Chapter Sixty-One: Murder

“Brother Dongmen, please have a seat,” Su Yang hurriedly invited Dongmen Qing to sit down and began, “Why would I lie to you? This man is called Wu Dalang. He sells baked cakes and is none other than Pan Yinlian’s husband.”

“What a waste—a beautiful flower planted in a pile of dung. How could such a goddess end up in this man’s bed?” Dongmen Qing stared at Wu Dalang, growing angrier by the moment. His chest burned with rage, and he wished he could charge forward and chop Wu Dalang—the man who defiled the goddess in his heart—into mincemeat right then and there.

Wine passed, dishes tasted. After several rounds, Dongmen Qing had lost all desire to stay the night at Cuiqing Brothel. He bid Su Yang farewell and headed for home.

Su Yang tailed Dongmen Qing for a while, only to see him heading in the direction of the Wu family’s cake shop. At once, he sent a signal to Pear Brother.

Pear Brother claimed he had a stomachache—an old ailment acting up—and wanted Wu Dalang to accompany him home to fetch medicine. Seeing how pale Pear Brother looked, Wu Dalang dared not delay and hurriedly supported him towards home.

He hoped Pear Brother would recover quickly and return to their revelry. These past days of debauchery at Cuiqing Brothel had finally shown Wu Dalang the pleasures of women, which only deepened his resentment toward Pan Yinlian. Why, as his wife, did she deny him even a touch?

As they passed by Pear Brother’s house, they naturally had to go by Wu Dalang’s home first. From afar, they saw the courtyard gate wide open, with a young man in luxurious clothes standing at the entrance, laughing and chatting with Pan Yinlian inside.

“Brother Wu, isn’t that your wife? And who is that other man?” Pear Brother pointed at Dongmen Qing standing by the door, suddenly alarmed. “Could it be... could that be your wife’s lover?”

“No wonder your wife hasn’t scolded you for being out these days. Turns out she has someone too!”

“Could it be that every night, your wife has had a man with her?”

Boom—at Pear Brother’s words, a surge of fury shot straight to Wu Dalang’s head. Already resentful over his wife’s coldness, now with Pear Brother’s insinuations, his mind went blank. He couldn’t even recall how he took the knife Pear Brother handed him. The world faded away, leaving only Dongmen Qing, caught in the act of adultery with his wife.

“My cat did wander into your house, miss. Let me search your courtyard—if it’s not there, I’ll leave at once,” Dongmen Qing pleaded, heart pounding as he gazed at Pan Yinlian. She was so beautiful... almost unbearably so.

“No. There’s no one else at home. If I let you in and my reputation is ruined, what then? Search elsewhere,” Pan Yinlian replied firmly.

She already had feelings for Young Master Su. If her reputation were ruined, and he despised her, what would she do?

“You bastard! Dare to steal my wife? I’ll cut you to pieces!” Suddenly, a voice roared with vigor. Wu Dalang, knife in hand, lunged at Dongmen Qing, the blade gleaming coldly.

Swish! Dongmen Qing frowned and sidestepped, the knife slicing past him. He saw clearly—his assailant was Wu Dalang, the very man who had possessed his goddess.

Rage flared within him, but he retained a final shred of composure. “You dog! You dare attempt to assassinate me? Are you courting death?”

“Am I courting death?” Wu Dalang’s fury only mounted at those words. His mind buzzing, he pressed the attack with the knife, but Dongmen Qing deftly dodged again.

Back and forth they went. Wu Dalang, unable to land a blow, grew ever more enraged. Days of carousing with Pear Brother in the brothel had left him with a rebellious streak. His younger brother was the Chief Constable—a powerful backer. Add to that his growing resentment toward Pan Yinlian.

So what if he killed someone? His brother would cover for him.

“You’re the one courting death,” Dongmen Qing finally snapped. With a vicious kick, he struck Wu Dalang in the chest, sending him flying. Wu Dalang was short and light, and when he landed, the knife stabbed straight into his own chest.

He died instantly.

“Damn, no need for a finishing blow?” Watching Wu Dalang bleed out, Su Yang, hidden in the shadows, was secretly delighted.

The original plan was for Dongmen Qing and Wu Dalang to quarrel, a scandal to spread, Dongmen Qing to covet Pan Yinlian, then assassinate Wu Dalang and hide Pan Yinlian away. In the next few days, Shen Lian would arrange for Wu Song to take leave, with another eighth-rank constable rotated in to protect Wu Dalang and be dealt with as well.

That way, Wu Song’s suspicions would fall on Dongmen Qing, and Su Yang would pour further incriminating evidence on Dongmen Qing. With two sixth-rank fighters battling, they’d hardly have time to trouble his mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

If Dongmen Qing died, all the better. If he survived, Su Yang would have time to stall, gain more incense, and break through to sixth-rank, making Dongmen Qing no longer a threat.

But he’d never expected Wu Dalang to die outright.

Silence.

The scene was deathly quiet. Pan Yinlian stared at Wu Dalang’s corpse, her heart full of terror.

“Damn it, what rotten luck,” Dongmen Qing muttered, frowning as he glanced at Pan Yinlian. “Miss, if you’re willing, follow me from now on. I’ll grant you a life of wealth and luxury—you’ll want for nothing.”

“Halt! Drop your weapon!” shouts rang out from the alley. A group of constables appeared, the lead officer rushing over when he saw the dead man.

Dongmen Qing was unfazed by their presence. It was just a death.

“Why, it’s Master Dongmen!” The lead constable recognized him at once, putting on a sycophantic smile. “This man tried to kill me. I accidentally kicked him, and his knife ended up in his own chest. It’s nothing to do with me,” Dongmen Qing said calmly.

“Of course, Master Dongmen. How could this have anything to do with you? He simply tripped and stabbed himself,” the constable replied obsequiously. “Master Dongmen, what about this woman?”

He glanced at Pan Yinlian, one hand on his sword hilt, considering silencing her as well. After all, with the rebel army besieging the city, any massacre could be blamed on infiltrators. The bodies destroyed, the evidence gone.

“If you dare harm this lady, I’ll slaughter your entire family,” Dongmen Qing snapped, then turned to Pan Yinlian with a gentle expression. “You saw it yourself—your husband’s death has nothing to do with me. He was the one who attacked me.”

Pan Yinlian was frozen with fear, and when she looked at Dongmen Qing, all she saw was the face of a blood-soaked demon.