Chapter 13: CH 13

In all four directions, countless barrel muzzles aimed at Su Ru Hui, and he froze in place.

【Friendly reminder: Host has been surrounded by thirty firearms. Does the host need the system to provide a solution?】

Su Ru Hui thought anxiously, “Yes!”

【According to my calculations, the survival rate of fierce resistance is 3.654%, the survival rate of begging for mercy is 80.357%, and the survival rate of selling sex appeal is 100%.】

Su Ru Hui: “…”

He knew that this damn system wouldn’t have any good solutions. Su Ru Hui turned his head and bowed. “Boss, what a coincidence. Have you had breakfast yet? You’ve been working hard since early morning, while I have been enjoying the blessings of Paradise Pavilion.”

Smiling apologetically, Su Ru Hui cursed in his heart. He had covered his face tightly, so how did this guy know he was here? A Qi must have some kind of tracking device on him.

“Yes, not many people can bother me to mobilize so many people to catch someone early in the morning.” Han Ye pointed at Su Ru Hui’s luggage. “What’s in there?”

Su Ru Hui smiled wryly. “It’s just a trivial thing that’s not worth the boss’ attention.”

“Open it.” Han Ye held out his palm, and black flames burst out with a hiss. “Otherwise, let it be your funeral accessory.”

Su Ru Hui had no choice but to turn the lock on the box obediently. There was a series of gear sounds coming from inside, and finally, with a click, the lock on the box opened. Su Ru Hui opened the box and turned it towards Han Ye. There were neatly arranged gold bars inside. The ruffians of the Paradise Pavilion all showed a greedy look.

Su Ru Hui said, “It’s half of my life savings.”

Han Ye said, “Hmm,” with a smile that was not quite a smile. “You’re good at hiding and saving money. Are you going to leave with all your money? Don’t tell me you’re trying to avoid me?”

This guy was like a sticky candy, impossible to shake off. Even if he used Gate of Nothingness to escape, he still had Paradise Pavilion’s tracking device on him and would be found again. Su Ru Hui’s mind raced for a way to keep Han Ye from being able to do anything. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He bowed and said, “Boss, I’m not suited to serve you with my humble appearance. Originally, I wanted to run away to protect my chastity, but after seeing how hard you work day and night, going hungry and sleepless, I suddenly realized that I belong to the Paradise Pavilion, alive or dead. It is an honor for me to be chosen by the boss.”

“Oh? You’ve come to your senses?” Han Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“But boss, I can be more useful to you than just serving you! I am willing to take on any task for the Paradise Pavilion, no matter how dangerous!” Su Ru Hui said earnestly.

“How so?” Han Ye was clearly intrigued.

“A few days ago, I went to the Jiang family and was summoned by Jiang Huai Cang in the middle of the night. He said there was a rare treasure hidden deep in the Kun Lun Mountains, and that it was sealed with a Maze Formation that could only be broken by an ordinary person. Jiang family covets this treasure, but only an ordinary person like Jiang Que Xie could pass through the Maze Formation to obtain it. Now I am posing as Jiang Que Xie and have received Jiang family’s help, so infiltrating the Secret Sect is no problem. When I find the treasure, I will bring it to boss, and Paradise Pavilion will surely become even more famous!”

Han Ye’s face changed slightly. “Are you serious?”

His fingers tightened. Could the “treasure” Jiang Huai Cang spoke of be Su Ru Hui?

“I never lie.” Su Ru Hui took out five talismans and handed them to Han Ye. “Boss, please take a look. These are the talismans Jiang Huai Cang gave me for self-protection. I don’t have the ability to get so many talismans myself. They were all given to me by Jiang family.”

Han Ye glanced at the talismans and believed Su Ru Hui’s words.

“But since you have the intention to escape and have ulterior motives, how can I trust you? I don’t need someone who is not loyal to me to pass through the maze. I can easily catch plenty of ordinary people in Paradise Pavilion. A Qi, I decided to let you go yesterday, but you came back on your own. You are so interesting, I just can’t bear to let you go. Stay here and serve me well.”

He raised his hand, and the people of Paradise Pavilion were about to catch Su Ru Hui.

“Wait!” Su Ru Hui shouted. “I have another reason! Boss, do you know that Sang Chi Yu has already entered the Great Compassion Temple?”

Han Ye laughed. “Of course I know.”

“Sang Chi Yu has drunk the secret medicine, and his body has recovered. The Great Compassion Temple is now even stronger. Paradise Pavilion and Great Compassion Temple each occupy one side of the Black Street. Although they seem to coexist peacefully, there can only be one tiger on the mountain. If Great Compassion Temple becomes stronger, where will Paradise Pavilion find its place? Master, to tell you the truth, Sang Chi Yu has deep feelings for me. We just got married a few days ago, and I have taken good care of him. He already has deep feelings for me. As long as I make good use of him, he will definitely be useful to the Paradise Pavilion, and Hei Guan Yin will lose control over Sang Chi Yu.”

