Chapter 127
Chapter 127
The bewitching man’s name was Qiu Xiao, son of the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. Qiu Tianwei was the most powerful pirate lord based in the eastern seas of the State of Yue. Since the state’s primary enemies were the states of Wu and Chu, its army was strong, but its navy was weak. Furthermore, the king paid little mind to the islands of the sea. Except for the period when the Count of Xuanwu’s ancestor had pacified the region, the Pirate King had, for most of history, seized all the islands of the eastern waters and ruled them as his own.
Currently, Qiu Tianwei controlled several dozen islands. On the largest of them, he had built a fortress and styled himself the Lord of Raging Tide City. His naval forces were formidable, and his territory was far more extensive than that of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
Moreover, the new, aggressive policies that had been sweeping through the State of Yue for years had only served to make Qiu Tianwei even more arrogant and reckless.
“I’ve come to collect on the contract from over twenty years ago. Did you not agree to pay a hundred thousand gold coins in reparations over thirty years? Including principal and interest, I am to receive nine thousand gold coins every year.”
Qiu Xiao waved a piece of parchment in his hand. It was the truce treaty the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate had signed with Raging Tide City all those years ago. A smile played on Qiu Xiao’s lips.
“And I’ve come to see my wife, Mulan. A few years ago, she lost to me in a duel. According to our rules of the sea, she is to become my wife.”
He tapped his chest and continued.
“Look at my chest. I have had Mulan’s body tattooed here. All that’s left is her face. Though I have slept with countless women, I have never given any of them this space on my chest.”
The hundreds of women tattooed on Qiu Xiao’s body were all virgins he had slept with. If they were not virgins, he wouldn't even bother to have them inked. Do you remember the astronomical debt incurred by the previous Count of Xuanwu? The reason he hired an army of three thousand men and purchased a fleet was to emulate his ancestor, Jin Zhuo, by sweeping away all the pirates of the eastern seas, seizing their islands, and expanding his family’s domain.
His opponent at the time was the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. When their forces clashed, the count was utterly defeated. The three thousand soldiers and the fleet he had hired were all destroyed. The coastal regions of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, especially Lookout Cliff Island, had to endure Qiu Tianwei’s crazed retaliation and plunder. Any ship the estate sent to sea was mercilessly attacked and sunk by Qiu Tianwei.
In the end, left with no other choice, the previous Count of Xuanwu, Jin Yu, signed the “Truce Treaty of Raging Tide City” with Qiu Tianwei, agreeing to pay one hundred thousand gold coins in reparations. The sum was to be paid over thirty years, with an annual payment of nine thousand gold coins, covering both principal and interest. Usually, Qiu Tianwei would send someone to collect the payment a month before the Spring Festival, but this year, they had arrived two months early.
As for the story of how Qiu Xiao came to call Mulan his wife at every turn, it began a few years ago when he saw her and was as stunned as if he had seen a goddess. Afterward, he repeatedly sent marriage proposals through the Count of Xuanwu. He promised that if Mulan married him, he would forgive the entirety of the estate's debt and even offer a betrothal gift of thirty thousand gold coins.
The Count of Xuanwu’s Estate considered this a great humiliation, and Mulan was furious. Soon after, she and Qiu Xiao fought a duel. Mulan lost the match, and ever since, Qiu Xiao had gone around calling her the Pirate King’s wife. At the time, Mulan was seventeen, and Qiu Xiao was twenty-five. Every noble family, however beautiful they appeared on the surface, had a history of humiliation when one looked into their past.
Of course, among the nobility, Count Jin Zhuo had faced particularly difficult times. Every year, he had to repay a massive debt to the Hidden Yuan Society and make reparation payments to Qiu Tianwei of Raging Tide City. Furthermore, he had to maintain a private army of three thousand men without exploiting the people of his fiefdom, yet he had endured for twenty years.
