Chapter 518: Asking the Way, Asking the Heart

Chapter 518: Asking the Way, Asking the Heart

At the end of the blood‑stained path, the long spear looms like a dragon.

The assault comes roaring in!

Zheng Jizhi, reeking of wine, is struck clean by the oncoming murderous intent, turning into a slick of cold sweat that soaks his shirt.

With no place to hide, Zheng Jizhi stamps the head of a heart‑bearing man on the ground, bends in a lunge, and with both hands snatches at the spear hurtling toward him.

The instant his hands close around the spearhead, Zheng Jizhi’s palm flesh rolls and rots, yet he cannot grasp the looming chill of the tip.

Pshhh!

The exposed steel knuckles of his palm scrape a flash of fire against the gun barrel, only to be instantly smothered by splashing blood.

Zheng Jizhi rears back and falls, his chest and the sofa’s backrest pierced together; the tip of the spear, protruding through his body, drives into the floor, pinning him like a nail into the grand sofa.

“Swords have no eyes, bullets feel no mercy. All you gentlemen are delicate porcelain, we brothers are destitute wanderers, fragile earthenware. If you do not wish to meet a shattered, peaceful end…”

A man in fine attire and boots, Zou Sijiu, strides in, Shouldering a bow, he sways his shoulders, smiling broadly: “Just sit quietly, listen more than you speak, watch more than you act.”

Li Jun offers a faint smile, scornful: “Those who can fight are buried in the wild; those who cannot are here feasting and drinking. Your Confucian rites are truly peculiar.”

A deep, resonant voice echoes behind Zheng Jizhi.

Bang!

The instant Li Jun’s words fall, a ferocious gunshot erupts like a muffled thunder, exploding within the secret chamber.

Zheng Jizhi’s mind, struck by the cold of the spear through his body, turns to a sludgy mess; rage and fear churn, his blood‑splattered face howls.

Yet in an instant he realizes: if Zheng Jizhi were merely a coward who yields to wind and fears death, he would never have become Liu Dian’s right‑hand in Jinling.

The corpse, having lost its head, crashes with a “thump” to the floor; the spilling blood stains his companion’s seat a thick, scarlet hue.

“I have not lived enough of this life; let the honored one speak whatever he wishes.”

Li Jun laughs: “Alas, I am a man who fears the protective father, the tearful woman, the unreturning man—yet I fear no trouble, and I fear not your Confucian inconveniences.”

Zheng Jizhi clutches the spear shaft, thrusts his chin upward to glance behind, only to find his foe already circling to face him, clearing a patch on the tea table piled with drinks and sitting down.

Zheng Jizhi’s skin jerks violently; he inhales deeply, steadies himself, and continues: “A private settlement means you now release me; if Liu Tu promises you a sum, I shall double it, no doubts.”

The composure Zheng Jizhi now displays astonishes Li Jun.

Yet these defensive measures have become a cage imprisoning them.

The purpose is to prevent the banquet’s conversation from leaking to outsiders.

“I see, it is Liu Tu, then? Besides him, no one in the Liu household would dare take such a risk to ally with you.”

The hall Zheng Jizhi has arranged, built from the outset to embody “secrecy,” not only installed countless shielding devices but also forbade guests from bringing guards or retainers.

Li Jun smiles and retorts: “What is ‘public’ and what is ‘private’?”

“If outsiders do not know, does the host not also know?”

Zheng Jizhi falls silent, his voice hoarse: “You kill us, even if Liu Tu can conceal it from his family, the Confucian doors of the six ministries will not be stayed. To serve the state is not only for promotion but to cling together. To invite such trouble for no gain is unwise for you.”

Face to face, eye to eye.

The tiger prowls nearby; this cadre of officials has become lambs awaiting slaughter.

“Shattered peace.”

These pampered officials of Jinling’s Ministry of Revenue, having never faced such brutality, instantly restrain any movement, not daring to show excess expression, sitting upright as Zou Sijiu commands.

“As if a counterfeit.”

“Are you blind, not recognizing your own Zou grandfather?”

Bang!

“Will Liu Tu betray me? Will I live? These matters do not concern Master Zheng.”

“Who are you exactly?!”

“No money means a death sentence!”

Zheng Jizhi’s voice is low: “You set a price, I bargain; if I can afford it I live, if not I die—let us negotiate fairly.”

“A single gun, bandits of the hills. Master Zheng just praised me—how quickly you forget?”

Zheng Jizhi wipes the blood oozing from his mouth, offers a bitter smile: “But I must ask, my banquet hall is hidden, unknown to outsiders, its gatherings never fixed—how did you learn we would be here today?”

