Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 228: Please Help Us Seek Justice

Vermillion Bird accepted the bet.

It seemed like an unequal bet, after all, while one would only have to address the other big sister, the other had to reveal their true face.

However, Vermillion Bird simply believed that there was no possibility of her losing the bet.

As one of the strongest existences in the world, she had her pride and confidence. Venerable Vermillion Bird could single-handedly suppress all of the forces in this city. Any assistance that she would receive from Zhao Changhe would most likely be in the form of intelligence gathering. Besides that, in what aspect would she genuinely need his assistance?

On the other hand, getting him to regularly call her big sister whenever they were conversing seemed like it would be rather amusing.

And so, the two of them went their separate ways, with Vermillion Bird leisurely heading to the headquarters of the Pinghu Association.

Assuming that He Lei had indeed recuperated here but had since left, questioning the lower-ranking members in a discreet manner would not reveal much. If she truly wanted to get to the truth of things, it would be much quicker and much more reliable to capture one of the association’s high-ranking members. The downside to this was that it could easily alert the association. In the end, she decided to temporarily put that matter aside and focus solely on inquiring about the Pinghu Association’s plans for unifying Sword Lake City.

This was actually one of the tasks assigned to Yan Lianping by the Four Idols Cult. They would provide him with resources and manpower, while he was responsible for working toward taking control of Sword Lake City. This was also one of the aspects of the Four Idols Cult that Vermillion Bird was referring to when she said that the extent of the cult’s power and influence was far beyond what Zhao Changhe could imagine.

As for the specifics of how he was going to achieve the unification of Sword Lake City, that was entirely up to Yan Lianping, and Vermillion Bird had refrained from interfering further. It was possible that there had been progress reports sent to the headquarters recently, but with her being away, she had not been able to receive any of such information.

Excluding the matter with the barbarians, when it solely came to the task of unifying Sword Lake City, Yan Lianping seemed to be doing an impeccable job. As for utilizing individuals like Han Wubing to further their goal, from Vermillion Bird’s perspective, that was a non-issue. In fact, if she had been personally handling the matter, Han Wubing may well have ended up dead by this point.

She pondered for a moment, then reluctantly removed her pig mask and replaced it with the mask of the Fire Serpent of Yi.

Inside a meeting hall, Yan Lianping, the president of the Pinghu Association, was discussing plans with his subordinates. “How is the progress on the acquisition of the properties under the Xingyi Gang?”

“It’s mostly done. We are only having some trouble with the shops on Taiping Street. Those are really the only ones left. The Ji Clan is claiming that the shops are their personal property, and they are saying that these properties are meant for their young master to inherit. Basically, they are saying that those shops are not owned by the Xingyi Gang and they have no reason to surrender them to us.”

“Any news from those that were sent to deal with the young master of the Ji Clan?”

“They have reported that they took care of him when he was on the road. The Ji Clan does not seem to be aware just yet. It is expected for them to receive word of this tomorrow.”

“Hm... The young master of the Ji Clan is a disciple of the Divine Brilliance Sect. Although he’s only an outer disciple, this matter should still not be made public.”

“What do we do about the old and the young of the Ji Clan...” asked a subordinate, making a cut-throat gesture at the same time.

“There’s no need for that. Their young master is already dead, so what else can they even do? Keep their elders, women, and children alive to uphold our reputation. This will also help stabilize the old members of the Xingyi Gang. The Xingyi Gang has quite a few strong members, and they still have their uses. If we want to unify Sword Lake City, we can’t kill everyone. How else are we supposed to compete with Sha Seven?”

“The president is wise.”

“Is there any news about Han Wubing?”

“None. It’s like he has vanished completely. The old members of the Xingyi Gang are currently searching for him everywhere.”

“What a pity...” While he said that it was a pity, his tone was completely indifferent, as if he did not really feel much regret toward what had happened.

A subordinate said, “It doesn’t really matter whether he has left or he’s hiding somewhere in the city. While he does indeed have great potential, he’s only at the seventh layer of the Profound Gate. With his power, he alone won’t be able to change the outcome.”

“Mm-hm. Proceed with the plans. Make sure to properly reorganize the Xingyi Gang. I’ll be heading to rest now.”

The subordinates began leaving the hall. “You have been working hard recently, sir. Please have a good rest.”

The meeting hall soon became empty, leaving Yan Lianping alone in the main seat, a flickering candlelight lighting up his face.

After a while, he slowly said, “Which expert has come? Why don’t you show yourself?”

The candlelight flickered. The wind blew, and a woman wearing the mask of the Fire Serpent of Yi suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Fire Serpent of Yi?” Yan Lianping frowned. “Isn’t that position vacant? Are you new, or...”

As he spoke, he suddenly made a move and a shuttle silently darted toward her shoulder.

Then, the shuttle suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

Yan Lianping’s pupils narrowed. “So it seems you truly are the Fire Serpent of Yi.”

Vermillion Bird was amused and said calmly, “I heard that there have been changes in Sword Lake City. The venerable sent me to inquire about the situation and offer assistance if needed.”