Han Ye laughed so hard that he couldn’t stand up straight. “A Qi, you are just as good at telling lies as Su Ru Hui. Sang Chi Yu has deep feelings for you? Listen to yourself, do you believe what you are saying?”

Su Ru Hui nodded seriously. “Boss, although it sounds unbelievable, it is all true. The night before last, we were intimate, and that’s how I found out he entered the Great Compassion Temple. Otherwise, how could I know? Naturally, he told me when he was confused and infatuated. By the way, he gave me a map to navigate around Immortals Cave. Boss, you should know who was trapped there before. It was Su Ru Hui, the previous boss. His bones are probably still there. With the map, we may be able to bring his bones back to the Paradise Pavilion for burial.”

“Did Sang Chi Yu tell you all of these things?” Han Ye squinted his eyes.

“Yes,” Su Ru Hui said solemnly. “Sang Chi Yu has been sincere with me, but I have deceived him. I am willing to be the bad guy for the sake of Paradise Pavillion.”

Since Sang Chi Yu was not present, Su Ru Hui could lie without consequences. However, the information he provided was true, and Han Ye would find a way to verify it.

Han Ye smiled and pulled out a communication compass. “Okay, let me ask if what you said is true. If you lie even the slightest bit, I’ll break your limbs and keep you in a jar. I like you. You say interesting things, but you only need your mouth to speak.”

Su Ru Hui stared at his compass, feeling confused. Who was Han Ye going to ask? Could it be Sang Chi Yu himself?

“I forgot to tell you,” Han Ye said, “Paradise Pavillion and Great Compassion Temple have reached a cooperation. I already met Sang Chi Yu yesterday and got his communication token.”

Su Ru Hui: “…”

The communication compass lit up, and spiritual energy flowed through it. A green rune hung in the air, indicating that the person on the other side had received the communication.

Han Ye made a gesture, and someone immediately came forward and covered Su Ru Hui’s mouth to prevent him from suddenly screaming for help.

“Hello, Brother Sang,” Han Ye said. “Yesterday, you said not to disturb Jiang Gongzi. I thought about it and couldn’t bear it. If Brother Sang has feelings for Jiang Gongzi, then I, Han Ye, naturally cannot snatch a friend’s wife. However, if you two are only a superficial couple and you have already entered the Black Street, you will never return to the Sang family again. Jiang Gongzi will soon be single again, and I can still visit him, right?”

There was no response from the other side.

Su Ru Hui reached into his pocket and secretly touched the Gate of Nothingness talisman.

“Don’t worry,” Han Ye said. “I won’t force him. I’ll just send some fruit and pastries to show my sincerity.”

The rune on the compass fluctuated, and Sang Chi Yu’s voice could be heard, still with the same clear and cold tone.

“What do you want to ask?”

Sang Chi Yu sensed that Han Ye’s intentions were not just about sending gifts.

Han Ye smiled and said, “Excuse me, I’m just curious. Brother Sang, did you develop feelings for Jiang Gongzi? He said so, but I don’t believe him.”

“…”

“And,” Han Ye slowed his tone, “you two have not been intimate yet, have you?”

There was a long silence on the other side.

The courtyard was silent, and everyone was waiting for Sang Chi Yu’s answer. Su Ru Hui had already anticipated what Sang Chi Yu would say; the kid never lied and would never inexplicably admit to having slept with a man if he hadn’t. Touching the talisman, Su Ru Hui counted down from five in his heart; he was about to run away.

On the other side of the compass, Sang Chi Yu replied. “Um.”

“What does that mean?” Han Ye frowned.

“As you said,” Sang Chi Yu said, “it’s happened.”

His voice was clear and sharp, not loud, but enough for everyone to hear.

Su Ru Hui was stunned, and his fingertips released the talisman.

Han Ye laughed loudly and said, “Well done, Sang Chi Yu, you make me look at you in a new light. It’s one thing to be indecisive, but now you’re even using a stand-in. In the past, Su Ru Hui listed the masters of the Secret Sect on the Black Street and said that they were unworthy of their status. Only you, Sang Chi Yu, were worthy of being his only respected opponent. How could Su Ru Hui have imagined that you, Sang Chi Yu, were in the same league as us scumbags?”

Sang Chi Yu’s tone remained unchanged. “Jiang Que Xie is in your hands.”

It wasn’t a question, but a plain statement. He guessed it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch him. He’s so cute, how could I bear to?” Han Ye chuckled softly.

Su Ru Hui cursed in his heart, “Cute my ass.”

“Jiang Que Xie, speak up.” Han Ye waved his hand, and the thugs from Paradise Pavilion loosened their grip on Su Ru Hui’s hands.