On the surface, the family did not seem to be in disarray; it even appeared to maintain its prosperity. Had it not been for the foundation the Jin Clan had built as a century-old noble house, they would have collapsed over two decades ago. This was why a saying circulated among the nobility:
‘It is not to be feared if the heir to a house is incompetent, of mediocre talent, or even squanders the family fortune. The most fearsome heir is one who is overly ambitious.’
A man who squanders a fortune will only waste the wealth of a single lifetime; he will not bring down a great enterprise built over a hundred years. But with an ambitious master, it was possible to squander the entire inheritance left by one’s ancestors in a single stroke. A similar view exists on modern Earth.
Wealthy and powerful families do not fear their children living extravagantly or even doing drugs. What do they fear most? They fear their children trying to start a business, expand the family enterprise, and achieve dazzling success. That is how a family can be ruined in an instant.
The previous Count of Xuanwu, Jin Yu, was just such a person. He wished to revive the glory of his ancestor, Jin Zhuo, but in the end, he made a decision that was beyond his capabilities, pushing the Jin Clan to a point of no return. Not long after signing the Truce Treaty of Raging Tide City, Jin Yu died of grief and shame, and Jin Zhuo inherited the title of Count of Xuanwu.
Learning from his father’s mistakes, Jin Zhuo became a far more conservative man, even to the point of being rigid. But it was precisely because of this that the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was able to recover from the fatal crisis of twenty years ago. Under his two decades of stewardship, the foundation of the estate had once again become solid as a rock. If not for the implementation of the new policies, the century-long enterprise of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate would have slowly stabilized once more.
“Qiu Xiao, the annual payment isn’t due for another two months. You’ve come too early.”
“Everyone knows the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is on the brink of destruction! If I came in two months, wouldn't I find nothing but corpses?”
The Jin Clan’s day of judgment was at hand. Not only the surrounding nobles but even the Pirate King believed so.
“Besides, I’ve come to take my wife, Mulan, with me. I cannot allow her to die with you all, nor can I let her be sent to the Court of Entertainment by order of the King of Yue.”
The Count of Xuanwu’s expression turned cold and hard.
“Shiying, go.”
Jin Shiying drew his greatsword and spurred his warhorse, charging toward Qiu Xiao like a bolt of lightning. Qiu Xiao remained motionless atop his horse, his handsome, bewitching face still smiling, but his eyes had turned contemptuous as he looked at Jin Shiying. The two men crossed paths in an instant. Jin Shiying swung his greatsword with all his might, while Qiu Xiao flashed his scimitar like lightning.
Clang!
A loud crash echoed, and sparks flew. Jin Shiying’s greatsword shattered and went flying. The armor on his chest was torn open, and a line of blood seeped out. Meanwhile, the warhorse Qiu Xiao was riding let out a wretched scream, blood gushing from its mouth and nose, before it collapsed to the ground.
* * *
Inside the Xu residence.
Lord Xu, bleeding from all seven orifices, stared at his son-in-law, Zhang Jin, with an expression of utter disbelief. He rasped with all his remaining strength.
“W-why? You could have just broken the engagement… why kill me?”
Zhang Jin said calmly, “Father-in-law, I would sooner lose a spouse than break an engagement. Our family values its reputation.”
Xu Guangyun coughed up another mouthful of blood. It was completely black.
“Zhang Jin, you are more vicious than Shen Lang. You are all more vicious than Shen Lang.”
Though Shen Lang’s revenge had been ruthless, he had only been merciless to his enemies. Zhang Jin, however, used his vicious methods even on his own side. Xu Guangyun let out a wretched scream. He spat a final mouthful of black blood onto the bed and died.
Before he died, Xu Guangyun was filled with regret, feeling that his greed had ultimately brought ruin upon his family and everyone else. Although he had chosen to align with power for the sake of his family’s prosperity, he should have anticipated being used and discarded like this. He should never have shown his family’s weakness. He had been too naive. It was no different from asking a tiger for its meat. The tiger wouldn’t give you its meat; it would simply devour you first.
