A Gentleman on the Wall

The place where Li Ziren lived was different from the Black Kill Pavilion.

Everyone in his neighborhood was either rich or noble. His neighbors were either wealthy or powerful figures in the county, and night watchmen frequently patrolled the area, making it far more secure than other places.

He didn't dare make such a huge commotion out in the open.

A whole crowd would probably come charging out in less than a few minutes.

He would have to assassinate him!

He arrived in front of a magnificent mansion.

A pair of stone lions stood at the entrance, putting on a show of might.

Two white lanterns hung at the entrance, casting a deathly pale light.

Lu Chen glanced at them, puzzled.

Who else in Li Ziren's family had died?

Why was there still white cloth hanging everywhere, making the place look like a mourning hall?

Could it be that Li Feng still hadn't been buried?

How long had it been? In this heat, the body would be starting to stink!

He frowned and found a corner with a tree growing by it. He looked around; no one was there.

He sprang up and landed lightly on the wall, then peered inside from the shadow cast by the tree.

It was already past midnight, and the servants in Li Ziren's household had gone to sleep. Only one person had been left to watch over the mourning hall, and he too was sleeping soundly against a pillar.

Lu Chen quietly jumped down and crept all the way to the rear courtyard, keeping low.

A wealthy household really was different. There were even lights in the courtyard, though the white silk cloth hanging all along the way was a little unsettling.

"According to the information, Li Ziren should be living with that wife of his who started out as his mistress. It's... here!"

He had found the master bedroom.

The room was pitch-black, and the bed curtains blocked his view inside.

He was crouching down, preparing to pry the door open, when he suddenly heard a slight sound behind him. Startled, he turned to find somewhere to hide, only to freeze on the spot.

Holy shit!

A man was crouched on the wall, preparing to jump down. He had spotted Lu Chen too, and they stared at each other, both dumbfounded.

Lu Chen looked at the man's outfit. He was dressed all in black, his face covered except for a pair of shifty eyes. He was clearly no good.

The man on the wall looked at Lu Chen. He was dressed all in black, his face covered except for a pair of shifty eyes. He was clearly no good.

They remained at an impasse for a while, neither daring to move, like a pair of wooden figures. Finally, the man on the wall leaped down and landed lightly, holding a finger to his lips to signal for silence.

Lu Chen could tell that this man clearly had ill intentions toward Li Ziren too.

Lu Chen glanced around, pointed to a garden pavilion behind him, then mimed walking with his index and middle fingers.

The gentleman on the wall took a look and nodded.

The two of them sneaked behind the pavilion, furtive as thieves. They watched each other warily, neither speaking first.

Silence.

"What... are you here for?"

Lu Chen was the first to break the silence, asking in a low voice.

"What are you here for?" the gentleman on the wall asked in return.

Lu Chen scratched his face.

"How about we count to three and say it together?"

"All right!"

"One... two... three..."

"..."

Silence.

Damn it, lying bastard!

They looked at each other with mutual contempt.

Lu Chen was getting anxious.

Time was running out!

The device he had set up at the Black Kill Pavilion would probably take effect soon.

Once the chaos started, Li Ziren might be woken up by the noise, making it harder to strike!

He took a breath. "How about this? I'll go first, all right? After I tell you, if you don't talk, don't blame me for what happens!"

Keeping his eyes on the gentleman on the wall, he backed up a few steps and stopped beside an ornamental rock. "I'm here to kill Li Ziren!"

With that, he stared intently at the man opposite him.

The man froze for a moment.

You're here to kill Li Ziren too?

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke. "Same here."

Lu Chen didn't quite trust him. "Why are you here to kill him?"

Having already spoken, the gentleman on the wall hid nothing more. "He's utterly devoid of conscience. Those children that Lord Hu... rescued—he killed several of them to get information!"

Lu Chen's gaze instantly turned cold.

Li Ziren had killed the people I rescued?

The flames of fury immediately blazed in his heart.

"Beast!" he said through gritted teeth, his voice low. "In that case, we have the same goal! Why don't we each rely on our own abilities and stay out of each other's way? All that matters is killing him. What do you say?"

