Chapter 142: Destiny (Part I)

Someone once said that if you do not want to be hurt, the best way is to hurt others first.

A minute before Elder Chen demanded justice from Zhang Xiaoman, Nie Yi, standing by the doorway, caught sight of the person who wanted to hurt others first. This person was right before his eyes—none other than Elder Chen, sitting beside his master with his nose turned up toward the sky.

That person wore a mask. Many people had no idea who was hiding beneath it, but for some reason, Nie Yi knew very clearly who it was. Perhaps it was something called destiny at work, as his master had told him.

"His name is Shen Yixia, and your name is Nie Yi. The Dao generates One. Now there are two ones, and thus there are two paths. But just like the sun in the sky, people only need one path, so you and he can only choose one between the two of you. This is destiny."

Nie Yi watched as that person leisurely twirled a golden key while walking in through the main gates of the villa. Many people brushed past him, yet they remained completely oblivious to who he was. In fact, they mistook him for someone else, greeting him warmly and chatting happily.

However, they failed to notice the fire burning in that person's eyes. Nie Yi saw it, so he hurried to Zhang Xiaoman's side and whispered softly, "He is here."

Simply because of an extra glance amidst the crowd, that person also noticed Nie Yi. After hesitating for three-quarters of a second, he chose not to enter the villa immediately, but instead bypassed the others, circled around to the back of the villa, and climbed up to the high rooftop terrace.

Because many people regarded him as one of their own, the process of climbing up to the rooftop terrace went exceptionally smoothly. The moment he reached the top, he discovered another person already there—dressed in a thick blue cotton-padded jacket, wide-faced and heavy-bodied, with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear.

Just like the others, the man in the blue cotton-padded jacket greeted him warmly, "Morning, Brother Zao!"

A scornful smile crept onto the corners of the lips beneath the mask. Whether it was due to the man's accent or his expression, he misheard the three words as "Time to reap your head." Throwing an arm around the man's shoulders, they walked together toward a corner of the terrace. While repeatedly muttering "Good, good, good," he slipped a small knife out from behind his back and slashed the throat of the man in the blue cotton-padded jacket.

Immediately afterward, he heard the sound of the wind once more. The last time he heard that sound was in an abandoned factory. A woman had been suspended high in the air, the child in her womb gone. Another woman lay stark naked on the ground, bleeding profusely, until her life finally slipped away. Thus, he had flicked out a knife, ending the steward who had committed those evil deeds at someone else's behest—a clean cut, once and for all.

Now he felt a hint of regret. Not regret for killing, but regret for killing the wrong person. He should have killed the masterminds directly instead of some accomplice steward who only aided and abetted wickedness. At the time, he had simply thought that neither good nor evil should be taken to extremes; killing a chicken to scare the monkeys would suffice. Yet he had not expected others to be even more ruthless than him, which was why A-lian died, and all the blood in his master's body was drained dry.

With no attachments left and standing completely alone, he now only wished to eradicate all evil and exterminate them to the last.

Moving from top to bottom, his name was Shen Yixia, so naturally, he had to move downward. Descending from the rooftop stairwell to the third floor of the villa, he killed a man every ten steps. Continuing further down to the second floor, he paused, took a deep breath, and concealed himself silently among the lingering shadows. He nodded and smiled slightly at the burly men lurking in concealment on the second floor, joining them in overlooking the two old men seated at the long table below, waiting to deliver the final strike.

With a slight twitch of his ears, Nie Yi suddenly looked up toward a dim corner on the second floor, frowned, and stepped back to Zhang Xiaoman's side. Feeling the bizarre, oppressive atmosphere—where silence spoke louder than words—between his master and Elder Chen, he bit his lower lip, broke the silence, and whispered, "Master, shall we play the next move?"

"Play it, but we need to change how we play..." Zhang Xiaoman withdrew his gaze from Elder Chen, picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, cast a sidelong glance at Elder Chen, and said flatly, "Elder Chen, are you not leaving?"

"Didn't you just say my justice was about to arrive? Since I haven't gotten justice yet, why would I leave?" Elder Chen let out a cold snort. "Are you leaving? The food isn't finished yet, and the wine isn't finished either. You're leaving just like that?"

"I can't eat anymore," Zhang Xiaoman patted his belly. "I'm old, and my appetite has shrunk a lot. I really can't eat any more. Otherwise... shall I pack it up and take it to go?"

"That depends on whether your pockets are big enough to hold your head and your apprentice's head!" Elder Chen slammed his wine glass down onto the floor, his face dark with gloom. "Do you know how heartbroken I was when I came back from the Beautiful Country and saw Youqing lying in a coffin?"

"Slamming the cup as a signal?" Zhang Xiaoman sneered, glancing around the villa. "Such a flash of swords and glint of daggers... Elder Chen, you should know very well why Youqing died. There is no way this debt can be pinned on me. The enemy you are looking for is in prison, and he has already rotted into a pile of bones. You should go settle your accounts there."

