Chapter 186

The cannonball shattered before it even hit the ground, never having time to explode.

"Cannons? That's rare." Chu Danqing knew little about them and couldn't gauge their technological stage.

But their prevalence was likely low—certainly the Black Flag Army didn't have any.

"Master Chu, you've slaughtered so many, your crimes are grave," Hong Chengyue rode into Baiyuan Temple, a cohort of iron-armored guards following him in.

At the rear, Hai Tui pushed a massive, cumbersome cannon—luckily, these iron-armored guards had martial skill, allowing them to move it easily.

"Oh, it's you," Chu Danqing didn't care about Hong Chengyue's words.

True, Da Bao and the summoned entities did the killing, but they were extensions of Chu Danqing—so the bloodshed naturally fell on him.

"Leave. Ma Yunfeng says you're still useful—he told me not to kill you." Chu Danqing gestured for him to get lost.

Ma Yunfeng paid well, so Chu Danqing gave him face and spared Hong Chengyue's life.

But to Hong Chengyue's ears, those words rang like a dagger.

So he wasn't dead just because of that old bastard Ma Yunfeng?

"But I want to kill you, Master Chu. You've defied the Iron Armor Guards time and again. As long as you live, the Empress Dowager won't rest easy," Hong Chengyue said grimly.

Former Qingyi Guard Battalion Commander Chu Danqing had been too restless, too active—the root of their failures in LinYuan City was none other than Chu Danqing.

So when Hong Chengyue learned Chu Danqing had left the city, he was overjoyed and immediately rallied his troops to pursue.

They departed late, and their speed couldn't match the war chariot, so they only arrived when Chu Danqing had finished burying the dead.

To be honest, tracking him all the way to Baiyuan Temple showed real capability.

"Oh," Chu Danqing replied flatly.

Since he refused to leave and came here specifically to die, Chu Danqing wouldn't mind finishing him off.

What about the impact on LinYuan City's situation? Forget that now.

Kill when you must. Thinking about the big picture means you're probably not part of it.

So why should Chu Danqing care?

Stick to the old routine: Da Bao takes the boss, Yue Lan Wu Ying clears the elites, Huang Tian Zhi Zi and Gui Yuan Mu mop up the minions.

Combat erupted instantly. Though Hong Chengyue was alert, the gap in strength was too vast—he couldn't stop Yue Lan Wu Ying, Huang Tian Zhi Zi, or Gui Yuan Mu.

Worse, Da Bao had locked onto him, one claw slashing toward his face.

But as soon as they clashed, Hong Chengyue realized Da Bao was weaker than the other three—far inferior to him.

The problem was, Da Bao fought like he had no fear of death, and others were aiding him.

Every wound Hong Chengyue landed on Da Bao healed almost instantly.

Da Bao could trade blows, but Hong Chengyue couldn't—he couldn't recover from injuries.

At that moment, Hong Chengyue finally understood where Chu Danqing's confidence came from.

He'd heard rumors of Chu Danqing's exploits before, but never seen them firsthand—he'd dismissed them as exaggerations.

After all, the Iron Armor Guards had been reorganized from the Qingyi Guards; he fundamentally looked down on those "old seniors." If they truly had such power, why had the Empress Dowager purged them?

"Hearing is believing, seeing is knowing"—sometimes inaccurate, but usually true.

Hong Chengyue, who'd only heard rumors, was crushed in one strike.

"Phew~" Hong Chengyue shoved Da Bao back with his spear, exhaled sharply, and said: "Master Chu, you've won."

"Today, I leave LinYuan City and will never set foot here again."

The moment he spoke, Chu Danqing looked at him like he was an idiot.

Did he think this was child's play? One word of surrender and everything was erased?

"Commander Hong, I'm not an official of Da Shuo," Chu Danqing stressed the word "Deputy."

"Kill me, and it's rebellion. Within ten days, a great army will come to punish you. LinYuan City will be destroyed," Hong Chengyue laid out the stakes: "Ma Xiang said I'm still useful—I can't die."

He felt he'd found Chu Danqing's weakness and spoke with impunity.

But the moment he finished speaking, he was dead.

At Chu Danqing's silent glance, Da Bao slashed Hong Chengyue's throat with one claw.

"I always said: to be good, you must be worse than the wicked," Chu Danqing muttered. "Otherwise, they think good people deserve to be held at gunpoint."

The Empress Dowager sends troops? Chu Danqing would just march to the capital and kill her too.

Someone like this, even if repentant, didn't deserve to live.

If a prodigal son returns, does that erase all his past sins?

"Dig the grave bigger," Chu Danqing jumped into the pit, grabbed a shovel, and kept digging.

This time, with the Iron Armor Guards' corpses added, the original hole was too small.

Fortunately, no one disturbed him this time—he finished digging and buried the bodies without incident.

Then he returned to the city with Li Yutang's daughter's corpse.

On the way, he stopped by Xuanwu Gate's garrison to retrieve the Yellow Cloth Warriors and Gui Yuan Ying left there.

Too bad, after so long searching, they'd found nothing—Chu Danqing could only leave regretfully.

