Chapter 8: Sage Second Brother

Chapter 8: Second Brother Sage and Virtue

A plain, vintage changshan, an iron-ribbed folding fan in hand, sword-like brows and star-like eyes, long hair draped over his shoulders.

Kuang Qingyun looked like a dashing young master who had stepped straight out of a millet dream set in the late Ming dynasty.

His physical vessel was perfect, practically a template for the plastic surgery clinic on Ghost Street, and his gentle, refined temperament had absolutely nothing to do with the muddle-headed Paoge brothers who licked blood from knife edges.

Yet this figure, who could hold his own in the Chengdu Prefecture roleplay scene, was the genuine article: the Second Brother Sage and Virtue of the Paoge Association.

The left and right arms of Zhao Ding, the Dragon Head Grandfather of the Muddy Water Paoge, the number two figure in the underworld.

However, what Li Jun cared about more was Kuang Qingyun's strength.

A rumor had once circulated within the Paoge Association: Second Brother Sage and Virtue, Kuang Qingyun, was a Sequencer.

Kuang Qingyun paid no heed to the wailing Sun Jiu at his feet, instead bestowing a warm smile upon Li Jun, who faced him as if confronting a great enemy.

"Returned to Nine Dragons Street, why didn't you go pay respects at the hall?"

Li Jun detected not a shred of killing intent from Kuang Qingyun, yet his entire body remained taut, not daring the slightest slackness.

No joke, this was a master on the same level as Yu Kou, the Thousand-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Having experienced that mountain-crushing pressure, no matter how confident Li Jun was, he did not believe he could match Kuang Qingyun.

Beneath the Sequence, all are baseborn.

Although he had never seen a Sequencer in action, in the month since his transmigration, Li Jun had heard that phrase until his ears grew calluses.

Li Jun spoke in a deep voice: "My hands are stained with blood; I feared startling the Hall Master, so I intended to wash the blood clean myself before returning."

Kuang Qingyun's gaze swept imperceptibly over Li Jun's fist clutching the chip, and he said softly: "I already know about your betrayal. I came here to see justice done for you."

Before Li Jun could reply, Kuang Qingyun lowered his eyes to the half-dead Sun Jiu on the ground and said coldly: "Kneel properly."

Sun Jiu's vitality was tenacious enough; his chest had been caved in by Li Jun's elbow strike, yet he still hadn't died.

Only his expression was somewhat dull, looking a bit foolish—this was the sequelae of having his intracranial bio-chip extracted.

Hearing Kuang Qingyun's icy voice, Sun Jiu shuddered, hurriedly shut his mouth, knelt obediently, and only then dared raise his head to look at Kuang Qingyun in bewilderment.

"Speak, Sun Jiu. Why did you collude with the Sacrificial Saber Association and sell out your brothers' whereabouts?"

"Uh... What are you saying?"

Sun Jiu's heart tightened; he hurriedly lowered his head to hide the horror on his face and cried urgently: "Second Brother, have you got it wrong? The traitor is Li Jun, not me!"

Bang!

The words had barely left Sun Jiu's mouth when a boot clad in black cloth shoes stomped directly on his crown, pressing down. Sun Jiu's head involuntarily smashed into the cement floor, blood instantly splattering.

"Not you?"

Kuang Qingyun ground Sun Jiu's head beneath his foot, expressionless: "Then how did I receive word that it was you who leaked Li Jun's location for this job to Yan Gui of the Sacrificial Saber Association?"

Sun Jiu pressed his cheek flat against the ground, still stubbornly arguing: "Second Master... it really wasn't me..."

Kuang Qingyun narrowed his eyes: "If not you, then who? Could it be your boss, Zhao Dou?"

Hearing the name Zhao Dou, Sun Jiu instantly clamped his mouth shut, his teeth grinding with a *kacha kacha* sound.

"Sun Jiu, I recall your family is all on Nine Dragons Street. Although the Paoge Association has rules against involving family, if you remain this obstinate, I'll have to look for clues in their chips."

