Humiliated at the Door in Welcoming Wind City, a Moonless, Windy Night for Murder

Welcoming Wind City.

As one of Jiangnan's foremost great cities, it teemed with people and intersecting streams of traffic. Embraced by tributaries of the Spirit River where three waters met, it was a geomantic treasure ground and, since ancient times, a gathering place for merchants.

Its walls, built of bluestone, stood more than thirty feet high. Gates opened in all four directions and never closed day or night. Within the city, streets and lanes crisscrossed, towers and pavilions rose in dense ranks, residential wards lay arranged like a chessboard, and the eastern and western markets faced each other from afar. Pearls and gems filled the stalls, while silk and finery overflowed from every household.

By day, burden-bearers, donkey drivers, and cartmen packed together in a crush. Merchants from north and south hawked their wares, banners fluttered outside teahouses and wine shops, and peddlers, laborers, black markets, and night markets—everything could be found there.

After nightfall, pleasure houses and theaters lit up one after another, while strings, pipes, and music rang without cease until dawn.

Its permanent population numbered in the hundreds of thousands, while passing merchants were beyond counting. In prosperity of trade, it surpassed all of Jiangnan.

Yet beneath that splendor, foul miasma ran rampant, like dark clouds blotting out the sun and gloom hanging over the sky.

The old residence in the east of the city, once occupied by a Daoist master, had changed owners. A new plaque hung above its gate—"Rong Residence."

The vermilion gates remained tightly shut day and night, with eight estate guards stationed outside, each broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, and fierce-eyed.

Inside, the residence was lively indeed.

Beside the artificial hills and amid the covered corridors, Rong Yidao chased a group of women in drunken revelry. His brocade Daoist robe hung half-open, reeking of wine. He had one beauty in his arms and another in his grasp, scattering the women in panicked flight as startled laughter echoed through the estate.

Several long tables stood beneath the corridor. A few beautiful women had been forced to play qin and zheng, their melodies halting and distracted, their expressions dazed and despondent.

Others spread out rice paper, ground ink, and painted Rong Yidao's valiant figure onto the page.

When Rong Yidao tired of playing, he flopped into a reclining chair and narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze around.

"Beauties, why aren't any of you smiling? Give this Daoist master a smile!"

No one laughed. A few women forced up the corners of their lips, but their smiles looked worse than crying...

Rong Yidao did not get angry. He reached out, dragged the nearest woman into his embrace, pinched her chin, and said coldly, "What? You're not willing to enjoy good fortune with this Daoist master? Look at those mud-legged peasants outside—they can barely get a full meal. You eat fine food and wear rich clothes here, yet you still pull faces like you're mourning at a funeral? Don't tell me you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?"

The woman's eyes had reddened from his grip. She bit her lip and said nothing.

Rong Yidao clicked his tongue and casually tossed her aside. "Boring."

Outside the estate wall.

Dozens of people crowded into the narrow alley in a dark mass.

Men and women, young and old, wore every sort of expression. An old woman clutched her clothes and wept silently. A man carrying a hoe had a face as green as iron. Half-grown children hid behind the adults, timidly watching the vermilion gates.

"Damn it! My little sister is only sixteen and hasn't even married yet. The other day, she went out to buy needle and thread, and his men dragged her inside... I went to the city lord's residence to file a complaint, but they said they couldn't interfere in a Daoist master's affairs either! Where is justice in this world?!"

"My daughter-in-law has only been married into our family for half a year. She's no great beauty, just ordinary-looking, but she and my son are deeply in love—they were childhood sweethearts from the start. Yet somehow that thousand-blade bastard heard of her and insisted that married women had the finest flavor. He couldn't bear to see others devoted to one another, like a pair of harmonious phoenixes... He snatched her away by force! My son went to demand her back, and the estate guards beat him with clubs. He's still bedridden!"

"My younger sister too..."

"My wife too..."

They all spoke at once, each growing more grief-stricken and enraged.

As they spoke, a woman's mournful scream suddenly came from within the wall. Everyone outside shuddered! Some instinctively clenched their fists, unable to suppress their fury.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man rushed from the crowd, a kitchen knife tucked in his robes. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared.

"Rong Yidao! You damned Rong Yidao!! Get the hell out here! That is my wife! Give her back to me! You feast on the people, wallow in arrogance and lust—do you not bring shame upon the Daoist Sect's dignity?! Are you worthy of calling yourself a Daoist master guarding this region?! Do you really think honest people have no anger?!"

The estate guards stood with their arms folded, looking down from above as they blocked his path.

Bang!

The middle-aged man was kicked to the ground. The knife in his hand clattered away, and then clubs came crashing down upon his head and face. Amid a dense barrage of dull blows, he curled into a ball as flesh and blood splattered everywhere, crimson blood flowing straight across the ground and staining the bluestone bricks.