"If it weren't for a meddling troublemaker like you, Youqing wouldn't have died!" Elder Chen said with bitter hatred. "Back then, in order to capture that old immortal surnamed Liao, Luo Ci laid out a 12-year scheme. Youqing merely got involved to repay a life-saving favor to Luo Ci; following Luo Ci's design, he drove a few people to their deaths and just did a tiny task... If you hadn't meddled, he could have retreated in glory. That old immortal surnamed Liao rotted in prison, so I have no way to exact revenge. Luo Ci was Youqing's friend, so revenge is difficult there as well... This debt can only be settled with you!"

"That's quite a statement—rather unreasonable logic," Zhang Xiaoman nodded. "However... do you really think those burly, crude men upstairs can keep me here?"

"They aren't enough," Elder Chen reached his right hand into his inner jacket pocket. "What if I add this to the mix?"

Almost simultaneously, Zhang Xiaoman's right hand moved toward the small of his back. The very instant Elder Chen's voice fell, Zhang Xiaoman whipped out his weapon with a sudden, fierce motion.

Elder Chen looked at Zhang Xiaoman, who had drawn his weapon at the exact same time, narrowed his eyes, and said, "As expected, you're carrying one too!"

"Mine is official," Zhang Xiaoman used his left hand to scratch the back of his right hand, which was gripping the weapon, and cleared his throat. "It was just approved before coming to Luteng City, used for self-defense. Generally speaking, there are no wrongful ghosts beneath this barrel."

"Mine is different," a bead of cold sweat seeped from Elder Chen's forehead. "I've had it since I was born, and I've carried it with me all these years. There are already plenty of ghosts wailing and howling beneath this barrel."

"Are you going to shoot?" A mocking smile hung on the corners of Zhang Xiaoman's lips. "Come on, come on, you shoot first. The moment you shoot, I dare to strike you dead!"

"You think I don't dare to shoot?" Elder Chen licked his lips. "At worst, we'll perish together and become companions on the road to the netherworld. At least it won't be lonely!"

"Do you really have the heart to shoot?" Zhang Xiaoman stared at Elder Chen with a half-smile, blinked, and said, "Do you have the heart to part with this immense family fortune? Do you have the heart to part with those one hundred billion dollars?"

"How do you know about the one hundred billion?" Elder Chen widened his eyes, another drop of cold sweat oozing onto his forehead. "Was this your trap?"

"Hey!" Zhang Xiaoman shook his head. "Don't go throwing dirty accusations around randomly. The crime of fraud also starts with a three-year sentence, and an amount this large is enough to put someone away for many years... Besides, I'm not familiar with this sort of thing either. Don't you find this routine awfully familiar and intimate?"

"Han Yuan?" Elder Chen's face turned livid. "When I get my hands free, I'll definitely skin him alive!" His eyes rolled. "The investment was fake, the guarantee fee was fake, so Madam Duo must be fake too. She probably doesn't even have the surname Duo, right?"

"I wouldn't know either," Zhang Xiaoman puckered his lips. "Just now, on the way to be a guest at your illustrious mansion, I overheard someone mention it, but I didn't hear it clearly. That person had a rather strange accent, confusing yellow and red, so the surname might be Yellow, or it might be Red. Furthermore, your 18 billion dollars are no longer in that account; they're in the police department's account. The origin of some of that money might require you to explain it in person... To add a minor detail, it's the City A police department."

With reddened eyes, Elder Chen snarled, "Just eighteen billion dollars! As long as I give you a bullet, spending those eighteen billion won be in vain!" He turned his head toward the second floor of the villa and roared at the top of his lungs, "What are you waiting for!"

"Cough, cough, cough, what are you waiting for!" came a robust and resonant response from the second floor of the villa. "This is your fate!"

Before the words had even faded, a burly man plummeted from the second floor down onto the long table in the living room on the first floor. A long bloody gash marked his throat, his complexion was deathly pale, and his eyes were wide open.

Elder Chen's pupils contracted. He swallowed hard, glanced at the suddenly commotion-filled second floor, his facial muscles twitching a few times. Holding his weapon, he stood up and, putting on a calm facade, said to Zhang Xiaoman, "It's not very quiet here. Shall we change places to talk?"

Zhang Xiaoman bit his lip and gave a dry cough. "Where would you like to change to?"

"I'll let you know after I find a suitable place..." Elder Chen sniffed. "Mr. Sima's body is not yet cold, so you should head back first to prepare for the funeral arrangements. If there's anything you need my help with, just say the word. In Luteng City, my word still carries weight."

Zhang Xiaoman's expression turned frosty. "That sounds a bit off to me. Why is there a hint of a threat in those words?"

