Pissed Himself in Fear

"Sister-in-law, thank Qing'er for us."

Xu Cheng's voice was a little hoarse, as though something were lodged in his throat. It took him a while to swallow it down before he said, "Have him come over for a meal another day. I'll stew some meat for him."

"Ah! That's more like it!" Tong beamed so widely her mouth nearly reached her ears. She sat in the shop a while longer, chatting about this and that—from how clever Xu Qing had been as a child, to how formidable his senior brothers at the martial hall were, to how powerful the Wu Clan was. Her words flew with spittle, and she all but praised her son into a flower.

Only then did she finally leave, fully satisfied.

Xu Yan stood behind the counter, watching Tong's retreating figure. At last, tears fell from her eyes.

She wiped them away, then smiled.

"That child..." she murmured. She could not tell whether she felt resentment or comfort. She resented his usual lack of sense, yet was comforted that, in his heart, he still remembered her, his second aunt.

In the noodle shop beside the bun shop, the old woman from the Li family craned her neck and widened her eyes like an old hen that had spotted a worm.

Tong had become so carried away while talking that her voice had grown much louder. The old woman had vaguely heard that Xu Qing had found someone to beat Chen Jiang to death.

Chen Jiang being beaten to death was certainly a good thing. That bastard had bullied her family plenty of times too. Last time, he had eaten two bowls of noodles without paying, then flipped the table and left.

Now that she knew the full story behind Chen Jiang's death, she had to tell her husband. From now on, they ought to remember Xu Qing's kindness and praise him a little more whenever they met. That could never be wrong.

Xu Qing had repeatedly warned his mother not to tell anyone, but she simply could not keep her mouth shut. With that one extra word, the news sprouted wings. Within two days, it had spread through several streets in the western part of the city.

People talked about it in teahouses. People talked about it in taverns. Even Old Wang, who sold tofu at the market, was talking about it.

The tale grew stranger with every telling. Some said Xu Qing had personally led people to do it. Some said Wu Mingyuan had sent ten masters. Others said Chen Jiang had been beaten alive for an entire night before he died.

Azure Flood Dragon Hall.

Chen Jiang's elder sister, Madam Chen, lay against the vice hall master's chest, crying until her eyes were swollen like peaches and her voice had gone hoarse. "My little brother died so horribly... his face was beaten to pulp... You must find the murderer... avenge him..."

The vice hall master's surname was Ma. Broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, his face was layered with flesh. He frowned as he patted Madam Chen's back, his tone impatient. "Enough, enough. What are you crying for? Aren't I investigating?"

That was what he said, but he was irritated too. The death of a brother-in-law was a small matter. But one of Azure Flood Dragon Hall's men had been beaten to death in his own home, and they could not even find the killer. Where would that leave the hall's face if word got out?

His men had spent two days asking around and had finally found a lead.

A trusted subordinate came close and lowered his voice. "Master Ma, we found something. People outside are saying it was Wu Mingyuan, that illegitimate son of the Wu Clan, who had someone do it. They say Master Chen offended a relative of one of his subordinates, so he ordered someone to act."

"Wu Mingyuan?" Vice Hall Master Ma's brow furrowed even deeper, carving a deep ravine between his brows.

The Wu Clan was one of the great families in the county town. Though Wu Mingyuan was only an illegitimate son, he was still a young master of the Wu Clan and could not be touched lightly. Even when beating a dog, one had to consider its master—let alone striking the Wu Clan's son.

As for the person who had killed Chen Jiang, even if he knew who it was, he was likely no match for him. He had examined Chen Jiang's corpse. His internal organs had been pulverized by hidden force, and that force had been absurdly deep and powerful.

He himself had reached the hidden force realm, but his own force could never achieve such an effect. That man's strength was far beyond his.

After pondering for a while, he rose and headed for the hall master's courtyard.