“Unexpectedly, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Since it is you, that shot is my due cost, the price of my reckless words.”

Bang!

Another shot rings, another life falls.

Zheng Jizhi’s pupils snap tight, his voice trembling in terror.

As for safety, Zheng Jizhi never worried; after all, in Jinling no one dares to look askance at them.

“At such a moment, Master Zheng still thinks of me—how touching.”

Zou Sijiu lowers his head, blows away the gun’s smoke, smiles softly: “Gentlemen, may we sit by some rule?”

Zheng Jizhi’s expression flickers with sudden realization; he nods: “This time I have fallen; but I wonder whether you intend public or private settlement?”

“It is you, Li Jun?!”

Standing behind a long sofa, Zou Sijiu’s expression bears a hint of defeat, grumbling loudly.

Li Jun replies calmly: “If I wanted money, I would never come to Jinling. The Lu family of Liaodong would not be destroyed.”

“Public means you now kill me, send my head to Liu Tu as a token of allegiance. Yet you will soon be sold out by Liu Tu, hunted by the Liu faction and the Mo sequence’s inner court, meeting a tragic end in Jinling—both of us perishing.”

“Simple—life for a life, debt for money.”

Li Jun states flatly: “Liu Dian must die.”

“Is it worth it for Su Ce, Su Qian?”

Zheng Jizhi poses a question Li Jun has heard countless times.

“Loyalty commands a thousand gold pieces; I, a warrior, understand. Yet you, do not forget— the martial world ultimately asks the way, not the heart! The living must not be forever burdened by the dead.”

“Burdened? A little, indeed.”

Li Jun reaches for a bottle on the table, drinks it in one gulp, and says, “The path I walk asks both way and heart.”

Zheng Jizhi cries out urgently: “Now is the crucial moment of the gold‑silver classification of the coastal troops; even if you kill me, Liu Dian will never return to Jinling at this time.”

Bang!

The deafening gunshot cannot drown Zheng Jizhi’s angry shout: “All your deeds are ultimately futile, merely serving Liu Tu as a blade!”

“It seems you cannot offer any price, Master Zheng.”

Li Jun tosses aside the empty bottle, presses his five fingers onto the gun barrel.

“Su Ce’s death, Liu Dian cannot even be called an accomplice; he is at most a tool!”

“Proceed.”

Zheng Jizhi bites his teeth, silent, his cruel, venomous gaze sweeping over Li Jun’s back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Smoke billowed, blood churned.

"Zou Ye, I'm a fortune-teller, and now I've turned into a desperate bandit. What's the big deal?"

Zou Si-jiu clutched a sizzling blade, muttering under his breath.

"Now you can speak?"

Li Jun fixed his gaze on Zheng Zhi.

"It was the Imperial Governor of the Wa region, Xu Haichao, and Liu Tian was merely following his orders."

Li Jun arched an eyebrow: "Gone?"

"Yes! I once heard Liu Tian say that Xu Haichao had a hidden backer—the real mastermind behind all this."

Li Jun squinted: "What force?"

"Chunqiu Society."

Spitting out those three words, Zheng Zhi sagged like a deflated balloon, collapsing onto the sofa.

"I've said my piece. But surely this won't buy me any safety?"

Li Jun didn't deny it, nodding with a dismissive glance.

"Indeed, I'm not saying this to save my life."

Zheng Zhi's pale face brightened with defiance. "I'm merely advising you— the courage of a common man with a single-edged knife is outdated. Now it's time for the Ru Order to rule. My nephew Liu Tian has the Liu family behind him, and an even greater force: the Chunqiu Society. You can't touch him!"

"And you and me, Tiger and Pi, are already in a precarious position. Do you think Liu Tu secured his place as heir to the Liu throne because of shared bedchambers? He's not your first blade—only the first to pierce an official's chest!"

Zheng Zhi's face flushed with rage, his slumped form jerking upright like a coiled spring.

"Liu Tu leaves no stain on himself. Once you're no longer useful, he'll strike you down. The Ru and Wu orders are incompatible—you die, and he can't hold the throne!"

Zheng Zhi roared: "If I were you, I'd kill him and flee the city!"

"Zou Degong, you've truly done everything for Liu Tian," Li Jun flicked his fingers against his spear, "but you still don't grasp what I want."

"What's that?"

His palm pressed against the spear's pommel.

Li Jun's eyes narrowed, each word deliberate: "I want blood for blood. I want to wipe them all out. I want to kill and not stop— even if it's a mistake!"

