Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the Jing'an Guard threw Tongzhou into utter chaos, arresting and jailing many people suspected of having ties to the Profound Sect traitors.
Sun Youliang and Song Youcai took this opportunity to find some Profound Yellow Sect pamphlets and other brainwashing materials, which they handed over to Pei Shaoqing. But everything was confiscated from the homes of believers who had been duped by the sect. Not a single true Profound Sect traitor was caught, preventing Pei Shaoqing's plan to frame Hundred Households Commander Zheng from moving forward.
That night, in the private residence at the very back of the County Government Office, County Magistrate Wang was in his study working overtime on official documents.
Suddenly, the candle flame on his desk flickered.
County Magistrate Wang looked up to see a man with a black cloth masking his face standing before him. He glanced to the side and saw the window was now wide open.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night visit, sir?"
County Magistrate Wang calmly set down his documents.
"Someone wants you dead," Gongsun Yi replied.
"Oh?" County Magistrate Wang raised an eyebrow, his composure unshaken. "Who? Since I am fated to die tonight, my friend, could you at least let me die with my eyes open?"
Gongsun Yi relayed Pei Shaoqing's message. "Young Master Pei regrets that the County Magistrate will not be able to attend the victory celebration for solving the Mo Mansion massacre. However, he will avenge you by eradicating the Profound Sect traitors in Tongzhou."
"Pei Shaoqing?" County Magistrate Wang frowned, his expression uncertain. He asked tentatively, "I have no past grudges or recent enmity with him. Why would he want me dead? Are you perhaps falsely using his name to commit this crime, intending to frame Young Master Pei?"
"You'll have to ask yourself that. Now, it's time for you to go." Gongsun Yi had no desire to waste more words.
Seeing that his opponent wasn't bluffing, County Magistrate Wang understood perfectly. 'My plot with Hundred Households Commander Zheng to assassinate Pei Shaoqing must have been exposed. The source of the leak was most likely the now-dead Xu Zhiyong.'
'This Young Master Pei is quite the schemer, nothing like the useless, impulsive man the intelligence reports made him out to be.'
'Even knowing someone was trying to kill him, he remained calm and feigned ignorance to keep Hundred Households Commander Zheng and me complacent. He even used the incident to frame Xu Zhiyong as Xu Yuanqing, thereby taking credit for eliminating a bandit leader.'
Gongsun Yi advanced menacingly, but County Magistrate Wang remained seated, completely still, as if ready to accept his death with equanimity.
Facing a man who seemed to lack the strength to even truss a chicken, Gongsun Yi couldn't help but feel a flicker of contempt. He strode directly to the desk, sword in hand, and thrust forward.
In the next instant, everything changed. A green light flared from County Magistrate Wang's hand as he slapped the stabbing sword aside. Simultaneously, his body shot over the desk like an arrow loosed from a bow, his other hand forming a blade-hand that chopped at Gongsun Yi's face, glowing with a dark green light.
Gongsun Yi, aghast, touched the tip of his sword to the floor. Using it for leverage, his body flew backward as light as a wild goose, narrowly dodging the sneak attack.
After landing, he stared fixedly at County Magistrate Wang and said, enunciating every word, "The Profound Jade Hand of the Profound Yellow Sect. To think that County Magistrate Wang is actually a Profound Sect traitor."
The Profound Jade Hand was a high-level Martial Art of the Profound Yellow Sect.
Only middle-to-high-ranking members of the sect were qualified to practice it.
"I didn't want to reveal myself, but I can hardly just offer my neck to be slaughtered," County Magistrate Wang said with an air of helplessness, his hands clasped behind his back. "My skills may not match yours, but I can hold out until my people from the Front Office arrive. Young Master Pei sent you to assassinate me, but your mission has failed. That is, unless you intend to massacre everyone in the entire Government Office. But I doubt even Young Master Pei could handle the fallout from that."
Gongsun Yi gave a cold snort and leaped out the window. His feet barely touched the ground before he was on the roof, vanishing from sight after a few bounds.
"Sigh!"
County Magistrate Wang sighed, his face etched with melancholy.
'Marquis Weiyuan is one of the pillars of the Great Zhou, his hands drenched in the blood of the Profound Sect. I had hoped to make him suffer the loss of a son to avenge my fallen brothers and, in the process, build a connection with Noble Consort Wan in the palace. But I never imagined my plan would backfire so badly. Instead of succeeding, I've exposed my own identity.'
'In the short term, it might be fine. After all, Pei Shaoqing has no physical evidence proving I'm a member of the Profound Sect. But he will certainly report tonight's events to Marquis Weiyuan.'
'And Marquis Weiyuan doesn't need evidence to deal with me.'
'So I need to figure out what to do next.'
'If I can't think of anything, my only option will be to abandon my post and flee.'