"Good!"

Having reached an agreement, the two returned to Li Ziren's door at once.

With practiced ease, Lu Chen took out a dagger, slipped it into the gap in the door, and slowly pried it open.

The other man went to the window, poked a hole in the paper, then took out a tube and blew smoke inside.

Lu Chen curled his lip.

Sure enough, this man looked like no good. What decent person carried knockout smoke around?

After blowing the smoke, the other man looked at the dagger in Lu Chen's hand and the door, which had already been pried slightly open.

If I'd seen this guy somewhere else, I'd have arrested him long ago!

He was so practiced at prying doors and opening locks; he had to be a scoundrel!

For now, though, the two had agreed to work together, so neither undermined the other. Instead, they waited quietly outside the door for a while. Once the knockout smoke had taken effect, they slowly pushed the door open and entered.

The gentleman on the wall pointed at Li Ziren on the bed, then pointed at the two of them.

Lu Chen simply drew his blade.

What was he gesturing about?

Just draw your blade and get on with it. The man was already knocked out, so what was the holdup?

He raised his blade, aimed the tip at Li Ziren's heart, and stabbed straight down.

Pfft!

Li Ziren's body shuddered.

Lu Chen pulled the blade out and slashed his neck.

Blood gushed out, staining the bed crimson.

[Under the host's influence, Li Ziren's fate has changed]

[Fate Value +370]

[Total Fate Value: 2730]

[Total Luck Value: -19]

Lu Chen looked at the person beside Li Ziren.

Her face was spattered with blood, but she was still unconscious, completely unaware.

Was the drug really that effective?

He wanted to get some too. It was a must-have for home and travel!

The gentleman on the wall was a little dumbfounded.

You really are a habitual offender, aren't you? You're so practiced!

He silently lowered the dagger in his hand.

"Let's go!"

Lu Chen gave him a surprised look.

"Go? Why? If we don't loot the place, wouldn't we have come for nothing?"

Right in front of the other man, he began searching the room.

He had done this sort of thing so often that he was highly experienced and knew the ropes.

Unfortunately, looting corpses and ransacking homes hadn't generated a Trait. Otherwise, his proficiency would surely have risen quickly.

The gentleman on the wall stared, dumbstruck.

Wait, you killed someone and aren't afraid at all? You're even rummaging around in here?

Is that appropriate?

"What are you doing? He's a court official! Aren't you even a little afraid after killing him? Why aren't you leaving? What are you doing here?"

He grabbed Lu Chen and lowered his voice.

"Why leave? The man's dead. What are you afraid of? Who knows how much of the people's hard-earned wealth Li Ziren squeezed out of them? I'm just returning the money he stole from the common people to their hands. Haven't you heard of robbing the rich to help the poor? What's the use of leaving the money here? Wouldn't it just go to his wife?"

"Bullshit, you..." His chest heaved, but after thinking about it, he found that what Lu Chen said didn't seem entirely wrong. He immediately let go of Lu Chen and began searching too.

Compared with Lu Chen, however, he was a complete novice.

Lu Chen chuckled and stuffed the silver notes from a box into his robe, pocketing the jewelry inside as well.

He tapped the floor and walls inch by inch, trying to find a hidden compartment. He also moved the corpse off the bed and thoroughly searched it.

He found nothing.

Apparently, they didn't much like hiding things.

Lu Chen tore off a piece of cloth, bunched it up, and soaked it in blood. After looking around, he wrote several large characters on a broad, smooth section of wall.

"Li Ziren, utterly devoid of conscience, seized people's property, abducted women, and harmed the common people! His killer: the Flying Eagle Horse Gang!"

When he finished, he tossed the cloth aside and looked at the somewhat dumbstruck gentleman on the wall.

"There probably isn't anything good left here. Let's check the study!"

Lu Chen beckoned the other man to leave. Before going, he very politely closed the door.

"Although I forgot to knock when I came in, I closed the door for you when I left. No need to thank me; it's what I should do!"

Lu Chen waved his hand and took the gentleman on the wall to search for treasure in the study.