"You didn't hear wrong; that is precisely what it means!" Elder Chen said, putting up a bold front despite being weak inside. "Do you know what the biggest difference between the two of us is? Even if you succeed a hundred times or a thousand times, the moment you miscalculate just once, you'll be utterly ruined. Whereas for me, even if I fail a thousand times or ten thousand times, as long as I succeed just once, I can make your life a living hell. Well, care to make a wager?"

Zhang Xiaoman smacked his lips. "That's why I say, in this world it's truly hard to be a good person... I'm not a gambling man, and I can't afford to lose. For now, I'll just listen to you! Earlier I wanted to leave, and you wouldn't let me go. Now, you go first."

"Makes sense, makes sense..." Elder Chen retreated step by step toward the villa entrance, keeping his weapon raised. "Professor Zhang, then let the green mountains remain and the green waters flow; we shall meet again..."

"Want to leave?" A cold voice echoed from the shadows of the second floor, slightly above and to the right of Elder Chen. "Did you ask my permission?"

Whoosh! A flash of cold light materialized, shooting straight toward Elder Chen as fast as lightning.

Nie Yi, who had been guarding Zhang Xiaoman all along, frowned slightly, swiftly picked up a dining knife from the long table, and swung it with all his might.

Clang! The preemptive flash of cold light collided with the belated dining knife, and both dropped to the floor just ten centimeters from the tips of Elder Chen's shoes.

The cold voice came from the second floor once more, "Are you trying to stop me?"

Nie Yi stared fixedly at a spot on the second floor in the opposite direction of the voice, his expression blank. "That is not the way he ought to die."

The cold voice shifted to the location where Nie Yi was looking. "Then how ought he to die? If this way won't work, I'll change to another. In any case, he definitely won't survive today. Whoever tries to stop me dies!"

Zhang Xiaoman let out a heavy cough, looked toward a section of the second-floor railing closest to Elder Chen, and sighed softly, "He is still of use and cannot die today. Besides, the crimes on his shoulders will drive him to his death sooner or later. You might as well wait a little longer."

"Wait for what! Many people always like to use those words to deceive themselves: just wait until elementary school graduation, just wait until middle school graduation, just wait until college graduation, just wait until marriage and children... I can't wait anymore!"

The moment his voice fell, Shen Yixia, wearing a cartoon mask, leaped down from the railing that Zhang Xiaoman had been looking at. His distinct black and white hair fluttered in the wind, and with an icy gaze, he lunged toward Elder Chen down below, a cold light flashing in his right hand.

Seeing this, Nie Yi swiftly picked up a white porcelain dinner plate, flicked his wrist to hurl it toward Elder Chen's knees, and then grabbed a dinner fork and dashed forward at a sprint.

Bang! Elder Chen dropped to the floor with a thud, narrowly dodging the small knife in Shen Yixia's hand.

Just as Shen Yixia was about to slash his knife at Elder Chen again, Nie Yi arrived, using the dinner fork to block Shen Yixia's blade, turned his head, and coldly spat out a few words to Elder Chen, "Get the hell out of here!"

Panic-stricken, Elder Chen scrambled up from the ground, rubbed his swollen and aching knees, cast a gloomy glare at Shen Yixia, and turned to leave.

Zhang Xiaoman shifted the muzzle of his weapon toward Shen Yixia and urged earnestly, "Stop this... Xiaohua, I will handle what comes next. You and Nie Yi go back to City A. I've already talked it over with He Wei; it can count as a surrender. Considering that all the people you killed were lawbreakers, the judge will take mitigating circumstances into account when sentencing."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Man..." Shen Yixia withdrew his knife, a bizarre smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a cylindrical object, quickly yanked the pull-ring, and tossed it onto the floor. The cylinder instantly spewed out billows of white smoke, shrouding Shen Yixia's figure. "However, I don't intend to trouble you, Elder Man. Sweat your own sweat, eat your own rice, do your own tasks... Still, I must thank Uncle Man for helping me persuade that old bastard to leave. Otherwise, with his people everywhere in this villa, it really wouldn't be easy to handle... A decoy to replace the real target, luring the tiger away from the mountain—two moves have already been played. Let this junior of yours play the final move! See you in the next life!"

Covering his nose and mouth while frantically waving away the white smoke before his eyes, Zhang Xiaoman let out a startled cry, "Not good! He's already used the Decree of Vindication!" He shouted toward Nie Yi's direction, "Nie Yi, go after him! Don't let him do anything reckless. Yunxi followed him to three places before: the Publishing House Building, the TV Station Building, and the abandoned factory in the west of the city. The TV Station Building can be ruled out; he must be going to get the ghost mask A-lian drew for him. As for the remaining two... choose one between the two, it all depends on your fate!"

Nie Yi, whose eyes were streaming tears from the choking white smoke, coughed violently, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Another choice between two paths. Damn this accursed destiny!"