"Watch your tongue! Our Daoist master is as bright as the wind and clear as the moon. He normally suppresses evil for the people and has rendered great service through toil and hardship. What is wrong with him taking a brief rest now? He is tending to your wife's health!"

Someone in the crowd could not help but spit out a curse.

"Tending to her health? Bright as the wind and clear as the moon?! Why don't you send out your own wife before saying that?"

"I did try... but the Daoist master did not fancy her. So for the Daoist master to favor the willow-like looks of your wives is your good fortune! It is also the good fortune your wives deserve! If anyone causes trouble again... we'll break their legs and throw them out!"

"Shameless to the extreme!! Filthy little men!"

At that moment.

The middle-aged man was dragged to the mouth of the alley and tossed aside. Covered in blood, he had fainted dead away. The onlookers all stepped back half a pace, trembling, yet none dared make another sound...

Silence.

A long silence.

For the next half month.

Every day, women were sent into the Rong Residence, and every day, women were thrown back out.

Most struggled and cried when they were sent in. When they were cast out, most had vacant eyes and disheveled hair and clothing. Once their families took them home, they locked their doors tight and were never seen again.

The city lord also prepared generous gifts and visited to persuade him, only to be rebuked by Rong Yidao: "This Daoist master has been ordered by the Daoist Sect to guard this place! You, a tiny city official appointed over a mortal territory under the Daoist Sect, think you are worthy of managing me?" The city lord left speechless.

The other two Field Stewards stationed in Welcoming Wind City also came. They were both Eighth Grades assigned from New Dajiang County, and their seniority fell far short of Rong Yidao's. They did not even get a seat after entering, merely standing there to speak a few words.

"Brother Rong, since we have only just arrived here, shouldn't we restrain ourselves somewhat? If the Daoist Sect learns of this..."

"So what if they learn? When I entered the Daoist Sect, you two were still digging for food in the mud! Since when was it your turn to teach me how to do things? Get lost!"

The two left awkwardly, shaking their heads and sighing at each other. They did not know how to react and could only secretly hope that one who committed many acts of injustice would eventually bring about his own destruction!

A few more days passed.

Rumble—

A carriage stopped outside the Rong Residence.

Big Household Zhou descended from the carriage, trembling, while two servants followed behind carrying heavy gift chests.

After learning of Rong Yidao's evil deeds over these past days, he had originally planned to withdraw his business entirely and never return to Welcoming Wind City. But on second thought, if that bastard learned that Zhou had paid respects to so many generations of Daoist masters and diligently greased every palm, yet had deliberately left him out, the trouble would be even greater!

After thinking it over and over, he still prepared lavish gifts and came to pay a visit.

The calling card was delivered inside, but there was no reply for half the day.

In the main hall.

Rong Yidao was holding a newly arrived beauty and forcibly feeding her wine. She could not hold her liquor and painfully vomited up more than half of it, while he laughed heartily beside her.

The steward bowed and reported, "Master, a wealthy man surnamed Zhou seeks an audience outside. He is an old man and the owner of Old Zhou House."

"Big Household Zhou?" Hearing that he was a seventy- or eighty-year-old man, Rong Yidao immediately lost interest and did not even raise his eyelids. "Take the gifts and drive him away! Since he has paid respects, this Daoist master won't make things difficult for his shop in the future. At least he knows what is good for him."

"Yes."

The steward turned to leave, but Rong Yidao suddenly remembered something. Smacking his lips, he said, "Wait, what shop did you say it was?"

"Old Zhou House, the one that recently began selling complexion-preserving cosmetics..."

Rong Yidao abruptly sat upright, his eyes lighting up. "Oh? The one belonging to Lady Ning E?"

"Precisely."

"Good! I was worrying over how to find her. That lady has fair skin and a beautiful face—I've been thinking about her constantly! The men I sent to seize people from the surrounding villages still haven't returned, yet this old thing has delivered himself to my door! Quick, quick, quick, let him in!"

Big Household Zhou steeled himself and passed through the ornate hanging-flower gate. Along the way, every woman he saw had tears in her eyes and sorrow written across her face.

The farther he went, the more frightened he became. Rumors and seeing things with one's own eyes were ultimately different. He had thought Rong Yidao would at least show some restraint due to his Daoist Sect origins. Who could have imagined...

By the time he reached the main hall, he still managed to squeeze out a smile through years of worldly experience. Bowing deeply, he said, "This commoner Zhou Shengshui pays respects to Daoist Master Rong!"

Rong Yidao reclined on the couch with a beauty in his arms. He looked Zhou Shengshui up and down and drawled, "You are the owner of Old Zhou House?"

"Yes, this commoner is. This commoner has specially prepared a humble gift—"

"Enough. This Daoist master has no interest in that junk." Rong Yidao waved a hand and said with a half-smile, "Tell me, what is the relationship between the beauty Ning E in your shop and you?"

