Stranger Danger

Chapter 242: Echoes of Agreement

Lin Yuhuai stepped into Gu Suitang’s room and reported, “Chief, the Flying Dragon Officer Lin Zhao, the Chief Enforcer Ding Bumian, the Administrative Division[1] Right Minister Song Yushu, the Chief Constable Li Lang, the Left Guard Captain of the Black Feather Guards Pang Kun, the Little Commander Xue Shiwu, the Deputy Head of Blood Shadow Palace Jiang Huanjian, and the second patriarch of the Bai Clan Bai Xinhu are requesting a meeting.”

“Have they finally reached their limits?” Gu Suitang set down his file with a sneer.

Lin Yuhuai said worriedly, “I don’t think they come bearing good news, chief.”

“Of course not. They wouldn’t be here if it’s good news.”

Gu Suitang smirked and placed his legs on top of his table. He then said lazily, “Bring them in.”

Lin Yuhuai left to carry out his order. A moment later, he returned with the eight guests in tow.

“We greet you, Chief Gu,” The eight guests saluted Gu Suitang after they came in.

Gu Suitang asked in an uncaring voice, “Why have you come to see me?”

The Left Guard Captain of the Black Feather Guards, Pang Kun was a hot-tempered man about 1.6 meters tall. When he saw how rude Gu Suitang was acting—forget inviting them to take a seat or serving them tea, the guy even put his legs on the table—he said angrily, “You know why we’re here. We’re here to talk about Ye Qing.”

Gu Suitang smiled. “Okay. What’s up with him?”

Pang Kun scoffed, “Don’t pretend you don’t know what we’re talking about! One way or another, you will give us a proper answer today!”

Gu Suitang repeated, “No seriously, what’s up with him? Did he raid your food or burn your house or something?”

Pang Kun was just about to blow his top when the Administrative Division Right Minister, Song Yushu took one step forward and stopped Pang Kun from talking. He then saluted Gu Suitang and said, “I’ll be frank, Chief Gu. Luo Shui has been turned upside down in the past few weeks or so because of the incident regarding Ye Qing. Much damage has been incurred, and the people are both terrified and disturbed. At this rate, the consequences would be severe to say the least.”

“Constable Li, would you please report everything that has happened to Chief Gu?”

“As you command,” Li Lang replied reluctantly. Frankly, he didn’t want to come here at all. When the people up top were politicking, those beneath them were usually the ones who suffered the consequences. However, Song Yushu was his boss, and the Administrative Division Right Minister was responsible for regulating behavior and enforcing order in Luo Shui. He couldn’t get out of the position he was put in even if he wanted to.

“On May 3rd,between 7 to 7.30 am, the two siblings, “Ghost Sword” Han Ping and “Soul Saber” Han Ling attacked Ye Qing at Pingan Alley, destroying six civilian residences and three restaurants, injuring fifteen and killing three.”

“On May 4th, between 4 to 4.30 am, the twelve leaders of the Blue Wolf Bandits attacked Ye Qing at Changning Boat, injuring thirty six and killing ten. The property damage is innumerable.”

“On May 5th, between 5.30 to 6 am, the four siblings collectively known as “Death Upon Sight” controlled fifty three civilians using the Spider of Yearning to threaten Ye Qing, seriously injuring seventeen and killing thirty six.”

“On the same day, between 11 to 11.30 am—”

“Enough!” Gu Suitang cut off Li Lang’s report. Not only did he already know this, the Pacification Bureau’s report was far more detailed than the administrative division’s. “These jianghu bastards publicly attacked an imperial official and injured the people. They deserve to die. Why are you wasting your time here instead of apprehending the suspects?”

Li Lang replied awkwardly, “Er… Lord Ye has already killed them all.”

Gu Suitang’s tone turned light and provocative, “I see now! Are you here to thank us for doing your jobs?”

“Like hell we are!” Song Yushu suppressed his anger and said in an even tone, “It’s true that these jianghu warriors broke the law, Chief Gu, but they wouldn’t have done it if Ye Qing hadn’t set up a trap for them. At the very least, they wouldn’t have taken it this far with little regard for collateral damage.”