Clang!

The spear pierced Zheng Zhi's chest, its haft sinking halfway into the earth.

His wide, bloodstained eyes stared blankly as his pupils dimmed.

"He's a man who fears death but craves wealth— a fitting creature."

Zou Si-jiu approached Li Jun, staring at Zheng Zhi's corpse with a sigh. "Thank goodness such people are rare in the Ru Order. Otherwise, we'd be in trouble."

"If there were too many of them, the Ru Order wouldn't hold power today."

"What do you mean?" Zou Si-jiu frowned.

"Everyone's got a leash— who's going to be the dog?"

Li Jun rose, patting Zou Si-jiu's shoulder. "Next, you're in charge."

"Hey, you ask favors without even saying 'sir'!"

Zou Si-jiu shouted after Li Jun's retreating silhouette, muttering: "Wait till he calls me 'master' himself."

"Though this boy's fate is a bit... twisted. As his elder, I feel a bit..."

Zou Si-jiu shivered involuntarily, shook his head, and pushed the thought aside. He donned a mask-like covering over his face, fingers pinching it into place.

When he lowered his hands, he was once again Qin Ge.

"How did you know this place?"

Han Jin, hastily arriving with his men, took in the scene of carnage and the casual Zou Si-jiu lounging by the table, glass in hand. His face darkened instantly.

"Come to pay respects? Good company— care for a drink?"

Zou Si-jiu raised his wine cup, red-faced and smiling.

"Not interested."

Han Jin's face remained stern. "You still haven't answered my question."

"What's strange about that?"

Zou Si-jiu shrugged, laughing: "The city's a den of snakes and foxes, a nest of lions and tigers. You've got infiltrators in the Ru Order's circles— planting moles is a piece of cake."

"Please. Who could spy on such a secret place? Qin Ge, you're not going to tell me your moles are city officials, are you?"

"Han Jin, mind your tongue."

Zou Si-jiu slammed his cup down, enraged: "I'm telling you this because I want to show respect to Rong Daoren. I'm sharing this intel in good faith, not dragging you into trouble!"

"What respect?"

Han Jin, ever hostile toward Qin Ge, sneered: "I think you're a useless fool trying to cause chaos. You want me to wipe your backside, do you?"

"Your eyes are useless— go get a research group to replace them. I'll pay for it."

Qin Ge spun on his heel, pointing at the spear planted in the ground. "Do you not see who killed these people?"

The words shifted the gaze of the investigating officers from the Chunqiu Society's secret chamber, now at odds over jurisdiction.

Han Jin's brow furrowed as he stared at the spear.

Qin Ge sneered: "Stop pretending. Li Jun did it—no one else."

"How do you know?"

Han Jin's rage evaporated, his demeanor instantly calm.

"The chamber's master was Zheng Zhi, the Right Attendant of the City Bureaucracy—and Liu Tian's maternal uncle. Li Jun killing him makes perfect sense."

"What about the other bodies' wounds?"

Han Jin examined them closely: "Someone else was with him in the killing."

"You're just stating the obvious!" Qin Ge snapped, his tone sharp. "Li Jun isn't some lone wolf. Zou Si-jiu, have you heard that name before?"

"Never."

Han Jin's expression remained blank: "Qin Ge's informant tipped me off. I'll report this to Rong Daoren. But you're done here, Nine Room!"

"Yes."

The men following Han Jin echoed his command.

"Are you insane? I summoned you to tell you Li Jun came to clash with the Liu family. The incident at the river post was just an accident. We must inform Rong Daoren to hold off pursuing him— lest we invite disaster!"

"Now we're fish and crab, not fishermen! Do you understand?"

"I know you're afraid to die, so I'm keeping you at a distance. Don't interfere."

Han Xiang didn't even glance at Zou Si Jiu, striding straight toward the long spear.

"Yeah, right, that's how you do it."

"If you don't act tough, how can I make you the villain? I'll be the good guy?"

"What do you mean, Han Xiang?"

Zou Si Jiu feigned a step forward, but a Jiǔ Shì member named Mò Xù immediately crossed his arms in front of him.

"Please, Mr. Qin. We of the Jiǔ Shì have matters to attend to. We ask that you and your subordinates make way."

Slap!

The palm struck his face, the sound sharp and clean.

"What are you to speak to me here?"

Zou Si Jiu crossed his arms, jabbing a finger at Han Xiang.

"Han Xiang, are you trying to steal credit or defy orders?!"

The Shí Shì investigators stared at their superior in stunned silence, their faces etched with shock.

"When did our leader become so unyielding?"