Big Household Zhou's heart skipped a beat, but he could only force himself to answer, "She is... my daughter."

"Oh!" Rong Yidao clapped his hands and laughed. "Then that is perfect! Go back and send her here to keep this Daoist master company for a few nights. Let us share a table and pillow for a while. From then on, this Daoist master will protect your business in Welcoming Wind City. Your Old Zhou House can walk sideways if it wants!"

"Daoist master! Absolutely not! My daughter is already promised in marriage, and husband and wife are devoted to one another—"

"Old fool! If this Daoist master tells you to send her, then send her! Don't fail to appreciate my favor! Otherwise, in this Welcoming Wind City, your Zhou Household can forget about continuing to live!"

With a wave of his hand, estate guards came forward, seized Big Household Zhou, and shoved him outside. His old bones staggered through the gates, and he tumbled down the stone steps. When he climbed back up, the skin at his brow had been scraped open, blood streaming down his face.

He turned back to glance at the vermilion gates, spat fiercely, and accepted help as he climbed into the carriage.

"Damn it! At worst, we simply won't come here again! My Zhou Household can give up this Welcoming Wind City shop! We can live honestly as farmers! How can my daughter suffer such humiliation?!"

At that moment, atop the walls of the Rong Residence.

A large white cat crouched there, leisurely licking its paws. Its crystal-clear eyes had seen every bit of the scene just now.

The sun and moon turned, and the summer heat gradually faded.

Rong Yidao continued his excesses for more than a month, singing and feasting every night and day. The city was filled with bitter complaints. Quite a few merchant families simply shut their doors and moved away with their entire households. The two Field Stewards came to persuade him once more, only to be cursed out again.

That night, Rong Yidao tossed away the whimpering woman in his arms.

"Why has that Lady Ning E still not been found? These vulgar powders and common rouges are not worth having! That beauty Ning E was born with natural loveliness—she is better able to ease the troubles in my heart..."

Just as he fretted.

A black shadow suddenly slipped soundlessly past beneath the corridor. Relying on Earth Perception... he abruptly became alert and looked up. "Who?"

A robed figure walked in slowly. He looked young, his gaze calm, and he held a Daoist Sect message in one hand.

"The Daoist Sect has an order. Field Steward Rong Yidao, receive it!"

Whoosh!

Rong Yidao immediately scrambled off the couch, rolled and crawled to the floor, then slid forward in a grand kneel of submission. He raised both hands above his head and said with utmost respect, "Disciple Rong Yidao respectfully receives the Daoist Sect's sacred decree!"

The young Daoist handed it to him, cast him a sidelong glance that could not conceal his disgust, and turned to leave.

Rustle!

Rong Yidao unfolded the paper and read it, his face gradually darkening. Its words sharply rebuked him for being "arrogant and unrestrained, damaging the Daoist Sect's good name," ordering him to "restrain himself immediately, or be recalled and severely punished for any further transgression."

Once the messenger Daoist had completely vanished from sight, Rong Yidao clenched the paper and viciously crushed it into a ball.

"What the hell are you pretending to be so lofty for? Inside your Lingjiang Temple, you treat human lives as worthless grass, toy with the lives and deaths of the common people, and deceive the world in ways far worse than this! What is wrong with me playing with a few women?"

After his fierce outburst, however, the fact remained that he could not refuse to give the Daoist Sect face. He would have to restrain himself for a while...

On the courtyard wall, a sparrow tilted its head, its black bean eyes taking in the entire scene.

It pecked at its feathers, spread its wings, and silently swept into the night sky.

Xiaopei County.

In the quiet chamber of the Jiang Residence, Jiang Tu slowly opened his eyes.

Having synchronized with the senses of the Myriad-Forms Straw Figure for two full months, he had thoroughly learned Rong Yidao's daily routine—when he left, when he returned, how many guards accompanied him, and which room he slept in each night.

He had also seen the Daoist Sect's message just now.

The time had come!

The reason he had not acted all this while was because he had been waiting for the Daoist Sect's warning. After that, it was only natural for Rong Yidao to rein himself in and stop bringing disaster upon the surrounding areas. It would not arouse any suspicion.

And through this matter, he could follow the clues to track every movement and informant of the Daoist Sect's hidden watchers nearby, ensuring that when he killed Rong Yidao and replaced him with another, no Daoist Sect member would notice!

In truth, on the day Big Household Zhou had gone to the Rong Residence and suffered humiliation, his killing intent had already blazed to its limit. Yet to ensure nothing went wrong, he had still waited two months, quietly awaiting the best opportunity.

Now, everything was ready.

He looked out at the ink-black night beyond the courtyard. Above, the river of stars shone clear beneath a cloudless sky. Moonlight was bright, and the fair moon hung high.

A moonless, windy night was perfect for murder—!