Chapter 65
Chapter 65
‘Tian Heng is dead?! Just like that?!’
When Shen Lang heard the news, he was taken aback. He asked Jin Hui.
“Are you certain it was Tian Heng?”
Jin Hui thought for a long moment, recalling the details carefully before nodding. It was truly him. His demeanor, his appearance, and even the explosive aura of his martial arts—it was undoubtedly Tian Heng. Shen Lang went to find Shen Thirteen, who was recovering from his injuries.
He was in the middle of writing down Tian Heng’s crimes, one by one, all of them murder cases. Shen Thirteen had evidence for every incident and could even exhume the bodies from where the victims were buried.
Of course, Shen Thirteen was also involved in many of these deeds, so a thorough investigation would surely lead to his own death. But as long as his parents were safe, he didn’t care if he lived or died. Just then, Shen Lang told him.
“Stop writing. Tian Heng is dead.”
For a moment, Shen Thirteen was stunned.
“Did Liu Chengyan and Zhang Jin kill him?”
Shen Lang shook his head.
“You were closest to Tian Heng, his most trusted man. Have you ever heard him mention having a body double?”
Shen Thirteen thought for a while, then said.
“I’ve never heard anything of the sort.”
A body double would have to be someone who looked remarkably similar, and while one might occasionally meet such a person, making them a stand-in was difficult. Shen Lang was certain that top-tier figures had body doubles, but Tian Heng wasn't at that level yet. Even a high-ranking official like his father-in-law had not been able to find a perfect double.
* * *
Shen Lang furrowed his brow, replaying every encounter he’d had with Tian Heng. Ever since entering the Count’s estate, Shen Lang had always worn a smile, acted crassly, or put on a lazy facade. Seeing him with such a serious expression was a first for Mulan, and she found it quite unfamiliar.
Mulan spoke to him.
“Husband, what is it? They say Tian Heng is dead. Isn't that wonderful news for you? You should draw a red X over his name on your study wall.”
“Wife, do you trust your intuition?”
Mulan hesitated, not answering immediately as she tried to recall instances of her own intuition.
“The more handsome someone is, the more accurate their intuition.”
At that, Mulan no longer felt like answering him.
“There’s a scientific basis for this. Handsome people draw more attention, which makes them more perceptive, and thus their intuition becomes more sensitive. For example, a person like me can feel it every time someone points at my back on the street or whispers how handsome I am from behind a window.”
Mulan wanted to answer him even less now. But then Shen Lang’s expression turned serious.
“I don’t think Tian Heng is dead, but I have no proof. It’s just a feeling.”
“Husband, Jin Hui is a very cautious man.”
Indeed, Jin Hui was extremely cautious and took responsibility for every word he spoke.
“That’s why I’m suspicious. It’s hard enough to find a plausible double, so how could a man like Tian Heng find one who was a perfect match? Jin Hui saw Tian Heng kneel in the courtroom and smash his own head against a pillar to commit suicide. He said that right before he died, his final words were filled with genuine, indignant grief. Jin Hui said such emotion would be difficult to fake.”
“Do you think Tian Heng’s death doesn’t make sense?”
“If I were Zhang Jin, I would have used this opportunity to kill Tian Heng in secret. With Shen Thirteen in our hands, we’ll learn of all Tian Heng’s endless evil deeds, many of which involve high-ranking officials. If that were to be exposed, they would find the consequences hard to bear.”
Shen Lang continued.
“But if Tian Heng dies, everything gets buried. So, he had to die. However, it should have been framed as a suicide in his cell, not a public trial or a public execution.”
“The Prefect’s Office can sentence a criminal to death, but it requires an investigation by the Governor’s Office. That would take another ten to fifteen days, so to kill him quickly, making him commit suicide is the only way.”
“Then why didn’t the Prefect’s Office just kill him? Why let him commit suicide in front of a crowd? It doesn’t make sense. It’s as if they were deliberately showing us his death. Wife, is there any way I can see Tian Heng’s body again?”
“I’ll go with you and show you.”
Mulan helped Shen Lang onto a horse, and they galloped toward Xuanwu City.