The hall master's surname was Huang. In his forties, he was lean and wiry like a dried bamboo pole, yet his eyes shone as brightly as blades.

After hearing Vice Hall Master Ma out, he lifted his teacup and took a sip. Then he said unhurriedly, "Someone from the Wu Clan? That makes sense. There are not many masters who can command a hidden force expert to kill, and the Wu Clan is one of them. We cannot easily provoke the Wu Clan."

He set down his teacup, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "I heard that boy from the Wu Clan studies boxing at the Zhao Family Martial Hall. Go and ask first whether this is really true. If one of Azure Flood Dragon Hall's men truly did something wrong and provoked him, then getting beaten up to vent his anger would be that. But beating someone to death alive like this is, after all, rather improper."

He paused, lifting his eyelids to glance at Vice Hall Master Ma. "Don't make things too stiff. The Wu Clan has great influence in the city. If we truly tear our faces apart, it will do us no good."

"Rest assured, Big Brother. I know what to do." Vice Hall Master Ma nodded and withdrew.

Near midday, Wu Mingyuan left the martial hall.

His pace was unhurried, his back straight. His moon-white fitted outfit was dazzlingly white beneath the noon sun.

He had just left the street where the martial hall stood and turned into a quieter alley when Vice Hall Master Ma approached him, followed by two or three subordinates who kept neither too close nor too far away.

"Young Master Wu." Vice Hall Master Ma cupped his hands with a genial smile, as though chatting about household matters. Yet his eyes never stopped assessing Wu Mingyuan's face. "I am Ma Feng of Azure Flood Dragon Hall. Forgive my boldness, but may I ask whether it was you who had someone handle the matter of Chen Jiang?"

Wu Mingyuan glanced at him, his gaze indifferent. "Chen Jiang? I do not know him. Nor do I know what matter you are talking about."

His tone was flat, without the slightest ripple. Vice Hall Master Ma had been in the underworld for many years; he could hear clearly and see plainly. Wu Mingyuan was not lying, nor did he need to lie. If he had done it, what was the harm in admitting it? If he had not, there was no reason for him to take the blame for someone else.

"Fine. Then I understand." Vice Hall Master Ma cupped his hands. "Sorry to disturb you."

Wu Mingyuan ignored Vice Hall Master Ma and his group, walking away on his own.

As he walked, his steps suddenly slowed slightly, and one brow rose.

He recalled the name "Chen Jiang."

A few days ago, Xu Qing seemed to have mentioned Chen Jiang and the bun shop run by his second uncle's family.

That day, Xu Qing had sidled up to him and babbled on about it for ages—how Chen Jiang had harassed his second aunt, how the shop's business had worsened, speaking in such a pitiful way.

But Wu Mingyuan had not taken it to heart at all. It went in one ear and out the other, forgotten as soon as he heard it. Was the affair of some street thug worth his, Wu Mingyuan's, attention?

Wu Mingyuan's gaze was cold as he gave a faint snort. He no longer thought about Chen Jiang or Xu Qing, nor did he care about the matter in the slightest. In his eyes, those people were nothing more than roadside weeds, not worth a second glance.

"What the hell? If Wu Mingyuan wasn't the one who had someone do it, then who was?" Vice Hall Master Ma stood where he was, frowning deeply. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, his thoughts going in circles. "Was it that Xu Qing? Or did he find someone else?"

Vice Hall Master Ma suddenly looked at his trusted subordinate and raised his chin. "Go to the Zhao Family Martial Hall and call Xu Qing out. Tell him something has happened at his family's shop. We'll wait for the two of you at the entrance to the street where his shop is."

Xu Qing had just turned onto the street where his family's shop stood when he ran straight into five or six burly men.

They stood across the road like a wall, blocking it completely. He had seen the broad-shouldered, fleshy-faced man in the lead before. It was Vice Hall Master Ma of Azure Flood Dragon Hall. He had caught sight of him from afar on the street last time and had been so frightened that he detoured around three streets.

