Chapter 23: The Sixth Division of the Department of Secret Punishments

At these words, even Liu Yan’er, standing nearby, was taken aback. The speaker was none other than the young master of the Su family, Su Liuyun.

Upon learning that a murder had taken place the previous night at Drunken Moon Pavilion, and that the victim had lived right next to Li Pingyang, Su Liuyun, already resentful after having his beloved snatched away, saw this as the perfect opportunity for revenge.

He thought to himself, “How dare you compete with me, Su Liuyun, for a woman? Do you even know what you are? I’ll see you dead before I let this go!”

Staring at Su Liuyun, Li Pingyang couldn’t place him for a long moment. After pondering for a while, he finally recalled the incident on the bridge last night and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s him!”

It was little wonder Li Pingyang didn’t recognize him; at this moment, Su Liuyun’s head was wrapped thickly in bandages, making him look like a rice dumpling, with only his face exposed, and his lips swollen to the size of two fat sausages.

If only he hadn’t mistaken that mangy mutt for Li Pingyang last night, none of this would have happened, and he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.

Unable to help himself, Li Pingyang began to laugh. The magistrate’s secretary beside him was struggling to stifle his own amusement.

Seeing this, Su Liuyun angrily turned his head, but with a bit too much force; his neck issued a loud crack. Panicked, he called to his attendant, “Quick! Fetch the doctor!”

Who could truly understand the state of mind of a man chased by a stray dog all night long, forced to climb trees and scale walls, hungry and exhausted yet unable to risk sleep, always on guard?

Moments later, a doctor entered carrying a wooden case.

Written on the case were two lines of small characters. On the left: “Bone-setting, Massage, Acupuncture.” On the right: “Lock-picking, Arsenic, Hidden Weapons!”

The moment he saw the doctor, Su Liuyun’s heart sank—for the doctor was blind! Eyes closed, leaning on a wooden staff, he needed the secretary’s support just to walk.

Su Liuyun even began to suspect the secretary was in league with Li Pingyang.

As expected, after a bout of “treatment,” Su Liuyun was carried out on a stretcher, feeling sore all over, and given a plank to sleep on the floor.

His neck had been the only issue before, but now, there was not a single part of his body left comfortable.

With tears in his eyes, Su Liuyun tossed a piece of broken silver at the doctor and gestured for him to leave quickly. To his surprise, as the silver hit the ground, the doctor opened his eyes, found it, pocketed it, and dashed away.

His worldview shattered yet again, a cold wind blew, leaving Su Liuyun staring blankly ahead. The treacherous ways of the world overwhelmed him, and he could no longer hold back two lines of aggrieved tears.

Lying on the plank, Su Liuyun began to accuse Li Pingyang. He falsely claimed that his injuries were the result of a quarrel with Li Pingyang the previous night, during which Li Pingyang beat him severely.

After the fight, he said, he drank alone in misery until late into the night.

Just as he was about to leave, glancing back, he noticed a suspicious figure lurking outside the door of the room next to Liu Yan’er’s at Drunken Moon Pavilion.

In that fleeting moment, he claimed to have caught a good glimpse of the man’s face—it was none other than Li Dog-egg, the very man who had struck him! Then, he saw the man push open the door a crack, and using a slender hollow bamboo tube, blow knockout powder into the room.

The rest, as everyone knew, was that the defenseless Guo Xian was ruthlessly murdered by this Li Dog-egg.

Now, with an eyewitness, only physical evidence was lacking.

Su Liuyun, clearly prepared, produced a handkerchief from his person, in which something damp was wrapped.

He continued spinning his tale.

He claimed that after seeing Li Dog-egg emerge from the room, he assumed the man had stolen something, and, not seeking justice, simply wanted to catch him red-handed.

So, he followed covertly.

Seeing no one around, Li Pingyang supposedly took something out and tossed it into the river. Just as he was about to leave in a panic, Su Liuyun startled him by appearing.

But how could he, a refined gentleman, match the brute strength of a country ruffian? Still, he couldn’t let him escape, so he latched onto the man’s legs and held on for dear life.

That, he claimed, was when his lips were kicked into their current state.

After a few punches and kicks, and a heavy blow to the head, he was knocked out. He remembered nothing after that, only that his servants later found him and brought him home.

Upon waking, he was mummified as he was now. Enduring the pain, he summoned his servants and sent them to the river where Li Dog-egg had discarded the weapon.

And indeed, they found a dagger at the bottom of the river!

After this moving tale, the secretary beside him, tears in his eyes, nearly wanted to present him with an award. Li Pingyang, on the other hand, found it all laughable; had the acting not been so poor, he might almost have believed it.

The secretary carefully accepted the dagger, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and handed it to Guo Qishu on the dais. Upon inspection, the dagger seemed to match.

“Seize him at once!”

Grasping the dagger, Guo Qishu, whose only thought was to avenge his son, did not bother to question the story’s truth or its flaws, and immediately pronounced Li Pingyang guilty.

At his command, Xie Changfeng seized Li Pingyang by the shoulders, attempting to force him to his knees.

But as soon as he got a firm grip, he sensed a surge of powerful energy—one greater than his own. In fact, it seemed to surpass even the Grandmaster level!

This energy flowed chaotically, unreadable and unruly. Normally, a person’s inner force is quantifiable, like water in a cup—it does not exceed its limits.

But with this young man, his energy seemed boundless, pouring forth endlessly from within.

Xie Changfeng had met countless masters, but never had he encountered energy as strange and unpredictable as this.

“What are you waiting for?” Guo Qishu shouted, seeing his lack of response. “Do it!”

Xie Changfeng frowned slightly, realizing his own energy was being drawn away, absorbed little by little by Li Pingyang, making it impossible to break away.

Rumor had it that there existed a domineering inner energy in the world, one that could kill without a trace and absorb the energy of others for one’s own use.

Now, witnessing it for himself, he saw how truly dangerous it was. Fearing his energy would be drained completely, Xie Changfeng swiftly sealed his meridians with his left hand to halt the flow, then pulled his hand back.

He drew the short sword at his waist—a weapon he seldom unsheathed, for it had been long since he’d met a worthy foe.

Taking two steps back, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He gathered his energy into the blade and slashed out a crescent-shaped arc of sword energy.

A flash of white light, and the wall behind Li Pingyang was sliced cleanly in two. Then, sword raised, he lunged toward Li Pingyang.

At that critical moment, a man wearing a black tiger-headed mask appeared, striking Xie Changfeng hard in the chest and sending him reeling.

Xie Changfeng crashed into a stone beam, coughed up blood, and was gravely injured. Guo Qishu, terrified, scrambled under the table, crying out, “Guards! Guards!”

At the shout, several elite guards sprang forth from all directions—each of at least fourth rank—surrounding the masked man, weapons drawn.

Seeing this, the masked man drew his own weapon—a simple, slender bamboo staff. Moving with astonishing speed, he struck them all down before they could react.

With the threat neutralized, the masked man knelt on one knee before Li Pingyang and said respectfully, “Zhou Li, Sixth Division of the Secret Tribunal, at your command, Commander.”