The reason Xu Guangyun met such a miserable end was not because he had offended someone like Shen Lang, but because his excessive greed had led him to seek an alliance with a monster like Zhang Chong. Zhang Jin watched Xu Guangyun’s wretched death with a blank expression. He took a suicide note from his robes. The writing on it was in Xu Guangyun’s hand. The note read:
‘Because of that wretch Shen Lang, my house is ruined and my family is dead. My dear son-in-law, you must avenge me. You must!’
After killing Xu Guangyun, Zhang Jin once again headed toward Xu Qianqian’s boudoir. Qianqian was lying under the covers, but her alluring silhouette was still visible. A sweet fragrance filled her room. She was truly a beauty one in ten thousand. Moderately intelligent, moderately vicious, and with a moderate reverence for power, the two of them were a well-matched pair.
Images of Xu Qianqian’s smiles and frowns flashed through Zhang Jin’s mind. She was truly beautiful. Her figure was as slender as a willow, yet full in all the right places, enough to stir a man’s heart. Her snow-white skin and oval face were so delicate she looked as if she might break in a gust of wind, a heart-wrenching beauty.
*Such a pity… but I, Zhang Jin, have no choice.*
He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Xu Qianqian’s fragrant shoulder. Her skin was as smooth as oiled silk to the touch, and the sweet scent of her body was truly captivating.
“Qianqian!”
Xu Qianqian, though asleep, answered instinctively.
“Yes, my dear Zhang.”
Her voice was sweet and fragile, filled with reliance on him. It was an enchanting yet heart-breaking sound.
“Qianqian, I truly like you.”
Xu Qianqian instinctively tried to nuzzle her face against Zhang Jin’s hand, but she was too deep in sleep to have the strength.
“Sleep well, Qianqian. When you wake, all your troubles will be gone.”
After speaking gently, Zhang Jin stood up and left Xu Qianqian’s room. Xu Qianqian remained with her eyes closed, deep in slumber, but tears streamed endlessly from them. The moment Zhang Jin left her room, several shadows appeared and doused Xu Qianqian’s boudoir with oil. Then, they locked all the doors. Zhang Jin struck a flint to a bolt of silk, setting it ablaze. Standing on the other side of the door, he said calmly.
“Don’t blame me, Qianqian. I had no choice.”
After he finished speaking, he threw the burning silk to the ground. Flames erupted instantly. With the entire boudoir soaked in oil, Xu Qianqian’s chambers were engulfed in a raging inferno in a matter of seconds.
“Ah… Ahh…!”
A startled scream came from within the boudoir.
“My dear Zhang, why have you done this? Why?”
Xu Qianqian’s utterly wretched and desperate voice came from inside. Zhang Jin stood in the garden, his face expressionless.
“Zhang Jin, you promised to grow old with me! You could have just broken the engagement, why do this? Why are you doing this?”
The sound of Xu Qianqian frantically pounding on the doorframe came from inside. Zhang Jin said calmly.
“Don’t let her out.”
“Yes, sir!”
A dozen or so warriors drew their swords, ready to throw Xu Qianqian back into the inferno the moment she managed to escape.
“Qianqian, living in this world means enduring countless hardships. You no longer have to suffer, so in a way, you might be blessed. Just give up. Sleep well, and all your pain will disappear.”
“Zhang Jin, you are vicious! More vicious than Shen Lang! I was blind, so blind!”
Xu Qianqian’s voice was like that of a cuckoo crying until it bled. This was followed by the sound of her coughing violently, and then the pounding on the door resumed. The flames roared with terrifying intensity, swallowing the exquisite and beautiful boudoir in an instant. There were no more sounds of struggle or wretched screams from within. Zhang Jin left in silence.
A long while later, a servant of the Xu family ran over and shouted in alarm.
“Fire! Fire!”
And so, the servants of the Xu household ran about in a frenzy, trying to put out the fire.