flamboyant - Chapter 89
"Take someone's money and do their bidding? As far as I know, Madam Long San never leaves her home, so how could she have any enemies? This is truly bizarre. We've been guessing for a long time but haven't been able to figure out the reason. Brother, please tell me, what exactly is going on?"
"Oh dear, oh dear, there's nothing to say." Qu Dahan, his previous forthrightness gone, stammered. "Come on, let's drink." He picked up his glass and changed the subject.
"What do you mean, 'drink'? Hurry up and tell me, that's what I want to hear." Feng Ning glared at him.
The burly man had no choice but to say, "It was that lady's husband who did it. He and the lady were already incompatible, and he had a new lover outside. But as long as the lady was alive, he couldn't marry a new wife. The Long family is a prominent family and cannot afford any scandals. He couldn't divorce his wife, so he had to ask our Juehunlou to do it."
Feng Ning was stunned and turned to look at Long San.
Author's Note: Haha, all done writing for today, time to clock out and go to sleep.
66
66. The Long couple, who seem to have some clues...
Long San was also taken aback. He subconsciously glanced at Feng Ning, and the two looked at each other before turning to look at the man surnamed Qu.
Long San said, "I really didn't expect things to turn out this way. Brother, are you really sure that the Soul-Slaying Tower did this?"
"What? Would I lie to you?"
"It's not that I'm lying to you, brother, but it's really strange that after Madam Long San died, her husband didn't remarry. Besides, with the Long family's power and wealth, it wouldn't be difficult to find an assassin. Why go to such lengths and hire the Soul-Slaying Pavilion?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man surnamed Qu waved his hand and said, "You don't know this. Our Soul-Slaying Tower is extremely reliable. Precisely because the Long family is powerful and influential, if we were to hire some incompetent assassins and leave any evidence against them, wouldn't we be digging our own grave? As for why he didn't remarry later, I don't know. You know what kind of young master he is. Perhaps he has taken a fancy to someone else and has naturally abandoned that woman."
Long San was really embarrassed. What else could this guy say besides smearing him? Feng Ning, on the other hand, was playing with his wine glass and asked, "So, the Soul-Slaying Pavilion is really capable."
"Of course," said the big man in the district with a smug look on his face.
"How can Uncle Qu prove that he is from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion? According to Uncle Qu, we have to rely on the Soul-Slaying Pavilion to get things done, so we have to prove that Uncle Qu is from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion, right?" Feng Ning raised her eyebrows, seemingly still somewhat distrustful.
Qu Dahan was naturally a little unhappy, but he still suppressed his temper, pulled up his sleeve, and revealed the tattoo on his arm: "Only those who enter the Soul-Slaying Tower can get this tattoo."
"So that means the major cases you just mentioned were indeed committed by the Soul-Slaying Tower, and you are indeed an assassin from the Soul-Slaying Tower. We're sure we're on the right track by hiring you, right?" Feng Ning confirmed again.
"That's true." Qu Dahan finished eating and drank another cup of wine. Then he asked Long San, "Tell me, what are you going to do about your matter?"
"Hmm..." Long San seemed to ponder for a moment, then slowly said, "Of course, we first confirmed that Master Qu was a member of the Soul-Slaying Pavilion, and then we confirmed that the Soul-Slaying Pavilion had committed so many murders. Since Master Qu is a member of the Soul-Slaying Pavilion, then these murders must be inextricably linked to him... Kong Lan."
Qu Dahan was taken aback; why did these words sound so strange? He asked awkwardly, "What does Young Master Yang mean?"
"So you mean, you're saying that the Soul-Slaying Tower has committed many crimes, but the officials and righteous people of the martial arts world haven't even gotten close to them, while we are now facing a wanted criminal, aren't we?" Feng Ning smiled maliciously, twirling the small wine cup in her hand.
Qu Dahan was already half-drunk and his mind was a bit fuzzy. He still hadn't quite grasped the situation and asked again, "Wanted criminal? What does that mean?"
Long Sanxiao said, "Just now, you personally recounted, admitted, and confessed to the crimes of your Soul-Slaying Tower. Apart from the case involving Madam Long San in the capital, every single one of them is a major case that the imperial court has opened to apprehend the murderer. Since you have confessed to the crimes, you are naturally a wanted criminal. Is that so hard to understand?"
Qu Dahan jolted and stood up, but his legs were too weak, and he sat back down. He had just enjoyed the fine wine, food, and the pleasure of the company, and he had no idea where his broadsword had gone. Even if he had the broadsword in his hand, he probably wouldn't be able to hold it now.
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention that I put some muscle relaxant in your drink, so it's normal that you feel weak right now, don't panic. But I used a high-quality medicine, it has no harmful effects, so you don't need to worry."
Qu Dahan stared, his mouth agape, both shocked and frightened, speechless for a long time. Feng Ning chuckled, "Master Qu is truly imposing. You take advantage of being from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion to eat, drink, and hog girls. Don't you know that if you walk the night road too much, you'll eventually encounter ghosts? If you do too many bad things, you'll eventually run into the constables?"
"Who...who exactly are you people?"
