Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Liu Chengyan slammed his fist on the table. Tian Heng was City Lord Liu Chengyan's hound, and everyone knew how much dirty work he had done for him. Before Tian Heng pledged his allegiance to Zhang Jin, City Lord Liu Chengyan had been his primary backer. Twenty percent of Tian Heng's annual earnings went into Liu Chengyan's pockets, so killing him would mean a significant financial loss each year.
"Killing Tian Heng would be like cutting off my own arm. Besides, my prestige would plummet. To be outmaneuvered by the Count of Xuanwu's son-in-law, without the Count himself even lifting a finger... if this gets out, won't everyone laugh at me?"
The advisor seemed to have something to say but ultimately kept his mouth shut.
"What about Zhang Jin's side? He's also a major backer for Tian Heng and was supposed to receive even more money than me each year."
"Upon hearing that they failed to kill Thirteen, he quickly rode off to report to the Prefect."
* * *
After hearing that Shen Lang had rescued Thirteen, Zhang Jin immediately mounted his horse and galloped at full speed to catch up with his father's carriage. It took him well over two hours, but Zhang Jin finally caught up to his father.
"Father, we failed to kill Thirteen. He is now in Shen Lang's hands."
Zhang Chong didn't find the news surprising.
"Why did you follow me all the way here? You should be doing what you're supposed to do."
With that single sentence, he exposed Zhang Jin's intentions. If Zhang Jin had intended to kill Tian Heng, he would have acted already. He had chased after Zhang Chong's carriage to save Tian Heng.
"Tian Heng just pledged his allegiance to our family. If we let him die like this, it will demoralize our allies. Besides..."
Zhang Jin didn't finish his sentence. When Tian Heng sought refuge with the Zhang family, he had promised to give them 35% of his income each year. But now, before Zhang Jin had even touched a single coin of that money, he was faced with the prospect of having to cut off Tian Heng's head himself.
"How would you compare the Count of Xuanwu and the Count of Dongjiang?"
"The Count of Dongjiang is reckless and unrestrained. He appears strong, but in reality, he's full of weaknesses. The Count of Xuanwu is conservative. He may seem weak, but he's like a turtle in its shell—impenetrable, with no openings to exploit."
"Therefore, fighting the Count of Xuanwu is not something that can be finished overnight. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"But..."
Zhang Chong asked in an angry voice.
"What is the most important thing for a leader?"
"To see the bigger picture and consider the overall situation. One shouldn't be concerned with losing a castle or a territory in the short term. If the tide turns against you, you must immediately cut your losses to prevent further damage. You must never get bogged down by the immediate situation, endlessly pouring resources into a quagmire."
"If you know all this, why did you come to me asking?"
Zhang Jin already understood it all intellectually. But knowing the principle and being able to act on it were two different things.
"Go. Go and kill Tian Heng."
After speaking to Zhang Jin, Zhang Chong closed the carriage door once more and ordered his attendant.
"Let's go."
The carriage resumed its journey toward Nu River Commandery City. Unable to contain his anger, Zhang Jin fiercely struck the ground with the whip in his hand. He recalled the scene where Shen Lang had forced Tian Heng to break Thirteen's legs.
*'Am I in a similar position to Tian Heng back then? Shen Lang, I will make you pay...!'*
* * *
Inside the fortress of the Black Clothes Gang, Tian Heng sat comfortably in his usual seat. A subordinate, his severed hand bandaged, spoke with a trembling voice.
"Gang Leader, Shen Lang rescued Thirteen. And that bastard deliberately waited until we were about to kill Thirteen before sending his wife, Jin Mulan, to save him."
Tian Heng's face twitched violently. Even without having seen it himself, Tian Heng could vividly picture the scene just from the report.
Now, Thirteen would become Shen Lang's hound, confronting Tian Heng with a deep-seated grudge. How many people had Tian Heng killed, and how many sins had he committed over the years? But more importantly, there was all the dirty work he had done for various powerful figures. If Thirteen exposed those deeds, no one in the world could save Tian Heng.
So this was the end? Tears streamed from Tian Heng's eyes. If he could turn back time, to the day he first met Shen Lang, he would have flayed the man, torn out his tendons, and ripped him to shreds. No, he *should* have ripped him to shreds that day.
