PC Chapter 15

Su Cen was half-kneeling on the ground, ready to throw a brick to create a diversion, then grab another one and aim for the man’s head. If things went well, he could crack the man’s skull; if not… well, it wouldn’t be his problem anymore.

However, just as he was about to throw the brick, the man in black dodged to the side, and a swift blade cut through the air. In a flash, another person wielding a sharp weapon spun with a tricky angle, and amidst the rain, a mist of blood rose. The man in black was immediately wounded.

The two instantly became entangled in a fierce fight.

“Qi Lin!”

Su Cen quickly turned his head. Behind him, the three large characters for “Xingqing Palace” were hanging, and it just so happened to be the residence of Prince Ning.

A man holding an umbrella strolled leisurely over, walking at a relaxed pace. When he approached, he looked down at Su Cen. Although it was raining, the man’s body remained spotless. It seemed he had just come down from court and hadn’t changed out of his official attire yet. Dressed in black robes with a crimson hem and hair as dark as ink, every strand was clearly visible.

“Your Highness…” Su Cen felt his throat tighten, and it took him a long while to choke out these two words.

“Rise,” Li Shi said.

Su Cen: “…”

The moment Qu Ling’er saw who had arrived, he quickly lowered his head and decided to play dead.

Su Cen struggled to help this “pretending to be dead” person up. He thought to himself that if Qu Ling’er were recognized, the two of them would end up staying here in Xingqing Palace with that black-clad fellow. Hastily finding an excuse to leave, he said, “Thank you, Your Highness, for saving us today. However, my companion here is injured. We shall visit another day to express our gratitude.”

Li Shi, however, showed no intention of letting them go. Looking at Qu Ling’er, he asked, “Did you bring this man here?”

Under Li Shi’s gaze, which felt like needles on his back, Qu Ling’er knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer. He timidly hid behind Su Cen, shaking his head like a rattle drum, “No, not me. I don’t know him.”

“He must be after me,” Su Cen said with his eyes lowered. “I recently handled a case; perhaps I offended someone.”

“The case of the newly appointed scholar?” Li Shi asked.

Su Cen was stunned for a moment, then nodded. He hadn’t expected such a minor case to catch the attention of the current regent prince. The public believed it to be a “evil ghost murder” case, but it seemed Prince Ning understood the truth.

“Is this man the murderer?” Li Shi looked at the two fighting ahead. Under Qi Lin’s relentless pressure, the man in black was already at a disadvantage and seemed to be considering retreat. However, Qi Lin was entangling him tightly, making escape impossible.

Su Cen turned back to glance and shook his head, “Probably not.”

If the murderer had such skills, there would be no need to ambush Lü Liang and Yuan Shaochun from behind, and he wouldn’t have failed to strangle them on the first attempt, even getting himself injured.

This person was either the martial artist who brought Lü Liang into the Eastern Market that day or an assassin sent by Wu Deshui’s powerful backer to silence him. Either way, they were undoubtedly connected to the case.

“Your Highness…”

Just as Su Cen was about to speak, Li Shi gave an order: “Qi Lin, take him alive.”

Qi Lin wielded a sword, but his swordsmanship was unpredictable and lacked the grandeur of Central Plains styles. Instead, it had the fierce and ruthless characteristics of the scimitars from the northern desert.

Seeing that he had lost the upper hand, the man in black repeatedly retreated in defeat. In a panic, he pulled out two marble-sized objects from his waist and hurled them fiercely toward Qi Lin.

“Watch out!” Qu Ling’er shouted in alarm. In a flash, he picked up two stones and threw them, hitting the two marbles in mid-air. With a bang, they exploded in the air.

By the time Qi Lin broke through the smoke to chase after the man, he was already gone without a trace.

Qi Lin returned to report, “Your Highness, he got away.”

Li Shi waved his hand dismissively, and Qi Lin stood behind him, casting a cold glance at Qu Ling’er.

Qu Ling’er shivered immediately.

Li Shi showed no intention of letting the two go. As he walked back, he asked, “How is the case investigation going?”

Under pressure from Li Shi’s imposing presence, Su Cen had no choice but to follow, standing in the rain as he replied, “I’ve got some clues. Both victims in this case were newly appointed scholars this year. I suspect someone who failed the exam is using the guise of supernatural forces to take revenge.”

Li Shi slowed his steps, pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “No.”

“Hmm?” Su Cen frowned.

“Criminal acts are based on motive and rationale; everything is a transaction. If it were someone who failed the exam, even if they killed all this year’s new scholars, it wouldn’t guarantee their own success. It would be meaningless.”

Following behind, Su Cen stared at Li Shi’s back. His posture was straight and tall, still showing the heroic bearing of a man who had once galloped across the battlefield. More importantly, Li Shi stood under the umbrella, his clothes immaculate and otherworldly, while Su Cen was soaked like a drowned rat in the rain. Although he knew there was some logic to Li Shi’s words, a nameless irritation rose in his heart. He raised his head to argue, “What if it was just to vent his anger?”

Li Shi, unaware of Su Cen’s inner frustration, continued, “Anger can indeed provoke someone to commit a crime, but it is a process that escalates from a broad sense to a narrow focus. If I were to kill out of anger over failing an exam, I wouldn’t start by killing from the bottom up step by step.”

Li Shi suddenly stopped, turned back, and glanced at Su Cen. “I’d come straight to kill you.”

