In the antique-styled room, candlelight flickered.
Xie Qingwu sat reading at her vanity. The plump General Li squatted on the vanity, its bright eyes fixed on her. Every so often, its gaze would drift to the spot behind her where a maid was placing an array of exquisite, aromatic dishes on the table.
"My lady, dinner is served." After setting down a pot of warm wine, the maid gave a soft reminder.
"Mm, you may all leave." Xie Qingwu said without looking up, her eyes still on the leisure book in her hands.
The maid complied and left, closing the door behind her.
Only then did Xie Qingwu put down her book. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the fat cat with a beaming smile, her crimson lips parting to release a pleasant, light fragrance. "Would you care to join me for a bite?"
'I need to get on this Cat Demon's good side. This fat cat doesn't look very bright; it should be easy to fool.'
"Trying to bribe me with food?" General Li's large, round eyes filled with disdain. It leaped down, walked to the dining table, and jumped on top. It lowered its head and took a bite of the braised carp, its voice muffled but self-righteous as it said, "This General has always eaten whatever I see. I don't need an invitation. So don't think you can make me owe you a favor with mere food."
Xie Qingwu's face darkened. 'Like master, like cat. Both are shameless. Not a single good one between them.'
But she didn't give up.
A sweet smile returned to her face. She rose and glided gracefully to General Li's side, lifting the pot with her delicate hand to pour it some wine. She said softly, "General Li, you've misunderstood this humble lady. How could I not know that a mighty and extraordinary Great Demon such as yourself could never be bribed by me? I am merely showing my admiration for the General. Have a cup of wine, so you don't choke."
"Don't try using a honey trap on me." Chewing on the fish head, its mouth covered in grease, General Li remained vigilant. It casually grabbed the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. After setting the cup down, it let out a burp and added, "I'm not interested in hairless creatures like you. Not unless you find a small, pure-white she-cat to please this General."
'Of course, even if she did find one, it would sleep with the she-cat, but it certainly wouldn't do the favor. A loyal subject does not serve two masters. In my heart, my Lord is my only sun!'
Xie Qingwu was furious again. 'This damn cat.'
'Besides, who says I'm hairless? I have plenty!'
"Hmph!" Seeing that it was completely incorruptible, she could only give up for now and sit down to eat. After all, she had been hungry all day. "Leave some for me. I haven't eaten yet."
When Pei Shaoqing pushed the door open and entered, the person and the cat had already eaten and drunk their fill. Xie Qingwu had gone back to her book, while General Li was lying on its back at the head of the bed, one leg crossed over the other as it picked its teeth.
"The Lord has returned!" Upon seeing Pei Shaoqing, it tossed away its toothpick, leaped up, and rushed over, pointing at Xie Qingwu. "My Lord, this broad is no good! She just tried to bribe your subject, and even attempted to seduce me! But how could your loyal subject ever let her succeed? I was completely unmoved by delicious food and feminine wiles!"
As it spoke, it stood up on its hind legs, thumping its chest with a paw, its feline face a mask of solemnity.
"Heh, seducing a cat. I never realized you were into bestiality." Pei Shaoqing quipped at Xie Qingwu as he casually shut the door.
"I did not seduce that damn cat!" Xie Qingwu's face instantly darkened as she corrected him. Then she shot back with a sarcastic jab, "Besides, if I were really into bestiality, couldn't I just come to you?"
"Oh? I like a sharp-tongued bitch like you." A mocking look appeared in Pei Shaoqing's eyes as he brazenly scanned her voluptuous and graceful figure.
Hearing him insult her by calling her a bitch, Xie Qingwu's face flushed red. She stood up and, in a fit of shame and anger, threw the book in her hand at him. "Insolent! You're lewd and shameless!"
"But you're the one who implied I was a beast first. Getting angry because you can't win an argument?" Pei Shaoqing casually caught the flying book and glanced at the cover: *Records of Strange Flowers and Herbs of the Jiuzhou*. He looked up, a little surprised. "I wouldn't have thought a well-bred lady like you would have such eclectic reading tastes."
Xie Qingwu ignored him, sitting back down with a sullen face to stew in her anger. Her ample bosom rose and fell erratically.
"General Li." Pei Shaoqing tossed the book onto the table.
The fat cat immediately stood on its hind legs. "Your subject is here!"
"Return to the mountain stronghold at once. Tell the Second-in-Command to enter the city tonight and meet me at the old place." Their mountain stronghold was a large enterprise, and they had a foothold in the city as well.
"As you command!" General Li accepted the order and left. It had just reached the door when it turned back, leaped onto the table, and grabbed a half-eaten, greasy chicken leg. "An army marches on its stomach. Your subject will take this leg for provisions on the road."
Pei Shaoqing's face darkened as he waved a hand, signaling it to hurry up and get lost.