Yan Lianping immediately responded, “You came at just the right time. We do indeed need help.”

“Hm?”

“Firstly, if Han Wubing escapes, unforeseen changes may take place. I cannot make any rash moves while holding down the fort here, and the others aren’t a match for Han Wubing. If you can take his life, that would be for the best.”

“Why is Han Wubing causing such trouble when he has a history with the saintess?”

“I don’t know either. Originally, we made use of that reason to work together with him, and he did kill Ji Yinan as we asked of him. But for some reason, he suddenly turned on us, and we’re also puzzled as to why that happened. But whatever the reason, he has since turned against us and wants to kill us. We can’t just sit back and wait for death.”

Vermillion Bird asked, “Even knowing that you were associated with the Four Idols Cult, he was willing to help you kill someone?”

“It was because he discovered that Ji Yinan was colluding with the barbarians and sheltered the Mad Lion He Lei. Originally, Han Wubing wanted to kill He Lei, but he was too late, so his target became Ji Yinan instead. It was a pleasant cooperation at first, but it somehow turned sour.”

Vermillion Bird was stunned.

This is different from what Wei Zicai said... Looking at Yan Lianping’s calm attitude, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying, and this matter would be easy to expose. It should have been very easy to find out whether He Lei stayed at the Pinghu Association or the Xingyi Gang, so why is there such a discrepancy in their accounts?

Despite being confused, her tone remained calm, “Besides Han Wubing, what else do you need help with?”

“We’ve already taken advantage of the situation to absorb the Xingyi Gang. Once we’ve completely assimilated them, our influence and strength will be considered to be the strongest in the city. The next step would be to have a chat with Sha Seven from Kangle Gambling House. If he cooperates, that would be well and good. But if he doesn’t... I’ve already sent a letter to the headquarters yesterday, asking for instructions from the venerable on how to proceed if Ying Five personally intervenes in the power struggle between the factions in Sword Lake City.”

Vermillion Bird asked knowingly, “What does it matter?”

“If Ying Five personally intervenes, then we will need the venerable to come and negotiate with him. If he does not intervene and just leaves the factions here to settle things themselves, then perhaps we can prepare for a war with Kangle Gambling House. We’re being wary at the moment due to how similar Sha Seven’s name is in relation to Ying Five’s name...”

Vermillion Bird pretended to be a clueless newcomer. “I see... I’m not very clear about the things behind the scenes, so I’ll also send a letter to the venerable for instructions.”

“Mm-hm.” Yan Lianping smiled broadly. “I did not expect to have a new sister joining the cult. It’s already getting quite late, so you should go have a rest. Tomorrow, I’ll host a banquet to properly welcome you.”

*

When Vermillion Bird was pretending to be a new recruit of the Four Idols Cult in the Pinghu Association, Zhao Changhe went to the Ji Clan.

After removing the pig mask and applying a disguise formula to his face, he quickly transformed into a sallow-looking man, the same appearance that he had used when he had attacked Fa Sheng.

He did not bother hiding the broad saber on his back, as there were now quite a few people impersonating him and they generally also carried such sabers on them.

The head of the Ji Clan had recently passed away, and his body was laid out at home with white banners everywhere. As Zhao Changhe walked down the street, he overheard people talking, “Why hasn’t Young Master Ji returned yet? It’s already been several days...”

“The Divine Brilliance Sect is quite far away. The news must have reached there by now... Alas, it’s useless even if the young master comes back. He is just an outer disciple of the Divine Brilliance Sect, so what could he have really learned? And with him having such a low status in the sect, the Divine Brilliance Sect is unlikely to stick up for him.”

“Wasn’t the old master a part of the Divine Brilliance Sect too?”

“He was just supported by the sect, nothing more. There are many such cases throughout the world.”

Zhao Changhe silently listened to the whispers around him as he walked up to the gate of the Ji Clan. He was quickly stopped by a gatekeeper, who seemed to be quite despondent. “Sir, our master has just passed away. If you’ve come to pay respects, please leave your name.”

Zhao Changhe improvised on the spot and said, “I’m actually from the Divine Brilliance Sect. Junior Brother Ji could not rush back right away, so he asked me to come here to help him pay respects to his father. He also wanted me to see if there was anything that your clan needed help with.”

The gatekeeper was overjoyed and immediately rushed inside. “Mistress! Mistress! The young master’s senior brother has come!”

Soon, a middle-aged woman came out and cried out to Zhao Changhe from afar, “Young hero, please help us seek justice for our clan head...”

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “Miss, please do not worry. Please take me in first so that I may pay my respects. You can slowly tell me the details as we make our way.”

He had not gotten any information from Vermillion Bird’s end... But from the start, this matter had felt incredibly complex to him. There were just too many forces involved, and it truly did not seem like it was just a matter between the gangs in the city.

It would not be of much use to ask anyone about what had happened. Perhaps the best way to get answers was instead to have a look at those that had passed.