“I’m here,” Su Ru Hui replied.

“Are you injured?” Sang Chi Yu asked.

Su Ru Hui said bitterly, “No.”

“Han Ye,” Sang Chi Yu’s voice was icy. “I want to see him at Sang mansion at one quarter past the hour. If he’s missing even a hair, I’ll kill you.”

After speaking, the spiritual power flowed and cut off, and the compass talisman disappeared.

The thugs from Paradise Pavilion looked at Su Ru Hui with a different look, and Han Ye’s gaze was also quite complicated.

Han Ye stood up and patted Su Ru Hui’s shoulder. “I underestimated you, A Qi. You have to remember that you are a member of Paradise Pavilion. Paradise Pavilion will not mistreat its brothers, and I respect people who have abilities,” he said with a sly smile. “No matter what kind of ability it is.”

Su Ru Hui straightened his back and said, “Boss, A Qi will do anything for Paradise Pavilion!”

Han Ye looked into the distance with his hands behind his back. “Since you already know about the treasure, go get it back. I learned about this yesterday. Paradise Pavilion and Great Compassion Temple have reached a cooperation and will infiltrate Kun Lun when they are recruiting for the Frontline Guards. You should go too. You are still Jiang Que Xie, and Paradise Pavilion won’t reveal your identity to Great Compassion Temple. Do it well. I heard that you used to be a thug in Dong Shi gambling house before becoming Jiang Que Xie. From now on, you are the owner of that gambling house.”

Su Ru Hui breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he had been upgraded from being a “plaything” to a “little brother” in Han Ye’s mind.

“Thank you, Boss!” Su Ru Hui put on a grateful smile and bowed.

“Come back alive, A Qi,” Han Ye said meaningfully. “I despise Su Ru Hui, but not you.”

With that, Han Ye left the bank with his group of thugs. Su Ru Hui looked at his back and felt that he was still harboring lustful intentions towards him. What kind of rotten peach blossom debt (1) was this? Su Ru Hui had a headache. He went home with his luggage. In the end, he was too weak, and he was at the mercy of these bastards. Su Ru Hui took out A Qi’s Black Street pass, sawed the wooden board open, and found an iron bar inside, inlaid with a tracking star formation. So this was how Han Ye found him. He couldn’t destroy the star formation; Han Ye would know. Su Ru Hui glued the wooden board back together and put it aside.

Then he opened his luggage, and the little golden bricks caught his eye. Su Ru Hui picked up the golden bricks and smashed them on the ground one by one. The golden bricks cracked, revealing hidden spiritual stones, meteorite skeleton parts, copper mirror frames, and polished crystal stones. Han Ye didn’t notice that these golden bricks were all hollow and were only containers for what Su Ru Hui really wanted to get back.

He turned the lock again. The box completely fell apart, and the barrel of a small hand-held firearm was exposed to the daylight. Su Ru Hui assembled the wrist guard, retractable steel plate, and the barrel together and attached them to his arm, finally loading the gun with bullets. This small firearm was compact and lightweight, making it difficult to notice.

His only regret was that Yun Zhou County had banned iron, making it impossible to obtain swords or other iron weapons. Su Ru Hui took out a polishing tool and ground a crystal stone into thin pieces, which were then mounted in a copper single-lens frame. He put on the crystal glasses, and the lens showed a faint blue light, revealing the intricate patterns of a small star formation in front of his eyes.

There was no time to create puppets above the second level, and the crystal glasses were not needed for the time being. But with talismans and a hand-held firearm, Su Ru Hui felt that he was ready to go to the Secret Sect.

Looking up at the sky, it was already a quarter past nine, but Sang Chi Yu had not shown up.

Ah, he knew that Sang Chi Yu wouldn’t come. He just didn’t expect that Sang Chi Yu had learned to lie. Su Ru Hui felt a complicated emotion in his heart. That guy had really changed a lot. If he had to change, why not become smarter? He even got mixed in with the Great Compassion Temple, but he didn’t want to hang out with Su Ru Hui?

Thinking about it made him angry. It was useless to be in a hurry, so he had to think of a solution slowly. Su Ru Hui changed into a sleek narrow-sleeved dark blue robe, pulled down his sleeves to cover the hand-held firearm, put on deer leather boots, and carried his bag before setting out.

He didn’t notice that Sang Chi Yu was standing on the roof, watching Su Ru Hui’s figure. After confirming that Su Ru Hui was okay, Sang Chi Yu put on his hood and turned to leave.

Footnotes

1. Peach blossom debt – a debt of gratitude that one person owes to another due to a favor, kindness, or help they have received. The debt is often seen as a result of a peach blossom fate, which is a romantic or social connection between two people that was initiated by chance or fate, like the falling of a peach blossom from a tree.