General Li was quick to leave and quick to return. After ordering it to continue keeping an eye on Xie Qingwu, Pei Shaoqing went alone to their stronghold in the city to meet his right-hand man and "bosom" buddy.
The residence was full of Zheng Xuancheng's spies, so of course he couldn't leave through the main gate. Leaping over eaves and scaling walls was a simple matter for a dignified Martial Artist at the Early Stage of Qi Condensation like himself.
...
Pei Shaoqing leaped across rooftops and landed in the inner courtyard of "Huang's Pawnshop." This was their stronghold in the city, primarily responsible for gathering intelligence and fencing stolen goods.
"First-in-Command." The pawnshop's Shopkeeper, Old Huang, had been waiting for some time. He hurried forward and said, "The Second-in-Command is inside."
Pei Shaoqing waved him away and, knowing the way, walked to a room and pushed the door open. Inside, a woman in her twenties was pouring herself a drink.
She was over two meters tall by visual estimate, a full head taller than Pei Shaoqing. She had an oval face with slightly sharp, heroic features. Her long black hair was tied back with a ribbon into a high ponytail that hung down her back.
She wore a white dress, and her towering, massive chest was of considerable weight. Given her height and build, her waist was not particularly slender, but it appeared graceful in contrast to her peach-like, plump hips, which were more pronounced as she sat on the stool. Though her long legs were hidden beneath her skirt, one could imagine from her height just how full and slender they were.
She was Phoenix Mountain's Second-in-Command, Ye Hanshuang.
"Big Brother." Seeing Pei Shaoqing enter, Ye Hanshuang immediately dropped her wine cup and stood to greet him, her voice clear and cold.
"Sit." Looking at his "bosom" buddy, who was overwhelmingly imposing when standing, Pei Shaoqing quickly told her to sit down. He then followed suit, taking the seat opposite her. "You should be clear on the situation. Tomorrow, I plan to..."
"Big Brother, I killed Chen San," Ye Hanshuang said, suddenly interrupting Pei Shaoqing.
Pei Shaoqing's brow twitched. His expression unreadable, he stared at her and uttered a single word: "Reason."
Chen San was the subordinate he had sent back to the mountain stronghold from outside Tongzhou City during the day to deliver a message to Ye Hanshuang.
Ye Hanshuang met Pei Shaoqing's gaze without a hint of guilt. Her eyes were icy as she said in a completely flat tone, "Since you, Big Brother, are going to impersonate Pei Shaoqing, then to ensure there are no mistakes, no one who knows the truth can be left alive.
"It's not just Chen San. The other nine men who survived with you today, and even the twenty-some people left in the stronghold—all of them must be silenced.
"After all, they've seen your true face. If they discover that the new Jing'an Guard squad leader looks exactly like their own First-in-Command, it will inevitably cause complications."
Pei Shaoqing slowly shook his head as he listened to her.
Ye Hanshuang continued, "They're all brothers who've eaten from the same trough. It's normal for you to feel it's too cruel, Big Brother. So just leave it to me. I'll do it."
"You know I'm not that kind of person." Pei Shaoqing shook his head again, picked up Ye Hanshuang's wine cup, and drained it. "Besides you, there's no one else in the entire stronghold I care about. Those nine men do have to die, but we have to be strategic about it. After all, in Zheng Xuancheng's eyes, those nine are my Guards. So their deaths must not cause any ripples, and they must also be plausible."
He had planned to silence them all along.
The Phoenix Mountain bandits were a gang of ruthless marauders who robbed and plundered. They banded together for profit. There was certainly some loyalty among them, but not much. No one, including him and Ye Hanshuang, could be called a good person. It was a pipe dream to expect them to stay loyal and tight-lipped forever, so he wouldn't hesitate to kill them, nor would he feel any guilt.
Pei Shaoqing said a lot, but Ye Hanshuang only heard the words, "Besides you, there's no one else in the entire stronghold I care about." Despite her tomboyish image, her face grew slightly hot and her gaze flickered. She quickly changed the subject.
"Right, Big Brother, one more thing. Xu Zhiyong, the Standard-Bearer from the Jing'an Guard's Hundred Households, just came up the mountain in person with ten thousand taels in silver notes to see you. I disguised myself as you and met with him. He said that you will be leading men into the mountains tomorrow morning to suppress the bandits, and he asked 'me' to kill you. To be safe, he said he would also disguise himself as one of our men to help."
"Heh, as expected." A mocking smile played on Pei Shaoqing's lips, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He said in a chilling voice, "Tomorrow, not only will I kill the bandit chief Xu Yuanqing and claim a great merit, but I will also kill that Xu Zhiyong to vent my anger. Furthermore, I will kill everyone in the stronghold to eliminate any future trouble. Tomorrow, we'll do this... and this..."
In the dimly lit room, Pei Shaoqing spoke unhurriedly while Ye Hanshuang listened with rapt attention. Their shadows danced on the walls with the flickering candlelight.