Chapter 417: The Fugitive Criminal

Zhong Huaien soaked in the barrel for three days, battling the Green Flower Child's affliction for three full days.

In the end, he lost, and died inside the barrel.

Xu Lao looked at Zhong Huaien and sighed repeatedly: "What a pity,

what a pity for this good barrel, what a pity for this good batch of golden urine."

Xu Lao had never held a good impression of the Holy Sage Peak disciples, but the dead deserve respect, and he couldn't bear to let Zhong Huaien die far from home.

He grew two eggplant men, fashioned them into a stretcher, and carried Zhong Huaien's body back to Holy Sage Peak.

In growing eggplant men, Xu Lao differed slightly from Zhang Wanlong.

As for refined appearance, Xu Lao truly fell short of Zhang Wanlong—his eggplant men all looked identical: bushy eyebrows, large eyes, broad noses, square lips, and jet-black skin, unmistakably rugged men weathered by hardship.

But in combat power, these two eggplant men were extraordinary; they carried Zhong Huaien's corpse across New Land, traversing mountains and rivers, and actually delivered him to Jianren Gang.

Inside the mansion, the Saint was cultivating, at a critical moment, when a pungent odor drifted into the bedroom—the Saint immediately lost control and lost all interest in continuing cultivation.

He dismissed the woman beneath the bed curtains, stepped outside the mansion, and saw Zhong Huaien's corpse.

A group knelt before the gate, waiting to become his disciples; Zhong Huaien's arrival left them deeply conflicted.

They had been kneeling for many days—should they rise now or not?

This might be the Saint's test—if they rose now, all their prior effort would be wasted.

But if they stayed kneeling, this stench was truly unbearable.

Several of the Saint's disciples, having smelled the odor from other courtyards, gathered around to watch; seeing the golden-glowing Zhong Huaien, the senior and junior disciples covered their mouths and wept.

They covered their mouths not because they dared not cry out, but because it conveniently blocked their noses.

Their tears were genuine—this stench truly stung the eyes.

The Saint looked at the two eggplant men; they still carried the stretcher, clearly the ones who had brought Zhong Huaien back.

The body had been delivered, the sentiment must be conveyed too—the two little men gazed at the Saint and sang a little tune as a farewell to Zhong Huaien:

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Ni ge gua cong, hey! Ni ge gua cong, hey! Ni ni ni ni, ni ge gua cong, hey!"

The tune was thick with dialect; the eggplant men's voices were loud and perfectly synchronized.

After singing it twice, the Saint's veins bulged.

The disciples trembled in fear—they knew the consequences of the Saint's anger; these two unknown men would surely die.

The Saint raised an eyebrow, and one eggplant man exploded on the spot!

Golden urine gushed from the eggplant man's body, splattering the Saint all over!

The consequences were severe—the Saint's clothes were soaked through.

None of the disciples escaped unscathed; each bore golden stains of varying intensity.

One disciple, Gong Ziming, held considerable prestige among his peers; he first wiped his face with a silk handkerchief, then pulled out a fresh one, ready to clean his master.

The Saint raised his hand—Gong Ziming dared not approach, and no one dared speak.

But the remaining eggplant man ignored him, continuing to shake his head, staring at the Saint, singing in dialect: "Ni ge gua cong! Ni ge gua cong…"

Disciples and those come to seek apprenticeship watched silently.

A wave of pressure swept through; the onlookers scattered, leaving only a few trusted disciples to follow the Saint into the mansion.

Standing in the courtyard's center, the Saint's voice was hoarse: "Xu Han's provocation must have intent—who will go to Medicine King Gully and see what that old scoundrel is up to?"

The disciples lowered their heads in silence; the Saint turned to Gong Ziming: "This is your specialty—you will go."

Gong Ziming had no way to refuse.

Gathering intelligence was not difficult for him—he had once been sent to Neizhou for reconnaissance.

But if he went to investigate Xu Han and hoped to return unharmed, it would not be so easy.

Could he somehow divert the Saint's attention away from Xu Han?

Gong Ziming bowed deeply: "Master, I've heard that my brother was wounded by the Green Water Beggars."

This was the truth—Zhong Huaien died at the hands of the Green Water Beggars; if anyone was to be investigated, it should be them. Gong Ziming preferred to track the Green Water Beggars rather than trouble Xu Han.

The Saint had considered this too; he assigned disciple Xing Zhongquan to Green Water City: "Upon arriving in Green Water City, first find your senior brother Bai Jin, and carry out Chu Shaoqiang's arrangements,

regarding the Green Water Beggars, follow Chu Shaoqiang's orders precisely—temporarily sever contact with Waizhou, do not arouse Chu Shaoqiang's suspicion, and prevent Neizhou from misunderstanding,

still send Ziming to Medicine King Gully—Xu Han must be closely watched to prevent any moves from him there…"

The Saint was still assigning tasks when the eggplant man's song outside the gate continued: "Ni ge gua cong…"

The Saint glanced at Gong Ziming: "Deal with him."

Looking at the eggplant man outside, Gong Ziming had no idea how to proceed.

…

In the Border Control Hall, Liao Zihui was listening to Deputy Director Tang Huanjie's investigation report—the bodies of the four men sent to Xiaoyao Wu had been found.