***
But County Magistrate Wang was worrying unnecessarily. As an imposter, Pei Shaoqing had no intention of drawing the attention of the Marquis's Mansion unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
So, while he was shocked to hear the news from Gongsun Yi, the thought of reporting it to the Capital City never even crossed his mind.
"I never would have thought that the chief official of Tongzhou is actually a Profound Sect traitor," Pei Shaoqing remarked with genuine feeling.
'And this traitor even has the full support of the local people.'
Gongsun Yi chimed in, "The Profound Sect probably assassinated the previous County Magistrate just to get this man into position."
"Really? Isn't that a bit crude?" Pei Shaoqing was skeptical. "There are plenty of ways to get a County Magistrate transferred or demoted. Why be so heavy-handed?"
"Young Master, you are not of the Jianghu, so you naturally wouldn't understand how its people think," Gongsun Yi said, shaking his head and explaining patiently. "To those in the Jianghu, killing is the simplest and most efficient solution. Furthermore, the Profound Sect is a martial sect plotting rebellion; their methods are even more brutal. They have a long history of assassinations since their very founding."
"Political assassination never gets you anywhere. You can tell from the fact that the Profound Sect has been rebelling for a thousand years without success. They're just a bunch of incompetent fools," Pei Shaoqing said dismissively. He then moved on to another question. "So what is County Magistrate Wang's scheme in Tongzhou?"
"I do not know," Gongsun Yi replied, shaking his head.
Pei Shaoqing was lost in thought. After a long pause, he said slowly, "Sect Leader Gongsun, go to the County Government Office once more. For me, invite County Magistrate Wang to meet at Huang's Pawnshop."
Although Huang's Pawnshop was still standing, the bandit informants inside had long since been silenced, secretly eliminated by Ye Hanshuang on his orders.
Gongsun Yi didn't understand what Pei Shaoqing was planning.
Neither did County Magistrate Wang.
But after a moment of deliberation, he decided to attend the meeting anyway.
Before he left, however, he sent a messenger to Juyuan Inn, ordering his men to take up hidden positions around Huang's Pawnshop.
It was a precaution, in case Pei Shaoqing was luring him out to kill him.
When County Magistrate Wang arrived, he found the doors of Huang's Pawnshop tightly shut. He used his Lightweight Skill to vault the wall and immediately saw Pei Shaoqing sitting at a stone table in the courtyard.
Ye Hanshuang and a still-masked Gongsun Yi stood far behind him, one to his left and one to his right, both holding swords.
"Should I call you County Magistrate Wang, or... Captain Wang?" Pei Shaoqing asked with a faint, unreadable smile.
Gongsun Yi had told him that only high-ranking members of the Profound Sect could practice the Profound Jade Hand. Logically, the sect wouldn't send too many experts to a small place like Tongzhou. Therefore, County Magistrate Wang was very likely the Squad Leader of the Profound Sect's Tongzhou branch.
"This is your territory, Young Master. You may call me whatever you wish."
"Then Captain Wang it is." Pei Shaoqing flicked open his folding fan with a snap. Shaking his head, he said, "Captain Wang, you truly run deep. It's hard to believe."
"Likewise." County Magistrate Wang gave a refined smile. "You hide your depths just as well, Young Master. Those fools who claimed Young Master Pei was useless at scholarship and martial arts, capable only of debauchery, were truly blind. They misled my Holy Sect completely. If not for them, I would never have been exposed."
"Now, I have to defend them on one point—it's true that I enjoy my pleasures," Pei Shaoqing laughed, rising from the stone bench. He snapped his fan shut and stared at County Magistrate Wang. "You must be very curious why I've asked to meet you."
"Please, Young Master, enlighten me." County Magistrate Wang cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
Pei Shaoqing uttered two words. "Work together."
"Work together?" County Magistrate Wang was baffled. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you joking, Young Master? One of us is a rebel, the other the son of nobility. Our stances are inherently opposed. I truly cannot see any basis for cooperation."
"Ah, Captain Wang, you are being too narrow-minded." Pei Shaoqing shook his head again, unfolding his fan and waving it gently. "This Great Zhou belongs to the Emperor of the Yan Family. It's not my Pei Family's kingdom, and it is certainly not *my* kingdom. What does your rebellion against the Yan Family have to do with me? I only care if our cooperation is mutually beneficial."
'Although he had thoroughly enjoyed the perks of feudal society over the past few days, he had no interest in risking his life for the Emperor of Great Zhou. He only cared about his own benefit.'
'As a transmigrator, he didn't consider himself a citizen of the Zhou Kingdom in the slightest. If patriotism was profitable, he'd be a patriot. If treason was profitable, he'd be a traitor.'
'His principles were as flexible as his underwear.'
Gongsun Yi was already breaking out in a cold sweat just listening to him.
"You are an interesting man, Young Master." County Magistrate Wang was momentarily stunned, but his mind was racing. He smiled and said, "If that is truly how you feel, then perhaps cooperation between us is not impossible after all. Please, Young Master, speak your mind."