Chapter 512: Opening Act

Chapter 512 The Opening

At midnight, in a tavern located southwest of Jinling City.

The owner of this tavern must have been a traveler who had wandered the Western Barbarians, for the overall decoration of the room was utterly different from the pre-Ming antique style popular in the Great Ming Empire at present; all the furniture was uniformly Western Barbarian in style, its highlight being novelty and amusement.

Gu Xi chose to stay in such a place, rather than the official hostel reserved by the Ministry of Personnel for officials returning home to visit family, hoping that the Gu family would discover that he had not left Jinling a little later.

Although in his heart Gu Xi understood well that this gesture probably had no great practical effect.

But for him, tormented by anxiety at this moment, it at least counted as a little comfort that was better than nothing, a delay bought one moment at a time.

At this point, a full five days had passed since he and Li Jun had parted at the Earth Dragon Station on Datong Street.

Seeing the words emerge before his eyes, Gu Xi let out a long breath as if relieved, and a hint of a smile finally appeared on his solemn face.

Liu Tu pretended to suddenly understand, making a “please” gesture toward Li Jun. “Boss Yan, please take a seat.”

“No wonder Brother Gu insisted on meeting here instead of entering the Yellow Millet Dream. Now it seems it’s all because of you, Boss Yan.”

Since he did not want to die, he would have to fight for a glimmer of survival in this dragon-tiger struggle.

After a long silence, Liu Tu suddenly burst into loud laughter and raised his hand to pat Gu Xi on the shoulder.

Without any hesitation, Gu Xi pushed the door open and walked straight in.

“Good! Boss Yan is indeed a man of true character, righteous and lofty. I admire you!”

“Did you tell him?” Liu Tu asked, utterly bewildered.

Li Jun raised his hand and waved: “This time I only kill people, not break down doors.”

“Of course it’s unnecessary, very unnecessary!” Liu Tu said decisively.

“Ah, I remember now.” Liu Tu shook his head. “But Brother, your words are too profound; I, your elder brother, find them hard to understand.”

Liu Tu laughed heartily. “I wonder what advice Boss Yan has this time in having Brother Gu arrange this meeting?”

“I have kept you waiting, Lord Liu. It is this subordinate’s fault. I hope you will forgive me.”

Gu Xi chopped the air with his hand like a cleaver: “The meaning is simple. Boss Yan will help you, Brother Liu, remove that character ‘dian’. From then on, the Liu Clan, under your leadership, will not be content with merely guarding the status quo. Though wind and snow block the road, nothing can hinder your sharp and determined momentum!”

Liu Tu said, “As the saying goes, if a family has an elder, they have a treasure. The Liu Clan is full of treasures, but these treasures have sharp eyes and high standards; they do not easily acknowledge a master. I finally got one, but then—”

And the one who had become Li Jun’s enemy, Liu Dian, was his half-brother.

Liu Tu sighed, “Ah,” and waved his hand. “This is not an official office; there’s no need to call each other ‘Lord’ or such. I am a few years older; if you, Brother, do not mind, just call me elder brother.”

Liu Tu’s expression was solemn as he cupped his hands and bowed toward Li Jun’s retreating back.

So Liu Tu naturally became Gu Xi’s primary target for approaching.

“That is not the only reason.”

Liu Tu praised loudly, looking at Gu Xi: “If I could become friends with Boss Yan like you, Brother, I would have no regrets in this life.”

But it was a dead end with no way forward or back, hardly a glimmer of hope.

Li Jun smiled slightly: “Is Brother Liu willing to sit and watch the opportunity slip away?”

Gu Xi glanced at Liu Tu’s face and instantly understood what the other was thinking. For no reason, Gu Xi found the bluster and cowardice of the man before him so amusing.

“Good!”

Gu Xi said with a grin: “What I said is, the Liu Clan is not meant to guard the ‘dian’ but to be on the road.”

Gu Xi was startled: “Why?”

