In Suian City, the He Family had a separate residence owned by the father of a branch of the family. The mansion was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers, like the estate of a prince or nobleman.
One of the mansion's side rooms held a beautifully carved luohan bed made of golden-thread nanmu. A screen inlaid with gold and jade stood in the room, and the rest of the furnishings were equally extravagant.
An emaciated, silver-haired old man of about sixty lay sprawled across the bed. He puffed on a long-stemmed opium pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke, while two maids massaged his shoulders and pounded his legs.
The door beyond the screen creaked open, and a young man in fine clothes stepped inside. He was strikingly handsome, with phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and brows slanting up toward his temples. His features bore a faint resemblance to He Ping's.
Seeing the old man, the young man spoke in a low voice. "Father, I had someone look into that matter. That consumptive, He Ping, really is gravely ill."
This dashing young man, radiating an air of nobility, was He Ping's cousin, He Xiping.
"I went to Changshan City, Danyang City, Yueshan City... I spent a fortune, but I managed to pry the truth out of the famous doctors who had treated him. He Ping's health is failing fast. The doctors say he suffers from a wasting of qi and blood, and with a body like his, he won't last more than a few years..."
His eyes shone, and the more he spoke, the more excited he became.
"Xi Ping."
The silver-haired old man was He Jin. He slowly lowered his opium pipe and turned his cloudy yellow eyes toward him.
"Why are you so worked up? A man who wants to achieve great things must keep a cool head and remain unflustered in the face of chaos... By the way, no one else knows about this, do they?"
After his father, He Jin, scolded him, He Xiping reined in his earlier frivolity. Lowering his voice, he said, "Please rest assured, Father. I secretly disposed of those famous doctors. Fortunately, He Ping was afraid outsiders might find out, so he only sought out renowned doctors outside Suian City. I doubt he'll ever learn that they were silenced."
"Well done."
He Jin spoke slowly. The deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were like knife cuts, and his narrowed gaze drifted toward the window.
"He Ping is still so immature. He's gravely ill, yet he keeps it from the public. He's simply too attached to the power of being family head. What will become of the He Family's estate?"
There was no rise or fall in the old man's voice. He sounded as though he were stating a simple fact, without the slightest emotion.
"Remember, the He Family isn't the only powerful family in Suian City. The Yang Family and Liu Family are our competitors in business. And beyond them, how many people covet our family's estate? How many forces are waiting for our family to fall, so they can pick over the remains... Heh. Truly foolish!"
"Father is absolutely right."
He Xiping nodded solemnly.
"That consumptive, He Ping, is only putting our family at great risk by clinging to the headship. It seems the sensible thing is to make him step down and yield the position to someone worthy."
At his son's words, He Jin began to laugh. His laughter was loud and hoarse, and halfway through, he broke into a fit of coughing.
"Cough, cough... Power and wealth are addictive poisons. Few in this world can escape their grip, and He Ping is no exception. Even with death at his door, how could he willingly let go? My son, you need to use your head before you speak."
Hearing his father's words, He Xiping's face darkened. After a brief silence, he slowly asked, "Then what should we do?"
"There's no need to rush this matter."
The old man had his own plans. Instead of offering his son any guidance, he asked him a question.
"But tell me, how is your effort to win over Sheng Qinghong, the prefect's son, going?"
"It's going fairly well."
He Xiping answered honestly.
"Young Master Sheng isn't like his old fox of a father. He's easy enough to read, so it hasn't been difficult to befriend him."
"Good."
He Jin sneered.
"It's crucial that we maintain a good relationship with the prefect. If we want to take control of the He Family, we'll have a hard time without his help. Handle this properly."
"Of course."
He Xiping nodded solemnly.
"Also, Father. Could we use the recent Hu Ma Gang affair to our advantage and pin the blame on He Ping? I heard from Sheng Qinghong that the Hu Ma Gang secretly works for Prefect Sheng. And 'Wind-Soaring Blade' Xie San died at a banquet hosted by He Ping. This matter..."
"Idiot!"
The old man flew into a rage and kicked the maid who was pounding his legs.
The maid staggered from the kick and fell backward, slamming the back of her head into the corner of a table behind her. She didn't even let out a groan before her eyes rolled back and she passed out.
"Xi Ping, just how stupid are you? If Prefect Sheng starts watching our family because of this, then you won't be shifting the blame onto someone else. You'll be dragging the two of us into it as well."
"B-but..." He Xiping's face turned pale, then green. He said, unwilling to give up, "What is the Hu Ma Gang, anyway? Would Prefect Sheng hold a grudge against our family over some underworld gang?"
"I say you're stupid, and you still refuse to believe it."
The old man's icy gaze stabbed toward He Xiping like a knife.
"With Prefect Sheng's influence, there are plenty of forces eager to curry favor with him... As for a third-rate gang like the Hu Ma Gang, they're just a bunch of northern swordsmen, a band of bandits—lowlifes of the worst sort. If Lord Sheng really does have ties with them, what role do you think Xie San of the Hu Ma Gang played?"
"Father... You mean...?"
"When an important man like Lord Sheng has business to conduct, there are always things he doesn't want outsiders to know. Xie San of the Hu Ma Gang is a clever fellow. Perhaps that was his role. We absolutely mustn't get involved, or we might lead the He Family into danger."
"I understand, Father."
He Pingxi sighed deeply, bowed, and withdrew.
After his son left, He Jin shook his head and sighed, deeply disappointed in him.
His son, He Pingxi, was reliable enough in getting things done, but he lacked the foresight to judge people and situations. What sort of man was Prefect Sheng Qingzhi? The secret struggle between the He Family's two branches was an internal family matter. But if Prefect Sheng started watching the He Family because of it, they would be doomed.
"The He Family is a juicy piece of meat. If Sheng Qingzhi takes an interest and decides to stick his hand in, hoping to profit from it, then all our hard work will be for nothing—we'll just be making someone else's wedding clothes."
Once their actions gave others a handle to use against them, they would be doomed.
"...The World-Honored One is most rare; he sat for ten small kalpas. His body and hands and feet remained still, quiet and unmoving... Never once scattered or confused, he reached ultimate, eternal extinction, abiding in the undefiled Dharma..."
A Buddhist chant echoed through the empty mountain forest.
The voice was sonorous and ethereal, reciting scripture without pause.
Amid the sound of branches snapping and leaves rustling, a figure dressed in a coarse tunic and straw sandals emerged. His attire made him look like a woodcutter from the mountains.
The man's face had been darkened by the sun and weathered by the elements. He wore an old hooded cloak and carried a wooden staff. A battered oil gourd hung from its tip as he walked step by step along the mountain path.
Strangest of all, the woodcutter carried a Buddhist shrine cabinet on his back.
The chanting came from inside that cabinet. A fleshless, skinless skeleton sat cross-legged within it.
The skeleton was snow-white from head to toe, its hands pressed together as it sat in the lotus position. Its jawbone never moved, but its tongue had not decayed. Instead, bright with color, it wriggled ceaselessly as it recited a scripture.
"We have gained a blessing and rejoice greatly. All sentient beings suffer constantly, blind and without a guide..."