Su Cen was following Li Shi’s line of thinking, and without noticing, he walked right into Li Shi as he stopped. Li Shi lightly blocked him with the umbrella handle, causing Su Cen to crash into it.

The handle, made of Xiang bamboo, delivered quite a knock. Su Cen let out a pained cry, his forehead immediately turning red. He looked up angrily, only to be caught off guard by the faintly smiling eyes in front of him, which left him momentarily dazed.

Li Shi raised his hand and gently tapped Su Cen’s forehead with his middle finger’s knuckle. “What are you daydreaming about?”

Su Cen snapped back to his senses and realized how close they were standing. Under the umbrella, he could even smell the faint, cool scent of sandalwood on Li Shi.

If not for Li Shi blocking him with the umbrella handle, he might have ended up falling into the man’s arms.

Su Cen froze for a moment, then hurriedly took two steps back and cupped his hands in apology. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Feeling his face flush and his heart race, Su Cen inwardly grumbled about how petty this man was. What harm could it do to a dignified prince to be bumped into? At most, it would just dirty his clothes. Did he really need to use such a hard umbrella handle to block him?

Li Shi shook his head with a smile. “You should go and copy some case files.”

With his head lowered, Su Cen ground his teeth in secret. As expected, this old fox was the one secretly making him copy those musty old case files. Outwardly, he maintained his composure and replied neither obsequiously nor defiantly, “Your Highness is right. I will go back and diligently study the precedents of my predecessors, so as not to disappoint Your Highness’s kind efforts in nurturing me.”

Li Shi dismissed the veiled sarcasm in his words with a chuckle.

Su Cen finally sensed an opportunity to end the conversation and tentatively asked, “Then may I take my leave?”

Li Shi withdrew his gaze from the curtain of rain outside the umbrella and gave a nod.

Just as Su Cen was about to turn away, he felt his damp hand being grabbed, and suddenly, the umbrella was thrust into his hand.

Li Shi turned his head slightly and instructed Qi Lin, “Escort him back.”

Su Cen stood frozen in place, holding the Xiang bamboo umbrella, and watched as Li Shi disappeared step by step into the two red doors of the Xingqing Palace, his gait steady, his clothes fluttering as gracefully as ever.

So, it wasn’t because of the umbrella after all.

Behind him, Qu Ling’er was whining and groaning for quite some time before Su Cen snapped back to reality. He helped Qu Ling’er up and asked, “Can you walk?”

Qu Ling’er looked down at the wound on his waist, then glanced at Su Cen’s physique, and gritted his teeth. “I can walk.”

Su Cen sighed, turned his head slightly, and spotted Qi Lin standing straight behind him. A thought struck him, and he said to Qi Lin, “Ling’er is injured, and I can’t carry him. We’ll walk a bit slower; I hope Guard Qi can understand.”

Qi Lin remained unmoved.

Su Cen continued, “If we end up walking until late at night or something, and His Highness asks about it…”

Qi Lin’s expression finally changed. He moved in front of Qu Ling’er, crouched down slightly, and said coldly, “Get on.”

“I don’t want him to carry me,” Qu Ling’er said, disgruntled, still holding a grudge over the time this man had pressured him in the teahouse. He refused angrily, “He reeks of that barbarian stench. It’s disgusting.”

Qi Lin shot him a glare, and Qu Ling’er immediately shut up in fright.

“If you won’t let him carry you, then walk on your own,” Su Cen said, already taking a step ahead. “And let me make this clear: when I get home, I’ll have Ah Fu lock the door. If you can’t keep up, you’ll have to find somewhere else to rest for the night.”

Seeing Su Cen getting further and further away, Qu Ling’er gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and reluctantly climbed onto Qi Lin’s shoulders.

Su Cen walked ahead at his own pace, while Qi Lin followed steadily behind. Exhausted, Qu Ling’er soon slumped onto Qi Lin’s back, finding it quite comfortable as he listened to the man’s strong, steady heartbeat.

After a while, he noticed something was off. “Hey, why are you so hot?”

Predictably, there was no response. Emboldened, Qu Ling’er pushed further, “Have you never carried anyone before? Not even a little girl? With your master indulging in nightly revelries, hasn’t he ever let you try a taste or two?”

Qi Lin suddenly jolted Qu Ling’er upward, causing his chin to knock against Qi Lin’s shoulder. He nearly bit his tongue. But instead of anger, Qi Lin’s indignation was more amusing than his usual stoic demeanor. Qu Ling’er continued to tease, “So you’ve really never carried anyone? Let me tell you, a young girl’s body is much softer than mine…”

“Our Turkic people’s body temperature is naturally higher than you Han people,” Qi Lin interrupted.

“Huh?” Qu Ling’er was momentarily stunned by the response, then quickly laughed and said, “Then what is a Turkic man like you doing here in Han territory? Seeking high rank, wealth, and glory? I get it now, are Turkic women all as fierce as you? Is that why you came here, hoping to find a delicate beauty?”

“I’ve heard that men taste better than women,” Qi Lin replied, squeezing Qu Ling’er’s butt hard. “Want to try?”

Qu Ling’er’s body stiffened instantly, his face turning deathly pale in a second.

“If you don’t want to, then shut up,” Qi Lin said coldly.

The rest of the journey was finally quiet.

 

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