"Aaaaargh!"
Tian Heng roared like a wounded beast.
*CRACK!*
Overcome with rage and grief, Tian Heng slammed his hand on the table. The solid table instantly shattered into several pieces. He let out a long breath.
"Fine, let's see this through to the end, Shen Lang."
He then pushed aside a bookshelf in his room, revealing a ring on the wall, which he pulled. An iron secret door was revealed. He followed the passage inside until he reached another door. And from beyond that door, a faint sound could be heard.
"Two hundred eighty-seven thousand, three hundred fifty-two. Two hundred eighty-seven thousand, three hundred fifty-three."
Someone was endlessly counting. Tian Heng took out another key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. At that moment, an overjoyed voice came from inside.
"Brother, I haven't even reached three hundred thousand yet, and you're already here to see me."
"Yes."
Tian Heng smiled gently, entered, and placed a food container on the table. It was a secret chamber, quite a large room. The secret chamber was fully equipped with everything, including a training hall. The stout man inside eagerly opened the container, took a large bite of meat, and gulped down some water.
"You're too good to me, Brother."
The stout man grinned foolishly at Tian Heng. Tian Heng's face was slightly stiff, and there were bloodstains on his palm. The stout man asked in surprise.
"Brother, what's wrong? Don't tell me what we did in the State of Pei was discovered? Is the leader of the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency chasing us to kill us?"
Tian Heng smiled and shook his head.
"No, he hasn't caught up yet. Don't worry, just stay hidden here."
The stout man was relieved and continued to eat as he spoke.
"The leader raised us since we were kids and even taught us martial arts, but you and I were blinded by treasure and slaughtered all our brothers in the agency... No matter how kind the leader is, he must be furious. We managed to escape here, but he must still be looking for us, right?"
Tian Heng was in agony inside.
*'You foolish brother, it's been over twenty years. The leader will never come looking for us again.'*
"Oh, right. You raped and killed Xu Sanmei back then, didn't you? I actually wanted to marry her."
"I'm sorry. It was my fault."
The stout man ate nonstop.
"Little brother, I met someone recently whose nickname was also Little Dummy. So... I wasn't thinking straight and didn't kill him then. Now I truly regret it."
The stout man chuckled, "Hehe," and continued to eat. In no time, the food was all gone.
"Little Dummy, I want to see your martial arts."
"Alright."
The stout man shot to his feet and slammed his fist into the wall. Instantly, stones crumbled from the wall and rained down. Then, as he practiced his fist techniques in the room, the powerful gusts of wind from his punches were strong enough to make it hard to keep one's eyes open.
The stout man laughed and said.
"Impressive, right?"
"Very impressive."
It was indeed impressive. His twin brother here suffered from a madness that caused him to go berserk. Although he had intellectual problems, he was undoubtedly a martial arts prodigy.
"Little Dummy, take off your clothes. Let's see if your build is the same as mine."
The man immediately took off his shirt, and Tian Heng did the same. There was no mirror, but their bodies were identical, as if one were a reflection of the other. The younger brother had even replicated the scars on Tian Heng's body, making them identical in both face and physique.
"Little Dummy, you've always loved imitating me since we were kids. Let's see if you can still do it well."
The stout man's smile vanished, and in an instant, he transformed from a fool into a vicious martial arts tyrant. He twitched an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and spoke in a cold voice.
"You dare to oppose me, Tian Heng? You're courting death."
It wasn't just his appearance; his gaze and aura were so identical that even Tian Heng wondered if he was looking at his own reflection. That's how much his foolish younger brother had loved to imitate his every word and action since childhood.
His stout brother laughed.
"Hehe... Brother, am I a good mimic?"
In an instant, he switched from the martial arts tyrant back to a fool.
"Identical. Absolutely identical. Little Dummy, I'm going to teach you a few lines now, so listen carefully. Got it?"
"No problem."
Tian Heng laughed loudly three times, then spoke in a voice filled with indignant grief.
"I, Tian Heng, will die a glorious death! I will never perish on the execution ground! You sons of bitches, you treated me like an honored guest when you needed me, and now that I'm useless, you treat me like a criminal?! You tell me to die just because you can't defeat Shen Lang?!"
