Pledge of Allegiance

After tying up Jia Kui, Xiang Yang went outside and summoned Huang Peng. He stared coldly at Huang Peng for a long while, exerting immense psychological pressure on him. Only after quite some time did he part his lips.

"Huang Peng, you were the one who recognized Jia Kui first. You must also know who stands behind him. I've already interrogated him—he has ties to the Little Knife Society, and Qian Fu has been pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

"But you and I both know that Qian Fu is Old Hero Qian's only son. His roots run deep in Anyuan County. Trying to bring him down on Jia Kui's testimony alone is simply impossible."

Huang Peng rubbed his hands together. On the surface, he kept his eyes on Xiang Yang, but his gaze swept over Jia Kui from the corner of his eye. He nodded. He understood this even better than Xiang Yang did. Their own boss, Song Qing, had to lower his head before Qian Fu and call him Brother Qian.

"So, if we hand Jia Kui over to the County Yamen and still fail to bring down Qian Fu, then you, me, even Song Qing—we'll all have no good days ahead of us."

Xiang Yang continued, watching Huang Peng's expressions and movements as he spoke. Only when he saw what he wanted did he finally relax.

If Qian Fu had merely been a respectable martial arts school owner, he would not have been such a threat. The crucial point was that he was now involved in human trafficking. No matter how one looked at it, his conduct was far from righteous. With his martial arts skills, if he deliberately sought revenge, no one would come out of it well.

"Constable Xiang, this time we worked together in complete sincerity, rescued Young Master Lan, and rendered a great service. Huang admires both your martial arts and your courage. If you have something in mind, just say it plainly."

Huang Peng was a rough man. Seeing Xiang Yang beat around the bush without getting to the point, he grew impatient, though he did not dare show it on his face and could only speak directly.

"Good. Since you, Huang Peng, speak plainly and act swiftly, I won't hide it from you.

"Jia Kui absolutely cannot be handed over to the County Yamen. Otherwise, Qian Fu will be alerted, and we'll all be in trouble.

"But we can't let him go either. So the only choice is to finish him off. Even if we can't keep it entirely from Qian Fu, it will at least buy us some time.

"As a constable, it isn't convenient for me to do it myself. I'll have to trouble the brothers of your society to handle it. No need for much—one slash from each man, leaving a mark. That will be enough."

As he spoke, a glint of cold light flashed through Xiang Yang's eyes. Like a lone wolf in the wilderness beneath the night sky, he radiated ferocity. The Wild Goose Feather Saber in his hand swayed back and forth, tapping against the floor with ringing clangs. The threat could not have been clearer.

"Constable Xiang, paper cannot wrap up fire. Leaving aside how long we can hide this from Qian Fu, quite a few of the Little Knife Society's people know Jia Kui's identity. It'll be very difficult to deal with."

Huang Peng's heart skipped a beat. He felt as though the temperature in the entire room had dropped, and cold sweat seeped down his back. Xiang Yang wanted each of them to cut Jia Kui once and make a Pledge of Allegiance. Then they would all be in the same boat.

If word of Jia Kui's death ever got out, they would all be accomplices. No one would dare run their mouths about it—especially with Xiang Yang wearing the official uniform.

"You needn't concern yourself with that. We only need to keep Qian Fu in the dark. I'll discuss matters at the yamen with Constable Wang Ying. Rest assured, as long as you keep your brothers' mouths shut, everything will pass safely and peacefully."

Xiang Yang's utterly confident expression gave Huang Peng a trace of faith. More importantly, he feared that if he refused, Xiang Yang probably would not let him walk out of this room.

"Fine, then. I'll take this man out and leave him to us. Don't worry."

Huang Peng looked at Jia Kui, whose mouth was stuffed with a rag. Unable to speak, he could only whimper as his face reddened from holding back his cries. Huang Peng shook his head and sighed, then turned and seized the rope, dragging Jia Kui outside. Xiang Yang did not ask how exactly they would handle it. He believed Huang Peng could manage such a small matter.