* * *
By the time Shen Lang arrived, he was a step too late. Tian Heng’s body had been burned to charcoal, making it utterly unrecognizable. Shen Lang focused his eyes, using his X-ray vision to examine the charred corpse. He paid special attention to the lungs. He had previously seen a silver needle lodged in Tian Heng’s lung. Even if the body was burned, the needle should still be inside, easily discoverable with his X-ray vision.
Shen Lang quickly located a very fine silver needle.
‘Incredible. To forge even such a minute detail!’
But there was something Tian Heng wouldn’t know. The needle in his lung had been bent under the pressure of his blood vessels. The needle inside this corpse was straight.
Could a raging fire straighten a bent silver needle? Impossible! The truth of the matter was now crystal clear.
Tian Heng was not dead.
At that moment, a cold smile touched Shen Lang’s lips.
“Interesting, very interesting! But this is fine too. Killing him myself will be far more satisfying than having him die indirectly.”
After saying that, he looked at Mulan.
“Wife, let’s go and prepare. A truly entertaining performance will unfold tonight. Of course, it will be a predictable show with a foregone conclusion, but it will still be fun. I’ll make sure of it. *Sigh*. Sometimes, being too brilliant is a crime in itself.”
Mulan couldn’t take it anymore and spun around to leave. Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed as he watched the curve of her hips as she walked. Left, right, left. Left, right, left.
Ah, the sun is setting, and the wind is fierce—a perfect night for people to die. Tonight, especially, promised a very interesting scene.
“Wife, wait for me. I’ll have to trouble you again today. And when this is all over, how about I cook you a bowl of noodles myself?”
* * *
In a secret underground chamber in Xuanwu City. Xu Qianqian held a wooden mask, painting the concave side with a strong acid. In ancient China, thousands of years ago, numerous Daoist masters had created primitive, crude forms of sulfuric acid. The Xu Clan, being experts in dyes, were quite adept at using it.
A burly man sat on a chair before her, watching the mask. His entire body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with hatred and murderous intent.
He was Tian Heng, the man thought to be dead.
His younger brother was dead! Since childhood, Tian Heng and his brother had depended on each other as if their lives were one. They grew up and learned martial arts at the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency in the State of Pei. From a young age, his brother followed Tian Heng’s every command, relying solely on him. The two were inseparable.
At thirty, Tian Heng became the head of the escort agency, responsible for leading convoys and guarding important assets. One day, unable to resist his greed for the goods he was escorting, he killed all the escorts and fled with the valuables. Fleeing the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency, he ended up thousands of miles away in the State of Yue.
From that day on, the brothers changed their names. Not only that, but Tian Heng’s brother never showed his face to anyone again, living forever in the shadows.
But now, his brother was dead. It was as if he had lost one of his two lives.
Xu Qianqian said to him.
“This will hurt, but it will completely erase your face.”
After she spoke, she pressed the acid-laced mask firmly onto Tian Heng’s face. A sizzling sound filled the air. Tian Heng merely twitched his face; he didn’t scream or make a sound. When a person is consumed by extreme rage and hatred, they don’t feel pain. Instead, he felt an almost masochistic pleasure.
“From this moment on, the person known as Tian Heng has completely vanished from the world. This will make many things easier. For example… No, there’s no need to say more.”
Xu Qianqian didn’t finish her sentence; there was no need to. Her work done, she immediately left. Prefect Liu Chengyan, who was standing beside him, spoke.
“Tian Heng, are you planning to leave right away?”
“I lost my brother because of Shen Lang. That man takes his time plotting revenge, never delaying for a moment. Why should I wait?”
He shot up from his chair.
“He loves his parents and brother dearly, doesn’t he? I must make him taste the pain of losing his family for my revenge to be satisfying. I will kill his entire family! I can’t wait another second. I’ll make my move tonight. Lord Prefect, is the scapegoat ready?”
“He’s been ready for some time.”
“Is it Song Yi?”
The scapegoat was, of course, Song Yi. He was the perfect choice. Song Yi had been sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor in the mines for framing Shen Lang. But as a former militia leader with considerable martial skill, it would be entirely believable that he escaped and murdered Shen Lang’s family.