“Reasonable and proper! It should be so!”

“Brother Yan, please stay.”

Li Jun stood up tall and turned to walk out the door.

“Brother Liu, please.”

“Then why not remove it?”

Liu Tu paid no attention to Gu Xi’s words, his eyes fixed on Li Jun as he followed through the door.

He did not want to die.

Liu Tu asked in confusion: “What transaction?”

Li Jun raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t Gu Xi tell you?”

“The benefits are countless.”

The elders holding power within the Liu Clan also knew this, but not only did they not stop it, they even appeared to welcome it.

“Boss Yan is right. I did not think it through.”

But if he chose to leap down the ravine, turn back and flee to Chengdu County, he might temporarily escape Li Jun’s threat.

Their eyes met, and Liu Tu’s face suddenly turned extremely ugly, his pupils deep with unconcealable fear.

“Then let Gu Xi explain it to you?”

“Then I will be bold and call you Brother Liu.”

He knew well that the tragedy of the Yang family in Mianzhou County, though not directly caused by him, was not unrelated to him either.

Liu Tu sighed: “But this character ‘dian’ is of great significance to me and to the entire Liu Clan.”

But if he returned to that turbulent vortex, he would be left with no choice but to go with the flow.

At the same time, a special wave spread out, blocking the Yellow Millet Dream and communication transmissions in the room.

“Gu Xi, you are quite bold. Aren’t you afraid that by doing this, you will make the entire Gu Clan pay the price with you?!”

“Liaodong is remote and far away, not to be compared with Jinling.”

“Yes, shattered! Someone smashed it to pieces.” Liu Tu said with self-mockery. “So now I am only glorious on the surface; in my hand, there is no treasure!”

Li Jun laughed: “In the Yellow Millet Dream, there are many eyes and ears. Who knows when someone might hide in the shadows and eavesdrop on our conversation? Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble? Besides, face-to-face conversation like this makes it easier for everyone to be open and honest, and to better see each other’s sincerity. Don’t you agree, Brother Liu?”

The discord between Liu Tu and Liu Dian was almost common knowledge among the Confucian Order and aristocracy in Jinling City.

Now that Liu Dian had shone brilliantly in the first phase of the New Policies, becoming a standout figure among the younger generation of the New Donglin Party, it made Liu Tu, who originally held the dominant position, gnash his teeth in frustration.

“In my eyes, Liaodong and Jinling, the mountain and the foot of the mountain, there is no difference.”

Even setting aside their feud in Chengdu County, purely based on the relationship between Li Jun and Yang Baize, his own fate was doomed to a miserable end of the hounds being killed once the hares are bagged.

In fact, after learning that Yang Baize had turned misfortune into fortune and become a disciple of Pei Xingjian, the Prefect of Chongqing Prefecture, Gu Xi understood that the other would sooner or later settle this blood feud with him.

“Then this matter is settled?” Gu Xi’s face showed joy.

Gu Xi asked: “What was the outcome?”

If he chose to climb up the cliff and work for Li Jun, this hungry tiger descending the mountain, he would be aiding the tiger in its evil. When Li Jun had bitten the giant python of the Liu Clan until it was covered in wounds, he might very well turn back and swallow him in one gulp, leaving no trace.

Liu Tu cupped his fists: “Boss Yan is heroic, clear in favor and resentment. I admire you!”

Liu Tu, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the Southern Direct Administration, a fourth-rank official.

“Is there something else, Brother Liu?”

“This drama can finally begin.”

Li Jun smiled faintly: "Without this word, that is exactly the reward I desire most."

"The death of Thousand-Household Officer Su was glorious! The old man is a true hero!"

"I wouldn't dare offer guidance, I merely wish to strike a bargain with you, Brother Liu."

Li Jun nodded: "That is precisely what I mean."

"It cannot be done."

Liu Tu looked astonished: "Is Boss Yan skilled even in such matters?"