His brother's eyes were wide as he watched his every move. Then, he also laughed loudly three times and spoke in a voice filled with indignant anger.
"I, Tian Heng, will die a glorious death! I will never perish on the execution ground! You sons of bitches, you treated me like an honored guest when you needed me, and now that I'm useless, you treat me like a criminal?! You tell me to die just because you can't defeat Shen Lang?!"
It was exactly the same. The tone, the aura, the disposition—everything was identical. He was Tian Heng himself.
* * *
Zhang Jin returned to Xuanwu City, and upon meeting Xu Qianqian, he said in a cold voice.
"Wasn't Shen Lang supposed to be an idiot? How did he become capable of such cunning schemes? Why didn't your family kill him back then?"
Xu Qianqian did not argue. In fact, she felt like asking Zhang Jin the same thing. The old Shen Lang was as dumb as a pig, but the current Shen Lang was more cunning than a monkey and more venomous than a snake. If the Xu family had known Shen Lang was capable of such devious plots, they would have killed him regardless of how much their reputation suffered.
"What did your father say?"
"He told me to kill Tian Heng."
"Tian Heng helps us with many things in Xuanwu City. Losing him will make it difficult to get things done. The annual financial loss would be immeasurable, too."
Zhang Jin said angrily.
"You think I don't know that?"
Just then, a voice came from outside.
"Young Master, City Lord Liu Chengyan has arrived."
Zhang Jin frowned.
"Show him in."
Liu Chengyan entered the room, his brow furrowed, and got straight to the point.
"We cannot kill Tian Heng."
Zhang Jin said nothing.
"First, if we kill him, what happens to our reputation? It will be an admission of defeat to that bastard Shen Lang. Second, if we kill him, who will handle the dirty work from now on? Where will we make up for the annual financial loss? Who else besides Tian Heng can manage the Black Clothes Gang's gambling dens?"
Zhang Jin couldn't make a decision. He understood his father's wish to kill Tian Heng immediately, but the losses from doing so were too great. Moreover, Shen Lang, that damn bastard, would be gloating, his arrogance soaring to the heavens.
That couldn't happen. But if they didn't kill Tian Heng, they wouldn't be able to bear the consequences when all their evil deeds were exposed. It was beyond what Liu Chengyan and Zhang Jin could handle.
Just then, the voice of Zhang Jin's trusted subordinate was heard from outside.
"Tian Heng requests a secret meeting with the two of you."
* * *
The next day.
At the City Lord's manor in Xuanwu City, a public trial began for the case of Tian Heng being accused of killing Song Chong and the case of Song Yi falsely accusing Shen Lang, the son-in-law of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. Hundreds of people gathered to watch. Shen Lang did not arrive on time, but Jin Hui, who had been gathering information in Xuanwu City, was present.
This was a rather significant incident in Xuanwu City. The arrogant Tian Heng had been embroiled in one incident after another since provoking Shen Lang, and now he was a prisoner in chains. Kneeling before the court, Tian Heng was covered in wounds and drenched in blood. His appearance made it clear he had suffered brutal torture. His entire body was soaked in fresh red blood; there wasn't a single dry spot.
In court, Tian Heng confessed to both charges without reservation: killing Song Chong and inciting the populace to surround the Count's estate. Whatever crime City Lord Liu Chengyan accused him of, he confessed to it instantly. Song Yi, though reluctant, also admitted to falsely accusing Shen Lang.
Finally, the City Lord of Xuanwu, Liu Chengyan, announced the verdict.
"Tian Heng has committed heinous crimes and is hereby sentenced to death by decapitation. This case will be reviewed once more by the Governor-General's office."
But then, Tian Heng suddenly laughed loudly three times.
"I, Tian Heng, will die a glorious death! I will never perish on the execution ground! You sons of bitches, you treated me like an honored guest when you needed me, and now that I'm useless, you treat me like a criminal?! You tell me to die just because you can't defeat Shen Lang?!"
After saying this, Tian Heng slammed his head into a nearby pillar in front of hundreds of people. His head burst violently, and he was instantly dead. Everyone was horrified. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Tian Heng, the king of Xuanwu City's underworld and a man of immense power, had died just like that.
And in such a gruesome manner.