Acting in Secret

Yan Prefecture City, Li Residence.

Li Yi returned to the residence in a towering rage, his expression dark and terrifying.

He had barely stepped into the study before Li Hai followed him in.

But the moment Li Hai entered, a leg came flying straight at him.

The kick sent his entire body pitching backward, and he crashed onto the high threshold.

A clearly audible crack came from Li Hai's lower back, and heart-piercing pain instantly swept through his body.

Yet even with cold sweat pouring down his temples like rain, Li Hai gritted his teeth, struggled up from the floor, and knelt before Li Yi.

"Master, please calm your anger!"

"Calm my anger? How do you expect me to calm my anger?"

Li Yi reached out, seized Li Hai by the front of his robe, hauled him off the floor, then slammed him down again.

"What did I tell you? Keep an eye on that brainless Tiger! And what did you do? Not only did you lose Tiger, you lost Wood along with him!"

Li Hai trembled all over. "Master, this old servant has already sent men to investigate, but all we discovered was that Tiger and Wood came down the mountain that night. As for where they went, we cannot find a trace. Master, someone has clearly erased their tracks on purpose, leaving us nothing to follow!"

Li Yi raised his arm and swept it toward the study door.

With a bang, the door swung shut.

He strode over and sat behind his desk, but did not look at Li Hai.

Li Hai's words had given him a warning.

It seemed someone was lurking in the shadows of Yan Prefecture City who knew about the forces under Scarface's command. Otherwise, with his influence in the city, how could he have failed to discover where Tiger and the others went after descending the mountain that day?

But who was this person hiding in the shadows?

Li Yi felt countless figures passing back and forth through his mind, yet their faces were all blurred, impossible to make out.

In the end, only that face with its elusive half-smile remained.

Li Yi's brows knitted tightly. Could it be him?

If it really was that man, how should I deal with him?

Li Hai remained on his knees, saying nothing.

After considering that possibility, Li Yi rose again and began pacing back and forth.

"Li Hai, pass down the order. Keep searching for Tiger. If you find him, and he's still alive, then..."

Li Yi made a gesture across his neck.

However useful Tiger might have been as a pawn, his whereabouts were now unknown, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead. To Li Yi, he had already lost most of his value.

If he was dead, so be it. The real concern was that, if he was still alive, there was no telling how many of Li Yi's plans he might ruin.

Li Yi's voice was sinister, like a strange wind suddenly rising from flat ground, chilling people to the depths of their hearts.

Li Hai answered, "Yes, this old servant will do everything in his power!"

Yan Prefecture City, County Office.

Ever since returning from the Yang Residence in Little Willow Lane that day, Dai Sheng had been unable to quiet the uneasy pounding in his heart.

Fortunately, Yang Qing had remained holed up in that residence recovering from his illness. With one less person standing around to vex him, the oppressive feeling in Dai Sheng's chest had eased a little.

But just as he thought he could catch his breath, the beating of the drum outside the County Office early that morning unsettled him again.

Properly dressed and seated in the court hall, Dai Sheng picked up the court block and slammed it onto the desk. "Who kneels before this court? State your name at once!"

The man who had come to beat the drum had shifty brows and beady eyes. Even kneeling in the hall, his gleaming eyes darted everywhere like those of a rat just emerging from its hole.

The moment he heard Dai Sheng's question, he knocked his forehead hard against the floor.

"In answer to Your Honor, this commoner is Zhang Asan, an employee of Fortune Comes in the eastern part of the city."

"An employee of Fortune Comes? Why have you beaten the drum so early in the morning?"

Dai Sheng watched Zhang Asan kneeling below him. Ever since entering, the man had kept bobbing his head about, his face full of calculation, and Dai Sheng already disliked him.

"This commoner wishes to accuse his employer. He hired me but failed to pay my full monthly wages. Not only that, he took possession of my younger sister. He is worse than a beast!"

"When I confronted him, he had me beaten and then threw me out. I was truly driven into a corner with nowhere else to turn, so I came to beg Your Honor, who is as just as the clear heavens, to uphold justice."

Still on his knees, Zhang Asan crawled forward a few steps and lowered his voice. "To tell Your Honor the truth, I also discovered a great secret my employer has been hiding. I believe he is forcing me to flee so that, once I am outside, he can kill me to silence me!"

Dai Sheng studied Zhang Asan. "What did you discover that would make your employer so eager to be rid of you?"

"Your Honor..."

Zhang Asan opened his mouth to say something, but after glancing at the ranks of bailiffs standing around him, he shook his head like a rattle drum.

"This commoner... does not dare say."

Dai Sheng also looked at the bailiffs. After sweeping his gaze around them, he turned back to Zhang Asan.

"Impudent troublemaker! When this official asks you a question, you need only answer truthfully! Are you hemming and hawing to make a fool of me? Guards, drag him away and give him twenty strokes!"

"Yes!"

Two bailiffs answered and lunged at Zhang Asan like wolves and tigers.

Their actions nearly scared Zhang Asan out of his wits. He shuddered all over, then began shouting in a voice like a cracked gong.

"Your Honor, how could this commoner dare make a fool of you? It is because I discovered treasure looted by bandits at Fortune Comes!"

Treasure looted by bandits?

A vein throbbed on Dai Sheng's forehead. Hadn't I already taken men to dig those illicit valuables out of the Sorghum Field and lock them in the County Yamen Storehouse?

Where could Fortune Comes have gotten treasure looted by bandits now?

Dai Sheng stared unblinkingly at Zhang Asan until the man's skin crawled.

"Your Honor, every word this commoner says is true!"

Since his greatest secret was already out, Zhang Asan threw caution to the wind.

Death awaits either way. How could I let that old bastard enjoy himself all alone?

Dai Sheng waved at the two bailiffs. "Release him. Let him continue."

Freed from the two bailiffs' grip, Zhang Asan collapsed to the floor like a boneless lump of flesh.

"Zhang Asan, tell this official everything you know. If you conceal anything, severe torture awaits you!"

Dai Sheng trembled and nodded again, then gave Dai Sheng a clear and complete account of everything he knew.

At the end, he raised his head and asked Dai Sheng, "Your Honor, does this count as meritorious service? If it does, shouldn't Your Honor give this commoner a reward?"

Seeing the calculation that could not be concealed on that face, Dai Sheng's disgust for Zhang Asan deepened.

"Guards, take this Zhang Asan straight to prison!"

When the two bailiffs who had withdrawn earlier stepped forward again, each seized one of his arms and dragged him toward the exit. Only then did Zhang Asan come to his senses.

"Your Honor, this commoner has truthfully reported what is happening inside Fortune Comes! Why are you still sending me to prison? I protest! I protest!"

Dai Sheng slammed the court block down again. "If what you say is true, then goods looted by bandits have been appearing at Fortune Comes for quite some time. Yet you concealed the truth until now before coming to report it to the authorities!"

"Knowing and failing to report is a serious crime! Do you think this official is so easily fooled? If you harbor any further treachery, the Hall of Punishment awaits!"

At that thought, Zhang Asan's mouth opened and closed, but not a single sound escaped. The two bailiffs dragged him out of the hall like a dead dog.