Long San smiled, and Feng Ning waved her hand: "Wait a moment, let me think of a good name."
“Alright, as you wish.” Long San wasn’t in a hurry. He stopped looking at the burly man and simply walked to the door to glance at the situation outside. Then he picked up a kettle from the charcoal stove in the corner of the room and made hot tea for Feng Ning: “Drink some tea to soothe the smell of alcohol.” Feng Ning accepted the tea without hesitation and drank it in small sips.
The burly man in the area secretly gathered his strength, but found himself utterly powerless. He was too frightened to move, only staring at the movements of Long San and Feng Ning. Feng Ning finished her tea, rested her chin on her hand, and thought for a long time: "Hmm, we are the Dragon and Phoenix Duo of Bounty Hunters." She pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Long San: "Does 'Double Heroes' sound better, or 'Double Fiends'? It seems like 'Dragon and Phoenix Double Fiends' sounds more imposing."
Long San patted her head affectionately: "Whatever you like is fine with me."
The burly man in the district looked at them, a chill running down his spine: "Bounty hunters?"
“Exactly.” Feng Ning slammed his hand on the table in a pretentious manner: “Your Soul-Slaying Tower has been committing evil deeds for a long time, killing countless innocent people and doing countless bad things. Now that you have fallen into our hands, it is the long arm of the law that will eventually catch up with you. As for you, you will be beheaded if you deserve it, and as for us, we will take a large sum of bounty and go on our way. How wonderful.”
The burly man finally realized what was happening. He frantically shook his head, crying, "It has nothing to do with me! It has nothing to do with me! I'm innocent! I'm not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion! Don't arrest me!"
"You're not? Hmph, it's too late to deny it now. We remember every single thing you said clearly, and we confirmed it with you again and again. Remember? You admitted yourself that you are from the Soul-Slaying Tower. Now you still want to deny it?"
"No, no, I really am not, please spare me, sir! Please spare me, young man! I really am not."
"Instead of trying to deny it like this, you might as well just tell us everything you know honestly, and we'll talk to the officials and plead for your life."
The burly man burst into tears, snot and tears streaming down his face: "Great hero, young man, I really am not, I am not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion! I just wanted to scam some food and drink, and fool some girls. I am not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion, I have never killed anyone."
"Didn't you say that the mark on your arm was proof? Didn't you say that only by entering the Soul-Slaying Tower could you get that mark? Unfortunately, we have indeed seen the Soul-Slaying Tower's mark before, and it is indeed this one."
"I'm not! I swear I'm really not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion! I... I have some martial arts skills, but I've always been unlucky and haven't made any money. My second aunt's cousin's distant nephew is from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion. We met by chance and hit it off, so we often drank together. All the things I've said were told to me by him. That mark is indeed this one, and he often showed it off to me. Although I have martial arts skills, I'm also afraid of death, so I envied his wealth and good food and drink, but I could never bring myself to work for the Soul-Slaying Pavilion. I'm really not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion! I painted that mark myself with oil paint; it can be rubbed off with a bit of oil. Great hero, please investigate! I'm really not from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion! I haven't done any of those things!"
Long San and Feng Ning remained silent. The man grew impatient, smeared some oil on the plate, and rubbed it on the tattoo on his arm. Surprisingly, it actually removed it. Holding up his filthy arm, he cried, "Look, look! It's fake! It's fake..."
Feng Ning curled her lip in disgust and kicked him, cursing, "What's so great about something fake? Look at your face, I feel so sorry for your parents." She punched him hard, still not satisfied: "I hate liars the most, what's the point of all this deception..."
Upon hearing this, Long San was terrified. Feng Ning continued her tirade: "Still trying to scam food, drink, and girls? Is this all the skill you've got? You've become such a disgrace to all martial arts practitioners!" She proceeded to beat the burly man mercilessly until he cried out in pain. Finally, having exhausted all other options, he knelt and begged for mercy: "Brother, please calm down! Brother, please calm down! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Brother, spare my life! Great hero, spare my life! Great hero, spare my life!" He kowtowed to Long San, who seemed more agreeable, hoping to escape this ordeal.
Long San stood aside, showing no intention of intervening. His little Feng'er was in the middle of a rage; only a fool would step forward. Feng Ning, tired from hitting him, stood there angrily with her hands on her hips. Long San quickly brought her a chair and a cup of tea, saying, "Feng'er, soothe your throat."
Feng Ning finished her tea, put the cup on the table, and pointed at Qu Dahan, saying, "You, tell the truth. Think carefully about what your aunts, uncles, and nephews told you. What cases have they committed in the capital, and what were the reasons? If you miss anything, I'll beat you to death if I don't hand you over to the authorities."
Qu Dahan begged for mercy repeatedly, then thought for a moment and said, "The capital is far away, and they rarely have work there. There's only one case: the Long family's young master killing his wife. That's what I just mentioned. The young master Long had a new mistress outside and wanted to marry her, so he hired the Soul-Slaying Pavilion to kill his first wife. That's all I know..."
Before he could finish speaking, it was Long San's turn to explode. He kicked the big man and gave him a good beating: "You still dare to talk nonsense, fabricate stories, and make trouble out of nothing."