“That is why Ye Qing is the culprit behind it all.”

Gu Suitang side-eyed Song Yushu imperiously. “Excuse me? Are you kidding me right now?”

“So it’s fine that those jianghu warriors use every dirty trick in the book to kill Ye Qing, but Ye Qing isn’t allowed to lay a trap for his would-be murderers? What kind of logic is that?”

“Also, the true culprit here is the Way of Taiping. They’re the ones who put a bounty on Ye Qing’s head and caused every idiot and their mothers to go after him. If you really want to solve this problem once and for all, you should go and destroy the Way of Taiping!”

“You…” Song Yushu couldn’t say a thing. If I’m strong enough to destroy the Way of Taiping, I would be the next emperor of Chu already!

“You guys do realize that Ye Qing is the one who ruined the Way of Taiping’s plans and saved Luo Shui from destruction, right? That he’s the one who saved your lives? It hasn’t even been a month since that day, and now you’ve all come together to sell him out? Have you fed your conscience to the dogs?”

Gu Suitang started firing spittle at their faces. “A man without a conscience is no different from a Stranger! Is your position really so important to you that you would sacrifice a hero who saved your life, you fucking ingrate?”

“Like I care about my position! I’m doing this for the people of Luo Shui!” Song Yushu argued. “It is true that Ye Qing saved Luo Shui, but it is also true that his presence is causing havoc and ruining people's lives at this very moment! If we don’t find a solution soon, if the unrest escalates into violent riots, then you and I will be responsible for countless more deaths!”

“Well, Right Minister Song claims he’s doing this for the people of Luo Shui, and to be fair, it is his job to keep the order, his incompetence notwithstanding. But what about the rest of you? Pang Kun, Jiang Huanjian, Bai Xinhu? You’re not about to feed me the same bullshit, are you?”

Xue Shiwu took a step forward and spoke up arrogantly, “Of course we’re doing this for the people of Luo Shui. I—”

Gu Suitang roared, “I wasn’t talking to you! Who the fuck do you think you are to interrupt me?”

“You…” Xue Shiwu turned beet red and pointed a finger at Gu Suitang. He was furious, but he ultimately didn’t dare to say anything.

“You what? Keep pointing that finger at me, and I promise I’ll break all your fingers!” Gu Suitang said coldly, “Even your dad Xue Beikun wouldn’t dare to point his finger at me. Seriously, who the fuck do you think you are?”

“I dare you to lay a finger on the Little Commander, Gu Suitang!”

Pang Kun blocked in front of Xue Shiwu and glared at the deputy chief like a tiger.

“Do you really think I won’t, barbarian?” Gu Suitang sneered and rose to his feet. He looked thin and weather-beaten, but everyone’s heart suddenly skipped a beat as if they were staring at an insurmountable mountain.

“Enough.” Song Yushu waved his sleeve and played the mediator. “Captain Pang, we are here to solve the problem, not cause even more problems for ourselves.”

Jiang Huanjian and Bai Xinhu were also persuading Pang Kun to back down.

“Okay then! I’ll talk about Ye Qing!” Pang Kun pushed his companions away. “As soldiers, it is our natural duty to defend our nation and protect the people. Since Ye Qing’s presence is disrupting Luo Shui and costing innocent lives right now, it is my responsibility to stop this from continuing any further than it already has.”

“Besides that, dozens of Black Feather Guards have died because they were dragged into Ye Qing’s mess. As the Left Guard Captain, I must have an answer for their deaths.”

Gu Suitang taunted, “Oh my heavens, since when did the barbarian become literate? You must have practiced really hard to say all that without missing a word!”

“What about you, Bai Xinhu?”

Bai Xinhu was a short and plump middle-aged man who wore a smile that seemed to be permanently affixed to his face. “I’m a businessman, so I’m just going to speak from my perspective as a businessman. Much of our properties were damaged by Ye Qing’s battles with the jianghu warriors.”

“But of course, this is just a small loss. The real loss comes from the fact that countless people are afraid to leave their houses because of Lord Ye. Already, the decreased traffic is costing us a lot of money. At this rate, the Bai Clan may not be able to recoup our losses. That is why we wish for this matter to be settled as quickly as possible.”