As for the people he'd sheltered, Ma Yunfeng had sent men to handle them.

Ma Yunfeng himself hadn't come—clearly, this matter wasn't important enough for him to appear.

Chu Danqing didn't linger; he headed straight for the Li residence.

Upon arrival, Li Yutang abandoned his dignity and rushed out to greet him.

"Condolences," Chu Danqing said only two words. Da Bao carried the wrapped corpse off the war chariot.

Li Yutang broke down completely, tears streaming: "Thank you, Master Chu. I'll never forget this."

After having the corpse carried inside, Li Yutang invited Chu Danqing into the hall, ordered tea served, then asked: "Please tell me the truth about my daughter's death."

Chu Danqing didn't hide anything—he revealed everything about Xuanwu Gate and Baiyuan Temple, except the Nine Cauldrons Map.

Li Yutang clenched his teeth, furious enough to dig up their corpses and whip them.

"There's also Commander Hong buried there—I suggest you wait a while before acting," Chu Danqing reminded him.

"Debts die with the man" applied to himself, not to force Li Yutang—he wasn't the type to be strict with others and lenient with himself.

Li Yutang was a grieving family member; wanting to whip the killer's corpse was natural.

Chu Danqing did Chu Danqing's good deeds; Li Yutang carried out Li Yutang's revenge—no conflict.

If he were a father who lost his daughter, he'd do the same.

He hadn't lived Li Yutang's pain, but he understood its cause—he wouldn't preach forgiveness.

"Good that they're dead!" Li Yutang growled.

He'd been forced into Ma Yunfeng's reformist camp, but now things were different—he had his own motive.

Ultimately, Xuanwu Gate and Baiyuan Temple were just LinYuan City's front men, and LinYuan City's revenue was the Empress Dowager's private purse.

The root of it all was this decaying Da Shuo.

His goal was simple: he wanted the Empress Dowager dead.

Li Yutang had sacrificed his interests, played both sides—all to protect his wife, children, and family.

Now his only daughter was dead; his past restraint was pointless. He'd go all out.

Among LinYuan City's wealthy clans, Li Yutang was the type of honest man.

But now, this honest man had been pushed too far.

"Master Chu, there's a banquet at my house tonight—please come early," Li Yutang suppressed his grief and fury, speaking to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing's expression turned startled: "Under these circumstances, you're throwing a banquet???"

He knew what Li Yutang planned—he was ready to bankrupt himself and fight to the end.

As for the funeral, the girl was dead; the ceremony was just ritual—tomorrow, the day after, or not at all—it didn't matter.

As for the funeral, the person is already dead; the funeral is merely a ritual—holding it tomorrow, the day after, or not at all is all acceptable.

Chu Danqing finally understood why Li Yutang managed such a vast fortune.

He might seem meek before Chu Danqing and Ma Yunfeng, but his inner ruthlessness was undeniable.

"Do it. Do it big. Do it properly."

"No money, how can we reform and renew?" Li Yutang gradually calmed, showing no trace of earlier grief.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing merely nodded: "Fine. I'll be punctual."

"Then I'll take my leave."

Chu Danqing rose and left, boarded the war chariot, and sent one Gui Yuan Ying to inform Ma Yunfeng.

Ma Yunfeng likely knew Hong Chengyue had left LinYuan City to kill him—he hadn't acted because he trusted Chu Danqing's strength.

Hong Chengyue could only mobilize the Iron Armor Guards, and they were all under tight surveillance.

"Dealing with these people is exhausting. If I didn't have enough strength and a modern worldview, I'd probably end up as a pawn or a scapegoat," Chu Danqing rubbed his temples.

His martial power aside, what truly gave him room to maneuver was his exposure to information overload and a modern worldview—allowing him to escape their unspoken rules.

Previously, Qiao Huaiyuan, Jia Simou, even Hong Chengyue—all assumed Chu Danqing would be bound by the big picture, by imperial authority, and thus misjudged him.

Otherwise, with their schemes and stratagems, Chu Danqing's level was no match.

"And Wei Chuyi—he's no easy one either," Chu Danqing thought of the temporary junior he'd saved.

He had ambition, but it was narrow—he only wanted to grow under Chu Danqing's protection, never thinking beyond.

He needed a shot of adrenaline; otherwise, when Chu Danqing left, Wei Chuyi and his followers would collapse—and the backlash would be severe.

"The Reformists, the Zhao Ming Society—they only dream of peaceful change. It won't work."

"Reform without bloodshed? What's that but inviting someone to dinner?"

"Reform and renewal without bloodshed is no different from inviting guests to dinner."

Chu Danqing planned to help them.

"Wei Chu, Li Yutang, and Zhao Tiechuan."

These three men—between intelligence, wealth, and troops—if they could unite and act together, great things could be achieved.

Most importantly, these three held very little reverence for imperial authority.

Merely this one advantage made them far superior to Ma Yunfeng, Chen Jiunan, and others.

Yet linking them together posed considerable difficulty, especially Zhao Tiechuan.

(End of Chapter)