Chapter Fifty-Three: The Twin Demons of Black and White
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When Li Yunjie stepped out of Gong Qingfeng’s room, dusk had already fallen. On his way back, he pondered deeply.
Su Ming’s attempt to shake the position of the Crown Prince would certainly not be permitted easily by the Emperor. Thus, he must possess leverage. And his leverage was none other than Li Yunjie himself, the so-called legitimate master of Beiling.
Inviting him to marry into the family and supporting him to rise to power were merely strategies to seize control of Beiling’s military and keep the Crown Prince in check. In the end, he was nothing but a chess piece.
“That old fox!” Li Yunjie cursed under his breath, “Such deep scheming!”
He exhaled long and slow, then pushed open the door to his own room.
“Master,” Eleven rose to greet him, “Why so troubled?”
Li Yunjie sighed softly, “If your master were to be used by others, what would you do?”
“Cut him down,” Eleven replied without hesitation.
Li Yunjie smiled quietly. “What if the person holds high office and cannot be cut?”
“Then stay away from him.”
“And if he has immense power and you cannot escape?”
Eleven thought for a long time, then shook his head. “Then there’s no way, master would simply have to accept his fate.”
Li Yunjie patted Eleven’s head and smiled, “Not necessarily. There may be another way.”
“What way?” Eleven craned his neck, curious.
“To become stronger,” Li Yunjie’s gaze suddenly turned resolute. “Strong enough that he cannot shake my position.”
Eleven nodded, “Master speaks truly!”
Li Yunjie sat briefly to rest, then stood and retrieved the seventy taels silver note given by Song Yongnian from today’s discarded clothes.
“Come, accompany me somewhere.”
With those words, he and Eleven left together.
“Master,” Eleven asked in confusion as they walked, “Where are we going?”
“To the Zhang household,” Li Yunjie replied calmly.
“The Zhang household?” Eleven’s brows rose. “The one where the murder happened?”
Li Yunjie nodded, “I heard from fellow inmates in prison that Zhang Shen has a daughter named Zhang Shu.”
“Zhang Shen gambled away the family fortune, even sold their good farmland.”
“Only the old man and Zhang Shu remained, depending on each other.”
“Now that her grandfather has died, I fear for her…”
He sighed deeply and quickened his pace.
In this world, when a household is bereft of men, it is nearly impossible for a woman to protect herself. Moreover, Zhang Shen was a gambler who, years ago, sold his wife to a wealthy household in exchange for gambling funds.
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If not for the old man’s protection, Zhang Shu might have suffered the same fate long ago.
...
Outskirts of the city.
A shabby courtyard.
The dim candlelight flickered in the evening breeze.
A young woman in mourning clothes knelt before the hall, weeping uncontrollably.
Outside, two servants peered through the broken fence, whispering.
“This young lady of the Zhang family is indeed delicate. No wonder the master covets her so,” the servant in black said lewdly.
“With such beauty, she’s worth twenty taels,” the servant in white grinned salaciously. “Who would have thought the gambler Zhang Shen could sire such a lovely daughter?”
“Enough nonsense.” The one in black moved to the door. “Hurry and tie her up, the master’s patience is running out!”
The white-clad servant laughed, “I think you’re the impatient one~”
The black-clad one’s gaze flickered, betraying his guilt. He coughed twice and pushed the door open.
Inside, the woman heard the noise and looked up, only to see two menacing figures. Her heart tightened.
“Who are you?” She wiped her tears and forced herself to speak calmly, though her voice trembled.
“Miss~” The servant in black smiled, “Our master heard of your misfortune and sent us to pay respects.”
As he spoke, he took out a heavy purse from his sleeve. “This is a token from our master, please accept it.”
Instinctively, the woman stepped back half a pace, her voice quivering, “I am of humble birth. How could I know your master? Why have you come?”
The servant in black drew closer, his gaze lingering lasciviously as he rubbed his palms together. “You may not know him now, but you soon will.”
The servant in white had quietly moved behind her, blocking her escape. “Don’t worry, tonight, the master will surely cherish you well.”
As he finished, his eyes chilled, and his large hands gripped her slender arms firmly.
The woman’s face instantly paled, trembling with fear.
“Sirs, I don’t know how I have offended your master!” Her voice was nearly drowned by terror, sobbing as she struggled, “Please have mercy!”
But the servant in black ignored her pleas, his lewd smile growing as he closed in.
His rough hand lifted her trembling chin, letting her tears flow unchecked.
“You’ve done nothing wrong,”
As he spoke, he produced a contract of sale from his sleeve, “Only your gambler father sold you to our master five days ago.”
“With such beauty, if you enter our master’s house, wouldn’t that be—”
“Ah!”
Before he could finish, the woman bit his hand viciously, making him howl in pain.
“Slap!”
“You wretch!”
“You won’t drink the wine offered, you’ll drink the punishment instead!”
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Humiliated and furious, the man in black slapped her to the ground.
“Be gentle!” the white-clad servant protested, worry in his eyes. “If you damage her, the master will not forgive you!”
Blood seeped from the corner of the woman’s mouth as she gazed hopelessly at the two fiends, shivering.
“Tie her up!” The man in black handed the hemp rope to the one in white, barking orders.
Powerless, the woman could not resist two trained men. No matter how she struggled, she could not escape being tightly bound.
Despair swallowed her heart piece by piece.
Her empty eyes sought help from the white-haired elder lying silently upon the long bench.
Her pale lips murmured again and again, “Grandfather’s body is still warm…”
“Please, let me go…”
The man in black tore a piece from her thin garment and stuffed it in her mouth.
“Save that for tonight with the master.”
“Take her!”
...
Just as the words fell, a shrill gust howled outside the door!
In a flash, a broken sword appeared before the man in black!
Its very aura told them they were no match.
“Let her go.” Li Yunjie’s gaze was sharp as a blade, his tone icy cold.
As he spoke, the broken sword emitted a sliver of icy blue energy, slicing a shallow wound across the man’s neck.
His Adam’s apple quivered. “You must be mistaken, sir.”
“This girl was purchased by my master—” He pointed to the purse on the table.
“I said,” Li Yunjie cut him off coldly, not even glancing at the purse. He pressed the sword slightly deeper, deepening the cut. “Let her go.”
The man in black, white-faced and in pain, quickly gestured to his companion.
The man in white shoved the woman aside, glaring, “Do you know who my master is?”
Li Yunjie answered calmly, “What does it matter to me?”
“If you offend my master, you won’t be able to set foot in Jiangnan again!” The white-clad servant threatened, his eyes vicious.
“Oh?” Li Yunjie replied with interest, “Now I am truly intrigued…”