"Kuang Qingyun, you fucking dare!!"

Sun Jiu's eyes revealed extreme panic and terror; he struggled with all his might.

But his strength compared to Kuang Qingyun was a world of difference.

No matter how he thrashed, he could not budge that foot on his head, writhing like a maggot, blood spraying continuously from his mouth and nose.

"Betraying brothers is a capital crime. If you don't confess, many people will be implicated. Think clearly before you answer me."

Kuang Qingyun's words were like a thunderclap, shocking Sun Jiu into a violent tremor.

Sun Jiu's face cycled through expressions, finally collapsing as if his spine had been ripped out. He buried his face in the blood, revealing a miserable smile.

"I admit it. I sold out Li Jun. The tip to the Heavenly Prefecture Guards was mine too. It was all me. It has nothing to do with my family, nothing to do with Brother Dou... Zhao Dou."

"That's right."

Kuang Qingyun raised his head to look at Li Jun, his eyes full of deep meaning, and said slowly: "Li Jun, the traitor has been found. Let's end this here, shall we?"

Li Jun's face was iron-dark. He asked in a deep voice: "Is this the Hall Master's meaning?"

"Grandpa Ding doesn't know about this. It's my idea."

Kuang Qingyun shook his head: "Grandpa Ding's body can't take it anymore. Right now, our Muddy Water Paoge cannot afford internal chaos. Otherwise, that pack of wolves eyeing us from outside will rush in and tear us apart the first chance they get."

"When the nest is overturned, no eggs remain intact. You should understand this logic."

With things spoken to this extent, how could Li Jun not understand Kuang Qingyun's meaning?

This Second Brother Sage and Virtue wanted to pin Zhao Dou's crimes on Sun Jiu, preserving the Zhao family's reputation.

Though both were turncoats, the impact of Sun Jiu's betrayal was utterly negligible compared to Zhao Dou's.

Li Jun recalled the Paoge disciples shot to pieces in the warehouse by the Sacrificial Saber Association, and laughed in extreme anger: "Wouldn't silencing me be even more secure?"

"We are brothers in arms, not enemies. I simply don't want the situation to deteriorate further."

Kuang Qingyun flipped his wrist, and two vials of potion, one green, one white, appeared in his palm.

"You have no implants in your body. I know you want to keep your flesh and blood pure to ascend the Martial Dao Sequence."

"Here is an Eighth-Rank Internal Art, the 'Azure Emperor Canon,' and a supplementary agent. Enough for you to unlock your first Gene Lock and step into the Ninth Rank of the Martial Dao Sequence."

Having said this, Kuang Qingyun tossed the two vials directly to the silent Li Jun, then lowered his head to look at Sun Jiu, whose eyes were hollow.

"Since the matter is clear, let's follow the Paoge Association's rules. Sun Jiu, any last words?"

Sun Jiu, kneeling on the ground, swayed. His face suddenly split into an ugly grin, and he said calmly: "Nothing to say. Just hope Second Brother keeps your promise and spares my family."

"Certainly."

A haze flashed across the depths of Kuang Qingyun's eyes. Without any visible movement, the head of Sun Jiu beneath his foot suddenly exploded.

Scalding blood splattered onto Li Jun's face.

Li Jun let the blood wind its way down his face, pinching the two finger-length vials, and said: "Aren't you afraid that once I enter the Sequence, I'll come settle the score with Zhao Dou?"

"That's between you and him. I won't interfere. I just need the Paoge Association to stay stable during this period."

"I'm not helping Zhao Dou," Kuang Qingyun stared into Li Jun's eyes, enunciating each word: "I'm doing it for Grandpa Ding, for the brothers of the Paoge Association."

Li Jun was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "After Grandpa Ding dies, I won't let Zhao Dou off."

Kuang Qingyun smiled faintly. With a *shua*, he snapped open his folding fan. "To repay a grudge without fail—that is the way of the Paoge."