“It is. In that case, I will await your return at the Prefect’s Office with warm wine.”
“Drinking that wine with the blood of Shen Lang’s family will be even more satisfying.”
He clasped his hands in a salute to Liu Chengyan.
“My lord, I will go kill them now.”
With his face ruined by the acid mask, Tian Heng set off for Shen Lang’s parents’ home, filled with hatred and a thirst for blood. Tonight, the sky would be stained crimson.
Tian Heng appeared in Shen Lang’s hometown, Maple Leaf Village. The entire village was deep in slumber. Tian Heng moved alone, without any accomplices. With his level of martial arts, he could crush Shen Lang’s parents and brother with a single finger. Why would he need help?
Moreover, Shen Lang’s family lived on a secluded hillside far from the village, so no matter what happened, there would be no disturbance. He reached the thatched cottage where Shen Lang’s family lived and quickly surveyed the area for anyone lying in ambush. Seeing no one, he approached the cottage. As he drew closer, he could hear the breathing of three people inside.
One of them had labored breathing, as if suffering from a lung ailment. That must be Shen Lang’s father. Tian Heng gently pushed the door, and the latch broke without a sound.
The acid had corroded his face, and the fumes stung his eyes, causing tears to stream down his cheeks. He could barely breathe through his nose. Tian Heng entered Shen Lang’s home and saw the three figures on the beds. He wiped his streaming eyes with a silk handkerchief, trying to get a clear look at the elderly woman on the bed. A hunched back and white hair—it had to be Shen Lang’s mother.
“Shen Lang, you will regret making an enemy of me for the rest of your life.”
Tian Heng gritted his teeth, drew a sharp blade, and swung it fiercely at Shen Lang’s mother on the bed. It was a decisive move, without a hint of hesitation. In an instant, crimson blood splattered everywhere as her head separated from her body. Next, Tian Heng turned toward Shen Lang’s father and swung his blade violently, cutting him down with a single strike.
“You had a lung disease, didn’t you? I’ve split you in two, so you won’t have to trouble yourself with coughing anymore.”
*Swish!*
He was cleaved in two! The old man who had been coughing on the bed was split into two pieces.
Finally, Tian Heng moved to another bed. A young man lay there, his legs bound in cloth and splints. This must be Shen Lang’s younger brother, the young ruffian Shen Jian.
In the old days, the Black Clothes Gang killed for money. Breaking Shen Jian’s legs was a trivial matter compared to that. Before the Black Clothes Gang had grown to its current stature, before he had connections with high officials, Tian Heng had often taken on such menial jobs for riffraff.
“You little punk, you’re not even worthy of my attention. But because of Shen Lang, I will lower my noble self to deal with you personally. Consider it an honor that a great man like me is taking your life.”
Tian Heng grabbed a nearby club and brought it down hard on the young man’s legs. The sound of splintering bone echoed in the room. Yet, the young man on the bed only writhed in agony, not letting out a single scream.
Tian Heng said coldly.
“A family should stick together. I’ll kill you three first, then I’ll kill Shen Lang and let your whole family reunite in hell.”
He raised his blade, aimed for the young man’s heart, and plunged it in with all his might.
*Thwack!*
The young man died without making a sound. After killing Shen Lang’s family, Tian Heng felt the pent-up rage in his chest begin to subside. He imagined how Shen Lang would gasp in grief upon seeing the bodies of his family.
‘This is how it should be, repaying kindness with kindness and hatred with hatred. How exhilarating! How satisfying!’
His vengeance exacted, Tian Heng finally began to feel the pain in his face. The acid was so potent that it had not only corroded his face but its strong fumes continued to irritate his eyes, causing tears to flow ceaselessly. He could barely see in the darkness. He suddenly felt thirsty, picked up a nearby kettle, and gulped down the water. Strangely, it felt like his throat was on fire.
‘Shen Lang, I’ll make you regret crossing me even in hell. I, Tian Heng, may have lost my face and my identity, but I am freer for it. And it’s all thanks to you. You damn bastard, just you wait. I’m coming to kill you soon, hahaha!’