"It can only be hidden for a time, never forever. But I never intended to keep it hidden forever. As long as Qian Fu doesn't put the focus on me immediately, I'll have time to grow stronger. By the time he finds out, he won't be able to do anything to me."

Xiang Yang lightly patted the fist manual and Breathing Technique hidden against his chest as he pondered in silence. Thinking further, perhaps by then it would not be Qian Fu looking for trouble with him—it would be him finding fault with Qian Fu.

"Besides, Qian Fu himself probably hasn't been paying attention to Mr. Lan's affairs. Otherwise, he never would have allowed Jia Kui to remain at Anjia Manor.

"Once I take Young Master Lan back and the case is closed, Qian Fu will receive word. If he's smart, his first thought won't be to seek trouble with me. It'll be to figure out how to sacrifice the cart to save the commander. In that sense, I may even have done him a favor."

Xiang Yang rested his right hand on the round wooden table and tapped it rhythmically. Tap, tap, tap.

Everything he did was for himself. The Wordless Book's mission was waiting for him to complete it. Leaving aside the fact that alerting the snake in the grass would make Qian Fu wary of him and put him on the defensive, if he angered Mr. Lan and the man truly swept up Qian Fu as well, where would he find another Qian Fu to complete the mission?

Time passed drop by drop. Knock, knock, knock—three raps sounded at the door. Huang Peng then entered, carrying a bulge wrapped in cloth, dark crimson blood seeping through it. Seeing Xiang Yang lost in thought, he gave a soft cough and placed the bundle on the table.

"Constable Xiang, this is Jia Kui's head. Please take a look first. As for the rest of his body, our green wolves have already torn it apart and eaten it. There definitely won't be the slightest trace or flaw left behind. We'll take this away shortly and bury it somewhere deserted."

Seeing the dark crimson stains at Huang Peng's cuffs, Xiang Yang nodded. He used the tip of the Wild Goose Feather Saber's scabbard to lift open the cloth bundle, revealing a head twisted into a vicious grimace, its eyes still wide in death. It was undoubtedly Jia Kui.

What Xiang Yang had not expected was that these men would be so brutal. They had actually fed Jia Kui to dogs. He had been a well-known martial artist in Anyuan County, second only to Qian Fu in skill and considered the martial arts school's number-two figure.

"Well done. From today onward, you are Xiang's friend. If anything comes up, we can help one another. What do you think?"

Having confirmed Jia Kui's death, Xiang Yang had no interest in continuing to face a dead man's head. He wrapped the bloodstained cloth back around it.

"Of course, of course. Rest assured, Constable Xiang. Today, the brothers only remember following Constable Xiang in surrounding and killing the Little Knife Society's men, rescuing Young Master Lan and the other sixteen abducted women and children. We know nothing else."

Xiang Yang thought Huang Peng and the others were cruel, but Huang Peng and his men thought Xiang Yang was ruthless and vicious. In particular, this man did not seem like one of those model yamen runners overflowing with justice and responsibility, who handled matters according to rules and law.

Of course, ruthlessness alone was not enough to make them fear him. What truly frightened them was Xiang Yang's martial arts. Even a famous expert like Jia Kui had fallen into his hands. Which one of them would not be afraid?

"Mm. Clean up and prepare to return to the county seat. Oh, right—you'll have to work a little harder. I'll ride ahead with Young Master Lan first. I'll leave everyone else to you. You must bring them back tonight, not one less. They are vital witnesses against An Qinglong."

Huang Peng was somewhat worried that Xiang Yang would claim all the credit for rescuing Young Master Lan, but he did not dare say so. Without Xiang Yang, how could their group have dared charge straight into Anjia Manor?

The great merit had belonged to him in the first place. They only hoped Xiang Yang would not turn his back on them afterward. Even a sip of the soup would do.