the Pacification Bureau and could command up to six Lieutenants, twelve Guardians, and three hundred and sixty Pacification Sentinels. It was a force to be reckoned with to say the least.

However, the Inspection Department was usually empty because most of its members were out on patrol. So far, Xu Banren was the only Lieutenant he saw in his office.

As the Patrolman, his main responsibility was protecting Luo Shui from all Stranger-related threats. If, for example, a Lieutenant had a run-in with a Stranger they couldn’t defeat, then it was his responsibility to travel to their location and eliminate the Stranger as well.

To put it simply, he was the Superman of Luo Shui. He would go wherever Luo Shui needed him!

“There’s been deaths in Cockcrow Alley,” Xu Banren kept things as succinct as he could, “We suspect that a Stranger is behind it.”

“That’s a little too succinct, brother!” Ye Qing rubbed his nose. “Give me some details to work with.”

“Early this morning, a man named Li Zhou noticed that there was a bloodstain on his shirt. At first he paid it no mind, but the bloodstain kept growing bigger and bigger until Li Zhou noticed something was wrong.”

“Li Zhou tried to take off his shirt, but he died the second he touched the fabric. Worse, everyone who made contact with Li Zhou now has a bloodstain on their shirt as well. The bloodstains are also growing.”