The Bai Clan and the Luo Clan were both major clans in Luo Shui, but unlike the Luo Clan, the Bai Clan’s main businesses were restaurants, gambling dens, brothels and so on. It was a fact that the decrease in traffic would damage their businesses greatly.

Gu Suitang didn’t give him an answer. He turned to Jiang Huanjian and asked, “What about you?”

The Deputy Head of Blood Shadow Palace was a thin but hale man who was dressed like a Taoist. He carried a sword behind his back and looked very serious.

Jiang Huanjian saluted Gu Suitang and answered, “Chief Gu, our reasoning is more or less the same as Bai Xinhu’s. Blood Shadow Palace can’t operate on empty stomachs, and Lord Ye’s presence has damaged much of our businesses and properties. That is why I have no choice but to come here.”

“Very well.” Gu Suitang and swept his gaze across the crowd. “What would you have me do then? Do you want me to kill Ye Qing? Surrender him to those jianghu warriors? Or give him to you?”

“That would be going too far, Lord Gu. Of course we couldn’t surrender him to those jianghu people, much less kill him.” Song Yushu shook his head. “Ye Qing had made a major contribution to Luo Shui and Chu after all.”

“And here I thought you’ve forgotten all about it,” said Gu Suitang with a sneer, but everyone pretended not to notice this remark.

Xue Shiwu gave Pang Kun’s sleeve a tug, and the Left Guard Captain spoke up, “If we can’t kill him or surrender him to those jianghu warriors, then why don’t we exile him from Luo Shui? Those jianghu warriors will leave if he leaves, and peace will return to Luo Shui.”

Song Yushu disagreed. “That’s unacceptable. If we exile Ye Qing from Luo Shui, then that means we’re submitting to those heartless bastards. This would damage both the Pacification Bureau and Chu’s name. Unacceptable.”

Pang Kun said impatiently, “What the hell can we do then?”

Song Yushu fell silent for a moment. “Your plan isn’t good, but there is one thing you’re right about. If Ye Qing leaves Luo Shui, then our troubles would leave with him, and Luo Shui would regain its peace.”

“How about this: We’ll send Ye Qing away by transferring him to another location or sending him on a mission. We’ll keep this a secret for a few days before making an announcement. When the jianghu warriors realized that Ye Qing truly had left Luo Shui, they would have no choice but to leave the place.”

“This way, we’ll be able to protect Ye Qing, defend the imperial court’s honor, and return peace to Luo Shui. It would be killing three birds with one stone.”

“What do you think, Chief Gu?”

Instead of answering him immediately, Gu Suitang looked at the others. “What does the rest of you think?”

“It sounds like a great plan,” Bai Xinhu nodded.

“It’s acceptable,” Jiang Huanjian agreed.

“I don’t have an opinion,” Pang Kun answered without thinking.

Xue Shiwu frowned but didn’t say anything. He was disappointed that he couldn’t push for Ye Qing’s death, but the final outcome was acceptable. His objective would be achieved so long as Ye Qing was out of Luo Shui.

“What about you two?” Gu Suitang looked at the Flying Dragon Officer Lin Zhao and the Chief Enforcer Ding Bumian. The two men hadn’t said a word since entering the room. “You’re members of the Pacification Bureau. Do you agree with their suggestion?”

The two men exchanged a glance with each other, and Ding Bumian started, “Ye Qing is a member of the Pacification Bureau, and his service could only be described as exemplary. Logically, we have a responsibility to keep him safe. We—”

“Cut the crap and get to the point already!” Gu Suitang interrupted rudely.

Ding Bumian took a moment to swallow his unsaid words back into his stomach. Then, he said, “However, it is a fact that Ye Qing’s presence had cost many Pacification Sentinels’ lives, and it’s gotten to the point where we can’t even carry out some of our daily activities.”

“So yes, we agree with Lord Song’s suggestion.”

1. This bears repeating, but the administrative division is the government of a county and above. But specifically, the administrative division of Luo Shui is the commandery hall. I rarely use commandery hall simply because I don’t want to confuse it with the building itself. ☜

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