Gu Xi had never considered that Li Jun would actually spare him; such a thought was far too naive.

"But what if I destroy the treasure, yet see no one?"

Gu Xi gazed out at the midnight dark, murmuring softly under his breath.

Over the past few days, Gu Xi felt as though he were a rock-goat scaling a sheer cliffside, with a bottomless torrent raging beneath him and predatory beasts glaring down from above.

Liu Tu’s tone suddenly shifted: "However, friendship aside, I must take the liberty of asking one thing: on what grounds should I believe that you, Boss Yan, possess the ability to strip away this word 'Custodian'?"

"Is that what you mean?" Liu Tu looked toward Li Jun.

Trading one's own life to secure a myriad of generations for the clan, leaving behind a brain soaking in a jar and a carved wooden tablet for descendants to revere.

Fraternal devotion and filial piety only occurred in impoverished families with nothing to contest, or in humble clans suffering from external tyranny.

"Allow me to introduce him to you, My Lord. This is Boss Yan, who hails from Liaodong. The message I had conveyed to you earlier came from the mouth of Boss Yan."

Once everyone took their seats in the three Western sofas arranged in the shape of the character 'pin', the door of the private room slowly closed from inside out, the lock clicking into place.

Li Jun paused in his tracks, yet he did not look back.

Li Jun likewise smiled and spoke softly: "Just like Lord Liu of Jinling at this very moment."

The moment the Imperial Court's new policy was handed down, he would be forced to watch helplessly as the enraged Daoist Order of Mount Qingcheng plunged a sword into his heart, leaving absolutely no room for mediation.

"I never imagined you would have the capability to acquaintance yourself with a figure like Boss Yan, Brother Gu. You truly possess both courage and cunning, hiding your light beneath a bushel."

"Of course I don't want to, but if it is to succeed, it must be done under a legitimate title."

"Then wouldn't stripping it away be beneficial to you, Brother Liu?"

Gu Xi took up the thread of the conversation: "Of course I know. You, Brother Liu, are the pillar of the current younger generation of the Liu clan, the one upon whom all hopes rest to become the next patriarch."

On the top floor of the very inn where Gu Xi was staying, Gu Xi walked ahead to lead the way for Li Jun, heading straight toward a private room located at the far end of the corridor.

"The Liu Clan and the Custodian Liu are not the same concept either."

What lay before Gu Xi now was no longer a narrow path where one could overcome a crisis by mere courage alone.

Gu Xi bore a respectful expression, bowing with hands clasped toward the middle-aged Confucian scholar.

Liu Tu smiled bitterly: "Since the person is not in Jinling, how can it be done?"

The smile on Liu Tu's face remained unchanged as he said: "Then Lu Siyi of Liaodong at that very moment..."

Gu Xi turned to look at Li Jun upon hearing this.

"Then does Boss Yan believe we share a fated connection?"

"Ah, yes, exactly."

Gu Xi smiled slightly, stepping aside by half a body's width, as if removing himself from between Li Jun and Liu Tu.

The moment Gu Xi uttered those words, Liu Tu's brow furrowed tightly, and the expression on his face shifted rapidly like a revolving lantern, alternating between astonishment, surprise, delight, and suspicion—a magnificent sight to behold.

Just as Li Jun's hand gripped the doorknob, Liu Tu’s shout suddenly echoed from behind him.

In truth, after his conversation with his own biological uncle, Gu Zhiwei, although Gu Xi still harbored resentment in his heart, the idea of resigning himself to fate had already begun to sprout in his mind.

Yet Li Jun’s appearance struck the waters of Gu Xi’s heart, which had already grown calm, like a crashing wave, granting a glimmer of hope to one who had intended to yield to fate.

Li Jun asked: "Do you mean, Brother Liu, that you want me to help you find another treasure?"

"I certainly believe we share a fated connection."

Inside the private room, a middle-aged Confucian scholar with a square face and a refined aura was already waiting.