He thought the matter had been exposed. The color drained from his face with a swish, leaving him white as paper. Even his lips turned pale.

"Y-you..."

"You're Xu Qing?" Vice Hall Master Ma looked him up and down as though examining a chicken awaiting slaughter, from top to bottom, then bottom to top, until Xu Qing's skin crawled.

Xu Qing's legs began to go weak, his knees trembling. Even his voice changed pitch. "I... I am... What do you want? I don't know anything..."

He backed away as he spoke, but after two steps, his back struck a wall of flesh. At some point, two men had already circled behind him.

Vice Hall Master Ma could not be bothered with nonsense. With a wave of his hand, two burly men seized Xu Qing's arms from either side and pinned him against the wall at the mouth of the alley.

His back slammed into the cold brick wall, jarring his spine with pain. Xu Qing seemed to have been hollowed out entirely. He trembled like a sieve, his teeth chattering.

"I'm asking you." Vice Hall Master Ma leaned close, his fleshy face nearly pressing against Xu Qing's nose. That savage look frightened Xu Qing into shrinking backward, as though he wished he could embed himself in the wall. "Was it you who found someone to deal with Chen Jiang?"

"No! It wasn't me!" Xu Qing's voice rose into a shrill squeal, like a pig being slaughtered. "I only mentioned it to Senior Brother Wu! Senior Brother Wu is from the Wu Clan! I asked him to handle it, not to kill anyone! He himself—"

"Wu Mingyuan has already said that Chen Jiang's affair had nothing to do with him." Vice Hall Master Ma's voice was not loud, yet it was like a knife stabbing into Xu Qing's heart. "You still want to shove it onto him?"

Xu Qing's mind exploded with a buzz.

It was not Wu Mingyuan?

If it was not Wu Mingyuan, who else could it have been? He had not told anyone else. Wu Mingyuan was the only person he had mentioned it to.

"I... I really don't know... I only told him..." Xu Qing babbled incoherently, his tongue tied in knots. Tears and snot smeared across his face, sticky and indistinguishable.

Suddenly, warmth spread through his crotch. A stream of warm liquid ran down his trouser legs and dripped onto the ground, soaking out a dark wet patch that stood out starkly against the dusty gray earth.

Vice Hall Master Ma frowned and stepped back in disgust. He had seen cowards before, but never one this cowardly. They had barely done anything, and he had already pissed himself.

The burly men beside him did not loosen their grip. Instead, they twisted Xu Qing's arms higher, his joints cracking as though they might dislocate at any moment.

"Ah—! It hurts, it hurts! I'm telling the truth! It really wasn't me! It really has nothing to do with me!" Xu Qing's face twisted in pain as he cried and begged, "Master Ma! Master Ma, please spare me! I really don't have the guts... I'm begging you..."

The neighbors had long since been alerted.

One by one, they craned their necks to watch.

Someone recognized Xu Qing and whispered, "Isn't that Old Xu's son? How did he end up provoking Azure Flood Dragon Hall?"

"I heard he found someone to beat Chen Jiang to death..."

"Don't flatter him. Look at that pathetic state of his. Does he look like someone who could find people to kill Chen Jiang? His crotch is already wet."

"Exactly. Didn't you hear him? The boy is flatly denying it, scared badly enough to piss his pants. And his mother was still boasting, saying some young master from the Wu Clan had stood up for him. Now Young Master Wu won't admit it at all."

"Pah! And here I was remembering his kindness. So it was all his own boasting. His skin is thicker than the corner of the city wall."

"..."

The murmurs pierced Xu Qing's ears like needles, every word stabbing into his heart.

He wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it. But his arms were held fast, leaving him unable to move. He could only lower his head as tears fell drop by drop onto the ground, mixing with the puddle of urine until they could no longer be told apart.

Over and over, his mouth repeated the same words: "It wasn't me... It really wasn't me..."