Autopsies revealed only that all four had broken limbs and bled to death; who had killed them and by what means remained unverifiable.

Tang Huanjie said: "I suspect Chu Shaoqiang did this, but we have no concrete evidence yet."

"Evidence isn't important," Liao Zihui set down the report. "I care about Chu Shaoqiang's intentions."

"Do you think he's targeting us?"

Liao Zihui pondered long before replying: "Publicly, probably not—Chu Shaoqiang is from Neizhou, and Neizhou likely still doesn't want to break ties with us,

but his personal grudge against us runs deep; from his own perspective, he might do anything."

Tang Huanjie also found the matter difficult: "Neizhou doesn't want to break ties with us, and we can't afford to start a war with Neizhou—at least not directly target Chu Shaoqiang."

Liao Zihui reviewed the entire incident: "In Xiaoyao Wu, these four men lost contact with us—this is inseparable from Li Qi's involvement."

"Do you suspect Li Qi is allied with Chu Shaoqiang?"

"I suspect Chu Shaoqiang was in Xiaoyao Wu himself—I suspect they were originally partners!

Li Qi is not yet officially from Neizhou; acting against him won't be seen as breaking ties with Neizhou, and I'd very much like to teach him a lesson."

Tang Huanjie said: "But Li Qi isn't easy to handle."

"We need to mobilize more personnel—Li Qi has caused us significant losses in freight fees; on this alone, the higher-ups will support our operation,

once we deal with Li Qi, Chu Shaoqiang will naturally rein himself in; then we deploy the Balancers, use Holy Sage Peak to ease relations with Chu Shaoqiang, and the entire incident will settle swiftly,

today you work hard—draft a plan, and tomorrow we'll hold a meeting to finalize this operation."

…

The next morning, Liao Zihui was in a meeting with several Deputy Directors when secretary Ling Sujun entered and reported an urgent matter: "The Three Forks Criminal City has had an incident—over three thousand escaped to the city's outskirts."

Liao Zihui frowned: "Still because of the dark matter flow?"

Ling Sujun nodded.

Deputy Director Du Liyong said: "Two days ago I sent men to inspect Criminal City—the situation there is dire; people die daily."

Liao Zihui knew the state of Criminal City, but what concerned him was the escapees: "How did these three thousand escape? There are boundaries beyond Criminal City."

Ling Sujun submitted the report: "According to current intelligence, they escaped through New Land."

Liao Zihui relaxed: "Let them fend for themselves—New Land beyond Criminal City has no exit."

The group resumed discussing the operation against Li Qi; by afternoon, the plan was finalized when Ling Sujun entered Liao Zihui's office:

"Director Liao, some Criminal City escapees have appeared near Haichiling."

Liao Zihui was stunned: "Impossible—how did they get to Haichiling? New Land from Criminal City doesn't connect to Haichiling!"

Ling Sujun shook her head: "Cause unknown."

Liao Zihui could no longer sit still—this would cause trouble: "Deploy key personnel to Haichiling—try to persuade the escapees to return."

"What about Li Qi?"

"Operation postponed—solve the Criminal City issue first."

…

At Haichiling, on the edge of the Three Ridges, a figure stood near the boundary of New Land, anxiously awaiting news.

The figure's gender was indeterminate—over two meters tall, with unusually broad shoulders, and three heads: the central one female, the left one male, the right one a child.

The cold wind howled; the figure shivered, and the child on the right whispered: "Sister, I'm hungry."

The woman replied: "Endure it—once we reach Haichiling, there'll be plenty to eat."

The man on the left said: "We only have a little money—what can we possibly afford?"

"Enough for us to eat," the woman turned, glancing back at the forest behind them.

The forest held many others, also waiting to eat.

The man sighed; he—or rather, they—stood silently in the snow.

Another hour passed before Pan Dehai's figure slowly materialized before them: "My friends, you've suffered, you've tired—here's some food I brought, a small token, don't refuse it."

Dozens of sacks of grain appeared on the ground—estimated at over two thousand jin.

The child was thrilled by the food; the woman looked up at Pan Dehai: "Master Pan, can we enter Haichiling now?"

Pan Dehai shook his head: "Not now, I'm afraid."

The man asked: "Then when?"

Pan Dehai paused, then said: "I am a man of virtue—I don't wish to deceive you. Entering Haichiling is impossible at any time. After this meal, find another path."

The woman stared in shock: "Master Pan, you promised us…"

Pan Dehai sighed: "I promised because I feared you'd despair and act recklessly. I am a man of virtue—I simply couldn't bear to see you suffer."

In plain terms, this meant: Had I told you the truth earlier, you might have acted out in desperation.

The woman looked bewildered: "Master Pan, why?"

"Because Haichiling has just enjoyed a few peaceful days and doesn't want further friction with Waizhou. Listen to me—return to where you came from. No one in Puluozhou dares shelter you."

The man gritted his teeth: "Master Pan, going back on your word is wrong. We've waited here two full days—we're nearly starved to death. If you don't give us an explanation, we're not leaving today."

Pan De smiled: "You know you've been hungry for two days. Let me say this plainly—if you won't leave, I can find a way to make you leave."

PS: The Sinners' City is part of the Three-Forked One; this three-headed being has appeared before.

(End of Chapter)