The smile vanished from Liu Tu's face, his eyes fixing intently on Li Jun as he said slowly: "But I only see the benefit for myself; I fail to see what benefit there is for you, Boss Yan. I have never seen anyone harm themselves to profit another."

The internal strife among brothers within a first-class clan was far more naked and direct than that within the third-class clan to which Gu Xi belonged.

Liu Tu clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Boss Yan is indeed a man of true blood!"

Such an end seemed acceptable enough.

Li Jun said calmly: "It depends on you, Brother Liu."

"That is exactly what I mean!"

Unlike during the former Ming period, the Six Ministries of Jinling were no longer equal in rank to those in the capital, but were instead one grade lower by comparison.

"You are too polite, My Lord." Gu Xi kept his eyes cast down submissively.

The Liu Clan does not serve as custodian; they must remain on the journey.

Although the conditions Li Jun offered next dragged him down into a bottomless abyss once more, at this moment, Gu Xi understood one thing very clearly.

During these five days, he had not merely hidden here resentful of heaven and earth, but had already established contact with a direct descendant of the Liu family.

Right at that moment, the notification sound of a communication transmission suddenly rang in Gu Xi's ears.

"Shattered!" Liu Tu said angrily.

Li Jun gave a low shout, his body reclining in the sofa suddenly sitting upright, "Then I shall settle this matter for my friend!"

"Does Boss Yan know the current situation within the Liu Clan?"

"Whether I am a man of true blood or not, we shall discuss it after the deed is done."

And the method by which Gu Xi had connected with Liu Tu was also very simple; he had merely asked a friend who associated with Liu Tu to pass along a single sentence.

"Whether today's matter succeeds or fails, there is still something I must say."

Gu Xi smiled: "Since we are able to meet today, it means we share a fated connection. As long as there is fate, is it not only natural to become friends?"

"Oh? Pray tell!"

"Five days should have been more than enough for you to investigate my background thoroughly, Young Master Liu. What exactly is the misgiving that makes you hesitate to show yourself even now?"

So even the high and mighty scions of a first-class clan could reveal such an expression?

"You misunderstand, My Lord. I harbor no disrespectful thoughts whatsoever."

"I am not skilled in it, but I am very skilled at shattering the treasures of others."

The hour of the Ox at midnight was already a time when the night was deep and all was still.

"These are nothing but deceptive lies; the true pillars of the clan are those old men."

"My thanks."

"Whether we share a fated connection is not for me to decide."

This was also one of the reasons why he was so desperate to leave Chengdu County.

Gu Xi smiled: "Since everyone is interested in continuing this discussion, why don't we sit down and chat?"

"In that case, I, Yan, shall take my leave."

Li Jun countered, "Isn't he redundant?"

Liu Tu's pace suddenly quickened, and he said excitedly, "Liu Dian's maternal uncle is his treasured possession. If Boss Yan can have him destroyed, it would be the worst possible thing for Liu Dian. He will certainly rush back to Jinling without a moment's pause!"

Li Jun leaned back into the sofa, crossed his legs, and said lightly, "As for whether he has the ability, Brother Liu, you can ask Lu Ning of Liaodong."

With this thought, Gu Xi lost all drowsiness. He rose from the bed and stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

Li Jun leaned forward, his eyes piercing Liu Tu's face like daggers.

Gu Xi started in alarm: "Destroyed?"

"Of course I told you. Brother Liu, you are indeed a man of many affairs who forgets easily."

For a behemoth like the Liu clan of Jinling, which can claim a place among the empire's traditional two capitals, ambition outweighs kindness, aspiration outweighs conscience; you may be indifferent to brotherly bonds, but you must never be mediocre and inactive.

"Indeed, an explanation is needed."

Li Jun was silent for a moment, then replied in a deep voice. He pulled open the door and strode away without looking back.

Inside the room, Gu Xi and Liu Tu exchanged a glance, looking at each other without a word.